Fantastic Dressing!!!

I am so excited about this new dressing that right after dinner I came up to the computer and now I am telling you all about it.  The dressing is refreshing yet buttery (from the olive oil) and some what healthy!

Apricot Dressing

3 T apricot preserves

2 T white wine vinegar

2 T olive oil

1 t pepper

1 t garlic powder

Juice from 1 lemon wedge

Just whisk all together!

I used a thicker version for glazing skinless chicken legs and Jose loved them, as did I.  It tasted like a fresher version of bbq sauce and soo delicious, I just cant say that enough.  For a glaze just omit 1/2 T of both vinegar and olive oil.

I hope you try it out.  I was inspired by Cooking Light...  Actually, I will be honest, Jose was flipping through the magazine and told me that it looked pretty good so I tried it for dinner tonight so thank you Jose for finding that one!  The recipe they give a bit different but the same idea.

Live, Laugh, Love

Dream Last Night

So last night I had a dream we were in NYC vacationing and it got me all excited for our upcoming trip. Only 6 months to go!!! Its hard to get too excited when we have a while but it is still pretty exciting.

You know what else is exciting? Sarah's wedding! Is hard to believe that it will be here in a matter of months... 3 1/2 to be exact. I will be heading up the Bachelorette party plans... Not sure what exactly we will be doing but I know it will be fun :)

Other than that, I have a brief trip planned for Sarah's bridal shower in August but until then I plan on just hanging around and being boring :P

Last bit that I thought was so cute. This morning I woke up to find Blue's (our youngest) head on my pillow next to me... I know he got up on the bed some time last night but how he ended up sharing my pillow I just don't know. It made me laugh :)

Live, Laugh, Love

Shrimp Pesto

Sarah has requested I post more recipes, so here ya go!

Shrimp Pesto
This was the first thing I ever made for Jose and it is a favorite in our house, easy and healthy!

Cook Time: 20 minutes

1/2 Jar of Pesto (I love the TJ version)
1 Pound of Shrimp (Peeled and de-veined but you can do this yourself)
1 Container of pre-sliced brown mushrooms
1 Can of artichoke hearts (TJ is the brand I buy, they can be marinated or non, your choice)
1/2 Box Angel hair pasta (I use Barilla Plus, for the added health benefits)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1. Boil water for pasta. Cook pasta as directed.

2. Cook the peeled and de-veined shrimp in a teaspoon or olive oil until almost cooked (barely pink), sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3.. Add the mushrooms and artichoke hearts and cook until mushrooms are soft.

4. Add the pesto and combine. Then, immediately serve over pasta (or combine with pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.

I have tried this with other pastas but anger hair is my favorite. It can also be served over the curly pasta. Other variations could be to add cherry or grape tomatoes about two minutes before the mushrooms are cooked. Enjoy!

(TJ = Trader Joe's)

All About Sarah

Here are some pictures of Sarah's graduation. She was glowing with happiness and I am so proud of her for all she has accomplished, through all the trials and tribulations. My Mom would have been and is so proud of her and I didn't want to bring it up on her big day but I know my Mom would have loved to cheer her on and tell her how proud she was for all she has done and will do with her knowledge. We knew she could do it and it makes me feel better knowing that she is out there in the world helping people through their tough times. I love you Sarah!

Sarah and her Grandmother

Sarah and her Mom, hugging...

Sarah and her Fiance, Adam

Under Construction

Paradise is near... I can hear the birds chirping as I lie in my hammock sipping strawberry lemonade, maybe with a shot of vodka, enjoying the warmth of the sun... Sounds picturesque huh? The realization is near and I am more excited than can be.

Today renovation on our falling fence has made way and will soon be a brick wall. We currently have little space to grow fruits and veggies but soon we will have a huge garden in the rear of the yard. The hill will be retained and fixed to allow for ease of gardening. The dirt from all the renovating will be tossed in the pit (old pool) and that will be taken care of too. Soon the dogs will be able to run freely in the back yard, yay!

Next on the list: New garage doors, painting the house, new mail box, maybe have money left over to pave a section of the back yard. During the process I will post up pictures for you all to see.

Live, Laugh, Love

The love of my life...

I can't believe he has stuck with me after all this time.  He is patient and understanding through all of the trials and tribulations we have been through.  I love you baby!

Here are some pics...

What to do...

Summer is slowly creeping up and a few new realizations have popped into my head...

1. I need to diet and exercise again. I am determined, and so is Jose, so we will be starting that back up again. We will be trying the Mediterranean diet, which isn't really a diet, we pretty much enjoy fresh fruits and vegis but now we have to go extreme, and I love produce so I'm excited! (Jose doesn't know what to expect...)

2. We will be venturing to NYC in less than 7 months and we need to make sure we have an itinerary planned and clothes to stay warm. We probably won't bother about this stuff yet but it was a realization.

3. We will be going to Europe next year and we don't have any idea where... I think a week in Greece and a week in Italy would be great but then again Jose will be joining me and I'm not too sure what he imagines this trip to be... I just picture us in a private villa with a private pool on the beach of some Greek isle doing nothing but relaxing and sleeping all day with the Mediterranean breeze blowing in the window... Sounds nice huh? Or gallivanting across Italy sightseeing, going to the Vatican and going on a Gondola ride in Venice... Sounds interesting huh? What to do, what to do...

As you can see my life is slowing down a bit to enjoy these thoughts as a reality soon and I thank God every day that I have a minute to breathe...

Very soon we will be revamping our back yard and we are excited to be able to go in the back yard to relax, once it is done... I will be buying a hammock... so excited!

We will be doing the following:
1. New wall, the current one is wood and kinda falling down, the new one will be brick and very nice, it will include a new gate separating the front yard and the back yard, it is big enough to pull a car through...

2. Retaining the hill and making it a garden, I will love to have a vegetable and fruit garden...

3. Filling int he ghastly pool. Currently it is kinda filled but we will be buying sand to complete the process.

4. New garage doors, we have a three car garage and the current doors either don't open or don't stay up all the time... very dangerous.

5. New exterior paint, we will be painting the house a light green with green and white accent... it will look very nice...

6. Relax and maybe install a BBQ island, patio and cement.


That is all the updates I can give you but we are pretty excited and I can't wait for our vacations!

Live, Laugh, Love

Finally, pics from Vegas!!!

Needless to say, we had a good time :)