Wednesday

Graduation



this is andi and jodie with their friend rebekah at their end of the year program at school. there was also a little graduation ceremony for andi's class. she is now officially a prechool graduate!

Bike Party



for andi's party on friday all the kids decorated their bikes. they rode down the street in a bike parade and raced each other in the driveway. they had a wonderful time!

Friday

Zucchini Soup



i made this for dinner tonight. it was quick, easy, and delicious.

...recipe from Creating Chefs: A Journey through Culinary School with Recipes and Lessons
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, medium diced
1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
3 cups chicken stock
salt
parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter in a large saute pan and add zucchini, chilli flakes, and thyme. Cook till the zucchini starts to brown.

2. Turn off the heat and stir in the garlic. Let sit for about 10 minutes.

3. Pour the zucchini mixture and the chicken stock into a food processor and puree. You may need to do this in batches depending on how large your food processor is.

4. Reheat the soup in a saucepan over low heat.

5. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Andi is 5



Happy Birthday Andi!

Thursday

Banana Cakes with Chocolate Drizzle



andi's birthday is tomorrow. we made these cakes this afternoon for her to take to school with her tomorrow. she had a great time helping and is very excited to share them with her class! i just used my recipe for banana bread and instead of baking it in a loaf pan i baked them in mini cake pans or you could bake them in muffin tins. once they cooled i drizzled them with chocolate (5oz. dark chocolate chopped melted with 1/2 cup heavy cream). the chocolate will set when refrigerated.

Friday

Roasted Artichoke Pesto & Fried Goat Cheese and Tomato Salad

andi and i were watching the food network yesterday afternoon and we saw these wonderful things being made so we decided to make some of them for dinner tonight. andi breaded the goat cheese and cut up all the tomatoes. it was her first time using a knife! she did a great job. we also had grilled flank steak with the artichoke pesto and the fried goat cheese salad.



the recipe for the roasted artichoke pesto is here. i served it with crusty bread that i brushed with olive oil and then grilled for a couple of minutes on each side.



...recipe my own creation, but the idea was taken from michael chiarello
10 oz. log of goat cheese
bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
oil for frying

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
diced sweet onion
3 cloves garlice, minced
oregano
freshly ground salt and pepper
olive oil
red wine vinegar

romaine lettuce leaves

mix together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

slice the log of goat cheese into rounds. dip them in the lightly beaten eggs and then into the bread crumbs. coating completely. place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. heat oil in a frying pan and fry cheese round for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

to serve place a romaine lettuce leaf on a plate and spoon the tomato mixture into it. place 2-3 cheese rounds on top. serve immeadiatly.