(This post is partly for you,Shannon. I never responded to your query on your blog about favorite salads.)
I love February and March because asparagus is in season and you can find it for a good price. That is when I am most likely to make our absolutely favorite salad (which came from the Better Homes and Gardens Salad cookbook):
Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus spears
1/2 cup poppy sead or lite Italian salad dressing
1 tsp. finely grated orange peel
2 tablespoons orange juice
4-6 cups torn spinach or romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce
1 cup sliced strawberries or blueberries
1/2 cup pecan halves or walnuts
IF DESIRED: Add 1 cup cooked, diced chicken.
Directions:
Snap off and discard the woody bases of the asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Cook asparagus covered in boiling water for 4-8 min. until crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Let stand in cold water. Drain again.
Mix salad dressing, orange peel and orange juice.
In salad bowl, combine spinach or lettuce, strawberries, and asparagus. Add chicken, if you want. Divide onto 2-4 plates. Drizzle dressing over each salad. Sprinkle with pecans or walnuts.
We LOVE this. I add chicken and it is our entire meal for dinner. (Although my kids prefer it separated, not mixed up.)
Alfredo's favorite salad consists of the following: iceberg lettuce shredded, tomatoes sliced, sliced radishes, sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, and a little dressing.
Yesterday I went to a friend's house and she made me the yummiest salad ever. And it had some items I would never have thought to add to a salad. I wanted to record what it had so I wouldn't forget and so I can recreate it:
Mixed greens
chopped cherry tomatoes
chopped red and orange peppers
sliced artichoke hearts (marinated in oil)
black olives sliced
sunflower seeds
garbanzo beans (chickpeas)--rinsed and drained
topped with balsamic vinaigrette
I wasn't sure about the artichoke hearts, but they added such a yummy flavor to this salad. It was SOOO good.
I have lately grown to love salads! Usually, I just take romaine or green leaf lettuce, add cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and carrots to it and add a little dressing. But I am going to try to add more variety. After tasting Nikki's yummy salad yesterday, I will be a little more adventurous.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
New nickname
Michelle has a new nickname. Gabrielle calls her "chelle" (shell). She can't quite say Michelle but she says "Chelle" and "Ella" all day long. Too cute! She adores her big sisters...and she is absolutely convinced that she is as big as they are and can do anything they try to do.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The benefit of chewing gum
I've decided gum is my new best friend. :) Ella noticed that one of her teeth was wiggly about a week ago. On Sunday, she asked if she could have a little bit of bubble gum from the bubble tape that the Easter bunny gave her. She started chewing and a minute later came running into the kitchen. "Momma," she yelled, "I just lost my tooth." The gum had pulled it right out. There was no blood, no crying and no yanking of the tooth by daddy. No drama like with all of Michelle's lost teeth so far. (Which, is quite shocking, I must add because usually Ella is our drama queen.) Just a tooth and a little hole where the tooth once was. Ella was thrilled...to have lost a tooth, to have the tooth fairy come, and to be so BIG!
(I'll also add that the original photos of the lost tooth were deleted along with all the other photos, so I made Ella re-pose for these and she was being a tad silly.)
(I'll also add that the original photos of the lost tooth were deleted along with all the other photos, so I made Ella re-pose for these and she was being a tad silly.)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
January, February and March 2010 Reads
Altar of Eden (EXCELLENT!)
Attila by William Napier (historical fiction about Attila the Hun, interesting...but warning...ancient Rome was not a nice place...this book has some graphic part)
Battle for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice #4)
Erak's Ransom (Ranger's Apprentice #7)
Fablehaven (read this to Michelle...we both liked it
Hourglass Door
Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Maisie Dobbs
Murder by the Book
Mysterious Benedict Society (GREAT!!)
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Ranger's Apprentice #5
Siege of Macindaw (Ranger's Apprentice #6)
Silhouette
Someone Named Eva (excellent, sad but excellent. Historical fiction about WWII)
Strength to Endure by Tristi Pinkston (another WWII...Also great.)
