Poof! Pasta Salad!

The "Poof!"  is for POOF!  I re-appeared!  Sorry it has been so long since I've posted.  I haven't been feeling well and I feel like I've been running around crazy.  Aubrie's birthday is coming up and we've been busy planning her party.  It's sort of a big deal for several reasons.  One, my BABY is going to be 3!  And two, she knows it is her birthday and she is ALL about it.  She's into the planning and is inviting everyone to her party.  She's adamant about two things:  cupcakes and balloons.  Those are her two must-haves for her party.  This weekend we went to the party supply store and let her pick the balloons and I've got ice cream cone cupcakes planned for her party.  Hopefully, I won't disappoint.

My mom was in town this past week for a visit.  I enjoyed her cooking and company.  Her visits are never long enough.  The girls loved having her around, too.  We were riding in the car and Aubrie asked to watch Veggie Tales and I told her no.  She replied, "I was talking to Gram..."  Oh, my bad.  I had to snicker, but it was such a teenager thing to say.

Emilie enjoyed playing with Gram.  She plays hard to get, but by the end of her visit, she and Gram were good buds.  Mom enjoyed having us play Mexican music and watching the girls dance.  Emilie would shout, "Ay ay ay!!!"



Petey is getting some love!



Play time!




 

You can't really see it, but we put a crown on her cowboy hat and declared her a rodeo princess.

Princess E

It was sad to see Gram go, but we will be out to see them in April for Easter.  This is why I blog so much, in case anybody wondered.  All of our family is far away and this is how they keep up with the girls.  This is also why I feel bad for not keeping up with it the past couple of weeks!

Before I go, I'd like to share my mom's pasta salad.  (Aubrie is done napping and is chanting, "mommy!  Where are you?") I made it a couple of weeks ago and it made a good snack and side for lunch.  I love how pretty all the colors are together.  Enjoy!

Mom's Italian Pasta Salad

1 ( 16 oz) Package rainbow rotini pasta, cooked and drained
16 oz. bottled Italian salad dressing
3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, quartered and sliced
6 oz. soft cooked salami, diced
1 large green pepper, seeded and diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 large carrot, slivered
12 medium fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can sliced black olives, drained
2 green onions with tops, sliced
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
Mix macaroni and dressing.  Mix in other ingredients.  Refrigerate overnight.  Serve cold. (I added mozarella cubes and omitted the mushrooms.)

Love to all!

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Manly Meaty Lasagna

We had the pleasure of having Josie over last week for some family time and dinner.  I was craving our lasagna and so I went ahead and made that and tried a new salad recipe as well.  I LOVE our lasagna.  Two Christmases ago, my stocking was stuffed with a magazine called One-Pan Recipes by Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications.  I have found several good recipes but this one has been my all time favorite.  It uses no-boil noodles and a lot of meat.  It also doesn't have a real heavy red sauce AND the best part is that you put Alfredo Sauce on the top.  It is definitely a lasagna your man would love because it has so much meat and it is delicious...YUMMY!!! Check it out...

Meaty Lasagna Bolognese

Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound lean ground beef

8 oz bulk Italian sausage

4 oz pancetta or bacon (I've tried both and prefer bacon)

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, chopped (about 1 cup...I grate the carrot and chop it so it is hidden and the kids are more likely to eat it!)

2 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup) I omit the celery...not a fan.

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup whole milk or half and half

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (I use the whole can)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp snipped fresh sage

1 Tbsp snipped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

1 10 oz container refrigerated Alfredo pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 375.  For meat sauce, in a dutch oven, cook ground beef, sausages, pancetta, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is brown and vegetables are tender.  Drain off fat.

Stir in milk.  Simmer, uncovered, until milk is nearly evaporated.  Stir in wine and broth.  Simmer, uncovered, until liquid is nearly evaporated.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sage, parsley, black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper.  In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

To assemble, spread one-third of the meat sauce over the bottom of an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish.  Sprinkle with one-fourth of the cheese mixture.  Top with four noodles.  Repeat layering meat sauce, cheese mixture, and noddles two times.  Spread the Alfredo sauce evenly over the noodles.  Cover dish with foil.

Bake for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.  Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until heated through.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.  Make 9 to 10 servings. 

Wilted Greens with Bacon Vinaigrette

from Sunny Anderson's show Cooking For Real off the Food Network.

