DYEING MACARONI

Boy, I wish I had thought of this year ago - my son's first birthday party theme was "Under the Sea" and I made colored macaroni necklaces for the guests if they wanted to wear them and hand painted each noodle. 

Instead The Mother Huddle dyed them instead putting about a half a cup of rubbing alcohol in a bowl and 10-15 drops of food coloring then dumped the macaroni in the mixture to soak and when the desired color achieved, dump on a paper towel lined tray to dry.

This will not be likely something I will use in the near future, but keep in my "Grandma bag" arsenal for a rainy/snowy indoor activity with future grandchildren.

Spinach & Artichoke Macaroni

This a Rachel Ray  recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni. that I would like to try some day as I think I will like it and hope that my son will too.

The only downside is it contains frozen chopped artichokes, which is not something I have ever seen in our local grocery stores and 1 1/2 of Forntina cheese and the same amount of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese which is starting to put it into a more pricey category than an everyday budget meal.