Monkey Bread

The other day I was talking to some girls on Twitter and could not believe that some people didn't know what Monkey Bread was. {gasp} It's only the yummiest breakfast rolls ever! Seriously, make them. You'll love it.

If you google monkey bread there's probably a million and a half recipes for it, crazy. But this my friends is the best. Why? Because I said so. Actually it's the only one I have had but it is good! Besides, it's probably one of the easiest ones to make too.

Ingredients:
1/2 a bag of Rhodes frozen rolls (about 18)
1 box of cook and serve butterscotch pudding (NOT instant pudding)
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

The night before:

*Melt butter and mix with brown sugar and cinnamon

*Put the rolls in a buttered bundt cake pan. (do not use an angel food cake pan...your oven will hate you for it)

*Sprinkle the pudding powder over the rolls.

*Then pour the butter/sugar mix over that.

*Then just leave it on your counter over night and in the morning they should look kind of like this...

(Side note: I accidentally bought instant pudding instead of the cook and serve kind. It still turned out but it definitely makes a difference...so don't make the same mistake I did) :)

*Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
*Flip over the pan and dump the monkey bread out on a plate/tray.
*Serve and enjoy!

Five Question Friday

Friday again already, woohoo! That means time for some Five Question Friday. Check out my lovely friend Mama M's blog for the details and join in the fun!

1. Would you ever vacation alone?
No! Even though the thought sounds fabulous I would be bored out of my mind, I have to have people around. Besides I can't leave my family for more than a day without missing them like crazy!

2. Do you go the speed limit?
At least.

3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?
I started blogging because I was a horrible mother and couldn't keep up with baby books so I thought maybe blogging would work and what do ya know, it did! So it is to record my kids lives and share them with family. Huge bonus...along the way I have met some other mommy bloggers who are now great friends!

4. Where do you shop for yourself?
Shop? For myself? That's laughable really....it's been awhile.
When I do get the chance I get my jeans from American Eagle because they fit perfect and I love them. And probably most of the rest from Kohl's.

5. What was the song that you danced your first dance with your spouse to at your wedding...or...what song would you like your first dance to be to?
It's Your Love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
I just watched the video and it totally made me cry, man I love my man!!

Flashback Friday

For you Uncle Phill :)

January 2008

January 2009

Black and White Wednesday

Thinking Spring!
52 days :)

Join in on Black and White Wednesday at The Long Road To China.

My Favorite Things

I never want to forget...

*The way Alexa crawls into bed with me in the mornings, pulls Matt's pillow right next to me and cuddles. It makes mornings a million times better.

*Or the way Braden blows kisses.

*The fact that Alexa wears her tutu every.single.day.

*And that she tells me almost daily 'Happy Mother's Day!'

*How much fun the kids have in the bath tub together...and the huge water messes they make.

*The way Alexa loves coloring and drawing all the time. She was so proud of the pig she made.

*How much of a Mama's boy Braden is and how he wants me to hold him all the time.

*Also, the way he says "Mama, woohoo....Mama, woohoo" when he can't see me.

*The way Braden gives 'knuckles' to everyone he meets.

*And the look on his face when we went through the car wash.

*When Alexa had a UTI and told me that her potty was "spicy"

*And how lovey she has been lately.

*Finally, I never want to forget the fun my kids have together, even doing the simplest things like playing in the cupboard. The laughter I hear from them is the best sound in the world!!

Getting To Know You

Sunday Funday is here again, which unfortunately means the weekend is over...bummer. Oh well, the kiddos are starting to feel better so it's all good. Except that our heat wave (the 30s) is coming to an end and it's going to get cold again. Where are you Spring? (55 days...not that I'm counting or anything.) :) Head over to Keely's blog if you want to play along with Getting to Know You.


1. Waffles, pancakes or french toast?

French Toast all the way!

2. Dream home..What would it look like?
Something like this...

Or maybe this...
I could go on for hours with this one. :)

3. Favorite sport to watch during the Winter Olympics?
I don't really watch much of them but I would have to say the skating...they do some crazy stuff!

4. The first word that comes to mind when describing yourself?
Happy - do you notice how often I do the sideways smiley face? I can't help it. :)

5. Dresses, pants (jeans, leggings, etc.) or skirts?
Jeans for sure....love jeans!

6. What is your favorite time of day?
Any time that isn't when I first wake up, I seriously hate that part.

7. Beach or Mountains..which do you prefer?
Beaches!! Although I love the mountains too...maybe I could live on the beach and vacation in the mountains. Sounds good. :)

8.Will you watch the Super Bowl?
I'm sure...even though the Vikings just lost the game that would have brought them there.

