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the bird and the bug.

i had to laugh at the kind man who thought the girls were dressed as a bird and a bug when we stopped to trick-or-treat at his house.  to be more specific, C was dressed as a "beautiful butterfly."  anytime you asked her what she was going to be for halloween and that's the answer you would get.  not just a butterfly, but a beautiful butterfly.  and miss L was dressed as an owl, C's costume from last year.  likely my favorite costume we've had thus far as it's warm and cozy.

they both had a grand time walking around the neighborhood in the dark and gathering loot.  specifically m&ms.  and somehow, L scored more candy that C.  i think we have enough candy to last us until we head out again next year.

and those pumpkins?  the hard labor of my dear husband, father-in-law and sister-in-law last night.  like three hours of carving.  the girls were thrilled this morning to wake up and find them sitting on the dining room table.  you can't go wrong with elmo, grover, a spider and a scaredy cat.

halloween dance.

C absolutely loves dance class.  LOVES.  well, that is after she's fully awake post-nap and we've taken care of the grumpiness of having to quickly get ready for class.  she's now preparing for her recital in december where she's standing smack dab in the center of her group.  it's sure to be entertaining!

last week, her class "performed" this special halloween dance for all of the parents at the end of class.  definitely more of a treat than a trick! 

menu plan monday : 10.24.11

i swear... why didn't i move my cookbooks downstairs sooner?  hello easy meal planning with all my resources nearby!  a little later than normal posting this week's menu plan as i was working on planning for this weekend as well as we'll be having house guests. 

monday : pasta + bacon in smoky tomato sauce.  yes, we usually eat meatless on monday but we're having a meatless meal this weekend and really this meal just has a few slices of bacon in it so i'm calling it good.  this one is from my "to try" binder.  and perfect as i have everything on hand and didn't make a grocery run today.

tuesday : blts.  we received romaine and two tomatoes in our last csa box of the season.  a perfect way to put them both to use!  sianara summer.

wednesday : braised chicken with butternut squash and cranberries.  i have three squash in my pantry from csa boxes that need to be used.  i specifically pulled this recipe from a past issue of everyday food for further inspiration to put them to use besides just roasting them.  (i'm linking to someone else that has tried it as the recipe isn't available on their site.)

thursday : cherry tomato + ravioli soup.  one of our favorite soups and super easy.  a perfect dish to welcome the girls' aunt cuckoo who will be arriving right at dinner time.  although the girls aren't big soup eaters, it's perfect as the pieces are large enough to just serve to them without any broth necessary.

friday : pizza. loved hearing from a friend that she tried my pizza crust recipe last week and that it was a success.  so easy + you'll never buy a premade crust or mix again!

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last week's new recipe reviews

tomato + olive penne.  good!  was glad that i was able to snag the leftovers for myself for lunch the next day.  would definitely make again.

tortilla soup.  underwhelming.  i know other people have better recipes for this - if you do, let me know!  will definitely not make this one again.

chili-spiced braised beef with green beans.  the girls didn't seem to be big fans.  i thought it was okay.  andy of course thought it was amazing.  you definitely need the squeeze of lime and basil on top to make the flavors pop.  will keep the recipe around since he liked it so much.

coming together.

the kitchen.  oh yes, it's still a work in progress.  all of the cabinets are painted and now it's just putting on hardware and doors.  right now, it's a about half complete.  but i'm loving the new pulls.  and surprisingly, the girls haven't gotten into any of the cabinets that don't have doors on them. 

still on the agenda after doors and hardware?  tiling the backsplash and repainting the accent wall.  my goal is everything done by thanksgiving.  fingers crossed.

pumpkin popsicles.

today was a jammie day at our house.  after a week filled of activities and running here and there it was heavenly to not have a single thing on our schedule.  so we stayed in our pajamas.  and played leisurely.  and post-nap the girls had pumpkin popsicles as a treat.

i love our zoku.  i got it for myself this summer as a birthday gift from the girls.  and considering i make the popsicles and they enjoy them it's a win/win situation.  making treats with better for you ingredients is a good thing.  a few weeks ago, i decided to get crafty with them and made faces on their popsicles with fruit leather.  clever, right?  not so much when the resident 3 year old cries hysterically because she's "hurting the guy."  aka the face on her popsicle as it disapears.  so we can't do faces anymore.  so today i found some many cutters in my stash that included a pumpkin.  or a "punkin" as L likes to call them.  and i had two happy girls. 

