The King of Pop

Michael Jackson has died today. I wasn't a fan of his in recent years and there was no denying that he was a very strange individual. However, I will never forget today. There are only two other celebrities that, when they died, I still remember exactly where I was and how the news hit me--Princess Di and Selena; Michael is the other. The guy was an undeniable musical genius.

Boring?

I think it's time to re-vamp my blog. I see tons of other cutesy, personalized blogs out here in cyberspace but I'm usually left scratching my head wondering how they do it. Right now I find the overall appearance of my corner of the cyber world boring. I'll make this my new project as soon as we get back from Vacation #2 next week. Iowa pictures soon to come!

My Next Meal...

Will be this--Pesto Tortellini

" You can make this delicious meal in 30 minutes. That means you can feed a hungry crowd a home cooked meal and still spend the day at the pool or on the beach! If you are so inclined, grill up some steak or chicken to accompany the tortellini, but with with some fresh bread and a nice wine it's perfect alone. A nice crisp Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc will pair well with the pesto."

Ingredients:

* 2 packages (9 ounces each) refrigerated cheese tortellini
* 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
* 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
* 1 small garlic clove, crushed with garlic press
* 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, each cut in half or into quarters if large

Directions:

1. In saucepot, prepare tortellini in boiling water as label directs. Drain tortellini, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Return tortellini to saucepot.

2. In blender, combine basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and reserved pasta cooking water and blend until mixture is smooth, stopping blender occasionally and scraping down sides with rubber spatula.

3. Add basil mixture and tomatoes to tortellini; toss until evenly mixed.

4. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese and pine nuts


Preparation Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 25 min.
Serves 6

(Recipe found via poshmama.com)

Headed Home

That's right. We're currently somewhere in Kansas headed back to Texas. It was a wonderful visit and our last evening was spent watching my cousin, Tanya's son, Trenton's t-ball game followed by a great steak meal at The Open Flame in Gilbert.

It was cool--the novelty is that you cook your own steak. Good times, good food! Earlier in the week, Robert and I had stumbled on a bar in the Campustown part of Ames called Capone's and loved everything about it. We found out that Wednesday nights are their karaoke nights so we headed there from The Open Flame and Tanya met us up there.

I think this was probably our best trip Iowa to date. I'm so happy to have been able to spend time with the fam and see the sights. I mentioned in my last blog that we took a ton of pictures so my next task will involve uploading and posting them to my blog.

Up next: Father's Day!

Iowa (Part I)

We've been here since Friday and I am having a wonderful time!

Iowa is where I spent many happy childhood summers and tonight I'm remembering why. Cool, breezy nights, ball games, trips to Starbuck's fast food for legendary cheese balls, and hotdog roasts at my grandma's house to name a few.

I'll post pictures when we get home--we've taken a ton--as I can't wait to share my adventures. Today we walked the Iowa State campus, loaded up on new ISU gear, had supper at my cousin's house in Gilbert and went to watch her daughter, Taylor play softball.
I wish we could stay longer. It's so great that the boys have cousins close in age to them and when they get together, it's like they pick up where they left off; they don't miss a beat.

Well, we're in a theatre about to watch a movie so I guess I'm gonna end this blog for now. Pictures coming soon!

Foodie

I love food. I've always said that I could never have anorexia because I love food too much to not eat. That being said, I think I own a million cookbooks--I buy them all the time--but am sad to say that they just don't get much use. We are NEVER home because we lead a very busy life. The boys are involved in their activities which keep us busy and with The Hubs being the one-man Sports Editor for a newspaper that covers every sport for 8 schools in the county, there's always an activity that keeps us away from home.

I found a great website with some beautiful recipes for Mozzarella cheese. I love Mozzarella (and Ricotta and Feta and Cheddar, etc.)! I like to read my friend, Amii's blog because she frequently posts pictures of the meals she cooks and they all look amazing. Anyway, silly entry but I just felt like throwing in my two cents about food. Now... let's eat!

A Little Slip

Yep, I put my foot in my mouth. We've all done it. Thursday I was helping a friend at her restaurant (waitressing). She owns a little mom-n-pop cafe in a small town and Thursday's special was calf fries. For those who genuinely don't know, calf fries are what I refer to as "bull balls". Anyway, I have slogan a t-shirt that I wore for the occasion that reads Pine Inch Nenis. Flip around some letters and you'll get it. I was waiting on a table full of cowboys who brought the owner her bull balls and as I was re-filling their sweet tea, I got to the last cowboy and asked, "Would you like a top off?" There was a very awkward silence and no sooner had the words come out of my mouth and I realized what I'd said so I quickly followed it with, "Of your tea!" I probably wouldn't have been so humiliated but given the fact that I am pretty well endowed, it definitely came out all wrong. I laughed it off and they were nice enough to do the same.

Summertime!

I am really looking forward to summer as I do every year. As of tomorrow, I will officially have a first grader and... a middle schooler (7th grade)! We have many exciting things planned in the coming months and the first of our adventures starts Friday. The hubby and I are headed to our favorite Texas city, Austin for a weekend getaway--okay, okay, so he'll be working while we're there. Regardless, it's a time to get out of the confines of the DFDub, work on my tan at the UT track, hit my favorite hot spots (Coyote Ugly and Mesa Rosa top the list) and of course, visit the Capitol building.

We're also taking the first of two family vacations next Friday. The hubs, the boys and I are driving to Iowa with my mom to visit her side of the family and I couldn't be more excited! We haven't been there since my youngest was a baby and I am so happy to get to see everyone. The hubs has never been to Iowa so we have a lot that we're planning to do and see. I really need to get better about posting pictures on this blog. Speaking of pictures, Son Number One--one as in firstborn--had a photo shoot yesterday with a good family friend who happens to be the photographer at the paper where the hubs is employed and I can't wait to post the pictures! My child and a group of his skateboard buddies headed to the old Intermediate school where they frequently sail down stair sets and sidewalks and Joe did a fantastic job capturing the moments. It's summertime, ya'll, and I LOVE it!