• 4 hearts romaine, chopped
• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place romaine in a serving bowl. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble over greens. To the pan, add sugar and vinegar, and simmer until sugar is dissolved, scraping up bacon bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour hot dressing over greens and toss. Serve immediately.

It was a delicious dinner and to be honest, it's always fun to have Josie here and to watch her play with the girls.  Emilie LOVES her.  She ran into the room and ran straight to Josie. When your kids open up to people and act like themselves, you know they are good people.  The girls had another opportunity to enjoy company this weekend.  Adam's parents were here and so were his great-grandparents, the Marks.  They went and saw a show at the Opry while the rest of us went to a Belmont basketball game.  It was an exciting game because Belmont wasn't just playing anybody, they were playing Stetson Steve!  It was so good to watch Steve coach at the Div I level.  Adam and I have trucked all over to watch him coach and he's worked so hard and come so far.  There is nobody more deserving of making it to this level than Steve.  Belmont won, but we sat on the Stetson side and cheered Steve on. 

We also had the pleasure of hosting Steve's wife, Brittany, here at the house.  We love having her around.  Adam likes to make fun of how healthy she eats, and I enjoy visiting with her about her occupational therapy and her love for cooking.  I've featured some of her recipes on here before.  She's such a fantastic person and Steve is so lucky.  SO LUCKY!  :)

To top it all off, the Drabyns were in town!!  Mom and Papa Bear Drabyn came over one night for pizza and fun at the Mark home.  We played, made fun of Steve, and of course, did marching band.  Everyone had an instrument and Papa Bear even found a creative way to get involved and used my vacuum as a conductor's wand.  We even had a chance to meet Aimee's beloved, Rob the Heart throb!  We had a blast and it was sad to say goodbye to everyone.

  

Loading up the pack mule



Aimee assisting Emilie with "make-up"



Emilie didn't appreciate the chicken fight.



Marching band!!!





Today we actually had tornado warnings.  I couldn't believe it.  I HATE tornado season.  I always take cover and my sister-in-law knows it is her job to call me when it is time to take cover.  I actually had to take cover today because of tornado activity on the radar, but nothing touched down.  The girls were at Mother's Day Out and they had to evacuate into the lowest level of the church.  My least favorite sound is a tornado siren.  I just wasn't prepared!  But everyone is safe and luckily I have an excellent closet under the stairs in the middle of the house! 

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!  Love to all!

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Bedtime is the best

Sorry I haven't posted much in a while.  I've been tired and busy doing other things after the little ones go down.  And really, putting the girls down is one of our favorites...NO, not because that means we have 10 hours of quiet time without children, but really because we have a routine that runs pretty smoothly and it requires family bonding.  Aubrie will undress herself while Adam undresses Emilie and the bath water gets warm.  Then he bathes both girls and I get their milk ready and sometimes I'll take that time to straighten out their rooms, put clothes away, replenish wipes...stuff like that.  Then they come racing out of the bath tub and Aubrie needs my helping putting on her penguins (robe) and Adam gets Emilie ready for bed.  Here he is brushing her hair.

There's not much better than a dad with his girls.  So once Aubrie picks a book, the three of them settle in the chair and I kneel at their feet and read the book to them.  The selection tonight was "The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too." by Mo Willems.  Probably my favorite author. 

Here is Emilie showing us her happy face.  She's getting help from Aubrie who is trying to tickle her chin.

Here is Aubrie's and half of daddy's angry face.  It was funny because when we read the part about the pigeon being angry, Aubrie said, "I was angry today!"  I highly doubt that.  We were at bible study today and she LOVES it.

After we read the book, we say our prayers and pass out kisses.  Here is what is about to be a big sisterly kiss.  :)

 Once all that mess is over, Aubrie uses the potty and brushes her teeth and Emilie gets put down in her crib and another day goes down in the books.  Success for mom and dad. 

Both of Emilie's Mother's Day Out teachers are expecting and they held a little shower for them so I was spending the past couple of night's trying to get these hats finished for them.  I learned how to crochet from YouTube.  I've really enjoyed it and I'm not too good at it, but these last two hats were my best.  For a while, I couldn't get the sizes correct, so I switched the stitch and now they turn out much better.  I really enjoy making these little hats because I think of the sweet little babies that will be wearing them.  I love how these turned out. 

A sweet owl for the baby girl.

A monster for the baby boy

I hope everyone is doing well and sticking to your New Year's resolutions!!!  :)  I really didn't make a good one for myself this year, but I'm sure I'll come up with some project or goal and try to achieve it.  Love to all!

