February 3-pizza night

February 3-pizza night, a photo by lifeandyarn on Flickr.

i've blogged about our weekly pizza night-i totally love pizza, so this 10 on tuesday was a no brainer.

1. cheese! mozzarella (fresh and grated), goat, feta, and parmesean

2. fresh basil

3. mushrooms

4. spinach

5. caramelized onions
6. proscuitto
7. fresh tomatoes
8. shrimp
9. pesto
10. sauce (of course, and home made when possible)

friday flashback.

it's been a busy last few days, lots of good stuff- friday night quilt club at kathy's good food and company (always)

i finished the gnarled oak cardigan between frames at bowling-i LOVE the pattern and the yarn. now to hunt for buttons. i've cast on the deep water cardigan, made some progress on my cedar leaf shawlette, and the wispy cardigan. am hoping to have these 3 completed before the end of september-we'll see my bosses are traveling next week- wink wink

pj called on thursday to let us know he'd be home for a visit this weekend, unexpected and delightful. i took this opportunity to take a photo of all my kids :-)

in honor of having pj home i stopped by douceur de france macaroons-they were delish!

friday before work i also had to get an estimate on fixing the mirror and damage to my car and return/order andrew's senior portraits.  saturday, sunday and wednesday i got to ride 20+ miles on the silver comet trail which was great. the extra 23 miles made up for not riding on monday (rain) and thursday (lazy).  i really wish i had a helmet cam because the trees on the trail are starting to change, and it's just lovely.
monday was the falcons game-what a win, in fact i got very little knitting done at this game cause i didn't want to miss a thing-plus i had to rip out what i'd worked on in maryland.  it's a little too early in the season to get overly excited about how well they'll do-so many seasons that have ended in disappointment. am looking forward to the next home game on the 30th.

this weekend i'm looking forward to:
completing a couple sewing projects
blocking 5 FOs!
gumbo for saturday
spaghetti with andrew's (divine) marinara on sunday
maybe apple pie?!-certainly feels like apple pie weather
margaritas and pizza tonight
harvest the last of the basil for pesto-maybe

doing other odds and ends around the house-i keep thinking thanksgiving and christmas are going to sneak up on me. i want to get somethings "in order" before they do!

10 Things I love to do on the weekends.

                                                      not the greatest photo of me, but andrew was trying out the new camera.

1. long bike rides on the silver comet trail
2. knitting
3. sewing
4. cooking-the weekend is a great time to try more laborious recipes
5. making plans and getting organized for the upcoming week
6. spending time with family and friends- i also love having NOTHING on the calendar
7. church on sundays
8. drinking coffee on the back deck
9. long walks with sophie
10. enjoying the quiet when everyone else is asleep (except sophie)

meatless mondays and beans.

since steve has joined a monday night bowling league and andrew has a class that evening, i'm using mondays as a day to either go meatless or try out some egg dishes.  this week i tried this recipe.  i made a couple modifications-i roasted the tomatoes and garlic the day before, and on monday i heated up the beans (undrained) along with the tomatoes and garlic and let it reduce a bit so that the pasta had a little sauce.  also, i used rigatoni instead of penne.  i love beans, and this was a great way to incorporate a high fiber, low fat protein into a meal.  i'm definitely going to make this again, and it could be accompanied with italian sausage, or roasted chicken if you're trying to satisfy the meat eaters in your family.

on tuesday, i did a little change up with the tomato soup that we had.  once i'd cooked the soup, i added a can of cannelini beans, and pureed the whole thing in a blender, the beans added some protein and gave it a creamy texture without adding dairy.  as chance would have it, i had a rind of parmesan cheese handy and threw that in as well, ina would be so proud!

10 Favorite Sunday Dinners

caprese sandwiches, a photo by lifeandyarn on Flickr.

this is a little tougher, i don't typically make a big "ta-do" about what we're having for sunday dinner, but here are some general things i like to fix. we have a "biggish" meal after church, and then dinner is leftovers, tacos, salads, etc.  it's eat when and what you want, unorganized, not formal, and  most often it's while watching tv.  this is real important when football season starts.
1. i like it to be something i can make the day before, or at least do the chopping, measuring, and other prep work so that the afternoon isn't spent cooking AND cleaning up.
2. sandwiches are a favorite at my house anytime-we love cubans, caprese, french dips, etc.
3. one dish dinners-lasagna, or other baked pasta, chicken and rice, etc usually fit this bill.  i don't make a lot of traditional casseroles as i don't want to use a lot of canned creamed soups and cheese.  also, my family really only likes a couple casseroles.
4. roasted chicken-often have plenty of leftovers for another meal-i almost always try to stretch our sunday dinner either into a lighter dinner that night or another meal in the week.
5. soups-ALWAYS a winner in my house especially soups like gumbo and chicken noodle.
6. broiled salmon or other fish-nice to let it marinade while at we're at church-easy to cook in the oven.
7. brunch-y type foods-LOVE having brunch after church- strata, frittata, baked eggs, cheese grits, etc.
8. risotto-i like to add different things that sorta make it a one-dish meal-chicken, shrimp, veggies, etc.
9. fried chicken from publix-if my boys had it their way we'd have this a couple times a week.  i consider it an occasional treat, and publix does a fine job, and my kitchen stays clean.
10. heavy hors 'doeuvres-love having snacks as a meal, and also easy to do ahead.

10 things i love about fall

 1. fall food: apples, pears, turkey, dressing, etc.
 2. fall smells: cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin, apple pies
 3. cooler temps: cardigan and jean weather
 4. fall colors: gold, brown, red and orange
 5. fewer mosquitoes which makes being outside MUCH more enjoyable
 6. football: okay, it's not really the game, but the food and friend time
 7. hearty soups and homemade bread
 8. knitting with chunky yarns
 9. new tv shows or new seasons of favorites
10. making holiday plans

i would have my own kitchen show...

if these were as pretty as ina's!

i'm now 3/24 for new recipes.  the only changes i made was that i added peanuts and dried cherries, and i didn't have wheat germ, dried apricots or coconut.  i wanted to use what i had on hand.  i've been making granola the last few months, and i wanted to try these granola bars for a change.  these will be a tasty and healthy snack to have at work (and in the pantry).  i love that i could get this shot with my new camera that was set to the "food pose". it's going to be fun experimenting with the new camera, and i don't have to worry about wasting film!  hope everyone had a wonderful labor day.

what's your favorite snack right now?

273 days and counting.

that's when i'll be able to upgrade my old-old iphone to a new iphone.  this could be a test of true patience. however in the meantime, i think this new little gadget will keep me occupied until then.
meet "Nick".