The End of the Road

Oh, friends.

This has been a long time coming, and it has taken a series of unfortunate events to get me to finally sit down and write this out.

You and Me are We is no longer the place I turn to when I need to write. It has slowly become less and less of a priority for me as nursing school has enveloped my life (and rightly so!). However, when I found out that all of my blog photos were deleted last Friday, I had to say 'enough is enough'. You and Me are We is no longer a place where people can come to get to know me - because the photos are all gone! My recipes and projects around the house are now just words on a screen. And really, what's a blog without pictures?!

And so, because of the lack of attention I can give YAMAW and the fact that two years worth of pictures have now been lost, my little broken heart has to realize that this is a sign to move on.

I'm not here to apologize for my lack of posting; I'm not here to apologize for the lack of interesting content the past 6 months; I'm not here to apologize for anything.

I am here to tell you that your friendship since the beginning has been amazing. In fact, I'm closer to friends I've made through blogging than I am with friends I made in school. Blogging really is a fantastic community and I'm lucky to be able to say that I was part of it - if only for a couple of years.

I'll still be around on Twitter and Instagram (@YouAndMeAreWe). I will slowly work on closing the Facebook page, and you will no longer be able to access You and Me are We's blog page after the end of this month. I'll be switching YAMAW to a private setting at that time so I still have access to my memories and thoughts that I've written out.

Final thoughts? You've all been wonderful, this experience has been wonderful - I have loved getting to know you - I am sad to shut the door on this part of my life, but it is necessary - there comes a season for everything, and the season for YAMAW is coming to an end.

I wish nothing but blessings and love for all of you,

Rainstorms and Love Notes

I'm over the moon excited to introduce you to Ashley from Rainstorms and Love Notes!

Ask Ashley about her blog and she'll tell you Rainstorms and Love Notes is a lifestyle blog where she shares new recipes, writes about life and love, and talks about her obsession with binge-watching TV shows and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

She had me at recipes and binge-watching TV shows. Seriously. 

Ashley's married to a pretty cool guy named TJ. If you wanna know how cool he is, just take a look at her blog design because he's the muscle behind it.

And then while you're hanging out over on her blog checkin' out her sweet set up, you'll want to check out some of her recipes because she's a total wiz in the kitchen. She's got everything from banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins, to a refreshing homemade chicken noodle soup, to shrimp & spinach fettuccine.

She's also full of insight... for instance, she'll tell you why that cute maxi dress in your closet may not be as innocent as it looks.

If you've got pets - or kids! - you know they come with a t-o-n of toys that can be hard to keep under control. As I write this, I have a green squeaky penguin to my left and a colorful braided rope to my right. Don't get me wrong - I love having a dog, and I can't imagine life without Maggie, but there are definitely times I've wondered aloud, "where'd all of this stuff come from?!" Ashley has an easy DIY tutorial that helps organize the mess into something that's a lot prettier to look at. Can I get an 'amen'?!

Basically, Ashley's pretty awesome. She regularly posts pictures of food and her cats on Instagram. Plus, she hangs out on Twitter and Pinterest. Mark my word for it, you'll want to follow Rainstorms and Love Notes on Bloglovin', so get on that!!

Cheesy Pasta 'Lasagna' Bake

Nursing school keeps me busy. So busy that some nights I have 20 minutes to make dinner. This means I've had to get a little bit creative in the kitchen as of late.

Basically, if you're busy, short on time, looking for something with ample leftovers, or just plain love cheese, I've got tonight's dinner for you right here.

Here's looking at you, Cheesy Pasta 'Lasagna' Bake!

Here's what you'll need, in very specific measurements:
a pound of ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
a box of pasta (we like whole grain rotini)
a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
a pinch or two (or three) of garlic powder
a pinch or two (or three) of Italian seasoning
a handful (or two) of shredded mozzarella cheese
a light dusting of parmesan cheese

Start with browning your meat in a frying pan. At the same time prepare your pasta according to the directions on the box in a large pot (we use a soup pot). Cook that stuff until it's ready!

If you have a fattier meat, drain the excess fat. If not, just let it hang out in the pan for a minute.

Around this time, I like to turn my oven on to the broil setting so that it can get a couple minute head start before I melt the cheese.

Drain the pasta and toss it back in the pot. Add the meat and the can of spaghetti sauce. Stir like crazy!

Add the spices and seasonings and stir.

Add most of the mozzarella cheese and stir.

Transfer the whole shebang into a baking pan. You'll probably need a 9x13 pan - we usually do.

Top with a light sprinkling of the parmesan cheese and the rest of the mozzarella and put it in the oven for a few minutes - until the cheese gets bubbly and a little bit brown.

Take it out of the oven, dish up, and enjoy the melty goodness that is Cheesy Pasta 'Lasagna' Bake!