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Spinach and Artichoke Dip

It was just a typical day at the Mark house.  School, laundry, errands.  I was late getting the girls to Mother's Day Out because Aubrie was busy putting on "make-up" and Emilie is going through this phase where she walks back to our closet, digs something out of the dirty clothes and then wears it on her head and walks around the house.  So I'm always finding our dirty clothes throughout the house...this evening she brought one of Adam's size 15 shoes into the kitchen and dropped it on the floor while I was cooking and just walked away.  I kept having to step over it while I was trying to get dinner cooked.

I usually have bell choir today but we don't start up until next week.  Which is good...I needed an extra day to try and accomplish things around the house.  I just can't seem to get a handle on things.  It seems like before we moved, I had moments where I could sit down and watch trashy television while the girls napped, but now I don't have ANY.  There is ALWAYS something to do.  I think I'm re-arranging things.  I've been unpacked, but now that we have lived here a couple of months, I'm realizing, "ok, I don't like that there.  Let's switch these two things.  I think this drawer is better for those utensils."  Silly stuff like that is slowing down my every day chores so I'm just behind.  I still have a huge laundry basket full of Adam's work clothes to iron.  I better hurry and get them done because soon I'll have two!  :)

I made Spinach and Artichoke Dip for a friend of mine.  It is one of my favorites.  This recipe comes from Becky, a teacher I was an aide for.  Ever since I've had her dip, none of the restaurant dips satisfy me.  I love this dip and it is easy.  You'll surely impress your friends when you bring this to a party.  You can put it in a bread bowl and serve it with little slices of bread, or you can serve it with tortilla chips, which is my preferred method.  Either way, this dip is delicious!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

from Becky Bragg Cogdal

1 package of frozen spinach
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1 can of quarterd artichoke hearts
1 1/2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese
Tabasco sauce

In a large bowl, thaw the spinach according to package instructions.  Drain the artichoke hearts and chop them up with a knife into smaller pieces.  Once spinach is cooked, add Alfredo sauce, hearts, and Parmesan cheese.  Stir together and melt for a couple of minutes in the microwave.  Stop it and check it and give it a stir.  Once warm enough to serve, add a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce and stir.  Try it and add more if you like.  I do about 5 dashes. 

Yum Yum!!  Love to all!

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Crab Legs and Homemade Bread

The last of our company left today.  Adam's parents had to head home to get back to work.  They have a couple of inches of snow waiting on them when they get there.  I'm crossing my fingers for them that it continues to snow and they get a snow day tomorrow so they'll have time to rest and prepare for the 2nd half of the school year.

On New Years Eve, Nick and his fiance, Ashlie, were on their way back home from a SC, GA trip and it worked out well for them to stop here and stay the night.  Nick played basketball with Adam at Belmont and is now a lawyer in LaPorte, IN.  Ashlie teaches at a Mother's Day Out program and is also a photographer.  Nick is SO lucky to have Ashlie.  She's perfect for him and we are looking forward to their nuptials coming up in July.  The girls enjoyed showing off their toys to them.  We (the adults) could only stay up until 10:30 on NYE, but it was so good to see them. 

For Christmas, my in-laws got me a ....KITCHEN AID MIXER!!!  It is amazing.  It is red, it is beautiful, and I love it.  I used it for the first time before Nick and Ashlie came to beat the egg white for a coconut cream pie.  I was showing off how I could walk away from it to go put the flour and sugar back in the pantry and by the time I got back to the mixer, the whites were almost finished!  It was amazing. 

I put it to use again tonight, but this time using the dough hook.  I found a recipe on Pinterest.  Men don't really understand Pinterest, and I am probably the last person to join Pinterest.  But it is an online pin board that you can post all your ideas, favorite things, inspiring pictures, Do-it-yourself projects, and recipes and all your friends can see them.  You can steal other people's ideas or they can add yours.  Well, this recipe was for a pull apart Garlic Parmesan Bread.  Here's the blog that the recipe originated from...

The Pastry Affair

I haven't had a chance to look at any more of her recipes, but this one was a keeper.  It was pretty easy and it tasted delicious!

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

from the blog The Pastry Affair

Yields 1 loaf
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups barely warm water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose (or bread) flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast and water. Let sit 5 minutes until yeast is foamy. Mix in the olive oil, salt, and flour. If you have a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, or until elastic. If you are doing this by hand, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until dough is elastic, 7-10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

Allow to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until dough is doubled in size.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, parsley flakes, and minced garlic. Set aside.

