ReadySetEat.com Wrap Up

August 31, 2011 By 1 Comment

For the past 8 months, I have had the opportunity to serve as a compensated Shared Tastes Panelist for Ready Set Eat.  That meant that I got to turn my cocina into a test kitchen and try out dozens of new recipes from the RSE website, featuring ConAgra Foods products.  The opportunity was an awesome one.  I’m already a recipe fanatic; just walk into my house and, if you look closely, you’ll see stacks upon stacks of cookbooks above the oven, food magazines cluttering the island (and my nightstand and my bathroom), and clippings of menus and ‘must-try- dishes overflowing from various hiding spots.

My name is Stacey and I am addicted to recipes.

So when Ready Set Eat asked me to test out the dinner recipes on their newly launched site, I leapt at the opportunity.  It’s been fun! Weekly dinner menu planning is a challenge of mine because of my work and commuting schedule.  With three hungry kids waiting eagerly awaiting dinner after a long day, I don’t have time to hem and haw in front of the refrigerator trying to figure out what to make.  I need a plan of action, ingredients at my fingertips, and most of all, a quick recipe.

Ready Set Eat fits the bill in so many ways.  As I’ve explained in the past months on FOODe, you can just visit ReadySetEat.com, select the protein that you’d like to prepare (there are meatless recipes too!) and you’re on your way.  None of the recipes are long or tedious or contain hard-to-find or expensive ingredients. Now, not all of them are hits — and I’d prefer not to see so many canned and processed foods — but many of them were surprisingly tasty.  Here’s a look at some of my faves:

Apricot Chicken

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Peanut Butter Apple Wraps

Mexican Pizza

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: dinner happens every night.  It’s not going away anytime soon.  So instead of it being a stressful undertaking, make friends with resources like RSE that’ll help you save dinner in a pinch.

Follow Ready Set Eat on Twitter and Facebook.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: , , , ,

Our Crazy Roadtrip

August 31, 2011 By 3 Comments

backpack packed and ready to go!

My BFF from middle school (is that what 8th and 9th grade is? The Canadian in me still can’t get the U.S. system downpat) got married 2 weekends ago in Atlanta and invited me to the wedding.  Hubby and I decided that it made sense for me to travel to Atlanta by myself since: (1) kids were not allowed at the wedding; and (2) airfare for the 5 of us would cost a pretty penny just for a weekend trip.  So I went ahead and bought a plane ticket months ago.  Then came the week of the wedding.

I was really feeling down about leaving my crew behind.  I think it was the combination of me traveling  by myself on several occasions this summer and the fact that summertime was coming to an end.  Whatever the reason, I ended saying to Hubby: “let’s all drive down!” To which he replied that I was nuts and there was no way we were going to embark on a 24-hour roundtrip roadtrip to ease my guilt. Ahem.  I floated the idea of me taking Chatterbox with me, but her ticket would have been almost $500 since it was the week of the wedding, not to mention, Giggles and L’il Buddy would not have appreciated being left behind.  And so, I prepared for my trip as planned.  I was to arrive in Atlanta Thursday morning in time for my friend’s bridal shower that afternoon.  On Wednesday, Hubby said: “Alright! Let’s do it. We’re heading to Atlanta with you!”

And there were cheers and funky dances on the kitchen floor and plenty of questions asked (with no good answers given.)  That night, after a stop to the Dominican hair salon so that Giggles and I could get blowouts, we all piled up in the car and set South.  We stopped about 7 hours in to visit one of my besties and her new baby in South Carolina, and continued on to Georgia.  The kids spent 3 glorious days with their cousins and Hubby and I got to spend 2 kid-free nights in the hotel room I had already pre-paid for.  Three days later, on the way home, we stopped in S.C. again for Sunday Dinner at my cousin-in-law’s house.  We made it back home safe and sound and with a long weekend of fun memories under our belts.

The whole thing was so impromptu for us (i.e. me) – no planning, no itineraries, no worries… just the 5 of us co-conspirators in a crazy adventure.

