Summer Bruschetta

Today I'm sharing my summer bruschetta recipe - this is a summer favorite of mine and is best with tomatoes right out of the garden - I'm pretty sure I could just eat this stuff morning, noon, and night!  There is no exact science to it and it's fun to add different things as you go!  The tomato mixture is great on toast points in the oven (bruschetta), as a dip (like salsa), mixed together with croutons for a light salad, on top of chicken, or even mixed in with some pasta.  It's great to eat as soon as you've finished making it but also has a great flavor after spending a few days in the fridge and letting the flavors "merry."  So - here are the main ingredients I use to put it together - super easy, super fast, and did I mention its also super delish:) 

Serving Size: 6 for an appetizer

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 10 minutes or until edges of bread are golden brown and cheese is melted

Ingredients:
* 1 cup of fresh, diced tomatoes (I use whatever has the most flavor - right now its cherry tomatoes)
* 2 tbsp Basil
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp black pepper
* 1/2 french baguette

Optional:
* 1 tsp balsalmic vinegar
* 1/4 cup of diced onions
* 1 garlic clove
* 1/3 cup fresh mozarella

Directions:
* Preheat oven to 375 F.
* Dice the tomatoes and place in bowl - add salt and pepper.
* Wash basil leaves well and roll into a tight roll and cut length wise to make nice even sized slivers.  Add to tomato mix and add olive oil.  Mix well together and if desired add balsalmic vinegar, diced onions, or garlic (you don't have to add all - pick those you like and go with that).  Let set for at least 20 minutes.
*Slice french baguette into small rounds and drizzle with olive oil.  Place on a baking sheet cover each piece with mozarella cheese(optional).  Add the tomato mixture to the top of each piece and bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted.  If you are planning to offer the tomato mixture as a dip, bake the french baguette slices in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and serve with the tomato mixture.

**As I mentioned above - this is also great as a topping on grilled or baked chicken or tossed in with some pasta and a little more olive oil.  You can also chop up some ciabata bread and bake to make your own croutons...add this mix and some seedless cucumbers and ta da....you have a panzella bread salad.**

Enjoy!

J

Who doesn't like puffs?

At Addie's 6 month check-up the doctor prompted us to introduce Addie to puffs so that she could practice the "pincher" grasp and also in the event she found something small on the floor and put it in her mouth, she might know what to do with it.  Seemed perfectly logical to us, so off we went to pick up some puffs from Babies R Us.  I debated at length with the hubs about the brand and flavor we should purchase and finally agreed on the Plum Organics Peach and Banana puffs.  Our doc encouraged us to pair the puffs with some water in a sippy cup so that she could also start to master drinking from a sippy cup.  So, one morning last week, I gave it a go after S had left for work and she was not a fan.  There was alot of drama involved, yelling-coughing-gagging-blowing and then REPEAT.  I told my friend J at work about it and she insisted I get video of this - so I did.  And, I'm glad I did because I don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but I'm at a loss on what to do.  Not that puffs are essential to her nutrition, because I'm pretty sure there is very little nutritional value to these things BUT, they do make for easy snacks to have on hand when fussiness sets in.  Did anyone else have this same reaction and if so, any ideas?? - is it just a time thing?  I have continued to give them to her every morning but I am continuing to get the same reaction:(  Oh..and here's the proof (sorry for the grainy pic - its my phone):

J

Saturday Morning Scene

Happy Saturday!!!  Today I'm doing the usual and linking up with Katie over at Loves of 

Life to show you our Saturday Morning Scene:)

The hubs is off to remediate this little message that has been appearing on the dash of our truck for several weeks now (ooppss!)

And...I am hoping to get this ever-growing pile of laundry done today (yes, thats pretty embarrassing that I've let it get that out of control).

I also have some work to do today but thanks to electrical work in our company building - I'll be able to work from home today:)

And..have I mentioned how thrilled I am that signs of spring are EVERYWHERE!!!

my camellia bush is in full bloom

and of course...my favorite thing about Saturdays is hanging out with this girl...

J

Tales of a golf widow...

