Los Porchs

Listen.  I love to craft, I'm obsessed with Pinterest, but yet I was honestly terrified to open the sewing machine I had received as a birthday gift -- in September.  While Porch was up north hunting, I spent the weekend with my mom who has always inspired me to be creative.  She's what I like to call a self-taught expert and was willing to walk me through the process of learning how to master the Singer.  Thank goodness she's so patient. We spent pretty much all of Saturday out and about at the local craft stores (JoAnn Fabrics and Ben Franklin) which were a little disappointing in terms of prices & selection.  We also hit up two different Wal-Marts, Good Will, and a new thrift store in my hometown.  Didn't get home until after 8pm so we were pretty exhausted -- but determined!  After our quick Taco Bell dinner (I love to think outside the bun), we opened the pattern and began to dig into the lessons. Mom jumps in with the bright idea of reading the instr

It's true.  I love to cook, but I also have those days when the mere thought of putting something together makes me curl up into fetal position.  I had read several recipes on Pinterest (yes, I'm fully aware of my addiction) and it dawned on me that precooking meals and freezing them was the most AMAZING idea ever. I've been doing it for a while but the sight of fresh ingredients in my fridge and the smell of delicious pesto shrimp in my kitchen has left me wanting to share! Tonight I put together two dishes:  Mac & Cheese and Creamy Pesto Shrimp The secret is to line your 8x8 dish with foil (I've also tried plastic wrap but always come back to foil) so you can freeze the meal in the dish & pop it out to put into a storage bag.  Stay with me. Marvelous Shells & Cheese (yeah, I just used elbow mac since that's what I had in my cabinet) 16 oz pasta 8 oz Velveeta 1/3 C milk 2 C cottage cheese (2%) 1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of onion soup, undilu