Plants Are In!

It is so beautiful out today so we decided it was the perfect day to put our plants in. This year in addition to buying our usual tomatoes from Home Depot, AJ and I started some tomatoes Mimi gave us from seeds inside a few weeks ago that we moved to a bigger pot and outside today. We also got lettuce, cilantro and basil from our Little Explorers class at the Environmental Center for Mothers Day that we moved into different pots and got some parsley from Home Depot. I love having my own spices right in the back yard - I am sure the basil, cilantro and parsley will turn out great. I am excited to see how our tomatoes from seeds come out and if they actually grow some tomatoes - if not, no fear, we always have the three we bought from HD - 2 different hybrids and 1 red beefsteak - YUMM! Lettuce is also a first for me, so we shall see how that goes! I love that AJ gets all into it with me - it brings me tons of happiness to be able to share something with her that I enjoy so much - hopefully D get's my gardening bug too!

Here are a few shots of AJ helping with the HD tomoatos-

tomatoes-
basil-
parsley-
cilantro-
our tomatoes from seeds growing-
lettuce-

Hopefully one day in the future, when we move into our final house Alex will help me make a real garden in our backyard - till then, I am happy with growing our stuff in pots!

Brie in Puff Pastry

Thanks to my friend Lauren we enjoyed brie in puff pastry tonight! She made it for us at her house a while back and something got me in the mood for it, so she let me in on the basics of how she made it and I gave it a shot - SO YUMMY!!! Not too difficult to make and super duper awesome tasting! Good thing Alex, AJ, Dylan and I ran lots of errands, went on a long walk and I mowed the front and back lawn today - now I don't feel too guilty eating this!

1 frozen puff pastry

triangle block of brie

1 onion sliced up

3 tablespoons butter

handful of dried cranberries

egg wash (1 egg yolk plus 1 tsp water)

Take puff pastry out of freezer and let it come to room temperature (20 minutes). Melt butter in pan and cook onions on medium to low heat for about 15 minutes. Let onions cool and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly flour puff pastry and roll out. Place brie on top and cut the brie in half and put the onion and cranberries on the bottom half and then top with the top half. Wrap dough around brie and trim away excess pastry. Seal edges by pressing with your fingers. Place on a pamed baking sheet seam-side down. Attach any decorative pieces of puff pastry in design of your choice (I used stars!). Brush the puff pastry brie with the egg wash and bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

Fire Station Field Trip!

Today we went on AJ's very first school field trip - it was to the Union fire station! They learned about the water hose, all the equipment and all the gear they put on. The fire men dressed up in their equipment so the kids could see them and told them not to be afraid of them all dressed in their uniforms. They learned about not hiding and yelling "fire" when they see one and about calling 911. They got to sit up in the fire truck (mom did too) and they all got badges and helmets - even Dylan! What a great 1st field trip - the kids were all so good and had such a great time!

Mother's Day 2010

This year we celebrated Mother's Day by going out to dinner with the whole gang on Saturday night. Maria arranged for us all to go to Calabrias on the Green and it was great - the food was great, portions were huge and the kids had a blast running all around! I was good and only had a salad with grilled chicken but it was great and there was SO much chicken on it. I was saving my calories for the wine I was drinking and for the cheddar biscuits I knew were coming my way the next morning. My mother was happy to be with her children and grandchildren and it was a really nice evening with aunts, cousins and family! The next morning I woke up at 8:30 AM - this was the best present of the weekend - the WHOLE house, even Marley slept till then - we are normally all up at 6 AM! AMAZING! Alex and the kids gave me some beautiful cards and Alex made me a great breakfast of eggs, bacon and cheddar biscuits! We drank a few mimosas later that day and I just really enjoyed hanging home with my kids and husband! I am so lucky to have so many loving people in my life! I hope everyone had a special Mother's Day like I did! I am truly blessed!

Mother's Day at AJ's School

Today my mother and I went to go see AJ sing spring and Mother's Day songs at school. She did such a great job and knew all the words and the little actions to go along with the songs. She walked right in and yelled "Hi Everybody" and while up at the alter she yelled "Hi Mom" and "Hi Mimi" - she was so happy we were there to see her and was so cute! Afterwards we went into her classroom where she presented me with all the gifts she had been working on at school. First a book about me - the teacher asked her question and she gave her own answers - it was hysterical! Next I got a beautiful poem with AJ's handprints on it - I am going to put this into a frame and hang it up. Then there was a recipe holder she made complete with the very first recipe in her words! The teacher asked for something she liked to make with mommy and she choose cupcakes and told the teacher how we make them. It was adorable! Finally I got a beautiful card and a certificate for the worlds best mom! What great gifts - I will treasure them always!

Kiwanis Carnival

Today we took AJ to the carnival that Alex & I grew up going to - she was so excited to go on all the rides - she is totally a thrill seeker and loves them all! On the way out we got her a huge ice cream cone, this way she didn't even really mind that we were leaving! Dylan was good as gold and was happy just to be pushed around outside in the stroller!

Bacon & Onion BBQ Chicken Thighs

1 package of boneless skinless thighs

3 slices of thick cut applewood smoked bacon diced up

1/2 onion diced up

1/4 cup BBQ sauce, plus 2 separate tbs

honey

Sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Pam a baking dish, place the thighs in it, season them with salt & pepper and then cover them with the BBQ sauce and a little drizzle of honey and place it in the oven. While the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan brown and crisp up the bacon and then saute the onions in the bacon fat. Drain as much of the fat as you can and then add the 2 tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce and another small drizzle of honey. Remove the chicken from the oven after 30 minutes and spread the bacon & onion mixture over it, place it back in the oven and cook another 10 minutes. We had ours with some baked beans and some sauteed string beans - AWESOME (can you tell me what with bacon isn't awesome though?)!