Not quite ready to become vegetarians

This pasta dish sounded amazing...to me....radicchio, fennel, fontina, ricotta...yum! I knew the radicchio was pushing the limit on our (the boys) range of vegetables but we've had it in salad. How different could it be baked in a pasta recipe that is full of cheese?? Lets just say, there was what would best be described as a tepid reception. The kitchen smelled delicious! But one bite in and people were fussing. ("What is THIS red /purple thing???").  I knew we'd have to go back to our standard sausage /red sauce/mozzarella baked pasta. At least until I find the next fennel/radicchio recipe that sounds too good to pass up!

Every Saturday looks like this...

Summer into Fall

The school year started and it still felt like summer. We still went down to the lake and did other fun things like a last trip to the alpine slide. But the mornings are slowly getting darker and just this week there was a shift into more fall-like weather. And, the novelty of back to school has won off and now there's REAL homework and the usual juggling of spelling tests, book reports, soccer and robotics.
One funny note: Sean was voted as the best reader in his class and as a result is reading the "BFG" by Roald Dahl out loud to his class in place of the teacher. 

Made this last weekend....so good!

Roasted Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

Ingredients


1 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 large eggs

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 ounce grated Manchego cheese

5 basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1.Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes and garlic with oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast until caramelized, about 30 minutes, then transfer tomatoes and juices to a straight-sided 9-inch-round (2-inch-deep) baking dish and let cool slightly. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees.

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cornstarch, coconut milk, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and herbs, then pour mixture over tomatoes.

3.Bake until top is golden brown and edges are puffed, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

14 years!!!

A glance back at summer

Before we get too involved in the school year, I wanted to do a quick note about the last hike of the summer. This hike is in the Columbia River Gorge and has the lovely name "Pool of the Winds". Aptly named because when you reach the waterfall, it is tucked behind a wall of rock so you lean over a railing a feel a gush of wind. The hike continues on to Hamilton Point but we opted to go only halfway up so we could stop and have lunch at a gorgeous view point overlooking the Columbia River. (The second photo of me with the boys is where we had lunch....a truly amazing view!).
I'm continually amazed at the beautiful places around us! This summer we really got out and explored the places that are within a 2 hour drive from our house. And I feel like we only scratched the surface. I think the next step will be longer hikes and finally doing some camping.  Happy Weekend!!!

Another school year begins...

The end of summer went by so quickly, it was hard to believe that on Tuesday it was time to start another school year. The boys were ready and excited and at the last minute, just a tiny bit nervous. Both boys have new teachers this year and we (the parents) are very, very happy with the class placement. I think the uncertainty of a new classroom and new classmates had both boys feeling jitters. However, the moment they got off the bus in the afternoon, they were chatting nonstop about how great the days was and all the fun thing they did at school. I suspect once the real work begins, the enthusiasm may lessen just a bit. But, it's so great to know that right from the beginning, they truly like their teachers and are excited about another year of school.

And with the boys in school, I'm off and running on planning the New Zealand 2013 adventure...finding a place to stay, finding a house sitter, figuring out schools, etc., etc. . We are so excited!!

Outdoor Movie Night

This is something we've talked about doing for a long time. And it was on the official Summer 2012 To-Do List. It finally happened, thanks to one technically savvy husband and equipment borrowed from his office. We watched Ironwill last Sunday night (the trial run to make sure everything was working)  and invited friends to join us for a weekday screening of Tin-Tin (with smores, of course).
It was lots of fun and such a great activity for a warm summer night.