5 Question Friday

It's Friday again...this would be so much more exciting if my kids weren't sick and my husband wasn't at school all weekend. Although after tomorrow there's only one more weekend of class and it's over...finally!! Anyhoo, I did get major snuggle time with my babes as we watched a movie tonight so that was awesome. And tomorrow when Matt gets home I get to take off and have some much needed girl time with my friends Jolene, The Unkept Cook and Mama M! I can't even tell you the last time I had a night out with girlfriends...am I pumped? Totally!! Speaking of Mama M...go check out her blog here for all the Five Question Friday fun.
Here goes...


1. What is better, growing old without money or dying young and wealthy?
Are you kidding me!?! Of course I would love to have money but I would never ever want to die young and leave my children without a mom just to have had money when I was alive. Money is not everything besides it's not like you can bring it with you when you go.

2. Who takes out the garbage at your house?
Both Matt and I do. I usually bring out the bathroom garbage when I clean and I always take out Braden's because I can't stand the smell of poop lingering around all day...I know, weird, huh!? :) Honestly though, I usually try to shove as much stuff in the kitchen garbage as I can hoping Matt gets to it first.

3. Have you ever had the same dream many times?
Yes, but for some reason it's always the bad dreams...what's up with that? It hasn't happened lately though, probably not since I was pregnant. P.S. - Why do pregnant women have such crazy dreams? Weird.

4. Can you play a musical instrument?
Nope. Wish I could but I can't.

5. If you owned your own store, what would you sell?
Hmmm, good question. It would probably be something to do with babies or weddings because that's just plain fun...and you can charge crazy amounts for things and people will pay. :)

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

Independence is....

Messy.

Really

REALLY

Messy!

Braden is totally in the 'I don't want you to help me eat but I don't really know how to do it either' stage, and man has it been a mess around our kitchen lately.
But it's adorable.
And he's learning.
And we have been getting lots of use out of our bathtub. :)

Sunday Funday

Is anyone getting sick of hearing about me? Geez, I am! Seriously, after today I'm only going to talk about my kids this week because they are so much cooler anyway! :) BUT, Keely over at MannLand5 is doing something really awesome and donating money to Haiti for every person that participates in today's Getting To Know You. I think it's so awesome all the people pulling together to help out others in need right now, so go check it out and participate! Here goes...

1. Hair color..Au naturale..or not?
Yup, totally natural.

2. If somebody has food in their teeth or lipstick on their teeth do you tell them?
If I knew them I definitely would! I hate when people don't say anything and you walk around for who knows how long with something gross in your mouth. Although I am the person who asks other people if anything in my teeth...just to make sure. :)

3. Would you rather have a million dollars or your vision of the perfect body?
Money!! Then you can pretty much buy the perfect body, right!? :)

4. Favorite magazine?
I guess I don't really have a favorite, in fact I am pretty sure I haven't read through an entire magazine in 3 years. I have about a 2 foot stack of magazines just waiting to be read someday...I'm thinking they'll be outdated when I get to them. :)

5. Bra style..lacey or plain?
What's one step below plain? That would be me. I have pretty much worn nursing bras or tanks for the past 3.5 years...and they aren't pretty. Someday if Braden ever decides he is going to be done nursing I will be able to get cute bras again. {sigh} Also, sorry for any male relatives who had to sit through that answer...it's for the Haitians. :)

6. If you walked into Victoria's Secret..would you most likely come out with something sexy or comfy?
Comfy, for sure! Not that I shop there much, but their jammie tanks and pants are adorable.

7. Do you fake and bake?
NO!! And neither should YOU! Being a sensitive light skinned girl I am all for the sunscreen. Don't get me wrong, I totally did it in high school but that's when I thought I was invincible and couldn't get something like skin cancer. Anyway, I have children and I would love to be around for them and my grand babies someday so I prefer to protect myself. :)

8. What's your favorite body part on a man?
Hmmm, arms or back probably. Although I love Matt's smile and eyes too...but are those more of a feature? I don't know, either way I think my hubby is pretty cute! :)

Turkey Soup

Alright people, remember that turkey soup I was talking about last week? I thought I would post the recipe, because seriously, it's GOOD! My mom makes it every year after Thanksgiving and I think people get more excited about that than the actual Thanksgiving meal. (Okay, maybe not but close!) :) This recipe is actually made to use your leftover turkey carcass. I had NO idea there was so much meat left on those things...we ended up with a huge bowl of soup plus some.

