Somebody had a crazy good time at the Lucas county fair.

and so did somebody's dad.  Kent got all nostalgic realizing that this would be our last Lucas county fair and he wanted to buy him fried cheese and onion rings and a giant lemonade slush. I assured him that while we may not be in Toledo for the fair- we'd certainly be able to attend elsewhere in the future.  He relented to not buying any outrageously priced nasty fair food, but we did let Zeb ride some rides.  They let Ike on for free- and made Kent ride with Zeb- so, really, we went on a whole lot of rides for one five dollar wristband!

Besides the heat index being over 100- AGAIN- the afternoon was fun. Kent had to go back to school and stay late- but it was worth it.  And the kiddos loved having Kent with us.  Even if he did try and get the horse to eat Ike.  Ike was laughing hysterically.

The "fancy poultry" category was my favorite. Check out the feathers on this chicken.

*one in three posts

*There are three separate posts that I just put up today- but really they all belong to the same thought.  I posted them separately so that I could link them separately over on my recipes column.  

Cooking anything this summer has been such a chore for me.I don't know if it's the humidity or the fact that kent's home earlier or just shear laziness- but I don't think I've had dinner ready more than two times this whole summer. We eventually throw something together or just end up with cereal or sandwiches.  I can only imagine how much worse it's going to be once Kent leaves.  I'll really have NO motivation at that point.

This weekend I vowed to get better- and actually made some progress.  I found three wonderful recipes that are all keepers and do overs. 

#1. Symphony cookies. 

My neighbor, Lindsay, made these frequently and shared them often before she moved. I was craving them on Sunday and decided to try and make them myself. I'm not even sure if this is the same recipe- but it's amazing. Perfectly fluffy non flat cookies every time. 

#2 BLT bbq pasta salad

My new favorite summer recipe, for sure. This is from my friend, beth. It's delicious and so easy to make.  Nothing better than a nice cool refreshing salad for dinner in the summer. Plus- it's got plenty of protein so Kent was as happy as I was.

#3 Black bean and sweet corn Quinoa salad

I'm trying to jump on the quinoa bandwagon. ANY SUGGESTIONS?  what do you all make with it?!  This was good and easy and pretty darn healthy- but I need more options for my giant bag of quinoa.

#1. Symphony cookies.

 

1 C. Butter

3/4 C. Brown Sugar

1 Small box of instant vanilla pudding (or chocolate)

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Eggs

2 1/2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 Large Symphony Bar (with toffee bits),  I used chocloate nuggets of the same type.

Cream butter, sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Combine flour and baking soda. Add to butter mixture, stirring until combined. Stir in chopped chocolate. Drop by spoonful on ungreased cookie sheet. I used a plastic 1 tbsp measuring spoon to shape them nicely.  Bake at 375º for 9-10 minutes. Cool on rack.

BLT bbq pasta salad

This is soooooo good. I want it again, NOW.  The only change I made to the recipe was halving the mayo and doubling the bbq sauce- and even then I had extra.

BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad

• 6 cups torn romaine
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
• 1 small box grape tomatoes, halved
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 2/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (I did a little less than 1/3 cup)
• 2 tablespoon barbecue sauce (closer to 4tbs)
• 1 teaspoons white vinegar (you can add more- the original calls for 3.  I don't like that much)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• water

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, romaine, chicken, tomato and bacon. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, water (as needed to thin), barbecue sauce, vinegar and pepper. Pour over pasta mixture (I usually reserve about 1/3 of the dressing); toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

black bean and sweet corn quinoa salad.

  I stole this recipe and picture from Mel's kitchen Cafe. Please give me your Quinoa suggestions!!!

 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen sweet white corn
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the quinoa and cover with broth. Stir in cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed).
Stir in the frozen corn and black beans. Cover and let the pot sit off the heat until the corn and beans are heated through, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve warm or chilled – it is delicious both ways!

 Happy Pioneer Day! 

I really wanted to have a Pioneer Day party this year since it was on Saturday- so I talked Kent into having the Elder's Quorum sponsor one and provide the food :)  We did a Pioneer Day 5k Trek, 3k walk, and then children's parade!  We played games- and enjoyed time with friends at the Park.  Besides the humidity being atrocious- the day couldn't have gone better!  Kent ran the 5k with the stroller the entire time- and it was great to run by myself.  No pictures of me are included because I looked like sweaty death.  The heat index was 105 that day.
The kiddos made plastic bag kites, had a tug-o-war, and played kickball. It was a great morning.

Today the weather was much much more pleasant. Mid-eighties with lower humidity. We decided to celebrate by playing kickball with the boys after dinner.

Kent helped Zeb pick out his clothes for the afternoon. I really can't stand the sleeveless shirt thing and I gave Zeb my opinion. He looked very shocked and replied: "But, mom! It's a muscle shirt!".  I think Kent coached him on that one. He knows of my disdain for the shirts.   Here's the rugrat proving that he's tough enough to pull it off.

Every day Ike acts more and more like Zeb.  A lot of it is because Ike idolizes Zeb and copies everything he does.  Some of it must be genetic, though.  These pictures of them are so funny to me.  People ask if they are twins ALL of the time.

Oh- and in my defense- I did not give them these chips. We have the most ridiculously nice new neighbors and every time they see us they give us whatever they are carrying. Literally. Today they insisted on giving us their food. We ended up with two ears of corn, one bottled water, two pops, and two bags of chips! Kent and I tried to say no repeatedly- but they wouldn't listen. They are from Syria and it must be cultural. Last week they gave Zeb and me fried eggplant in lavash (really thin paper like tortillas). They were actually pretty tasty.

Ike scarfs down black beans like I do peanut butter m&ms.  Do you think there are any ill effects to eating this many beans (besides the obvious fact that his diapers look like black bean molé)?  It's seriously a little unnatural.

1,004

Somehow I missed my thousandth post last week! Happy one thousand (and four) to us.  I would like to make a celebratory post- but it will have to wait.  For now- it's just normal us doing normal stuff.

We've been really busy with normal lately. We're gone a lot- or playing- or cleaning- and sometimes just reading.  But, for whatever reason I haven't been the best blogger. I have, however, finished a lot of good books.

Zeb's been sleeping in the tub since we got back from Utah. One night he kept waking up Ike and I told him if he did it again he'd have to sleep in the tub.  I've got to be careful with my threats because he ended up loving it and now won't give it up.  It's dark and quiet and away from Ike so we've let it stick for the time being.

 and here is my favorite Zeb face.  He's been such a fun kid lately- but he also has such a little temper.  When he gets really upset he stands- fists clenched- and growls "I'm annnnngry.  I stomp my feet!" and then he stomps his left foot repeatedly.   Next time it happens, I'll get it on video.

 Ike is all about "choo-choos" and "kachows". Kachows are race cars and here he is cheering them on.  He yells "vroom-vroom" and "kachow" over and over as he watches the movie "Cars" or hears anything rev it's engine.  Here's the rascal in action.