Mellow Monday

The weather has been so nice the last few days, and I wanted to take advantage of that before it gets warm again this week. Last night, we had a wonderful dinner on our back patio and really enjoyed simply talking and enjoying the peaceful quietness. It was nice to turn off the TV, not worry about work or our "to do" list and do something different!

We're really trying to be wise about our budget and money, and I'm cooking a lot more these days (which I really love). I made macaroni casserole with smoked sausage, rosemary brussel sprouts, and salad. I can't say the brussel sprouts were a big hit to Nate, but he did eat two of them!

The macaroni casserole ended up being AWESOME, so I thought I would pass along the recipe, we'll call it "Smoked Mac-n-Cheese":

Ingredients:

2 boxes velveeta shells-n-cheese

liquid smoke

smoked sausage (cooked and sliced)

Italian bread crumbs

2 Tbs butter (melted)

shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Make velveeta according to directions

2. Add salt and pepper (to taste), a few drops liquid smoke (be careful, it's strong!), and sliced sausage and mix well.

3. Spread into casserole dish. Add a handful of cheese over the top. Sprinkle bread crumbs and pour melted butter to top it off.

4. Bake on 350 for about 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Enjoy!