Fresh Vietnamese Noodle Bowl

On a hot summer day, this was amazing. And it was assembled in no time. You can do whatever protein you'd like (grilled chicken would be nice). We went for some sautéed and seasoned garbanzo beans. The rice noodles cooked quickly and then we just tossed in chopped basil and cilantro from our garden, diced some cucumbers, green onions, lettuce, and tomatoes, and then topped with the following dressing:

(you can mix the amounts, just keep the ratios the same)

2 T rice wine vinegar

2 T lime juice

1 T fish sauce (I know, I'm not much of a fishy person either, but it worked here)

We did it a second time for a picnic last night. Sure beats out a pb&j!

Baby G at 5 months

(Big Brother can't miss out on a chance to get naked)

(and some extras just because I like you)

Turning 3

Highlights of the birthday week:

- Bday lunch at Bennihana where they sang and gave yummy ice cream after an entertaining lunch preparation. C thought the chef was prety cool as he cooked in front of us.

- Breakfast at North Star Cafe: Ricotta Pancakes for them, and for me the Turkey Sweet Potato Hash (one of my favorite meals EVER), and Q's favorite hot chocolate made with dark chocolate.

- The LDS Institute (his favorite place -- tons of balls, cornhole, a white board, cookies, pool, air hockey, ping pong, and a big gym to run around in. What more could a 3 year old boy ask for?)

- Riding the bus to Daddy's school to get a Buckeye Doughnut and watch Diego in Daddy's office.

- Homemade muffins (he requested and got them... but had no desire to eat them. We shouldn't have been surprised).

- Swimming at an almost empty Worthington Rec Center

- A bday party with Cornhole, cake, and friends

(This will not delete, so you get it twice)

(a huge thanks to my friend Laura who offered to make C's Cornhole Cake for me out of fondante -- who does that?!

I am lucky to have such awesome friends.)

And to my mom who had the fabulous idea to make Cornhole bags as party favors for the kids. She sewed them all -- you're the best Mom!

Chef L's No-Recipe Bread

She's at it again, but this time with a little supervision. I tried to let her create without too many restrictions, but I did set some limits so as not to deplete all of our cooking supplies. L was convinced that she HAD to bake something without a recipe. I tried reasoning, but finally decided that experience might be a better teacher.

No Recipe Bread

1 egg

10 T water

1/2 c milk

1/4 c oil

1/2 t vanilla

1 slice (1T?) butter melted in microwave for 2 minutes

1/4 t honey

2 drops food coloring (purple)

1 drop of pink

In a separate bowl:

1/3 c wheat flour

1/3 c white flour (I like her style)

1/2 t corn starch

1 t baking soda

1/4 c and 1/2 t quick oats

1/2 t cocoa

1t salt

2 shakes of nutmeg

2 shakes of cumin

1 shake oregano

Mix

Rest on vent until you come back to it

(our bread dough is usually put on the heat vent during winter to help it rise).

Go play

Preheat oven to 390

Bake until toothpick comes out clean (15 min)

Mmmmmm

Smells good!

As you can see, this creation was much more involved and advanced than the last one. However, I advise that you don't try this one out.

8 Years and Counting...

Flying cotton and lilacs always remind me of our wedding day. Thanks to my cousin Lindsey there were lilacs on every table at the reception (she'd found some in Idaho and brought them with her), and thanks to Mother Nature it looked like a winter wonderland in my parent's backyard with swirling cotton in the air.

For our anniversary this year, we decided to celebrate as a family. I liked the thought of it being a day to recognized the union of a couple AND the beginning of a family. So, we all headed to the Velvet Ice Cream Festival. We hit BRAVO! on the way home and then painted cardboard frisbees that evening.

Q was very sweet and surprised me all day with things he knew I loved: fruit smoothies for breakfast, Whoppers, Grater's Toffee Chip Ice Cream, a new book, and flowers. I was reminded of our first years of dating -- every time we got together he had some kind of "prize" for me. It's crazy to think that we've been in love for over 13 years now. It's no wonder I can't imagine life without him!

A couple of shots from 1997

(Dinner Theater where we met and waiting in line for General Conference)

Homemade Blueberry Soup (by L)

After getting my hair done at the "Triple A Beauty Salon" and being put down for a 10 minute nap, I awoke to find that Chef L had created her FIRST RECIPE:

BLUEBERRY SOUP

Get a bowl.

Get a patch of blueberries.

Take a handful and put it into the bowl.

Turn on the faucet.

Put water into the bowl.

Then put 3 more handfuls into the bowl.

Get some sugar.

Put it into the bowl.

Then get a spoon.

Mix.
And DONE!

You'll have to try it and let her know what you think!

Quiet Morning

Wow. 9:00am and ALL OF THE KIDS ARE STILL ASLEEP! I could get use to this. But I won't. I'll just enjoy reading my emails in quiet, doing a batch of wash unrushed, eating breakfast at a normal pace, and starting my morning dressed and ready to go. I can tell today is going to be a good day.