Kids know all about comfort food!  They eat something and want nothing else until it's coming out of their ears or they are sweating it out of their pores!  The current, can't-get-enough-of-it menu item in our house is Macaroni and cheese!  Oh, believe me, I'm sick of it.  It is good for the budget right now, but I'm so tired of it!  We don't feed our dogs table scraps, but I'm ready to subtly stick my plate under the table and let them finish it off.

this is just a battle that isn't worth fighting.  They will eat it, and for CC, it's a great way to get calcium into her.  But I found a recipe that might make things a little less monotonous!  This one was posted on Chow.com.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

15 minutes of prep (I like that the best!)

Makes 6-8 servings.

**warning**  you may want to make substitutions...I did, cuz it's an artery blocker/diet killer!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds dry elbow macaroni pasta

16 ounces (about 6 cups) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups half and half

4 tablspoons butter (1/2 stick)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoom hot sauce, such as Tobasco (I left this one out...I didn't want to push my luck!)

Instructions:

1.  Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, add pasta, and cook according to the label on the box or bag.

2.  Drain pasta and return to the pot over very low heat.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until cheese is melted.  Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed and serve.

Simple!!  We like to add the progresso Italian bread crumbs on top.  The little bit of crunchy is a nice contrast to the cheesy noodles!

Enjoy! We did!

I'm sorry I couldn't resist this one!  I'll blame it on my parents...they sent it to me!

Fireproof is a sleeper film...one that the film industry isn't spending lots of money to market.  But it is one that every married couple, new and long-time, should watch.  Vows are important, but you're not done with them after you say them on your wedding day.  You need to  act upon them every day.  They should be framed and next to the ten commandments on a wall of your house.  Not only would it be a great reminder for you, but also an example for your children.

Here is the link to the film's website: Fireproof

The media keeps playing and replying pieces of Palin's interview with Katie Couric.  Sarah did just fine with the grilling.  Katie definitely used a variety of questions to try to trip her up.  I think she did well, considering how she first had the ABC assault the week before.  She is still an awesome candidate.  She is beging put through a wringer, while Biden is being handled with kid gloves by the same media.  He is tucked away in the green room, while Sarah is grilled publicly.

How come they don't play and replay Biden's interview with Katie Couric?  Did you know that there was tv in 1929 and Franklin D. Roosevelt was president?  Yes! That is what he said during his interview!

During his interview on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, this is what he said:

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed.  He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"

If you haven't read any of Ann Coulter, she pointed out this misfact in her online column.  She is a sharp cookie.  Here is the link:  http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=28834

Go read the rest of the article on her site.  She is a journalist with a brain! 

Here is a snippet of it:

"Here is Couric's full response to Biden's bizarre outburst about FDR (a) being president and (b) going on TV in 1929: "Relating to the fears of the average American is one of Biden's strong suits."
   
But when our beauteous Sarah said that John McCain was a better leader on the economy than Barack Obama, Couric relentlessly badgered her for evidence. "Why do you say that?" Couric demanded. "Why are they waiting for John McCain and not Barack Obama? ... Can you give us any more examples of his leading the charge for more oversight?"
   
The beauteous Sarah had cited McCain's prescient warnings about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But Couric, the crackerjack journalist who didn't know FDR wasn't president in 1929, demanded more examples from Palin.
   
We are currently in the middle of a massive financial crisis brought on by Fannie Mae. McCain was right on Fannie Mae; Obama was wrong. That's not enough?
   
Not for the affable Eva Braun of evening TV! "I'm just going to ask you one more time," Couric snipped, "not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation?"
   
This would be like responding to someone who predicted the 9/11 attacks by saying: OK, you got one thing right. Not to belabor the point, but what else?
   
Obama was not merely wrong on Fannie Mae: He is owned by Fannie Mae. Somehow Obama managed to become the second biggest all-time recipient of Fannie Mae political money after only three years in the Senate. The biggest beneficiary, Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd, had a 30-year head start on receiving loot from Fannie Mae -- the government-backed institution behind our current crisis."

 

We went to the Spokane Chief's home opener game tonight!!

 

It was a great game!  They beat the Tri-City Americans 4-0.  Before the game started they celebrated the hanging of the Memorial Cup Championship banner.  Some of our favorite players are still at NHL and AHL training camps...but the boys that were there did an awesome job! 

GO CHIEFS GO!!

Well, another iconic actor has passed away.  Paul Newman died today at 83 from cancer.  He is class.  In Hollywood today, with all the actor antics splashed across the tabloids, it is rare to find an actor that displays such honorable character. 

He was married to the same woman, Joanne Woodward, for over 50 years!  That should earn him a statue in Hollywood.  In a town where marriages are like revolving doors, vows are merely suggestions, and marriage certificates are made of recyclable paper, Paul was asked by a reporter if he was ever tempted to "wander" from his wife.  This is what he said:

"I have steak at home, why would I go out for hamburger?"

I just saw President Bush's update on the talk.   You really think one week is going to create a bailout for a situation that has evolved over years?  Is it because our economy is on the edge of the cliff that President Bush thinks that these political parties, who have not come together in many years, for the longterm good of our country.  DC is a huge narcissistic pool of people.  They are NOT there serving the common public.  They are there serving those with the most money and the biggest political pull.

Nancy Pelosi?  What is up with this woman.  She smiles like she is on medication.  She doesn't look like a serious leader.  How in the world did she get the Speaker of the House position?  I can see how she has such a low popularity rating.  I wonder which part of the country blessed us with this woman?!

Of course, when asked about the presidential candidates taking part in the DC economy talks, the Democratic senator interviewed said that McCain rambled on and on.  (If you heard this fellow speak...he had trouble rambling through the answer to the reporters question!)

The Republican senator interviewed said that Obama said a lot of nothing.  I happened to hear some of what he said...and it was a lot of..."I-have-a-future-as-a-college-professor puffiness...no meat, no solutions, just blame.

What both of these Senators (Obama and McCain) need to be doing right now is not sitting in on the meetings muddying up the waters, but instead throwing their clout around DC and getting the parties together to vote quickly on whatever solution comes out of the meetings.  No bickering, no debating, no trying to tag on meaningless clauses and stipulations.

Many are shocked that McCain wants to postpone the debate this Friday.  I'm not amazed, astonished or disappointed.  I am pleased.  Pleased to see that McCain understands that Americans comes first.  Our country needs him to do the job that he is already elected and paid to do.  Biden and Obama are also paid to do this real job right now in the senate!  This is their opportunity to show true leadership and support of the government and our country.

The campaigning for this next presidency has lasted years...literally years!  There is still plenty of time to debate.  Obama acts like a child.   He won't debate and won't debate and then when a debate finally comes up, and McCain says lets move it a week, he puts his foot down and says he will only debate on Friday.  What sort of flexibility is this showing for a possible future president? 

You have to wonder if it had been Obama's idea to postpone the debate...would it be playing out differently?

If you want to read a good Republican mama blogger, check out Moms4McCain.