Cooking and baking my way out of a Facebook addiction....Day 1

After getting frustrated with myself for spending too much time on Facebook and too little time on other things, I "gave" (ha, forced) myself a one week break from Facebook. I started this last Saturday. Part of my plan is to try to more productively use my here-and-there spots of down time. And that time is here and there since I'm a stay at home mom of 2 boys. I wanted to find more things to direct my time towards that I would enjoy doing (not laundry) but would also still contribute to the household. So I'm going to try to bake and cook more. Now don't fool yourself, I'm no Martha Stewart or even Betty Crocker AND I have a picky 5 year old....so this will be pretty simple and basic much of the time.
And what a better way to hold yourself accountable to a new commitment than by proclaiming it to....well maybe 3 people? I've been away from blogging for so long and was never very consistent at it anyway, that I know that my hand full of followers have probably dropped me, understandably. But that's OK because this is for me. WOW something for me? What a crazy concept as a stay at home parent, or a parent in general.
So here starts my attempt to cook and bake my way out of a Facebook addiction! I still hope to spend some time there as it is my only way to stay in contact with many friends, but just with more balance....and happiness and sense of satisfaction over all.

So for the 1st official day of cooking and baking I made a recipe dear to my heart, but I had not made in a while. Mardi Gra Dinner...now don't let the title fool you, it is unspicy and unsouthern as you can get IMO. It's basically a cheesy tuna casserole with tomatoes. Unlike anything I'd ever had, and really the only tuna I was willing to eat as a child. It's something my Grandma Mary made when I was a child, which may have been part of why I was willing to eat it. She was magic in the kitchen. I'll probably be turning to her tattered recipe box a lot for this project :) So here's the recipe:

Marci Gras Dinner (Grandma Mary)
1/2 a stick of butter/ margarine (you know this is an old recipe because she says "oleo")
3 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 1/2 cup of milk
1 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
1 1/3 cup instant rice (or I used 1 cup of regular long grain...or more)
1/2 tsp of oregano, cayenne pepper (though I know she never really used the cayenne pepper and I left it out as well.)
1 Tbs of parsley
1 cup of tomatoes (I used the onion and garlic kind and used the whole can)
1/2 cup of onion slices (I omitted this since I used onions above, we'll see)
2 cans of tuna

Cook the rice as directed, under cooking somewhat.
Make white sauce (with the butter, flour, and milk....lol she expects you know what this mean) add cheese.
Place rice in casserole, sprinkle with oregano, cayenne pepper if using it, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper.
Place 2/3 of the tomatoes over rice, top with onions if using them, and flake tuna over it all. Pour on cheese sauce. Add remaining tomatoes on cheese sauce. Garnish with paprika (which I skipped). Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes covered.