Make awesome pasta sausage bake in the crockpot quick and easy

If you are like me, you are always running around trying to get things done.  This pasta sausage bake is so quick and easy because you make it in the crockpot!  No boiling the noodles and the only thing you have to pre-cook is the sausage!  In about 4 hours you will have a delicious pasta sausage bake that looks like it came right out of the oven! 

Just brown the sausage and drain and then assemble the ingredients.  Go get your errands run, or take the kids to soccer practice and when you come back your dinner will be ready to bring to the table! 

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground hot or mild Italian sausage (browned and drained)

1 lb. box of pasta, any kind (I used cellentani but penne, ziti would be just as good)

2 jars spaghetti sauce

1 egg

1 15-ounce container of ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella divided in half

1 cup grated Parmesan divided in half

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. parsley

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 clove garlic finely chopped

Pam or non-stick spray

Instructions

In a small bowl mix ricotta, egg, ½ mozzarella cheese, ½ Parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, parsley, and salt and pepper.  Stir to blend all the ingredients together.

Next, spray your crockpot liberally with the non-stick spray. Add half the uncooked noodles into the crockpot.  Pour about ¾ of a jar of sauce on the noodles, stir together to make sure every they are completely covered.  Press down into an even layer.

Now add half the ricotta on top of the noodles.  Next, sprinkle half the sausage on top.  Add the other third of the jar of sauce on top of the sausage.

Repeat all the layers with the rest of the ingredients.  Cover and turn the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.  After four hours test the noodles to see if they are done.  If not, continue cooking till the noodle reach your preferred level of doneness. 

Add the rest of the cheese on top and cook for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Cut the pasta sausage bake as you would lasagna into squares and serve with a salad and some Italian bread.  Yummy and so easy!

How to easily paint a cute turkey rock table setting

Painting rocks are all the rage these days.  Whether you leave them for someone to find or you gift them for paperweights, they are inexpensive and fun.  This turkey rock is cute and you personalize it with the name of your guest.  Leave the turkey rock at each table setting and your guest can take it home as a customized party favor and memento.

Add the date and year on the back and the turkey rock will be a lasting memento of the holiday.  You can even have the back blank and let each guest write something they are thankful for before the meal.  It’s a fun tradition for Thanksgiving.

Let's get started:

Materials:

Rock

Acrylic paint in white, brown, lt. brown, yellow, red, orange, and black

Sharpie or any permanent marker in black

Small paintbrush

Newspaper to protect your work surface

pencil

Instructions:

1.      First, paint the entire rock front and back with orange paint.  Let each side dry before painting the other and then let completely dry.  It may help to use a hair dryer to dry all the layers quickly.

2.      Now, use a pencil to lightly add guidelines for all the shapes. The head is a teardrop oval.  The body is a larger oval.  The beak is a small diamond shape. The feet are three claws on each side of the body. The eyes are two round circles on each side of the beak.  The waddle is a long fat comma shape.  And the feathers are spoke-like fan shapes with a curved top.  You will just fill in the spaces as you would a coloring book!  Super easy.  If you don’t like your pencil lines, erase them and start over.

3.     Use the paintbrush and brown paint to block in the head. Next, with the same brown, add a rounded shape. This is the body, which is approximately twice the size of the head.  Let dry.  (See photo)  You are blocking in the basic shapes working around the eyes, beak, and waddle. You will be going over all the lines on entire turkey with the marker when it is finished and dry.

4.     Now add the tail feathers.  Using the brown paint, start at the bottom and work all around the body making each feather like a fan shape, slightly curved at the top. Now use the white paint on the top of the feathers curving the top. Let dry.  Add the features.  Paint the eyes in white, the beak yellow, and feet yellow, and the waddle red.  Let dry.

5.     When all the painted areas are dry, Use the Sharpie or permanent fine line marker to outline all the feathers, body, and features.

6.     Highlight your turkey by making some light brown lines on the body. Add the pupils of the eyes with the marker.  You may also want to use a little thinned white paint to add some highlights on the feathers and body. (See photo)

7.     Finally use some white paint to add the name on the feathers, counting the letters so that they are in the center.

8.     Add the date and year on the back of the rock, or leave blank and let each guest write what they are thankful for.  Place at each place setting.  Your guests can take their turkey rock home as a party favor.

Halloween freebie! Download the best Halloween puppy coloring page

Halloween coloring page

Do you like to color for relaxation and fun?  Many people, young and old alike are using markers, gel pens, pencils and more to color.  There is evidence that coloring relieves stress.  And in this stress filled world what else could be relaxing, stress relieving and more fun than coloring?  Simply download this free Halloween puppy coloring page, then grab some colored pencils and let the stress fade away!

How to make a fun Halloween spider hairband the easy way

Do you want to celebrate Halloween but can’t wear an entire costume?  Why not make this fun Halloween spider hairband and you are guaranteed smiles aplenty. 

The Halloween spider hairband is so easy to make with the help of Bowdabra bow maker so you will want to make few for gifts as well.  Wouldn’t it be great to give as a favor at a Halloween party?  Kids, as well as adults, will just love this little spider! 

Halloween spider hair band 

 Materials:

Black hairband

18 inches 1 ½” sheer black ribbon

18 inches Bowdabra bow wire

Black stiffened felt

Black felt (regular)

Black chenille stems

Glue gun and glue sticks

Mini Bowdabra bow maker

Two Halloween wiggle eyes

Compass with white pencil (To write on black felt)

Scissors

Pinking shears

Instructions:

1.   First, use the compass and white colored pencil to mark 2 ½” diameter circles on both the stiffened black felt and the regular felt. Then, cut out.

2.   Next, cut the black chenille stems into four 4 ½” pieces.  Use the glue gun to attach them to the stiffened felt circle spoke style all around.  Glue the regular felt circle on top to cover and press down. 

3.   To make the legs-- use the pinking shears to cut down the center of each section all around for a total of 8 sections.  After you have cut the leg sections trim them to long rectangles following the lines of the chenille stems.

4.    Now, glue the Felt legs/body onto the hair band.  Bend the legs as desired.  Cut a piece of black felt into a 2-inch circle and glue to the underside of the hair band.

5.    To finish, make the Bowdabra bow spider head.  Cut an 18-inch piece of Bowdabra bow wire fold in half and place in the Bowdabra bow maker.  You will have a loop at one end and two pieces of wire at the other end.

6.    Cut an 18-inch piece of 2 ½” wide sheer ribbon and insert directly into the Mini Bow maker from the top.  The ribbon piles up like an accordion.  Scrunch the ribbon until you reach the end.

7.    Use the wand to push down the ribbon tightly.

8.    Thread the two loose ends through the loop end of the bow wire and pull tightly.  Remove from the Bowmaker, tie a knot on the back and fluff the bow into a rosette shape.

9.   Finally, use the glue gun to attach the Bowdabra rosette to the center of the spider on the hair band. Glue two Halloween wiggle eyes on the front of the rosette at the base.  Then bend the legs as desired.