What's For Dinner?

There are some nights I hate that question.  Tonight was not that night.  I am attempting to link up with Lyndsie over at A Love Worth Waiting For ... she is hosting Monday's Meals.  If my pasta bake doesn't make your mouth water, go over there and find something that will.  And, if you haven't checked out her blog yet, go.  Go now.  You won't be sorry.

In the Spring I discovered this little gem.  Revolutionary.  My family actually got dinner again.  Don't judge.  I teach Kindergarten people!  (I am so making that into a shirt.)  Then I discovered that there was a sequel.  *Hallelujah!*  This recipe comes from the sequel.  Dean and Torrey love it ... and, trust me they are a tough crowd.

So, shall we cook?  And, to delight you, there are pictures.  Please don't get too excited ... I'm no Pioneer Woman.

Start with some bowtie pasta ... if you want to be fancy you can call it farfalle.  Cook to package directions.

Brown some meat ... and ignore the dog biscuits on the counter.

Add some spaghetti sauce.  I do not make my own sauce ... because Ragu can make it so much better.  My go to sauce is the Chunky Ragu with tomato, garlic and onion.

Melt some cream cheese and milk in the microwave.  Whisk it smooth when it is soft.

Add some parmesan cheese and sour cream.  The recipe also calls for bell pepper ... add if you want.  I do not add it because my family liking what I cook is my goal.

Pour the cream cheese, milk, parmesan cheese and sour cream mixture in the bottom of an 9x9 greased casserole dish.

Then pour the cooked bowtie pasta over the top.  Do not mix.

Then top with the spaghetti sauce and meat mixture.  I put mozzarella cheese on the top tonight.  You could also put just parmesan cheese.  You pick.

Bake it.  I throw some frozen garlic bread in near the end.  Our favorite these days is ciabatta garlic cheese bread.  

And there you have it ... somewhere in that terrible lighting is a delicious dinner.  Add a salad and it is as easy as pie ... that is if you buy your pie from the farm stand like I do!  Enjoy!

Beef Pasta Bake

(Don't Panic More Dinner's in the Freezer)

2 C. bowtie pasta, uncooked

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 t. garlic salt

3 C. spaghetti sauce

6 oz. cream cheese, cubed

2/3 C. milk

1/2 C. sour cream

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3/4 C. grated parmesan cheese, divided

*I crossed through all the things I omit.  I am all for easy. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook bowtie pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.  Brown beef, onion, and garlic until beef is no longer pink; drain.  Add spaghetti sauce and garlic salt; simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and milk.  Microwave 1-2 minutes stirring once.  Stir with whisk until blended.  Stir in sour cream, green pepper, and 1/2 C. parmesan cheese.  Place cream cheese mixture in lined 9x9 casserole dish.  Spread cooked pasta on top of cream cheese mixture.  Top with beef mixture and remaining 1/4 C. parmesan cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, covered.  Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more, until bubbly.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Let me start by saying that Torrey has been working extremely hard in school this year.  She always does her best, but, this year she has especially shown us what she is made of.  Little girl has volleyball until 5:30 (or later on game days) every day and then comes home to a mountain of homework.  Church, school, volleyball, homework.  There hasn't been time for anything else.

And, she doesn't complain.  Which, along with the fact that she wouldn't touch chocolate until she was about 10, really makes me question if she was switched at birth.  Because, trust me, I would be complaining.  But, that is another post.

Remember when we talked about her going to Rush Week in July?  (Rush Week for a refresher is our church's mission trip/camp for teens.)  Remember how they drove home with more than 30% of the kids sick?  Remember how Torrey was one of those sick kids?  Remember how the sickness would. not. go. away?

Well, the day after they got home was Sunday.  And, on that Sunday you could pre-register for the next year.  Torrey reminded us several times to sign her up for the next year.  From her death sick bed.  She was. not. going. to. miss. it.  Even if it meant a repeat of the Rush Week sickness.

They took all the kids who pre-registered before September 1st and put them in a drawing for a really cool prize.  Guess who won?  Guess what she won?

Our tech-loving girl won herself an iPad.  She was beaming when she came to see us in church ... which caused us to beam for her, too!  

We were excited for her.  OK ... and, a little excited for ourselves because we have been wondering what the hype is all about.  But, mostly for her.  She has been working so hard, striving to please Christ, wanting so much to please us and we love this sweet little blessing for her.

We Have a Bit of a Frog Problem

Or, perhaps I should say a dog problem.  Or, better yet a dog AND frog problem.  The dogs love, love, love it when they discover a frog in the yard.  Zackie is notorious for swiping his paw across the poor critter's head to make it jump.  And, when it jumps?  Zoey pounces.  Which causes the frog to stop.  And Zackie to swipe.  See the pattern?

I think they are disgusting.  I about had a nervous breakdown the other night when I opened the door to let the dogs out and a frog hopped in.  In the house.  Shudder.  

But, fortunately, Dean comes to my rescue.  Every time.  Except for the time he was in Baton Rouge and I had to catch a frog and carry it through the house to throw it in the front yard.  Yes, through the house.  Again, shudder.  And, sadly, I will admit I begged that frog not to jump out his entire journey through the house.  Our story has a happy ending because he listened.

