Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Soooo ready for 2nd grade!


2nd grade, one of my favorites from my nine years at St. Bridget's Catholic School in River Falls, WI. They were all pretty good, and I've told Natalie that 3rd grade was probably my favorite. So I will tell her more about it next year. 
As Natalie gets ready for school this year, I begin to get excited for the year she is about to begin. She is excited about her teacher even though she will miss her 1st grade teacher. Ms. Hackbart was great! She is happy she has a few of her BFFs in her class. 
Here's to a fantastic second grade year! Second Grade Rocks!! 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

ShE iS SEvEn

Natalie enjoys birthdays and she seemed to really feel that turning 7 was something special. She enjoyed a birthday dinner at Olive Garden complete with a chocolate mint dessert with candle.

She also had a great time at her friend birthday party at Paintin' Pottery or Bead It in De Pere.

She ended with a fantastic family party in her honor at our house. We all needed a nap in Sunday!!





Saturday, March 9, 2013

Supporting St. Baldrick's Foundation

Crazy hair day helped West De Pere Elementary Schools raise over $6,000 for St. Baldrick's Foundation.



Saturday, March 2, 2013

BayNordic Youth Ski Race

Natalie finished her second year of BayNordic Youth Ski Club today with the annual race at the Reforestation Camp. She skied her 1k loop in near perfect conditions with a smile on her face. This year she has improved her uphill climbs, not an easy task.

I helped coach the 3 & 4 year olds this year and enjoyed being out on the trails helping them learn a great lifestyle.







Veggies, veggies, veggies

We enjoyed a fantastic all veggie lasagna and some would say the process was fun. We had quite the assembly process but it was all worth it. See the recipe below, our ingredients turned out to be a few more zucchini and tomatoes. Enjoy.

The Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 egg
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp fresh grated Parmesan
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Fontina, Romano and Asiago)
1 large bunch fresh spinach
3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

equipment:
4 mini loaf pans

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Cut off stem end of the zucchini. Using a mandolin, vegetable peeler or a sharp knife cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8 - inch thick slices. Quickly blanch the zucchini in the salted water, about 1-2 minutes. Drain the zucchini ribbons and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 cloves of garlic, onions and mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms and onions are tender, 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, remaining garlic, egg, oregano, parsley and basil until well combined.

Gather all of the ingredients to assemble the lasagna.

Lightly oil the each of the four loaf pans. In the bottom of each mini loaf pan, layer 2-3 ribbons of zucchini, completely covering the bottom. Top with a layer of 6-8 spinach leaves, and 3-4 slices of tomato. Spread about 3 Tbsp of the ricotta mixture over the vegetables and sprinkle with about 3 Tbsp of shredded cheese.

Spoon a thin layer of the mushroom and onion mixture on top of the cheeses. Top with a layer of tomato sauce. Repeat all of the layers. Finish with a layer of 2-3 zucchini ribbons, 3-4 slices of tomato and a generous sprinkling of shredded cheese.

Cover each of the mini lasagna loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Allow the lasagnas to cool for 5 to 10 minute prior to serving.




Thursday, February 28, 2013

Happy Anniversary

Nine years of wedded bliss, married to the love of my life. Remembering the wonderful day we celebrated our marriage and looking forward to many more wonderful memories.





I'm cocoa for you

Happy Heart Day from Natalie!

Thank you Pinterest for the great idea.