Yesterday I went to the market to get some peaches to put in Joel's barley cereal. I try to go twice a month because the veggies are just so good there! My favorites are the sweet carrots, and Murad loves their giant green peppers. I also wanted to pick up some squash to make the dish I'm going to share below. Joely doesn't really eat baby food anymore, but we keep a few pouches on hand for quick lunches. The other day I was feeding him some baby food mac n' cheese. I was looking at the back of the pouch at the ingredients and thought, this would be good for adults to eat if it wasn't blended. His pouch listed squash, onions, cheddar cheese, heavy cream and macaroni as the ingredients. My mom had a recipe that had a yummy cheese sauce made of some of my favorite cheeses. So, I used that (and added canned chicken for my husband) to make the Garden Gourmet Mac n' Cheese! It was so yummy and filling. My husband loved it and asked for seconds. I'm so glad to have found Mac n' Cheese that is yummy and healthy. That means we won't have to rely on Kraft or Velveeta for Joel!
Garden Gourmet Mac n' Cheese
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cup milk (I used plain Almond milk)
1 Tbsp instant minced onion
2 tsp dry mustard
1 lb mix of shredded cheddar cheese, fontina and feta
3 1/3 cups of cooked whole wheat macaroni
2 4.5 oz cans of organic chicken
1 cup of chopped sweet onion
1 1/2 cups of cubed, steamed yellow squash
Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk. Add minced onion and mustard. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add cheese and let melt.
Combine macaroni, cheese sauce, squash, onion, and chicken in 1 1/2 quart greased baking dish. Bake on 350 for 35 minutes.
Showing posts with label wine and cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine and cheese. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Dirty 30!
Well, as many of you know, I am now thirty years old! My official birthday was Thursday. I can hear the "womp, womp" in the background as you realize that I was at work on my birthday. Definitely not fun, but my students made it a success. One student brought me a cupcake from Sprinkles, another one brought me a (fake) Gucci scarf, and I received handmade countless posters (including a Jayhawk one). One of my students brought me whole wheat toast with Nutella. This may seem a little weird, but we bonded over our love of whole weat toast and Nutella. I think we are the only ones in the school who eat it for breakfast each day.
When I got home, I spent most of the afternoon returning phone calls. Mr. Soup and Joel showered me with cake and a homemade dinner! I requested no gifts, as Murad shelled out a lot for my push prize (I absolutely love my Galaxy tablet; it's the reason why my Facebook page has a million pics of Joel) and Christmas. After Joel went to bed, we watched a movie and hung out.
On Friday, I went to Happy Hour with my work friends. It was fun and low-key, which was what I needed after a stressful week. We went to Kelly's Eastside Bar in downtown Plano which was convenient for me!
On Saturday, we started our day with a serious talk. I know that seems weird, but it was really needed. Mr. Soup is worried that I'm not getting enough "me-time." I think he's worried because of the stress of my job, motherhood and supporting him after his test. When I went to happy hour on Friday, I called to I check on Joely and he goes, "GO HAVE FUN!" Easier said than done, right? He's right though. I've been guilty of putting Joely first all the time. Since Murad takes Joely to work and I pick him up, Murad is going to pick up Joel twice a week (that's all that his work schedule will allow). I'll have time to go do my "me-time" stuff. Whether it's working out, meeting for coffee or a drink with friends, or whatever, I'll have those two afternoons to myself. I'm really excited about this, but also nervous. Picking up Joel is the highlight of my day and I treasure the time we spend after work; however, I know Murad is really looking forward to getting me back to "me." I know a lot of it has to do with my work situation, but I am thankful to be employed. I also think that I don't always realize how much work it is to be a mom. I used to scoff when people said that being a mom was hard. I LOVE mothering Joel each day. I didn't ever think of it as work, because I enjoy it so, so much. When I step away and realize how much work it is though, I can see why I am a little overwhelmed. So much of who I am is devoted to Joel (as evident by the fact that 99% of my blog entries are devoted to him; I promise that will change!), but I am more than his mommy.
