Random thoughts

I think I've inherited my father's knack for concocting random dinners with whatever might be in the fridge. It's fun. REALLY fun. And this dish that I've made up is a winner. You can make it in under 20 minutes. Everybody in the family likes it, which, other than hot dogs or chicken nuggets, is one of the only things that all four of us agree upon. So, here goes the recipe:

Spaghetti (make as much as you need)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove crushed/minced garlic
6-8 chicken tenders (plain, NOT breaded)
2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced and seeds removed
1 head of broccoli, steamed
     OR
1 bunch of asparagus, steamed
basil
shredded cheese (mozzarella or or parmesean)
salt and pepper

Boil water, pour in spaghetti, and boil until al dente.

Boil water and steam broccoli/asparagus. (If you don't have fresh, use the steam-in-a-bag veggies.)

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes transparent.

Add chicken tenders, seasoned with salt and pepper. (My kiddos like the chicken tenders for some reason. I think they're less intimidating than a whole chicken breast, and they cook a lot faster.)

When the chicken is cooked through, add a few dollops of the chopped basil that you can buy in the tube. I use the Gourmet Garden basil. In you like fresh herbs but don't want to have to buy them every time you cook, I'd invest in some of this. I love it. It's my secret weapon.

Add chopped roma tomatoes and broccoli/asparagus and stir until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese. Yum. Serves 4-6.

In other news, I received the two pair of Crocs shoes that I bought through Zulily a few weeks ago. I think I spent around $30 for two pair of new shoes, including shipping. SCORE! I'm so ready for spring.

So I got on TicketMaster today after seeing an ad in the paper about Sesame Street Live being at the Murat in downtown Indy. Would that be FUN?! The girls would so love it! Then I saw the ticket prices. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! SERIOUSLY?!?! The cheapest tickets were $22. No way I'm paying $88 for this family to go watch Elmo and Big Bird dance across stage. We'll stick to watching them on TV.

We're looking forward to this weekend because we get to celebrate Brett's birthday. YAY! And you know what that means. I get to cook my little heart out. My plan is to make the cake on Saturday. I found this awesome Colts design online the other day, and I plan to tackle it head on. (Tackle it...Colts...funny.) On Sunday, my parents are watching the girls during naptime, and I'm taking Brett out for a few hours. It should be fun. Then, I'm making RIBS for dinner. Oh heaven. Ribs coated in Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce, which, you know, is the king of all BBQ sauces. We used to import it from Indiana when we lived in NY.

Now all we need is for Brett to actually make it home from work. He's been stuck on Toronto since Tuesday. The snow in Newark is so bad that no flights can get in. Hopefully, he'll get out of there tonight and be able to make it home late tomorrow or early Saturday. Tomorrow will be day #5 of single parenthood, so, you know...it would be nice to have him home.

So far this week, we've tackled the library, which resulted in 3-hour naps for both girls and a 1-hour snooze for me. We went to the grocery store today, which is an event within itself. We've made cookies, and I tested out my sewing machine by making a little wallet for Sophia. I think I've done, like, 12 loads of laundry since Monday. Ugh. I finally posted some of our wedding pictures on Facebook, in honor of our 5th wedding anniversary. Go look at them if you get a chance. I've finished a bunch of freelance work too. It's been a good week so far. Tomorrow, we're going to the doctor for the girls' annual checkups. I found this new recipe for double chocolate cookies that I may tackle too.