Tie Dye Team Building, Puppies in the Pool + Slow Cooker BBQ Pork,Grandma's Best Cornbread, World's Best Lasagna, Slow Cooker Beef Broccoli, Easy Garlic Chicken, One Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies & CHICKEN ALFREDO BAKED ZITI Recipes

The school where I work went from a grades 9-12 school to one that offers grades 7-12. As a result, we went from a staff of about 90 to a staff of about 180. It is a big jump, and so there have been activities to help the staff members from both schools begin to feel like a team. My favorite of there activities was the one that involved making tie dye shirts that we will all wear next Thursday once all of the kids from all of the grades has reported to school. A few people from the science department took this one on:

I am excited to see what mine will look like once I unwrap it and wash it. I will share that with you later.

I spent much of Saturday on school work, but Sunday I moved into regular Sunday mode. On the way to the dog park, Remmie and I discovered that it was a doggie swim day at the pool, so of course we joined in. Remmie had a grand time, though he is still unsure of the big pool. Never mind that. He made friends with a 13 week old German Shepard puppy.

I thought that would tire him out. It did not. However, Ellie and Kohlton came home with new toys from the thrift store, so life was extra fun for the K9 on Sunday.

The 7th graders show up tomorrow and I am shifting into school year mode. My school is starting an hour later now, which means that I get out an hour later than before. As a result, I have asked for help. Ethan and Ellie have agreed to be responsible for cooking at least one meal a week. This will help us get dinner on the table at a more reasonable hour and I will be able to work out more often. I also had Ellie pick out the recipes for the week last week, and that worked well, so I had her do the planning again. Here's what we will be having for dinner:
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Slow Cooker BBQ Pork
via: Kludgy Mom Blog

4 pounds pork baby back ribs (I used country style ribs)
1/4 cup of barbecue sauce
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar

First, you make your rub. It’s a nice blend of spices like paprika, chili powder, white pepper, oregano, sugar and brown sugar. (I triple the batch so I have more for next time)

You slap that rub right on the ribs after you rinse them. We normally use baby back ribs, but we’ve done spare ribs too and they’re just as good.

Stand your ribs on the long end and place in slow cooker. Cook on low for about 6 to 7 hours (my big slow cooker usually has these done in about 6). They smell AMAZING and are falling off the bone.

Brush your favorite BBQ sauce on the ribs, place ‘em on a foil lined cookie sheet, and let the sauce bake onto the ribs for 5-10 minutes. Serve them up. Be everyone’s instant BFF.

* Originally from About.com.

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Grandma's Best Cornbread
via: Allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.

2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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World's Best Lasagna
via: Allrecipes.com


1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

* We will serve salad with the lasagna.
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Slow Cooker Beef Broccoli
via: Creme de la Creme blog

1.5 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced and chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 cup beef broth
⅔ cup low sodium soy sauce
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
4 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons corn starch + 4 tablespoons cold water
Learn Basic Steps for Safe Cooking

Grease the inside of a slow cooker. Add steak, beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours.

Minutes before serving, uncover the slow cooker. In a small bowl whisk corn starch and water until dissolved. Add to slow cooker and stir. Cover and allow to cook another 20-25 minutes.

Just before serving, place broccoli in a large Tupperware, fill with ½ inch of water, and place the lid on in an off-set manner so that the container can vent. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain, stir broccoli into slow cooker, and serve.

NOTES
For a bit of a spicy kick, add a full 1-2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes!

* This will be served over rice.

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Easy Garlic Chicken
via: Food.com

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
additional herbs and spices, as desired

Preheat oven to 450°F Line a baking dish or cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil.
In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.
Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add additional herbs and spices as desired.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. .Place breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken.

* This will be served with roasted Brussel Sprouts with a balsamic vinegar glaze.

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One Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies
via: Cooking Classy Blog

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Italian salad dressing (I recommend using Kraft light Italian it's the perfect consistency for this and it's what I used)
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1 1/4 lbs chicken breast tenderloins
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed of tough ends, chopped into 2-inch pieces (look for thinner stalks. Green beans are another good option)
1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

In a mixing bowl whisk together salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, honey and red pepper flakes, set aside.

Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place chicken evenly in skillet. Cook about 6 - 7 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking, until chicken has cooked through (meanwhile, chop asparagus and tomatoes). Add half the dressing mixture to skillet and rotate chicken to evenly coat. Transfer chicken to a large plate or a serving platter while leaving sauce in skillet. Add asparagus and carrots to skillet, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer veggies to plate or platter with chicken.

Add remaining dressing mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes to chicken and veggies and drizzle dressing mixture in pan over top (or return chicken and veggies to pan and toss to coat).

Recipe source: adapted from BHG

* We will served roasted red potatoes with this meal.
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CHICKEN ALFREDO BAKED ZITI
via: Gimme Some Oven Blog

CHICKEN BAKED ZITI INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces ziti (or any pasta shape)
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)
1 batch alfredo sauce (see below)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used 2% low fat)
(optional toppings: additional shredded Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley)

ALFREDO SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup low-fat milk (I used 1%)
3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
DIRECTIONS:

TO MAKE THE CHICKEN BAKED ZITI:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the pasta al dente in a large stockpot of well-salted boiling according to package instructions. Drain. Return pasta to the stockpot and add chicken and alfredo sauce. Gently toss to combine until the pasta is evenly coated.

Pour half of the pasta into a greased 11x7-inch or 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of cheese. Layer the remaining half of the pasta evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and just barely starts to turn golden. Remove and serve immediately, sprinkled with additional toppings if desired.

TO MAKE THE ALFREDO SAUCE:

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.

Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

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Of Paws, Chickadees and Good Friends

Thursday was a big day. I had a friend over whom I had not seen in over a year. Part way through the afternoon I received a call from Kohlton who called to tell me that my help was needed. Kohlton and Remmie went out to hike the trail that Ellie and her crew were working on.

They started down the top trail at upper White Ranch. It seems that the hike was very steep and rough. Though the hike was long, it was not the longest one Remmie has been on, but the rocks were hard on his paws. Once they were close to their destination, Remmie started trying to take a lot of breaks, something that is unusual for him. Kohlton thought that maybe Remmie was just hot, or in need of a rest. Upon closer inspection, he found that Remmie's main pads on both of his front paws had begun to tear off and flap around like dried bits of leather. This was alarming and worrisome, so a Remmie rescue took place. It was clear that he would need to be removed from the mountain without his walking the rest of the way on his own. Ellie carried him for a short while, then Kohlton took him the rest of the way. That part took Kohlton about an hour and a half to hike.

I am certain that Ellie would have like to be there to calm her dog down, but she had to finish her shift. Larr met Kohlton and Remmie at the lower parking lot to bring them home. I was going to go pick them both up, but Larr was able to get there faster than I was.

In the meantime, I arranged for a vet. appointment. Our usual vet was booked until the middle of next week, so Ellie and Kohlton took Remmie to my mother's vet. That visit did not go well; both Remmie and Ellie were upset afterwards.

That night Remmie was clearly ill and seemed to be running a fever. The next day was more of the same. As the evening drew near, Remmie seemed to be making a recovery. We were all relieved.

Today he seems to be feeling much better, and my, is he ever happy to be better.

Larr also did a wonderful thing for me. When we were much younger and new to our house, he put in a hook just outside of our bedroom upstairs. On that hook we hung a lovely, wooden birdhouse. I loved watching the birds at the feeder in the morning. Over time, the birdhouse fell apart and we did not repair it as we had become busy with baby Ethan.

Now that I once again have a bit of time to wake up in a leisurely way, I love to listen to the birds again and I told Larr that I wished that we still had a bird feeder. Later in the week he brought home a large feeder along with three kinds of feed to attract different kinds of birds. So far the chickadees have been happy to discover our feeder. I look forward to see who else shows up.

