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Triple Cheese Baked Beefaroni

My plan for this coming year is to feed my family healthier meals.  So this is the first in hopefully a series of many.  This took a little bit of time to make, but was a HUGE hit with the family. No one noticed the missing calories.  In fact there was nothing leftover!! It had great flavor.
Triple Cheese Baked Beefaroni
adapted from The Complete Light Cookbook
1 pound penne pasta or pasta of your choice
Meat Sauce
1 cup minced onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound hamburger
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup chicken or beef broth
Cheese Sauce
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 3/4 cups beef or chicken broth
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Topping
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cook pasta until tender but firm. Drain and set aside.
Meat Sauce:
Brown hamburger with the garlic and onion.  Stir in the pasta sauce and 1/2 cup broth. Simmer for 10  minutes of until thickened. Set aside.
Cheese Sauce:
Whisk flour, milk and  1 3/4 cup broth in a nonstick pan until smooth.  Place over medium heat and cook until the mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce heat and continue to cook, for five minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cheddar cheese until it is all melted. Remove from heat.
 Stir the cheese sauce into the meat sauce.
Toss the pasta with the sauce. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes or until bubbly.
*You can substitute the hamburger with ground turkey or ground soy.
This also freezes well!
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Tried It Out Thursday: Crayola Pop Art Pixies Activity Kits & a Giveaway


Crayola’s new Pop Art Pixies activity kit line invites tween girls to enter a world of self-discovery and creativity through the lives of the Pop Art Pixies. These best buds each have their own special interest that sets them apart, giving tweens a chance to find a virtual pal in one or even all of them. Your daughters can get to know the Pop Art Pixies as they enjoy their online world at PopArtPixies.com and by adding their own creative touch to one of the 14 Pop Art Pixies craft projects.
Whether your daughter is eco-friendly and into saving the environment like Skye, loves to throw parties like Tatum, is into music and technology like Naomi, or can’t wait to express her free-spirit like Maya – she’ll love sharing her unique style at Pop Art Pixies Virtual Clubhouse. There, she can create a personal avatar that can “hang out” with the Pop Art Pixies and upload photos of her original masterpieces to share with friend.
Coupled with the special Pop Art Pixies community are 14 activity kits that are tailored to each of the girls’ unique interests. From Skye’s wooden charm bracelet to Tatum’s decoupage glass plate, the Crayola Pop Art Pixies kits will give your daughter a chance to personalize a fun project that lets her character and creativity shine.

You cannot begin to imagine how EXCITED my girls were when we received a Crayola Pop Art Pixie Gift package in the mail!!  If your girls like to do crafty things these are so perfect, fun and not to mention ADORABLE!! 
Maya's Glass Pendant Kit

Naomi's Color Glow Lamp Kit
The colors make it so cool!!
Tatum's Decoupage Glass Plate Kit

Maya's Shadow Box Kit

Skye's Wind Chimes Kit
Skye's Water Bottle Kit
Somehow, I did not get a picture of the very CUTE Naomi's Bento Stationary Kit. Trust me it is ADORABLE!!  My girls had so much fun with these kits (and so did I)!! They have easy directions and are well put together. I love the fact that you can put your own unique touch to every kit!!
Crayola has offered you a downloadable coupon for $2.00 off a Crayola Pixie Pop Art Kit here.
Now for the REALLY FUN part....
One reader will win:
A prize pack which includes:Tatum’s “Decoupage Glass Plates” kit, Naomi’s “Create a Color Glow Lamp” kit, Naomi’s “Create a Stationary Box” kit, and Skye’s “Create a Water Bottle” kit.
All wonderfully incredible kits and so much fun!!(even for adults!)
To enter the giveaway:
Be a follower and tell me which kit you like the best!!
For an extra entry: blog about this giveaway and tell me where to find it.
Hopefully that is all easy enough!! I am all about easy right now!!
Winner will be drawn by random number generator on January 22.
Good Luck!
The Crayola Pop Art Pixies products, information, and giveaway were all provided by Crayola through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own.
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Easy Mexican Rice

This is a simple and delicious Mexican rice. You can spice it up with the flavor of taco seasoning.  I love the chilpotle flavor because it add a hint of smoky flavor!!

Mexican Rice
 1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup butter
2 cups uncooked long grain rice
2 Tablespoons chicken bouillon
1 -8oz. can tomatoe sauce
4 cups water
1 teaspoon taco seasoning (more or less depending on your tastes.)
In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in the butter.  When butter is melted and onion is soft, stir in the rice.  Stir and cook rice until golden brown. Add chicken bouillon, taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Stir until well blended. Add water and bring to a boil.   Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Stir a few times during cooking to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of pan. Serve.
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Linda's Potato Supreme

Please bear with me as I finish up my tried and true yummy comfort foods!!
This is one of those recipes that has been in the family for a long time.  It is a great potato recipe and a good variation from the normal cheesy potatoes.  It takes a bit more effort, but is well worth it. 
Linda's Potato Supreme
7 medium potatoes: peeled and cooked until tender.  Drain and refrigerate overnight or until cool.
Grate with a cheese grater.
Add:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix together and put in a 9x13 casserole dish.
You can bake at this point or add my addition:
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups Rice Krispies or crushed Corn Flakes
Mix together and spread over top of potatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until it is hot and bubbly.
I took this to a potluck and came home with an empty pan!
So I am sorry the pictures are not better!!
*This is a good way to use up leftover baked potatoes that don't get eaten.  Unwrap them, chill, then peel and grate.  You can even freeze them at that point to use in this dish or as hashbrowns later.
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Sweet Potato Soup with Quinoa & Coconut Milk ♥

Sweet Potato Soup with Quinoa & Coconut Milk
A hearty vegan soup, one to warm a body from the inside out. It's slightly sweet from the orange tubers we call sweet potatoes, slightly nutty from the grain-like seed called quinoa, slightly spicy from cayenne and chili powder, slightly cool from the coconut milk stirred in near the end. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real".

Sweet potato soups can be, well, a little 'sweet potato-y', too heavy, too starchy, too dense.

So I loved the idea of a recipe for sweet potato soup lightened with the healthy and protein-dense quinoa [pronounced KEEN-wah]. I feared the color and little doubt, the color is akin to what Nana, my grandmother on my mother's side, used to call the 'dog's breakfast'. But thanks to the cayenne and chili powder, the soup has a welcome kick that's smoothed and cooled by the coconut milk.

This soup, it's a winner.

REVIEWS
"Just made this tonight, and it's really good!" ~ Anonymous
"We all (including the kids, 8 and 4) loved the balance of spicy with sweet coconut." ~ MamaGames
"I used Kabocha squash (big harvest, froze a lot) with good results." ~ Anonymous
Keep Reading ->>>
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Kitchen Dreaming Again!!

Forgive me as I take this opportunity to dream out loud!  I had been looking for some modern furniture and on the same site found some things I am dreaming to have in my kitchen.
An All-Clad Coper Core 14 piece set!!

The Le Creuset Panini Press

Norman Copenhagen Jensen Mixing Bowls
and so much more.fun stuff you have to check out modern furntiture!
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Menu Plan Monday

Last week we failed to plan a menu and the week as far as meals go did not go so well.  Today is a fresh start to a much better and healthier week!!

This Week's Menu
Monday: Creamy Baked Beefaroni
Tuesday: Taco Salad
Wednesday: Pasta & Beef Soup
Thursday: Parmesan Chicken
Friday: Dad's Mexican Night
Saturday: Stir Fry Noodle Bowl
Sunday: BBQ Chicken
Happy Eating!!
Linked to Menu Plan Monday.
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