Off to Play...

with my sissy!

PERFECTION

My mom dropped off the holy grail of summer the other night! HOME GROWN 'MATERS. There is just NOTHING like a home grown tomato. Even if you think you don't like tomatoes, I am telling you to try one now. I feel like the Bubba Gump of tomatoes. I have had BLT's,

Caprese salad, tuna salad stuffed tomatoes, balsamic tomatoes, and just sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt. I am going to mix up a batch this over the weekend.

Funky Spaghetti

from Jamie Oliver, that crazy Naked Chef

1 pound spaghetti or linguine ( I also like bowtie pasta with this)

4-5 tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces

2 handfuls of fresh basil

6-8 glugs of good olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Splash of red wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, except the pasta. Leave this sitting out on your counter to let the flavors mingle. When you are ready for dinner, just cook the pasta and toss it with the tomato mixture. I like to grate fresh parm on top while the pasta is piping hot.

This is like a summer version of crockpot cooking. You can get the tomato mixture prepped ahead of time and go on about your business until dinner.

What's a Girl To Do?

Facebook is evil! Other than for the obvious reason, like I waste way too much time on there. Here is the thing, I find out way too much info. Things I do NOT need to know. Things like IT'S FREE PASTRY DAY AT STARBUCKS. As I sit here thinking of reasons not to go to the gym, I read that little nugget on Facebook. The cruel part of this is that my friend who posted this info could stand to eat a pastry per day, she is one of those tall drinks of water that weighs next to nothing. Me...not so much! Especially since I ate and drank my way through Destin last week. Since I can't motivate myself to get to the gym, I better not take advantage of that free pastry. It would end up costing me in the long run, as I would probably have to invest in some new pants! Let's just say that if I were going for a pastry it would be the lemon bar! What would you get?

Later...

I can't wait to put my feet in that sand!

Projects

I am not crafty, I mean like, NOT AT ALL! I have gotten into the habit of reading blogs of some of the most creative, crafty people. I can't say I am actually inspired, more like bummed out that I don't have "it". My problem is, I know what I want, or what is super cute. I just don't have any idea how to take something old and make it new again. These girls take stuff that looks like complete trash and they turn it into a treasure. I have a dresser that has been sitting in my garage for 4 years. I have 2 bookshelves in my classroom that need a fresh coat of paint. I have some dining room chairs that need to be recovered. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Lucky for me, my mom is very crafty and it looks like my daughter has inherited that gene. So, between the 2 of them, I guess I don't really NEED to be, huh?

Fabulous 4th

Wishing you all of the food, family, and fun you can stand for a FAB 4th!

No Words...

Well...a few. If you know me, I am rarely speechless. I made these peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate genache frosting. I am taking them to a get together of some girls I work with. As you can see, I just HAD to sample one first. WOWZA, they are as good as they look (maybe better)! I was inspired to bake cupcakes because I bought the coolest cupcake tote. In this pic you can see that the cover snaps right on to the muffin pan. The red tray you see above sits on top of the pan. That is, only if you are taking all your cupcakes to the party. I am being a nice wife and leaving a few here for the hubby. The kids are both gone to summer camps, so he will be home alone with these cupcakes. Come to think of it, I better hide a couple so I can have them tomorrow with my coffee. These were so good, I am going to start making more cupcakes. I hope I get invited lots of places, cause I DO NOT need all these yummy treats laying around the house.

Shiny Teeth & Sparkly Toes

I have NEVER been afraid of the dentist. Lately though, I dread going. No reason, just hate going. My dentist however is pure genius. She has a girl that will give you a pedi while you get your teeth cleaned. Sounds weird, I know, but let me just say that it totally takes my mind off the fact that I hate the dentist. I should say I hate GOING to the dentist because clearly, my dentist rocks. The girls in her office are also so much fun, even without the perk of a pedi, but my turquoise toes don't hurt (and neither did the exam).

Pardon the scrape on the top of my foot, the result of spending the weekend at my uncle's pool. Apparently I was a little over-zealous in the kicking department and scraped my foot on the bottom of the pool.