Filed Under: family Tagged With: , , , ,

Designing My Fall Work Wardrobe

August 29, 2011 By 2 Comments

Remember in high school when you looked forward to the beginning of the school year because you got to head to the mall with your *groan* mom, and snag a few new outfits for your wardrobe? For whatever reason, that sense of excitement about the change in season and the prospect of copping the latest styles has stuck with me through the years.  Well, it’s that time of year again! And so I begin the process of compiling my wish list for Fall.  I had some fun playing on Polyvore and assembled 3 outfits that are totally my style.  Here goes:

Outfit No. 1: Comfy Chic. I work in an office with a pretty laid-back code of dress.  Also, I love to be comfortable and warm in the chilly temps that will be descending upon our area any day now.  A plain black turtleneck is a must-have closet staple for me, and a pretty skirt softens the look.  You’ll rarely find me wearing heels to the office given my Metro commute, so I always spring for a pair of stylish flats.

Comfy Chic at the Office


Black top
$235 - barneys.com

A L C camel skirt
$418 - barneys.com

By Larin flat slip on shoes
$239 - my-wardrobe.com

Outfit No. 2: Firm Biz. Every now and then I have an important meeting or speaking engagement and need to take my usual mode of dress up a notch.  I love the pop of red that the dress lends the black blazer and shoes. And OH! the shoes.  Flats (again) but edgy and an accessory all on their own.

Firm Biz


Vionnet ivory dress
£1,313 - matchesfashion.com

Single breasted jacket
$130 - topshop.com

Christian Louboutin black shoes
£625 - matchesfashion.com

Outfit No. 3: Casual Friday. Really, this could be something that I could wear anyday of the week.  I love the trouser jean with it’s bow tie and you can never go wrong with a crisp white blouse.  The scarf and shoes add splashes of color and the Honey Brown Mum Flower Hair Clips by Flowers from Fatima ($24.50) soften the entire look.

Casual Friday


STEFFEN SCHRAUT tailored shirt
$175 - stylebop.com

Light weight jeans
$30 - tillys.com

ALDO wedge shoes
$120 - aldoshoes.com

Floral shawl
$32 - topshop.com

Now don’t get it twisted – there’s no way that I can afford to (or would) pay $200+ for a turtleneck of $1000+ for a dress, but these sets are some guidelines that I can use when I hit my usual haunts like H&M, LOFT, Banana Republic and Loehmann’s.  Shopping for new clothes will definitely help me get over the end of a lovely and leisurely summer season and gear up for the brisk winds and busy schedules of Fall.

Filed Under: Style Tagged With: , ,

Books I Love: “How to Eat a Small Country” by Amy Finley (for all my foodies!)

August 23, 2011 By 4 Comments

There’s nothing that I love more than a good book.  When I find a gem, I’m excited when I wake up in the morning at the thought of getting back to the pages and I’m sad at night when I have to put it away (yes, I’m a nerd like that).  And let me just tell you how sad I am that I have to put this recent book away because the story had come to an end: How to Eat a Small Country: A Family’s Pursuit of Happiness One Meal at a Time.

What’s so funny is that I happened upon the book by surprise – on the last day of BlogHer Food I was walking by the registration desk when one of the volunteers handed me a book and said: “here you go!” I didn’t think much of it, but immediately warmed to the title as a foodie.  Anyway, I put the book away and forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago when it surfaced and I threw it in my purse for metro reading during my work commute.

Well, I am so glad that I found it again because it was such an entertaining read. First off, I liked the story behind the book; the author, Amy Finley, was one of the contestants on The Next Food Network Star…and she won.  Her show, The Gourmet Next Door, took off and Finley started to become famous.  So what was the problem? Finley has a family.  She has two young children, and a husband that did not appreciate having to share his wife with America.  The couple ended up separating and Finley made the incredible decision to leave her newfound career and celebrity behind and moved her family to France, where she and her husband lived after they first met.

Wow.

It made me immediately consider the sacrifices women make for their families, and in this case, a working mom.  Not to mention, in my mind Amy had a dream job!  To give it up so quickly and completely was such a sign of strength and being well-grounded.  But in addition to the underlying story of the ties that bond family was the other leading character in the book: The Food.

Finley is a professionally trained French cooking and pastry chef who studied at Grégoire-Ferrandi’s École Supérieure de Cuisine Française.  It’s clear from her writing that she knows her stuff and is a true connoisseur of French cuisine.  Growing up in Montreal and being spoiled by French patisseries, gastro-pubs, bistros, marchés, and cafés, has instilled a love of French cooking in me.  You can ask my husband – while he’d prefer a Southern meal of chicken and mac ‘n cheese, I’d take a crisp baguette with a hunk of salami and cheese over that any day.  Forget the peach cobbler; my idea of comfort food is Cambozola cheese.  And so, me and Ms. Finley became fast friends though her family’s journey through France, living, breathing, catching, killing (!), learning and devouring food.

