Artichoke Lasagna

Despite the fact that I'm predisposed to LOVE anything with artichokes and cheese, this was a mighty tasty dish that Rob really liked as well. This recipe goes in our keeper file. I used chipotle pepper flakes instead of red pepper flakes, and the slightly smokey, hot flavor was divine with the mozzarella and artichoke.

26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
~14 oz. jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
15 oz container ricotta cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, or 2 tsp dried, crumbled
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp garlic powder
6-8 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 c. shredded mozzarella for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375.
In a large bowl, stir together the spaghetti sauce, artichokes, and red bell peppers.
In another bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, spinach, mozzarella, and all the spices.
To assemble, spread a scant layer of the spaghetti sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Make a layer of noodles on top. Spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with half the remaining spaghetti sauce mixture. Repeat with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce mixture.
Lightly cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove tinfoil, bake another 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. When about 5 minutes remain, top with the cup of shredded mozzarella. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Today

Keys torn off the laptop:
My sunglasses wrapped around a chewed-up pear:
A banana punctured full of holes using... ? I'm a little afraid to find what it was.
My purse, industriously loaded full of chex, cheerios, and craisins.
The chairs, all pushed up against bare and boring walls with no interesting objects nearby that an aspiring and clever climber and gymnast can reach:


Responsible party:


Alternate names for this post:
1. Why I've quit trying to find time to blog
2. Reasons to think twice about having children
3. Toddler mentality
4. Explain that object, please
5. Why I don't really mind that we don't have any furniture, and what we do have is old and crappy
6. An explanation of my decorating scheme, or why there are no chairs at my table or bar
7. STOP THE MADNESS
8. A two-fold explanation of why my house is a mess: TJ lives here, and if I take my eye off him for one moment to try to get something done, I end up with twice the mess I started with

Endless Summer

Sorry we've gone dark for such a long time; really, it's that we've been way too busy having a great time to post anything. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is our summer. I'll keep the words to a minimum.

Destin, Florida (early June)

TJ loves wearing my shoes:
Grandpa Tom turned his back deck into a personal hot-tub for TJ. What an awesome grandpa!
The Pioneer Day parade in Idaho. The horse-obsession began here.
TJ figured out the game (wave at the people, they throw candy, he picks it up) really quickly. Please note the sucker in either hand.
Hiking in the Teton Valley.
The horse obsession intensified here:


More shoes
AND TJ TURNED TWO!!!! Birthday cake:
Opening presents with Grandpa Tom.
And since TJ is so obsessed with horses, what else would we get him for his birthday besides a rocking horse?
In October, Rob and I went on a romantic get-away to the Buffalo River. We did some beautiful hiking, stayed in a remote B&B, and canoed.


And explored one of the Ozarks' many caves.

Dr. Glade on the KOCO News

I couldn't find a way to imbed the video into our blog; but if you click HERE, you can view the video on KOCO's website.

The Games We Play

Climbing: definitely the number one interest right now. I cannot keep my child on the ground. And he LOVES all buttons/switches/power knobs, etc. So the combination of climbing + switch = nirvana.

This is the Victory Dance, performed whenever some particular bit of naughtiness has been successfully completed sans adult intervention. It's a good thing those twinkling eyes are so darn CUTE!


Clothespin Box: Hours of fun to be had here, my friends. He carefully arranges all clothespins along the edge of the box, then dumps them off and does it all over again.


Did I mention that the clothespins only came in a bin of 200?(!) Do you know how long in takes a little boy to line up 200 clothespins along the edge of various boxes and cans? I've never gotten so much done in HIS life!

Straws and Bottle: This is another big hit, and really helped us out on our recent flight(s) to Florida (more on that later); a beverage bottle filled with straws and tongue depressor sticks. He dumps them all out, carefully threads them all back in, one-at-a-time, then screws the lid on (this kid and screw-on/off lids... I could go on and on. He loves them. No bottle is too tricky for his clever, strong little fingers. I have Poison Control on speed dial. Soon, they'll know us both by our first names there. This is not a good thing).

Note the bubble wrap. This is another fabulous game that gives those same clever, strong little fingers some harmless goals. I'm loving it. While the dog may hate the constant cracking of the bubbles (he runs in terror every time), I LOVE that--not only does it keep him totally occupied--but it's a great audio indication of where he is at all times.
And here are a few of the things I've been getting done while my little one is so industriously engaged:
A diaper bag/changing pad set for a friend:

I LOVE the print of the waterproof laminate I found. Anna Marie Horner rules.
Lots of big pockets...
And a quilt for my mom. The pattern is a variation of a traditional Drunkard's Path.
PS: Sandy, you better come pick out your fabric....

Legos

TJ and I like to go to various community play groups. One of my favorites is at a Lutheran church, and they have the best-stocked nursery I've ever seen. I've noticed that everytime we go lately, TJ spends the entire time enthralled by the big Legos. So yesterday we finally went to Target and bought him some Legos of his own.


He played with them all afternoon. I couldn't get him to eat dinner because he wanted to keep playing with his Legos. So we comprimised and I fed him dinner while he held a Lego in each hand. He played with them after dinner.

When it was time for bed, he cried when I took him away from the Legos. And he's played with them all morning. I think this is love.

Family Pictures

I have learned-mostly the hard way- the value of good pictures; and that a photographer whose vision coincides with your own is a rare and wonderful find. I've been wanting to do family pictures for a long time, and finally made the call just before Christmas. It took, honestly, MONTHS and MONTHS* for the weather and schedules of all parties concerned to finally line up (with the weather being the most truculent and disagreeable one involved). We had many a shoot canceled at the last moment due to rain or snow-- always AFTER I had spent all weekend making sure both of my men had fresh haircuts, clean clothes, and buffed shoes. But here, finally, are the gems of our photographers labours, and TJ's frequent haircuts. There are alot of pictures. It's to make up for my lack of posting. If you live in OKC, our photographer is Randy Coleman. Call me for his number, and because I have referral coupons for you!
*When we scheduled the pictures, I bought TJ a new pair of bootcut baby jeans, so he could match his parents. However, by the time the pictures were finally shot, he had nearly grown out of the jeans, and you'll notice they are rather high-water.