Roasted Tomato Soup

You know that picture of the pretty green caterpillar that I posted yesterday? It was a hornworm and it loves tomatoes even more than I do. A couple of those suckers can devour a plant, destroying the leaves and the fruit, in no time flat. Needless to say, our tomato production has decreased. I'm just not getting the amount I need to fix big batches of sauce, so instead, I take the few I have and make roasted tomato soup. So, thanks Mr. Hornworm for forcing me to find new ways to prepare tomatoes. Your work is done. Now move along, please. Please.

Roasted Tomato Soup

tomatoes--I use about 5 of them (this year it's a combination of big boy and better boy)
half an onion
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
basil

Quarter the tomatoes and onion (separate the layers of the onion) and spread out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees until the tomatoes are tender and a little charred--around 25 or 30 minutes. Scrape everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Add to a saucepan with cream and heat through. Be sure to taste and see if you need to add a little more salt or even some sugar if it's too acidic. Top with fresh basil.

Wordless Wednesday: Pick One!

I Do...But Not In 1993

See this guy? I married him. Yep. Twelve years ago today. And I daresay that if he had worn that "outfit" during our courtship then things might've turned out a wee bit different. But thankfully the Hugh Hefner/Gangsta combo was just a phase he went through when he was 17.

So, WD, if you're reading this, 1) sorry about posting that picture and 2) Happy Anniversary!

Candy Crescents

A couple of weeks ago my sister, Angie, came to visit and I did something bad. Very bad.

I put candy bars in crescent rolls and baked them.

She had taken a week off from work and I was determined to make it a fun food filled week for her. On the menu was cheddar-bacon-apple sandwiches, blackberry brulee, and something from the local bbq joint. But I needed something else...something chocolate. Then I remembered this easy and quick recipe for candy crescents. It was the perfect, little, ooey, gooey, chocolatey snack. But I'm not going to tell you how many she ate though because I want her to come back.

Candy Crescents

mini candy bars (I used Snickers)

crescent rolls

powdered sugar

Roll out crescent rolls and separate at seams. Place candy bar on crescent and roll up according to package instructions. Place on cookie sheet and bake according to crescent roll directions. Dust with powdered sugar.

Wordless Wednesday: Today’s The Day

Older And Better

It was a great day when the boys learned to feed themselves. No more holding a baby spoon/fork in one hand and trying to eat my own dinner at the same time. A very liberating moment in a mom's life, to say the least.

But then it got better. They learned to use the bathroom by themselves. Sure, I may still have wiping duties but the time I've spent supervising potty time has drastically decreased in the past several years.

And then it got even better than that. If I was busy doing something or other, they could fetch things for me! They brought me the scissors, handed me a towel, picked up that piece of paper I dropped on the floor. It was awesome. WD has even had Big pup bring him a beer from the fridge a couple of times--but we won't talk about that.

And just when I thought that having kids couldn't get any cooler, it did.

Now that the boys are older and can understand rules and directions, for the first time ever we've been able to sit down and play games like Skip-Bo and UNO. And there's only a minimal amount of tears, smack talk, stomping away angry and throwing of cards.

But I'm getting better at that.

I'm Ready...To Get This Stuff Off My Kitchen Counter

I finished up my school shopping last week and just in the nick of time--school starts Wednesday. Got the 4 boxes of crayons, got the backpacks, got the 10 sticks of glue. And thanks to my mom and sister, the boys will be well dressed this year. Hello 20 pairs of socks, 6 pairs of jeans, and 10 new shirts--I'm glad I didn't have to foot that bill.

Besides the school clothes and supplies, I've already started our nighttime routine to get them used to going to bed at 8 o'clock again. And I've stocked up on juice boxes, graham crackers, and applesauce for lunches. The logistics for dropping them off at their classrooms Wednesday is all planned out.

Yep. Bring on the first day of school. It's all under control. I'm ready.

I think.

"Nesting In Broken Spines"

We made our last trip to the library yesterday.

During the summer, Tuesdays and Thursdays are No TV Days. We go to the movies, visit state parks, play in the pool, dig out long lost toys that at one time they just had to have, and we also go to the library. When school starts next Wednesday the boys just aren't going to have the time to read for fun. So yesterday was our last visit to the library until next summer. And I'm hoping that in between now and then, the library will accidentally lose their series of "Walter the Farting Dog" books so I will no longer be forced to read them.

For today's Poetry Friday poem, here's Branch Library by Edward Hirsch

I wish I could find that skinny, long-beaked boy
who perched in the branches of the old branch library...more

Wordless Wednesday: Shopping For My Next Coffee Mug

Ummm...Sorry 'Bout That Last One

Last Wednesday morning, after WD called me from Arizona to tell me that his grandmother had died, I couldn't get back to sleep. So I got up, went out on the front porch, and sat awhile in one of our rocking chairs. The boys had never really experienced death before so I sat there wondering how I was going to tell them about their great-grandmother, how they would take it, and how much would they understand. And I looked down at Indie and she looked up at me and without warning she jumped right up into my lap. And without being a squirmy puppy she let me hold her for a long time while I rubbed her little speckled tummy. Funny how dogs can be so loveable right when we need them to be.

Lexie, on the other hand, had more important things to do.

She outgrew her lovey dovey stage a long time ago:)

Until Eternity

It's a sad time here at the Home of the Lazy Dog. My husband's Grandma Freeda passed away yesterday morning.

We are in the middle of doing all that domestic stuff that comes with saying goodbye--getting haircuts, trying on dress clothes to see if they fit, browsing through cookbooks for funeral food, packing a suitcase, and prepping the minivan for a 2 1/2 hour road trip. Stuff that you do during stories of her incomparable chocolate fried pies, camping at Lake Merrisach and her love for the Chicago Cubs.

I'm doing Poetry Friday a day early this week and spotlighting one of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson that seems fitting for today.

(Poem #1078)

The Bustle in a House
The Morning after Death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon Earth--

The Sweeping up the Heart
And putting Love away
We shall not want to use again
Until Eternity.

Wordless Wednesday: Pick One!

Can I Borrow Your Husband?

My husband left last week for a 2 week trip to Arizona--Air National Guard stuff. When he's usually gone for awhile things inevitably break down. Once it was the lawnmower, another time it was the water heater. I was expecting this time around to be the air conditioner or maybe even my van. But the first week went by smoothly and I was confident that I could get through these 2 weeks without having to fix or replace anything. But then this happened....


See that yellow light? It's supposed to be green. If it's not green then I can't plug in anything in my bathroom. The hairdryer, my flat iron, radio...nothing. Google said it should be an easy fix. Just turn off power to the gfci and remove faceplate with a small screwdriver. Remove wires paying attention to how it's set up and purchase an identical new faceplate. Match up the correct wires making sure there's no loose connections and blah, blah, blah I think I'll just use the kids' bathroom and wait until WD comes home this weekend!