Ten Cow Wives Club by Joni Hilton (cute, funny)
The Case of the Missing Servant (okay)
Woman Strangled, News at Ten (only so so)
Attila by William Napier (historical fiction about Attila the Hun, interesting...but warning...ancient Rome was not a nice place...this book has some graphic part)
Battle for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice #4)
Erak's Ransom (Ranger's Apprentice #7)
Fablehaven (read this to Michelle...we both liked it
Hourglass Door
Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Maisie Dobbs
Murder by the Book
Mysterious Benedict Society (GREAT!!)
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Ranger's Apprentice #5
Siege of Macindaw (Ranger's Apprentice #6)
Silhouette
Someone Named Eva (excellent, sad but excellent. Historical fiction about WWII)
Strength to Endure by Tristi Pinkston (another WWII...Also great.)
Ten Cow Wives Club by Joni Hilton (cute, funny)
The Case of the Missing Servant (okay)
Woman Strangled, News at Ten (only so so)
Easter
Well, as I mentioned, all of my Easter photos were erased. So use your imagination to picture my darling daughters doing the following:
On Saturday:
An indoor Easter egg hunt. During said event, Gabrielle would shout, "Found one" in her adorable toddler voice every time she found one. And we had more candy than eggs, so some of the candy was just sprinkled around on the floor. Interestingly, the girls had collected all the eggs (which were hidden) and I had to tell them to pick up the candy that was not hidden.
Coloring Easter eggs: This was Gabrielle's first time. She only did two, and she dyed her hands more than the eggs, but she giggled and thought it was so fun.
Making a bunny shaped cake: The kids got to decorate it and did their best to make eyes, mouth, whiskers, etc. The eyes were a little lopsided, but it was darling. And yummy!!
On Sunday:
Opening their gifts from the Easter bunny. Our Easter bunny was pretty health-conscious this year and only brought them one chocolate bunny each. But they got bunny masks, so cute, especially on Gabby's chubby cheeks. (I may have to make them put these on again to get this picture.... too cute to miss.) They also got new toothbrushes and toothpaste, rolls of bubble gum tape, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk. Michelle and Ella headed out in between sessions of conference to draw on the sidewalk with their chalk. Michelle made this amazing picture of a bunny and also a picture of a walrus. They were great. I took photos to share, because they really were good. But of course, the photos are gone and thanks to the spring rain and snow, the drawings are too. But at least they had fun.
It was wonderful to remember our Savior and to be able to watch conference on Easter weekend. I didn't print out packets this time, but Michelle had me write down words to listen for and she did a great job making tally marks each time she heard the words. And we read about the signs of the Savior's death in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi. I guess maybe we hadn't read that before and the girls were really touched by what happened after his death. It really was a wonderful weekend.
On Saturday:
An indoor Easter egg hunt. During said event, Gabrielle would shout, "Found one" in her adorable toddler voice every time she found one. And we had more candy than eggs, so some of the candy was just sprinkled around on the floor. Interestingly, the girls had collected all the eggs (which were hidden) and I had to tell them to pick up the candy that was not hidden.
Coloring Easter eggs: This was Gabrielle's first time. She only did two, and she dyed her hands more than the eggs, but she giggled and thought it was so fun.
Making a bunny shaped cake: The kids got to decorate it and did their best to make eyes, mouth, whiskers, etc. The eyes were a little lopsided, but it was darling. And yummy!!
On Sunday:
Opening their gifts from the Easter bunny. Our Easter bunny was pretty health-conscious this year and only brought them one chocolate bunny each. But they got bunny masks, so cute, especially on Gabby's chubby cheeks. (I may have to make them put these on again to get this picture.... too cute to miss.) They also got new toothbrushes and toothpaste, rolls of bubble gum tape, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk. Michelle and Ella headed out in between sessions of conference to draw on the sidewalk with their chalk. Michelle made this amazing picture of a bunny and also a picture of a walrus. They were great. I took photos to share, because they really were good. But of course, the photos are gone and thanks to the spring rain and snow, the drawings are too. But at least they had fun.