Ethan and a few of his friends spent the weekend in Wyoming have a great time hanging out together and going to the Cheyenne Frontier Days. They attended some of the rodeo type events, attended the Keith Urban concert. Ethan was impressed with the concert and how much heart and soul Keith put into his performance. By the time Ethan came home on Sunday night, he was sunburned, tired and all pumped up from having so much fun.

On Monday, Kohlton starts a brand new job. We are all excited for him. We hope it turns out to be a great opportunity for him.

Sunshine & Nice Weather = Dog Park Fun!

A week ago the event that I was going to go to was cancelled due to a snow storm that was moving in. This week is it all sunshine and beautiful weather. After so much snow, the people and dogs were all ready to get outside.

This past weekend Ellie and Kohlton took the dogs to Remmie's favorite dog park, the one in Golden that is like a wild forest, complete with a stream and snowmelt puddles. Remmie loves those. Bradley is not so sure.

Ellie tells me that Remmie would run and jump energetically into the puddles, some of which were around 6" deep. Bradley mostly stood at the edge. Sometimes he would go in the part that was just a few inches deep, but since he is a little dog, that was a pretty big deal. By the time they were done playing, or at least by the time they needed to go back home, both dogs were happy, tired and filthy. That meant that they both had baths that evening. I am sure that was not their favorite part of the day, but I am sure they felt that it was worth it.

My Favorite Story from Yesterday + Horseradish-Crusted Roast Beef Recipe

Last night as I lay in bed, I had the window open listening to the sound of the leaves dropping from the tree. It almost sounded like rain. There we so many of them. I lay there, content, thinking about my favorite story from the day. It is the story of our dog, Remmie, playing in the leaves.

Ellie and Kohlton spent part of the evening racking up the leaves. Remmie did not like the racks, but LOVES the leaves. Kohlton, Remmie and the rack played Scary Monster for a short bit and then Kohlton went back to racking. Remmie ran rounds in the yard happily.

The kids played with the leaves, too. Kohlton gave Ellie a leaf bucket challenge. She came out wearing a crown of leaves. It was very cute.

Remmie was sure that the pile of leaves was for his benefit and he was thrilled.

They kids wanted in the action, too. Remmie thought that was even better!

Remmie was feeling a bit wild, so they got up and then Ellie decided that it might be fun to bury Kohlton in the leaves so that Remmie could find him, sort of a game of hide and seek. Remmie was perplexed, at first. How could the leaves suddenly smell like Kohlton? Remmie might have been thinking. Then Kohlton made a slight noise and Remmie knew for sure what he must do. Kohlton is such a good sport and he loves Remmie so.

The feeling is mutual, as you can see here.

(As I write this story, I find that it sounds a bit flat. I think the fun I felt was from watching the dog have such a wonderful time, letting himself become fully enveloped in that joy. The dog often reminds me that I need to be more willing to surrender myself to simply joys and be less distracted by other things. This is a lesson that I seem to need to learn over and over again.)


We also had a lovely dinner and great conversation about the day at AVS. I cherish nights like these. We had a Horseradish-Crusted Roast Beef, brussel sprouts sauteed in butter with garlic and parmesan cheese, as well as biscuts for dinner. I thought you might enjoy the recipe for the roast beef.

I also included a fun joyous dog video for your viewing pleasure.

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Horseradish-Crusted Roast Beef
via: Food and Wine

One 6-pound sirloin tip roast, preferably grass-fed, tied
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (I did not have sherry vinegar, so I used rice vinegar. It worked nicely)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Set a rack in a large, deep roasting pan and place the beef roast on the rack.

In a small bowl, blend the horseradish with the salt, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, ground pepper, sugar and sherry vinegar to form a paste. Slather the paste all over the top and sides of the meat. Roast in the lower third of the oven for about 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast registers 125°. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

Discard the string and thinly slice the roast beef across the grain. Transfer the meat to a platter and serve.




Speaking of happy dogs, here is one of Kohlton's favorite videos of all time:

Bark & Splash Bash - Fun with Remmie and Doggie Dudes at the Pool

This past weekend one of the local pools opened up to allowing the dogs having a grand time (or not) in the water. Remmie and I were on our way to his favorite dog park when I passed by the pool. Remmie perked up and made me take notice. He works me like a machine, and so he made sure that I stopped. How could I say, "no" to that cute little furry face.

