It is getting that fall feel here, I don’t know about where you are but there is nothing better than a saucy pasta casserole to celebrate the chilly days.
I have seen recipes like this except they often use egg noodles and cottage cheese, I wanted to use rotini and I also cannot stand cottage cheese… like not even in lasagna, funny that people say “oh you cant tell the difference!” Oh but I really can.
Anyway, I redefined this recipe a bit by substituting rotini for egg noodles, ricotta for cottage cheese, and Italian sausage for ground beef. I of course had to share this recipe with you and hopefully you like it too!
Here is what you will need
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage(mild or spicy is your choice)
30 oz tomato sauce
salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic minced
1 medium onion diced
10 oz Rotini noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green onion chopped
Here is what you will do
Directions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees
brown sausage cook thoroughly
add onion and garlic, salt and pepper
cook through
add tomato sauce to the sausage
cook noodles until almost tender(the noodles will continue to cook in the oven)
drain noodles and allow to cool
mix sour cream, ricotta cheese and green onion add to cool noodles mix thoroughly
grease a 9X13 casserole dish
put half the noodle mixture in casserole dish
top with half the sausage and tomato sauce mixture
top with half the cheese
layer the other half of noodles on top of the cheese
layer the other half of the sausage and tomato sauce mixture
top with remaining cheese
place in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes the cheese should be bubbly and golden brown
Wearing masks(face coverings) are the way we are going to help slow the spread, also helps protect us from COVID19
Wearing dirty masks defeats the purpose though so make sure yiu are washing them after every use(every use 8+hours of wear or when wearing it in close contact in big groups of people)
You can definitely through them in the washer but be sure to place them in a lingerie bag
I personally like to hand wash my masks
I use a splash of tide detergent in warm water in my bathroom sink
Scrubbing them washing them in thr water then wring them out and set to the side until you finish each of your masks you are washing.
Let your soapy water out and run more warm water in your sink, add a splash of lysol disinfectant solution.
Place your masks in this water and let sit 5 minutes or so, moving them around in the water, let the water out and rinse the masks thoroughly with warm water.
Lay flat on a towel(bath towel or any size that works)
Roll the masks up in thr towel, absorbing the majority of the water out of the masks
Squeeze the towel around the roll, you should begin to feel the dampness come through
Unroll and lay flat or hang to dry
Make sure the masks are dried competely before you wear it.
Tired of serving a regular box of macaroni and cheese to your family
How about you pep it up with this peppy macaroni recipe?
Growing up we would have this at least once a week maybe once every two weeks it was a staple in my household. The other day I said why don’t we have Peppy Mac? Hadn’t had it in years and man did it take me back.
I wanted to share the recipe in case you had not heard of it and would like to try it
Here is what you will need
Ingredients:
1 box of macaroni and cheese meal kit(We use Kraft deluxe(in the blue box)
I jar of pizza sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 package of pepperoni reserving 12 slices for the top
2 eggs beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 9X13 baking dish
Prepare box macaroni and cheese according to package directions
beat eggs together in a bowl and add to cooled macaroni(if it is too hot you will scramble those eggs, no one wants that)
stir in jar of pizza sauce
cut up pepperoni (I cut into 4 pieces you could also use mini pepperoni)
Stir in pepperoni(remember to reserve some for the top of your dish)
pour macaroni and cheese in a 9X13 greased baking dish
top with mozzarella cheese
top with remaining pepperoni
place in preheated oven 350 degree oven
bake 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown
Combine your love of Mac n cheese and pizza into one family friendly meal!!!
Warms up great too if you do end up with leftovers(probsbly won’t though)
Goals are important in business and I personally set several different goals each day, week, month, quarter and year!
As we are now in Q4 the biggest sales quarter of the year I have some pretty large goals ahead of me.
It is important to sit down and brainstorm about your goals, make a plan of action and follow through.
It is also important to share your goals with someone in your life who will hold you accountable, someone who will not bring you down who will support you even if you dont meet that goal but will be there every step of the way supporting you and cheering you on but can still be honest with you even if it is brutally honest.
Here is just one story of me reaching for a goal…
So I really wanted to be a prima leader of my company I was with. I met with my sponsor who told me exactly what I needed to do, have 3 active recruits and 1500 in team sales each month for 3 consecutive months. I thought I could do that. Then she asked me when I wanted to meet this goal…. When would I want to meet the goal???? I sat there like a deer in headlights I didn’t know you needed to put a deadline on the goal? I shrugged my shoulders and said I don’t know. She said that the goal was possible but it would be very difficult to do in short term I would probably need at least a year if not longer but she would help me work toward my goal if I could provide a time frame. I thought about it for a minute and said I would like to have it by my one year anniversary as a stylist. She said alright lets get to work!
