Birthday Party Time!!

On Wednesday we celebrated Tyler's 12th birthday. He chose to go to the Dodo at Gateway for dinner. (which is closing on the 30th by the way:( Then all the kids went to the big Earth Fest Celebration Concert at the Gallivan Center. It was the boys' first concert and they had a pretty good time even though it was SO crowded with a very "earthy" crowd haha (what did we expect I guess). Then we all met back up at home and he opened a card from Grandma and Grandpa and his presents (he got a skateboaring dvd, clothes, and a new cell phone!!) and then had cake. It was a fun night and I can't believe how old Tyler is getting!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Tyler is turning 12 today and I can't believe it! He is finishing up elementary school and is headed into jr. high next year! Crazy!! He seems older everyday and getting closer and closer to being a teenager:) Hope you have a great day Tyler! Love you!!

Easter

Hope everyone had a good Easter! We did! It was strange to be home for Easter this year and not in Vegas! It was fun to get to do all of the Easter traditions we have done in the past and to have an actual Easter basket! (we were all starting to get used to the gift bags in a hotel room;)

Happy Easter!

Everyone will be getting an Easter surprise when they get home from Moab tonight!



*I used the Martha Stewart Ideal Sugar Cookie Recipe. It's the best one that I've found!

Spring Pasta

Last night Ashley and I made this pasta for dinner. It was SO good! It was so fresh and light and super easy to make! Best of all there were leftovers for lunch today(the rest of the family is out of town for the weekend in Moab:)

Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes (Spring)
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

Serves: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
8 ounces penne pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes
1 cup shelled fresh peas
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

Will you be watching...?

Can't wait for this show to start again tonight!

New Favorite Song

I heard this song a few weeks ago on the radio and liked it. Then the other day I saw the music video and now I like it even more!

New Recipe: Pad Thai

I made this Pad Thai recipe for dinner a couple of months ago and it has become a family favorite! So I thought I would share! If you don't like tofu I'm sure you could substitute chicken or shrimp.

Ingredients
2/3 cup chili sauce (such as Heinz)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chopped seeded serrano chile
1/2 pound wide rice stick noodles (bánh pho)
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 (12.3-ounce) package extrafirm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
3/4 cup diagonally cut green onions
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
1/3 cup coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
6 lime wedges
Preparation
Combine first 6 ingredients; set aside.

Cook noodles in boiling water 5 minutes or until done. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu; cook 7 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan.

Combine egg whites and egg, stirring well with a whisk.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and sauté for 10 seconds. Add egg mixture, and cook for 30 seconds or until soft-scrambled, stirring constantly. Stir in chili sauce mixture and noodles; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tofu, bean sprouts, onions, and 1/4 cup cilantro, and cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro and peanuts evenly over each serving of noodle mixture. Serve with lime wedges.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups noodle mixture, 2 teaspoons cilantro, about 1 teaspoon peanuts, and 1 lime wedge)

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