Cooking Group Week Two: Tuscan Ribollita

Tripp and I love soup so I'm trying to expose the kids to more of it. Kyle will eat the canned variety but Abbie won't eat any. For this week's cooking group I decided to try a soup recipe that I found in Cookie magazine. It has Parmesan, tomatoes and ham in it so I figured Kyle would at least give it a try. Daisy loves beans so I new she'd be happy with the 3 cans of cannelinnis it calls for and Abbie, well, I just hoped she might test it.

The soup was yummy, and easy to prepare as soups go. Not my favorite bean soup but definitely one I would make again. As expected, Kyle took a few bites, Abbie totally abstained (as she does from most meals) and Daisy dug right in. She loved every single bite of it. Not only does it have beans, ham, carrots and celery but kale as well. I was thrilled as it gave my soup an extra nutritious kick and since Daisy is still on the smaller side, she could use all the vitamins she can get. I served the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. Enjoy!

Tuscan Ribollita - as found in the October 2009 Edition of Cookie Magazine
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (I only used one)
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 oz. pancetta or ham, chopped (I used pancetta)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 15 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes out of my stockpile)
1 15 oz. cans cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan (I actually dumped about 1/2 cup into the soup itself)
1. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the first five ingredients in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth, and rosemary. Simmer, covered, until the beans break apart, about an hour.
3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more. Stir in the break crumbs and serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil and sprinkled with the cheese.

School Days, a Musuem Visit and a Birthday

September has been a really busy but a wonderfully fun month. Both girls started school this month. Abbie started her first big girl preschool. I wasn't sure how I felt about an in-home preschool but I love the lady who runs it so I thought I would give it a shot. I couldn't be more pleased. Abbie loves school and is learning so much. Ms. Joy is truly wonderful. Abbie's two mornings a week at school are her very favorite. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that her best friend Ruby is there as well.

Daisy started preschool at the rec center this fall. She is in the cute little guy class that Abbie used to be in. She colors, cuts, glues, learns about a letter, sings, has sharing time and learns to count. She is loving her half-hour of school. Ms. Joyce is so excited to have Abbie's little sister in her class.

Ms. Joyce surprised me when she told me that her youngest daughter has Mrs. Shonkwiler, Kyle's third grade teacher, this year (at a completely different school). Green Valley really is a small community.

Last week we went to the Discovery Museum. The kids ask me daily if we can go so we had an open day and went. With our annual pass (which is really inexpensive by the way) you can drop by regularly, spend an hour or two and get in a little fun. Normally I feel like I need to spend an entire day but since we paid for the year, an hour or two every few weeks works out just great for us. Lindsay and Nate were able to meet us there and the kids had a wonderful time. They are already asking me what day this week we can go (sorry guys...mommy is busy!)

Last, but certainly not least, Tripp got back in town just in time to celebrate his birthday yesterday. All he wanted we a quite day with his family. Church interrupted for a few hours but otherwise, we let him sleep in, fixed some steak for dinner and had some family over for cake, ice cream and presents. I think after a week away, that was about all he could take. Next year is a big one...40. I'm thinking huge blowout...what do you think?

Cooking Group Week One: Fish Tacos

I joined an online Cooking Group sponsored by one of my new favorite blogs, Raising Foodies. The darling author started the group as a forum for moms (and dads) to get new kid friendly recipes for their familes. The group members are charged with fixing a new (to them) healthy and kid friendly recipe each week. We'll post our results every Tuesday for eight weeks. She will post hers along with a few of her favorites from the group on Thursdays. Hopefully at the end of eight weeks there will be a lot of fun new recipes to try for the entire family.

Week One: Fish Tacos
I made a grilled Tilapia with grilled pineapple salsa a couple of weeks ago that Daisy really liked but Abbie was unsure of (as usual). I thought if I turned it into a taco, she might be more open to it.
Daisy again loved it and Abbie was still a little unsure but did a better job eating it in taco form than with the pineapple salsa on top. I served it with a side of beans but would have added chips and rice had they been in the house. All in all, good eating.

Grilled Tilapia
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pieces of Tilapia (or other white fish)
Mix the seasoning and olive oil in a shallow dish. Coat the fish and grill. Done!

I also made a sauce to go with the fish tacos:
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 lime
Puree all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. This sauce is awesome with fish tacos but very spicey...not meant for children. It also makes a ton of sauce.

