broccoli and shells mac&cheese

i want my babies to look like this.

they are actually perfect! i cried the first time i watched that video.

well. my mom sent me a package last week and inside she sent me a whole slew of RECIPES!

hooray for new kitchen experiments.

they were all torn out of cooking/real simple/martha stewart etc. magazines 

and so tonight i decided to try one out.

this recipe is from family circle.

Broccoli Shells & Cheese adapted from the Family Circle

1 box medium pasta shells (13.25 oz)

1/2 lb. broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces

1 c. milk

12 slices Kraft American Cheese (i personally think any yummy soft cheese would work perfectly)

• Heat a LARGE (i didnt use a big enough pot) pot of water to boiling. add pasta and cook 4 minutes. stir in broccoli, return to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Drain
• Meanwhile (i started this when the water for the pasta started boiling), in a small sauce pan, heat milk just until bubble begin to burst at edge of pan. Add cheese one slice at a time, whisking until smooth. simmer 3 minutes.
• transfer pasta & broccoli to a large bowl. Add cheese sauce and stir to combine. Let stand 5 minutes (to thicken) before serving.

my suggestion to you: follow the directions. i did everything with a timer for the minutes it said and the dish turned out perfectly. this is a quick, easy, and yummy meal for anyone who doesn't want to make a labor intensive dinner. i was able to make this, make garlic bread, and salad all at the same time. and TRUST ME- if i can, you can.

here's an easy garlic bread recipe that my mom taught me/i adapted:

1 sliced loaf of your favorite french/italian bread. (we only had a sourdough loaf and it was still yummy)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 stick of softened butter (spreadable but not melted)

parsley flakes to taste (i maybe used a 1/2 tsp. and we didn't have parsley so i used italian seasoning and it was just as good)

mix all those together, spread onto slices of bread

stick the slices back together, wrap in aluminum foil.

heat in you preheated oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

happy cooking!