What's Cookin' Wednesday (did you miss it??)

We are having our backyard neighbors over for dinner tonight. Dellisa and I walk together every Wednesday evening, which is always a nice escape to get some exercise in as well as a conversation with another mom who has very similar beliefs and parenting style. Last week, Dellisa proposed that we start cooking for each other's families once a month. I will cook for them once a month, and she will cook for us once a month. It gives us a break once a month where we don't have to cook, but our families will get a better meal than the 'clean out the freezer' smorgasbord that tends to be the fall back plan sometimes. Another goal of doing this is to help us keep in touch better in the cold/winter months when we feel holed up in our homes and we don't see our neighbors on a daily basis like we do in the summer. So.....here's what's cookin' tonight! It's a vegetarian dish that I found on Pinterest--oh, yeah, Dellisa doesn't eat meat, but the rest of her family does-she doesn't expect that I cook without meat just for her, but I know my family will love this as well.

Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole
serves 6

12 ounces farfalle pasta (also known as bowtie)
1 pound broccoli florets, frozen or fresh
3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
3/4 pound onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely minced
1 1/2 tbsp basil leaves
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese (4% milkfat or greater)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt generously. Add the farfalle and cook for 11 minutes or until barely al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

Steam the broccoli in the microwave or in a steamer basket on the stovetop, just until tender. Drain thoroughly and chop roughly into bite-sized florets. Toss with the cooked pasta. Chop two of the tomatoes into rough pieces, and add them to the pasta. Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic, , and basil. Put about 2/3 of the mozzarella into the pasta mixture.

Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese. Stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir this liquid into the pasta mixture until well combined.

Spread the pasta in the prepared baking dish. Slice the remaining tomato into half-moons and arrange on top of the pasta. Tear the rest of the mozarella into bits and scatter between the rows of tomato slices. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top, and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the cheese on top has melted and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the remaining chopped basil over top. Let stand for a few more minutes before serving.

Source: thekitchn.com via Kari on Pinterest

I'm also making the Herb Rolls that are here.

What have you been cooking lately?? I'm in need of some new ideas!

Kelsey and Ric are doing a giveaway on their site....a $15 iTunes giftcard. Go here to enter a chance for the giveaway. You can bet I'm doing as many of the 'chances to win' as possible.

Back to School

It's that time of year again....the time when we are all getting ready to head back to school/work and get our lives back into a good routine so that things can run smoothly around the Smith household. Myah and Maysen are starting Preschool this fall, and they couldn't be more excited. We are very lucky that the Ames Schools offer their Preschool right at the center that M&M attend so we don't have to worry about bussing. They went back to Formative Years yesterday so that we could have a few days to practice getting up early again and getting out the door by 7:30 (at the latest!!--with 3 kids and two drop offs!!). They were SOOOOO excited to go back to school and see their friends, which makes it easier on this mama when I have to drop them off. I LOVE having them home with me in the summer and we love going to the pool, park, library, and, of course, OKOBOJI! But there comes a time when summer has to wind down and we have to go back to work/school, and it just makes it easier to take them when they love their center, their teachers, and their friends!
Here are the girls getting ready to head out the door on their first day back to school (Preschool doesn't officially start until the 29th):



And with a new school year, comes new tennis shoes!! Some year, they will get to have different shoes, but there is such a limited number of velcro shoes that they got the same ones this year....it's very important with our time crunch and rushing around in the morning that they are able to put on their own shoes.


I've been a bit of a copycat lately in the cooking and crafts department. A few weeks ago, my sister and her husband posted this recipe for chicken spaghetti. I made it and LOVED it....as did my whole family. It will surely be making it's way into our routine meals. They aren't kidding when they say that 1 pan served 8 people. We had it for dinner and each reheated some for lunches multiple times during the next few days. It's a definite must-try if you are looking for something new. I would definitely classify this as a go-to comfort food!!

