Hey 2012..what's up?

So 2011 was quite  a year for me.  I switched jobs, went on an amazing weekend getaway with my best high school girl friends, and had the sweetest baby girl (who by the way is currently napping so sweetly on my lap), and turned 30... I wonder what 2012 has in store...

I don't make resolutions because I don't keep them.  I like to think in terms of goals, some long-term, some short-term.

Here are a couple of goals I have for the year.

1. Read more- I want my students to read every night, so I need to as well.
2. Check out more books from the library.
3. Find some non-fiction books I like
4. Go on vacation
5. Find a great face cleanser
6. Do more DIY projects (thanks to pinterest, I have quite the list)
7. Don't leave my clean laundry folded up in baskets...put it away!
8. Wear more dresses
9. Fix my hair at least 4 days a week (lame I know, but I suffer from the just put it in a ponytail syndrome)
10. Enjoy it!

You may think some of my goals are lame, and you may not understand why wearing more dresses would be a goal, and that's okay.  They are my goals, lame or not...I hope whatever goals or resolutions you make for the year that you are successful and that you live life to the fullest every single day.

I think I'll go read now and think about making a best of 2011 post, because there aren't enough of those. :)

Happy New Year!

Baked Mac and Cheese

Here's one more recipe that is pretty standard in my house.  I remember having this as a child for holiday's at my grandma's.  A few years ago, my mom gave me the recipe and I love making it!  Make a salad and you've got quite the meal (bonus it's still good reheated)

Baked Mac and Cheese

Preheat oven to 350

You will need....

1 Box of Penne noodles
1 egg
1 small can of condensed milk
2 cups of chedder cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the noodles as directed.  In a baking dish alternate layers of noodles and cheese.  The top layer should be cheese.  In a small bowl, mix the condensed milk and egg together.  Pour over the top of the macaroni and cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until top layer of cheese is golden brown. 

The condensed milk adds a great taste of sweetness to the mac and cheese.  If you like cheese, don't be stingy--sometimes I add a little more than 2 cups depending on what we have at home.  (Cheese is one of my food groups, so I never skimp).

When you want to reheat, add a little milk to the dish and heat in the oven until it is warmed through.

BEST MAC AND CHEESE EVER!

Christmas in a Crockpot

For Christmas Eve festivities a few years ago, we decided to do "Christmas in a Crockpot."  All the food we ate was cooked and served in crockpots...made it easy for us because no one had to slave over a big fancy meal and it was delicious!  I love these recipes because they are easy and flexible to your tastes...I don't measure a whole lot, I just add stuff until I think it tastes good. :)

So get your toothpicks and your napkins ready, here are some of our crockpot favorites...

Meatballs

1 bag of frozen meatballs (you could use a homemade recipe if you have one..I'm all about easy and homemade meatballs are messy)
1/2 a bottle to a bottle of ketchup depending on preference
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
1 jar of grape jelly

Put meatballs in crockpot add rest of ingredients cook for 4-6  hours.  I don't usually add much ketchup, I like the flavor of the bbq sauce better.  Also, I never understood why all these meatball recipes called for jelly...I thought it was weird, until I tried it.  It's good folks!


Lil' Smokies

enough packages of lil smokies for your group
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
a cup of grape jelly

All the ingredients in a crockpot cook for 6 hours on low


 Cheesy Salsa Dip

1 jar of your favorite salsa
16 oz of velveeta cheese cubed

mix it all together in your crockpot  and cook on low,  Serve with your favorite dipping chips.


Now this last recipe wasn't for Crockpot Christmas but we enjoy this in our house throughout the year.


Roast

Your favorite cut of roast
1 package of Italian Dressing
1 package of Ranch Dressing
1 package of Au Jus
1-2 cups of water (depending on how much gravy you like)

optional--add carrots and potatoes


put roast in crockpot (we've done it both frozen and thawed)
add the rest of ingredients and cook on low 8 hours

The delightful smells of this roast will make your mouth water and your house smell WONDERFUL.


I love my crockpot, even though I'm a freak and worry about it all day when I'm not home, I still love it! And I mean I'm a freak, I envision these horrible scenarios about how I'll be in the middle of teaching and my principal will come to my room and tell me I have a phone call and it will be the fire department because my crockpot will have exploded and caught my house on fire.  Is this irrational or do others have these same issues?  Please tell me I'm not alone!

Happy Crockpot-ing!