Picnic in the Park

We finally had a week where the temps were in the normal "summer" range, as opposed to 115 degree weather we had been living with.  So we decided to celebrate by having a picnic at a nearby state park.  It was so lovely to be outside in the fresh air.  Since it's been so hot this summer, we have spent far too much time inside, so we were all a little happy to be outside, or "side" as Lucy calls it!

I had packed us a dinner the night before and once we were off work, we all headed to the park.  We played at a small playground for awhile and then set a huge sheet on the ground in a shady area.  We feasted on a Quinoa and Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad, olives, chips and dip, and some lovely Peach Tomato and Mozzarella Crostinis.  They were delish!  And other than the occasional ant, it was perfect!

Once our bellies were full we headed home and played outside some more.  Plus, since all the work had been done the night before there was minimal clean up.  Now, that's my kind of night!  We finally (finally!) got Lucy to sleep and then I relaxed on the couch with a crisp glass of wine.  Oh, how I love summertime.

Swinging like a big girl!

So pretty!

Our feast

Eating up

Peach Tomato Mozzarella Crostini

Source:  Joy the Baker

Ingredients

1 baguette, sliced and toasted with olive oil

Fresh ripe peaches, sliced thin

Fresh garden tomatoes, sliced thin

Fresh mozzarella, patted dry and sliced thin

Fresh basil, sliced into thin strands

Salt and pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Directions

Top each toasted baguette with a slice of peach, tomato and mozzarella and then a second slice of peach.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top with basil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.  Enjoy!

Peach, basil, and brie cheese french bread pizza

Recently I made some french bread pizzas which were to die for!  I had seen this recipe for Peach, Basil and Brie Cheese pizza and thought it looked amazing!  However, I wasn't sure how that would fly with the rest of my little family.  So I also made a more "regular" pizza as well.  Pat wasn't a huge fan of the peach pizza....but oh my, I certainly was!  It was amazing!  The fresh peaches offered a juicy bite that was combined with soft and melty brie.  I could seriously live off of brie cheese!  And don't skimp on the balsamic reduction.  It is what truly brings this whole pizza together!

For our regular pizza I just used some pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, red onions, olives and bell peppers and cooked it the same way I did the peach pizza.  It was also delicious!  And the possibilities are endless....you could certainly dress it up anyway you like!

Peach, basil and brie french bread pizza

Source: Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

1 french bread loaf (preferably whole grain), sliced in half, lengthwise

2-3 ripe peaches, pitted and thinly sliced

4 oz brie cheese, thinly sliced

2 tbs freshly chopped basil

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place bread on baking sheet and brush olive oil over each half.  Top each half with brie cheese slices and peaches.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Broil for 30 seconds until the cheese gets a tiny bit brown and bubbly.

Meanwhile, place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.  (takes roughly 5 minutes)

Drizzle balsamic reduction evenly over pizza and top with basil.  Enjoy!

Wedding fun!

A few weeks ago Lucy and I were in my good friend Brooke's wedding.  The wedding was gorgeous and Lucy did great!! :)  She was a flower girl and I was a bit worried about her freaking out with all the unknown people around, but she and I walked down the aisle together and she was a champ!  Let me tell you though...it's hard work being in a wedding and having your daughter in the wedding too.  It took a LOT of coordination between Pat and I, but we pulled it off!  And Pat earned a well deserved beer that night for taking care of Lucy all day and carting her back and forth.  The only sad part is that I totally forgot to take any pictures.  All the pictures below are stolen from other people.  I really wish I would have taken a family picture, but oh well.

A rare pause in her racing around all evening!

Saying "Hi" to the other flower girl, Charli

Trying to get her to take a picture with Brooke...looks like Mommy will have to join!

The beautiful bride!  Great friends and cute babies

Bridal party!

Lucy dancing the night away :)

Hope everyone is having a GREAT Monday! :)

Keepin' It Real Fridays

Yep.....you read that right.  We have a biter on our hands. Oh boy..........

Bedtime Prayers

Lucy is so sweet when we say our prayers each night.  She clasps her hands right away and tries so hard to keep her eyes closed.  As soon as we are done she loudly claps and shouts "A-mon!"  This little girl is the sweetest blessing we could have ever dreamed for!

What we've been up to...

So it's been a pretty quiet month here on the blog.  We've been busy and I just haven't had much time to catch up on here.  But here is a quick peak into what's been going on around these parts!

We tried out the sprinkler for the first time this summer....and while hesitant at first, Lucy ended up loving it!  Roxy loved it too :)

Slowing approaching...

Water!

The weather in our area has been VERY dry!  So dry that there has been a burn ban for most of the summer resulting in no bonfires or fireworks!  BUT--we recently received enough rain which lead the burn ban to be lifted!  So we had our very first bonfire of the summer this past weekend.  It was so much fun (and a little nerve-wracking to be honest....toddlers and fires make for nervous parents!).  We invited my dad over and had some s'mores!  Lucy really just wanted to snack on the graham crackers but it was so much fun!

A little wheelbarrow fun with Grandpa

Matching Marshmallows :)

Lucy had a little fun with some stickers this past weekend and Pat was a really good sport about it! :)

And here is a fun treat that Pat and I shared a few weekends ago.  We made little ice cream bombs together and they were oh so good!  It was really fun as the options are endless.  We choose Butter Pecan and Strawberry Ice Cream  Some of our topping choices included:  shredded coconut, coffee, cinnamon, sprinkles, lime zest and sea salt.  We LOVED the coffee topping!  You can find the recipe here.

Toppings!

Pouring melted chocolate over our ice cream

Finished product!  YUM!

BBQ Salmon Burgers aka....yummy goodness!

Ok so the truth is, I was pretty skeptical about this recipe.  Sure, I love salmon.  Like, love it- love it.  But the thought of grinding it up and frying it like a burger, well, it made me a little uneasy.  But then I took my first bite and I got over that uneasiness real fast!  These suckers are awesome!  So awesome in fact that I might even recommend ditching the whole burger concept and just eating the little salmon patties straight!  Pat and I both found that it's awesome flavor was slightly lost in all the burger toppings.  However, that didn't stop us from chowing down on them anyways.  So the choice is up to you whether you treat them like a salmon cake or a salmon burger, but either way I beg you to make them!  You won't regret it.  And the bonus is, it's a pretty quick and easy meal that will totally knock your socks off!

BBQ Salmon Burgers

Adapted from How Sweet It is

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh, raw salmon (skin removed)

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

4 tbs bbq sauce

2 tbs whole grain dejun mustard

2 tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

Olive oil

whole grain buns for serving

Directions

Add skinless salmon to bowl of food processor and pulse until it's fairly ground.

Remove the salmon and add to a large mixing bowl.  Combine with panko breadcrumbs, bbq sauce, mustard, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, onion powder and smoked paprika.  Use hands or spoon to mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated.  Form into 7-8 equally sized patties.  

Heat skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat and cook burgers on each side until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Make sure not to over cook!

Serve with additional bbq sauce and burger toppings or eat on it's own as a salmon cake.

Enjoy!

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July tomorrow!!!