Jazzed up Mac 'n Cheese

I was not totally convinced about this macaroni and cheese recipe I found in Prevention magazine, but I decided to give it a try since I had a whole Butternut Squash to cook; it was surprisingly delicious! Plus, I think it's a great recipe to sneak some veggies in for kids who may not like them.

Recipe: (Serves 4)

- 8 oz whole wheat rotini (I used penne & there are 4 oz in 1 cup)

- 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk

- 6 oz butternut squash (you can use frozen, I bought a whole one at the store, cut it up, boiled it and then mashed it)

- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp dry mustard

- pepper to taste

- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

- 1 tbsp bread crumbs

* Simmer milk and squash until combined. Remove from heat and mix with cheese, salt, pepper, and mustard. Place cooked pasta into a "8 by 8" baking dish, stir in cheese mixture and top with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Bake @ 375 degrees for 20 min.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Amazing. Epic. Awesome.

Yep, that's pretty much all I have to say about that.

Pumpkins and Birthdays

I absolutely love this time of year from October to about the second week in January. Fall is my favorite season and Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are by far my favorite holidays; it's been awesome this year having an apartment to decorate, plus a momma who has all these extra decorations :)

October and these first couple of weeks of November have been a whirlwind but we did take out some time to carve pumpkins right before Halloween and celebrate Heather's 21st birthday last week. Fun was had by all, and I can't wait for Thanksgiving!

We had a Princess party theme going on, hence the crown :)

The beautiful funfetti cake.

The happy carvers.

I forgot to give him teeth but I still think he looks pretty handsome :)

Sadie working hard carving our names.

Lady Antebellum - "Hello World" Music Video

Heard this song tonight on the CMAs and then my roomie Heather showed me the music video; it's a great song with a great message!

3rd Grade Quote of the Day

Male student who is sitting next to me at lunch: "Ms. Frey, you might not want to sit on this side anymore."

Me: "And why is that?"

Male student with goofy grin on face: "Cause I let one loose. I blew a gasket".

Me: It was all I could do not to choke on the food I was eating and burst into laughter. (What 3rd grader throws the word 'gasket' around anyways!)

Boys, they'll get ya every time.