Cheeseburger Macaroni

1 lb lean hamburger meat
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (or petite diced tomatoes)
2 cups beef broth (or water)
1 cup elbow macaroni

Brown and drain hamburger meat. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, beef broth, and macaroni. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 12-14 mins until macaroni is tender.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce….

2 Tablespoons butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 5 minutes until fragrant and light brown in color. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture. Stir gently to combine.

Serves 4.

My Man

This would be my best friend in the whole world & I think that about says it all!

Kindergarten BFF's

This is my daughter & her best friend - they have been friends since Kindergarten. I love them both!! I hope they maintain their friend connection & they both leave for college. I am expecting great things from them & can't wait to watch them grow!

My Son

This is my youngest child - you cannot even imagine how much this kid means to me. There are not many people who really "Get" him & that is what I love about him - that he is different & hears the beat of a different drum than most people.

I almost forgot to mention - he got 2nd place in his flight at the junior golf tournament. He probably should have been a 9 holer but this is where that being different comes in. One of the adults in the group doesn't "Get" him & felt that he wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing so put him in 5 holes again. We are OK with that because we do "Get" him & this was right where he needed to be.

He had a really special teacher in 3rd grade that "Got" him & she holds a very special place in my heart. He had a great teacher for 6th grade as well & I have a lot of respect for her also. Those are the only 2 teachers that have every really understood him.

I know there will be great things for him as he grows & I can't wait to watch them happen!

Time for a change

I started this blog when myself & 2 friends tried to create a group of exchanging meals to make our lives easier. Not exactly sure what happened but things didn't really work out. Maybe we are just too busy or maybe not everyone liked what the others fixed & felt like they put more effort into it & didn't want to commit anymore. Whatever the reason, I still love both of them & did enjoy the meals but I understand that our lives are so busy & it was hard to pull off.

I still love cooking & do try to make double batches of things to keep in the freezer to have on hand for those busy evenings that I don't have time to cook.

Things are getting ready to change in my life - I knew they were coming & am trying to roll with it.

The company I work for is growing so things are changing there & my oldest child is leaving for college in approximately 17 days.

In other words, my home life will be different & my schedule at work will be changing as well. I am looking at the work schedule change as an opportunity to start running again. The past year I had changed my hours to 7:30 - 4:00 taking a 1/2 hour for lunch since I hardly ever leave for lunch it just seemed to make sense to me. Whatever I guess it didn't really make sense to my co-workers but then again I am the oldest employee & my point of view doesn't jive w/them at all. Oh well, like I said I am making an attempt to roll with the changes being made & am going to start running again. Maybe it will help me lose the 20 lbs. that I have regained. UGGGGG!!

I really enjoy running & going to the gym but it seems when I really start focusing on myself everything around me starts falling apart. Going to do it anyway - Like the title says - Time for a change!

Jill

Slow Cooker Pizza Pork Chops

1 16 oz. package of Orzo pasta
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Pork steaks approximately 2 1/4 lbs. 1" thick
Salt & pepper to season
1 T vegetable oil
Minced onion
1 large jar of spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu)

Heat vegetable oil in pan. Cook chops until brown on each side - approximately 5 minutes. Put chops in crockpot. Season chops with salt & pepper & sprinkle with desired amount of minced onion. Pour Ragu over chops. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours.

Cook Orzo according to package directions.

Top Orzo with chops & sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Serve.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

2 sticks butter/margarine, softened
1 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. bakinng soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 C. oatmeal (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and chocolate chips; mix well. Spray 13 X 9 pan with Pam. Spread mixture into pan and bake for 35 minutes.

Chicken Spaghetti

1 lb. uncooked spaghetti
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into chunks
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Velveeta (regular or Mild Mexican)
1 can Ro-Tel
1 can (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/3 C. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook spaghetti as directed on package
Cook chicken and shred/cut into chunks. Add Velveeta, milk, mushrooms, soup & rotel; stir until Velveeta is melted.
Add chicken mixture to cooked spaghetti
Spoon into 13 X 9 baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. (I dished mine into (2) smaller baking dishes and froze one dish for another night)