Summer days....

Zoo-time

Fun outside

Picnics in the Park

Cucumbers from the garden

Long days of outside fun....early unexpected naps on the couch...

Handstands with friends...

Backyard sh-mores

Bavarian-fest

Pre-haircut breakfast at Panera

Mac loves baby Snow white

Syracuse Chiefs Game

Ice cream with sprinkles!

Beach time at Yaman Beach Park

Playdates with Pre-school friends

German Chocolate Cake Bars

Recipe from Paula Deen

Crust:
1 box devil's good cake mix (not the kind with pudding added)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg

Filling:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free and it was fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened coconut)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (I used non-stick cooking spray).
In a medium bowl, mix together the cake mix, butter and egg, and press into the bottom of the prepared pan. The crust should not come up the sides. Bake for 7 minutes and remove from the oven. The crust will not look done.
While the crust is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg, pecans and coconut. Pour evenly over the warm crust and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips. Bake for 24-30 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Homemade Tomato Salsa

We put in a huge garden this year. By huge, I mean, HUGE. Fifteen plus tomato plants...twelve or so pepper plants of all varieties green, yellow, red, jalapeno, some red popper thingy (it's hot), banana peppers, onions, herbs, lettuce, celery, beans, squash, zucchini, pumpkins, asparagus etc. Although our garden is big, it can also be very, very simple. My friend Kristeen couldn't have used a better way to describe her garden. She has what they call a "salsa garden", as in they only plant stuff they can use in salsa...so innovative. Well, we have a much larger "salsa" garden, and now that our garden is starting to produce fresh veggies, we are planning many of our daily meals around the excessive amounts of produce from our garden.

This summer has been a hot and humid one. We've been eating lighter meals and dips just to carry us over from meal to meal, since our typical meat and potato dinners are too heavy. Since I've never made salsa before, and we had the ingredients on hand, I decided to make some. There is nothing like FRESH, chunky salsa to remind you of summer! More importantly I know what is going into this salsa (all fresh ingredients), and can regulate the amount of salt and oil used in the dish. Gotta love home cooking any day over store bought, processed foods. Yuck! Plus, it's good for you! How can you be mad at yourself for shoveling eating large amounts of this FRESH, veggie salsa. It's just what the doctor ordered for a healthy heart and mind!

Summer Tomato Salsa

 Doesn't that look so good!?

Ingredients
1 medium red onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
4 large ripe tomatoes
1-2 hot peppers (whatever you have on hand)
2-3 tablespoons of cilantro
2 tablespoons of lime juice
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 bell pepper
1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Chop up ingredients, it's okay if it's not perfect, it's gonna be chunky anyway!

*Side note: I've noticed you can do one of two things to your veggies, one you can leave them fresh OR I've also read that you can saute them to bring out more flavor. Either way, it'll be delicious.

Combine veggies with lime juice, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours so flavors blend.
Enjoy with chips!


I think hope by the end of summer we will be doing a whole lot of jarring for the winter months!! That'll be a process in itself with a two and four year old running around who want to help. Can't wait!

New Family Pics- Sunflower Power!

There is something about a sunflower that makes me smile. There is something about acres and acres of sunflowers that make me forget about all the craziness of life. Our photographer Carla, from Carla's Candids captured our girls and family perfectly! I can't stop smiling when I see these pictures. I love them!

It's like riding a bike...

McKenzie is riding a bike. My little girl. A bike. Yep, I'm crying now.

It didn't take her long to figure it out. The whole pushing down thing to accelerate forward was tough, I mean Mom and Dad aren't going to push you everywhere you go.... and, it was hilarious to watch her abruptly stop when she would try to pedal backwards because she didn't realize that's how you apply the brakes. I don't know what her obsession with pedaling backwards was, but apparently she felt the need.

She also made it perfectly clear to that now that she can ride a bike, she can go anywhere she wants at anytime. Today it was "I'm going to ride my bike to Gramma's house." In which I replied, "Go right ahead babe, maybe you'll make it for dinner."

It was a fun afternoon, and it gave us one of those special Mommy-Daddy-Kenzie moments that we don't get too much of now (Riley was snoozin' away).

She's growing up too fast, shit, she's riding a BIKE now!

See ya Mom! I'm off to Gramma's house!

Kenz wanted to see"college",...

...so we decided to take a day trip out to Cortland to visit campus. It's been almost a decade since we've been there. My last memories were of graduation, living at our house on Hill Street, and our friend Sean eating two month old chicken Alfredo that we left in the fridge after a long night of beverages. There are so many memories that were left on that campus, and simply put in the most cliche fashion were some of the "best years of my life." Most importantly,  it's where Tony and I met. Setting foot on campus brought back all the butterflies of first time orientation, college roommates, parties, endless walks, the fishbowl, and classes that made me the educator I am today.  I get so excited when one of my students mentions going to Cortland. I tell them, it's amazing there, you'll love it, and it seems like I'm right each time. 

Campus was exactly as we left it, except for the new buildings, renovations and construction everywhere....okay I guess it wasn't exactly as we remembered it, but it still had that same nostalgic feeling when we walked around. Nonetheless, the girls were super excited about sitting in the same classrooms where Tony and I both sat almost eleven years ago. 

Old Main

(love the finger shot, but for a 4 year old she did pretty well)

 Riley loved relaxing on the steps of Old Main

 One of the rare shots where I get a picture with the girls...usually I'm behind the lens

Tired Riley,...walking campus is hard work!

Wait, a rock to climb on? Game on! 

It was a great day! Next time, we're doing DP Dough...no exceptions. It's a Cortland thing....