My Boy

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find a delightful creature of a boy.

He is silly and sweet, thoughtful and curious, gentle and tough...he is Jack Ryan. The day I met him, he changed my life in the most profound way. I am still in awe, nearly four years later, that I had anything to do with this little miracle.

And we March on...

I can't believe it is the end of March. At 9 months, Ella Grace is 27 3/4" long and weighs in at 17.1 lbs. She got her first tooth this month. She is so close to crawling. I love watching her try to scoot around to get to where she wants to go. This month she tried, avacado, chicken, pancakes and cheese and loves them all. 

Jack Ryan continues to entertain us with his crazy questions about life. He recently informed us he has a girlfriend at school who has brown hair and two brothers....yet he doesn't know her name. Too funny! He is learning to ride his bike and we are working on counting. His attention span makes tasks difficult at times, but watching his little mind process is truly amazing. I just started looking into pre-schools for him. I'm excited yet sad how quickly this time is going by.

Here are a few recent pics!  

Chicken Sausage Rigatoni in a Spicy Vodka Sauce

Keeping to my goal for the year, February's new recipe was a hit and super simple to make! I cheated a bit with this recipe, mostly because I just didn't have time to make homemade sauce. I bought a jar Vodka Sauce and it turned out great. Instead of plain chicken sausage I used the Archer Farms (Target) brand called Italian Chicken Sausage and the best part is the the casings were already removed.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup roughly chopped onion
1 jalapeno, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes with basil
1/3 cup vodka
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves


Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. In a large saute pan over medium heat melt butter with oil. Add chicken sausage and brown, 3 to 4 minutes, breaking up large chunks with a wooden spoon. Add onions, jalapenos and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add green pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste, and cook 3 minutes more. Generously salt the pasta water and add the rigatoni. Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, add tomatoes to the sauce and bring to a simmer, for about 10 minutes. Add vodka and cream and cook a few minutes more. Toss in cheese and chopped parsley. To serve, drain the pasta well and add to the sauce. Mix until pasta is nicely coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Her protector

I am truly blessed and amazed by the love Jack has for Ella. At the ripe age of three he is her protector, biggest fan and makes her laugh like no one else. I hope they always feel this close.

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown

Zesty Chicken Meatballs with Basil Pesto Fettucine

While I've always dabbled in cooking and baking, this year I have decided to try to make something new each month. My goal is to not only expand my culinary knowledge to but to get us out of meal-rut rotation we are in. I work full-time so I don't always have time to prep a complicated meal that takes hours....did I mention I also have a toddler and infant and husband and a dog and a cat and laundry...you get the point- I'm a busy girl, but I love food and my busy life shouldn't hinder my passion. To me food is love- we celebrate with food and we grieve with food. Below is the January recipe. It comes from Cooking for Real, and of course, I tweaked it a bit. Enjoy!

Zesty Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 egg, whisked

• 3 tablespoons unseasoned whole-wheat bread crumbs

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons onion powder

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, about 1 small sprig

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, about 5 sprigs

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• 1 lemon, zested

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, gently mix the chicken, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, cilantro, brown sugar, lemon zest, 2 healthy pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl. Form into mini meatballs, slightly smaller than a golf ball; it should make 28 to 30 meatballs. Warm the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Transfer the meatballs to the pan and do not disturb for 3 minutes to brown well. Turn, cooking another 3 minutes without disturbing. Keep cooking until browned and cooked on all sides, but still juicy and plump with a spring to the touch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve atop fettuccine with basil pesto (fresh or store bought).