Long Time No Blog

Seeing that my last blog post was over A YEAR AGO... Its time I get back into it!

My new inspiration for blogging (besides the latest "Jacksonisms") is to post my cooking attempts. 2 days ago, I made a commitment to cook more often. Like, really cook--not just "out of the box" or frozen pizza every night. That is what I had come to... I'm not saying I won't have those nights--we all do!! I just want to make a real effort to cook for Danny & Jackson. I grew up with a big homemade meal everyday with my grandparents. My grandma poured her love into her cooking. I want to do the same for my family. I know how to cook. I enjoy cooking. I just need to do it.

My first meal was BBQ beef and my Grandma Stegge's baked mac & cheese. It was not as good as how she made-- I'll never get there-- but it tasted soooo good! Its amazing how the taste of something can bring back the spirit of someone! The beauty of this recipe is that you really can't follow a written recipe. She showed my Aunt Jan how she made it. After she died in February 2008, I asked that my Aunt Jan cook it in front of me. I tried to follow the written recipe many times, but it just didn't work. Once I saw it done, I understood. It gets better each time I make it. Below are the "recipes" for each part of the meal.

DAY 1:
BBQ beef
Water, bbq sauce and beef for stew in the crock pot for 6 hours. It made great sandwiches the next day, too!

Baked Mac & Cheese (I can't be too specific or my Aunt Jan would kill me!)
Boil the macaroni. Make a gravy with butter, milk cheese and flour. Pour it over the cooked macaroni. Sprinkle with cheese and bake. It makes a delicious cheesy top layer. Salt and pepper. To reheat the next day, you grill it with butter.



Jackson's response to his first bite was, "OOOOOhhh, Cheese!!" He ate about half of it and then wanted to get down and play. That's about all I can expect from Mr. Picky Eater.