It was wonderful to remember our Savior and to be able to watch conference on Easter weekend. I didn't print out packets this time, but Michelle had me write down words to listen for and she did a great job making tally marks each time she heard the words. And we read about the signs of the Savior's death in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi. I guess maybe we hadn't read that before and the girls were really touched by what happened after his death. It really was a wonderful weekend.
U of U field trip
Last Wednesday, I was able to go with Michelle's classes on a field trip to the University of Utah. I don't usually get to go on field trips but this one was held during my spring break, so I was able to attend. Michelle's partner was her best friend Liliana. They giggled and talked and did hand clapping rhymes on the bus. Then we arrived at the U and headed to the chemistry department.
(Sadly, I do not have pictures of the field trip... my sweet Ella decided to delete about 100 pictures taken over the past week, including all of our Easter pics and the field trip.:( Oh well!)
Three chemistry students and their professor showed the kids some experiments. They showed "elephant's toothpaste" that bubbled and expanded. They showed how the air in a balloon would expand and contract based on the amount of heat in the air. They also had dry ice and showed that you can freeze flowers and apples and since they both contain water, they will break once frozen. The kids oohed and aahed. (Picture Michelle with an expression of amazement, on her tiptoes in order to see over the other children's heads.)
Then each child got some playdough and put on safety goggles (picture Michelle with bright red and yellow safety goggles) and built a mini-volcano. They have been studying earthquakes and volcanoes, and Michelle has been telling me all about vulcanologists for the past two weeks. Then the chemistry students came around and added baking soda, a couple of drops of dish soap and then about a Tablespoon of vinegar. And the kids watched their volcanoes erupt, learning about chemical reactions. (Picture Michelle's eyes widening as her volcano bubbles and erupts.) The chemistry students explained that many different things make chemical reactions and that it is really interesting to see the effects, but that you shouldn't mix chemicals at home because some reactions are dangerous.
Then we walked across campus to a geography/geology classroom. They talked about what geography means and why geography is important and useful. Then the geography grad students talked about what UT is like and had a map on the board. Then each child used dough to make a relief map of Utah. They used green dough to make the mountains (shaped like little triangles) and they told the students about both the Wasatch mountains, which are part of the Rocky Mountains, and the Oquirrh mountains, the only east-west mountain range in the US. (I didn't know that. Cool!) Then the students used blue dough to make the Great Salt Lake. Red dough to make the red desert of southern Utah and to make an arch. And more blue dough to make a river. The maps were great. (Picture Michelle rolling and shaping dough to make each part, concentrating so it will look just right.) Then each grad student told a little about what they were studying... one studies snow to predict and learn more about avalanches. One is studying traffic and bike patterns in Salt Lake. One is studying climate change. I can't remember what the fourth was studying exactly, but they were all studying different things and it was very interesting. The kids were impressed, and were all so excited to go to college. Then lunch was provided (as part of the grant for Adelante which pays for these field trips and pays for college students to spend considerable amounts of time each week tutoring at Michelle's school and provides other activities.) The professor that heads up Adelante came and spoke to them, welcoming them to the University and saying that the University president welcomed them and wanted to be there but was unable to make it. He talked about the importance of going to college and how they each could do it. He had them each raise their hand to pledge that they would go on to the university. It was a great field trip, and it is so cool to hear little six and seven year olds talking about "when I go to University, I will...."
Anyway, it was a great day. I'm so glad I was able to go with Michelle.
(Sadly, I do not have pictures of the field trip... my sweet Ella decided to delete about 100 pictures taken over the past week, including all of our Easter pics and the field trip.:( Oh well!)
