Easter Day

Approximately 2 months after Easter we're finally getting around to blogging about it.  Better late than never.  Despite the crazy winter we had and the snow that showed up in May; Easter day was beautiful.  A chilly breeze, but nice enough for a hunt outside.  Gavin LOVED it, and Liam was just trying to figure out how to carry the basket that was twice his size.

We had our friends the Clayton family over for dinner.  They brought this adorable cake that was made with the Pampered Chef mixing bowl as a mold and 3 cupcakes.  So darn cute!

Easter Eve

Nothing like saving the dying of eggs until the night before Easter.  We don't have a lot of hard boiled egg eaters in the house so we took our chances and dyed raw eggs.  We think they turned out pretty darn good.  Maybe next year we'll do them a little ahead of time.

On Easter morning Gavin was very concerned that we were going to use the eggs to cook with.  He has a special appreciation for eggs; we're not quite sure where it came from.  He definitely does not eat them.

After we went to bed the Easter Bunny came in our house and left some treats for the boys.

Easter Bunny Hunt

That's right, we didn't type it wrong.  This was not an Easter EGG hunt...so we hunted for the bunny, found him, and never left his side.  The neighborhood egg hunt was scheduled for Saturday March 23rd; temperatures were in the 20's and we were expecting 10"+ of snow that night.  What a perfect day for an egg hunt.  We bundled up in our winter digs and went anyway.  When we arrived they had decided to have the hunt inside...not a good idea.  I appreciate their efforts for trying to please the families, but they should have had some better planning.  They had 0-8 year olds in one room (the gym), and 8+ year olds upstairs and some outside.  Liam didn't have a change.  The poor kid didn't get one single egg.  Gavin on the other hand went outside with the big kids and had a great old time in the cold!!  Thank goodness for all the other parents, Barb was solo and running in 2 directions wasn't happening.  Gavin was good and followed the crowd, then found us later.

 Woody was Gavin's prize.  The funniest part of the day is the baskets.  Check out Gavin's tiny basket compared to Liam's.  I think we sized them up wrong when we bought them last year.

 Nothing but love for this fuzzy white ball of fur.  Liam chased him all over the place and hugged him every time he saw him.  Bunny Love!

Never easy to get 1 kid to look at the camera, let alone 2.  At least no one was screaming.

Thanks to Cedar Creek for the pancakes, sausage, and orange juice!  Despite the crazy hunt, we had a good time.  We're going to have our own egg hunt on Easter!  Cross your fingers for some sun!!

15 Month Stats

As big, and strong, and thick, and heavy as we think Liam is...he's weighing in at only the 30% for his age.  He is officially our small fry, but his smallness does not stop him from trying to be a big boy.  He runs, plays, laughs, and argues the best he can with Gavin.

Liam 15 months
Weight 23 lbs 4 oz (31%)
Height 31.14" (52%)
Head 18.9" (74%)

Gavin 15 months

Scrumptious Sundays

Shadow Glen Cooking Class = aka Date Night

(I have recipes for all if anyone is interested)

Double Tomato Bruschetta

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates (that we put in the salad)

Goat Cheese Date Salad

Butternut Squash Risotto

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

 

Tarte Aux Poire

Scrumptious Sundays

Pasta Primavera

Fresh & flavorful, this pasta primavera chock full of vegetables makes a lovely entree for spring.  A combination of equal parts milk and cream, half and half creates a silky, full-bodied sauce.

Yields 4 servings (2 c. ea); 9 WW points plus

Every time I see this picture I want to make this recipe.  So colorful, and tasty!

Ingredients

2 cups green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

2 cups broccoli florets

1/2 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 2 ounces) $

6 ounces uncooked fettuccine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

2/3 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Cook green beans in boiling water 1 minute. Add broccoli and asparagus; cook 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Return water to a boil. Add pasta; cook 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and add to vegetable mixture.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup onion, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper; sauté 3 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add peas, and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Combine half-and-half and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium. Add half-and-half mixture and salt to pan; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with basil and cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 338

Calories from fat: 29%

Fat: 10.8g

Saturated fat: 4.7g

Monounsaturated fat: 4.4g

Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g

Protein: 13.7g

Carbohydrate: 49.6g

Fiber: 7.1g

Cholesterol: 20mg

Iron: 2.9mg

Sodium: 607mg

Calcium: 205mg

Family

We recently went to Washington to attend Grandma Jane's memorial service.  Although the occasion was sad, it is always great to see family.  It has been a very long time since everyone was together like this.  Pictures were taken in Grandma's backyard.  We miss you Grandma

Scrumptious Sundays

Penne Rigate with Spicy Sausage 

and Zucchini in Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 4, 45 minutes; 12 WW Points Plus

Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, October 2012

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne rigate pasta

6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed

12 ounces zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

Dash of sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Cooking spray

3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided (about 3/4 cup)

1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through sugar); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add vinegar; cook for 30 seconds or until the liquid evaporates. Drain tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 cup tomato liquid. Crush tomatoes with hands, and add to zucchini mixture. Add reserved 1 cup tomato liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir in cream. Add pasta and sausage to tomato mixture; stir to combine.

4. Spoon half of pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, or divide half evenly among 4 individual dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 ounce mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 ounces mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 450

Fat: 14.1g

Saturated fat: 6.8g

Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g

Polyunsaturated fat: 1.5g

Protein: 26.9g

Carbohydrate: 55.6g

Fiber: 5g

Cholesterol: 60mg

Iron: 5.2mg

Sodium: 508mg

Calcium: 347mg

Scrumptious Sundays

Gnocchi with Yams, Kale & Sausage

One of Jason's favorites, and every time we make it we are reminded what a quick & easy recipe this is.

1 lb potato gnocchi (we buy whole wheat)
2 bunches kale, washed rubs cut out (or use spinach leaves)
1 large yam
1 garlic clove
1 lb spicy chicken or turkey sausage, sliced
EVOO
Kosher salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to lowest setting.  In nonstick pan, saute the gnocchi in olive oil until crisp and golden brown.  Season with salt & pepper.  Place gnocchi in an oven-safe dish (that holds at least 2 quarts) and place in the warmed oven.  Next you can cook the sausage in the same pan you used to cook the gnocchi or grill it on the BBQ (we prefer BBQ, always tastes better).  Slice the sausage and add to gnocchi in oven.  With sausage drippings or a bit more olive oil add the garlic, kale and yams to the pan; season with salt & pepper.  Cook until the yams are tender but not mushy, about 12 minutes (great to do while sausage is on BBQ).  If the pan gets too dry you can add some water to the pan.  Mix into the oven-safe dish with gnocchi and sausage.  Can be served immediately or held for later in the warming oven.  Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen for another meal (my personal favorite).  Reheating in the oven works better than the microwave.

Yields 6 servings; 8 WW points plus
recipe courtesy of Rebecca Reichardt of Woodland, CA

Big Boy Car Seat

Gavin isn't the only one getting bigger - Liam has left the baby car seat behind.  Seems like no big deal, but now he sits facing forward like big brother and he can see out the window, talk to everyone else in the car.  It is a big deal!