Family Birthday, Gossip, and UPdates

My father and my sister had birthdays yesterday. Dad turned 75, Sis turned 39 (again!). My brother-in-law has a birthday this Friday. So, I offered to cook a meal for the birthday celebration on Sunday. My only request was a menu. Picky eaters and such. The response was..."Anything is fine with me" three times.

But I know that my BIL doesn't eat cheese, my sister doesn't eat fish, and my dad wants comfort food.

I decided on something easy for me, and generally well received. I made a Five Hour Stew, a salad of leafy greens, mandarin oranges, green onions and sugared almonds. I know that one of my nieces and my mom love a raspberry vinaigrette, so I used it on the salad. I also made cornbread and served a marble cake with white butter-cream frosting from Publix.

This meal was very well received.

We had very good news regarding my cousin's husband. He spent three weeks in intensive care at the university hospital and was then moved to another hospital with pressurized rooms to assist in his lung function. He was moved to a rehab center for a couple of weeks before going home. He has been driving himself to work for a few hours a day. Talk about miracles!

Sis called Sunday evening as I was preparing to go to my safe place due to tornadoes in the area. She had some really good, happy gossip to share.

There was a childless couple who worked with the youth at church when I was in my early teens. They later had children of their own and changed churches but remained close. Jimmy died unexpectedly several years ago.

When I was in my mid-twenties, I became friends with a lovely lady from church who was married with a teen son. She was the life of the party everywhere she went. She died after a long bout with cancer a couple of years ago.

The widowed spouses found each other recently and have married. I'm so happy to hear this. It just seems right.

Movie Nite

My friends and I get together every other month to watch old movies. We've been doing it for a few years now and we've seen some really great movies.

We also bring food.

Lots of food.

So we got together last Saturday night to watch Bell, Book, and Candle with Jimmy Stewart, Kim Novak, and Jack Lemmon. We also watched The Big Sleep with Bogart and Bacall.

Our hostess made a lovely baked ziti, a Greek salad, and some caramel cupcakes. I made a blackberry cobbler and picked up some Publix fried chicken. And we had meatball subs, Caprese salad, and watermelon.

I also made watermelon margaritas. I love watermelon and I, unfortunately, love margaritas. To quote Ina Garten, how bad can that be?

So we had good food, good drink, good conversation, and good movies. All in all, a great night.

Shells and Cheese

I have never liked box mac & cheese. Ever. Not even as a kid. I came to have a small appreciation for Velveeta Shells & Cheese, but not enough to actually buy it and make it for myself more than once every few years.

But home-made is something else. My mom always made a custard based mac & cheese using evaporated milk. I've made it Mom's way and I've made it with a cheese sauce. I prefer the custard.

Last night, I wanted mac & cheese and I was in a mood to experiment. I didn't have any elbow macaroni in the pantry, but I did have whole-grain shells. I always have a variety of cheese. I came up with something pretty fabulous, between my fridge and my pantry.

Ramped Up Shells & Cheese

6 oz whole grain medium shells
4 eggs
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 c shredded sharp cheddar
1 c Sargento,s shredded Six Cheese Italian Blend
2 oz crumbled blue cheese
6 slices bacon, crumbled
4 Tbs salted butter, divided
1/2 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta per package instructions. Prepare a 3 qt casserole by spraying with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together eggs, milk, and spices.

Place a layer of pasta in the bottom of the casserole. Dot with 1 Tbs butter, sprinkle with 1 oz crumbled blue cheese. Add 1/2 of the bacon and top with 1/2 cup each of the shredded cheeses. Repeat. Cover with egg mixture.

Mix together 2 TBS melted butter, bread crumbs, and Parmesan and spread over the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Sorry I can't post pictures. I was so hungry when I finished, I didn't take time to find my camera.