It's A Girl!

We found out today that Theresa and Shawn's baby is a girl. We are so excited that we are going to be grandparents again. We can hardly wait until october! Two grandsons and now a granddaughter. Oh happy days!

The Real Thing

Arrogance is a poor substitute for confidence. Taking is a poor substitute for creating. Possessing is a poor substitute for appreciating.

Staying busy is a poor substitute for accomplishing something. Anger is a poor substitute for discipline. Rudeness is a poor substitute for eloquence. Aloofness is a poor substitute for joy. Envy is a poor substitute for effort.

Rationalization is a poor substitute for truth. Artful deceit is a poor substitute for integrity. Promises are a poor substitute for commitment. Gluttony is a poor substitute for nourishment. Stylishness is a poor substitute for courtesy.

Why settle for a meager substitute when you can have the real thing? Why bother with outward appearances when you can enjoy the genuine substance of life? Get real. Make the effort to be true to your best values. Live the real thing. It's worth it.

~ R. Marston

Dance to The Doobies

We took both our daughters to see The Doobie Brothers back in the 80's when they did a reunion tour to benefit The Children's Hospital at Stanford. We all went again together in the early 2000's. I always said I was going to take my grandchildren to see the Doobies in concert no matter how old The Doobies would be at that point. I did Monday night without leaving the house! There was a 2 hour Doobie concert on TV. Jacob loved them and we danced and danced. Justin liked them and commented that they are old men! LOL. Here is Jacob and I dancing to Listen to the Music.

Turkey Trot

Video of turkey in Theresa and Shawn's backyard I mentioned earlier.

Justin Kicking His Football

Justin has been practicing his football moves for when he starts playing Pop Warner football in August. Here is a video of him kicking the football.

Justin Praciticing Football Moves

As I mentioned in a recent post I am having trouble uploading videos to my blog. Justin has been practicing football moves for when he starts playing Pop Warner football in August. I have a video of him kicking the football, but until I can work the problem out, here are some pictures instead.

Theresa and Shawn - Yard Update

They have begun to set up their patio furniture in groupings on the patio.

Newly laid park in an area in front of the patio. The piles of bark are actually holes where they will be planting 2 new trees.

We could hear a sound like a dog whimpering. At first we thought it was Hula in the house, but it turned out to be a wild turkey in their yard. He was distressed because he felt trapped and wanted to fly over the solid fence between them and their neighbors house. Either he couldn't or was afraid to. Nothing I did seemed to convince him to move to his left and go through the spaces in the wrought iron fence at the back of the yard. I took a short video of him but I am having troubles uploading videos on Blogger. I think I have the worng format for them and need to change that.

Little zucchini, just the way we like them.

Picking some zucchini for dinner tonight.

Can;t wait to taste these.

This is how big they are against my hand. (And I know what you are thining about that one zucchini!)

Time with Our Grandsons

We had lunch downtown Truckee with Jen and Jacob Monday afternoon. John and Jus were at the race track practicing with Grandpa Bob. Jacob loves the Junior puffs and was stuffing them into his mouth as fast as he could.

Here he is trying to smile with his mouth stuffed full.

Jen and John left for an over night get-a-way and Grandaddy and I stayed with the boys. A Jacob and Gram Gram cuddly moment. I live for these moments.

Jacob does a lot of walking if you hold his hands. In fact he wants to do this most of the time.

My two very handsome and adorable grandsons, Justin and Jacob. (I'm not prejudiced!)

Jacob practicing his sexy bad boy look to make the girls swoon when he grows up.

Jen and John return from their overnight get-a-way. Everyone happy to see each other.

Granddaddy resting at the hotel later that afternoon.

More Baking for Justin - Peanut Butter Chips and Jelly Bars

Peanut Butter Chips and Jelly Bars

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup Grape Jelly
1 2/3 cup (10 ounce package) peanut butter chips, divided

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease (I used PAM) 9-inch square baking pan.

Stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Add egg; blend well. Reserve half of mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Spread jelly over crust. Sprinkle 1 cup PB chips over jelly. Stir together reserved crumb mixture with remaining 2/3 cup chips; sprinkle over top.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Tips: For a whimsical twist on this TNT classic, use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

Yield: 16 bars
Source: Hershey's Best Loved Recipes, 2000

Baking For Justin - Peanut Butter Chip Brownie Cups

We're going to staying with the boys tomorrow night while Jen and John have their first ever overnight get-a-away since Jacob was born. I always enjoy surprising Justin with homebaked goodies because he enjoys getting them form me and eating them so much. Today I baked up these delights to bring with me. Recipe is included. They are really good. Definiate kid and adult pleasers.

PB Chip Brownie Cups

1 cup (2 cubes) butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa or Dutch Processed Cocoa
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups (10 ounce package) peanut butter chips, divided

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 muffin cups (2 1/2 inches in diameter) with paper or foil baking cups.

Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Stir in 1 1/3 cups peanut butter chips. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups; sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup peanut butter chips.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until surface is firm; cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Yield: 18
Source: Hershey's Best Loved Recipes, 2000

Weekend Moments

Hydrangea's are blooming in the garden.......

Asiatic Lilies are blooming.......

Friday morning at the local farm stand........

They come to Mather and the proceeds benefit the Head Start Program which I love as well. We go every Friday morning when we are in town. Friday the teachers brought the kids over from the Head Start program in the building next door. They were having a good time learning about fresh prioduce.

A couple of wild turkey's roaming the neighborhood. There are a ton of them that live at the golf course in our community.

I love the sound they make.

Our shared garden at Theresa and Shawn's is really growing and looking good! Here is one of the poblano chile plants.

Banana Squash.

Heirloom tomatoes.

Japanese cucumbers.

David picking some of the gourmet assorted Italian radishes. They have gotten pretty big and quite spicy. He loves them.

Spaghetti Squash.

Peaches.

Apricots. They are getting near being ripe! There are a lot of them and they look wonderful.

Little zucchini. Ready to pick today.

Yesterday our dear friend Rose spent the afternoon and evening with us. We played Mexican Train and had a late dinner. I taught both David and Rose how to play yesterday. They both ended up doing better than I did! It was a good time with lots of laughter.

Out With The Old, In With The New

Wednesday was the last official luncheon held at Frasinetti's Winery of the Newcomer's year and the old board went out and the new board is welcomed in.

Young Board Members - Old Board

New Board Coming In - Starts in September

Beauties in Black and White - Peggy and Verona

Pretty in Turquoise - Me and Paulette

The Three Stooges - Verona, Paulette and Barbara

Baked Multigrain Penne with Roasted Vegetables

I adapted this recipe to fit what I had on hand from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe from the cookbook Everyday Pasta. In parenthesis is recipe ingredients I didn't use.

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 to 8 asparagus spears, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 summer squash)
1 small portobello mushrooms, gills removed and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 crimini mushrooms, quartered)
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup EVOO
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend OR Herbes de Provence
1 box Barilla Plus Multigrain Penne pasta (1 pound penne pasta)
3 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade
1 cup grated mozzarella (1 cup grated Fontina)
1/2 cup grated Yancy's Roasted Garlic Cheese (1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
(2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces)


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss the bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, and onion with the EVOO, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the herbs. Bake until tender, about 15 minutes or so.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. add the pasta and cook for about 7 minutes or so. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure it is not completely cooked. Drain in a colander.

In a bowl, combine the pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce,

mozzarella, roasted garlic cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, the peas

and the remaining salt and pepper. Gently mix using a wooden spoon until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9X13X2-inch baking dish. Top with remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan and the butter pieces if you are using. I didn't.

Bake until the top is golden and the cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Cooked perfectly at 20 minutes in my oven. This is a great dish for every day or when you have guests because you can make it ahead and refrigerate, then bake it while you are finishing up the rest of dinner. It's delicious!

I know what I am having for dinner tonight. Leftovers!