Making a fmily meal work (when you work, too)

Last Thursday was Firstborn's birthday.  Although all of us work during the day (and sometimes into the evening) I wanted us to be able to gather around a great meal and celebrate his birthday with him.

 

The trick to that is always a little advance prep!  The birthday dinner included Baked Rigatoni, Caesar salad, garlic rolls, Texas sheet cake, and ice cream.  All of it was delish!  And I had all of it in the fridge, ready to go, before I left the house at 10:30 that morning.

 

 I had literally one hour to prep it after dashing home from a last minute trip to Wal-Mart to find him some thermals for work.  I had rigatoni bubbling while I browned some ground chuck and added marinara and a few seasonings.  (Meanwhile I baked a cake!)  I layered sauce and pasta with some spoonfuls of cottage cheese, thawed chopped spinach, grated parmesan, and shredded mozzarella in a big dish covered with foil.

 The cheese that goes on at the end was in a baggie on top,

and right below it was salad and roll fixin's, all ready to go!

Hubby put the pasta dish in the oven and when I got home, I added minced garlic to the cresent rolls and baked them up.  Meanwhile, Scout and Dutch arrived, and Bubbie and I got home from work.  It was a late dinner (815ish) but it really hit the spot on a cold night.  And I think Firstborn had a good birthday!

Dessert was a box mix (shhh...) topped with toasted pecans and a scoop of Bluebell.  And I have to say, even had I been home all day, it wouldn't necessarily have tasted better or gone more smoothly.  But I'm a big believer in the prep!