My goal was not going to happen over night not even within a couple of months but every day I got up and worked toward my goal of being leader. I worked at building my team but more importantly I worked at being consistent in my business, how could I lead a team without being consistent myself without working my business.
My goal date was December 18th 2014
In January 2014 I signed my first stylist to my team and we worked the business together her house was 10 minutes from me and it was fun, we did vendor events open houses and trunk shows. I continued working on recruiting but didn’t find that to be easy, I began working with my stylist for her to build a team herself, she recruited a stylist.
In July I signed my second stylist who lived about 1 hour away but it was a nice drive in the mountains and I drove there several times a month to help launch her business to which she also signed her best friend so now we have a team of 5 I needed one more personal recruit and I would have leader.
In September I signed my third stylist who lived about 30 minutes from me, the distance between my stylists were great because we could really build in our own space without interfering with each others business. I felt really good about it.
I had 3 recruits now to get my sales up and get it consistent for the last three months of the year and we would have leader.
I really worked my circle and booked as many trunk shows as I could I had a big goal that now seemed so close, I was getting excited!
December 18th I was announced as leader, and not just a leader but the youngest leader, this was huge.
I set a goal that seemed so huge but every day, every week, every month I worked toward the goal in little steps. The goal wasn’t reached by just wanting it (I really wanted it!!!) It was reached by working hard, it was reached with determination, it was reached by focusing!
I made my goal in January and then made a plan to get my goal, I followed through, and had people in my corner who were honest with me who checked on me and the status of my goals.
My sponsor would call me each week and ask me what steps I had taken to reach my goal, if I had not done anything she would call me out(in the nicest way possible), I think that only happened once because I didnt want that to happen again 🙂
My cheerleaders were cheering me on each step of the way and when I thought I had come up short they were there offering a shoulder to cry on(working on goals can be super fun but can also be tough on your emotions, I shed many tears that year I was working on my big goal)
When I made it and they announced it those same cheerleaders celebrated with me!
So what are your goals? want to get a promotion, want to build a team, want to get consistent with your business, want to earn a real income? want to have fun? want to earn a trip? want to earn a car?
No matter how big or how little your goals are they are YOUR GOALS! and worth working toward
The first thing you need to know is what is your why?(more about that here)
Next what do you want from your business?(what is your goals?)
Next you will want to figure out how you can meet your goal, your sponsor up line or teammates can help you with this, goals are not a single sport you need people in your corner. Working on goals takes a team of people, people who have your back, people who bring positivity to your life(keep the negativity away).
Oh my if you are anything like me there is nothing better on a rainy, snowy, dreary or any day for that matter than a big bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese.
Can someone say comfort food?
The cheesy carb loaded dish can be a side dish or can be a meal all by itself, I love every bite!
I came up with this recipe several years ago mmmm probably 14 years ago now(wow I must be getting old )
Every year my family makes applebutter and my mom is in charge of the cooking of lunch I decided I wanted to make macaroni and cheese to go with the fried potatoes, salmon patties, pinto beans and cornbread lunch (more about that in a later post, we make applebutter in October)
So here I am all these years later sharing my recipes, and life on this blog and I thought hey I need to share my old fashioned mac and cheese recipe so here you go
what you will need!
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup elbow macaroni noodles cooked and drained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 can of evaporated milk
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
3 cups of cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375degrees
Grease a 2 qt casserole dish
In a medium sauce pan, generously salted water you will cook your elbow macaroni until tender with a fork, (it will continue to cook in the oven)
In a nonstick saucepan(medium size) combine
butter
salt
pepper
garlic powder
mustard
Over medium heat you will stir until butter is melted and incorporated with the above ingredients
Add cornstarch and stir in
Add can milk(remember to shake well)
Add cup of milk
Stir constantly so not to scorch
When it comes to a soft boil add cheese 2 cups stir until melted
Reduce heat and continue to stir
In a mixing bowl beat the two eggs with
Add by the spoonfuls( 3 spoonfuls of the cheese mixture to the beaten eggs(this is to temper the eggs so not to create scrambled eggs, you don’t want that)
Add the tempered egg mixture to the cheese sauce and stir until fully incorporated
Add the elbow macaroni noodles and stir
Add macaroni to your casserole dish
Top with remaining cheese
Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown serve immediately and enjoy
I hope that you have a wonderful time with your family and close friends and whoever you decide to share this dish with! Be comforted as you eat!
If you do try this recipe please let us know by commenting below
So many GREAT things are happening right now with Park Lane!!!
Who has ever dreamed of being a fashion model for a day…. I have my hand raised for sure!!!
