Friday Fare!

It is Friday.  Finally.  It has been a busy, fun week but I am heading into a weekend where I get to spend some uninterrupted time with Nurse Boy.  Saturday can't get here soon enough! 

This year has been full and busy.  Nurse Boy is taking one more credit hour this semester and it has really been noticed by the rest of the family.  It is always hard to balance family, work, church, and extra curricular activities.  Throwing in school for Nurse Boy has brought on a whole new batch of challenges.  Whew!  I know it will be worth it.  I always want to support my husband in his dreams, no matter how big or small they may be.  It will be a blessing to watch God put Nurse Boy's gifts and talents to use in some new and mighty ways once all of this is over, but I would be lying if I said it was never a struggle.  Financially it is a struggle.  Emotionally it can be a struggle.  But, the biggest struggle for me has been TIME.  I love to spend time with my husband and right now that is a precious commodity.

This weekend marks my being another year closer to 40.  (Can you tell that I am not exactly embracing that milestone?  Thankfully I still have a few more years to come to terms with it.)  All I want for my birthday is some much needed time alone with my husband.  Good thing, too, since that is all we can afford.  (HA!)  My parents are going to take all 3 of the kids for 24 blessed hours.  That is the best birthday present ever.  (That and a fancy-smancy camera, but beggars can't be choosers.  Not when your husband is in school anyway...)  I am thrilled to have some alone time without any ankle bitters around.  I love my ankle bitters, but they constantly have demands.  I need just one day off.  (But I wouldn't be opposed to a week in Hawaii either.)

This weekend also marks the beginning of our holiday season.  Dimples and Bruiser also have November birthdays, only to be followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Receipts are dancing in my head just thinking about it.  Yikes!

Today it is rainy and cool outside.  It is the prefect day for some homemade mac-n-cheese.  I am not normally a fan of mac-n-cheese, but I have searched for a more grown up version so I could enjoy my kids' favorite dish with them.  Today I will share my version of mac-n-cheese.

Mighty Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of flour
3 cups of milk (I use skim)
2 1/2 cups of macaroni
3 cups of milk
3 (generous) cups of sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
4-6 oz of prosciutto (Italian Ham that is oh-so-good!)

1.  Melt the butter and flour over medium heat.  Stir. 
2.  Add the milk and mix well.  Let this simmer on medium heat for what will seem like forever until the sauce thickens.  This will take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni per the directions on the box.

4. Once sauce is ready, add the sharp cheddar cheese. Mix well.
5. Add to the cooked macaroni.
6. Add torn pieces of prosciutto to the pasta and sauce. (I like to heat the ham on both sides before I tear it up, but that is not necessary.)
7.  Place the mac-n-cheese in greased 8x8 pan or casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10- 30 minutes... basically, until it is heated through.

(This is a pretty horrible picture, but you get the idea.)

Everyone in my family loves this stuff.  It is a little more work than I normally like to give myself for any given meal that will be devoured in about 30 seconds flat, but on a cool fall night it is totally worth it!

Have a wonderful weekend!