So, I really don't have a set topic for tonight...so here's a warning...it's a rambling post.

I've been reading other peoples posts and they all seem very thoughtful or have some sort of insight...not gonna lie...it made me feel kinda stupid about my own blog. I guess it's because there's really not anything going on in my life of any interest. I'm in my second to last class for grad school...so that's pretty exciting. We somehow made it through year-end at work. Andrew and I are still kind of in the same place that we were before, only this time it is a lot better. I still wish that we could just pick up where we left off 3 years ago but I know that it is not possible. We've been remodeling the bathroom and it is almost done though! All that is left is to finish up the trim and fix a little bit of grout on the bathroom floor...so that's pretty exciting too!

Monica posted a book review type thing the other day and I thought that it might be something I could do too...only I don't really read a lot of books anymore. So I started thinking, "What do I do a lot of?" The answer to that is cooking! Granted, I don't come up with my own recipes but I'm always looking for something new instead of eating the same ol' thing. I even started playing around with fondant cakes and have so far only made one and it was really cute! So, okay, here is my famous macaroni and cheese recipe via The Food Network:

Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Cook Time: 25 min

Level: Easy

Yield: 6 servings

Times:

Prep
10 min
Inactive Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Total:
45 min

Ingredients

* Butter, for greasing dish
* 12 ounces wide egg noodles
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 2 1/2 cups whole milk
* 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
* 3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
* 3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella
* 4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.