The perfect Macaroni and Cheese

First off, use the good stuff. Y'know, the macaroni that comes in the blue box? Think dancing dinosaurs with me for a minute...great :)

Now, look at the instructions on the box. What it calls for is margarine and skim milk, but that's not what we're going to use. For the perfect meal, get real butter (unsalted if you're worried about your sodium) and cream. Not whipped cream, not desert topping, but real, honest-to-goodness, came-from-the-cow cream (it may say whipping cream on the container. That's perfectly okay.)

If you're lucky, the box has instructions for microwaving your macaroni. If not, do this: Put the macaroni noodles into a microwave-safe bowl. Add water until it's about an inch above the noodles. Put in the microwave, and set the microwave for 8 minutes. Now it gets a little tricky...Stir after 3 and 6 minutes. At 8 minutes, stir, then taste to see if it is to the al dente stage. Carefully! that water's hot. Stirring this often is neccesary if you don't want a sticky blob of pasta.

Take the macaroni out and drain it. Do not rinse. Add the butter and stir until melted. Then add the cheese packet and the crean. Stir until the cheese powder is completely dissolved. Add salt and pepper to taste. Your taste, that is.

And there you have it, the perfect macaroni and cheese. If you're a bit hungrier, try adding 1 can of tuna and 1 cup each of frozen peas and corn, then microwaving until the veggies are hot. Macaroni fixed this way is why my husband says he married me. :) Yeah right!

Binkies, dummies, and pacifiers

It was to help Jaiden on our 8 hour car drives over the holidays. He would have a pacifier to chew on, and the rest of us in the car would have less crying to endure. And, after the holidays, he wouldn't need it anymore, and it could be given away.

Well, it did help on our trips. He was happier, more content, and we were less stressed.

I managed to finish three presents on the way to Kansas: wristwarmers for Aunt R., and mittens for my neice and nephew. Yay me! but bad me for leaving them until the last minute.

However, once we got home...things began to deviate from plans. Jaiden likes his pacifier. Very much so. So much, in fact, that he wants it to chew on before bed, He wants to fall asleep sucking on it. (While still nuzzling up to my breast.) And if I don't let him have it, he dosen't fall asleep. Which is almost worse than crying, The crying eventually stops and he falls asleep, after all.