Tried and True Recipe Favorites - Pasta Feature

Hello lovelies!

Today, I wanted to share a few pasta recipes that I have tried recently! I am addicted to Pinterest, and I find so many interesting and delicious recipe ideas on there. I absolutely love to cook and bake, and I thought I would share some recipes with you all :)

I am obsessed with pasta, although I am trying to eat less of it in order to live a healthier lifestyle. Still, I cave in once in a while because...well, because it's SO WORTH IT. I hope you enjoy the recipes below, and make sure to check out the blogs from which they came!


Recipe 1: Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is so great and very kid friendly. The dish is simple and quick, and the best part is that the cheese is freshly grated! Although boxed mac and cheese is so easy to prepare, I think (in my humble opinion) that it's always best to be eating foods without unnecessary preservatives and chemicals! And this recipe is such a great alternative! Give it a try someday!

Recipe 2: Creamy Garlic Shells

Another great recipe with "no pasta packet required." This dish is also quite simple and easy to make. You can also choose to use fat-free or low-fat versions of some of the ingredients to lower your fat intake. This dish, as the original blog post mentions, is a healthier, lower-sodium alternative to the pasta sides packets that you find in the grocery store! Try this out the next time you get a craving for a pasta side dish!

Recipe 3: Bacon and Pea Macaroni & Cheese

I admit, this recipe is a lot less healthy than the other two. Well, at least there are peas in it, right? Regardless, this is a great dish to have. It's a fancy "mac and cheese" that grown-ups can enjoy without feeling too childish. Personally, I don't mind having full-on mac and cheese with dinosaur-shaped pasta, but maybe some of you want to class it up a little bit (unlike me). Serve this in a fancy bowl (like the one above) and maybe some white wine, and you can even pass this Mac and Cheese dish off as a fancy meal with your loved one (maybe). Or you can eat it in a big bowl in front of the TV with your hair up in a messy bun like me.

Hope you enjoyed my recipes! Obviously, these were not authentic Italian dishes, but they were ones that I enjoyed and wish to share with you. Hope you try them out someday with the ones you love.

Aloha,

Cassie

"I honor the place within you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place within you, which is of Love, of Truth, of Light and of Peace. When you are in that place within you and I am in that place within me, WE ARE ONE"

Tea Feature: Harney & Sons Paris Tea

Hello lovelies!

I don't know about you, but I love a good cup of tea.  I also LOVE coffee, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, but I enjoy tea just as much! I like tea iced or hot, depending on the weather! I seem to mostly drink it hot though, probably because it is faster and easier to make (I know...I'm a lazy bum).

One of the teas I have been loving at the moment is the Harney & Sons PARIS tea. I l o v e this tea! According to the Harney & Sons website, the tea is a mixture of three different teas. The tea, when brewed, smells "like an Earl Grey with black currant and vanilla aromas and a hint of caramel." AMAZING, right? Although I am not enough of a tea connoisseur to pick up on all of that, I do find the aroma very enticing and pleasant. I love to smell this tea almost as much as I love to drink it! The tea, I have to mention, is caffeinated; some individuals are sensitive, so keep that in mind if you decide on purchasing it!

This is a photo I took of the tea (box) and my University of Hawaii mug. I got the tea as a present from one of my dear friends, but she told me that she got it at Williams-Sonoma if I needed more! I went to check, and they definitely have it in stock (at least in the store located in Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii). You can also get it here (at the Harney & Sons official website). 

Another amazing thing is that the tea is not that pricey. On the website, a 20 sachet tin is only $8! Also, look at that box; isn't it gorgeous? The packaging is incredible, the name is irresistible, and the tea is delicious. You should, like, go get it. NOW.

Anywho, if you have a favorite tea, don't be shy and let me know in the comments below! I hope you are all having a great day, and I'll be back soon for my daily favorites!

Aloha,

Cassie

P.S. I was definitely not sponsored to write this. 

"I honor the place within you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place within you, which is of Love, of Truth, of Light and of Peace. When you are in that place within you and I am in that place within me, WE ARE ONE"