Over 2000 Views! Giveaway perhaps?

It's kinda crazy, my blog has actually received over 2000 views on it.  Definitely not something I was expecting to have happen in a little over a month, much less at all.  I certainly am aiming to get my blog out there, let people know what I'm writing and the such, and it's nice to know that people have wandered on through like they have.

My most viewed post was on my Stuffed Shells recipe.  A majority of the traffic came from my link posted on Reddit in the recipes subreddit, and over-all, the post recieved over half of my total views I've had since I started writing.  Going to be honest I wasn't going to expect so much interest in such a simple recipe, but apparently people were craving pasta on reddit!

Beyond that, the rest of my views have been fairly mixed, the post with the most next views being 'Making Friends on League', having a little over 200 views.  League posts, besides my recipe monster, have been the most popular, which is nothing bad considering I love League and I love writing about it.

None the less, for anyone that stumbles upon this, I was thinking of hosting a little giveaway.  Considering I am dead poor and can't afford anything that requires monetary investment in order to give away, I will be giving away a piece of art.  The winner will have many different kinds of art to chose from, and entering couldn't be more simple.

In order to enter for a chance to win, all you have to do is follow me here on Blogger, then comment on this post with your username and mention the contest for a chance to win!

In two weeks, or when I have at least 5 entries, I will random number generate a winner, assigning every entry a number and running in through an online generator.  The winner will be able to chose from one of the art styles I have mentioned in my previous post about being artsy fartsy, under the 'Art' category, or in my post for my upcoming art for League.

I won't do anything graphic, nude, disturbing, etc. etc.  Pretty much, I have to okay what I am going to draw for you before I draw it.  Beyond that, let your friends know, and your friends friends, and anyone who could enjoy any of the many topics I write about!

Amazing Meal: Stuffed Shells

Ugh, these beauties are by far my favorite meal right now.  While they take a little prep work to make, the end result is completely worth the work.

Stuffed Shells

Ingredient List
Note: These are the brands/items I use, and obviously they aren't all global.  Substitute as needed.

1 - 12 oz. Box Creamette Jumbo Shells

1 or 2 cans of your favorite spaghetti sauce

1 - Container of McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning

1 - Chub Bob Evan's Italian Sausage

2 - 8 oz. Bags Mozzarella Cheese

1 - 24 oz Container Cottage Cheese

Preparation

Needed equipment will be highlighted throughout the instructions.

1. Set a large pot about 3/4 full of water to boil, add a few shakes of salt.

2. Put a teaspoon or so of water in a frying pan, and begin frying up the sausage.

3. Add the noodles into the water when it's at a rolling boil.

4. When the sausage is fully cooked, take off the burner and let it cool for a moment.  Get a plate out, put about three paper towels on top of it, and empty the sausage onto it to absorb the minimal grease from the meat.

5. Get a large bowl out and add the bags of cheese, about 5/6 of the container cottage cheese, and roughly 3 tablespoons of the italian seasoning.  Key word, roughly, add more or less depending on personal preferences.

6. Once the meat is cool enough that it won't melt the cheese, add it to the mixture in the bowl and mix with your hands.  Wash your hands before doing that, cause that's just gross if you don't.

7. Get a 13x9 pan out, or two smaller pans, and coat the bottoms in the spaghetti sauce.  Don't skimp here, be generous, it's like the cooking spray in baking, stops the food from baking to the pan.

8.  When the noodles are soft but not falling apart, take them off the heat and drain them, then fill the pot up with cool water.  Drain the noodles, then put them back into the cool water.

9. Organize your stuffing station so the cheese mixture bowl, noodle pot, and baking pan are all within arms reach.

10. Take a shell, open it up wide, and use a spoon to spoon the cheese mixture into the shells.  Pack them well, but try to not have the mixture mounded over the lip of the shell.  Rinse and repeat until your pans are full of shells or you run out of shells.

To be honest, the outcome here seems to change on me every time, so there's no garauntee you will end up with the perfect amount of shells for your pans.  If it comes down to it though, everything in the cheese mixture is cooked and safe to eat, so putting some extra mixture into a broken or extra shell to nibble on never hurts.

11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

12. Once it's heated, place the pans on a middle rack in the oven, and cook for roughly 20 minutes.  Pretty much, they're done once the cheese looks melted.  Beware that if you cook them too long, the shell edges can sometimes get chewy and hard, aka, overcooked.

13. Once they look finished, pull them out to cool.  Let them sit for about 10 to 15 minutes, then serve!  Put all leftovers in plastic containers, and enjoy them for the days to come.