Cheesy Broccoli With Shells

Gotta love when you open your email to find a recipe your inbox and you’re so excited by what you see there, you decide you MUST try it that evening. I had all but a couple ingredients and I was willing to stop for the rest.

That’s right folks, it was cheesy broccoli with shells. I liked the idea, but it looked like it was missing one thing: flavor. So I tweaked the recipe juuuust a little to give it that extra su’m su’m.

Cheesy Broccoli With Shells

Ingredients
3/4 pound medium pasta shells
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups grated Cheddar
1/2 onion
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 16 oz. package frozen broccoli florets

Directions

1. Pre-heat broiler
2. Cook pasta to al denté
3. Meanwhile, heat the butter and onions in a large pot over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in thyme; salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add broccoli and pasta and toss
6. Transfer to a broilerproof 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1⁄2 cup of cheese. Broil until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

If I had remembered to take a picture of the food before we all grubbed down, you’d be drooling right now. But trust that everyone was suitably comforted with this delicious dish.

Its ok to be jealous. But better than that, try it for yourself. It’s super easy.

Tags: Quick Fixin's, Recipes, Vegetarian Meals

Thinking About Changing the Game

When I started this blog I had visions of grandeur and a plan to post something ever day. That quickly went away, but I had set myself up for failure by not starting at the beginning of the year as scheduled. This time I want to be ahead of myself and set a goal to write something for this blog every day.

Yep, I’m planning to blog the 365 days of 2010. I’m setting this goal in part, because it’ll force me to write something unrelated to work at least once a day. The other part is because I want to push myself to write more and to prepare myself for other goals I have for the year.

Another thing that got me thinking was this concept of changing the game. See, Sarah Robinson (Escaping Mediocrity) asked me to contribute an article to a project she’s working on, a project about changing the game. It got me to thinking about everything I’ve learned this year and how every mistake is a hint that its time to change your game.

This year was full of changes for me and things in my world look very different from how they looked last year. I accomplished many of the things I had planned, but still, on others, I floundered. I learned that I can sometimes be very self-righteous and petulant. For all of my interpersonal skills, I sure do know how to put my foot (or digital footprint, as it were) in my mouth. I was also reminded that others do not usually see me with the same eyes through which I see myself.

It wasn’t until I decided to look within that I saw the solution staring me right in the face. It was time for me to change my game and change my own perspective. So I made up my mind that I was going to be happy and productive and be a positive ray of light, no matter how tough things got. With this in practice for all of a week–maybe two–I have already felt begun to feel more calm and contented.

I’ve also decided that I need to be more diligent in working my program and work toward some of my longer term goals. To wit, I declare that starting January 1, 2010, I will write for this blog at least once a day, for 365 days of the year.

I hope you’re in the ride. I imagine it could get interesting around here.

Tags: Changing the Game, Goal Setting, Introspection, Work/Life Balance

Sometimes

Sometimes the world is all rainbows and sunshine.
Sometimes its dark and oppressive.
Sometimes we see others through our own lens.
Sometimes our perception dictates how that lens is focused.
Sometimes happiness is about learning to let some things go.
Sometimes letting go isn’t the easiest thing to do.
Sometimes we’re doing the best we can with what we have.
Sometimes you just need a break.
Sometimes you are the only person in your way.
Sometimes you just have to let things flow.
Sometimes things are not what they seem.

Tags: Introspection, Poetry