I have to say that she also has a great talent for writing.  I loved the way she conjured up imagery and peppered the story with anecdotes.  And I always love a good sense of humor (can’t make it through the day without it). She was honest about her thoughts and the work that they all put into re-building their lives together.  But mostly, I completely related to her perspective on how food is a manifestation and representation of our lives.  Consider this passage:

Being uptight is anathema to good cooking; the let-go instinct is obligatory. Think about it. Already the kitchen is a pretty lawless place, full of chaos and mess, and blood and flame and sharp objects, and the cook stands willfully in the middle of it all, creating harmony from discord. Which for me, ranks cooks among the bravest people I’ve ever known.

And none are braver than those who cook at home, because they’re the ones who’ve always been asked to do the most with the least: with salt and pepper, butter, olive oil, and herbs, with eggs and wine, with trash fish and scary mushrooms, with nearly burnt cheese and the unlovely bits of carcass and bone that others would just throw away. And seriously, what’s scarier than facing down your hungry, needful loved ones, never wanting to disappoint, always wanting to delight? And how many people stay out of the kitchen essentially because they’re afraid? Afraid they can’t do it, afraid they’ll mess up, afraid they’ll make a mess, afraid they don’t have the time, or the energy, or the right pans, or whatever. Home cooks are warriors.

After I read that passage, I wanted to cry. But instead I smiled. She gets it. Amy Finley and I? With our unconditional and fierce love for food, we are kindred spirits.

There were so many times that she made me flat out smile: when her skeptical son gobbled up an entire trout at dinner (much to her surprise and delight); when they found her daughter after she’d been missing for almost 30 minutes in a small town; when she finally made mayonnaise from scratch successfully.  And when it slowly became apparent that she and her husband were going to be ok.

The day after I finished the book, my psyche was clearly flooded with thoughts of French cuisine.  So it was no surprise that I found myself at a French bakery that just opened in D.C. for lunch.  I sat in the sun, eating my Sandwich Chaud Poulet and thanking Amy Finley for it.

Filed Under: food, life Tagged With: , , ,

Shoes! I Need Shoes!

August 17, 2011 By 3 Comments

I’m headed to Atlanta for a wedding this weekend and need help with the shoes to wear with my dress.  The wedding invite says that the attire is “Elegant Casual” but really and truly, it wouldn’t have mattered what the invite said because I bought a new dress last on clearance at H&M month that I love and am dying to wear:

The pictures don’t even do it justice.  It’s a light pink, chiffon material, with a gray/brown snakeskin print. Flowy but hot.

It’s an outdoor, garden/backyard wedding, so I am feeling like I need to tone the sexy deep V-neck down with flat sandals (or a wedge at the most).  Any suggestions?

Filed Under: Style Tagged With: , ,

NPR Talks to Workplace Parents About Childcare

August 16, 2011 By 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago I got a great email in my inbox – would I be willing to talk about my childcare struggles on NPR?

Ummm, have you seen my blog posts from the last FIVE YEARS? I could talk about that in my sleep.

And so I got to be a guest as part of the NPR Baby Project‘s roundtable discussion for All Things Considered.  I headed to the NPR studios and participated in a 2-hour conversation with 6 other parents about the juggling act that comes with being a working parent in need of childcare. I had such a great time talking about an issue so near and dear to my heart, and one that is rarely talked about on a major platform, even though it’s an issue that affects so many of us.

By the end of the morning, I felt like I was in the company of old friends.  As parents, we are all partners in the shared experience of child rearing and all it entails.  Host Michele Norris was a pleasure to meet and chat with. We had laughed, shared some stressful stories, but above all agreed that being a working parent requires FLEXIBILITY in order to stay sane.

Listen to the 2-part series here:

The Challenges of Child Care: Emotional Decisions and a Constant Juggling Act

Part 1: NPR Childcare Roundtable


Parents Sound Off on the Economics of Childcare

Part 2: NPR Childcare Roundtable

Thanks so much to my girl @TDoubleB for recommending me to the producers!

