Chicken & Broccoli Mac n Cheese

Wanna make me happy?
Put a big bowl of creamy mac n cheese in my face.  I'm a simple gal.
It ranks up there with one of my favorite meals - a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy (nope, not even kidding, simply mashed potatoes, its been done)

Just pass me a fork.
ahhh who am I kiddin, I use a spoon, you can hold wayyyy more on a spoon.

I never bake it with a crumb topping as I have seen others do, the creamier the better.
Usually the sauce is seasoned with dry mustard, worchestershire, salt and pepper, simplicity at its finest.
And there's nothing better than the traditional sharp cheddar cheese either.
Except when you're into experimenting.
Not the kind like when you're in high school and someone passes you a glass and says here, try this - that's unsafe
This, totally safe.  And good.  Really good.
Unconventional but hey, that's what cooking is all about right?

This takes the kid friendly, comfort promoting dish you may be accustomed to and adds a little "adult" flare.


I'm listening to:  Jack & Diane, John Melloncamp

Gobble Gobble - Happy Turkey Day

It is a National Holiday here in Canada this weekend - Thanksgiving.
Tradition dictates turkey to be served.
Now don't get me wrong I am a HUGE fan of the bird that makes me want more gravy and potatoes piled high on my plate but sometimes that adds a few extra inches on my waistline.
So maybe I'll save some room by not going for seconds and having one of these little creatures instead?!

I peered these on Pinterest (love the creativity of people!) from the Kellogg's site and knew this was something easy, fun and could certainly engage my teenager with.
We worked together at the dining room table, smushing, stuffing, coating and just maybe eating a bit of the krispies while we worked.
Ahhhhh bonding....it was so much easier when he was little.

We even popped in a little pumpkin spice to kick up the "Thanksgivingness"

Who doesn't love a rice krispie treat?
We do!
Enjoy :)

We listened to:  DJ Got Us Falling in Love - Usher ft. Pitbull  (dont tell Little Ugh I told you he likes that song!)

Ravioli in a New Light - Deconstructed Pesto

Ever want to take something and dismantle it and put it back together in hopes that it would spring back to life?
I once tried to help an old boyfriend put together a car from the frame up.
There were missing pieces, a lot of swearing but in the end it ran well (I refuse to say that a 1981 camaro is a good looking machine).

As I sat perched on my dining room chair staring at some pesto chicken sausages that we picked up on one of our trips to the Mennonite butchers I got to thinking.... I could eat that with just about anything but I loved the idea that it had pesto all intertwined with the chicken.  And then I remembered the camaro.  Presto (teehee).
What about a sauce that had all the flavors of pesto but not in the traditional sense?
So out of my chair I bounded and into the kitchen a went.

It worked.
It was delicious.
We will have it again.

It was quite simple to prepare.  A few steps really.

Getting your sauce ingredients ready

Along with your ravioli stuffing

And I even cheated - I used wonton wrappers and then made em all pretty like with my pastry cutter!

Hope you'll try this out and enjoy it like we did!

I'm Listening to: I Love Rock n Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (1981)