After our big talk, we geared up for my birthday celebration. It was a much needed night out. We left Joel with the sitter who would have been more than happy to keep him overnight, but Murad and I are just not ready to leave him overnight with non-family members. We're getting there though...Anyways, I really wanted to celebrate my birthday in downtown Plano. I know that seems weird to celebrate in a suburb, but Murad and I really love our town. The restaurants and shops in downtown Plano are unique and the nightlife is vibrant. It's becoming more "urban" and we love spending time there. We wanted to share that with our friends, so we headed over to Urban Crust for a pizza dinner. I absolutely love their Genova pizza - eggplant, basil pesto, tomato sauce, goat cheese and argula..YUM! It was great to share good food and drinks with friends. Afterwards, we went upstairs to the rooftop bar to hear the DJ spin. the rooftop bar (called 32 Degrees because they serve all drinks at that temperature) was so much fun. Immediately brought me back to being in college. We had fun drinking, doing silly dances, and people-watching! Such a fun night and I'm so thankful for the people who made it a blast!
We headed over to pick up our little prince who graciously let us sleep in until 8:00am today. I then took a five hour nap while Joel and Murad had some daddy-time. We have been lounging around because our 30 and 31 year old bodies can't handle 3am bed-times. Although I loved the night out, it won't be a regular occurence.
30 is here and I could not be happier. I may not have all the answers, but I'm surrounded by people who love and support me. I'm figuring it out one day at a time. Here's to 30!
When I got home, I spent most of the afternoon returning phone calls. Mr. Soup and Joel showered me with cake and a homemade dinner! I requested no gifts, as Murad shelled out a lot for my push prize (I absolutely love my Galaxy tablet; it's the reason why my Facebook page has a million pics of Joel) and Christmas. After Joel went to bed, we watched a movie and hung out.
On Friday, I went to Happy Hour with my work friends. It was fun and low-key, which was what I needed after a stressful week. We went to Kelly's Eastside Bar in downtown Plano which was convenient for me!
On Saturday, we started our day with a serious talk. I know that seems weird, but it was really needed. Mr. Soup is worried that I'm not getting enough "me-time." I think he's worried because of the stress of my job, motherhood and supporting him after his test. When I went to happy hour on Friday, I called to I check on Joely and he goes, "GO HAVE FUN!" Easier said than done, right? He's right though. I've been guilty of putting Joely first all the time. Since Murad takes Joely to work and I pick him up, Murad is going to pick up Joel twice a week (that's all that his work schedule will allow). I'll have time to go do my "me-time" stuff. Whether it's working out, meeting for coffee or a drink with friends, or whatever, I'll have those two afternoons to myself. I'm really excited about this, but also nervous. Picking up Joel is the highlight of my day and I treasure the time we spend after work; however, I know Murad is really looking forward to getting me back to "me." I know a lot of it has to do with my work situation, but I am thankful to be employed. I also think that I don't always realize how much work it is to be a mom. I used to scoff when people said that being a mom was hard. I LOVE mothering Joel each day. I didn't ever think of it as work, because I enjoy it so, so much. When I step away and realize how much work it is though, I can see why I am a little overwhelmed. So much of who I am is devoted to Joel (as evident by the fact that 99% of my blog entries are devoted to him; I promise that will change!), but I am more than his mommy.