My mom is a lot like me (or maybe it's me a lot like my mom...) and just kinda follows recipes. For this one we pretty much doubled most of the stuff and I think it turns out more like a stoup than a soup...ya know, super thick, more stewy than soupy. Yummy!

Leftover Turkey Soup
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or sage)
Bones and trimmings from 1 turkey or 2 chickens
3 cubes (or 3 teaspoons) chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) water
1/2 cup barley or rice or 1 cup noodles
3 medium carrots sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
2 medium onions chopped

(Now that I am typing out the recipe I am realizing how much I didn't follow it..but you can change, add, subtract whatever you want, it's just a good base. The recipe suggests other veggies to try too...corn, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, peas and mushrooms.)

In large pot/dutch oven (I used our big roaster since I had a 24 pound turkey carcass) combine the first 6 ingredients. Simmer covered about 1 1/2 hours. Cool then remove bones - cut off all meat and return to the broth.

Add remaining ingredients. (I totally forgot the onions, oops!) :)
Simmer covered about 30 minutes or until vegetables and noodles are tender.

Garnish with parsley if you want and serve with a thick hearty bread...that's a must! :) Also, we use Reames frozen noodles...SO good, I would suggest those over rice for sure!

Enjoy! :)

5 Question Friday

Better late than never, right?
I'm joining in on Mama M's 5 Question Friday.
Go check it out here if you want in on the fun. :)

1. Worst trouble you ever got into as a teenager?
Trouble? Never. :) Okay there was that one time that me and a couple friends did the whole 'spending the night at each others houses' thing and then went to a party at some random college guy's house. It was horrible and dumb and I can't believe my mom didn't kill me when she found out. Sorry mom!! Now that I have my own kids I look back at some of the choices I made back in the day and it makes me sick. What are the chances my kids will learn from my mistakes instead of making their own? :)

2. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night, for sure!! The only bad thing about that is that my children are very early risers and our thoughts on the whole sleeping in a little bit differ big time.

3. Are you a one-handed or a two-handed texter?
One handed. My phone doesn't have a key pad...also, the other hand usually has a kid or something in it anyway.

4. Democrat, Republican, or Independent...or maybe even Green Party (whatever that is.)
I hate politics and to be honest I don't really follow them much. If I had to pick a party though it would be Republican. But really I think they all kind of suck. Is there such a thing as a good, honest politician?

5. Are you a pet person?
I used to think I was, in fact I begged Matt to let me get a puppy a few years back. Then we got pregnant and he made me choose the kid or a puppy. I know, nice, huh? I thought long and hard about it...okay, obviously I am kidding! :) Now I am glad we never got one, potty training kids and keeping them out of stuff is hard enough, I would hate to have to do that with a dog too!

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend. My mom is taking the kids tonight so that Matt and I can have a date night and I am super excited! :) Also, thank you SO MUCH for all the sweet birthday wishes...I had a great day!! :)

28 Things about ME

Since I am turning 28 today I thought I would post 28 completely random things about me. I got this idea from my friend Sonya, she did it on her birthday and I thought it was so cute! And, it's just fun reading random facts about people...or is that just me!? :) I know I have used some of these before, but it's hard thinking of 28 things about yourself! :) So here ya go, all about yours truly...

