An Adult Weekend

Although I'm certainly an adult by most standards (especially since I have so recently entered my late 20s...ugh), I still don't quite feel adult-ish. I have roommates. I don't have kids. I'm not married. You get the point.

All that to say, this past weekend was, in my mind, a very adult weekend. On Friday night, I came home from work, had a glass of wine and read 200 pages of Twilight. On Saturday, I went running and spent the day at the Apple Festival in Lebanon, Ohio. While I didn't purchase any cutesy crafts, I did buy 2 bandannas for my pup! Saturday night I watched the debates and discussed politics (ok, really I just yelled about Michael Moore being an idiot). Sunday morning after my run, I went to Target and bought things like paper towels, dishwasher detergent, shampoo and toothpaste. $50 bucks later and there was not one "fun" thing in my cart! Being an adult stinks!

I ended out the weekend by making a big dinner and actually packing up the leftovers so I can eat it for lunch during the week. Yikes. But, smart considering last week alone I spent over $30 on going out to lunch. 

The recipe was good, though. We have about 12 boxes of frozen spinach in our freezer from Jana's boyfriend's sister (draw that flow chart) due to Blackout '08. I read through my cookbooks and came up with Ham, Spinach, and Mostaccioli Casserole. I don't usually eat ham, but I must say it was quite tasty.

I'll conclude by doing a very adult thing and posting the recipe. Bon Appetit!

Ham, Spinach, and Mostaccioli Casserole

Ingredients

8 oz. mostaccioli (I used penne)

3 TBS. butter

3 medium onions, cut into thin wedges (I used 2)

2 cloves garlic; minced (I used 3-I looove garlic)

1/4 Cup flour

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed (oops I did not crush mine)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1.5 Cups half-half, light cream or milk (I used half-half)

1.5 Cups chicken broth

1.5 Cups fully cooked ham, cubed

1-10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Cook pasta. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain again

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onions and garlic. Cover and cook 5 minutes until onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, thyme, and pepper. Add half-and half and chicken broth all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir one minute more. Stir in pasta, ham, and spinach. Spoon mixture into a 3-quart casserole.

Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes or until heated through. Stir before serving. 

Look who's ready for the game tomorrow night! Go Steelers!