Filed Under: family, success Tagged With: , ,

31 Flavors of Me

August 16, 2011 By 9 Comments

{Today’s post was inspired by Marie’s Q&A Tuesday video.}

Everyone around me knows that I struggled with having a zillion, seemingly unrelated, interests and was clueless about which to pursue and which to abandon or table for later.  The thing is, when I pursue something, I give it my all and so it’s very difficult for me to attack more than one project at once.  I’m also a Type A personality and very transactional-minded (hence the lawyer in me), so tend to think in an extremely linear fashion when it comes to executing ideas.

Here is just a snapshot of where my varied interests have taken me in the last few years:

Event Planning

Lifestyle Product Design

  • In 2007, I launched Mommies In Mind Brands and debuted The Mommy Apron as my first product (ahem – someone else has since bought my domain).  I have a slew of other product ideas in mind that I’d love to develop and put on shelves.

Social Media

  • Mamalaw was launched in 2006 and, from then, a social media monster was born!
  • Blogalicious was launched in 2009
  • Justice Fergie was launched in 2010

Food

Traditional Media & Speaking

And let’s not forget that I went to law school after college (where I studied Television & Radio Production), and have been practicing law for the past 9 years.

Holy Cannoli! Doesn’t it look like I’ve been all over the place? I know that my husband feels like I have!

The good news is that I wholeheartedly execute.  Remember earlier this year when I started my LaunchPad services? That was largely a result of me hearing from people all around me how much they admire my ability to take an idea from concept to fruition.  Once I get an idea in my head, it’s very clear to me how to make it happen so I decided to put this quality of mine to good use and to help others launch their businesses.

Then, the multipassionate me took over and once again, I decided to tweak my brand.  I redesigned Justice Fergie to focus on celebrating life which allows me to write about all of the topics that interest me: Family, Food, Success, Style, and Life.

Here’s the thing that I learned about myself – I’m a Leo, and need to pursue all of these multiple interests.  According to this site: “lack of fulfillment in life, professionally or personally, can destroy these bright and shining people [Leos] and cloud their personalities.”  I totally feel that.  In fact, I’ve said it on more than one occasion – there is an entire media and lifestyle empire inside of me just waiting to be uncovered. And the fact that I know it and can’t devote my all to it because of my day job is stifling.

A couple of months ago, with the help of the wonderful Monique Eddelton of Golden Parachutes, I was able to figure out a way to (hopefully) combine all of my passions (events, social media, product design, food, and media) into one umbrella lifestyle brand and channel all of my creative and entrepreneurial energies into it.  And I simply can’t wait.

I just need to make it through October first.

Filed Under: success Tagged With: , , , ,

It Only Takes #ONEMOM (and It’s a Giveaway!)

August 15, 2011 By 3 Comments

When I was in high school, I wanted to be an ambassador.  I don’t know that I actually knew the full role and responsibilities of the job, but I did know that I wanted to contribute to society on a global scale and that I wanted to be involved in the international community.  Fast forward some twenty years later and I seemed to have lost my dream of being an ambassador along the way.

Or maybe I actually haven’t.  As soon as I heard of the #ONEMOMS movement, I knew I had to join in.

The ONE campaign is a grassroots effort of more than 2 million people committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in Africa, by raising public awareness and pressuring political leaders to support smart and effective policies and programs that are saving lives, helping to put kids in school and improving futures. Cofounded by Bono and other campaigners, ONE is nonpartisan and works closely with African activists and policy makers.

What’s especially unique about ONE is that, as they say: “‘we’re not asking for your money, we’re asking for your voice.”

And with millions of voices on its side, ONE has been successful in making real progress across the continent of Africa and in other poor countries by working with foreign governments and helping people to build their own sustainable futures.  Just recently, ONE launched its #ONEMOMS campaign.  The focus of this particular campaign sheds light on the ability of moms across the globe to effect powerful change in their families and communities.  And, when I heard that good bloggy friends of mine – Jennifer James, Emily McKhann, Jyl Patee, Lindsay Maines, Cooper Munroe, and Karen Walrond – were going to participate in the campaign by traveling to Kenya to visit with moms, I knew that I had to do whatever I could to support it.  The ONE campaign has done about 17 or 18 of these trips and find them to be the most effective means to help trip participants see what is working and to come back and advocate.

I joined in on a conference call a few weeks ago with  where we learned what the #ONEMOMS were going to be doing on their trip. Some goals of the ONE campaign that I learned about on the call that really stood out to me include their mission to end Mother-Child HIV Transmission by 2015, and to teach farming techniques to support and feed families – providing them with a path out of poverty.

