For Entertainment Purposes

If you know me, I'm about as OCD with cleanliness as it may get, my car would disagree at the moment, but hey I didn't say I was perfect. I'm just one of those moms that likes to feed the baby/toddler to avoid any messes. And by messes I mean applesauce on the floor, walls, windows, and under the booster seat that's hidden for weeks until you decide "oh hey maybe I should check under there" ...I would just rather avoid "those messes". But against - what I like to think is - my better judgement, I decided to let my 16 month old feed himself these last few days for the sake of, well, being a kid! Ha. It was surprisingly less messy than I expected, but then again he just kept the mess all in one place... his face/body. 

Photos to elaborate...

Day 1: Applesauce. I was sadly unprepared for this new "wear my food" stage. So this is all I was able to capture.

Day 2: Yogurt. Lucked out on this one! I just so happened to catch almost every second of his experiment with this new freedom. 

Who needs a spoon?

Well that was fun.

Day 3: Mac & Cheese. I'm still a little confused by this one. But it still made the cut, because really? How does one manage this?

And then that "let's wear the placemat on my face until that gets boring, and just throw it on the floor" moment. 

My anxiety may have been on hiatus during each one of these moments, but I shall learn to just let my kids be kids because every moment of this was hilarious and priceless.

#toddlermom

Cheese to the Mac

No, this is not about my beloved best friend. Today, I'm talking about the classic. We all have that irresistible dish that no matter how hard you try, you just can't pass it up. For me, it's undoubtedly macaroni and cheese. That glorious carbtastic side gets me every time. When I find myself facing the option to dig in or move on - knowing I'm going to over indulge - I somehow lose my sensibility and volunteer myself into the food coma that inevitably follows. 

I'd say I've established a professional perspective on this dish, and seem to judge the varieties I come across. Here are a few favorites I've experienced in my past years, not in any order:

1. My aunt's, homemade; an imitation photo, but similar to her own. 

2. Kraft classic.

3. CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) Kids Mac; shared by another CPK mac fanatic.

4. Velveeta Easy Mac.

5. Panera Bread White Cheddar Mac; another credited mac photo. 

Getting to the point, I narrowed it down to CPK and my aunt's homemade as my absolute favorite macaroni and cheese! Although I'd love to get my hands on her delicious recipe, I decided to tackle the opposing favorite so we don't have a duplicate dish at family gatherings. Not that I'd complain one bit if there was an overload of that yummy-goodness. So here it goes... 

California Pizza Kitchen's 

Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

1lb box of rotini noodles (I prefer Buitoni brand myself)

8 oz. Velveeta cheese

1 1/4 c heavy cream

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Cook pasta in boiling water, as directed.   

Meanwhile, cut Velveeta cheese into cubes and add it to a skillet, along with the butter and cream. Simmer on low heat. 

Continue to stir mixture until the cheese is entirely melted. Do NOT raise heat to speed up the melting process. The finished result should look something like the this... thick & creamy.

Drain pasta, then place it back into pot. Add the cheese mixture. Let sit for approximately 5 mins, allowing the cheese to absorb into the noodles... then serve!!

And that folks, is the perfect mac & cheese... taste test approved!!

Now, I'm hungry..... is this an acceptable breakfast?