It's been almost a month since my last post... whoops

A lot sure has happened in that month, lots of cooking, a new Certification, a few Godly insights, Halo 4 launched, we saw a few movies, and we elected a President...

First off, my excuse, three weeks ago my classes to become ITIL Certified began, This included a few 18 hour days followed by a few hours of sleep, and then a test at the end of it all, I passed, not necessarily with flying colors, but nevertheless, I get to add a Cert to my name! :)

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As far as cooking is concerned, I've been playing it safe for the past few weeks, cooking easy things, things I've tried before, and whatnot... A few days ago, Elizabeth noticed that we had a few boxes of 'leftover' uncooked noodles, some penne, a little rigatoni, even a few veggie noodles, and I decided to do something with them. What came to mind was a sort of lasagna casserole, which I later realized is generally called a baked ziti.

Josh's Baked Ziti:

1lb Ground beef
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
1 chopped onion
½T Basil
½T Oregano
½T Parsley
1 can Diced tomatoes (I used a Mediterranean herbed one)
1 jar Red pasta sauce
2c Shredded Italian cheese
2c Chopped mushrooms
Leftover noodles (About 3-4c worth, uncooked)

Pre-heat oven to 375°F
Boil noodles as directed - set in large bowl
Brown the Beef with the garlic, onion, mushrooms, and herbs in a large skillet with some olive oil
Add to bowl with noodles.
Mix in whole can of tomatoes and pasta sauce, stir until all noodles are well coated, at this point the mixture should have cooled some
Mix in 1½c cheese, stir well
Pour mixture into casserole dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until sauce is bubbling. Serve with a delicious side...

Now, I had picked up a can of olives to put in the Ziti, as Elizabeth loves them.... but I totally forgot. Enter, Delicious side:

Scrumdiddlyumptious Bacon-Olive Green Beans:

1 can French-Style Green Beans
3 slices Bacon, cooked, roughly chopped
10-15 large olives, chopped
½t Basil
½t Oregano
½t Parsley
¼t Garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan, stir, cover, and cook on medium heat for 10-25 minutes (Lightly boiling for at least half of that time.
When it comes time to serve, using the lid, drain the water from the pan, keeping all the goodies for the plate!

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Halo 4 came out last week, it's been over 5 years since Halo 3 and I really couldn't have been more excited! The graphics are top notch, the music is wonderful, the single player story is very engaging, ad I haven't had this much fun in multiplayer since going to LAN parties with the original Halo: CE. Easily my favorite game on the Xbox 360. If you have this system, you should have this game. Here's a full review by someone paid to review things...

If you find yourself on your 360, and needing a new friend, hit me up, my GamerTag is: SPARTAN 029 PO2

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Movie time!

Elizabeth and visited the '$2' theater a couple times since the last post, seeing both 'Hope Springs' and 'The Odd Life of Timothy Green'

Both were very solid movies, Hope Springs is about an 'Empty Nester' Couple that has lost their spark, and are simply going through the motions of everyday life, barely noticing one another, until the Wife (Meryl Streep) forces her husband (Tommy Lee Jones) to go to marriage counseling with her in po-dunk Maine. It's a love story, with some silly moments, but overall enjoyable, definitely would recommend seeing it with your loved one.

Timothy Green was a true 'heart warmer' not at all what I was expecting going in. I thought I was getting a silly kids movie, about a boy who popped up from the ground. Instead I got a story of a couple just trying to be parents in this wonderful tale of adoption. It made me smile, it made me tear up, it played with my emotions, and I can't say I didn't like it. This one is good for the whole family to site down and enjoy!

(For up-to-date, better, and more reliable reviews, hit up my good friend Rob Lacy at Snark Week!)

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Congratulations to Mr. Obama for gaining another 4 years in the oval Office, please treat it with care...

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That's all for tonight folks, tune in in a couple days for those elusive Godly Insights, mentioned earlier!

-Joshua Anderson