Italian Sausage, Sweet Peppers and Onion Baked Rigatoni!!

OMGOSH YUM!!!

You'll need:
Sweet red, yellow & orange peppers
Quarter of a large onion (I chose red)
1 lb of Italian sausage
Rigatoni noodles (I used the whole box so I could make 2 meals and freeze one for later)
Large can of crushed tomatoes
Large can of whole peeled tomatoes
garlic, oregano & salt to taste
Ricotta (small container will work)
Parmesan
Mozzerella
Provolone
Wine

Begin by pouring yourself a glass of wine. It's necessary when making Italian food! Then prep your veggies while you brown the sausage.

Once you add your veggies to the sausage, mix together the ricotta, parmesan and some S&P.                      

Next, add your tomatoes to the pot(both cans) and simmer on low for at least an hour.  You can go ahead and boil your noodles during the last ten minutes. I know the box says to boil for 12 minutes but this is going to bake for a while so 10 minutes is fine unless you want super mushy noodles.                                                                                                           

Once you've drained your noodles, mix in 2 ladles of your sauce then get ready to layer into 2 glass dishes that have been wiped with olive oil. First goes in your saucy noodles, some extra sauce, then your ricotta mixture. I find a bunch of tiny spoonfuls scattered is easier than spreading a larger clump. Like this...

Next step..more noodles, more sauce, add some sliced provolone and ALL of your mozzerella. This is one of my favorites, because cheese! Duh!!! 

Then finally, bake at 350 degrees for a half hour. Once you pull it out of your oven, or who ever's oven you happen to be using, PLEASE LET I SIT for 5-10minutes before cutting/spooning and serving. It needs a few minutes to set back up. TRUST ME, you'll appreciate this step. Plus it gives you more time to drink some more wine, then Bon Apetit! 

Complete, with a simple green salad!

                                                                           

Hot Stuff!! ;)

Honey, Sriracha & Lime Glazed Salmon

So, for the glaze, I mixed equal parts of honey and lime juice and brushed it on the salmon. I then sprinkled it with Sriracha powder. Broiled it for about 7mins. Perfection!!!

Sauteed the asparagus in olive oil. Easy! Just added some S&P.

The rice, I used I part Jasmine rice and instead of 1 and a half parts water, I used some low sodium soy sauce in place of the rice and cooked it untouched(duh!) for 20 minutes while I prepped and cooked everything else. Enjoy!! This was amazing!!!

Perfect Roasted Chicken & Veggies

You definitely need a good cast iron skillet for this dish!

You'll need:
Chicken leg quarters
Herbs de Provence
Sea Salt (I prefer coarse)
Butter
White Whine
Juice of 1 lemon

Asparagus
Shredded Parmesan
Fingerling Potatoes
Red Onion
Olive Oil

Season all veggies, spread on baking sheet and drizzle with good olive oil. Sprinkle asparagus with cheese and place in a 450 degree oven.

Get skillet really hot, season chicken all over with herbs and salt, add melted butter and place chicken in, skin side down. after about five minutes, flip browned chicken over and add the juice of one lemon and white wine to pan, very carefully. Turn heat off,  and place in oven, turn oven down to 400 degrees for a half hour.

Enjoy, I certainly did!!

A Software Developer's Wife

Most people won't tell you this but software developers are jerks. Yep, I said it. I love my hubby but yes, he can be a jerk. They aren't this way intentionally and if you can comprehend that they won't change, being married to one is great. More difficult than putting support hose on an elephant but great.

Why? Their brains are actually wired differently.
How? They try to solve every problem and tend to take it personally when they can't. Even when there's no problem to solve, they will kill themselves trying to solve one anyway.

I spend most days waking up, tending to my children, then sometimes I get a cup of coffee after that. What does he do? Check his phone, shower, check his phone, then drive to work while checking his phone? Sometimes I'm certain he's part cyborg.

He comes home, checks his phone, plays with the kids and checks his phone.

I'm not even going to make a list of what I do during the day because I'll just look resentful that he "gets" to sit down for his jobful duties.

So, where does this vileness stem from? They work in sort of a strange field where intelligence and ability are highly prized. Some of these same qualities put us in the way for passive aggresive tantrums because they're constantly trying to prove themselves and evaluate themselves against others. To put it mildly, they're walking around (or sitting at laptops) with sensitive, bloated egos all day. The same type of mentality also tends to foster cynical thinking habits and an outright rejection of any idea that they didn't self originate.

