Dress That Mama

Style, by lauren, October 1, 2014, 11 Replies

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Happy first day of October — my favorite month! How beautiful is this fall weather?!! We have been experiencing some really warm, sunny days around these parts, which means we still have all the summer stuff out, but no one is complaining because we all know how it is when February rolls around…

Really liking the look of head scarves these days, especially on those messy hair days. This one is on my wish list!

I’m off to help out on Milo’s class trip to a local farm with apples and pumpkins, and I can’t wait. Have a beautiful day!

Grilled Chicken with Cheesy Linguine

Food, by lauren, September 30, 2014, 2 Replies

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Lately we’ve been soaking up every ounce of outside time we can manage. It’s not all that different from summer yet, other than the fact that the sun seems to be sneaking away sooner and sooner. Andrew is still happily grilling away many nights of the week. If you are too, here’s an easy recipe for you!

Grilled Chicken with Cheesy Linguine and Steamed Broccoli 

Ingredients

  • 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled (we marinate them in Newman’s Own Family Style Italian dressing for an hour or two before grilling)
  • 1 pkg. fresh (or dry) egg linguine, cooked
  • 2 stalks broccoli
  • 6 oz Havarti cheese, shredded
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt & pepper to taste

First, grill chicken. While it cooks, start the cheese sauce; melt butter in large saucepan and add garlic, just cooking until fragrant, stirring. Add cream, continue stirring. Once hot, add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt & pepper and cook over lowest heat, stirring occasionally while you prep broccoli. You want to keep simmering until the sauce is nice and thick, then you can shut off the heat.

Wash and cut broccoli florets off of tough stems. Steam over boiling water, just two minutes or so, just until broccoli turns bright green but is still somewhat crunchy. Set aside.

Depending on your family’s eating habits, you can stir the broccoli into the cheese sauce or just serve it all separately (we have some picky eaters who gasp at the thought of food actually touching, so we do it separately).

Serve on a bed of hot linguine; sliced grilled chicken, broccoli, and cheese sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if you’re like me!

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And serve it like this, if you’re like Oliver!

Weekend Shenanigans

Family, by lauren, September 29, 2014, 1 Reply

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What a great weekend! With birthday parties and days filled with friends and beautiful weather, we couldn’t have asked for more from this last weekend of September. After such a lovely, mild summer, we haven’t been able to believe our luck with the continued string of sunny, warm days. The leaves are just starting to change around here; the air is cool and crisp in the early morning and warm and sunny in the afternoon. It’s nice to ease into a season rather than getting pummeled by it!DSC_0005DSC_0007

This Saturday we celebrated our friends Brian and Jamie and their feisty red-haired almost-two-year-old daughter (and Andrew brought them his signature label hard cider from our apple tree plus the home brew from last month). We have become closer and closer to these friends over the past couple of years. They live in a beautiful wooded area with lots of room to run; needless to say, our boys love visiting. Oh, and the trampoline. Every kid’s dream come true! DSC_0036DSC_0052DSC_0067DSC_0108DSC_0118DSC_0150DSC_0160DSC_0166DSC_0172DSC_0173

There was plenty of fun and crying (the two go hand-in-hand). So thankful for a lovely day!DSC_0178DSC_0181DSC_0182DSC_0187

And we packed in plenty of productivity this weekend. I managed to clean up our fall vegetable garden and pulled the plants that just weren’t making it (sorry tomatoes and eaten-up kale!) to make room for the lettuces and what’s left of our carrots and beets. It wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be. There’s a cathartic feeling to getting rid of the old and decayed, making room for the new; seeing the soil underneath and adding compost before everything lies dormant and covered with snow in a few months. DSC_0249

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Andrew volunteered nearly 4 hours to build a compost bin for the boys’ school while I watched the boys on the grounds. We explored every nook and cranny; all three were so eager to show me their stomping grounds, including the hideouts in the woods, the chicken coop and run, and the fields and playground they have made theirs. DSC_0257DSC_0263DSC_0276

They fed tomatoes and berries to the chickens, marveling at the one with only one eye; a kind teacher allowed me to take three of the fresh eggs home with us. It was such a good, good day. DSC_0010And more riches from home; the apples that just keep coming. That single tree in our tiny side yard, who would have thought it would produce so much wonderful fruit? The basket above weighed in at just over 17 lbs, most of which was happily eaten up by the neighborhood children by 6pm. A bowl with a sign “Please take us home!” did the trick… now if only that would work for Halloween!

I hope your weekend was filled with happiness!