Augusta National

So the hubs LOVES golf - I mean he's like a kid on Christmas when it comes to anything golf related.  He plays whenever time permits (which hasn't been very often lately), loves his clubs almost as much as me (kidding), and watches golf network at every opportunity.  Me - eh, not so much a golfer.  I love most sports but I never really got down with golf so my husband spends quite a bit of his time trying to convince me to learn the game - so far, I've managed to come up with enough reasonable excuses to avoid "hitting the links" (or rather the houses and cars along the links).  So this time of year when all of the tournaments really get going, my TV is consumed most weekends by golf tournaments.  Actually - point in case - a golf tournament was on in my L&D room while I was in labor with Addie - YES, he was watching golf as I was having contractions - ha!

Dustin Johnson

Padraig Harrington

So, now that I've said all that - I say this - the Masters is on this weekend and I could not be more excited!!  The course in Augusta, GA is absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful!  This is the only tournament I would actually love to go to and watch.  I love all the azalea bushes that are in bloom and there is just something comforting about this tournament for me.  So...as much as I dread most "golf weekends" this is one I actually look forward to - plus, I have a slight crush on Padraig Harrington and Dustin Johnson (not sure what it is - I just think they are cuties) - that helps me get through the tournaments as well.  Happy Friday!!!

J

PS Anyone ever noticed how beautiful every golfer's wife is??

Product Review - Laser Hair Removal

Back in my single days, I was overly obsessed with my appearance (spent hours at the gym and was in constant search of magic hair and make-up products) - not that I no longer care what I look like, but I'm more concerned with making it out of the door on time and in one piece than making sure every strand of hair is in place.  So, needless to say, when my roommate told me about the laser hair removal treatments she having, I thought it was just what I needed.  You see, I have very dark hair that is unfortunately, very coarse - which of course means, that I have to shave often and I usually suffer from those nasty ingrown hairs:(  So, the idea of having a few laser treatments and never dealing with the hair or shaving issue again, sounded like a dream come true.  I decided to start with my armpits because they were without fail the worst area for ingrown hairs and I'm glad I didn't go much further.  The results lasted for about 2 years - here are the details:

the laser machine

Product Name: Laser Hair Removal (via Sona Medspa)

Price: Around $550 for 5 sessions of underarm hair removal

Product Description:  Laser hair removal is a process that involves a laser (well, duh ;)) that they pass over the skin, which acts to burn the hair follicle.  It took about 45 seconds per armpit and felt like 1,000 tweezers tweezing out my underarm hair at once (its not comfortable to say the least).  They do offer some gel you can put on the area that acts as a topical anesthetic but its still very uncomfortable.  Prior to attending the session, you can have absolutely NO sun exposure to the area for 30 days prior to and there is also a long list of medications that you can't be on while having the treatments (nor can you be pregnant).  The procedure was performed by an RN in a very relaxing, spa-type setting and despite the pain of the procedure, it was a nice experience.  After the procedure, your hair will start to fall out about 2 weeks later and generally starts to grow back in about 2 months.  The hair that returns is patchy and generally much finer in texture.  They recommend 5 sessions because hair apparently grows in cycles so the goal is that at the end of all of the sessions they will have eradicated all of the hair that grows during the different cycles.  According to the hype, while you may not have permanent hair removal, you will have permanent hair reduction.  

Pros:  Hhhmmm...lets see, at the beginning I had great success and only had to shave my underarms about once a month.  There was barely any hair there and the hair that was there was very fine.  The spa setting was also nice.

Cons:  Well the short story is this - every.inch.of.hair.has.returned!  I'm not even kidding, even the ingrown hairs are back and I'm only 5 years out from my treatments.  In all honesty, the first two years went well but after that it has been a steady regression to the hairy days of past - bummer.  For the price, I really thought that although it may not get rid of all of that hair forever, it would at least change the texture and lessen the amount so that I could enjoy life without ingrown hairs.  A girl can dream...right?!

Would I buy again or give to a friend? No - not for the price...or the pain.

