What Cold Weather?! Warm Up With My Mac N Cheese!

Happy TGIF!...Wow...15 shopping days left until Christmas and I am so not ready! It is so cold out today...I would not mind a little dusting of snow, especially since Brad and I plan on getting our tree tonight!

I cannot seem to locate our camera cord...I really wish I could, so I could share some pictures of dinner this week! On Wednesday...Brad was set to get home a little later, which gave me more time to prepare something special. I decided to make good ole mac N' cheese with toasted garlic bread and roasted tomatoes. It is the perfect cold weather meal. To start, I sliced a tomato, into medium thick pieces and removed all the seeds. I then placed them on a baking seat. I seasons ed my tomatoes with pepper and a pinch of salt. I then drizzled over olive oil and some fresh bread crumbs. I put those aside, pre heated the oven to 350 and started on my garlic bread prep. I decided to make a garlic puree to spread on my bread. I took out my mini chop (love that thing) and put in 1/4 garlic clove, Parmesan cheese and little Motz cheese. I blended that all together in the chop. I sliced two pieces of bread and drizzled over some Olive oil on the 2 slices. Next, with a knife, I spread my garlic puree out on it. I put the bread on a baking sheet and put it aside. I then began to heat some water for my elbow pasta. In another pan...I began to heat butter on medium. After that, I added 2 teaspoons of flour, and began whisking the butter and flour together over the heat (make sure the clumps are out)...then I added 1/4 or a little more of milk. Begin to whisk that together. Your water should be boiling, so pour in your elbow pasta. That takes about 4 minutes to cook al dente. Then add as much or as little cheese as you want to your flour milk mixture and stir. It should become thick and really cheesy. Once your pasta is done, add it to the cheese mixture and mix it around. Put the mixture in a baking dish, top with bread crumbs and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Also put your tomatoes and bread in the oven at this time.

This meal came out so good!...I presented it on a plate and topped the mac and cheese with the roasted tomatoes and garlic bread on the side! YUM! Brad was thrilled. The funny thing was, I cleaned up the kitchen while my mac and cheese was baking. When Brad came home...him and I were talking..and I noticed he began to peer over at the kitchen to see what was cooking/done. When he did not see anything, I noticed that he began to get really unsettled and said.."so, maybe we can talk at dinner...we should start cooking or something?!"...Little did he know that I was already way ahead of him!

Looking forward to relaxing tonight and enjoying our tree!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Holiday Decorating Tips!

Holy Patriots/Jets Monday!...I was at Patriots Place early this morning in Foxboro, and the security and hype was intense! I had to be checked in by security....this game is going to be a battle!...Not to mention a duel between the 2 best looking quarterbacks in the league! (Wahoo!)

I cannot believe Christmas is in 3 weeks! The month of December always goes by so quickly!....The bitter cold this morning was a lot to swallow. It was a friendly reminder of how excited I am for my family's upcoming trip to Florida at the end of the month!

Our house is looking more "Holiday" friendly everyday. I currently have very little holiday decorating items (although I know it will grow as the years go by)...So i decided to swing by some cheaper stores to pick some things up. One thing, when you buy from these stores, is that....you do not always get the most attractive pieces. For example, there was a really cute table centerpiece item. It was a candle holder with holly and greens....but it looked kind of sad, and needed some serious help (it was also 6 bucks)...so I decided to purchase it and spruce it up on my own to make it "Pottery Barn" ready! I removed some holiday holly/red berries and greens from some already purchased garland...(I didn't need them all on that particlar garland) and added it to my centerpiece. 30 minutes later...and my kitchen floor covered in berries and sparkles...I was finished.............and it looks great! I also added an already purchased green candle to the center!

I think the main message here is that....you do not always need to spend pottery barn money to get a great holiday decoration. Using items that you already have in the house and getting a little crafty....can not only save you money....but its fun too! Tea light candles completed my centerpiece. Brad came home from work that day to a very dim lit holiday dinner!

Stay warm today!