1. I almost didn't pass my drivers test...I think I was one point away from failing.

2. I can sit and eat an entire can of mushrooms, probably two cans.

3. I have lived in 6 different towns in 2 different states.

4. My dream job is to be a party planner.

5. I have to use fabric softener and dryer sheets, it's a must.

6. I used to bleach my hair. Really blond.

7. I love to cook but don't like to bake.

8. I have scoliosis. I even had to wear a brace back in the day. Horrible.

9. My favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla. I know, I am so adventurous.

10. I am a certified scuba diver but haven't been diving in over 10 years.

11. I met my husband in the basement of his frat house.

12. My first car was a hot pink Escort. I loved it.

13. I love the smell of coffee but hate the taste. Don't drink it.

14. My first job was working at KFC. I loved it and had so much fun. Hated smelling like lard.

15. I love 80s music. Love.

16. Even though I don't need them I always wanted to get glasses. I think people look sophisticated in them.

17. I have 1 brother, 1 half sister, 3 step-sisters, and 5 step-brothers.

18. I hate feet. (But love shoes!) :)

19. I don't know how to play an instrument. I wish I could play the piano or guitar.

20. I always wanted to be a flight attendant until I had kids. Now I am afraid of flying.

21. Matt and I traveled Switzerland and Italy for 3 weeks one summer.

22. I have only had one broken bone my whole life. My arm.

23. I have had my gull bladder removed.

24. I love all colors except purple.

25. I want to go to Napa Valley and stomp on grapes and drink wine.

26. I played Volleyball in high school and loved it.

27. My favorite flower is the tulip.

28. I took bowling for a credit in college. It was great. :)

She's in MY heart, that's for sure!

On the way home from Bible Study this morning we were singing. Okay I was singing...mainly to keep them awake. And it worked. My poor children. :)

Anyway, somehow Alexa and I started talking about Jesus being in our hearts.

Then she told me that someday she could be in His heart too.

(She is on this day thing. Like 'next Thursday can we ____' or 'last Monday we did ____')

So I'm pretty sure she told me that when she grows up 'on Wednesday' that she could be in Jesus' heart.

I told her, "Honey, you already are, you always will be in his heart."

Then she tells me, "Mooooommmmy, I'm not in his heart, I'm in the car!"

What would I do without her. She is half the reason I can quickly get out of my funks! :)

One of THOSE Days

Yesterday was definitely one of those days. I hate having those days. Even worse is when you don't know why you're having one of those days. I think it was just a whole bunch of little things that finally got to me. There was laundry taking over my house. My kitchen was dirty. There was shoes all over our messy entryway. The kids were going crazy...yelling, jumping on the bed, coloring on the floor. I didn't feel like making dinner. I hadn't showered in almost 2 days. And I just felt lonely. I know it's because of the weather. In the summer we are out every single day but since it has been freezing cold here we haven't gotten out much and I just get that isolated feeling. And I hate that feeling. (Most days) there's nowhere I would rather be. I love being home with my kids, I also have an awesome supportive family and great friends. Why would I feel lonely? It's silly. Matt is so busy with work and I hate calling him all the time but sometimes I just have to talk to an adult. So I call him again...for the 3rd time. No answer. He's busy...which I praise God for, I am very thankful he has a wonderful safe job. Also, there is still toys all over my house, I don't know what to do with all of them. I hate picking them up all day long. Alexa always wants to play games and Braden wants to eat the game pieces, so in the end, everyone just gets frustrated. I have felt nauseous for two and a half weeks straight, I wake up feeling sick every day which is never a good thing. I am pretty sure it's because of a new med I am on and I have two more weeks before I go back to the doctor for it. And to top everything off, it's my birthday on Friday and between work and school Matt will be gone all day. I know it shouldn't matter, it's just a birthday and it's not that big of a deal but I think it just goes back to the lonely thing. I can't wait until he is done with school.

So see...nothing horrible happened, everyone is healthy, we have a home, food and more toys than we need. :) I just hate being in a bad mood so when I am in a bad mood I think it puts me in a more bad mood because I hate feeling like that. Make any sense? Probably not! :)

Anyway it was just one of those overwhelming days. I'm not the only one that has those, right!? :)

So just as I was about to sit down and have a pity party for myself and maybe even cry...Alexa crawls up on my lap, puts her hands on my face and tells me, "I love you sweetie!"

And then gives me a big kiss.

THEN she says, "Happy Mother's Day Mom!"

I totally ended up crying but for a whole different reason.

Then all was well in the world again.

Weekend Highs and Lows

High: My mom, step dad and sister finally came home after lounging on the beaches of Hawaii for the past two weeks.

Low: Matt started his weekend winterm class for his MBA. Gone all day Friday and Saturday this whole month. :(

High: I made homemade turkey soup for the very first time (with my moms help) and it actually turned out good!

High: We went to a new church yesterday and really liked it...can't wait to go back next week!

Low: I didn't work out once all weekend. (But I am so back on track today!)

Low: The Packers lost a big game yesterday. Not so much a low for me, more for the hubby. It was a sad sad day yesterday.

High: We went out to dinner Saturday night and the kids were great.

High: The weather is finally warming up...we're out of the negatives! We are suppose to even get up in the 30s this week, woohoo! :)

Low: I didn't get the background to this blog changed yet. :)

Did you have a high or low this weekend?

