Blue Box Blues

I wonder what it will feel like in a couple of weeks when I have to WAKE UP at 6:00AM and not be able to just sit on the couch watching TV until 3 AM. My body is in for a rude awakening, I fear, because it is JUST NOT USED TO IT. And eventually I do get used to waking up early and can do it without an alarm clock...you know when that happens? Around April. Yup. It takes 7 months for my body to get into the routine and about....4 days to get off of it in the summer. :o)

So tonight I will paint a picture for you all...I'm sitting on the couch...TV is on (QVC jewelry)...rubbing the cat with my foot...parents upstairs sleeping...all the lights on downstairs...dog is snoozing in the hallway dreaming because his paws keep fluttering...and I am just checking my websites and browsing online. I did a "year at a glance" for the middle school kids and the 7th/8th grade syllabus.

Tonight I made dinner for Corey, mom, dad, and myself. It was a rainy night (surprise! what the heck is with this incredibly rainy August?) and we had lots of boxes of the good stuff: "mac n cheese!" Yup. So I threw together a yummy casserole that started with a box of mac and cheese! Let me share it below. Everyone seemed to enjoy it!
20 3 50

• 1 package of mac and cheese
  
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup French-fried onions

How-To:

• Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to prepared macaroni. Stir in tomatoes.
• Put HALF of the mixture into a greased 3 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with HALF of the cheese. Put the rest of the macaroni on top. Top with the rest of the cheese and the french fried onions.
  
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

You can divide the mixture in half and freeze half for a meal during the week or if you are eating alone. Just thaw it in the fridge the night before and take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you bake it.

Corey was sooooo hungry while it was baking, he told me that he was sure it was ready after 25 1/2 minutes. He even said "I will love you more if you take it out of the oven right now." :)