Punch down the dough. Tear off small pieces of dough (roughly the size of the bowl of a medium spoon), coat in the butter mixture, and place in the bottom of a bundt pan. Repeat this process until you have one layer of dough balls. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Continue layering the dough balls and cheese until you have 3 layers. Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow to sit until dough has doubled in size, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bread is golden brown. Serve hot with a side of marinara or tomato sauce.

Tonight we had crab legs to go with it.  I love boiling crab legs at home.  We get the zataran's crab boil and boil it for about 3-5 minutes.  It is so much better than a restaurant because you just leave them soaking in the water and they are tasty, warm, and easy to crack open.  The girls had fish sticks. 

Adam returns to the grind tomorrow.  The girls also go back to school and I'm back to my usual schedule.  We sure enjoyed being home and enjoying each other these past two weeks.  To help me get through my blues, I look to the future and find things to look forward to.  We have a lot of fun coming down the road.  :)

Aubrie is blow drying Grandma's hair

Emilie with her pal, PoePoe

The girls applying make-up and doing their hair.

Emilie had pigtails today for the first time.  She was super cute.

The girls riding on their cars with Tia.

We were watching the Rose Bowl Parade today and when Aubrie saw the queen, she went and dressed up and put on her crown and started waving.  We've got to work on the smile, though...

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Christmas Break Fun

It has been a busy Christmas Break in our house.  You've seen the pictures of the back splash that we did with our friends (saints) the Sundstroms.  We also painted the kitchen, half the bath, the formal living, and the formal dining.  Then our other Saint, Andrew, came over on one of his days off to play cards, but Adam was trying to "finish" a project before we started and it turned out to be an all day event and we never got around to playing cards.  Andrew helped Adam put in two faucets in the bathroom, one light fixture, and put in a new light fixture in the bonus room.  I mean, he was a lifesaver.  Andrew really is handy.  He doesn't read instructions until we get stuck, but rarely does he get stuck and can't figure it out.  Plus he brings a lot of enthusiasm to a project and makes Adam feel like they can do any project.  :)

Together, Adam and I cleaned out the garage, did some recycling with all of our cardboard boxes, and changed out the shower head and faucet in our master bathroom.  It made a huge difference.  It used to take 3 minutes to get hot and the water pressure was weak.  Now it is hot in seconds and it sprays hard.  Love it!  I love all the projects we have done.  Adam had such a great attitude and was ready to attack things these couple of weeks.  He usually is hesitant, but this time I was the one needing motivation to get up and get it done.  

However, on Saturday he woke up with a headache and feeling nauseous.  He took four naps that day and didn't eat a good meal until dinner.  We concluded that he was run down and had a migraine.  Luckily he is better now.  I didn't like having him out of commission. 

We have really enjoyed these past two weeks and it will be sad when he goes back to work on Tuesday.  He will be missed.  The girls have had fun with him, too.  They've been having some fun playing with all their new toys.  Plus they are starting to have fun playing together.  You'll hear Aubrie say, "C'mon Emmie!" and Emilie will go trotting off to join her sister. 

Princess dress up

We really had to work on walking in high heels

Brianne and Dan got Emilie membership to the Adventure Science Center and we went on Wednesday.  Here is Aubrie pulling the rope so the lever can lift the card.  Thanks Brianne and Dan.  We had a blast!!!

Pretending to be eagles.

Aubrie's favorite was dressing up as a doctor and playing with the fake corpse. 

Driving the ambulance.

We had the Burtners over on Tuesday for Mexican food.  I love having their crowd over.  Look how big and blessed our dinner table was!

Max and his big fan, Aubrie.

Reading books to Reese and Emilie

Emilie playing dress up.  She patted her chest and said, "pretty!"

The girls were having a blast running down the hallway, then joining hands, and running back down the hallway.  So sweet.

Tonight Amanda put Duke (Aubrie's huge stuffed horse) in her bed, so when she came out from the bathroom and went in her room to go to bed, she saw him and said, "Duke!  Get in the barn!"  She's so funny.  Emilie is talking a lot now, too.  She repeats everything and she is starting to sing in the car.  Love those girls.  I hope everyone had a Happy New Years.  We are looking forward to a great 2012!

Love to all! Pin It Now!