Peppers and Pickles!

I couldn't believe it when I saw this recipe...but Rachael recipes rarely disappoint. My original plan was to make sloppy joes for dinner, then it turned into making sloppy  joe sauce from scratch, then it turned into a google search and this came up Sloppy Joe and Macaroni Casserole <--recipe- Rachael Ray, Cooking Channel.

Here are the ingredients...

• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (80-to-85-percent lean)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup beef broth
• 12 ounces elbow macaroni with ridges
• 2 cups shredded yellow Cheddar
• 1/2 cup chopped crisp deli-style dill pickles 

The Pickles?!!!! I know!!

Heres what all those veggies look like- thats a lot in one dish, I think. The red bell pepper seems like it doesn't fit right?

I have to show off  my Rachael Ray cookware- hehe. Just boiling the macaroni. The brand of macaroni I got, the macaroni with ridges- as the recipe calls for- was Barilla- in the blue box.

The final Product..

This is a budget casserole to say the least. Its seriously only $10 and hello left-overs!

But I gotta tell you, the pickles really makes this..its so unassumed, but so good.. and the red bell peppers are unique too. The flavors are great for such a cheapy casserole dish. Enjoy!!

Sunday Baking

Amidst the annihilation of football on the tele, laundry, and dishes- I decided to get my Betty Crocker on and do some baking. This time it was a recipe found on the side of the flour bag. You never know with those recipes if they are reliable. But I can vouch for this one. Of course, Wes loved them.

I used semi sweet, cause that is what I had, but i ran into some mini rolos at the grocery store and my next batch i make, i will definitely incorporate those, or even the mini reeses peanut butter cups- YUM

  Waiting for them to cool is the worst part! but worth the wait..i chowed down about three of these before they made it into packaging

I love twine these days, i think it adds a nice touch to anything! Paige and Ryan were the lucky recipients of these today, Who will be next?

Fun with Photography

My creative bone pops out every once in a while and get an itch. Lately its been photography, I don't have a fancy DSLR or anything..but a nice Nikon point and shoot with some features that are built in similar to a DSLR, such as ISO. My family is the only people I can experiment on. I've done my Mother in Laws Garden, and Grandma Judy's Garden and a few of my sister in law, Maddy. I just fiddled with different effects to make some look a little more vintage-y.

Here are few more of Lewis

The L- Man

My Sister in Law and I had a fun afternoon taking pictures of this little guy. It was fun, and funny at the same time. he is so perfect! I am still learning about lighting, editing, and acquiring props...hopefully i get another chance to do this!