Monday Meltdown

Monday, Monday.  Can't trust that day!  Ain't it the truth?  (Mini rant/meltdown warning)  Another holiday has come and gone and the stores are already gearing up for Christmas.  Whatever happened to Thanksgiving?  You'd think the grocery stores would be pushing that holiday since it's so centered around food, but no.  They go for the more commercial holiday.  I understand, from a marketing standpoint, but come on!  Let me get through one holiday before you start shoving another down my throat.  I like Christmas, but I don't like hearing about it before the dang time change!  What set this all off?  The radio station I listen to on the way in to work in the morning was playing Christmas music in the background.  Bah humbug!

Ahem.  OK.  I'm done with that.  It's funny because this recipe reminds me of winter.  Or colder weather, anyway.  Pasta was on the menu for the night but I wanted something different.  So I went on a search.  I started at Kraft Recipes, entered in the key ingredients, and ended up on this recipe.


Penne Pasta Skillet

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar  (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

2 cups water

3 cups  penne pasta or other small shaped pasta, uncooked

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese 

 

BROWN meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain.

ADD spaghetti sauce and water; mix well. Stir in pasta. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Simmer 16 to 18 min. or until pasta is tender; stir.
 
TOP with mozzarella; cover. Cook 1 min. or until cheese is melted.
 

NOTES:  I had rotini on hand and it worked just fine.  I also didn't have any Mozzarella, so I used a cheddar/Jack blend and it was yum!  Oh, and I added half a beef smoked sausage (we usually do that in our pasta).

I was afraid that the rotini would be tough, but it was perfect.  I don't usually like pasta leftovers, but I didn't mind this one.  And even both boys liked this.  Usually Nate will hem and haw about "I don't want to eat this", but he dug right in.

 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  We usually go to my MIL's house, but this year we decided to keep it simple and just have a little family Thanksgiving.  I'm thinking about doing a small turkey with the usual trimmings.  But, if you have any suggestions for the main course, I'd definitely be up for something new.  What do you usually have for Turkey Day?

 

We had a good time trick-or-treating.  Well, the boys did. :)  Nate got a TON of candy!  Mason went along for the walk and calmed down after we were out and about with everybody.  He was NOT happy with being in his costume.  LOL  I will post some pics later in the week. 

One more thing!!  Zoya is having a BOGO sale this week only.  Why do things like this have to always come around when I don't have the money?  Anyway...check it out.  If you haven't used Zoya before, you're in for a treat.  This is my absolute favorite nail color company.  SOOO many awesome colors.  Awesome formula.  Check out the link above for the BOGO code.