Guess what with $1000.00 in sales in the next 12 days will get you a ticket to apply… are you not a stylist yet? That is okay we can get you signed up…. not sure if that is something you want to do? Lets do a virtual party and see how that goes if at the end of that party you want to be a stylist (remember there is no quota… you work when you want and need to, you don’t loose your title ever you get paid every week… so many more perks) I can flip your show and you will earn commission on your show plus all the hostess credits and you will get a ticket to apply to be a model for Park Lane!!!
I am going for this goal myself and decided to offer a GREAT sale to celebrate the model call and my Birthday with my favorite things sale
7 of my favorite pieces marked down just for you… THINK Christmas (it is quickly approaching) and who doesnt love happy mail, right?
Roo necklace- dainty piece with a crystal circle, I get so many compliments when I wear it people cannot believe it is not fine jewelry(I mean it is fine but you know what I mean it didnt come from a fine jeweler) at $34.00 so affordable but for my sale you will get it for $23.00 comes in Silver, Rose Gold and Gold!!! Makes a perfect gift for any one in your life or for yourself!!!
Roo earrings- I was so excited when Park Lane announced we would be getting matching earrings. If you are a matchy matchy girl this is your set, if not you can definitely wear by themselves. These gorgeous circle crystal studs are perfect for wearing masks but look like fine high end jewelry but at $26.00 WOW you could pick up all 3 colors for my sale you get these for just $17.00 WOW!!!!
Cherry- this sweet little bracelet makes a perfect stocking stuffer or a I am thinking of you gift… This year has been crazy just stuff this bracelet in a note card and send to your friend, speaking of friends how fun would it be for a BFF bracelet, does anyone remember those BFF jewelry(Man I do, we had bracelets, rings, necklaces)!!! Retails for 36 but for my sale you get it for $24.00!!!!
Juliet- This dainty heart necklace is versatile, wear the heart two ways on the sweet Italian chain this would be a great everyday necklace, would be a great gift for any age I can see young girls as well as grandmas enjoying this necklace… normally retails for $28.00(at that price you could get several and your gift shopping would be done!!!) but for my sale you will get it for $20.00 CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!!!
Mochi- have you seen or tried that Japanese icecream mochi? I have very interesting but definitely worth a try! These earrings were inspired by the interesting shape of this cool icecream, I LOVE these earrings I wore them all day the day after I received them and did not want to take them off!!! AWESOME price of $30.00 but during my sale you will get the gorgeous mochi for $20.00 go ahead and grab yourself a couple one for you and one for a friend
Roar- I am woman hear me roar, everytime I think of these earrings I think of that saying…. makes me smile:) okay so everyone loves animal print right and so on trend for fall these earrings will be perfect for graphic tees or the little black dress for date night! Have you tried to incorporate animal print into your wardrobe? If not these earrings would be perfect for you to try it out, not too much but still so pretty! Retails for $38.00 but for my sale you will get it for $26.00 Go ahead you will love this for fall!
Sassy- More animal print, I LOVE animal print and anyone who knows me knows this is right down my alley. If you aren’t big on animal print guess what you can flip it over and have a really great gold statement necklace. Love the versatility of this necklace, then flip it back over for a great matching piece to roar. Retails for $40.00 but during my sale you will get it for $27.00!!! WOW!!!
7 great pieces on SALE from September 18-23rd
How to get yours e-mail me at rr.daniellec@gmail.com to reserve your pieces
You will pay through paypal or venmo in order to get your pieces ordered
On a budget… it is possible and can be fun actually!!!
I follow the budget mom on Instagram check her out here
@thebudgetmom (Instagram handle)
She mentioned thst she went to the grocery store and only spent $50.00 this intrigued me and became a goal of mine… i mean coukd I do that and what woukd I be abke to get for $50.00?
Well it takes planning, so I sat down and made out a weekly menu
Monday- Traveling home from vacation
Tuesday- French Onion Soup casserole
Wednesday- Grilled pizza ans salad
Thursday- left overs
Friday- girls night out
Saturday- knows pasta sides or something from freezer
Sunday- chicken zucchini and mashed potatoes
I made out my list and headed to Kroger
I only put items thst were on my list in my buggy until I got to thr aisle with the mayo and realized I needed some mayo so I added it at thr bottom of my list under additional items, as I placed items in my buggy I made note of the prices
When I went to check out I put all the items that were on my list on the register 1st at the end of my list I was at $34.00 woah I did it i purchased enough groceries to feed my family for 6 days
Then the additional items brought my total up to $58.00
Under $60.00 WOW I was so excited and said I will be shopping like this from now on… now I know it won’t always be under $60.00 but I am extremely proud of this accomplishment!!! (I bought ice cream for a treat to celebrate)
Would you rather walk into a large department store and get zero attention unless you searched it out, or would you rather walk into a small boutique and get treated like a queen from the time you enter to the the time you checkout and maybe even after you leave?
For a long time I chose the first, just let me go to the store and shop around if I need something I will let you know.
