sigh.....melt......goodnight.

Chili-Mac

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chili-Mac/Detail.aspx

I made my first chili-mac tonight.  And it was awesome!  I didn't grow up eating chili-mac but I remember this being a staple in public school & college lunch menus growing up.  I was worried it wasn't going to be very exciting but this recipe is awesome.  I will definitely be making this again!

Replacements:  ground turkey, whole wheat pasta, organic italian diced tomatoes (store didn't have organic cans of chili or mexican style), added a couple of dashes of red pepper flakes to the mix.

Friday night, Jason, James, Pam and I attempted to make chicken Pad Thai. I think we did a great job for such a different cooking choice. We had to add some extra fish sauce-white wine vinegar-sugar because the dish was getting a little dry during the last five minutes of cooking. Plus, tensions were a little high since we were all new to this recipe. But in the end I think we did an awesome job. I think I'll try this recipe again in the next couple of weeks and try to perfect it. And after you make the initial purchase of the fish sauce and vinegar this recipe is very inexpensive to make. Plus, I had so much fun going to the local Asian Market to buy the noodles that I even bought chopsticks for us to eat with!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pad-Thai-2/Detail.aspx

Organics/All-Natural: Laundry Detergent

I'm excited to try my first bottle of Seventh Generation laundry detergent today. It's usually a little pricey but I had a coupon. :) If it turns out doing well I may switch to this detergent permanently. It feels good to be looking after God's creation by using healthier and safer products.

Getting Back To Cooking and Blogging

I tried out two new recipes tonight. It's been forever since I've really cooked. Sometimes you just get in a slump of grilled ham&cheese sandwiches and soup for dinner. But tonight was an exception.

Basic Quiche (Real Simple magazine)

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/basic-quiche-10000001123637/index.html

Cinnamon-raisin Toast with Honey Walnut Spread (So Easy by Ellie Krieger)