And So It Begins

Fall is officially here. We miss long days and warm weather, but overall we're happy fall is here. Hudson returned to preschool full time and Hayden started day care.

Game Day

We took Hudson to a Mariners game last weekend. He lasted seven and a half innings. Not too shabby for his first ballgame outing.

Happy Girl

Out of guilt for not having nearly enough photos of Hayden, I took to the camera and snapped a few hundred photos of my girl.

Cowboy Up

We didn't make it to the Ellensburg rodeo, but we were there in spirit.

Howdy!

Happiness in a Bowl

Guess what arrived on my doorstep this weekend? Latte bowls from Anthropologie. I couldn't decide on a color so I bought two sets. We're having banana splits drenched in hot fudge every night. Hudson calls them hot split sundaes.

Tomato Goodness

We have an abundance of tomatoes in our house so were putting them to good use in Tomato Tarts. This recipe comes from Sunset magazine and it's a favorite among kids and adults.
Enjoy!

Tomato Tart

Makes 20 3-in. squares

Ingredients
7 sheets filo dough, thawed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
7 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup very thinly sliced onion
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/8-in.-thick slices. Make sure to use a sharp knife.
1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade or thyme
Salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray paper with cooking spray. Lay 1 sheet filo on paper and brush lightly with a little melted butter. Sprinkle all over with 1 tbsp. parmesan. Repeat layering 5 more times (with filo, butter, and parmesan), pressing each sheet firmly so it sticks to sheet below. Lay the last filo sheet on top, brush with remaining melted butter, and sprinkle on remaining 1 tbsp. parmesan.

Scatter onion across filo, top with mozzarella, and arrange tomato slices in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Salt and pepper to taste.
Bake until filo is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with basil. Cool 5 minutes, then serve.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Literally, my kids screamed the entire way to Wallingford. The cell phone was ringing off the hook (unreachable in the backseat of the car), Miss Hayden was whaling and Hudson had his hands over his ears. Priceless.

That said, we stumbled upon the most delicious ice cream at the Wallingford farmers market - strawberry rhubarb. We had to try an ice cream bar because it was double dipped in chocolate. We'll definitely return next week to try another one of Whidbey Island Ice Cream Company's yummy flavors. I have my eye on vanilla lavender.

Hayden's Crib

Let's Race!

We're back from vacation. We biked, boated, and ate well....

Good Food

Who knew adding cream cheese to bruschetta would be so good! Hudson calls these "appletizers"! We picked up a few of the tomatoes at Lake Cavanaugh Farms. They have the most delicious produce.

















Bruschetta
6 roma tomatoes or two large tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced fat cream cheese
1 baguette

Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices on the diagonal. Brush bread with olive oil. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. Smear each slice with cream cheese. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices.

Funny Things a Three Year Old Says at Dinner

Hudson: Mom, can I have more milk?
Mom: Wow, you're thirsty!

Hudson: Because I need to grow up.

Hudson: Do you like Dad?

Mom: Sometimes...kidding. I didn't say that, but maybe I was thinking it. ; )

Hudson: Hee hee, yes, you do because you're married.

Mom: Do you know what married means?

Hudson: Hee hee. You love each other. More laughs.

Calling All Super Heros

This little boy celebrated his third birthday in style - cape and all.