Saving the word, one turtle at a time!

*Cue the superhero music*   (Reptile Rescue 101)

We <3 turtles.  We are more in love with sea turtles, but all God's children are created equal, and so the same applies to turtles.  

Yesterday, I was driving Vinnie and I back home from his job (hence the Moe's shirt) when I saw something in the road.  When I got closer I saw it was a turtle and of course I switched lanes to go around it.  For those of you who live here or did live here, we were driving down the Trenholm Road extension, hence us naming the turtle "Trenhy."  For those of you who don't know the area, the extension in a 4 lane road with a large safety island.  It's quite a wide stretch of road and this turtle was crossing at a part of the road that is just over a hill, so anyone coming over it may or may not see a small reptile, such as this one, trying to to follow in the chicken's footsteps.  Stupid chicken.... :P

So after I drove around the turtle and headed a few more blocks toward home I said, "awwww man, I'm going to be so sad if we come back later and find that little guy squished!" And Vinnie said, "well what are you waiting for!? Turn us around and I'll go get him!"  :) I love my husband.  

One U-turn and a left turn later, I am parked in the safety island with our flashers on, handing Vinnie two grocery bags as gloves to go get the turtle, reminding him to please NOT get hit by a car in the process of saving our little be-shelled friend.  Vinnie successfully got the turtle and placed him off the road, back in the direction he was coming from...(silly men)...and so I hollered out, "um, wasn't his head going the other way?"  To which my dear, sweet and somewhat unobservant husband replies, "yeah....he was walking that way" and points in the opposite direction of where he placed the turtle. *mentally smacking myself in the head with my hand*  I now yell back over the roar of traffic, "don't you think we should take him the way  he was going so he doesn't try this whole 'crossing the road thing' again?"  *Vinnie gets that 'lightbulb over the head' look on his face and goes "oh yeah! good idea!" smiles at me and goes and gets the turtle, which he then brings over and I take this picture below right after we named him.  Of course at this point, this turtle is so far in his shell, all you can see are the very tips of his front feet....but I assure you he was very much alive and in there.  If I were a turtle, I would hide from me too. :) 

Vinnie and "Trenhy" the turtle

After the naming and the picture taking, Vinnie ran across the other 2 lanes of traffic and walked a few yards into the wooded area where we presumed Trenhy was heading.  It was a wonderful experience for us to share....a good teamwork exercise for us.  If I do say so myself, Vinnie and I make a wonderful team in everything we do......and now I guess we can add "saving turtles" to that list. 

Good luck Trenhy.....you are one fine reptile...

***On a quick and final sidenote, GO GAMECOCKS!  I'm glad we are 4-0 in the season, but I would be more glad if Garcia would stop making stupid choices, and I would be even MORE glad if we could clone Lattimore and let him play every position on the team.....just saying ;) ***

Mac & Cheese please!

I  have the world's BEST macaroni and cheese recipe EVER!  I'm not bragging I swear.  If you have eaten it, and many of you who are reading this blog post have, you will know I speak the truth.

Several dear friends of mine, who have recently moved to NC and TX, have been asking me for weeks (okay maybe months) to please send them this recipe.  So Caitlin, Nancy and George....this post's for you!  

But I figured I may as well share the love with everyone else while I'm at it. 

A little history behind this deelish dish:  

My dear friend and "other mother" as I call her, Karen, gave me this recipe about 2 years ago when I started down the road of "homemaker/wife/chef/etc).  It is her great grandmother's recipe, which makes it at least 50 years old.  It certainly has stood the test of time.  This is my favorite mac and cheese in the WORLD and I am picky about my mac.  Guess you could say I'm a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to comfort food.  Don't even get me started on mashed potatoes and gravy.....we could be here ALL day! 

On to the dish!  This following is the exact original recipe but I put a little bit of my own spins on it, as any good chef does.  My spins on the various parts of this dish will be in parentheses.  I hope you enjoy it.  

Fall is the perfect time to make mac & cheese for someone you love, or yourself. <3

World's Best Macaroni and Cheese:

Cook 1.5 cups of elbow macaroni (I use straight cut macaroni, but you can also use penne) in lightly salted boiling water til tender. Drain and set aside.  

