There's No Place Like It...

 

 

Color me happy and just call me Susie Homeowner! After several years of saving and planning, we finally did it. We have our own home! No more white walls, thin walls and noisy neighbors. No more fighting for parking spots and paying for laundry. We are now the proud owners of a roomy abode with a huge backyard complete with oak tree and swing. The kids are thrilled. A few snapshots of the past two weeks:

 

 

Closing! We worked out seating arrangements so we could sign at the same time. We're very efficient. 

 

Family photo! Lily loved that sign - but I think we did more!

Over the threshold.

 

 

Boxes are packed and are slowly, but surely getting moved. I have paint practically tattooed on me for as hard as I scrub, I can't seem to get it all off! We've made a ton of cosmetic changes to the inside - before and after pictures coming soon!

 

We are just so excited to have a place to call our own. Holidays, showers, parties and family gatherings just got 100x better; Mowgli has a yard to play in and we all have more room to spread out! We're all breathing just a little bit deeper, with smiles just a little bit wider. Such a happy time! 

Unknown Territory

 I think I've lost my mind. Not only have I cooked a healthy meal for dinner (healthy meaning, not meat and butter based), but it's also all 100% organic. I don't know whether this is a cause for pride or a therapy session as I'm obviously smack dab in the middle of an identity crisis. I'm all for organics and natural ingredients, but I've never gone out of my way to acquire said materials. However, when my mother presented the opportunity to take part in a produce co-op, I had to give it a try.  In our first share delivery, we received a random sample of berries, tomatoes, fruits, and one giant enigmatic gourd. So what is the mystery veg? Ladies and gents, I give you, the spaghetti squash!

Here's how you rock a spaghetti squash:

OK, so first you cut the thing in half length ways. This recipe is fabulous because it gives you two totally legitimate excuses to avoid the gym: 1, as previously stated, this is a healthy meal (that means you don't have to work out, right?). 2, it takes every muscle in your upper body to wrench the sucker apart.

Then, you gut it like a pumpkin, removing all the seeds. Put it, cut side down, on a lightly greased (OK I had to use SOME butter, but it's not butter-based, and that's what makes this extraordinary). Roast it at 350 for 35 minutes.

While the squash is a roastin, saute a small onion, three small tomatoes and garlic (all organic, bien sur!) in some olive oil.

When the squash is done, scrape out the insides with a fork into a bowl. Here's the nifty part: the insides form the shape of a spaghetti noodle! No kidding! A spaghetti squash produces spaghetti shaped squash meat! Mind blown.

Empty the shavings into a bowl and toss with tomato mixture, some feta cheese, fresh basil and spinach. It looks, tastes and feels just like pasta. It's pretty and delicious and fabulous and it won't clog your arteries.

To make things even better, the portion you see above is only half the dang gourd! I shaved the rest and popped it in the freezer (it apparently freezes beautifully) for future use - more than likely the next time I get a group of those fabulous tomatoes.

While I'm thrilled with this whole new world of healthy fabulousity, I'm still not feeling right about all of this no-meat-barely-a-hint-of-butter recipe thing. I'm thinking a batch of sugar cookies will restore balance to my world...

Hooray for Daddy!

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Today, you are officially closer to 30 than you are to 20, and you've never looked better!

We celebrated with a fantastic breakfast in bed, lots of fantastic video games (still such a kid!) and a fantastic dinner at Hurricane Grill with lots of friends - we took up the whole porch area! Drinks, wings (extra spicy for the birthday boy), and all the fried pickles I could eat - it was a fantastic day! Lily got into the celebrations by dancing for our group to the music being played outside - sweet tea in one hand, crayons in the other. Such a party girl.

Tomorrow, Mommy goes back to work and Lily goes back to school. Happy birthday, Jason and bye bye, summer. Bring on the cooler weather, tailgating, pumpkin spice lattes, boots and chunky sweaters!

Aunt Lisa Love!

Aunt Lisa came home for a visit! Lisa and I have been friends since high school. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding and as soon as we knew we were to become parents, we knew Lisa was to be an aunt. For the past several years, she has lived in enemy territory (the North), making her home in New York, and now Washington, D.C. It's always such a treat when she comes home for a visit and today was just wonderful. She came bearing cupcakes and we had a marvelous time!



Lily and Aunt Lisa!

I'm really going to miss her!

Lisa's next visit won't be until Thanksgiving, and I can't wait! We love Aunt Lisa! 

Summer - All Of It (warning: super long post!)

Hey there! We're still here, I swear! I feel like as soon as the last school bell rang in June, my days and weeks all blurred into one and I spent every waking moment focusing on enjoying the free time. And enjoy it, I did! It has been a wonderful, crazy, eventful summer. So eventful, in fact, that instead of giving y'all the play-by-play (we'd be here for hours), I'll just give you a quick list and a picture or two of some highlights (you're welcome).

So, with a deep breath, here is a bit of the Lazar Family Summer, in no particular order (again, my days are all blurred together:

~We adopted a hedgehog. It's a long story, but her name is Petunia and she's adorable. She'll soon be making her new home at school as a class pet.