But now I see the importance of customer care, attention throughout the entire shopping experience.
Guess what?
My small business is just like walking into a boutique you will find that you get treated like royalty for shopping with me.
I love spoiling my customers.
The first thing is my VIP cart feature, Park Lane has so many awesome deals that it is sometimes hard for even me to take advantage of all of them. Many of my customers dont take advantage of any of the amazing deals so I began doing a VIP smart cart.
Example of one smart cart some items may still not be available… just an example
What is a VIP smart cart?
You the customer goes through and shops on paper(this costs you nothing but is so much fun and relaxing)
Shopping on paper is basically writing everything that you see on the website link here no matter what the price is write everything down, the name and metal/color style if optional.
Once you have everything written down next you send it to me… You can text it to me, FB message me or email me rr.daniellec@gmail.com
I will go through and create your VIP smart cart which gets you the BEST deal possible saving you so much money you wont believe it(I am telling you if it is too good to be true it is Park Lane!!!!)
Creating a VIP Smart cart does not obligate you to purchase…. if you want to edit the cart you may do so by adding or taking items away, maybe you don’t want to purchase anything… that is fine too.
This is a service I have for my customers to make your shopping experience an affordable and fun event!
When I was a senior in high school I watched this soap opera called Passions and there was a character that started her own business and it was direct sales, with a company called Mark a side/sister company of Avon.
I loved it, I saved up my babysitting money and purchased my kit, I met a mentor at the local McDonalds and so began my direct sales journey.
I was fairly successful selling mark and when I graduated and went to college I added Avon to my repertoire, I loved passing out books campaigns we called them and selling avon at the bank, grocery store, all the medical practices in town(there were 2 and 1 dentists), the realtor too!
after a few years of doing that I grew tired of it and just kind of stopped selling avon.
I was at a friends scrapbooking and she had a guest show us how to stamp using close to my heart stamps and I fell in love this time I was a kit napper, I just wanted to build up my own personal supply I didnt do any parties or outside sells I had fun purchasing my own stamps, markers, stamp pads, stickers, cardstock and supplies to make my own greeting cards.
After I built up my supply I resigned from this company as well. It was really fun while it lasted.
In 2013 I was Christmas shopping and ran into my next opportunity, Ruby Ribbon and I took it and had a business mindset this time, I sold, I recruited, I worked my business and became the youngest leader of the entire company(nationwide) this was the highlight of my 7 year(well I am still a stylist technically) career with Ruby Ribbon.
Notice how I refer to my Ruby Ribbon business as a career, yes it was fun but it was work, I treated it like a business!
In 2020 my friend invited me to a jewelry party online COVID had just started in the United states, I went to that party knew I needed to host my own show and when offered the opportunity to join and become a stylist I jumped right on in.
April 1st(no it was not a joke) I joined Park Lane Jewelry as a direct appoint Area Leader, this is awesome!!!
This has taken some getting used to, I am not used to selling jewelry, the programs Park Lane offers or virtually selling. I was an in home party girl
You know the girl that brings bags of her products into your living room and shares with a few of your friends… How am I going to transition to sell 100% online?
6 months later and I think I have got a system in place. I want to share here in case you are struggling with your direct sales or small business.
Post on social media everyday consistently everyday of the week
Facebook
your main wall
your main story
your VIP group
your business page
Instagram
Story
wall/ newsfeed
snapchat
twitter
pinterest
reach out to friends about booking a virtual show create your FRANK list and reach out to 20 people everyday– remember dont prejudge
host your own virtual trunk show if you are allowed to do so
Most direct sellers will tell you to go live in your group and do a live facebook party this is where you will show your products as if you are in your friends living room.
Another option is Zoom, a lot of stylists find that zoom is a fun way to see everyone and get together virtually
What if your internet is not fast enough to sustain a live feed or zoom meeting?
Well guess what my internet is not good enough for lives so here is what I do at my shows
Create a private facebook group
have the host add her friends the more the better
welcome the guests with a video short and sweet 1-2 minutes
post a welcome message they can read
post welcome photos they can see
Each post for each category, I have a short video, I have a photo gallery and an informative post
I don’t go live because honestly I cant I tried, and it just is more of a mess my video feed is pixelated and cuts in and out, who wants to watch that? Not me, if I were invited to a party and the live was pixelated and cut in and out I would log off, I wouldn’t participate. I knew that I didnt want to put my customers through that either. How could I have successful shows without lives? I knew there had to be a way, Remember I have that I am not quitting attitude so I figured it out because there is always more than one way to do something you just have to think outside the box and be resourceful.
don’t give up if you cant go live
What can you do? Think about that and go with it, it may take some trial and errors but that is okay learn what went well what didn’t work what you can do to make it better! You will be successful!!!
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