As much as I'd like this to change, it probably won't so, I have to find a way to start living my life in a new reality with a more peaceful and accepting attitude for a happier atmosphere. Just because the situation seems to be pretty bleak, does not mean I have to be a part of the problem...because lord knows, he'd try to solve it. Ha!

The earth is shifting, the computer people are ruling the world without having to run around or strain a muscle. Technology has become the cornerstone of every field on earth. Now the wierdos rule and geeks are the new "hot".....an everlasting hot, as sure as computers run everything. I should train my kids not to make fun of the nerds at school because surely they'll grow up to work for one or better yet, marry one. Geeks are innovative, hard-working, creative and patient. Unless, of course, the computer freezes! Once you get to know them, it's easy to love them. You may not understand them all the time (maybe that's the lack of time they have to spend with you) All I had to do was be able to hold an intelligent conversation, have a sense of humor, and allow myself to act impressed.

Dealing with jerks and negativity is hard, really, really hard. In my life I've dealt with that just plenty. With all that being said, I love my software developer and will be working daily on my patience.

Bug, Boys, 2013 & 2014

It's been almost 2 years since I've last blogged. My life has been a bit busy and chaotic and I haven't exactly even begun to think where to start writing again.
Bug- I have the sweetest, most content little daughter now. I call her Bug and she is mine. She has my lips, legs, hair, forehead, and I wish...my personality...but that is all her own.  I admire how calm, content and peaceful this child is. Especially considering we named her Ember, which means a tiny little spark left from a fire(me). But, she's far from that at all. So serene. If it weren't for her looks, I wouldn't believe she were mine either. I hope I can learn from her, how to be more content with me. I'm breastfeeding again, makes for amazing boobs (; I love this little critter so much. She's 2 weeks old now and my whole routine has changed entirely. No more early morning coffee runs or midnight trips for sweets. I've got all I need here and my world seems to evolve solely around her at the moment. I'm quite OK with that for now. I love her. I can't get enough.
Boys- Mine are still awesome. They each have very distinct personalities. Max is still a little firecracker, just like me. I'm a sucker for his eyes. All he has to do is look at me and I practically melt every time. This is not good for a parent and is teaching him, that he can get what ever he desires just by working someone. That scares me for his later years. Jack is the sweetest, still. All though, getting in trouble for not listening to his teacher a bit this year. I still think he's mildly autistic and it breaks my heart when other kids pick on or laugh at his twitching. I wish I could follow him to school each day, with a baseball bat, just to teach those kids a lesson...but, I am still too cute for jail. His heart is so big and open that I worry for him. Then there's Jake, my level headed, argumentative, too mature and rational for his own good tween. He's 12 now, taller than me, smells funny sometimes and is already shaving. He also has his first girlfriend. I'm OK with that too. See, Jake is trustworthy and polite and chivalrous, he's like my little rock. He's full of stability, knows what he wants and has he biggest heart. He, too, is in love with my little bug. Jake is the kid I wish I was when I had the chance.
2013- CRAZY! I met Adam. Again. We knew each other in school but both got married and started families soon after. Oddly enough I was online one night, sleep deprived from my job at the law firm, and he popped up. From what I remembered he was always the go to guy so I gave it a shot. He friend requested me so I started chatting him about how I couldn't sleep. What do you know, he showed up an hour later with some herbal assistance and I slept like I hadn't in months that night. One thing drove me crazy though. He didn't seem interested in me, at all. And here he was, at my place, in the middle of the night, all grown up, sexy, smelled amazing and was just what I wanted. But, he didn't seem to want me back. I just didn't understand. I had to step up my game a bit, so a few more casual hang outs and a sushi date later and he was mine...or so I thought. More like I was his. He's had me ever since. There isn't a damn thing I can do about it either. Now, don't get me wrong, we've had more than our fair share of drama and speed bumps but we've plowed through it all, together and as cheesy as it sounds, have grown stronger and more in love with each hurdle. It's us against the world now. Never even saw it coming. He gave me my bug. My little dream girl. He gives me everything and for that I will always be forever in his debt. I can't do enough for him. We have a lovely little condo together and are slowly building a life together as (as he calls it) a team. I like this team.
2014- I'm just hopeful that everything continues to get better, not sure how it could at this point, but I just hope it does. I love my life. I love my Bug. I love my boys. I love my Adam. I'm in LOVE.

Just curious...

How do you like your potato?