Thursday, July 28, 2011

Summer Cooking

WHERE IN THE WORLDY DID THIS SUMMER GO TO???
Last summer it seemed we visited the market several times a month & enjoyed those fruits/veggies for the next week! Nothing like it! To date I've been {with the girls while Jon worked} ONCE??!! Unheard of.....and so very sad at the same time because this is my opportunity to buy local & fresh. So need to give planting a garden another go....2 summer's ago didn't quite produce we had hoped it would!

I tried a couple new things with some of the yummy fresh goodness we did purchase.

2 different kinds of tomatoes which I was informed were good for sauces.....never have made-from-scratch-spaghetti-sauce so the buying was on....in hopes of enjoying some pasta later in the week!

washed:
boiled:
iced:
peeled:
chopped:
SCREECHING HALT! Who am I kidding that I thought I would get any further than this?? Insert a procedure called a Spinal Tap {performed because of several "migraine like" headaches, dizziness, & ringing in my ears.....ruling out a "pseudo tumor" which produces too much spinal fluid or does not absorb enough} & rest post procedure & work. Nope those toms sat in the fridge until they were used in these SOOO GOOD enchiladas! At least they didn't go to waist right?! I will get around to that made-from-scratch-spaghetti-sauce!

Next up was kale.....last summer was my 1st time ever eating this good for you stuff. Mom sauteed it in some sesame seed oil along with sesame seeds. YUM! Found this recipe for Kale Chips from Smitten Kitten & thought I'd give it a try.....who doesn't LOVE chips?? BONUS: nutrition packed in them...YES PLEASE! I purchased "dinosaur" kale.
Washed:
stem & center ribs removed:
torn into large pieces & lined on baking sheet:
ready to eat:
{i added some garlic powder as suggested by "Soule Mama" but will nix that next time & just keep it simple with the Olive Oil & Sea Salt}
Kayden LOVED these.....I am reminded again & again what good eaters I have! Took Emery to the Dr for her Kindergarten physical, upon Dr asking what her favorite food was she responded "avocado's"! That's my girl....indeed avocado's are her fav & MUST be rationed out to her or she will devour a whole one in seconds!

Last on the list but quite possibly the best was this Banana Blueberry Bread! Bought a pint of fresh blueberries with this bread in mind & letting a few banana's ripen up at home. My addition was adding a streusel topping {3 parts flour & sugar, 1 part softened butter....squish together with fingers & sprinkle on top} which can turn something ordinary into extraordinary!!
Wishing these summer days would sllllloooowwww down & I could go to the market more & enjoy fresh fruits/veggies more but alas it's fleeting fast & we will make the most out of the next couple weeks we have!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Camp Fig Part I

this marks our 3rd annual "Camp Fig" long weekend retreat to the Chapman's who are now, respectively, the Figueiredo's & Crouch's! we're pretty predictable in our schedule & we like it that way!! we arrive thursday afternoon {or evening if your stupid nav takes you 3 hours out of the way!!} & while the kids play off their cooped up car ride energy the adults catch up on life until we all crash for the night! then friday morning comes early with a run for the momma's followed by more playing for the kids & coffee talk over the newest & greatest craft/food/exercise/ect......this year was "pinterest" & "whole 30" & a possible gather for our next group 1/2 mary! then post lunch we round up our, total 8, kiddo's, throw some suits on, & off to the pool we go!
a visit here would NOT be complete without "official" stop-watch-timed-water-slide-races
they may have been twins separated at birth.....except for the fact that they 1 year apart
did you know that if you turn a swim cap inside out, fill it up with water, & drop it on the swimmers head it's the easiest way to put a cap on?? we didn't either.....don't ever say those Chapman girls can't teach new tricks
we return home just in time for showers before heading over {via 4-wheelers of course} to the Crouch's for an always DELICIOUS meal
next pioneer woman i tell you!!.....or p-w {pronounced p dub}
you know you're a mom when you have a stripe down the center of your chest cause long gone are the days of flipping ever 30 minutes {on the dot....ahem!} without your bathing suit top tied up around your neck
good things she cute cause sneaking hand-fulls of cheese doesn't fly at everyone's house
sometimes it just takes a forceful uncle to get you fed
or laugh till it hurts
the rest of the evening could find 7 EXTREMELY MATURE adults circled around a table playing this game......AND taking it EXTREMELY SERIOUS
or being silly......
and you could find 8 kids, 1 dog, 1 found frog, & countless fireflies outside playing freely!
SSSCCCCCREEACHHHH! all this dreaminess came to a halt when a 5 y/o passionate girl {maybe mine maybe not!} was told she could not take said frog home! AND just like that it was bedtime! BUT we, once again, left we memories of a perfect night!!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

4th of July on the 3rd of July

Our 4th of July was celebrated a day early for 2 reasons: our traditional spot to view the fireworks {"Pops in the Park"} was held a day early AND this momma had to work on the 4th!

So the 3rd felt like the 4th & it found us......

loving on & surrounded by friends who are family & family who are friends
......getting faces painted
......chalking up sidewalks
......running barefoot on grass
.......getting paparazzied OUT
......being silly
......climbing trees
.......dancing on quilts
......blowing bubbles
......playing with balls
......frisbee-ing with dad/uncle
......having the BEST mom who can serve up a simple FEAST
.....making American Flags using imaginations {Kayden}
{Emery}
.......watching the sun go to bed
.......& the moon wake up
.......AND ooooing & aaawwwwwing over the fireworks BOOMING & BANGING!!
Thankful for freedom of soooooo many sorts. Thankful for good weather. Thankful for family & friends. Thankful for yummy food. Thankful for laughter & smiles. Thankful for cold grass & bare feet. Thankful for memories that can SQUEEZE all the fun of this one night into & be fondly remembered for hours & days & months & years to come!! YEP! It was a good 3rd of July evening celebrating the 4th of July!