Monday Menu ~ With A Special Guest Blogger!

Today I have the delight of presenting you with a guest blogger for my Monday Menu!  Be gentle with him...it's his first blog post.  Although he does have a very interesting story, and I think he should start his own blog....hmm, my wheels are turning on that.

Anyway, Saturday night we had a great time having dinner at my brother and sis-in-law's house.  I ran there, literally, and the following food made it so worth that run.  I will run for these anytime.  They are sooooo good.  Almost as good as my brother.

SO, I would like to introduce you to my brother, Rick.  Among many fabulous attributes, he is a fabulous cook.  The only heartbreaking disappointment I can think of about him is that he doesn't like peaches.  I'm sure you know why that breaks my heart.  So, be assured this recipe does not contain peaches.  But it still stole my heart in all the right ways.  Without further ado, here is my brother's first blog post, which he titled "Pressure":



I haven't felt pressure like this is a long time. The kind of pressure that robs you of sleep. The kind of pressure that makes you put all your plans aside until the task is completed. So here we go. I am very proud to have been offered a guest post on my sisters Blog. It all started with a long over due invite to dinner to Brad and Leanne. I thought I would serve one of my new favorites as an appetizer. I call them Jalapeno Boats. Some people call them poppers but I call them boats due their shape. This is one of those dishes that lies to you. It lies to your taste buds. It lies to your stomach. It even lies to your brain. People who don't like the hot burn of the jalapeno pepper always find themselves enjoying them one after another. Always just a hint of hot, but never enough to make you put down the fork. So, don't be afraid of this one. for those who love hot and for those who do not, this is one that will make everyone happy. Promise.

One pound Hot Sausage. (Jimmy Dean works well.)
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
20 Jalapeno peppers
Ranch dressing
Cook sausage and let cool. Make sure you break up into small pieces.


Mix sausage, Cream Cheese, Parmesan in bowl.


Cut peppers in half length wise. Scrape out seeds and membrane. ( this is where the heat is so leave some if you want it to be hotter).


Fill peppers with sausage and cheese mixture.


Bake at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes. I use a BBQ sometimes and this works well also.


Enjoy!

(Back to Leanne:  I will add in that the Ranch is for dipping.  Rookie mistake, Rick.)

I Need Your Help

I need your help with some research I am doing.  Can you take a minute to answer the following question?

How old do you think the woman in the picture is?  I promise you, she is a woman.

I'll get to the "research" part in a future post.  For now, I just need some input.

Thank you!

A Happy Girl

Happy Thursday from a happy girl!  The little things today have made me so happy. 

The day started with frustration, and the nagging-ness of a task that had to be completed but was dependant on someone else...sheesh it's a long story.  But a major task I have been working on was brought to a screeching halt while I awaited access to a 9-digit number.  Just 9 little numbers to open the floodgate and let things proceed.  But getting that number?  Not so easy.  And then, with one phone call finally returned, I had those 9 numbers written securely on a sticky note, and BOOM!  There went the floodgate flying open!!  Within 20 minutes of that phone call, I had the task COMPLETE!!  I literally felt as if a 50 pound weight pack had been pulled off my back. 

I also got my hair cut this morning.  ALWAYS a happy day!  That's another good 10 pounds lifted off my head when it's all said and done.  You've probably never run your fingers through my hair, unless you are Brad or Marlece, but I have enough hair on my head for all of us.  So getting it cut is truly cutting out a whole lotta weight!

I left for that appointment feeling uptight and frustrated.  Just because of a poor night's sleep, followed by some kid-driven frustration immediately upon waking up, followed quickly by the frustration of the above mentioned task hanging over my head.  Then I had my head massaged, hair cut and styled...so much better.  Then I came home to find that the two kids left behind had cleaned the kitchen and all three bathrooms while I was gone!  Talk about an uplift to the heavy mind!  After I questioned them thoroughly on who they were and what they had done with my real children, I let out a big sigh....a sigh of, in that moment, complete and utter satisfaction.