In a large saucepan, melt 3 TBS of butter, then using a wooden spoon, blend in 2 TBS of all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt and a few dashes of pepper (to your taste).  If you use salted butter, leave out the 1/2 tsp of salt.

Add 2 cups of milk (you can use any milk you like, I always use 1 cup skim milk and 1 cup heavy cream, if I have it on hand....yes, this dish is fat free! haha) cook and stir constantly until THICK and BUBBLY.  

DO NOT WALK AWAY AT THIS STEP!  Yes, it's going to take a while for that cold milk to get hot and do it's magic in the pot to make this sauce, but I am telling you, the minute you turn your back it will scorch and you will be sad....and so will I.  Yes, I will know when  you are making this dish and I will know if you walk away.  I have a 6th sense about this dish.  Don't disappoint me! :) The mixture should coat the back of the wooden spoon and when you run your finger along the back, it should leave a distinct line.  

Now add 12 slices (8 oz) of processed American cheese singles (stacked and cubed).  Yes, good old Kraft (or generic) cheese singles.  You could use more expensive cheese or sharp cheddar if you wanted, but trust me, it tastes best with the Kraft singles.  That's the way Karen's grandmother intended it to be.....and once you taste this dish, you will see why.  Stir all the cheese in until melted and fully incorporated, then mix the sauce with the pasta and pour it into a 1.5 quart glass baking dish (then I like to top it with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs) and bake at 350 F degrees for 35-40 min or until browned at the edges and bubbly.  Serve!  

NOTE:  This recipe "serves 6" but I almost always make a double batch.  It reheats well, but I doubt there will be any left unless you are only making this for yourself.  I used to make this often to take to my neighbors for dinner and there were 5 of us.  I always made the double batch which is supposed to "serve 12".....and there was maybe a small corner left each time after we ate it.  For quick reference, I have written just the ingredient list below.  Cut and paste the instruction for this post into a word document and you will be all set! Happy Cooking and Happy Fall! 

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups macaroni (or similar pasta)

3 TBS butter

2 TBS AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

2 cups of milk (or similar combination of milk and cream)

12 slices (8 oz) processed American cheese slices

1-1.5 cups breadcrumbs for topping (if desired) 

1.5 quart baking dish (or a 3 quart dish if you double the recipe)

xoxo

J Lo

What's shakin' bacon?

Hello everyone!
I am kicking myself in the butt for not writing a post for almost a MONTH! Jeeeeze!  Oh well....I shall forgive myself for being lame and move on.

So things have been shaking pretty okay as of late. Vinnie just started working at Moe's Southwest Grill (WELCOME TO MOE'S!) this week and he is enjoying it so far and doing well.  We are so grateful to finally have extra income so we don't have to panic every month about which bills get paid and which don't.
Thank you God!  :D

You know that old adage?...."When it rain's it pours?"....well that usually is used in reference to hard times, BUT today I am using it in the good sense.  For those of you who don't know, my husband's profession is electrical test engineering.  He used to work for NASA.  Guess you could actually call him a "rocket man." Haha!  At any rate, a golf cart company in Augusta,  GA called him this week and he wound up getting a phone interview with the company on Thursday.  It went EXTREMELY well and they said they would call him back within a week to set up an in person interview in GA.  They got back to him in a week alright.....they called him the NEXT day!  :))))  He has an in person interview with the company on Monday afternoon and they are SUPER excited about (hopefully) hiring him!

My husband is a very smart man and while I am just as proud of him working at Moe's as I was when he worked for NASA.......I want him to have a job that makes use of his amazing skills and talents and challenges his mind.  He needs that to be happy.  Me, I'm perfectly happy sitting home reading a book all day.....please don't challenge my mind anymore than that!  I'm good! lol

Back to Vinnie......please say some prayers, send some good vibes or just clink your morning coffee in a toast of good luck to my sweet husband for his interview Monday.  It would be such a wonderful and amazing blessing if he gets this job in GA.  Plus....we wouldn't have to move from SC!  It's about an 1.5 hour drive one way to where he would work, but he said he used to drive that far for a job he had when he worked in TX, so if he is willing to drive each day, that's fine by me!

Things are looking up for us.....and I hope, whoever you are reading my wandering thoughts on this day, that things in your life are looking up for you too.

xo
Jessica