Our Fun Weekend

We were so blessed to have our dear friends Brent and Renee with us for a long weekend. It was so great to spend time together and (for me) to have adult conversation! The guys enjoyed a hike, and the 4 of us got to get away Saturday evening for dinner and a performance.
The boys LOVED playing with Brent and Renee.

After brunch on Monday at a beautiful resort nearby we said farewell to Brent and Renee. We hung around the resort for awhile to let the boys run around. They were fascinated by this bridge and ran up and down it over, and over and over again!

Look at this cool display - the horses are made out of corn husks!

Just to make you smile

Some cute pics from this week - thought they would make you smile!

My boys LOVE blueberries.

The boys spend a lot of time in their ball pit - they think they're pretty funny smashing their faces on the window!

They will find the smallest places to climb in to - I guess when they've shared a womb for 9 months, this is easy!

My handsome boys!

Friday Family Food Faves

Ice Cream Sandwiches
this is so simple, tasty and fun to do with children!

Cookies of choice (I usually use chocolate chip)
Ice cream of choice (I usually use vanilla)

Let a few scoops of ice cream sit out in a bowl to soften, slightly. I like to put cookies in freezer for awhile so they are easier to work with. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop ice cream onto cookie. Place other cookie on top and press down into a sandwich. If you want to make it extra yummy, roll the outer ice cream edges in your favorite topping: chopped nuts, crushed oreos, m&m's, coconut - you get the idea! Put into freezer right away on wax paper or aluminum foil. One of my favorite combinations - chocolate cookie with coffee ice cream!

Chicken Salad
1 whole roasted chicken (I use the rotisserie chickens pre-cooked at store), diced
2 Fuji or Pink Lady apples - diced
1 cup pecans broken in half
2 green onions - chopped
5 T. golden or dark raisins
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. sour cream
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix dressing in a small bowl. Mix chicken with the other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad.

Broccoli Salad
4 broccoli crowns, chopped small
1/4 cup (or so) diced red onion
1/4 cup raisins
6 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 cup sliced almond (I like Almond Accents)
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 sugar
2 T. vinegar

Mix the dressing in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. In a large bowl combine the broccoli and other ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta
this makes a very large bowl full - if you don't want a lot of leftovers, cut in 1/2. These are my favorite ingredients - tweak it to fit your family's faves

1 # pound of your favorite short pasta (I use whole wheat penne)
2 red peppers
1 large onion
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 broccoli crown
1 can large pitted olives
Dressing:
Use your favorite Italian Dressing or make your own
2/3 cup EVOO
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic - cut in 1/2
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp each: salt, dried basil, dried oregano and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper. Shake vigorously.

Chop the peppers, onion and broccoli into large chunks and the zucchini into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Place onto 2 baking sheets and drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees until veggies are cooked al dente. While the veggies are roasting cook pasta per directions. Drain the pasta and put into a large bowl. Pour a little of the dressing over the pasta while it's still warm so it absorbs the flavor. When the veggies are cool enough to touch, dice into smaller bite size pieces, chop olives and add to the pasta. Stir together and add more dressing to your taste. Top with Parmesan cheese.