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!! :)

Can you guess...

What Alexa wants after snuggling her adorable little cousin? :)

Five Question Friday

Friday again!! It would be so much better if it wasn't at a -20 degree wind chill right now. My kids are going crazy in the house, seriously, CAH.RAY.ZEE!! Nap time is my heaven at this moment. :) Anyway on with the questions. If you want to play along, go check out Mama M!



1. What's your "comfort food"?
Hmmm, I don't really have a comfort food, or maybe I just can't think of one right now. BUT I do love salt. If I had to choose between a big fat candy bar and a bag of salty potato chips, I would hands down take the chips, YUM! No, seriously I won't even have them in our house or they would be gone within the day.

2. Do you send Thank Yous (handwritten or email)?
For sure!! It's not that I love doing it or anything but I think it is the polite thing to do. I'm sure I have missed some along the way but for the most part I almost always do. Except for Christmas, then I don't. But even for the kid's birthdays I always write out thank yous...boy can I not wait until they can do that themselves!

3. If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?
Why is this question so hard for me? Hmmmm.....I don't know. Okay, since I am on this health and fitness thing (even though I have never seen the show before) I am going to say Biggest Loser. What could be better than trainers and chiefs and whoever else whipping your butt in shape? So that's my answer, I would like to go die of exhaustion on the Biggest Loser.

4. What is you favorite online recipe site?
Don't have one. I'm more of a cook book kind of girl. Okay that's a lie, I'm more of a do it my own way kind of girl...you know, just add what you think sounds good. If I do want to look something up I just google it and take the first one on the list. Am I missing out? What are some good recipe sites?

5. If you had to choose: Friends or Seinfeld?
Easiest question EVER! Friends, Friends, FRIENDS!! I love Friends. I honestly watch reruns every night from 10 to 11. I have seen every episode probably at least 5 times each and I still laugh every single time. I hope they never ever go away. Oh how I wish they would do a movie!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!! :)

Tragedy

Tragedy has struck our home.

The ginormous never ending ridiculously way too large tub of Animal Crackers is now empty.

I could care less but little you know who and the other one are not going to like this very much.

Wordless Wednesday

Lots of Random

On Alexa's last day of school before break they had a Christmas program. Let's see...a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds + lots of excitement and energy + no attention span + singing songs = possibly the cutest thing ever! Not totally sure what was going on half the time but the kids were hyped up, that's for sure. Also, after every song there was about 5 kids that would ask, "Is it time to eat the cookies now?" Seriously, cute.

So I just had to share one of the songs. Actually it wasn't so much a song, they were just saying it...either way it was funny.

There was a chubby snowman
He had a carrot nose
Along came a bunny
And what do you suppose
The hungry little bunny
Was looking for his lunch
He ate the snowman's carrot nose
NIBBLE! NIBBLE! CRUNCH!

Adorable.

Today was about day number 80 with temps in the negatives. Okay, not 80 but if you live in the Midwest and in this cold it feels like it has been 80 days. This weekend we woke up and it was almost 30 below. BRRRR!!!

Anyway, needless to say we didn't get out much this past weekend and we were all feelin the cabin fever in our house. So today the kids and I went to the Giggle Factory and spent about 5 hours climbing, sliding, running and jumping. Is it just me or are these places like heaven to a mother? I mean really, whoever though of making a big room full of padded stuff that wears kids out so they pass out withing seconds of getting in the car and that also has big comfy chairs for mom to sit on and watch it all was a genius. Pure genius.

Has anyone checked out Pocket Your Dollars after I talked about it here? Just curious what you thought if you did. We are still using it and loving it. A few weeks ago we got all this for $35. They literally paid us about $3.50 for the 8 boxes of cereal.

Last but not least I want to thank everyone for all the awards over the past couple of weeks. I love them and they always make my day. I hate to brag, but I have the best bloggy friends in the world. I'm not always good at following the rules with these (which is so unlike me) :) but I wanted to let ya'll know your the greatest and thank you!!

First Award is the Happy 101 from:
Katrina at Sevin Family
Laura at Army Wife Life
Shannon at discovering wildlife
Tara at The Unkept Cook
Jolene at Slavik Royalty
and
Tyler at Just Another Day In OUR Paradise

Isn't it cute? I mean, come on it has cupcakes on it how could it not be cute!? :)

RULES FOR HAPPY 101 AWARD

List 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today

and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.