J

Almost Wordless Wednesday

So, I did say almost (wordless wednesday) for a reason - because I wanted to include a little background about the pictures below.  Before Addie was born I convinced my husband that by buying an SLR camera we could save major cash because we could take a lot of the pictures ourselves instead of hiring an expensive photographer to capture the images for us.  That being said - we still use the professionals for important milestones and events until I master this camera but I am trying my hand at taking some pictures.  And on Monday, it was 85 F outside, so I begged my boss to let me leave took off from work 2 hours early and met up with the hubs and baby girl so I could play with my camera - and, more importantly, enjoy the beautiful weather. Here are the results:

happiness in the grass

only lasted

for about a minute!

daddy to the rescue

this girl loves to be held

I did say almost wordless wednesday, right?
J

Tuesdays at the Table - Chicken Cordon Bleu

Today I'm linking up with Cole at "All the Small Stuff" for Tuesdays at the Table and posting a chicken cordon bleu recipe.

In our household, my hubs and I share the cooking responsibilities as we both enjoy making a good meal.  However, my husband is a natural in this department and I am more of a recipe chef.  The hubs is really good at throwing things together that taste fabulous without so much as glancing at a cookbook.  So, Saturday he decided he wanted to make chicken cordon bleu and I agreed to be his taste tester and it was A-mazing.  I thought I'd share how he put it all together:

Serving size: 2
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25-35 minutes depending on thickness of chicken

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
6 slices of thin sliced ham (black forest works well)
1 cup of shredded swiss cheese
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
3-4 tbsp flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp of parsley
1 tbsp butter
1 cup of milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Chicken:
1.  Butterfly the chicken breasts and pound out with a mallet (place plastic wrap over the chicken when doing this to avoid damaging the chicken).  Preheat oven to 350 F.

2.  Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken breasts you have just butterflied.  Lay several slices of the ham inside the chicken and cover with swiss cheese. Roll chicken and place a toothpick through the roll to hold shut.

3.  Dredge the chicken roll in the flour and shake off the excess.  Next coat it in the egg and then dip in the bread crumbs until covered and then shake of the excess.  It is good to add salt and pepper to the flour, egg, and bread crumbs for extra seasoning.

4.  Coat bottom of oven safe skillet, if possible, with canola oil and heat on medium.  Once heated, place chicken rolls in skillet and cook chicken until the bread crumbs on all sides are golden brown.  Transfer skillet to oven (if you did not use an oven safe skillet, simply transfer the chicken from the pan to a baking dish) and bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes (if the chicken breasts are abnormally small or large, you may want to adjust this time accordingly) until cooked through and cheese is melted on the inside.

Bechamel Sauce:
1.  Using a medium sized pot, place a tbsp of butter and flour in the pot on medium-low heat and stir with wooden spoon until it creates a blond roux (paste consistency-generally takes about 5-8 minutes).

2.  Whisk in 1 cup of milk (whole milk is the most tasty but for a lighter version try 2% milk) until blended.  Turn heat to medium-high until it starts to boil and then reduce to low so that sauce simmers.  Continue to whisk so that sauce starts to thicken and then add in remaining shredded swiss and cheddar cheese, a handful at a time.  Continue stirring until all of the cheese is well melted and sauce is cohesive.

Finishing touches:

Once chicken is complete, slice into rounds and drizzle the cheese sauce over the chicken.  We added asparagus (steamed and sauteed with olive oil and salt and pepper in a pan) and some basic red-skin mashed potatoes to go along with it and threw in some parsley for extra garnishment.  Enjoy!!

J

6 months ago...

Wow..it's so hard to believe that 6 months ago I was welcoming my daughter into the world.  It seems like time has flown by but I also feel like she's been here forever - like I can't imagine what my life was like before her.  We celebrated her 6 month birthday with family and close friends and a small informal cook-out.  I've included some pictures below and also thought I'd write about all of the developments that occurred during the last month or so!

What she's wearing - Addie is wearing mainly 3-6 month clothing still with a few outfits in the 6-9 month range also thrown in from time to time.  Her cloth diapers are on the second set of snaps and she is still doing well without extra liners at night.