What’s also different about ONE is that it is not a charity (it is funded by foundations and its Board of Directors) – the campaign is dedicated to advocating real programs that actually work on the ground.  This is so refreshing to me in a climate of charities that don’t actually effect change where they promise to due to too many reasons to count.

The group of 10 bloggers that went on this recent trip to Kenya took part in activities such as:

  • shadowing community health care workers as they made in-home visits for HIV testing and counseling
  • visiting with a primary school as part of the USAID innovative program
  • visiting the largest urban slum in Africa – helps girls deal w/ daily lives & pathway out thru education and financial independence
  • meeting with powerful women who do great things in their communities, and who are also entrepreneurs, to encourage trade
  • visiting 2 small potato and dairy farms run by women to learn how their lives have changed

An important point made on the call was that agriculture is the key to ending poverty on the continent.  Another interesting tidbit was that 60-80% of food in Africa is produced by women – a staggering figure!

I’ve been reading the bloggers’ recaps with a heavy heart, but also a sense of relief that the gravity of the situation is being widely shared, and with so much honesty and caring emotion.

My awesome birthday message direct from Kenya!

It’s FREE to join the #ONEMOMS movement.  There are 3 things that you can do right now to help combat this dire situation.  And…three JusticeFergie.com readers will also get their very own #ONEMOMS Mobilization Kit that includes a T-shirt, Living Proof booklet and other literature, #ONE wristbands and silly bands, and a reusable tote.  All you have to do is Join the Movement and leave me a comment telling me that you did.

I volunteered to be a #ONEMOMS Partner and received a T-shirt for my participation.  The views expressed here are entirely my own.

Filed Under: life Tagged With: , , , ,

Sick (but Pleasantly Stuffed) in Savannah

August 12, 2011 By 7 Comments

So where were we when we last left off? Oh yes, I had announced that I was going to RECLAIM MY SUMMER!!

Well, as they say, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.

As soon as I wrote that post, I promptly got the worst cold I’ve ever had in my entire life. I mean, I’ve had the flu before, and strep throat, and stomach viruses but all of those are treatable and usually last about 3 or 4 days at the most.  I have had this flipping cold for exactly THIRTEEN DAYS. And it’s knocked me out! I’ve been sneezing and coughing and congested and feverish and with a throbbing head for two weeks. Madness. What really sucked was that my cold really got underway just as we landed in Savannah for my birthday weekend getaway. It figures!

We had fun nonetheless.  As soon as we got off the plane, we hit up Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room for lunch.  The line was a long one, and we waited in the blazing sun for about an hour but OH MY WORD it was worth the wait! I am indebted to my fellow Yelpers for putting me on to this place – it was off the chain.  Mrs. Wilkes is a boarding house-style restaurant that has kept its tradition of serving a hot meal to the working class between 11am and 2pm, M-F since the 1940s.  We got in line at 10:45am and were seated just before noon at a table with 6 other diners.  There’s no menu at Mrs. Wilkes! The kitchen just puts out whatever they have decided to make that day. Authentic Southern home cookin’ with and let me tell you, somebody in that kitchen put their foot in it.

We had:

  • Fried Chicken (Have.Mercy)
  • Beef Stew
  • Collard Greens
  • Snap Beans
  • Butter Beans
  • Black-eyes Peas
  • Squash
  • Rice and Gravy
  • Okra & Tomatos
  • English Peas & Noodles
  • Baked Beans
  • Mac n’ Cheese
  • Macaroni Salad
  • Candied Yams
  • Pickled Cucumbers
  • Red Rice
  • Cabbage
  • Peach Cobbler
  • Banana Pudding
  • Cornbread
  • Sweet Tea

For $16. Word.

Thanks to Hubby’s schmoozing skills at the rental car desk at the airport, we ended up with a brand new, silver convertible Camaro as our ride for dirt cheap.  Ignoring the fact that it was, oh, 115 degrees with 90% humidity all weekend, riding around in such a hot car was entertainment in and of itself.  We spent some of the afternoon checking out the quaint Savannah neighborhoods and gorgeous historic homes – I was living straight out of the pages of Southern Living.

Along the way to our hotel, we stopped by my dad’s warehouse.  His company, Transantilles Group, distributes tile to the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America and, though his offices are in Miami, his main warehouse is in Savannah – and he was not going to let me leave that city without stopping by for a visit. And so we did.

