IT'S A GIRL!!

Brett and I were both very excited to learn on Thursday that we are expecting a beautiful baby GIRL!!!!!

We love her so much already.  ♥

Now the baby crafting can really begin!  

The World Needs to Know About Spaghetti Pie

I was guilting myself over posting this because the picture of spaghetti pie simply does not do it justice.  The husband did not get home until after dark this evening, which made my pictures less then stellar, but today, I'm setting that aside, because the world needs to know about Spaghetti Pie.  This is more important than any of my own insecurities.  So here it is: 



2 large carrots (peeled and diced)

1/2 pound spaghetti

1 15 oz jar spaghetti sauce

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 to 10 mini meatballs (optional)

1 teaspoon oregano

salt & pepper



The Rules:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Boil spaghetti for approximately 6 minutes, then add in carrots.  Continue boiling until Spaghetti is al dente.  Drain and transfer spaghetti and carrots into a large bowl.  Stir
in tomato sauce, 3/4 cup of  mozzarella and ricotta cheese.  Stir well
so that spaghetti begins to cool before adding the egg. Then add egg,
meatballs, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and pour into a
9 inch pie dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and
bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly and
pie is set. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 4 to 6.



Here is what you get:

We thought it was a really nice change of pace to the usual 'spaghetti and red sauce' that we do so often around here.  I think you should try it this week!



P.S.  In the interest of full disclosure, I did not think up this recipe all by myself.  The original can be found at another blog called Cooking With My Kid. 

Brett's (World Famous) Salsa Recipe

Ok, so maybe it's not world famous, but it is delicious!  I highly recommend that you try it out:

1 large can Contadina crushed tomatoes with roasted Garlic

1 can chopped/diced Jalapeños

1 can chopped green chiles  

1 medium onion

1/2 bunch of cilantro

Real tablespoon of Salt

Real tablespoon of Pepper

Real tablespoon of lime juice

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic (more or less to taste)

Place 1/2 can of Crushed tomatoes, full can of Jalapeños and chiles, salt, pepper, and garlic in blender.  Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds or so.

Chop the onion and cilantro to desired sizes (smaller is better) and place in bowl with other 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes.  Stir until mixed.  Pour the contents of blender into the bowl and mix.  Mix in Lime juice, and you have salsa!  

REALLY Big News!

Ok, so I haven't blogged in forever + 3 days.  But I promise I have a really, really good excuse that will make you forgive me:

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!  

We are beyond excited, and as I'm sure you can imagine, I can't stop thinking about all the adorable little baby crafts/quilts/goodies/etc. that I finally get to make for my baby.  

What does this have to do with not blogging, you ask?  Well, this baby is making me tired.  Like, beyond exhausted.  Like, more tired than I ever knew I could be + 10.  So, it's not that I don't care, it's just that I'm sleeping.

You forgive me, don't you? 

Thanks, I knew you would.  :)

Amazing Mac N' Cheese

I don't know if this particular version can technically be considered a mac n' cheese, since I didn't actually use macaroni noodles.  So call it what you like, either way it will still be delicious.

The Ingredients:
1 box pasta of your choice
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) Campbell's Cream of Cheddar Soup
2 cups (8 oz.) Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or any variety)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard

The Rules:
1.  Cook pasta until al dente
3.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
4.  Transfer mixture to casserole dish and bake with foil cover at 400° for 40 minutes.

And you're done!  It's super easy and amazingly delicious.

Enjoy!

Salmon and Israeli Cous Cous Stir Fry

If you haven't before, you should check out Iowa Girl Eats.  It is one
of my new favorite food blogs.  She has such great ideas and they are
generally very healthy, and often vegetarian. 


Her recipe for Salmon and Israeli Cous Cous Stir Fry inspired me enough to try it out
for myself.  It turned out really really well, and was a nice change of
pace from the usual fish + vegetable + rice that we do at our house. 

I made mine a little bit differently with pre-packaged organic stir fry mix, but the end result was pretty much the same. 

You can head on over to this post for the recipe. 


Now, if anyone has any good recommendations for what I can do with the other
1/2 box of israeli cous cous and also the 1.5 dozen eggs that are
hanging out in my fridge, I am definitely open to dinner suggestions!!

DIY Keyboard Wrist Rest

Wrist rest.  Wrist rest.  Wrist rest.  Try saying that five times fast.  

Something I love:  Really simple solutions to everyday problems.

For instance:  My carpal tunnel has flared up.  :(  I needed a new keyboard wrist rest at work.  Rather than spend the next 6 weeks going through the necessary channels to order one, I thought I would just make my own.

The best part was that it is made entirely of things I had on hand:  a small amount of fabric and some rice.  And it's pretty.

Here's how I did it:

For starters, I used a highly sophisticated measuring device to determine the length of my keyboard:

Next, I cut out my fabric pieces, mine were approximately 18" by 4".

I sewed them, right sides together, around all but one short side.

Then, I turned it right side out, and top stitched around the same three sides.

Next, fold the open end in about 3/4", press, and fill with approximately 3 cups of rice.  You can use more or less depending on what level of firmness you want.  We don't fool around when it comes to rice in this house.  I had the giant 25 lb. bag from Costco on hand. 

After it was filled, I top stitched the open end closed, and Voila!  A handy-dandy keyboard wrist rest.  I did the exact same thing for my mouse, and just shortened it so that it would be the appropriate mouse size.

Now, because I love you, and because it's high time I start taking this blog o' mine seriously, I have created a template for you to use in case you desire to make your own handy-dandy keyboard wrist rest.  You can download it here.  Enjoy!