Sprin

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Gardens Bounty

The girls and I love anything having to do with fresh tomatoes and basil...since our tomatoes are coming in, I have made a few things lately and tonight I made THE best spaghetti sauce! Ron would have liked some spicy meatballs to go with it, but to me, this was Pasta Nirvana!

Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil Sauce

1/2 cup plus 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
3 -4 cloves garlic minced
20 or so fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds dried spaghetti
1 TB butter
8 basil leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Add the olive oil and garlic to a pan and heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, taking into account that the sauce will reduce and the salt will become concentrated. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher to release all their liquid. Cook for 25 minutes over medium to medium-high heat, until the tomatoes form a semi-chunky sauce.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. When it is three-quarters cooked, drain the pasta and reserve the water. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and cook over med-high heat until all the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce. Remove from the heat and just before serving, add the butter, basil and cheese, mixing thoroughly until the pasta is an orange hue. Season with salt to taste.

YUM!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Africa Family Vacation 2010

I know I haven't posted about many things that happened in July, like the 4th, when most of our (Reis) family comes for the weekend and McKenna throwing the first pitch at the local Pirates game...I will get to that, I promise! But let me throw in a few pics of our Family Vacation! This is something that has been happening with my side of the family for many years now. We go somewhere every other year and this year we went back to Africa. Danny could not join us this year, he had a commitment at WSU to work in a Fellowship Program with the Psychology lab and really learned that it sometimes sucks to grow up and be responsible!! He was definitely missed!First stop...spent the weekend in Libreville at a very nice hotel La Residence Maisha...these are my CUTE girls!!
Drive by shots in Libreville
Relaxing in the lounge with my mom, McKenna, Lindsay, me, the kids cousin Alex, Uncle Oscar Grandpa and cousin John
Fly into Bayanga and first thing out of the plane, we get to go on an Elephant hike!
Dirty shoes
Isn't this the best!
Stay at Dzanga Sangha Reserve and hike to view the Mangabay (Monkey) and the gorilla close up...best day ever!
On the way through the village for the "hunt"
My groups hunt team
Lindsay balancing a saber on her head!
Move to Loango Lodge...seriously roughing it now!
Boating over to Akaka Camp
Lots of wildlife
Grandpa...now THAT'S wildlife :)
The girls and I and Uncle Oscar in one of the cabins
This is our really rough dining room!!!
Pte. Ste. Catherine Beach Camp. Unfortunately the wells had dried up and we couldn't stay there, but we went for a couple of day trips and had a private beach and a chef that came with us! Now THAT is what I call camping!!
My girls and their grandpa
The girls sea shell collection...they actually took a couple of live ones home...ewwwwww
McKenna and her Uncle Oscar. Last night at Akaka, boating over to a neighboring camp to see some local dancing.
One of our last stops, Evengue Island, that hosts the Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project which is a rescue program that plans to hopefully rehabilitate and reintroduce gorillas who have become ophans due to bush meat trade back into the wild.
Another CUTE pic of the girls
Boating over to Port Gentil, our last stop...many of the boats do not survive the water and the weight they put on the boats, and most do not have the safety measures like life jackets to help.
This is how I spent most of the 4 hour trip!!
Crocodile viewing on the way

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Danny Is 20! WHAT!!

This past July 7th, Danny turned 20 years old...now I do NOT know where the time has gone, because when we moved to Moses Lake, he was just starting 2nd grade!
Danny has grown into such a kind, thoughtful, good looking man and we are very proud of him! He is doing well at WSU, living there this summer working on his research in the psychology lab. We miss having him home, but I guess leaving the nest will happen whether mom is ready or not!

We love you Danny!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Catching Up!

Well now, I sure have some catching up to do! So let's condense it! School is out, McKenna placed 4th at the Miss Washington Outstanding Teen pageant, the dance recital is over, Dan is working and living at WSU this summer, Lindsay is home and back at her nanny job (so we never see her!), there has not been a "healthy recipe of the month" lately because with everybody everywhere, I haven't really cooked! Or at least not healthy enough to post!! I'll have to work on that!

Most importantly, I want to give my dad a big HUG and KISS and say HAPPY FATHERS DAY to the best father a girl can have!
4th Runner Up!
McKenna, Hanna and the Princess Build-A-Bear Hanna gave her!All together again at Relay For Life
Dance Recital
1st Pointe perfo
rmance!Closing number
Ron struttin' his stuff in the Father/Daughter number
My Daddy! Happy Father's Day, I love you!

Friday, May 21, 2010

My baby turns 15!

May 19th marked another year for McKenna as she turned 15! She was bummed that once again, every weekend is booked, so having friends over didn't happen. But her friends made it a nice day at school for her...made her a cake, brought her flowers, Lindsay dropped off doughnuts and a gift bag!

Ron and I are very proud of McKenna and the person she is becoming. She has a very kind heart, sweet smile and is so funny!

The years are going by too fast!

The beginning
Our future Miss M.L. Outstanding Teen!
McKenna today
We love you!!

Friday, April 30, 2010

Healthy Recipe of the Month

The month is almost over, so thought I'd better get this in! This is one of our favorite side dishes.

No-Cook Colorful Bean Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can firm lentils, rinsed and drained
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro or parsley
2 TB olive oil
2 TB apple cider vinegar
Juice of freshly squeezed lime

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least two hours.
Makes 8 x 1 cup servings.

Cal 340 Protein 12g Fat 3g Fiber 10g



Sunday, April 25, 2010

Marching towards the end of the school year!

Hard to believe that the end of the school year is almost here already! Danny and Lindsay will finish up soon and be home in 3 weeks, McKenna will be done in about 1 1/2 months! We are all looking forward to warmer weather and lazier days (not that summer seems to slow down very much)! In the meantime, we'll just keep plugging along..
Easter
McKenna at the annual Egg Hunt downtownEaster dinner/egg hunt with friends McKenna at "Spring Forum" getting ready for the state pageant and meeting some new friendsMcKenna with Brittney Brown - Miss OT West Sound and Heidi Nicks - Miss EastsideMcKenna's dance team listening to the judge at "Team Dance" competitionLyrical number "Gone"McKenna and her "Little Sister" Hanna in the Moses Lake baseball opening day paradeMcKenna and Miss Moses Lake Susan HarrisonMcKenna and Miss Columbia Basin Brittney HenryMcKenna and Miss Eastside Heidi NicksTaking pictures for the state pageant program book