Oh the Lazy Days

So the last few days have been on the lazy end. I have done my normal cooking and cleaning about the house but nothing else special. I did replant my herb garden though. This year we have Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano and Flat Leaf Parsley. I couldn't find a decent looking Basil so I planted that by seed. I need to get some veggies going in the planters too. See as I live in an apartment, I don't have much space so I stick to small plants. I always have Bell Pepper(green, yellow and red), Jalapeno's and Tomato plants. I've been tempted to try one of those upside down planters for the tomato's but still not sure how that would work. I wish I had room for zucchini but I will have to keep buying at the farmers market. I've been on a veggie kick lately which is healthy and good for me, baby and Kaylani but Rob sure wants his protein, so tonight I'm making Asian Style Spare Ribs. Not sure about the marinade yet. Probably just soy sauce, tomato paste, garlic and brown sugar. I'll also make my Nonnie's Tomato Salad. Sliced up tomato's with the seeds taken out, thinly sliced red onions, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. So simple and for some reason a sort of comfort food for me plus Rob and Kaylani both love it.

Ugly Breakfast Tomorrow

So some fellow mommies are coming over tomorrow for an Ugly breakfast around 9am. We usually do this about twice a month and it basically means you get to stay in your PJ's and not worry about your make-up and hair. I didn't realize how much there is to be done around my house though. You know when you start wiping things down you notice all the nooks and crannies you haven't cleaned in a few months? Ergh! Rob is so on trash patrol when he gets home from work. Now if Kaylani would decide to take a nap I could start to get things ready for tomorrow.

On the menu for the morning:
1. Homemade bread with Jams
2. Beverages(coffee,tea,juice)
3. Fresh squeezed OJ(thanks Ce for the oranges!)
4. Meats and Cheeses(prosciutto,salami,cheddar,provolone,brie)
5. Muffins(blueberry)
6. Whatever else the other mommies decide to bring

Thankfully most of this stuff can be prepped ahead of time and when I wake up I just need to open my fridge, turn on the oven and press the coffee maker button. I think after about 5 years I have learned the art of hosting. It really is an art form too. Well off to my kitchen to start all this stuff. I'll let you all know how things go down.

**UPDATE** Everything turned out great! It was nice to have some fellow mommies over and see all their kids. Everyone enjoyed the yummy grub. The other mommies ended up bringing some cantaloupe(so sweet!), eggs and turkey bacon. Turned out to be a good breakfast with good coffee and good friends. Can't wait for the next one!

Dinner Last Night

My friend Steve is visiting from Baltimore so I decided to invite him and our friend Nelson over for dinner last night. They were expecting take out but I had a little surprise waiting for them. When they walked in they were greeted with a wonderful cheese platter of Brie,Aged Cheddar and Blue Cheese. I also had some artisan bread that I sliced up, brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven. There was also some salami, prosciutto, garlic stuffed olives and a salsa of tomato's,basil and fresh garlic. So yummy! That was just to start the evening. For dinner I served Beef Tips in a Merlot reduction, roasted green beans with mushroom and red onions and a Spring Mixed Salad with Endive and a Dijon,Oil and Vinegar dressing. Steve and Nelson were so surprised. I know it sounds like a difficult dinner that I had to start in the afternoon but it was really very easy. If you would like the recipe's feel free to email me.

This meal was served with a great Merlot wine from Forestville,CA Vinyards. I use to live near Forestville and I remember having their wine and how wonderful it was. I was able to find it here in Santa Maria. I definetly recommend it with a beef meal or pasta with a tomato meat sauce. For only about $10 a bottle you can't beat it. You can check them out here:
http://nobleestates.com/Products/Forestville.htm

The First One

So this is my first post in my blog. I was kind of up in the air on whether I should even start one of these but I figured that I have a lot of stuff in my head that I need to get out and things that I need to share with the world.

Today is just another day at home with the kiddo. It's so weird being home all the time. For those of you who don't know me, that's most of you, I am recently a stay at home mom and not by choice. I was laid off from my job about 3 weeks ago. I have been working a full time job since I was 15 so it's weird. Though I did think that I wouldn't know what to do with my time but I find myself much busier than before. I have craft projects going, I'm cooking and baking more than usual, learning to make a lot of stuff homemade and shopping, of course. I have also taken up the project of redecorating and reorganizing the house. So much fun!