Fab Friday Five

So I spent a great deal of my Pinterest time this week looking at travel pins because, well, I want need a vacation.  Anywhere will be fine with me, but obviously the farther away, the better! But first...I've had some people ask me about my twice baked potato casserole and mac and cheese that I mentioned making for Thanksgiving in last Friday's "Fab Friday Five".  So I've decided to graciously include those recipes here!  (so today's post may be five, or more than five, or whatever I want...because it's mine, dammit!)

Golden Baked Macaroni and Cheese (recipe >> here)

So I have this problem with my mac and cheese every year.  I never like it, but the family does.  They always want me to make the same one I made the year before...or as Dave has said "Remember that mac and cheese you made a few years ago?".  The thing is...because I never like them...I never remember which recipe I used.  So when I hear "remember that one you made a few years ago?" my go-to answer is "no".  What I DO remember about the one Dave was asking about was that it was southern-style...so it called for a BUTT-TON of eggs (that's an actual measurement).  I absolutely REFUSE to make mac and cheese ever again that has eggs in it.  I'm looking for a nice, creamy, golden, buttery, crusty, cheesy bit of heaven....not something that has a scrambled egg custard holding it together.  BLECH!  So as per usual, this is another new recipe...and it looks easy and perfect. And it's sans-eggs.  Yes.  I'm sure it'll do!

(recipe >> here)

Seriously folks...this sucker is mashed potatoes at their finest!  Everybody knows this dilemma...you're eating twice-baked potatoes for dinner and, low and behold, your whole potato is gone and there aren't any more to be had.  And all your can think to yourself is "I wish I had some more!"  Well fear no more....these potatoes take that away!  It's potatoes boiled and then mashed, then mixed with cream cheese, sour cream, and cheese until super creamy.  Then you put it into a 9x13, sprinkle with more cheese and real crumbled bacon and then you bake it! MMM!  I'm excited about it already!

And now for the travel!! (none...absolutely none of these pictures are my own)

 

Oh Italy...how I love you so....

 

Maldives...I'll get to you someday, beautiful!

Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park

Glacier National Park, Montana

I don't want to go out west and see the grand canyon or any of the orange sand and rocks.  But I DO want to see the mountains, the glaciers, the trees...and everything green and beautiful about it. The peace and tranquility draw me in.  Just looking at the pictures makes me feel calmer.  

(And of course I want to dig up some dinosaur bones!)

This quote from one of my very favorite movies.  What will your verse be?  I'm not real big on poetry (it's beautiful, but I still cannot grasp the analytic concepts my English Lit teacher in 11th grade tried to teach me about symbolism and the meaning the behind the words and all that jazz), but I just love the concept of life being a grandiose entity that is made of millions of little bits and all each of us contributes is a small bit of greatness and it is in our power to decide what the bit will be and how great it will be.  I just think it's beautiful.  Whatever is going on in your life right now...there's something so much bigger that you are a part of, and you don't even know.