Where does the time go?

Last week I started my new part-time job.  I love it!  The people are super nice and the work is exactly what I am experienced to do.  I am truly blessed to have been given this position.

However, I thought switching from full-time to part-time would give me more time.  I am finding it may be giving me more time, but I am filling that time up fast.  

One major time filler is I started to make dinner every night (I think my husband agreed to this job switch is so he won't have to cook dinner very often at all).  I didn't realize the dinner time would be hard to manage with our different schedules, but I am becoming creative with ways to feed us at different times.  

On the night I planned spaghetti with meat sauce, I realized our son wasn't going to be home from marching band practice until after I left for a Boy Scout parent meeting.  I had to come up with a way to make the dinner and have it ready to serve when the rest of my family got home.  I decided to make the spaghetti and put it in the oven to warm it up and add cheese to melt.    Ta-da!  My Spaghetti Casserole was created!

It starts out with the usual spaghetti cast of characters: Spaghetti, Ground Beef, A Good Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheeses.

I browned the ground beef and cooked the pasta. 

When those were ready, I mixed them together with the tomato sauce.  

Sprayed oil into a 9" x 13" pan and dumped the spaghetti into it.  Then sprinkled the cheeses over it and put it in the oven.   

Then I attempted to try one of the awesome features on our new oven.  I thought I was setting the oven to start at 6:25 pm.  

I actually set it to start in 6 hours and 25 minutes from that time.  Ugh.  It didn't quite go as planned.  My husband had to turn the oven on when he got home. 30 minutes later dinner was ready and I was home. 

It didn't go exactly as planned, but now I know how to work the delay feature on the over.  I will use it again.  Several times I am sure.  

My Spaghetti Casserole

1 lb Ground Beef (season with salt & pepper)
1/2 small package of dry spaghetti
water to boil the pasta
1/3 of the Good Tomato Sauce recipe
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 and spray oil in a 9"x13" pan.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.  At the same time boil the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente (not quite done yet).   Combine the ground beef, pasta and tomato sauce. Once combined, pour into the prepared pan.  Cover the spaghetti in cheese.  

Put in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.