An Update of Sorts

Hello, hello!

It has been awhile since I've written here and I've missed it!  It seems that things have finally settled down around our home, only to pick up again once our baby girl arrives.  She could come any day now and we are all anxious and excited to meet her.  Her room is almost finished and I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

How was your summer?  Ours was busy in the best possible way!  We crammed in as many family adventures as we could all while working on a pretty big project.  You see, I was asked back in February to write a book about chalkboard crafts and projects.  I'll share the final details of the book as soon as I can, although if you are feeling particularly snoopy, you can look it up here.  ;)  There are a few final details to work out, including the actual book cover, before it comes out in December. I'm pretty happy with the book so far and am even happier to be almost done with it!

I'll be back again soon to share the baby room with you, hopefully before she arrives!  Until then, I'll leave you with the pictures of one of our last summer adventures, because no post should ever be without pictures. 

Just a side note, if you are ever in Milwaukee, be sure to visit Purple Door Ice Cream.  It is divine.

Lately... The Summer Edition

Oh, dear.  Remember me?
If you're wondering if I fell off the face of the earth, I didn't.
If you're wondering if I forgot about this little blog, I didn't.
However, I have been enjoying my three boys and summer to the fullest.  Life is grand lately, I tell ya.  I'm not even sorry about not blogging for awhile.  Not one bit.  I know you understand, because you all are pretty wonderful like that!  Sitting on our patio with my dreamboat of a husband beats sitting at a computer any ol' day.  My family and the memories we make come first.

Here is a little bit of what we've been up to:  first up, FOOD!  Because, we all know that life with three boys involves lots of good meals.  It is true.

Next up:  SUMMER MEMORIES!  I feel like we've already had so much summer fun and summer has just begun!

Thanks for being so wonderful and understanding!  I'll be back soon!
In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying your summer with the ones you love!

Our Favorite Summer Salad

Happy Monday to you all!

I'm here with a scrumptious summer salad for you that will use up those wonderful tomatoes and the basil you have growing in your gardens.  It doesn't require that many ingredients but the flavor is amazing.  I hope that you try it!

Here's what you will need:

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

1 pound of pasta, preferably corkscrew, Gemelli, or Fusilli
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered
salt, pepper to taste
1/2 cup basil, chopped or torn
1 1/4 cups mozzarella, cubed

First, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Before draining, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water for future use.  Do not rinse your pasta!

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the onion in the olive oil until tender.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  You will want the tomatoes to cook until they are soft and make a sauce.  They should still be somewhat "chunky."  Add the noodles to the tomatoes and stir until they are moistened.  Here is where you will add anywhere from a 1/2 up to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. 

Transfer your pasta to a serving bowl and add the mozzarella and basil, stirring until combined.

This salad is wonderful served with bruscetta, garlic bread, or a nice crusty loaf of Italian bread and makes a nice lunch or light dinner.

Enjoy!