Movie Night -How much do you want to spend?

I've been stuck in all week with a sick child and a husband who is getting impatient for some attention. The loving and thoughtful wife that I am decided to create a date night. Instead of: getting a sitter for $12.00 an hour, paying $24.00? for 2 movie tickets, $20 for popcorn, coke and candy, dealing with the obnoxious public around here and sitting in an uncomfortable seat, I decided to have movie night in.

Our movie time was 7:30pm. So, I put my child to bed by 7:00pm. I cooked a really easy dinner: Chicken sausage in diced tomatoes over zucchini ribbons, roasted eggplant and onions, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. We sat on the couch in our comfy clothes and ordered an On Demand movie for $4.99. I finally saw Iron Man and I might have a little crush on Robert Downy Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow I could live without. So I spent $20.00 on dinner and wine and $4.99 on a movie. You can't beat that in this economy.

The movie ended at 9:30pm and I strolled into the bathroom, washed my face and went to bed. A perfect night for me, not so sure about my husband.

Saturdays are for me!

As the CEO of my house and owner of my own business called "The Family", I decided after a few weeks now that Saturdays are for me. On Friday, I make sure that my job expectations are fulfilled so that Saturday I can play. When it's naptime, I find my shows from Monday that I have DVR'd, fix myself some lunch and relax. (Maybe some Facebook time). No errands, no bill writing, no worrying about schedules, just letting things slide for a day.

Macaroni and Cheese made sneaky style!

I found a great recipe for homemade Mac and Cheese off the Food Network. It's made with frozen pureed squash and it's delicious. It comes out really creamy and you can sneak a veggie in there for your little ones. Personally, I needed to add just a little more salt for taste. Definitely buy the extra sharp cheddar for that kick. Depending on the size of your family, I was able to freeze and make 2 more meals out of this dish. We have our mac and cheese as a side dish. I just grill some chicken to go along. Enjoy!

* Cooking spray
* 1 pound elbow macaroni
* 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
* 2 cups 1 percent low fat milk
* 4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
* 2 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
* 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
* 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

From Freezer
Place in a preheated 450 degree oven for 25 minutes.