Baby Shower time.

Tomorrow I am helping with a baby shower for a cute friend. My mind has been buzzing for the last couple weeks with ideas, and I'm so excited for it to finally be here! Check out what I'll be making for that--oh, and for my family for the rest of the week. ;)

*Monday: Ultimate Nachos

*Tuesday: Cobb Salad with Parmesan Crisps, Cream Puffs (don't be intimidated-these are the easiest things anyone could every make--see recipe below), Asparagus Tart & Fruit Parfait cups (for these I'm just getting a variety of fresh berries, placing them in cute cups and topping with a dollop of freshly whipped cream) Seriously AMAZING cupcakes are being made by my baker friend Annie.

*Wednesday: Baked Ziti with bread & salad

*Thursday: Hamburgers on the grill & Sauteed Zucchini, Peppers & Tomato Salad

*Friday: Pizza for the kids--date night for Burke & me!

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Homemade Hummus & Pita Chips

CREAM PUFFS

-1 c. water
-1/2 c. butter
-1 c. flour
-4 eggs

Heat oven to 400*. Bring water and butter to a rolling boil on the stove. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs all at one time; continue beating until smooth. Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool and fill with desired filling. Dust with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until serving.

It's August!

Holy cow! I can hardly believe that I have a little boy starting school in about 3 weeks. That is nuts. We're headed to the pool today, and I'm planning a super easy menu for these next last weeks of summer. Hope you enjoy your week!

*here is an EXCELLENT peanut sauce recipe. Super simple and goes with anything.

*Monday: Artichoke Bruschetta & green salad (I'm LOVING) all the fresh "local" veggies & can't get enough salads! I've also FINALLY lost those extra pounds (from my little Haven girl) thanks to all the greens. ;)

*Tuesday: Stuffed Tomatoes (I'm using our favorite stuffed peppers recipe with some garden grown tomatoes to stuff)

*Wednesday: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce & corn on the cob

*Thursday: Roasted Red Pepper/tomato soup with pretzel bread panini's (soup & pretzel bread from Trader Joe's)

*Friday: Red Pepper Dip with Pitas

*Saturday: Spring Rolls (with the leftover Peanut Sauce)

*Sunday: Leftover day!

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. ;)

Hi Friends!

...that is if I still have any. I'm back for a week before I take off for my LAST trip of the summer. So here's a week's worth of meals, and then I PROMISE I'll get back in my groove...

*Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup-Burke was sick and we were out of town on Father's Day. So tonight we're celebrating with one of his favorites. And I normally make him a Banana Cream Pie for dessert, but tonight I'm going to simplify by making individual banana cream trifles (see photo above). Layer crushed vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, vanilla/banana pudding, whipped cream, and repeat 3 times. Garnish with a wafer and banana slice.

*Tuesday: Baked Potatoes with toppings

*Wednesday: Pasta with Tomatoes & Pinenuts and salad (I may throw some pine nuts on my salad too!)

*Thursday: Homemade Fish sticks & coleslaw Ryder's been begging for us to make fish sticks, and I've been craving some good ole' coleslaw. Perfect!

*Friday: Beans & Rice-going to try a pinto bean recipe that my Mom & I will be making for about 40 people in 2 weeks. We'll top our beans & rice with tomatoes, cotija cheese, avocados & onions.

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Stuffed Peppers