I saw this craft on Pinterest and knew that my girls would love making them. They are clothespin butterflies and super easy to make!!


Here are a few fun pictures to leave you with today. A few years ago, we took this picture of Myah:


M&M remembered seeing that picture in an album, so they wanted to give Mylie a turn.


My three girls hanging out in the living room.


And stylish Mylie....I can only imagine what her older sisters will dress her up in as she gets older.


Have a wonderful weekend everyone! We are off to Lake Mills this weekend to wish my brother farewell as he moves to Washington DC at the end of this month.

The Cutting Edge: What NOT to do with scissors!!

We moms know that when our kids reach about the 2 year mark, everything becomes 'me do it.' It was no different at our house. Then around 3 to 3 1/2, they really do become pretty independent....they can get themselves to the restroom (usually), dress and undress themselves, follow directions (usually). I have given my girls a lot of responsibility especially since Mylie has been born. They get themselves up in the morning, making their own beds, dressed, sometimes even making their own waffles. However, I have never given them the responsibility of cutting their own hair. Maysen, though, took it upon herself to get a new 'do.

We've been on vacation, you know, to 'Boji. We had a great time, stayed up too late many nights, ate junk food and candy all week, and skipped naps on days we know we shouldn't have....but we were on vacation. (I will have pictures and more details towards the end of this post). Now we're home, and tired. I've done the laundry, unpacked, and got groceries to make us feel settled back in at home. Yesterday, I knew we all needed a nap. I'm in the process of sleep training Mylie. She's doing great, almost making it too easy for me (yes, mom, I know I shouldn't say that out loud and I should definitely knock on wood for doing so). Miraculously, I got all three girls down for a nap AT THE SAME TIME!!! This NEVER happens. Of course, like any mom would do, I laid down myself.....I probably needed a nap more than any of them :) After about 45 minutes, they asked if they could get up. I knew they hadn't slept yet so I asked them to continue laying down a little longer. A bit later, I heard someone in the bathroom, but didn't think anything of it. The light went back off, and things got quiet again. I know, I know, that should have tipped me off. Then I heard someone in the kitchen so I got up to check things out. The first thing I saw was a lock of hair on the kitchen floor and the next 5 minutes are pretty blurry. I got pretty mad, and she knew it. She cried. She got a time out. Then I settled down and we talked. I mean, I know it's just hair....it really is just hair, and it could have been so much worse. My main point in getting mad (besides that I still didn't get that nap I desperately needed) was that I never want this to happen again. It wasn't until about an hour later, I really knew how much she cut off. She cut some in the kitchen, some in the bathroom, and some in her bed so the hair was literally all over the house. She cut a big chunk off near each ear leaving it long (and mullet-like) in the back. I assume simply because she couldn't reach it.



Today, I took her to get it cleaned up. It's short. It's cute. And it's what she wanted. On the way home, I said...'Do we all understand that we don't cut our own hair? If you want it short or cut differently, all you have to do is ask mommy? Ok?' Maysen's response: 'OK! Geez, Mommy, we've been hearing you for a lot of days now.' She has told me (in a nicer voice) about a dozen times now 'I won't do that again, mommy, I promise.'



As for 'Boji, it was great as I said. There was a lot of time spent on the boat and swimming in the lake. Myah and Maysen could have spent all day every day in the lake (and they pretty much did). Mylie even got a few rides. Not rides, really.....more like floating time. I only took her on the boat if we were going to be floating and swimming straight out from the dock near our lake house.




We made another visit to Arnold's Park with the season passes and they got to go on the trampoline again.


There's a family of wild turkeys that cross our property a few times each day. They are pretty fun to watch.


Now that we are home again, I'm sleep training Mylie, and she got her first 1/2 tablespoon of cereal. She enjoyed it, and I know she'll have the spoon thing figured out in no time.


I'm sure something exciting will be happening around here soon. What's going on in your neck of the woods??