For those bloggers who get the award, you then link back to my blog

and create your "makes you happy" list.

10 Things that make me happy:
*My children
*My husband
*Getting into a bed with freshly cleaned sheets
*Pedicures
*The smell of bread baking
*Flowers
*Laughing
*My entire house completely cleaned
*Summer
*Vacations

Next one is the Heartfelt Blogger Award from:
Tina at My Priceless Fisher
and
Jolene at Slavik Royalty

Rules:

Display the award logo.

Nominate up to 9 blogs that make you feel comfy or warm inside.

Link to your nominees.

Link to the person from whom you received the award.

Third one is the Lemonade Award from:
Heidi at From 3 to 5
Melanie at Ode to Motherhood
and
Lindsay at Once Upon A Mommy

So the rules for this cute little award: Thank the giver, link to their blog, list 5 things about yourself and pass it on to five more people.

And last but not least another one from Heidi at From 3 to 5 - Best Blog Award

Thanks again everyone!! :)

Getting to know You

Keely over at MannLand5 does this little thing called Getting to know you on Sundays. And since I am procrastinating on doing anything right now I thought I would join in. Who doesn't love reading more about people anyway...I do, but I'm nosey like that. :)

1. Where were you born?
St. Paul, MN

2. Toilet paper..do you crinkle/crumple or fold it?
FOLD of course! It's an OCD thing I'm sure.

3. What was the last movie you saw in the theater?
No Country For Old Men...it has been a long, long, LONG time since we have gone out to a movie, obviously....isn't that movie like 3 years old? Probably a good thing too since movie theater popcorn is way too yummy, can't stop myself. Also, that movie was like the weirdest movie EVER!

4. What room to you spend the most time in besides your bedroom?
Hmmm, I don't think there's one specific room. During the day the kids and I go from living room to Braden's room to toy room to Alexa's room to kitchen....the attention span isn't very long around here!

5. Would you be grossed out if you found out your husband/boyfriend/significant other hadn't brushed their teeth for 4 days and you had been snogging (kissing) them?
Snogging?? haha, where did that come from? Anyway, YES of course! That is completely disgusting!

6. Do you fold your underwear?
Absolutely.

7. What is one goal you would like to achieve this year?
Start running. I wrote about this in my new year resolution post that still hasn't made it's way up...I've been lazy lately, can you tell from the background!? :) Anyhoo, I want to get healthier in general but I really want to start running and do races. Someday I think it would be so cool to say I finished a marathon, but I think I'll start with some 5Ks.

8. What is your favorite month/least favorite month?
Least favorite would be a tie between January and February. My birthday is even this month but I still hate it because of the cold! I never really thought about it before but I guess for my favorite I would pick June. Or May. Or even July. I love Spring and Summer!

Stuffed Shells

I made these shells for Christmas and people seemed to like them (well, at least no one threw up or anything) so I thought I would share the recipe. Remember though, by recipe I mean this was the "original" recipe and I usually add more cheese (hello, WI here) and other things. Although that was the 2009 Laura, the 2010 Laura isn't going to do that anymore...or at least not as often.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
8 oz cottage cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (save about 1/4 cup for the top)
1 egg - beaten
Large shells (I made a whole box but only went through about half...depends on how much you want to stuff in them I guess.)

1. Brown meat and cool. Then add cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella and egg.

2. Drain spinach, get as much moisture out as you can. (I rolled it up in a bunch of paper towels and squeezed the water out.) Then pull it apart into small pieces. Add to the rest of the ingredients.

3. Cook shells, cool and stuff with the mixture.

4. Spread some sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan and place shells on it. Then add some more sauce to the tops.


5. Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded mozzarella on top for the last 5 minutes of baking.

That's it...easy peasy I tell you! I wish I had a finished product picture to share (so much prettier with the melted cheese, yum!) but I always forget that part or people just eat it right away before I can get any. And that my friends is why I would never make it as a food blog! :)

It wasn't my favorite Italian dish but it was pretty good, I will for sure make them again. Although next time I am going to try ground chicken or turkey, or maybe even cut up chicken breast. Also, the thought of spinach kind of makes me gag, but this was good and a good way to get healthy stuff in your diet....so just don't let that scare you away. :)

Also...sorry about the Christmas decor. I promise one of these days I will get it changed, but right now I'm just too lazy. :) Have a great weekend!