Mac and Cheese

Halloween is tonight. It's a good time for warm comfort foods like mac and cheese. Here's an easy recipe that is a winner every time.

It calls for white cheddar, although friends have substituted other cheeses in this same recipe. I originally found this recipe in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, but I've made some upgrades to it. (Sorry Martha!)

1 1/4 cups milk
2 tsp melted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 pound grated white cheddar cheese (4 cups)
1 cup of parmesan-romano cheese
8 ounces elbow macaroni
2/3 cup Progresso Italian style breadcrumbs
Salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

In a small bowl, toss the 2 tbs melted butter with bread crumbs. Then add 1/4 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup parmesan-romano. Set aside for later.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni until al dente, according to package instructions; drain.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; add cream cheese, cut into cubes, stir until melted, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the cheddar until melted, 5 minutes. Add parmesan-romano cheese. Add the cooked pasta, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper; toss to combine.

Divide the mixture among prepared dishes. Sprinkle the top with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until bubbling, 30-40 minutes. I like to broil for 3-4 minutes to brown the breadcrumbs.

Finally, find a big spoon and eat and eat and eat. Don't share with anyone (except me). Tell everyone else that not sharing is part of the recipe.

Add this to your TasteBook.

TasteBook

I know some good cooks that have made some incredible meals. If only they would invite me...

I guess my friends could create a personalized cookbook for me instead of inviting me over. TasteBook is a web site that allows you to upload your own recipes and photos, choose your cover and personalize the book. They will print it, gift wrap and ship it to you for about $30.

You can create personalized holiday gifts with some of your favorite family recipes. And say you're looking for a gift for someone who likes to cook, but you've got no skills? You can choose from a variety of recipe sources found on TasteBook's site to create a themed cookbook.

Be sure to add Snackworthy recipes, such as Bacon Swiss Dip and Fruitcake Cookies.

A personalized cookbook is almost as good as being invited for dinner. Almost.

TasteBook

Music and Fashion

Ready to rock your wardrobe?

Buy this shirt to brighten up your style. There's a tiny battery pack in the seam of the shirt that enables the equalizer graphic on the front of the shirt to interact with the music. The shirt actually lights up in response to sounds. Click the Firebox link to see the shirt in action.

Wear this next time you hit the town and want to be the center of attention.

Be careful not to spill your drink on it though. I'm not sure how strong the battery is, but we don't want you to get zapped, now do we?

Firebox

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Can't take another political ad on TV? Me neither. I'm getting TiVo thumb from pressing the fast forward button all the time. (TiVo thumb is a real diagnosis, just like tennis elbow. Ask your doctor. I'll probably need time off from work.)

Rent Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. It is a cute movie starring Frances McDormand (the sheriff from Fargo) and Amy Adams (the princess in Enchanted).

A poor governess named Guinevere. A ditzy starlet named Delysia. Pair them up for a screwball comedy that will make you laugh.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Wilt Pruf

Our neighborhood has a pumpkin carving party to make jack-o-lanterns each year for Halloween. Perhaps it's not the safest soiree - drinks and knives.

Unfortunately, unless you carve the pumpkin just the night before, they disentigrate before the big event.

This year, I'm getting Wilt Pruf. It will keep carved pumpkins from shriveling, collapsing and turning black. Made from pine resin, Wilt Pruf leaves a protective film on plants (and pumpkins) that lasts for months.

So instead of Christmas lights hanging all year round, my neighborhood will have pumpkins through the new year!

Wilt Pruf

Silver Cocoon

Recognize the design? It's the symbol used by the Obama campaign.

A clever designer in Minneapolis has watched her sales take off with the inclusion of this product. She sells them on a chain as a necklace or with a pin.

It's a subtle way of showing your support.

I'm not sure how she's filling all those orders, but I just image a room full of elves with carving tools.

Silver Cocoon

The Cure for Mudslinging

We're down to the last month before the election. Politicians are doing what the media loves. They're slinging mud at each other.

What's a concerned citizen supposed to do? Hit the showers after watching the debates. Use soap from a little store called Violet.

They have soap imprinted with the words Vote on one side and Feel Good on the other. The scent? Olive branch.

Buy a couple of bars and give them to friends who never seem to vote. You know who they are.

Violet

Pit Bulls Against Palin

We're in Maine and walked by a store window with a bumper sticker that read "Pit Bulls Against Palin".

I had no idea that pit bulls were politically active, much less backing Barack Obama. It makes sense though after her hockey mom joke.

Go to the web site to buy a t-shirt and read more. The site claims that Sarah Palin knows as much about pit bulls as foreign policy.

Pit Bulls Against Palin

Keep Calm And Carry On

Seen the stock market lately? My 401K is smaller today than it was at the beginning of the year - even with twice a month contributions.

There's a great store across the pond called Pedlars. They have towels for sale that seem appropriate right now.

You can use it to dry your tears every time you hear about the economy.

Pedlars

The Easy Way to Give Constructive Advice

Need to give someone advice, but you're not sure how they'll take it? Yeah, who needs the confrontation. There's an easier/lazy way to handle these situations.

Stop on by the web site Hello! You There!

The site is very sparse. Five lines of directions and three text boxes for you to enter the person's name, address and your advice. They'll type it and send the letter to those who need your advice the most. Anonymously, of course. That's the best part.

Check out the samples - like the one shown here. "Do not marry her. You will spend the rest of your life serving her and never get the life you want, deserve and need." It goes on and on. Ouch.

The point of the web site is to provide constructive advice to someone in your life. Not criticism (I'll take care of that) or nagging (everyone already has a mother). Don't be surprised to get something in the mail soon.

Hello! You There!
If you've received this in email, click the link above to go to Snackworthy. Then click the link that will take you to the Hello! You There!

One more Halloween post for the dogs

I'm not sure when Halloween started becoming such a big event - the lavish parties, the over-the-top costumes, the designer decorations and props. Yep, I'm hooked. The problem is - what do I do with my smoke machine for the rest of the 364 days of the year?

There's a fun little store on Etsy that blends humor with their love of dog toys.

Candy corn for dogs! These are great treats for dogs.

Also, look at the Pirate Squirrel. I know two little dogs that would love one of those.

Dogbone Art

Let's not forget the other kids

When you're stocking up for Halloween, don't just buy candy for the little ones. You never know what other types of kids might stop by for a treat.

Dogma & Fetch is a dog boutique that has these great Halloween toys for the pups. The site has a lot of great products just for dogs - from cool ID tags to designer dog houses.

You'd better be ready this Halloween with the treats of all kinds or my kids will be sure to leave a "trick" on your lawn.

Dogma & Fetch

Speaking of Halloween

Spice up your morning bath with the smell of autumn holidays.

mi Spa makes soap called Pumpkin Souffle. It is handcrafted with rice bran oil, palm oil, coconut oil, shea butter and brown sugar. Who knew there was such a thing as rice bran - and it has oil?

This stuff will smell better than my plain old Ivory soap, but I'm really worried that I'll always be hungry for pumpkin pie. If they make shampoo that looks like whipped cream, I'm really in trouble.

mi Spa