Then the task was wrapped up, three huge boxes were taken to the Fed-Ex man, who is going to return the mountain of uniform samples that had over-taken my living room, and I was feeling so good that we all stopped at Trader Joes to get some pizza dough.  I left without pizza dough, but with lots of totally unnecessary items.  My kids are eating meatless corndogs and eggplant cutlets for dinner tonight.  Why?  I don't know.  They are meat-eaters, but were curious what meatless corndogs would taste like.  And why not?  I also got a frozen carrot cake (gasp!!) that looked good.  I feel all celebrational at having taken so much weight off today!

And it's Thursday, which means date night with Brad!  I'm always a happy girl on Thursday for that reason alone.

And Alex is going to be rehearsing all this next week to perform with a local production of Pirates of Penzance.  His first musical!  And another paid gig!!  My children's success in any form is a great happiness.

And I've discovered that I love running on our high school track.  It's so rubbery and squishy and oh-so-kind to my feet.  AND I get my new running shoes tomorrow.

Can you feel the happiness????

I have spent so much time this last week looking for a good cheer song for my squad's dance this year.  I have it solidly narrowed down to 3 or 4 songs.  I have listened to lots of songs.  Lots. Of. Songs.  Out of those songs, I found this happy song.  It didn't make the final cut, but I think it could be so cute.  And it sure sticks in your head.  And today I'm a happy girl, so I thought I'd share this with you...

Gifts of Happiness

I have been thinking a lot about happiness this week.  I've been reading the book "The Happiness Project", and it has been very thought provoking.  I didn't expect to gain anything from it, I just was intrigued to read about someone else's "project".  It's one of the fun things I've found with my e-reader.  I can browse the library and find things that I normally wouldn't give a second glance, download it, and see if it's worth my time to read.  I'm only about half-way through this book, so I can't yet give it a ringing endorsement.  I can say, however, that my opinion of it is changing the further I go.  In the first part, I was thinking much more negatively about it, that this author's very quest for "happiness" was actually making her so self-absorbed that she was sure to go in the opposite directions.  Now, however, I am realizing that it is much less about being self-absorbed and much more about just stepping out of her own bubble. 

I've always been a big believer that if you are lacking happiness, you are lacking gratitude.  No matter what our circumstances, there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for.  And I'm an even bigger believer in making JOY more of a focus than happiness.  While happiness may depend on your current circumstances, joy can be in you continually.  Joy can just be IN you!  I could go on and on about this, but I will stay on the path I intended...

So I'm learning some interesting things about what studies have shown about happy people.  I don't know if any of it is new, but just having it pointed out and going, "oh, yeah...that's true!" has been fun.  For example, the very simple fact that moods are contagious.  Stop and think about that.  Happy people (or joyful people) spread happiness.  Angry people can stir up anger in other people.  Whiny people pull other people into whining right along with them.  I think of that in my home.  It's easier than I would like it to be some days for me to set the mood in my home.  If I'm uptight, my kids reflect that.  If I'm outright irritated and snipping at everyone, then surely my kids are going to be snipping at each other.  And on the upside, when I'm in a peaceful, joyful place, more than likely my kids will also absorb that and feel that themselves.  It truly is contagious.

A fun statistic I learned (I love statistics, wherever they come from) is that a hug needs to last 6 seconds in order for all the feel-good endorphins to be released.  Try it.  Especially when you are uptight.  I know that when I've had a long day, and I get a long hug from Brad, I truly do feel myself relaxing.  So lately I've been taking longer hugs.  I told Brad that he had to hug me for at least 6 seconds when he comes home.  He was happy to oblige.  Of course, it has to be someone you want to hug for that long or you probably instead would have your blood pressure rising instead of your endorphins rising!  (And I'm so curious how they get those statistics!)

Another interesting section I read last night was discussing how we need to simply define what makes us happy, with no regard to what we think should make us happy.  It was so good, because so many times we can get sucked into thinking we should enjoy something because everyone tells us we should.  Or "everyone else likes it so I should too".  That one really made me think. 

And also, taking the time to be silly.  The author talks about how as a mother, she often is so focused on finishing a task, that she overlooks opportunities to make the task fun.  Oh, that is so me.  She gave an example of unloading groceries, trying to get them put away and her husband pulled out 3 oranges and started juggling, to the great delight of his kids.  Instead of enjoying the moment, she was irritated that the groceries were not being put away.  Yeah, I've been there.  Maybe not with juggling oranges, but in some similar way.  So that's a new task...to be willing to have a little fun doing the mundane things.

