Blues and Blahs Buster Giveaway Daze!

Last night we had a fantastic dinner! Everyone ate it happily, with gusto even. The littlest boy is a bit um particular. I don't like to say picky because when your kid licks hummus from the bowl, cheers for savory sweet potato pie and prefers fresh vegetables to almost anything save for bread you don't use the word picky. He likes what he likes. Period. But dinner last night was cool because he ate 3 plates of pasta, with homemade/homegrown duck, goose and turkey sausage and a good red sauce. And a secret ingredient I would never have used. Cream cheese.

A couple weeks ago Philadelphia Cream Cheese reached out to me asking if I wanted to try a recipe made with their cream cheese. Since cream cheese is pretty much a mainstay in our house I said sure bring it on. Then I saw the recipe and I was a bit skeptical but still willing. I got a few coupons from them but since I already had 2 boxes in the fridge (teenager remember?) I just added it to the menu for the week. Of course I totally varied from their intended recipe because in my opinion that's what makes a successful cook, the ability to make a recipe yours, by changing it to suit your needs or desires or laziness. Ahem.

I'll post their recipe and add my tweaks in parenthesis

Spaghetti a la Philly

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Makes: 4 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each)

1 pound lean ground beef(1 pound homemade sausages)

1 jar (24 ounces) Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce(favorite red spaghetti sauce recipe 6 cups)

1/2 package (4 ounces) Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into cubes

1/2 package (8 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained(16 ounces penne pasta)

2 tablespoons Kraft grated Parmesan cheese(none added would be good though)

1. Cook the beef in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat. (ditto on sausages, remove casings first)

2. Stir the sauce and cream cheese in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted, stirring often.

3. Place the spaghetti into a large bowl. Add the beef mixture and toss to coat.

Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

It was really really good! Wish I had though to snap a photo but oh well I was to busy staring at a child covered in sauce asking for more I guess. Stunned.


In other news Union had a 1st semester check in at the home school office and boy he wowed his sponsor teacher. We aren't pushing reading because we want him to be a kid and not worried about tests so we don't concentrate on it too much. We do more creative fun stuff like paint, put on plays, bake, ski or snowshoe instead of pushing academics. His teacher thinks it's perfect for him and I agree.

Ah yes the Blues and Blahs Busters giveaway!! I have 2 coupons for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and I want to give them to you. Leave a comment to enter and check in this weekend because I just might be adding new contests all weekend. This isn't a contest to gain followers or see how many comments I get it is simply to share the coupons that were given to me and to try in some small way to bring a smile to someone somewhere. January is rough but it's half over.

wha..wha..what kind of sausage did she say?**gulp**


Peace and Love,