~ Jason has almost completed his first phase as a Rookie cop - Yay Daddy!

~ I joined the Junior League! Anyone want to buy a fabulous cookbook? We had our first community event a week ago and I am already in love with this wonderful organization!

~ Jason and I celebrated 3 years of happy married life! We returned to Henderson Beach in Destin and had a fantastic time. Many thanks to our parents for making small vacations possible!



~ Lily is officially potty trained! No more diapers here. Panties and potty dances abound!

~ I have mastered two new recipes this summer: banana bread muffins and a fabulous baked salmon. It took trials, tears, and a few calls for an emergency dinner-saving pizza, but we finally nailed 'em! Yum!

~ Baby's first X-Ray. Yep, Lily swallowed a penny. She was playing with blocks, and all of a sudden began to cough. I rush over and, sort of thinking aloud, asked, "what in the world did you just eat?" She swallowed hard and said, with a huge grin on her face, "Penny!" Cue Mommy's heart attack and frantic calls to Kiki and pediatrician. A check up and X-Ray later, we were told to wait for it to "pass." Poop patrol lasted about a week before we all agreed that it had indeed come out and we had simply missed it. Blegh. But aren't her insides lovely?

~ I started grad school! On my way to a Master's, y'all, courtesy of the University of West Florida. Woohoo! Go Argos!

~There are several other developments which came out of this summer, but I'll get to those later!

School is starting up again soon. Lily goes back next week and my middle schoolers start the 20th. The summer has really flown by! I'm going to spend this weekend enjoying every last second of this wonderful time of year!

A Time To Grow

I've always felt that people do most of their growing to adulthood over summer vacation as kids. Physically, people would come back to school in the fall with fresh hair cuts, healthy glows and revitalized spirits. Emotionally, we grew through the simultaneous ecstasy and heartbreak of summer flings. Mentally, we came that much closer to the understanding that nothing lasts forever, especially the things you most want to. Yes, summer vacation as a child is a time for much growth and learning. However, today, as Lily left for her first, last day of school, I realized the school year takes its toll, too! Take a look!

Lily's first day of school back in August:

Last day of school this morning:

My oh my how we've grown! Welcome, summer! I trust you'll treat my growing girl well.

Ode To The Blueberry

Summer is here! Let's bake!

I adore the summer months, probably more so now that I'm a teacher (hmmm wonder why that is? Riddle me that!) Along with the smell of babies in sunscreen, the visits to the sugar-white sands and clear blue waters of the coast and best tasting seafood of the year, one of the greatest heralds of the summer months is the majestic blueberry (yes, they're majestic. Don't try to argue). I eat these things like candy, ya'll, and I wanted to be sure I got the most out of their season. To start my blueberry bash, I decided to try a classic blueberry pie. But, like everything else in my life, this seemingly simple dish comes with a story!

You see, I have never been able to create a decent blueberry pie. Apple pie? No probem. Peach cobbler? Kid stuff. But my blueberry pies have always come out delicious, but in the form of blueberry syrup or blueberry mush rather than a free-standing piece of heaven. I would always just end up using my cooked filling as syrup over ice cream and the crust for texture, but not this year! This year, I did my research. I googled, I blogged, I put the feelers out, and, with the help of my dear friend, Alisha, and few more attempts at tweaking everyone else's recipe, I think I nailed it! Seriously, it's always the easy recipes that seem to be the hardest. We won't even get into how long it took me to master a grilled cheese...

So, without furthar ado, here is my successful blueberry pie, mastered just in time for Memorial Day!

You'll need:

Pillsbury pre-made pie crust - two for a 9-inch pie dish (one day when I'm amazing, I'll make the crust on my own)

3 cups blueberries (a pint and a half - eat the other half as you're baking)

Just over 1/4 cup flour (just over 1/4 C, not quite 1/3 - it's a fine line, people!)

Just under 1 cup white sugar (JUST UNDER 1C otherwise you get into blueberry mush territory - DON'T GO THERE!)

2 tsp cinnamon

Half of a lemon

Butter

Then you:

Preheat oven to 425

Line the bottom of the pie dish with one of the crusts

Mix the flour and sugar and cinnamon (add more or less cinnamon to taste!) in a bowl

Fold in blueberries

Pour the mixture into the pie dish and squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Dot with butter.

Place the second crust over the top, sealing the sides and adding slits to vent. I prefer to get my fancy pants on and do the lattice crust (what can I say, it almost makes up for the crust not being homemade!)

Melt a bit of butter and "paint" the crust. No joke, I used one of Lily's new paint brushes. Sorry, Lily.

Sprinkle the top with sugar and place in the oven

Bake 35-40 minutes. Now, this part is very important: let it cool a bit before cutting in! Otherwise, mush city! Let it get to that "daybreak in July" temp, not cool, not hot, just warm. Serve with vanilla ice cream or on its own. Nailed it!

Up next? Blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry/blackberry cobblers, the possibilities are endless!