You're so Vain

Maddie kissing her reflection in the double-sided, hand-held mirror.

When you have an Older Brother...

...who loves cars, you love cars, too. You can even make some pretty sweet "airplane sounds" when you pretend to fly his orange plastic toy through the air.

The princesses and dolls will just have to wait, I guess.

This girl is so proud of herself for learning to stand up. I'm pretty proud of her, too (of course, we're still working on the whole balance/stamina thing--until then, she falls seconds after she stands up, but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?).

The weather is really warming up around here, and it's supposed to be in the 70s and 80s for the next few days at least. I LOVE spring in Iowa! It really makes the frigid winter worth it. This evening we headed out to the park, pajamas and all.

It's nice to have a brother who loves the park--especially when you love the park, too.

Shelly's Spinach Salad

I know this is my second recipe post in a week, but trust me when I say that this one is well worth making. My aunt Shelly is an awesome cook and this salad is one of her staples for family get-togethers. So when I was in charge of bringing a salad to Easter dinner with some friends a couple of weeks ago, I was pretty sure this one wouldn't disappoint. It didn't. Thanks, Shelly!

Spinach Salad

Dressing:

One 8 0z package sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 cups oil

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients together and chill in refrigerator overnight.

Salad:

1 head red leaf lettuce

5 oz. spinach greens

1 red onion, sliced thinly into rings

1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled into bits

1 pint cottage cheese

6 oz. grated Swiss cheese

In a large serving bowl or platter, layer lettuce and spinach greens, then add cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, bacon, and red onion. Pour dressing over the top and toss. Serve immediately as spinach will begin to wilt.

Kinda Like a Graduation Ceremony, but Without the Diploma...

That is the best way I can think of to describe the Rite of Passage Ceremony we attended this weekend. Speeches, awards, students, professors...but no diploma. The ceremony was held to celebrate the beginning of clinical study for Ryan's class (they begin working with patients this summer).

Overall I was impressed---they kept the ceremony part of the program to just over an hour and the reception had some pretty tasty desserts (the pineapple was especially sweet). I a proud of Ryan for being almost halfway done with his degree---and I will be bouncing off the walls when we do go to graduation and he does get that diploma! Filling up on desserts with some fellow 2nd year students and their wives.

Ryan and I in a picture together by ourselves--a rarity these days.

DMU's podiatry class of 2011.

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Broccoli

My Kitchen Cafe is one of my favorite recipe blogs--everything I've tried from this site is super-delicious. This pasta recipe is no exception--our whole family ate it so I consider it a success. The only major change I made to her recipe was to swap the spinach for some steamed broccoli (we like cooked spinach, but we lOVE steamed broccoli). Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Picture taken from My Kitchen Cafe (shown using spinach instead of broccoli)

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach adapted from Cook's Country

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this doesn't add spiciness - just the right amount of flavor)

6 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound penne pasta (I used butterfly)

1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach (I substituted this for about 2 cups steamed broccoli--next time I'll use 3 or more cups)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried

6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons

1 cup grated parmesan cheese (we only had about 1/2 cup on hand and it still tasted great)

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, steamed broccoli (or spinach), basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

As the recipe suggests, I made the garlic knots to go with the meal and they were the perfect side.

Picture taken from My Kitchen Cafe.

Happy Easter!

Ryan's schedule has been a little bit lighter than normal so we took full advantage and had a great "Easter Week." It ended wonderfully at dinner tonight with some close friends. We feel so blessed to have friends that feel like family here in Iowa. It makes the holidays a time that we really look forward to instead of a time where we might otherwise feel homesick. Here are some pictures from the past week or so:

Isaac dying Easter eggs. It became a lot less stressful when I decided to put the dye cups in the sink instead of on the table where little hands could spill them onto the carpet.

Maddie livin' it up at the Chuck E. Cheese.

Isaac and I making gigantic bubbles at the Science Center.

Maddie with Ryan on Easter Sunday. This girl is a bottomless pit! She kept squawking and begging for food the entire evening.

Isaac and Ryan hunting for eggs. My friend Robyn put together a really neatl Easter egg hunt that focused completely on Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection. It was really special and helped everyone remember the reason we celebrate this important day.

More Maddie and Ryan.

We did a little egg hunt for the kids when they woke up this morning. Here is Maddie collecting some of her loot.

Isaac doing the same. He collected a few more eggs than Maddie this year. She didn't seem to mind. Something tells me that next year she will give him a run for his money.

Dying Easter eggs at the table before coming up with the stellar idea to move it all to the sink. Can you see my nervous smile?

Isaac and Maddie and I after riding the Easter train at the mall I know this is picture number three of daddy and daughter, but aren't those smiles the greatest?

Happy Easter Everybody!

Besos?

Here is a little video clip where I try to get Maddie to perform some of her tricks for the camera.

Picture Tag

My friend Samantha tagged me. Here are the rules: You have to answer the questions with a Google image search. NO using your own pictures. You can't use any words to describe anything either (unless they are a part of the picture). Here goes:

Favorite Color:

Favorite Animal: Bad Habit: Where I live: Favorite Author (right now):

My job:

Favorite Hobbies:

Favorite Food:

Favorite Treat:

Favorite Places to be:

Now I tag Amy H., Erin P., Brookie, Krystal, and Devo (don't let me down, bro).