So I'm intrigued enough to finish the book. 

And on a similar note, here is a rush of happiness I had the pleasure of experiencing yesterday.  In the midst of being buried in a bunch of administrative busy-work, the UPS man delivered a package to my door.  I hauled this very large but very light box inside, saw it was addressed to Brad, and set it aside to get back to my busyness.  A short time later I was talking to Brad and asked him if he was expecting a package.  He said, "Oh,it came!  You can open it, it's actually a surprise for you!"  Well, my heart went all a-flutter at the excitement of opening a "surprise".  So I opened it, and here's what my man sent to me:

Well, be still my heart from going all a-flutter.  I didn't even know I wanted this.  Or needed this.  But apparently I wanted it and needed it.  I'm using it now as a matter of fact.  Now I need to end this and go buy Brad a new cookie sheet.  And I'll be very happy doing it!

Monday Menu ~ Bow Tie Lasagna

This is a recipe you must try, specifically on an evening where time is very short.  Which pretty much means Sunday through Saturday, right?

It is extremely fast to put together, and it is really great.  Everyone loved it and asked me to make it regularly.  And it has so few ingredients...things you probably keep around, so you can make it quickly when you have that irritated/panicked moment of "WHAT are we having for dinner??"  Throw in some bread and salad, and it practically looks like a meal that you put some thought into!

Bow Tie Lasagna

1 lb. ground sirloin or ground beef
12 oz. bow tie pasta
1 24-oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (I used a mozzarella/provolone combo)

Brown beef until no longer pink.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain the pasta and return to the pot.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add beef, sauce, seasonings and sour cream.  Mix well, then stir in the cheese.  Allow to heat on low for about 5 minutes or until heated through.  That's IT!!  The Pioneer Woman featured this as a "16-minute Meal" recipe, and I think it really did take about that long.  Easy, but really yummy.  Hope you enjoy!

Here's To You

I'm a day late, because I was busy living in the moment and celebrating...but this still goes out to you, Brad:

Happy 40th Birthday to my favorite person!  40?!  Welcome to greatness.  Or even greater greatness, with greater things to come! 

We talked recently about how great the 30's were to us.  You did your 30's well, and they were good to you.  We grew so much, worked through so much, and fell more deeply in love. 

I have no doubts the 40's will bring more of the same.  We'll grow some more.  We'll work through some more.  We'll probably struggle with something.  And we'll fall more deeply in love.

Thank you for being so patient, so loving, so kind, so strong, so encouraging, so...willing.  You lead me well.

Thank you for taking such good care of yourself.  All the time you run, swim, bike...you are taking good care of the man I love and the father of my children.  We want you around for a looooooong time.  Like forever.

You are a good man, Brad.

I love you so much.  I like you so much.  You are the love of my life...forever.

And if you decide to have some sort of mid-life crisis during this next decade, please choose something exciting like wave runners, or a boat, or a lake-side one bedroom home, or a condo in Hawaii....need some ideas?  I'm your girl.

I love you, Mr. 40.

The Rest of The Story

It's time to get out the last of the vacation pictures.  So many great times, so many pictures!

On our first full day of vacation we went to Leavenworth and found this great hat shop.  We all had a great time becoming different characters:

Hippie meets hot dog

The stunning Miss Emily

Thomas displaying how I feel today!

My quirky Bethie

Quite the look, eh?  I think I may let myself go grey and embrace it!  Or not.

Giddy-up!

And there was so much more...

Nap taking:

S'More eating:

Game playing:

Friendship growing:

And, I must end this vacation recap with..........


Some Blueberry Hill lovin':

I kid you not, I salivate just looking at this picture!!

Gotta end it with the beauty shot:

Okay, false alarm...I'm not done yet!  Have I mentioned the pie?  Oh, the PIE!!  We bought a pie at Blueberry Hills and I ate that whole thing by myself over the course of the week.  And I didn't think even once about sharing it.  Most things are better shared, but not this pie.  It was a scrumptious peach pie that has stayed with me to this day.  I'm trying to run it off, but it is so still there.

All I have to share with you is a picture of a half-eaten piece of positively precious deliciousness.  I hope you can feel the love.