106. Adventurous

The pets have been going haywire for the past two days. Chasing things that aren't there, having exaggerated reactions at very little provocation, and harassing the bejeezus out of each other. Well, the latter is more than usual. There are now three cats and one dog. Hm, I guess we should count our summer resident, the beta fish too, lol. He was harassed a little too. It's kind of driving me up a wall since FMIL is out of town. I half think that it all relates but I think there's something in the air/ weather as well. They always act up when the air is changing, except it's still pretty hot. The cicadas are starting earlier and earlier in full force. I don't know but whatever it is, it's adding to keeping us all busy with running interference. I am so grateful that SO's cat is well trained, quirky, but he is quite the sweetheart and pacifist. He will avoid any hint of trouble if feline-ly possible, lol. Of course, it seems to find him... or seek him out and tackle him. XD

I got a bug in my blouse (I just totally made up the rest of that saying and it's giving my the willies, lol) about wanting to cook a meal today. However, we also didn't feel like running out to the store just to get what we didn't have for one particular meal. So off to AllRecipes I went,determined to find a cheesy pasta dish that didn't require anything we didn't already have. What a feat, lol. But I found a recipe that made a cheese... paste(?) that I actually liked better than the alfredo sauce I tried to make last time! *Gasp* However, with feeding a houseful of boys, I figured I'd need more than just cheese and pasta. So, I added some of the Smokies that we've recently bought that they all love. These even had bits of cheese inside. This is probably my second time having them, but they're like cocktail weenies but taste like really flavorful and well seasoned hot dogs (more like sausages). You just have to heat them up because they're pre-cooked.

After not too long, We had pasta with chopped up Smokies, plain hot Smokies, cheesy cream, and a bowl of spicy and chunky chili. 

It was really a pick your own adventure kind of meal. 

Which is great and hilarious because we all chose different combinations. :P

It was all pretty darn strong, but they are the type to try almost anything (or at least one out of three of them will) and love flavorful and multi-textured meals. I liked the cheese topping so much that for a late dinner, I whipped up some more pasta (we finished off all but the cheese and chili the first time) and Smokies to have more. They all even joined me and grabbed something different from each other and earlier as well! XD I need to do this more often because it was really easy not to have to remember who doesn't like/ isn't in the mood for what.

I'm proud of it. :P/ :D This is especially so since I could make part of it from scratch while fulfilling that itch to cook for everyone. It's so funny when one of us gets the hankering for it. Suddenly, the kitchen comes alive. Everyone gravitates into it to add their input about their hunger levels and what they're craving/ against. Then they stand back and let whomever is cooking have full reign but still cycle in and out to lend a helping hand where ever needed (even if it's to delegate an loathed assigned task to someone who doesn't mind doing it). Finally, we all descend upon the meal like vultures within five minutes of it being announced finished. This is regardless of who the cook is for the day. 

Well, with a very happy tummy, I bid thee adieu until tomorrow! <3

---Update---
Added the link to the cheese sauce for the lovely Miss Jenn! It's painfully easy and I threw in some parsely and oregano for fun. I'm sure you'll turn it into something gourmet!