Baked Macaroni and Cheddar

I tried another new recipe last week. I found this one in my April 2008 Rachael Ray magazine on page 88.

1 large bunch broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets and stalks peeled and
cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pound whole wheat elbow pasta
2 1/2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 3)
3 TBSP flour
3 1/2 cup low-fat milk
3 TBSP cornstarch
12 Oz cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
6 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 TBSP bread crumbs

1. Fill a large pot with enough water to reach a depth of 2 inches and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute; drain and rinse with clod water. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and add the broccoli in an even layer.
2. Fill the same pot with water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain
3. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. In the same pot, melt 2 TBSP butter over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the flour for 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup milk until thickened, then whisk in 1 cup more. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, then whisk into the pot. Simmer, whisking, until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the cheddar and 4 TBSP Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the pasta. Spoon the mixture over the broccoli.
4. In a small heatproof bowl, combine the garlic and remaining 1/2 TBSP butter; microwave on high until melted, about 20 seconds. Stir in bread crumbs, the remaining 2 TBSP Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon each slat and pepper. Discard the garlic, the sprinkle the bread crumbs mixture on the pasta. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

I thought this was really good although next time I make it I will not put quite as many shallots in it, I thought it was a little onioney. It was also very good left-over

Our QT Tyler

Tyler's hair was getting a little out of control so last week I decided to do something fun with his hair. We gave him a feauxhawk for church. One of the boys in his class asked why he had a feauxhawk and Mike said "Don't you mean a mohawk?" The boy said "NO-A feauxhawk" So after church I had to explain the difference to Mike. It was kind of funny though! I think he looked pretty cute. We might keep it that way if it would look decent for the day, but his hair is so straight and fine that it doesn't stay looking good for very long so we buzzed it off again. He is still cute though!!

Tyler also chomped down on his syringe again while I was giving him his medicine the other day and his front tooth became loose. (This is the same thing that happened to his other tooth that he lost.) After a few days of him working it more and more loose with his tongue I had Mike pull it out. I have to take him to the dentist today though because I don't think the whole tooth came out. I am not very excited about that but what else can I do?

Playing in Vegas

My sister and niece came to town a couple weeks ago andwe went out and played. Of course we went to the M&M factory. They really enjoyed the movie"I lost my M in Vegas"

We found Yellow outside for pictures.

Then we walked over to the Luxor and Excalibur to see all the fun stuff there.

Oceia and Shirley at the Luxor

Oceia and her Night in Shinning armour

We also stopped at the Lion habitat in the MGM but the lion's were sleeping so it was not overly exciting. We also took a trip out to Ethel M's chocolate factory-That was my favorite part!

Our House

We have had many requests to see the outside of our house so here you go! This is the view from the street. At some point the tree that you see will be replaced though. It is a mesquite tree I think and it is VERY messy so we will replace it with a flowering plum probably.

This is the entry way. A lot of these bushes will be replaced at some point too because they are too over grown.

This is our patio. We are LOVING it now that the weather is nicer. We have had hamburgers a couple time and we've eaten lunch out here several time because it is so nice during the day. If you think I am bragging- I am! This is the time of year that I am glad to live in Las Vegas!!

This is our back yard. We live on the corner lot so it is pretty good sized for the area. We are excited to have it. We will hang a hammock between the two trees when we figure out the best way to do so. If you have any tips they would be appreciated.

So this is the outside of our house. We love it and would love to show it off to any who want to come visit!! Let me know. We have a spare room and bed for you to stay in.

Our Garden

This is our first attempt at a garden in our new house. We planted it on March 8. We are pretty excited and hope that we get at least some harvest from it. We planted carrots, strawberries, tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, peas, corn, beans, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, and butternut squash. Not all of it fit in the garden so we used some planters that we have on our porch. We will see how that turns out.

This is a peach tree that we have planted in our yard. Mike and I both thought it was dead and almost pulled it out, but luckily we did not because now it has blossoms all over the place.

Tyler played in the sand box while Mike and I were planting the garden. I am not sure he liked it a whole lot, but he did enjoy being outside!!

No more car troubles

Mike FINALLLY got my car fixed!! I am SO excited. He finished it on Saturday afternoon. I have a lot of errands to run today since I have been without a car for three weeks, but at least I have it now and I can get things done again!! We went for a drive yesterday to make sure everything was working properly and it was great. I am glad I don't have to ride in Mike's big truck anymore. It is not comfortable and it is hard to climb in and out of, especially in a dress on Sunday's!

Car trouble

This is the engine bay of my car.

This is the engine. I am pretty sure that it should be IN the car not in the garage, but right now it is in the garage.


Mike was driving a couple weeks ago and the car started making funny noise. I think that is probably never good. He took it to a friend and found that he had thrown a rod barring. We had to buy a new short block, which is the center part of the above picture. He has been working on it for about two weeks now and I am going crazy not having a car. I will be so thankful when he gets it repaired so I can go do what I need to do when I need to do it and not have to rely on other people for a ride!! I am gratful that Mike has the knowhow to do this repair on his own too, because it would cost about three times as much if we had to pay someone to do it. I hope this is the last major problem we have for a while, but the car is almost paid off, just 9 more payments, so I fear that we will move from a car payment to a repair payment. We will wait and see I guess.