People ask how I cook every night with a house full of kids...

...The answer is: I watch where I step. ;)

*this pic was taken while I was trying to hurry and make Burke's Eggplant Parmesan for his birthday. I literally tripped over the costumes 3 times...

Cookie Topped Brownies

Salem and I must be related because we both had brownies on the brain. I was thinking about what to take to my hubby's work picnic and decided to bring brownies. But I wanted to make them special so I thought, hmmm maybe I'll make this recipe. I did tweek it a little though. I just used a boxed brownie mix (family size) and had some homemade cookie dough in the fridge and crumbled it on top. Hope it turns out yummy!

Hungry...

...and SO excited to be back on my normal schedule again! I'm hungry because we were eating so much/well on our trip, and now being home I'm back on my regimented wake up & exercise then eat breakfast routine (it feels SO good!). I promise my life doesn't completely revolve around food, but I am quite excited about several of these dinners. You see, I picked up this new book, and let's just say Ryder and I quite enjoyed browsing through. We literally sat on the couch and looked through every page oohing and ahhing over the yummies. So now for the meal plan:

*Monday: Salmon Kebebs with Cilantro Sauce , Lavash Bread & Carrot Pineapple Smoothies

*Tuesday: Since I loved my bruschetta so much last week, we'll have THIS tonight with a green salad

*Wednesday: Chicken & Broccoli Calzones--HERE'S a good recipe, but I'm swapping the sausage for chicken

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Burke's Birthday! He has requested one of our favorites-Eggplant Parmesan & simple Ice Cream Pie for dessert (I just learned yesterday that he used to have this for his "cake" every year on his birthday when he was little!) - see recipe below

*Saturday: We're attending a little one year old's birthday today and will be eating there!

*Sunday: Asian Noodle Salad

*and darnit, I just saw THESE....gonna have to find an excuse to make them this week!

ICE CREAM PIE DESSERT

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

• 1/2 gallon vanilla Ice Cream
• 6 oz. pink lemonade

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients for crust together and press into a 9x9" pan (or pie plate)

2. Mix all filling ingredients together and pour over crust. serve frozen.

Dinner Tonight

This is what I ate. Plain old Bruschetta. It was absolutely delightful, and so simple. To round off the meal, I had a green salad made with spinach, romaine, cucumbers and sunflower seeds (I have to have crunch on my salad). I love summer meals, because I feel like I don't need to spend time slaving away in the kitchen. And to make my meal even more special, I shared it with my 2 year old on my lap. We practically fought for the last piece. And neither of us even "like" tomatoes!

Here's the tasty recipe:

2 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. dried basil (or fresh)
4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
seasoning salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 baguette, sliced

In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, dried basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper. Cover and chill in refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight, before serving (I rarely make mine ahead of time, but do love to keep the leftovers in the fridge to make fresh bruschetta with the next day). Toast bread slices slightly under the broiler (until the bread begins to brown around the edges). Top with tomato mixture and a sprinkle of parmesan and broil for a few more minutes (until the cheese begins to melt). Enjoy with a 2 year old on your lap. ;)