JenQu's Fabulous Mac'n'Cheese

For real, this is the most amazing mac I've ever eaten. I've never made "real" mac'n'cheese from anything other than a box before. And according to my kids, Annie's organic mac is "nasty".

Me: But it's ORGANIC, kids! It's GOOD for you.

Them: MOM IT'S GROSS!!11!!

I figured I had to do something about the mac problem. So while cruising one of my favorite Delphi mZinga forums I noticed that JenQu's mac'n'cheese (option 1) was considered somewhat legendary and decided that if I had to make mac for real, I'd try her recipe. I let the kids pick the pasta (mini shells) and off we went to make the mac that is a meal.

The only modifications to the recipe were:

• Shredded Cheese - I ended up using 8 oz each sharp and mild cheddar rather than 2 cups. MMMM Cheesy.


• Parmesan Cheese - Locatelli mmmmmmm nice bite!


• Breadcrumbs - I didn't realize we were out of these until we got home and so I had to use stale stuffing cubes that were pulverized.

Even though the recipe was modified slightly, it was still a winner.

Recipe follows for those of you who don't want to click the link above.

Mac and Cheese

• 1 lb macaroni


• 8 oz cream cheese


• 2 cups shredded cheddar


• 1 cup milk or cream


• ½ cup bread crumbs


• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese


• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


• 1 tbls butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Lightly butter 2 or 3 quart baking dish or pan (I use a long rectangular one..more crust!) Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water cook the noodles until al dente, barely cooked, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the empty pot. Mix with cream cheese until it is melted and getting nice and gooey. Stir in the cheddar and milk or cream. Transfer to the buttered baking dish (or pan, like I use) In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and cayenne. Sprinkle over the macaroni and dot woth the butter. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 40 minutes!

Strawberry fields...

My first harvest from my garden!

One red strawberry.

It was tasty, too!

Abducted by aliens!

At least I thought they were... These are items that have been languishing in my stack of "things I really ought to get to". The first grouping are items that need repairing.

The second grouping are the items that are projects in progress. My New Year's Resolution was to finish them. Some of them have been hanging around (har har) for over 3 years. Bet you can't guess which ones THOSE are.

Christmas gifts 2008!

Even more Christmas 2008 splendoriferousness!

Diaper cover, footie pjs & shorts set c. February 2006!

One diaper cover, dress & pajama top c. 2006, 2008 & 2007 respectively!

Detail of godets!

A Sew Retro Post

Again! I'm on a spree this week.

This time I'm seeking advice on what dress to make next. Click on over via the linkie above and leave a comment, ok? I'll make whatever dress gets the most votes by March 31st!

If the shoe fits...

Shove it in a box until you find the "perfect" outfit to wear it with...

Anyone who has known me for a long time, knows that my former nickname (like before "The Empress") was "Imelda" for I have collected shoes of all kinds for many years. It didn't even matter if they fit or I wore them more than once. If I found a quirky pair of shoes, they must be mine.

Eventually, however, I became a more discriminating connoisseur of footwear. However, I still can't resist a retro-inspired pair of shoes ... or three...

Here they are - my three personal faves - in all their glory:

Check out the detail on these:

These I've worn maybe three times. I'm still looking for the perfect 1920s/1930s outfit to go with them. I've ordered this:
from Patterns From The Past because it looks like a good fit. I can't wait to get it and make it up.

On to my most worn (out) pair of shoes:

This picture shows the little ivory button but not how worn out they are. They even have a matching handbag.

As for the delightful brown shoes? I've got some fabric set aside to match and a pattern that I'm not really committed to it yet. Maybe something better will come along.

A Sew Retro Posting

Click the link above to see my post over at Sew Retro on my most current sewing project.

You know how it is, right? You see something so perfect - so right and you know you Must Have It! It all started with Lanetz Living and the New York Pattern. And then I had to get the boy a haircut. And that's where I saw the hair bows. Wouldn't you know that I can't FIND the pink one? Anyway, here's a picture of the turquoise one:

I'm disappointed I can't find the pink one. Really. But I know it's around here somewhere.

I'm hoping to get these dresses done by Easter. I've only got 40 days of Lent to work on them... If I'm feeling REALLY adventurous, I'll make their "Melody" dolls (American Girl Clones) matching dresses. But don't count on it!

