Pantry Soup

We got back home from a week out of town for Zeb's wedding and just as usual, I'm faced with the whole "What's for Dinner" task. The pantry is empty so you use what you have. Here's a recipe for Marinara soup that I fond this week to be a lifesaver. Hannah, you're gonna love this one!

Easy Marinara Soup

1 chopped onion

3 large chopped carrots

1 crushed garlic clove

1 can Great Northern beans (or what ever you have) drained and rinsed

1 jar of marinara

2-4 cups of broth

1 cup of small sized pasta, shells, penne, macaroni, orchette. I used a combo.

Saute the onion, carrots and garlic in oil until soft, add the beans, marinara, broth and cooked pasta. Heat through. That's it! Whip up some of Nina's famous drop biscuits and you are all set.

Cheap. Fast. Vegetarian.

Every Father's Dream

Teaching your kids to shoot. OK. SO maybe the McBrayer Dad's dream. We walked in to good old Wally World to a mass of camo to buy bullets this past weekend and I realized just how long it had been since we had done it. I think we may have to go shoot some skeet sometime soon to get a fix.

Aeneas actually shoots just like this. Smiling, letting them rip just as fast as he can pull the trigger while smiling at the camera. I'm glad Daddy is looking in the right direction!

Patrick is beginning to learn how to aim.

One Easy Way to Ruin the Day

No pictures Mom, I'm moping.

Bummer, Dude.

I've never seen a kid so excited about going to school. It's finally Aeneas's turn to begin doing things that he has had to watch his big brother do in the past. The night before, both kids put out their clothes for the next day and went to bed with smiling faces, especially Aeneas. And since he was sick his real first day and already starting a full 2 weeks after the excitement of Patrick's first day it was extra exciting for him.

So I woke up early to pack Patrick's lunch and Aeneas came out all smiles, ready for the day. He asked if I was fixing him a lunch too. I said no. Not this time. And that was the utter ruin of the morning. Thank goodness he perked back up once we actually got to school.

Now that's more like it!

Lasagna...the easy way.

Cook lasagna noodles.

Cut a couple of pints of cherry tomatoes in half and a couple of zucchini into half moons. Saute in olive oil the zucchini for a few minutes and add the tomatoes and garlic with 2 minced cloves of garlic. Season with oregano, salt and pepper.

When they are soft, layer cooked lasagna noodles + ricotta + veggies alternating twice. Top with a noodle, a dollop of ricotta a basil leaf and sprinkle with Parmesan!

Deliciously fresh summer fare.