Monday, November 1, 2010

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.

12 comments:

Bethany-Ashley N. Crespin said...

YuMM!!!! :)

sara said...

That's looks yummy...though I'd have to leave out the meat :)

And I'm totally with you...I can't deal with Christmas quite yet!!

Debra Hawkins said...

This is going to be our first Thanksgiving where we don't go anywhere. I think I am going to do one of those small whole chickens instead of a turkey. Even a tiny turkey would be way too much for us. I am kind of nervous and excited for this Thanksgiving. I wish you the best of luck!

Jess Craig said...

oh man, that looks freaking amazing. i almost hate you right now because i'm dieting and wanting bad stuff like crazy, and then i turn on my google reader and BAM... this. i don't hate you :)... but i'm definitely not happy with you right now.

my husband's family does a big chicken and green chile enchilada meal. i'm not a fan of it for thanksgiving, but i do like enchiladas. i'm more of a traditionalist.

The Phalanges Friend said...

THAT LOOKS DELICIOSO!!!
I make a version at home with ground turkey when I'm at home on vacation and my mother won't make me foods...it's like ghetto lasagna.

And on Thanksgiving...we have lasagna and corn bread. There are other stuff of course, but those are the two that make Thanksgiving. If we had Thanksgiving and didn't have those on the table, I would like..not want to come to dinner. There would be no reason. And there's this weird fruit desert that my mom makes with canned fruit cocktail, vanilla yogurt and marshmallows. It sounds awful, but it makes my heart sing with its deliciousness.

Libby's Pink Vanity said...

You can throw a CD at me but I usually start with my Christmas music on 11/1. I do that because I have sooooo many Christmas CD's that I have to start in plenty of time to get them all listened to. So, thanks for the reminder. :)

Since it's just me and the hubs, we don't do anything too special. I think we will look for a small turkey breast for a slow cooker meal.

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

How about Rudy's smoked turkey for Thanksgiving!?! Dad is going to smoke us a turkey this year so I will be stuck cooking most of the side dishes. At least K & R will be here to help. Glad to hear that Nate made a big haul. Can't wait for pics!!

Myya said...

Always nice when the kids dig right in & don't complain. Halloween was so fun with my girls this year. All 3 of them had a blast, even the little one!

SilhouetteScreams said...

YUMMMM I really don't have enough pasta in my life.

You should come live here, we don't have Thanksgiving (obviously haha) so you'll be a *bit* less disturbed that the Christmas decorations are already out in full force in the malls :P

Copyboy said...

I see you exercised your right to look good and cook up delicious stuff. Ok, that was cheesy...riight?

Recalcitrant Nails said...

LOL on christmas...I don't want to see ANYTHING christmas until AFTER thanksgiving. So there ya go. :P BLAH!

I'm glad trick-or-treating went well.

And thanks for the heads up on the Zoya sale. I swear my head is swimming with work all week that I never know the current news.

Gina (Prim and Polished) said...

this recipe looks great. I never thought to add the beef sausage to pasta dishes. What a fab idea. Will try it soon, I always buy those yummy sausages but I get tired of cooking them the same ol way all the time.