My Nana (grandmother) lived with my family since I was 1, she was like a second mom growing up, we never had a baby sitter, just Nana, or another family member. On nights mom and dad would get out of the house for a bit Nana would cook my favorite as a kid, Mac and Cheese with a cut up hot dog and spinach. I know I was a high class kid :) To this day I still love making this meal for myself, it always brings up happy memories and sitting in the living room eating with Nana (side note: we weren't allowed to eat in the living room but Nana would let us when our parents weren't home :) Nana rocked)

I know I'm supposed to eat healthy.. for the most part I'm totally good, whole wheat pasta, lots of veggies... but sometimes... I just want a big bowl of white pasta, powder based, mac and cheese. Growing up Mom would spend hours making home made mac and cheese, only to have my sister and I say we wanted "the stuff from the box" I love making things home made, it's fun and things taste so much better plus you know exactly what is going into your food... all this goes to the way side when mac and cheese comes into play... I want the icky scary powdery stuff... no real cheese, just that fake powder mixed with a little milk, over some tasty elbow noodles. It doesn't get much better then that... hahaha

I must say I have had real home made mac and cheese since I was a kid and it is delicious, but I don't have an urge to make it. I have the urge to cook just about everything else... just not mac and cheese :) So this brings us to lazy night dinners... Sometimes I cook it up just like Nana did, sometimes I cook a box of mac and cheese and then toss a few cups of cooked chopped up fine cauliflower in it. No joke it gets coated in the cheese and you don't' even know it's there, good way to sneak some veggies in! Either way it's total comfort food and bring me right back to home sitting with Nana, running back into the kitchen if we heard the car pull into the driveway so mom and dad wouldn't catch us eating in the living room :)

UPDATE: mom made a good point in the comments, nana was a great cook and did make home made mac and cheese but she knew to just make the box stuff when it was me/ my sister/ and her having dinner ;) Mom lets make Nana's recipe for mac and cheese next time I'm home! You in??? Love you!