Oklahoma

Our thoughts and prayer go out to all those touched by this week's tragic tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.

If you are looking for a way to help you can make a donation here to the Red Cross.

The Beginning Of The End

Can you believe that we are already starting to wrap up another school year!?!  I for one cannot!!!  The more my family grows the busier we get and the faster time seems to go by.  In fact I felt a little caught off guard by L's end of year "Preschool Graduation" last week.  Maybe because we were all so busy with M's First Holy Communion or the fact that my baby now only has one more year left in preschool.  I may or may not be teary as I type this...

Regardless of my mixed emotions  L had a wonderful night.  He happily took a bath and put on his "fancy clothes".  For the record, I tucked his shirt in before we left the house, I tucked in again after he got out of the car and I did it once more when I dropped him off at his classroom.  Perhaps my father is right, I need to get the boy a belt that fits.  Just don't tell my dad that I said he was right!!!

After all the children sang us some sweet songs their names were called out one by one.  Their teachers presented each child with a "Memory Book" filled with all sort of goodies from the past year.  In a way it was like I was a fly on the wall this year.  This book brought me to tears while I went through it the next day.  It is unreal how much L has grown in one year!

He might getting bigger faster than my heart is ready for but at least his father's tickles can still make him laugh in public without be embarrassed.  I think L might have asked for more!

PS...don't tell Hubby but he is right.  The photos in the "Memory Book" clearly shows that L needs more frequent hair cuts!   (Hubby's note- Vindication!)

Former Friar's Foccaccia

This past weekend Hubby and I were invited to one of Former Friar's amazing parties.  I cannot tell you how nice it was to go to a party attended only by adults.  We all got to caught up on daily life and got to chat about upcoming vacation plans and not once did a wee one interrupt us. Along with the socialization Former Friar put out an amazing spread of food! Everything she made was wonderful but the stuffed focaccia was really a standout. Thanks to Former Friar's generosity I have included the recipe below. I highly recommend you give it a try for your next get together!

Former Friar's Stuffed Focaccia

1 (9-ounce) round loaf focaccia bread
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
4 ounces thinly sliced Muenster cheese
1 (6-ounce) package fresh arugula
1/4 cup bottled roasted red bell peppers, drained
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette*

Preparation

1. Cut bread in half horizontally, using a serrated knife. Top bottom bread half with prosciutto and next 3 ingredients. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette; cover with top bread half. Wrap in aluminum foil; place on a baking sheet.
2. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until warm. Cut focaccia into six wedges. Serve immediately.

*Balsamic Vinaigrette*

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Mix well and refrigerate.

Another good addition to your next party is a bottle of Effen vodka. No need to actually drink it just giggly at the bottle!

Worth The Wait

This past Christmas I gifted Hubby with a three month subscription to Julibox and one of the last drinks called for fresh strawberries.  While I know that I could get fresh strawberries all year long at the market, I personally am scared by strawberries in the winter.  That is just not right!  God knows what chemicals one needs to grow a bright red strawberry in the dead of winter!!!  So we waited...

But the wait was over today.  Hubby was kind enough to mix up our long awaited drinks today.  Fresh muddled strawberries, Grand Marnier and Prosecco together are a delightful combination!

Re-Invented Leftovers

My children are not the biggest fans of leftovers.  B does not like things to be reheated.  M will not eat anything unless it is the same temperature as it was the first night it was served.  And L is hit or miss most nights of the week. I guess they come by this honestly since my father will not eat leftovers.

However whenever we have a "taco-night" they hope we have enough leftovers for nachos.  I also get excited since it means that I have an easy (and somewhat healthy) dinner at the ready.  And last night I was over the moon that I could make the kids nachos since we had a jam-packed day!!!

Left-over Nachos

Taco Meat (we always use ground turkey)
Black beans
Sweet corn
Salsa
Shredded cheese (whatever kind you like)
Corn chips (we use Tostitos Scoops since they hold the toppings so well)

1. This is a recipe all about "eye-balling"!  First you must find the right baking dish. You want to make sure the dish to not be too big since you want an even layer of fixings.  Small amount of leftovers equals a small baking dish.  Big amount of leftovers equals a big baking dish.  Same goes for the cheese.

2. Combine taco meat, black beans, corn, and salsa in a pan and simply reheat.

3. Form a nice even layer of corn chips in your baking dish.  Evenly sprinkle half of your cheese over the chips.

4. Place baking dish under the boiler until cheese has melted.

5. Evenly spread the combined taco meat, beans, corn and salsa over the chips and cheese.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

6. Place baking dish back under the boiler until all the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!!

Do you have any tip for "re-inventing" leftovers? 

The Great Outdoors

We live in a newer development which means we have nothing in our backyards but grass and maybe one tree.  This never really bothered me since the kids mostly use the backyard as a play-field.  That was until we had a deck built last spring and I suddenly realized how I was not happy with our lack of trees. 

Not that I don't love my neighbors, because I do!  I just feel that no one should have to witness my children eating dinner.  Everyone know that boys can be messy eaters!!!

So after much research and nagging poor Hubby, we bought two Cryptomeria from a local garden center.   They are considered medium growth trees so each year we should see a difference in their width and height.  The trees might only be 5 feet across now but some day they could be as wide as 20 feet wide and 90 feet tall. (Hubby's note- 90 feet?!!! Pretty sure I didn't realize 90 feet was a possibility. Then again they will be someone else's problem by then.)  No one will be able to see how messy my boys are then!  I fear I might never be able to marry my sweet yet messy boys off!!!

The neighborhood boys loved watching the men plant the trees.  And I love that they tried to re-sod an area of our lawn that was damaged by the unreal rain we have had this Spring.  I just love it when people go above and beyond!!!

So far so good!  Let's pray that I don't develop a sudden case of black thumb!!!

Keeping It Real

Like most bloggers, I try to keep thing positive and highlight the "highs" here at Lobster Meets Peach. But just like everyone else things do not always go as planned. So I thought I would keep things real and let you know how our plans for a nice Mother's Day breakfast did not go the way things were intended to go.

I was so excited that my Mom would be here for Mother's Day because I have not gotten to spend many Mother's Days with her since I became a mother myself.  My family had to get on the road before noon to head back to the other side of the Mason Dixon line so Hubby and the kiddos planned a nice morning for both of us. We were going to enjoy coffee, tea and buttered croissants on our deck while we sat in the morning sun.

Things were going well until L headed back inside for something and the wind caused the door to slam shut on his finger.  Not sure if it is just me but I knew that something was really wrong simply by the way poor L cried.  We all rushed and got his finger out of the door and quickly had his hand elevated with ice on it.  It was decided after Hubby, Mom and I got a good look at his finger that he needed a trip to the urgent care.  After a relatively quick short time at the doc-in-a-box we got word L was basically fine. Thank God his finger was not broken and only need to be "glued"!!!  And since L thought his bandages made him look like a ninja he was ok with the whole ordeal.

While the morning did not go as planned the day did get better once L was home from the urgent care.  And when L asked for a tv show and a cuddle in the basement there was no way this mom could say no!