orange juice + grape fruit leather = a perfect afternoon pick me up.  i love that although L's eyes aren't open, i know it's because she was laughing hysterically at her big sister as they sat at the table enjoying their treat.  love those girls.

menu plan monday : 10.17.11.

this weekend, i had three things on andy's to-do list.  one was moving a cabinet that i keep all of my cookbooks in down to the dining room.  it has been on the second floor since we bought it when we moved in and it was always a pain to go get something.  now, i feel it's not only more convenient, but it balances the room as well.  even if my husband thinks i'm a pain some times...  i loved being able to sit at the dining room yesterday and simply grab some of my favorite cookbooks to inspire this week's meal plan.

meatless monday : tomato + olive penne.  this screams simple.  as in the three main ingredients are in the title.  both of the girls love noodles and C thinks tomatoes are the greatest things ever so i have high hopes for this new recipe.

i've selected monday as a night of the week for our family to eat a meatless meal as it tends to be more budget friendly as well as a friendlier option for the environment. my meat and potato eating husband tends to go along with this idea because i also make him a yummy dessert in addition to his meatless meal. what can i say, i'm nice like that.

tuesday : tortilla soup.  andy's request for the week?  soup.  this is another new to us recipe but seems a perfect fit for the crisp fall weather that's moved in.

wednesday : chili-spiced braised beef with green beans. from last week's menu as we didn't get to it. but there were fresh beans in last week's CSA box so i'm excited to have plans for them beyond just the usual side dish.

thursday : salsa chicken.  sure you can serve it over rice, but over tortilla chips as nachos is a perfect comfort food type of meal.  and yes, a similar type of meal to tuesday, but it sounded so good i couldn't resist!

friday : pizza.

driving driving.

locally, in the summer there seems to be a festival each weekend in all of the surrounding towns.  and in the fall, each town seems to have their own fire station open house.  we've always had the intention of going to one since C was born and we finally made it happen yesterday.

except that C is still scarred for life from the event we attended last month where there were many a loud horns sounding.  and then there was this one.  the little sister who had to be evicted from the driver's seat of not one, but two fire trucks.  and still wanted to go back for more.  she was "driving, driving."

wishing that we hadn't arrived right before lunch as they were giving rides in the fire trucks as well but took some time off from it around the lunch hour.  free entertainment and an opportunity to say hello to the men and women that serve our area.  a perfect weekend activity.

wordless wednesday : new winter coat.

today the second new winter coat arrived after the first was deemed a size too small.

menu plan monday : 10.10.11.

i'm constantly puzzled by the people that will tell me they think i'm amazing for planning our weekly meals. so not the case. meal planning is EASY and it makes our evenings so much more enjoyable when i have a game plan for the week! we might switch what days we have what but when i have options and i already have everything on hand for our weekday meals - well, like i said, so much easier! no last minute trips to the store. no extra hassles. i grocery shop once a week and that's that.

here's what i'll be making this week :

meatless monday : peas + cheese tortellini. didn't get this made last week so it's back on the menu for tomorrow.

i've selected monday as a night of the week for our family to eat a meatless meal as it tends to be more budget friendly as well as a friendlier option for the environment. my meat and potato eating husband tends to go along with this idea because i also make him a yummy dessert in addition to his meatless meal. what can i say, i'm nice like that.

tuesday : leftovers. andy and i did a tag team effort of a make-it-up-as-we-go-along beef fajitas. they were amazing! fresh tomatillo salsa with ingredients from our csa box and lots of peppers from the crisper that needed to be used asap. looking forward to having them again!

wednesday : thai chile peanut meatballs. i haven't made these in awhile and a friend mentioned seeing my recipe last week and it also happens to be andy's only request for the week. a super easy one to throw together while the girls are eating breakfast.

thursday : chili-spiced braised beef with green beans. from the june issue of woman's day. i started getting this mag when metropolitan home went under. each month i end up pulling a recipe or two and haven't been disappointed yet. thinking i'll be trying this with stew meat as it'll be cheaper. especially if this will be in the crock-pot all day.

friday : pizza.

indian summer.

 

 

the weather this week has been amazing.  with highs in the 70s we've enjoyed heading outdoors after naps to soak up the last rays of sun.  before we know it, the snow will be here and we won't see our neighbors again until spring.

until then, this week we enjoyed play group at a new to us park, had ice cream with our favorite neighbor boy and decorated the driveway with an array of colorful scribbles.  we've had dinner late, had baths even later and this mama who likes to stick to a schedule has been okay with it.  because in a month or so, i'll be able to look back at these photos and remember that it was all worth it.