Three chemistry students and their professor showed the kids some experiments. They showed "elephant's toothpaste" that bubbled and expanded. They showed how the air in a balloon would expand and contract based on the amount of heat in the air. They also had dry ice and showed that you can freeze flowers and apples and since they both contain water, they will break once frozen. The kids oohed and aahed. (Picture Michelle with an expression of amazement, on her tiptoes in order to see over the other children's heads.)
Then each child got some playdough and put on safety goggles (picture Michelle with bright red and yellow safety goggles) and built a mini-volcano. They have been studying earthquakes and volcanoes, and Michelle has been telling me all about vulcanologists for the past two weeks. Then the chemistry students came around and added baking soda, a couple of drops of dish soap and then about a Tablespoon of vinegar. And the kids watched their volcanoes erupt, learning about chemical reactions. (Picture Michelle's eyes widening as her volcano bubbles and erupts.) The chemistry students explained that many different things make chemical reactions and that it is really interesting to see the effects, but that you shouldn't mix chemicals at home because some reactions are dangerous.
Then we walked across campus to a geography/geology classroom. They talked about what geography means and why geography is important and useful. Then the geography grad students talked about what UT is like and had a map on the board. Then each child used dough to make a relief map of Utah. They used green dough to make the mountains (shaped like little triangles) and they told the students about both the Wasatch mountains, which are part of the Rocky Mountains, and the Oquirrh mountains, the only east-west mountain range in the US. (I didn't know that. Cool!) Then the students used blue dough to make the Great Salt Lake. Red dough to make the red desert of southern Utah and to make an arch. And more blue dough to make a river. The maps were great. (Picture Michelle rolling and shaping dough to make each part, concentrating so it will look just right.) Then each grad student told a little about what they were studying... one studies snow to predict and learn more about avalanches. One is studying traffic and bike patterns in Salt Lake. One is studying climate change. I can't remember what the fourth was studying exactly, but they were all studying different things and it was very interesting. The kids were impressed, and were all so excited to go to college. Then lunch was provided (as part of the grant for Adelante which pays for these field trips and pays for college students to spend considerable amounts of time each week tutoring at Michelle's school and provides other activities.) The professor that heads up Adelante came and spoke to them, welcoming them to the University and saying that the University president welcomed them and wanted to be there but was unable to make it. He talked about the importance of going to college and how they each could do it. He had them each raise their hand to pledge that they would go on to the university. It was a great field trip, and it is so cool to hear little six and seven year olds talking about "when I go to University, I will...."
Anyway, it was a great day. I'm so glad I was able to go with Michelle.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
cute quotes (March 2009)
Somehow I never published this last year, so here it is now.
3/22: This meat (carnitas for tacos)
3/15: We were talking about jobs Michelle wants to have when she grows up. Alfredo asked Ella what she wanted to be. Ella responded enthusiastically, "I want to be a banana."
2/15: I love this streusel cake Mommy. This is my twoth. (meaning second)... this was funny because I've heard her say second many times before, but she obviously overgeneralized the rule for ordinal numbers...fourth, fifth, sixth, why not twoth?.....
2/10: Michelle's new song (which I guess the credit actually goes to a boy in her class at school): We will, we will rock you. Sock you. Push you in the toilet. Hope you enjoy it." (followed by giggles.)
3/22: This meat (carnitas for tacos)
3/15: We were talking about jobs Michelle wants to have when she grows up. Alfredo asked Ella what she wanted to be. Ella responded enthusiastically, "I want to be a banana."
2/15: I love this streusel cake Mommy. This is my twoth. (meaning second)... this was funny because I've heard her say second many times before, but she obviously overgeneralized the rule for ordinal numbers...fourth, fifth, sixth, why not twoth?.....
2/10: Michelle's new song (which I guess the credit actually goes to a boy in her class at school): We will, we will rock you. Sock you. Push you in the toilet. Hope you enjoy it." (followed by giggles.)
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