A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - bracketology 2012



St. Patrick's Day Hartville Fun Run

St. Patrick's Day we rose early and made our way through the fog to Hartville, OH, where Jeff would participate in the first annual Hartville 5K Fun Run.

Without a single item of green clothing to wear (no shortage of pink), I added a touch of Irish flare to the children's cheeks in the form of painted shamrocks.

"Top o' the mornin' to ya."

Ready to cheer on the ol' man.

Slightly skeptical of the runners and their wacky green gear.

Not at all interested in having his picture taken.

The morning was beautiful, with perfect spring temperatures.

Finishing strong.

"Go Daddy Go!"

"Did he win?" ~ the little lady

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - "I had to teach a class."



Doc and Mimi Visit

Last Thursday, Doc and Mimi arrived in Cleveland ready for an extended weekend of family fun.  The children were thrilled to have their grandparents back in town and Jeff and I looked forward to having extra sets of loving hands to keep our little ones busy.

A few highlights of their trip included a trip to Cleveland's new aquarium.

Celebrating Mimi's birthday at Washington Inn and Bistro. 

 Our evening was filled with delicious food and good (adult) conversation.   

Leaving our sweet ones in the adoring and capable hands of their grandparents to enjoy an overnight trip with the hubby to Erie, PA.   Since moving to Cleveland, overnight trips are a rare luxury.  It was just what the doctor ordered.

With us out of the picture, the little lady and man wasted no time engaging Doc and Mimi in countless activities.

It is always hard to say good-bye to family; however, knowing the children and I will make the long trip home to WI next week for the little lady's 4th birthday made it a little easier.  We are so grateful to Doc and Mimi for making the trip to Cleveland; it was a very special and memorable weekend.

White Cheese & Chicken Lasagna

We basically ate our way through the weekend, which in my honest opinion is one of the best ways to enjoy one's leisure time.  From burgers at B Spot (where the little man consumed an adult sized burger and fries), to the best pancakes EVER for Sunday brunch (we now double the recipe), it was a weekend of fine and satisfying dining.  We ended our weekend with this tasty alternative to traditional lasagna. 

recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

9 whole lasagna noodles (not oven-ready)

1/2 cup butter

1 whole onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk

4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided, plus additional 1/4 cup for topping (optional)

1 teaspoon each, dried basil and oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2 cups Ricotta cheese

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 (10oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in flour and salt, simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk; bring to a boil, stirring constantly for one minute. Stir in 2 cups of Mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with basil, oregano and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Spread 1/3 of sauce mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 noodles, and all of the Ricotta and chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken and layer with 1/4 of sauce mixture, the spinach, remaining 2 cups of Mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles.

4. Sprinkle with parsley and additional Parmesan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.  

Enjoy!

***

Oh yeah, we also managed to consume almost an entire half gallon of Turkey Hill Salty Carmel ice cream, a new find.   And, apparently I discovered it just in time.

Jeff was somewhat concerned when he noticed the large "Limited Edition" label on the carton. In an effort to keep my man happy, I snagged two more half gallons at the grocers this morning. I'm not even kidding, nor am I sorry for doing so. The stuff is amazing.

He Cooks: Asian Lettuce Wraps

We added a few new items to our pantry with this flavorful recipe.

recipe from allrecipes.com

 

 

Ingredients:

 

16 Boston Bibb leaves or 1 head of iceberg lettuce

1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Asian chili pepper sauce (optional, but recommend)

1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

shredded carrot (optional garnish)

  

(Perhaps my new favorite condiment.)

Asian dipping sauce:

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon chili paste or Asian chili pepper sauce

 

1. Rinse lettuce and pat dry, being careful not to tear.  Set aside.

 

2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing heat to medium, if necessary.  Drain, and set aside to cool.  Cook onion in the same pan, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, and chili pepper sauce to the onions, and stir.  Stir in chopped chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue cooking until the onions just being to wilt, about 2 minutes.

 

3.  Arrange lettuce leaves on plate and pile meat in center, top with carrots and roll like a burrito.   Serve with dipping sauce on side.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - introduction to board games

Daddy - "Another chute!"

Little lady - "We're never going to win this game!"

...and to think that I saw it at Barnes & Noble

We looked! 

Then we saw him step in on the mat!

We looked!

And we saw him!

The Cat in the Hat!

- Dr. Seuss

Congratulations to Barnes and Noble for trumping The Children Museum of Cleveland.  Paper stripped hats in no way compared to laying eyes on the actual Cat in the Hat Saturday morning.  The rhyming feline caused quite a frenzy in the children's section of the store, as children rushed to his side or fled to the safety of their parent's arms during his very brief and entertaining visit.

True to her natural and ever evolving emotional state, the little lady fluctuated between crazed excitement...

and cautious enthusiasm.

Taking in the Cat and all his glory.

Neither child was interested in an up close and personal hand shake, but found pleasure in coloring at the Cat's feet. 

Minutes later, Joey created his own "Zacchaeus moment" attempting to scale the decorative tree behind him to get a better look at the iconic cat and his very tall hat.

We lead very adventurous and thrilling lives over here in Cleveland.

The Children's Museum of Cleveland

This morning the littles and I set off for an adventure in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.  We had not yet been to the Children's Museum, which was promising a few festive and themed activities, so it seemed like the perfect way to spend our morning.  The little lady and man spent their morning bee-bopping from activity to activity, but elected not to participate in any Dr. Seuss related activities.  Such is life...

*The museum was sweet but in no way compares to the charming Children's Museum in Madison.  Just in case you were wondering.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - "And, I mean buisness," sayeth the fairy boy.