I served the tacos with shredded cabbage and monterey jack cheese. We like to use corn tortillas and fry them on the stove ourselves (or should I say Tripp).

{QOTD}

Quote of the day:

"Mommy, if Harry Potter is a nice guy I think he can marry me.  Or maybe Daisy."

Sometimes after all the nightmares from Kyle's movies, games and things he just talks about (that she doesn't ever see) I get really tired of all the big boy stuff getting into her little princess brain but then she says something like that and I sit dumbfounded for a few minutes then laugh.  I have to remember that she has far more nightmares about Arthur and Barbie than Harry Potter.

What we listen to...

Abbie recently fell in love with the Hannah Montana movie. She wanted to sing the songs and dance the dances all the time. I looked into getting a copy of the CD at the library (our favorite place to borrow music) but was number twenty-something on the list. Plan B.

I emailed four friends that I thought might have it. Before noon the following day I had one friend offer to loan us one, another friend drop her copy off and yet another drop off a burned copy for us. Thanks everyone! Abbie has been listening to both copies (one in the house and one in the car) non-stop ever since. Although I'm sure I will tire of it soon, it has been a nice break from Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Aladdin King of Thieves (our usual library CDs).

It was about time to turn in the movie so we said "Goodbye" today and traded it in for "Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses". Not much of an improvement but any small change is welcome.

Baby Hurd's Party

Our dear friends Scott and Tara are expecting their baby boy at the first of October. I couldn't make it to Tara's shower and neither could Lindsay or Sam so we decided to have one of our own for her. Two great reasons to throw your own shower:
1. You get to spend time with the husband too (it wouldn't be a party without Scott)
2. You don't have to fight with all of Tara's other BFFs for her attention

Abbie was excited to have everyone over and Tara was so sweet to let her open the presents. Tara has always been such a great friend to Abbie. So, I think our little shower was a success. The Marz family (John, Ali, Lindsay, Sam, Wes & Tripp) got to monopolize all of Tara & Scott's attention, we got to shower them with gifts and Nate got to spend time with Abbie. Abbie got to drag Tara around the house and show her all her little treasures and everyone got to eat copious amounts of bundt cake. Daisy may have broken her toe, but that's another story all together.

We can't wait for baby Hurd to arrive so we can shower him with hugs and kisses.

Labor Day at Mt. Charleston

We received a last minute invite to spend the afternoon at Mt. Charleston and although the "To Do" list was long and everyone was feeling a little worn down, we decided to go. I think had we been asked earlier in the weekend we would have put too much thought into it and declined so I'm glad we didn't have much time to think it over and simply jumped at the chance for a fun afternoon in the mountains.

Tripp and Kyle had scouting "Fly the Flag" duties early in the morning but we had a bit of time to lounge and eat before packing up and hitting the road for Mt. Charleston. It was a great afternoon spent with the Butler, Rich and Smart families. The kids had a great time outside and it sure was wonderful to smell fresh mountain air and escape the boiling Vegas weather.

After an afternoon of play we cooked up some tinfoil dinners then the Thompsons had to hit the road for Kyle's soccer practice and "Fly the Flag" duties part II.

Thanks for the invite Butlers & gang. We had a lovely Labor Day holiday.

Kyle's Birthday Present

Kyle's weekend finally arrived for the trip to Magic Mountain. Tripp pulled out at just after 5 a.m. Saturday morning for a day filled with 12 yr old fun.

*Crazy Rollercoasters - check

*Tons of treats - check

*Puking all over yourself while strapped in a ride - check

That's right, one of the boys had too many treats and too many loops and hurled while strapped into the seat. He couldn't move so it got all over him which ended the rollercoaster trip for the day. It was after 8 p.m. so everyone was tired anyway but not the best way to end a day of fun. They ended up getting a room for the night so said boy could shower and Tripp could wash his clothes. Which boy was it...secret is safe with me.

Despite the vomit, the boys had a great time. Tons of coasters and tons of fun. What more could a couple of 11/12 year old boys ask for?

$1 Scoop Tuesdays

That's right folks, if you live in Green Valley the 31 Flavors on Wigwam and Pecos offers $1 scoops on Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Don't arrive even a minute early because they will scoop you up and charge you full price.

However, if you have a little time to kill just after six, it's a nice family treat.

PS - It's a good sized store which makes for a nice dance floor after the ice cream has been consumed...just ask Abbie & Daisy.