We then checked into our hotel – we stayed at the Cambria Suites as guests of the hotel (stay tuned for a review of the property) and I met with the hotel’s manager and did a tour while Hubby caught a quick nap.  Before we knew it, it was time for dinner (can you see how the meals were the driving factor behind our itinerary?) and we headed out for our reservations at The Olde Pink House.

Honey Tasting Bar at Savannah Bee Company

I was so looking forward to dinner at this restaurant but by the time we got our menus, I was a goner thanks to my cold.  My friend green tomato was ‘eh’ but Hubby’s Shrimp and Grits Cake was a-ma-zing.  For our main courses, I had the scallops and Hubs had the braised pork – both were excellent, but I literally ate only one of the gigantic scallops because I could barely keep my head up. So sad! We left without eating dessert but I did get a birthday serenade from the house vocalist and a tour of the mansion given to us by the Maitre ‘D.  By the time we left I summoned up the energy to walk the boardwalk to get a feel for the Savannah nightlife.

The next day we ate breakfast at b.matthews eatery and spent the day searching out air conditioning in boutiques all across town.  We hit the City Market and did some light shopping and stopped for afternoon drinks at Belford’s (where I forgot my bag of souvenirs for the kids – chalk it up to the Lemon Drop Martini – luckily I remembered and went back for it later).  I got my fix of French cuisine at Papillote where we had a light lunch and we walked around Forsyth Park and had drinks at the swanky 700 Drayton at The Mansion on Forsyth Park – gorgeous hotel.  Then we relaxed at our hotel until dinnertime when we headed to Sapphire Grill.  We were so not even hungry at that point, but decided we had to try the infamous grouper, so we shared it and were still stuffed.  After hitting up Paula Deen’s The Lady and Sons store, we stopped in for dessert at Lulu’s Chocolate Bar and then rolled ourselves back to the vert.

Sunday was beach day! After a delicious breakfast of Hazlenut Creme French Toast at J. Christopher’s, we hit Tybee Island. We spent the entire day at a beach bar sipping rum runners, had  a seafood lunch at Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House, and went directly to the airport from there, sandy feet and all.

We are indebted to my mom and sister for watching the kids so that we could have a little getaway. The kids had THE BEST TIME with Grandma and Auntie and managed to eek out a trip to the movies to see Winnie the Pooh, the requisite Chuck E. Cheese outing, an African Acrobats show where L’il Buddy ended up doing the limbo on stage, a detour to the Wildlife Preserve, lunch at Chik-Fil-A and hours at the pool – all in 3 days.

The trip was just what we needed. Low-key, with no real plan, in a charming city with good food. Runny nose, scratchy throat and all.

Filed Under: family, food, life Tagged With: , , ,

Recipe Redux: Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese

August 10, 2011 By 2 Comments

There are a bunch of dishes that I make that I always get asked to share the recipes for.  I pride myself on making the concept of semi-homemade fabulous (and not cheesy, sorry Sandy).  Most of my recipes involve shortcuts because I’m always in a rush.  Friends and family are forever complimenting my cooking or entertaining skills and I’m ashamed to reveal just how easy it all really is! I guess that’s a gift though – making people think you went through a whole lot of trouble for a fabulous product?  This past weekend I went to #HomeHer at Jodifur’s house where a bunch of us DC blogger gals celebrated being left behind from BlogHer ’11 and I brought along my signature Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese casserole to share.  I’ve been getting rave reviews about it…along with requests for the recipe. BUSTED!  Here goes:

Justice Fergie’s Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pack frozen Trader Joe’s Langostino Tails
1 pack Kraft Homestyle Hearty Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
1 pack Kraft Homestyle  Creamy Parmesean Alfredo
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Defrost the Langostino tails (I run them under cold water in a colander = pressed for time).  In the meantime, boil the water for the macaroni.  Follow the directions on the packets for the macaroni, doubling the recipe amounts of water, butter and milk to account for the 2 packets.  Chop the garlic and saute in the EVOO. Add in the Langostino tails and saute, adding salt and pepper to taste. Once the macaroni is done and the seasoned cheese sauce made according to the package directions, combine the noodles, cheese sauce and Langostino tails into one pot.  Transfer to baking dish.  Top with shredded Mexican cheese and breadcrumbs from Kraft packet.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with fresh parsley, if desired.

Ta-da!

Now you too can impress your friends and family with a bang-up dish that was a cinch to make. Just don’t let them in on your secret. That would be DUMB.

Filed Under: food
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