Thank God I have at least another year for the Elder Princess Ella's First Holy Communion dress. Because that? Oh my goodness. I've got an idea in mind, but it's going to be a LOT of work. I've got the fabric and some of the stuff to go on it, but I'm still not satisfied with the patterns I have. I want something *special* and unique and memorable and ... and ... well, HER. She's not the frilly, flouncy type. She's the stylish, sleek, modern type. Poufy sleeves and butt bows are not her style. Mei Mei (Little Sister aka the Younger Princess Ella) is more the froofy type.

Arts 'n' Crafts for 2009

This year, I'm trying to make at least one new thing per month. Either for myself, the kids or to sell at Etsy. The idea is to make up all the fabric and yarn I currently have into something before bringing more into my tiny home. The other thing I'm trying to do is re-purpose things and recycle more.

Two projects that I've been working on so far in '09 are a fleece jacket for myself since I haven't had a jacket in about 6 years. With the record lows we've experienced lately, it was imperative I get something other than a long-sleeved t-shirt. So with my 40% off coupon in hand, I headed to JoAnn's and came home with a lovely fleece in ivory and two shades of green. Using McCall's 5252

I ended up with this

Originally it wasn't going to be lined, but the fleece turned out to be insufficient alone. It's lined with a nice organic cotton knit and features an MP3 player pocket on the left side.

My current project is a lacy tunic sweater by Patons Classics

I'm very pleased with the outcome thus far. I've been working on the body for a few days and I'm ready to begin the back. This is by far the most agressive crochet work I've ever done in my life. And I've only had to rip out a few rows and start over a few times. Here's the progress so far

As a side note, these photos were taken with a Nikon D70 in daylight and barely corrected in Photoshop.

Brief Update

As I'm sure you've noticed, the look of this blog has changed dramatically. Instead of the frenetic and sometimes psychotic color and theme changes of the past, I've moved to a more stylish, sleek and "less is more" look since I just don't have the time - or inclination - to keep up with the other way. I hope you enjoy it!

In other news, I've joined the Iron Cupcake: Earth challenge and though I missed out on the last one (Coffee), I'm excited to get involved in the next challenge. Check it out here. I'm proud to display the badge on my sidebar.

Also, please do check out the links under the heading of My Cafe' Press Shops. I have a lot of fun designing stuff and it warms the cockles of my heart when I see people order things I made. I'm an artist at last!

On addition to art, I've been working on screenplays and that has taken a lot of my time churning out pages like there's no tomorrow. I imagine that in the next few weeks, I'll be back at it again working on the rewrite.

On a more personal level, we're almost 2/3 through first grade homeschooling. I'd like to say that it's easy and fun and whatever. But it's been difficult and emotionally draining. Partly because the child in question has emotional outbursts that we're working on with a counselor and partly because my patience level has been at -10 for a VERY long time due to chronic health issues. Thankfully, we're weathering those with a great pain management specialist and regular injections into the affected joints.

We're also in the midst of putting in a vegetable and herb garden. This was inspired by last year's 100 Foot Diet challenge. I never was able to get in on it then, but I did a lot of reasearch and finally was able to make the investment out of this year's tax return. Thanks in part to Ray at GardenWeb and other online friends, I was able to plot out what I wanted and where I wanted it to go. I'll blog that adventure separately.

The Younger Princess Ella turned 5 on the 20th and I'm wondering where the time went. All she wanted for her birthday was a "Rapunzel" cake like her "Sleeping Beauty" cake. I'll blog it separately, too. Prince Lorenzo is slated to turn 3 on St. Patrick's Day and has requested either a "pincess" cake or a "thomas" cake. Three guesses which one he gets.

One more thing - a stream of consciousness list so that I don't forget the things I want to blog later:

Yatta!
Cats
Gardening
Cooking Vegetarian
PurseBuzz
Health

Vintage Family: Home Economics Week One

My oldest child is 6 and in first grade being homeschooled. While this isn't an undertaking that is for everyone, for us it works well. She's very distractable and being in small to Very Small groups works better for her.

This is the book that we're working from as our sewing text.

Click the picture to see it at Amazon.com

She had a lot of fun making her first project - the drawstring bag - today.

Here she is with her bag. You'll recognize the fabric!

The great thing about this book is the vintage illustrations. It's an amazing trove of great stuff!

100 Foot Diet Challenge!

Something new is in the works my friends. Details coming soon!