Belated Happy ThanXGiving

My Grandmother used to have this amazing cast aluminum roasting pan with a domed lid that she used to fix holiday dressing.  It was her signature dish and one of her trademarks was to sit a capon on top and close it up and let the flavor marriage happen.  There were always several meats offered at her house for the holidays, but the biggest fight that ever broke out on a regular was over the capon sitting on the dressing.  When she passed I had a couple sobering moments well after the obvious--- 1) I had a strong childlike sense that her lap was no longer there for me to crawl up in when I was troubled & 2) there would never be another holiday meal fixed by her...well in her honor, I recently acquired an identical pan and went thru her entire process and the above pic is the result---may there be peace around this capon... RIHQueenVictoria

A Quicker Mac & Cheese

1lb macaroni noodles, boiled, drained and set aside in prepared pan

1 stick butter

1/4 small onion diced

1/4 cup flour

Milk

1 block of cream cheese

Shredded Cheeses:

Sharp Cheddar

Three Cheese Blend (Colby Jack, Meunster, Cheddar)

Parmesan/Asiago blend

Aged White Cheddar block, cubed

Seasonings: Turmeric, Seasoned Salt, Pepper, Dill Weed, Mustard

Parsley

The Sauce

1. in sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. 2. Add onions and cook until translucent.  3.Add flour and stir until smooth 4. add milk and whisk until smooth; reduce heat 5. add cream cheese, sour cream, seasonings to taste and stir until cream cheese melts and mixture is smooth.

The Marriage

1. Ladle mixture over noodles until just below surface; 2. use back of ladle to disturb noodles and make sure they are not stuck together; 3. Fold shredded cheeses into noodles and allow sauce to absorb; 4. add more sauce and alternate between cheeses and sauce until pan is filled; 5. add cubed cheddar by pressing into intervals throughout dish; cover with final layer of sauce, then shredded cheese; add paprika parsley to garnish then bake for 40 min. @ 350degrees  (30 covered, 10 uncovered) 

Happy New Year!!!

So glad to have made it to 2015 in good health and spirits.  I'm excited about the new year and the possibilities it holds.  I've been working on a few projects and honing my skills, so I'm anticipating amazing results.   Over the holidays, I brushed up on dormant skills, spent time with the family and cooked enough to feed my small army.  For the holidays, we focused on crafting and activities that brought us together as a family and created lasting memories.

I realized that the time I have with my children as "children" is finite and I was compelled to maximize the moments.  It was a total paradigm shift.  Now, I want to "be bothered", because it means they want to hear my opinion or advice, or to just be in my presence.  There's a tongue-n-cheek saying "Don't sweat the small stuff---and remember, it's all small stuff..." I used to chuckle at that phrase, but now I am of a totally different frame of mind.  Having embraced the finiteness of the days we have together as a nuclear family, I now see that it's ALL BIG STUFF...

Each moment is an opportunity to smile, to share a hug or a laugh, or to just appreciate the beauty in being together.  So many realizations are governing my present path:

We are the magic makers....just as someone created the magical moments that are warmly nestled in my memory, I am charged with the making of similar or more brilliant magic for the ones in my charge...Whether it's easter bunnies, tooth fairies, santa claus, or fending off boogie men, I now have the responsibility to create an atmosphere for my children that makes them feel safe, loved, confident,  capable, important, and beautiful.  And so i look forward to pouring into the lives of these not-so-little-anymore ones and to learning from them how to be the best brightest human I can be...