Hanging out in the crib

Fancy-up Your Flavors

What are your pantry staples? For me, I always have some ingredients on hand for stand-by meals. Pasta is a pretty standard staple. I love cooking pasta dishes, but I get stuck on red sauce, pesto or cheese, as my options for toppers.

So, when I tried this new, super-easy pasta recipe for dinner the other night, I couldn't wait to share it. It's a simple pasta dish, with two ingredients I've never paired before: red pepper and italian sausage.

Sausage with Peppers and Pasta

3 c. rigatoni pasta, uncooked
1 lb. Italian sausage, sliced
1 each red, green and yellow pepper, roughly chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 c. shredded Italian mozzarella-parmesan cheese blend
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed. Meanwhile, cook sausage in large skillet on med. heat, 10 min., stirring frequently. Add peppers; cook and stir 7 min. or until sausage is done and peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta. Add to sausage mixture with shredded cheese; mix well.

Top with parmesan.

What did I do different? I think peppers are WAY overpriced, so I opted to get only ONE red pepper (and no green or yellow pepper). I felt like we still were able to appreciate the yummy unique flavor. In fact, it made me feel like three peppers would be totally overboard. I only had plain diced tomatoes on hand, so I chopped up some of my yummy fresh basil and I really liked the flavor that added, too.

Also, I already had shredded mozzarella in my fridge, so I didn't get the Italian blend, but I with I had, because I think the taste of parmesan is amazing and would have made this dish even yummier.

If you'd like to watch a video that demonstrates this recipe, Kraft has so kindly provided it.

Facebook: Time for a Time Out

I'm taking a break from Facebook. I've noticed my productivity GREATLY decrease recently and wasn't able to put my finger on it. And then I realized that I leave FB open 24/7 and check it every few minutes while on my laptop. I'm not sure how many minutes a day this all adds up to, but it's my focus that it steals more than anything.

I'm torn, because I also believe that Facebook is an amazing tool. I am a VERY relational girl and the fact that I've connected with friends I never even thought I'd see again is nothing short of thrilling for me.

But, I've fallen behind in about every way a girl/momma can fall behind (ever since I got hooked on that dern Twilight series and was TOTALLY out of commission for like a month)(after I read book four), and it's time to catch up.

My blog is another area where I've fallen behind and I'm looking forward to catching up with you all. I've got a few recipes up my sleeve and a few mommy issues to vent about and all-around cuteness (via my babies) to share. So, for those of you who haven't totally given up on my blog, I hope I can earn back your devotion :)

So, my beloved FB friends, I will only be gone temporarily. And until then, I'll miss our random chats, status updates, photo uploads, wall posts and notes. But, hopefully before we meet again, my to-do list will be more than half to-done.

Two reasons why I love summer...

Summer tomatoes and fresh basil! See them in my window?

There are so many ways you can enjoy tomatoes and basil. First, you'll want to get a really good cheese. I enjoy Feta or Chevre (Goat Cheese) or Fresh Mozzarella will do (and I'm not talking the shredded stuff, either).

You can top it with a little Italian dressing or get really fancy and pour on a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt/pepper. Seriously, my mouth is watering.

I have this great Black Currant balsamic vinegar from the Olive Mill. We discovered this little shop on our trip to Saugatuck last year. Holy crap! It's so delicious.

The other night, I simply poured that vinegar over my sliced tomatoes at dinner and devoured them. Then I poured it all over my strawberries and it was equally delicious.

When you're working with fresh basil, do me a favor and cut it the fancy way, by giving it a little chiffonade. Take the leaves and stack them on top of each other. Then, roll them like a tortilla and cut them to make long, thin strips.

I plan to eat so much of this stuff, that by the end of the summer I'll be thankful that tomato season is over. But, until that day, I'm gonna savor every bite.

Memorial Day Fun!

Even though 3 out of 5 of us have nasty sinus colds this weekend, we had a great time with family. We started at Andy's folks pool on Saturday afternoon. Went to Ryan and Shan's pool on Sunday evening and then went back to Grammy and Grandpa's house tonight for dinner.

I've gotten progressively worse about snapping photos and tonight decided to change that trend by taking some fun action shots of the girls.

I love how easily entertained they are at this age. And how different they are. Lobaby loved to play with Grammy's pretend vacuum cleaner, while Jilligirl preferred to play with sticks in the mud and water fountain. It all makes my heart beam with pride.

Little Toothache was not feeling great today, but she got her share of snuggles and special attention from her Grammy, Grandpa and Uncle Mikey.

It was a great weekend. But, I'm exhausted. Just in time to start another week, right?

The girls loved getting pushed on the swings from front and back. Daddy and Uncle Mikey like to keep it exciting!

Duane made some excellent ribs for dinner. I got my in-laws turned on to the Food&Family magazine (I've mentioned it before). But, this rib recipe is super easy, if you want to try it, too.

Jilligirl loves to show us how fast she can run. I love how she swings her arms.

Jailbirds!

Lo is such a great big sister.

Dress up

If you live with boys in your house. I have a feeling our lives are very different.

Wrapped around her chubby little finger