100 Things To Do Before Kindergarten

Yes. I have found another list. My friend Heather aka Jack's Mom, from Geaux Baby and Simple Etiquette, posted this list that she found on Savvy Source of 100 Things To Do Before Kindergarten.

I figured I'm doing my 101 list so why shouldn't Mac have a list!? Right? Exactly. Plus, if Jack is working from the same list as Mac then we could do parts of the list together and, hello, the more the merrier right!! Heck yeah!

It's super heartbreaking to even think that one day I will have to take Mac, my little bitty baby boy, to kindergarten. **tear** But until that black day of mommy mourning harkens my door we can do some super fun things to take our minds off the evil baby stealing education system. (I know, that's a bit dramatic but I'm rarely dramatic so just go with it...) I have set up a tab on this page that will show the items as we mark them off, much like my 101 list, and as we mark them off I will post about the fun we had and the pictures that we took!

Come back to check on our list progress! And if you have a toddler... join us!! ;)

OOOoooo just had a thought! How cute would it be for me to make a book from the blog posts of all 100 things we did! Love it!

Baked Mostaccioli

Last night for dinner I made Baked Mostaccioli. I have had the recipe for a few months and wish I had made is sooner! I came across it on one of the blogs I follow and it was obviously before I started listing where I found the recipe on the recipe when I save it so I have no idea where it came from... either way it's super tasty!

Baked Mostaccioli

Ingredients
1 box Mostaccioli
¾ cup butter
1 cup whipping cream
¼ tsp white pepper
1 ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (fresh)
2 tsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 garlic cloves minced
1 jar spaghetti sauce (Ragu Robusto)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
2 to 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and sliced

Cook 1 box Mostaccoli according to package directions, drain.

Cook and chop 3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins or breasts.

Alfredo Sauce
In a sauce pan melt the butter. (As you are making the Alfredo, have the spaghetti sauce heating up on the stove.)
After the butter is melted, pour in the whipping cream
Add some white pepper to this and let it cook over low heat for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Add 1 1/4 cup of fresh grated Parmesan to the mixture, and cook over low heat till the cheese has melted, stirring constantly.

Mix the Alfredo with the warm spaghetti sauce to desired taste. Stir the mixed sauce into the cooked pasta – making sure all is coated. Add the chicken, garlic, and chopped parsley, stir.

Pour mixture into a 13x9 baking dish, top with remaining Parmesan and the mozzarella. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes



Notes:
This is what the original recipe poster had to say:
*Seriously, the key to this dish is fresh ingredients - don’t go cheap or easy on it, and it won’t let you down.

~ I used fresh parmesan, grated it myself and everything! It was great! I did not use fresh parsley. If I grew my own I would have but I didn't want to buy some just for 2 tsp. I used just a tad more than 3 tsp of dried parsley. And the mozzarella was from a bag but I thought it turned out just dandy!

~ Cook/boil your chicked before hand. I boiled mine the night before while I was getting dinner on the table. It made it so much easier and so much faster last night!

~ I didn't have white pepper so I just got tacky with it and used what I had, black pepper.

~ Also, just be prepared for dishes. This recipe used lots of pans...alfredo sauce, spaghetti sauce, pasta, cutting the chicken, grating the parm. But it's worth it!

Enjoy!

Moustache Onsie

My friend is pregnant and I HAD to make this for Baby Luke.


I guess it's just the whole moustache craze and the fact that I made these shirts a while back for our buddy Jack's 1st Birthday Moustache Party... we had to go in theme of course. And we, Mac and I, still wear ours all the time!



I just couldn't resist. I grabbed the pack of onsies and went to town!


I rolled the finished product up and tied them with green tool (which I didn't get a picture of). They are so cute, in my opinion! HA!

Every sophisticated infant needs one, or three!

Eclair Cake

You are in for a real treat with this recipe! It is so ridiculously easy and so ridiculously good that you have no excuse not to make this the next time you are asked to bring dessert!!



Eclair Cake

Ingrediants:

2 (3.5 oz) Packages instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) container frozen cool whip, thawed
3 cups milk
1 (16 oz) box graham crackers
1 (16 oz) container prepared chocolate frosting

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk.

2. Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.

3. Melt frosting in microwave for 30 seconds and spread over the whole cake, up to the edges of the pan.

4. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.



**I used french vanilla pudding, it was the first vanilla I saw so I grabbed it. It. Was. Good.
**I learned the hard way but next time I will put the cool whip and pudding in the bowl and stir that up a little before adding the milk. (I just dumped everything in the bowl and I have a fun time trying to mix in the floating cool whip into the pudding and milk!!)

This is the perfect make ahead dish and super fast to throw together.

Hope you get a chance to try it real soon!!