Monday, August 23, 2010

Yum!

In case you didn't know already, I love food. On top of that I love to cook. While it's a deadly combination for my mid section, I'm quite sure it's why my marriage is so happy and strong. : ) Anyway, I saw a picture online the other day for a Tomato, Avocado, Pesto Sandwich. I already had the ingredients so I thought I would give it a try. After I made the bread, it needs to be good and hearty, I got ready to layer up the sandwiches for grilling. At that point I decided the recipe needed a little tweaking. Hmmm, what would be great on this sandwich? Yes! Bacon! Ooohh, and cheese! I didn't get any pictures because, well, the sandwiches started to fall apart a bit and it was well past dinner time and my boy thought they were about to faint. I'll try to snap one the next time I make the sandwich. In the meantime, here's the recipe for you to use your imagination!

Bacon, Tomato, Avocado, Pesto & Cheese Sandwich:

1 Avocado
1 Tomato
A few slices of bacon
Cheese
Pesto (I just blended some basil, spinach, parmesan cheese, garlic and a little olive oil together)
Bread thick and substantial enough to hold the goods

Spread a thin layer of pesto on the outside of a piece of bread. Place bread in a skillet on medium high or panini press if you're lucky enough to have one. Then layer on the rest of the ingredients. Top the sandwich with another piece of bread with a layer of pesto on the outside. Flip the sandwich once the first side starts to ever so lightly brown. Complete grilling and then EAT! This is a very tasty and filling sandwich.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I'm here! I'm here!

Ok, so I'm stinky at this whole blogging thing. I knew I wouldn't be wonderfully faithful, but goodness, two posts? Anyway, I'm going to attempt to get my blog on from here on out. Or at least a week. Maybe a couple of days? We'll see.

Too much has happened since the last post to be able to fill you in on everything (anniversary, boat rides, sick friends, babysitting, parties, new words, concerts, word of new homes, friends moving, etc.), so I'm going to hit just a couple of highlights. Maybe if I take the short and sweet approach I'll be less overwhelmed and more likely to post more frequently. Besides, who really wants to hear about every.single.detail. of our days?

The most exciting things have been happening with the boy. His communication level has been growing by leaps and bounds. It's been so fun! For instance, for a few nights now when he starts crying in the night, he hasn't been so much crying as yelling out for his "papu." (papu=pacifier) I'll hear, "Papu, papu, papu! Mamamamama!" He's also become helpful in the area of meal prep. After a few days of putting stuff on his tray that he didn't really want to eat I started asking him what he wanted. Honestly, I didn't think this tactic would get us very far, but after he sat there for a second he said, "sheeeez." I got him some cheese and he gobbled it up. The next meal I asked and got, "ahule." I gave him a waffle and he scarfed it down! There are some things he doesn't quite know how to say so I have to show him or list things off and when I get a "yummm!!" I know I've hit the jackpot. Right now those things are most likely blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, tomatoes, or crunchies (baby chips). Man, the boy needs to eat some veggies! My favorite is when he wakes up in the morning and is making noise in his crib. The past few mornings I've heard him yelling for "yaya" (yogurt) and "ahule." He either knows his routine well or is waking up seriously hungry!

In other news... We've been saying our goodbyes to people and are planning our last outings and events with friends because the move is happening 1 week from tomorrow! Oh my... It's been a little sad, but we're still mostly excited. Honestly, I am still trying to wrap my brain around this being a "forever" move. When we enlisted in the Army 3 years ago, I had every intention of Matt serving his 3 years, getting his student loans paid off, and then moving back home. After a year or so we both realized that this is actually a pretty great job and were ok with the thoughts of re-enlisting. At that point I started wrapping my brain around and even started getting excited about moving every few years. So just as I was understanding and embracing the meaning of moving every 2-3 years, Matt wins the USMA Band (United States Military Academy - I've been instructed that people refer to it as the USMA band, not West Point band...) job and we are lucky enough to be moving to a place that can be home till he retires. Talk about a strange feeling. I never, ever, thought I would call NY home. Even more strange is that Jonathan will always think of NY as home. KY will only be known as where our family lives, and VA will only be his place of birth. Weird. Also weird - Matt could potentially retire as a Sergeant Major in the the Army. Anyway, those are other thoughts for other days. : )

Well, I supposes that's all for now. I'm going to enjoy some alone time while the boy naps. Enjoy your day!