She Did It!

We have been having "Potty Time" semi-consistently for the last couple months with no results but tonight we had a prize (pee-pee)! I think it may have something to do with the switch up in reading material I gave her. Instead of the usual "Elmo Goes Potty" book, I gave her a magazine. "Coastal Living" did the trick!

The Parrot

Samantha has been like a little parrot lately. Depending on her mood, you can do the "Say this, Say that" game and she will play trying to pronounce the word's as best she can. It's cute the way she says some of the words. Here she is saying her name and Mommy's name.

Our Weekend

We ended the week with some bad news so we decided to turn it around and make our weekend special. On Saturday morning we got Samantha ready in her new summer outfit to go to Connor's 2nd birthday party. She really loved stomping around in her new sandals

Doesn't Samantha look grown up?

We didn't bring our camera to Connor's party but they did have a professional photographer there so stay tuned for more photos - until then I have a few from friends:

We had such a great time celebrating Connor's birthday.


Today we drove up to Solvang for a little get away.

We went to two wine tasting rooms that were both dog and kid friendly, Lucas & Lewellen Tasting Room and The Mandolina Tasting Room. They had kid areas set up so that the adults could shop and taste wine while the little one's play. How great is that?!


Samantha met two new friends


We of course had to have a little fun with the giant dutch clog:

We ended the day with caramel apples that were DELICIOUS! We are definitely going back very soon.

Samantha and Jak at Summerland Beach

Samantha's New Favorite Thing

Vanilla Shakes from In-and-Out (She cried when it was all gone!)

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese

I have been trying to introduce more vegetarian meals to our family dinners since learning about farmforward.com and because I have several friends who are vegetarian who I want to be able to accommodate when we make them dinner. The hard part has been finding a vegetarian recipe where my husband doesn't say, "This would be really good if it had grilled chicken."

I think I finally found a vegetarian meal that I think is a winner. Who doesn't love mac n' cheese? And with the addition of the carrot puree and using whole-wheat pasta, it is a healthier version of the traditional dish.

Make sure not to over do it on the cheddar because it will overpower the carrot flavoring which really makes this recipe unique. Also, rather than discarding all of the orange zest, leave a few bits in and include them in the puree to intensify the orange flavor. It makes a great main dish or serve it as a side.

Adapted From Food and Wine by Jeremy Fox

Ingredients

3/4 pound carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

Zest and juice of 1 navel orange, zest removed in strips with a vegetable peeler

Salt

3 cups penne rigate (9 ounces)

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

Freshly ground white pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots with the zest and juice and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until the carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes. Discard the zest. Transfer the carrots and any liquid to a blender and puree until very smooth.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.Return the pasta to the pot. Add the reserved water and the carrot puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is coated with a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in three-fourths of the cheese and cook, stirring, until very creamy, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and white pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a medium baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Grilled Orange Roughy With Italian Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is simple to make and tastes great. Orange Roughy is a light tasting white fish and I love that it didn't fall apart in my grill pan. And mashed potatoes without butter and cream are still good. I recommend seasoning the potatoes with a little parsley (Parmesan cheese would be good too). Serve with a side salad to round out the meal.

From Health Magazine
Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 24 minutes.
Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet, about 1 cup potatoes)

2 pounds cubed Yukon gold potatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 (6-ounce) orange roughy fillets
4 lemon wedges

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook 20 minutes or until very tender; drain. Cool, uncovered, 5 minutes. Return potatoes to pan, adding 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; mash to desired consistency. Keep warm.

2. Combine remaining salt, lemon zest, and rosemary in a small bowl; grind together with the back of a spoon until very well combined.

3. Preheat grill or grill pan.

4. Brush fillets with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil; rub evenly on all sides with salt mixture.

5. Grill 2 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and potatoes.