After our big talk, we geared up for my birthday celebration. It was a much needed night out. We left Joel with the sitter who would have been more than happy to keep him overnight, but Murad and I are just not ready to leave him overnight with non-family members. We're getting there though...Anyways, I really wanted to celebrate my birthday in downtown Plano. I know that seems weird to celebrate in a suburb, but Murad and I really love our town. The restaurants and shops in downtown Plano are unique and the nightlife is vibrant. It's becoming more "urban" and we love spending time there. We wanted to share that with our friends, so we headed over to Urban Crust for a pizza dinner. I absolutely love their Genova pizza - eggplant, basil pesto, tomato sauce, goat cheese and argula..YUM! It was great to share good food and drinks with friends. Afterwards, we went upstairs to the rooftop bar to hear the DJ spin. the rooftop bar (called 32 Degrees because they serve all drinks at that temperature) was so much fun. Immediately brought me back to being in college. We had fun drinking, doing silly dances, and people-watching! Such a fun night and I'm so thankful for the people who made it a blast!
We headed over to pick up our little prince who graciously let us sleep in until 8:00am today. I then took a five hour nap while Joel and Murad had some daddy-time. We have been lounging around because our 30 and 31 year old bodies can't handle 3am bed-times. Although I loved the night out, it won't be a regular occurence.
30 is here and I could not be happier. I may not have all the answers, but I'm surrounded by people who love and support me. I'm figuring it out one day at a time. Here's to 30!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Cheese
So, this post is honor of CHEESE. Not Cheese Heroin, the drug common among teens in Dallas and cause for drug-related overdoses, but the actual curdled milk!
I bought some of those Laughing Cow Babybel cheeses and I'm in love!
Today I made cream cheese pinwheels for no apparent reason. I just love 'em.
Here are some of my favorite cheeses (in no particular order):
cream cheese (my fave)
brie (2nd)
mozzarella
swiss
cheddar
American
queso
colby jack
feta
string cheese
cheesecake (i know, I know, but hey, it's soooo good!)
oh, I just love it so much. I did some research on cheese (via wikipedia). some interesting facts:
Cheese is rarely found in East Asian dishes, as lactose intolerance is relatively common in that part of the world and hence dairy products are rare Glad I'm not Asian!
White wines go better with many cheeses than reds.
I think part of the reason I love cheese so much is because it goes perfectly with my favorite drink! WINE! haha! My friend Christina had a wine and cheese party for her birthday. I think I am going to do the same for mine, except maybe add a more French theme. I'll include some French foods and decor as well! Oh, I'm so excited for January 26th,2010 now. Not excited to turn 28 though. Okay, so I just wanted to share some information on Cheese. Off to eat some more! This is the perfect night for wine and cheese: I'm finished with graduate school and tonight is the premeire of what is sure to be my new favorite show, The Real Housewives of New Jersey! For those of you who don't know that my husband and most of my new family are New Jersey natives. Bring on the stereotypes!
Visit www.cheese.com for more information!
I bought some of those Laughing Cow Babybel cheeses and I'm in love!
Today I made cream cheese pinwheels for no apparent reason. I just love 'em.
Here are some of my favorite cheeses (in no particular order):
cream cheese (my fave)
brie (2nd)
mozzarella
swiss
cheddar
American
queso
colby jack
feta
string cheese
cheesecake (i know, I know, but hey, it's soooo good!)
oh, I just love it so much. I did some research on cheese (via wikipedia). some interesting facts:
Cheese is rarely found in East Asian dishes, as lactose intolerance is relatively common in that part of the world and hence dairy products are rare Glad I'm not Asian!
White wines go better with many cheeses than reds.
I think part of the reason I love cheese so much is because it goes perfectly with my favorite drink! WINE! haha! My friend Christina had a wine and cheese party for her birthday. I think I am going to do the same for mine, except maybe add a more French theme. I'll include some French foods and decor as well! Oh, I'm so excited for January 26th,2010 now. Not excited to turn 28 though. Okay, so I just wanted to share some information on Cheese. Off to eat some more! This is the perfect night for wine and cheese: I'm finished with graduate school and tonight is the premeire of what is sure to be my new favorite show, The Real Housewives of New Jersey! For those of you who don't know that my husband and most of my new family are New Jersey natives. Bring on the stereotypes!
Visit www.cheese.com for more information!
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