Eats - Addie is eating about 4 - 6 oz. bottles a day and still nursing for her first feed in the morning.  I pump during the day but am finding that my supply is not completely keeping up with her demand so some days we are supplementing with a bottle of formula.  She is also eating one meal of solids a day.  This month I introduced her to peas, apples, pears, and bananas  (we had already done sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, carrots, and rice cereal).  Addie grabs for everything on my plate as well as whatever I'm drinking so its a constant game with her and keeping things out of her reach!

Moves - No crawling yet, but she has gotten really good at the "waterbug" move on her stomach and she is starting to draw her knees up under her stomach.  She rolls all over the place which has made for lots of fun when it comes time to change diapers and outfits.  Addie also adores spending time in her johhny jump-up and her exersauser.

Gummy grins - Addie absolutely adores her daddy and it is so cute to seem them play together.  She loves playing with her toys (she really loves her play laptop and the Einstein bendy ball) and stuffed animals (including the must have dog, Violet).  Our 2 furbabies are also a favorite of hers as she is constantly trying to reach and pet them.  She loves to watch them play and run around - it melts my heart to see her love our pups as much as we do.

Out and about - We didn't go anywhere new this month per se, but we did take Addie out and around the neighborhood in her umbrella stroller, riding big girl style, for the first time this month.  She loved it and crashed out about 5 minutes in.  S and I are loving the umbrella stroller because its so much easier to take places than the big jogging stroller we also have that seems to weigh a ton and takes up alot of trunk space.

Counting sheep - Addie sleeps great at night!  We usually put her down around 8pm and she usually gets up around 6:30ish with only a few wakes in between for her paci.  We are so incredibly thankful for her sleeping through the night - it certainly makes everyone alot happier!

I can't wait to see what this month will bring and am looking forward to her check-up with the pediatrician this morning (minus the shots which break my heart every time) to see what all of her stats are and hopefully get the green light to start puffs!  I love my little girl to pieces and am so thankful for every minute that I get to spend with her :)

J

T, Trey, and Addie at her 6 month party

Saturday Morning Scene

I am linking up with Katie over at "Loves of Life" this morning to show you our Saturday Morning Scene!!

It has been rainy, cold, and dreary here since I got back (not to mention my drive back from SC on Wednesday).  BUT, this morning it is B-E-A-utiful and I could not be more thrilled about the prospects of a gorgeous Saturday!!  We are planning to join some good friends that we have not seen in forvever for a mid-day cookout and then watch the final 4 game (go VCU)  at BB&B..but first we are headed over there for a wonderful breakfast (yum!!)

spring has sprung :)

All of this rain really gave the grass we planted (from our flower bed conversion here) a boost and I'm loving the bright green shoots that are popping up all over the place!!

looks like my peonies are surviving

Also on the agenda for the weekend is the dreaded laundry, house cleaning, and 6 month birthday celebration for my little girl on Sunday (where has the time gone)!

Happy Saturday...happy weekend :)

J

can't wait to spend the weekend with this girl!

It's SO good to be home!!

in our house we refer to this as "liquid gold"

I made it back from South Carolina Wednesday afternoon and I was so excited to get to my girl!!!  The drive back was disastrous as it basically poured down rain the entire drive home on I-95 with those big 18 wheelers all.over.the.place!!  I pumped religiously while I was down there and as you can see, brought back quite a bit of goodies for my girl (half of that is my co-worker Js).  The trip went very well, I spent a good bit of time racking up some steps on my pedometer by walking during breaks around the property.  At night, the bar was open and our company band played (yes, we have our own band that is actually pretty good - strange, i know) and I enjoyed watching the mayhem ensue.  I have become so accustomed to my life with Addie that I totally felt like something was missing the entire time I was gone.  It was so odd to just come and go as I pleased without having to think about someone else and I really missed having her by my side.  Thank you all for your comforting and kind words on Sunday...I made it through my first trip without her and I am SO glad to be home.  Happy Friday everyone!!!

J

I missed this face

and these 10 perfect toes