The theme of tonight's post is "childhood memories." Going back to a simpler time. You see, sometimes at night, when we can't sleep, Thatboy and I tell each other stories. Last night, I asked Thatboy to tell me a cricket story.
Have you ever asked a 4 year old to tell you a story? Chances are every sentence will start with "And then..." such as "And then the cricket went jumping jumping jumping onto the field. And then the cricket met up with his cricket friends." Needless to say, when he finished, I told Thatboy his story was the worst cricket story I have ever heard. He defended his story, saying it was impossible to come up with a good cricket story.
"Are you serious?" I asked him.
"Yeah - I mean, it's a cricket. Crickets don't do anything."
I ran to the bookshelf and pulled out an old favorite. I began reading him chapter 1, which describes how Tucker Mouse watched poor Mario sitting in the Times Square subway station, trying to sell newspapers. By the end of the first chapter, Thatboy was hooked. He can't wait to hear the rest of the story - from a book he had never read.
My trip down memory lane continued with a dinner straight out of childhood. Macaroni and cheese. From a box. I stepped it up a bit and tried the Trader Joe's variety instead of Kraft, which went over really well. I added some cooked chicken to the dish, and even though Thatboy was a little nervous about the addition (even going as far as telling me how it was ruining his evening), he ended up really enjoying it - and it made me feel better that all our protein wasn't coming from cheese.
And to round out our meal, and add a little color, I used my favorite childhood veggie. I honestly think sugared carrots were a secret trick of my parents to get Thatbrother and I to fally madly in love with vegetables. What's better than carrots that are sweeter than candy? Thatboy declared this an instant hit.
Sugared Carrots
- 5-6 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- Place carrots in saucepan and just cover with water.
- Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8 minutes.
- Add butter and brown sugar and cook for additional minute, or until butter melts.
Serves 2.
Each serving has:
Each serving has:
| Calories | 216.2 | |
 | ||
| Total Fat | 11.9 g | |
| ||
| Saturated Fat | 7.2 g | |
| ||
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.6 g | |
| ||
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3.3 g | |
| ||
| Cholesterol | 31.1 mg | |
| ||
| Sodium | 112.2 mg | |
| ||
| Potassium | 539.4 mg | |
| ||
| Total Carbohydrate | 28.0 g | |
| ||
| Dietary Fiber | 4.3 g | |
| ||
| Sugars | 6.9 g | |
| ||
| Protein | 1.5 g | |
I often crave mac n cheese out of a box. I love mixing it with a bit of chopped up ham and some frozen peas and carrots to make myself feel a little less guilty.
ReplyDeleteI also love how you and Thatboy tell each other stories to fall asleep. Maybe I can get my hubby to tell me stories too, it's a great idea!
Yum! There's just something about Kraft...but the TJ's kind was really good?
ReplyDeleteI love sugared carrots, but I'm really craving that mac.
ReplyDeleteHe's seriously never read that book? Wow.
ReplyDeleteThose carrots looks awesome, totally craving them now :)
Ewww carrots :)
ReplyDeleteI thought those were sweet potato at first.
Kraft dinner reminds me of my childhood days too:D
ReplyDeleteMac and cheese out of the box is sometimes the best meal! I like to throw some canned tuna into mine.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and the carrots look DEE-licious. Christian likes mac & cheese from the box, so it's made at least 1x a week here. Which means, at least once a week, I have a fork full of it...or 5. ;o)
ReplyDeleteI just made a flashback meal this week too and mac n cheese was a part of it. :)
ReplyDeleteyou kill me. my cricket story would've been even worse, methinks.
ReplyDeleteain't nothing wrong with mac n cheese from a box ;)
ReplyDelete