It took a bit of persuasion to get him into the baby pool. Emo, the German Shepherd, tempted him into the water and then it was all out fun.

We stayed until the last possible moment on Saturday and so we had to return on Sunday. This time Ellie joined us. She tried to get Remmie into the big pool. It was a no-go. No matter how or what she tried.

She tried the doggie gentle ramp. Nope!

When Emo was in the big pool we tried again. This time with a platform and a treat. It turned out that getting in was not worth a lovely, tasty dog biscuit.

Other dogs loved it. This small guy was on a personal quest to save every single ball in the pool, but people kept throwing them back in. He got to the point where he was shaking, but he was on a mission to save all those balls!

However, if you wanted to throw balls, this tireless guy was happy to help you out. He would chase them all day.

Remmie had such a good time that he did not even seem to mind having to take a bath at the end of each playdate.

Writing this post is a fun way to celebrate National Dog Day!

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And now for a little silly adult fun:

Mother's Day + Recipes for Strawberry Basil Soda, Strawberry Crepes with Vanilla Pastry Cream & Soft Sugar Cookies

Ellie celebrated Mother's Day with an extra special breakfast, a lovely table and a colorful new waterbottle to replace the Nalgene bottle that I recently broke. She also left me a message on my computer. Ethan called and we chatted for a short while. The kids had planned a Skyping session, but Ethan got called away for duty on the ship. He also had Ellie pick up some beautiful flowers for me.

We also had my mother over. I am so glad that we live so close together that she can join us for things like Mother's Day. Ellie's height made my mom feel short, so Ellie bent her knees to be on her same level; it was pretty funny.

My mother always manages to close her eyes when her picture is taken, so it took a few to get it right. She decided that we should say something like, "Wohwho" and that made us both laugh.

Remmie wanted in on the action, too. He seems to know when we are taking photos. Besides, he is such a pretty boy!

Ellie made Strawberry Basil Soda as well as Strawberry Crepes with Vanilla Pastry Cream. It was all very yummy, and more filling than I think any of us expected it to be.

Later in the day we modified some shirts to fit her better, she packed for her trip to South Africa and then we watched, "Despicable Me 2" and "Free Birds." I made a batch of cookies for her to enjoy while we were having our movie fest.

I hope you, and/or your mother, had a lovely Mother's Day, too.

Crepes with Strawberries and Vanilla Pastry Cream
via: Allrecipes

Crepes - (We actually used our favorite crepe recipe from Julia Child)
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
4 cups sliced strawberries

Place the eggs, milk, water, melted butter, flour, and salt in the pitcher of a blender; blend until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Flip over when the batter is set and the edges are beginning to brown. Cook until the other side begins to brown. Stack finished crepes on a plate, cover with a damp towel and set aside.

Blend the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
To serve, fill each crepe with 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and 1/3 cup of the cream cheese filling, roll up and top with a small dollop of the cream cheese filling and more sliced strawberries.
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Strawberry Basil Soda
Makes about 6 (8-ounce) drinks
(modified)

1 pound strawberries, trimmed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 cup sugar
Carbonated water

Juice strawberries using a juicer or blender.

If using a blender: Place strawberries in a blender and pulse until smooth. Strain through a sieve, pushing juice through with a spatula. Discard solids.

Pour strawberry juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add water to reach 1 cup if needed. Pour into a small saucepan with lemon juice, basil, and sugar.

Heat mixture over medium heat until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain syrup through a sieve into a clean container and discard solids.

To serve, add a little less than 1 part strawberry basil syrup to a little more than 1 part soda water and stir.

Taste and add more syrup, if desired.

Can refrigerate syrup up to 1 week.

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Soft Sugar Cookies
via: Allrecipes.com
(modified)**

Original recipe makes 4 1/2 dozenChange Servings
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt ** If you are using salted butter, omit the salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.