Anywhooo, I tell you all that to tell you this.  Or rather, show you this.  The other night I let Zoey out and she made a bee-line for a known frog hangout in the back yard.  (If you must know ... the french drains are great for not only keeping our back yard non-soggy, but also for breeding frogs.  Who knew?)  She was messing around and I knew there was something so I went to see.  Then went inside for a flashlight.  And, this is what I saw ...

... go ahead and click on it to enlarge it.  I'll wait.  You really don't have to imagine my panicked screams to Dean.  And, then I made him wait to rescue the little bugger while I got my camera.  You are welcome.

Poor little guy was quite wedged.  Hopefully his frog friends all learned a lesson and began their move to our neighbor's back yards.  

A"salt"ed

It was just one of those days.  It had to be to explain what happened to me when I went to get the salt the other night ...

That's right.  I was a"salt"ed.  Sadly, Dean said it had happened to him earlier in the week.  Even sadder ... I stopped him when he appeared with the vacuum to clean up the mess.  Because it was absolutely blogworthy.

Apparently it is a sickness.  Perhaps it should be called "blogworthyitis".  And, I've definitely got it!

Game Day ... Finally!

You have heard me lament (over and over) about Torrey's ankle injury.  And, if you haven't ... welcome to the blog!  Please know that I brought up her injury again and again because it was horrible for her to have to sit on the bench during games.  She desperately wanted to be playing on the court!

Well, Thursday was finally the day ... game day!  And, she was back in the rotation.  And, since it was an away game I was given permission to take pictures

Back in and ready to go.  She said at first she was a little nervous because it had been so long ... but it didn't take her long to get into the "swing" of things.  (Sometimes I crack myself up!)

Ready for the ball ... and she made it over!  We weren't surprised though ... luckily she didn't get her volleyball skills from me ... which means she can play!

Torrey and her friend, Susie, waiting for their side to serve.  I'm not sure why they did this, but they did it during every serve.

Our cute #8 waiting to play.  And, you must know she was ...

THRILLED to be back on the court!

The Eagles did not pull out a win, however, for us, the victory was in seeing Torrey back on the court and doing something she really enjoys!  

It Was the Worst Day Ever

Yesterday.  I will not miss you.  

Let's start at the very beginning, shall we.  There was a stomach bug going around Kindergarten.  A very FAST moving stomach bug.  Need I say more?

I had one looking sickly for much of the day.  Another one with a very sore throat.  And a third that was looking healthy for most of the day.

Let me stop here and say that somewhere in the middle of the day I thought I had better get my flu shot.  

Let me continue by saying I may have been a day late.  Dern.

Anyways, as we walked in from the playground one friend from another kinder class started to throw up AS MY CLASS WALKED BY.  Do I need to say that it caused a bit of a chain reaction?

Well, it did.  

And, in the words of one of my friends, "THAT was disgusting!"

And it was and that is all I am going to say about the worst day ever.

What Are You Reading?

This week I have read or am in the middle of reading some books that have caused me to go "hmmmm".  And, I love that.  Because when I read something I want it to linger with me for far longer than the time it takes me to actually read it.

I read this book to my class ... and I know I caused them to think I was a bit crazy when I started to cry.  It is the story of a Masai tribe in Kenya who hears of the attacks on our country on September 11th.  To the Masai, the cow "is life".  They asked a diplomat from the American embassy to come and talk to their elders.  When he got there he was shocked to find that this wasn't an ordinary meeting ... it was a celebration.  The Masai tribe told the diplomat how sad they were for what happened to our country and they just wanted him to know they were sorry.  They then played the "Star Spangled Banner" and when the diplomat wept so did the tribe.  They then gave 14 cows to our country.  Their best.  Today in the middle of the village is a pen with our country's cows ... which now number 35.

The Masai people are known as mighty and fierce warriors, however they are quick to show kindness and compassion to help right a wrong.  May we all be like the Masai people ... ready to give our best when we see someone in need.

(Warning ... this book WILL make you cry!)

On the morning of May 22, 2008 we woke to the terrible news that Maria Sue Chapman had been killed in a terrible accident.  I wept.  For a stranger girl.  I could not imagine the pain this sweet family has endured.  They have chosen to allow God to be glorified ... and He has.   

I have woken up in the middle of the night with the Chapman children's names on my heart.  God is like that ... when we need Him most He calls an army to surround us.  Maria would have started Kindergarten that next year and I carry her with me each day ... because I don't know how many days my littles have ... I just want to make sure each one counts for Jesus.

I read this book in half a day.  I.  Could.  Not.  Put.  It.  Down.  

Warning ... this book WILL make you cry!

And, finally, I am rereading Book one in The Zion Chronicles series.  Israel is on the verge of becoming a state.  The scrolls have been discovered after being hidden for 2,000 years (coincidence?  I don't think so!)  Great Britain is about to pull out of Israel leaving the Grand Mufti in charge.  Oh, and there has been a lock down on the Old City.  

I have been to Israel (twice!).  My parents are currently there.  The names of the places aren't just faraway spots to me ... they are real and I can picture them in my head.  Sadly, the struggle that is occurring for Israel in the book continues today.  Happily, we know the ultimate ending.  Oh Glorious Day!

And, there you have it ... what are you reading?