Life Goes On

As I have mentioned, we lost my mother-in-law on the 12th of October after a long battle with ALS.  We held her internment service this past Saturday with just the family and her public memorial service the following day. It wasn't an easy task - it never is - but closure is good and the healing process can now begin.  The past year has been really difficult, but the past few months and especially the last six weeks have been brutal.

What really filled my heart was having the whole family together.  My son doesn't often get to see the family members who live out of state which include his half-brother and sister, two paternal cousins - one with a wife and new baby - his paternal aunt, and one maternal uncle (also his godfather). For this occasion, the only member of the family who was missing was my sister, which couldn't be helped.  Even my oldest brother's son and his very pregnant wife came to pay their respects.  It really helped my son - who, at 16, is the youngest of the group - to be surrounded by his entire family as he struggled through his first experience with losing someone close to him. While it was a blessing that he was the only grandchild who could see his grandmother at any time, it was also a curse because he had to witness her daily struggles and eventual decline.

I must take a "Proud Mom Moment" and announce some good news from the weekend!  Our youngest son has been acting in school productions for about 5 years and on Saturday went to the district drama competition and scored a superior status (the highest available) for his portrayal as Marc Antony agonizing over the death of Julius Caesar, and for his performance in his school's group comedy presentation.  This kid really has some chops!  He was concerned about missing his grandmother's internment service, but we all assured him that one of her great pleasures was watching him perform on stage and she wouldn't have wanted him to miss that opportunity.  Obviously, she was at his side the whole time.  He's the first Thespian in his school's history to earn a superior rating and he will now move on to the state competition in February.

So the days prior to the whole family's arrival were spent getting the house ready for everyone; figuring out who was sleeping where, putting clean sheets on the beds, making sure there were plenty of clean towels, and laying in supplies.... a lot of them!  We made a trip to Sam's Club and basically spent our children's inheritance.  You know me, when I don't know what else to do I start feeding people. I planned on menu items that would last us through the weekend since I knew that my house would become the central
gathering place.  I made a big pot of chili for when everyone arrived on Friday night, which also made a quick go-to lunch or snack and eventually got turned into chili cheese dip. We also had spiral ham(s), baked beans, potato salad, tons of fruits & veggies, etc. The list just goes on and on!  The most important items I had to pick up were the ingredients my sister-in-law needed to make her homemade mac & cheese.  It's the simplest thing to make but it's the best I've ever had.  Here's how we did it but the ingredient amounts will vary depending on the amount of people being served.  This is one of those "non-recipe" recipes that I'm always just winging.  You can make the quantities of cheese & butter as heavy or light as you like them. Take this and make it your own.

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Elbow macaroni, 1 cup dry per person

Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Whole milk

Butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil the macaroni in salted water for about 8 minutes, or until it's al dente. Remember it will finish cooking in the oven.  Drain the macaroni and put 1/3 of it into a buttered casserole dish and add some salt & pepper then top it with 1/3 of the cheese and dot it with butter. Repeat the process until you have 3 layers, making sure you end with a nice layer of cheese on top.  Pour the milk over the layers until it reaches the top of the dish.  It may seem like too much, but it will absorb and keep the layers from drying out.  Bake at 350 until all the milk has absorbed and appears curdled, about an hour depending on how many servings you've prepared.  It won't hurt it if you have to poke at it every once in awhile to check for doneness.  Let it set for 15-20 minutes before serving then enjoy!

I must admit that we got a bit carried away and made about 20 pounds of the stuff!  No worries...it freezes well!

And so, with my house now empty and quiet upon everyone leaving to make their way safely back home, it's time to cherish our memories and carry on.  Life goes on...