"Birthday" - The Beatles

Up until this point, I’ve only been able to blog about how fabulous my life is with Eric.  However, there are many more people in my life that make it so awesome.  The perfect example is my mother, the amazing Cindy Boersma.  

My mother is probably the only person in the world who may be more fabulous than I am... Let’s do the math: I consist of 50% of her DNA, which means that I am half as fabulous as she!  I owe my mom a lot.  It is from this amazing woman that I can credit a strong work ethic, feminist values, and impeccable taste.  Not to mention killer looks and the ability to eat as much ice cream as I want and not gain an ounce!  

Yesterday marked my mother’s birthday.  She turned 40… again.  (You do the math on that one.)  But seriously, she looks spectacular.  And being my mother’s only offspring, I wanted to help her have a birthday that is half as amazing as the woman she is.  

We met for lunch earlier that day, but after work we enjoyed a happy hour cocktail in her backyard and had some quality mother/daughter time.    One of my mother’s many talents is her very green thumb.  The yard at my parent’s house is practically a botanical garden, which makes it a fantastic place to have a relaxing evening.  

 

Perfect location for a vodka lemonade!

I got my mother a two part gift.  I couldn’t decide what to get her, so I just decided “hell, I’ll get her both.”  The first part was a wine tasting class at a local wine shop, and the second part was a canvas print from the wedding of our family.  

She's smiling because we have such an attractive family...

My father, Eric and I all went out to a seafood dinner with my mother to celebrate a fantastic birthday, and afterwards came back for more libations and peach pie in the garden.  Cheers to Cindy and her birthday!  She is a fabulous woman who has raised me to be (almost) as fabulous as she!  

Here's to many more!

"Home" - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Although my life is very fabulous now, it had some not-so-glamorous beginnings.  I was born in the fine city of Decatur in Central Illinois and spent a majority of my more formative years there.  Hence, the accent that I still cannot seem to shake and an intense love for the Chicago Bears.  (Fact: the Chicago Bears actually began in Decatur as the Staley Bears.)   Decatur is kind of a special place for me.  And I don’t mean special as in it brings me warm fuzzy feelings when I think about it.  I mean special like the “special” kid with the headgear in school.  Because frankly Decatur is… different.  And I’m different because I grew up there.  

That’s why it was so important for me to take Eric to see Decatur now that we’re married.  It’s a very big part of me that I wanted to share with him.  So, last weekend Eric and I took Kitty Boo on a road trip to the homeland for the event of summer, the Decatur Celebration.   Which is basically a street fair with deep-fried carnie food, beer, and washed-up musical acts from the 1970’s.  The excitement never ends!  

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to drive out to Central Illinois from Missouri, it’s probably the most boring drive of your life.  It never ends.  And there is SO MUCH CORN.  But once you get there, the fun ensues!  We spent the day on Saturday fishing and boating, then in the evening we went to the Celebration.  

Eric caught a big one!

Lake Decatur! 

I must be in my homeland... I finally found a wine container that meets my needs!  

Sunday, we went to visit my Nan in Springfield, Illinois, which is about 45 minutes outside of Decatur.  Springfield was the home of Lincoln, so there are all kinds of exciting Lincoln things to do…

Rubbing Lincoln's nose for good luck...

Eric at Lincoln's tomb

Eric is looking a little Lincoln-ed out at Lincoln's house.

Being in Central Illinois is really odd for me.  We moved when I was pretty young (I was about 10), so I remember a lot about my life there… it’s just a little vague.  What I do remember are things that a 10 year-old would remember, and a lot of those things have changed in the town.  So when I go back it’s like living in some kind of odd dream.  I know that I’ve been there before, but things aren’t the way I remember them.    

Every time I go though, I’m glad I went.  I always learn more about myself by going to my birthplace.  Plus it’s really pretty country, and the people are always amazing.  That’s probably how I learned to be so awesome. 

I am still one fabulous lady.  Even on Lake Decatur. 

Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness

Happy Thursday blog readers!  Today is Thursday, which means that the weekend is upon us!  To brighten your weekend I decided to post about one of everyone’s favorite topics: foods loaded with cheese.  

As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, I like to trick people into thinking that I can actually cook.  The person who I have most successfully deceived into believing this is Eric.  He thinks I’m practically a gourmet chef!  But I’ll let you in on a secret.  Really my tactic is to just throw a bunch of crap together and cover it with cheese.  It hasn’t failed me yet!  

On Tuesday I successfully fooled my husband once again with by stuffing him full of one of his favorite dishes.  I call it “Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness.”  It’s a perfect dish for summer because it uses a ton of seasonal veggies and it’s really light.  It might actually be healthy if I didn’t load it with cheese.  And drink a whole bottle of wine while making it. 

Normally, I try to keep my recipes a secret.  They are the fastest way to Eric’s heart, and I cannot take that risk.  However, Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness is so delicious that I simply cannot help but share it.   Here’s the recipe: 

Cheesy Veggie Pasta Goodness

Serves: 4 – Eric and I can usually get two good dinners out of it, if we have a salad too. 

Ingredients:

2 T flour

2 T butter

1 1/4^th cup skim milk

1 T Italian seasoning

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

2 bell peppers chopped (I usually use red, but green or yellow are good too)

1 zucchini cut into chunks

1 16 oz package sliced baby portabella mushrooms

2 heads broccoli cut into florets

7 oz (half a box) whole wheat penne pasta

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, plus extra for garnish 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cut up all the veggies.  Put the broccoli off to the side. 
   

   

   Be sure to start your wine drinking AFTER cutting veggies.

3. Make the sauce by melting the butter in a small pot.  Combine with the flour and stir for about a minute until it forms a thick paste.  Be really careful not to let it burn!  Add milk and stir until it starts to boil.  Simmer for about 10 minutes and add Italian seasoning.

   

   This is where it gets cheesy.

4. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  In the last minute add the chopped broccoli and simmer for a minute.  Drain the pasta and the broccoli.

   

   Boiled broccoli in a pot... It gets better once the cheese is added, I promise!

5. Combine the pasta and broccoli with the chopped veggies and the sauce.  Stir to combine until it’s a big saucy, veggie mess.

   

   I make Eric work for his dinner.  He is an expert mixer.

6. Pour the mess into a 9x12 greased baking dish. 
7. Cover the top with Monterey jack cheese.  (This is the good part.)  You can either use shredded cheese from the bag or, if you have a fancy cheese grater (such as yours truly) you can shred your own cheese!   

   

   I'm excited for cheese!

   

   So cheesy...

8. Cover the mess with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Uncover, and broil for 5 minutes more, or until the cheese is just browned on top. 

   

   I know it's going to be hard, but let it rest a few minutes before diving head first into the pasta. 

9. Garnish with more cheese, and enjoy! 

   

   If you have any wine leftover from the preparation process, have some with dinner!  A light white is good with this one.  I like Pinot Gris.

   
   

   

    I love seeing my husband enjoy my cooking!

Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes!  (I'm sure it won't be as good as when I make it.)