Passing The Time

I've noticed this year, at least thus far, that the 6 1/2 hours per day Alex is at school, I'm getting more and more done in that time. Rather it be laundry, cleaning, blogging, or cooking, I'm passing the time quite nicely. And something I've figured out is that if possible, I really enjoying prepping dinner and having it ready, waiting on me in the fridge for when supper time rolls around. The biggest reason? Because if my "chore" list is done, and dinner is waiting on me, then those couple hours after I pick Alex up, until we need to eat, are our time. We can watch cartoons together, run errands, read, play a game, or my favorite thing--snuggle. Some days he will just crawl into my lap and we'll have some free "huggies" and "moochies" as he calls them. (Insert Mommy tears here). And if I can have extra time for that instead of standing over the stove....I'll take it! So I've found myself doing more and more of the "work" for the meal during the day when it's just me and it's a win win for everyone. I wish I could tell you where I originally found this recipe, but I can't. It was written on a piece of scrap paper in the back of my recipe box, I came upon it and was super ready to try it. It was a HUGE success. Adam and Alex both had 2 helpings, and we finished off an entire pan of it! So easy, so convenient, so tasty.....those are 3 staples in this everyday mom's life...those and plenty of monkey huggies and moochies :)

Stuffed Shells


18 jumbo shells (about 1/2 of a 12 oz box)
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried parsley
2 large eggs
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (I bought a "traditional" variety)

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of water to a toil. Add some salt and the shells. Cook for 10 minutes or until al dente-- you want them a little under cooked. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Combine well. Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan. When shells are done, drain well and rinse w/ cold water to stop cooking process. Stuff about 3 TBS of cheese mixture into each shell. I find this is easiest w/ my hands. Place shells in prepared dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells. At this point, this can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. When ready, bake for 30 minutes or 40 minutes if refrigerated. Serve w/ extra Parmesan on top.

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