February 12, 2013

Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Mom's Macaroni And Cheese

And so it begins...Lent...a time of quiet, reflection, penance and waiting. Although Lent has been different for me through the years...praying the Stations of The Cross with my best friend Laurie after school as a 5th grader, or the ultimate sacrifice...giving up Pepsi for 6 whole weeks as a teenager...or simply spending more time in quiet prayer as a mother of 4 children, one thing remains the same. Lent is an opportunity to spend more time with our Lord, however, that may be.


I picked this beautiful book up after Mass last weekend. It is my hope that it will become my close friend these next few weeks...I will try to read the daily reflections and apply them to my life. But if a day goes by and I miss one, I won't berate myself for it. I know that if I spent that time wiping a runny nose, or helping a certain young man work through a multiplication problem, or having a real conversation with my sweet husband, or even walking on that dreaded treadmill in an effort to make myself feel more healthy and in turn more able to be a better mother, God will understand.

And you may wonder why I included my Mom's Macaroni and Cheese recipe in this post. It is because it is Lent to me. My mother made this almost every Friday of Lent. Just the smell of it baking in the oven takes me back to my childhood home, setting the table with my sisters, waiting for my Dad to come home from work...

This is a different kind of macaroni and cheese...it has a little bit of tomato sauce in it...my mom added this to encourage my Italian father to give macaroni and cheese a try. I hope you do too. : )


                    Mom's Macaroni And Cheese

Ingredients:     2 cups uncooked macaroni
                      1 can cheddar cheese soup
                      1 8oz. can tomato sauce
                      1/4 cup butter
                      1/4 cup milk

Directions:       Cook macaroni according to
                       directions.  Drain. Stir in remaining
                       ingredients.
                       Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
                       Bake in casserole dish sprayed with
                       cooking spray at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered,
                       and 15 more uncovered.


                      Note...I double this recipe and bake
                      in a 13x9 dish for our family.
               




12 comments:

  1. Looks delicious. My kids don't like the mac n cheese I make (my own mother's recipe) so I'm going to give yours a try. Happy(?)Lent!

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  2. I'm keeping Lent simple this year...so that I will actually do it. Your reading choice looks awesome, and so does that recipe!

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  3. This sounds so good! I will be making this tonight. I'll let you know what they kids think...I know I'll already like it! LOL I linked your recipe to my blog this afternoon!!! Thanks for sharing with us.

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  4. We love homemade Mac and cheese. I sometimes put tomatod in it but have not tried tomato sauce...I am going to try it next time.

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  5. Hi Billie Jo, thanks for stopping by today. I'm always delighted to find a new friend in the cyberwaves. Your mac and cheese dish looks delicious. don't you love childhood memories about our faith! your mother's recipe looks scrumptious.

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  6. I saw this recipe at Valerie's post and needed to check it out. I have been in dire need of a new mac and cheese recipe. Looking forward to trying it out!! May you lenten journey be blessed and fruitful!

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  7. yum! I have never added tomato sauce...thanks for the new twist!!

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  8. Wow that looks delicious!!! And I love that you can keep it simple and not beat yourself up...something I'm working VERY hard on right now :)

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  9. I started my "little black book" that my mom gave me for this lent. I really love lent! Keep me posted on how your reading is going. Enjoy ~tara

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  10. Ooo! I am definitely adding this to my recipe book. CANNOT wait to try it!

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  11. What temp did you bake it at? 350?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Patty...350 degrees. Sorry! I will edit that right now. Hope you all enjoy it!

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Thanks so much for saying hello!

Billie Jo