Another Whirlwind Weekend

We had another whirlwind weekend around here.  A wedding, graduation events and an official start of summer bonfire.

Mama, Daddy and I went to southwest Missouri to attend my cousin Jordan's wedding.  We took the Jayco and camped at the state fairgrounds in Sedalia.  It was Mama and Daddy's first time out in the Jayco and they enjoyed it tremendously.  They are dreaming about their trip to Vermont in the fall.

at the MO state fairgrounds

I had to smile at finding myself in the backseat of the truck traveling down the road with my Mama and Daddy.  Later Friday evening, when I told them goodnight and went to bed in Jonathan's bunk, I had the strangest feeling of being 12 years old again.  I have to tell you, it was odd, but very nice.  I surely have been blessed to have my Mama and Daddy in my life all these years.  I'll happily go camping with them anytime, anywhere.  :)

Friday evening we had dinner at Mitch and Jan's house with Charles and Ilene and lots of Jan's relatives who were also in town for the wedding.  It was so nice to put faces with names we have heard for so many years.  Mitch and Jan (and crew) were at the rehearsal dinner so we didn't get to see much of them, but we had a lovely evening getting to know Steve, Diana and the rest.

at Mitch and Jan's house Friday evening

Steve (Jan's brother) and Diana

Aunt Ilene and Uncle Charles

Daddy and Mama

The wedding was Saturday afternoon and the temperature was in the mid-90's with super high humidity.  I was impressed that the wedding party still looked so spiffy in that heat!  Everyone was lovely, but I kept missing my opportunity to take a photo.   :(

the three brothers outside the church, Daddy, Charles and Mitch (grandpa of the bride)

The reception was held at a nice facility on the outskirts of town and we enjoyed a meal with Charles and Ilene, along with Travis and Amber, Jan's niece and her husband.  Again, I tried to get a few photos of Jordan and Anthony, but completely failed.  How sad!  I needed Jackson along with me, didn't I?

Aunt Ilene, Uncle Charles, Mama and Daddy

really the only photo that even came close to being viewable of Jordan, the lovely bride

Travis and Amber (Aunt Jan's niece and her husband)

Julie (mother of the bride), Christy (aunt of the bride) and Janna (sister of the bride)

With my cousins, Julie and Christy - (good thing the only shirt I have to wear these days is purple... it went well at this event!  ha!)

We headed home on Sunday afternoon, not quite in time for me to make it to the KHS graduation, but I did make it to Bryan and Deb's gathering for their newly graduated daughter, Lara.  What a super fun evening!

Now for Marvin, Jackson and Jonathan's version of the weekend.  Friday night the boys hosted a 'Start of the Summer' bonfire.  They had a terrific evening of roasting hotdogs and smores, playing ultimate frisbee and singing along with Jackson's guitar and Adrian's saxophone.  I think they will be doing this again pretty soon, it was such a success.  Marvin got to visit with some of the parents and sneak a smore.  :)  I sure wish that I could have been there, too!

Matthew and Zack with Anna's puppy, Devlin

Adrian and Devlin

Matthew, Anna and Devlin

Megan and Melina

Jonathan, Megan and Melina

Megan     

Tenea arriving

Matthew (Eagle Scout!) lighting the campfire

I had asked Jackson to take photos for me and he did, for the first few minutes.  But, he soon quit and so I only have those few photos of some of the kids.  But, Jackson did take this video around the campfire.  :)





Sunday afternoon Jackson and Jonathan went to the high school graduation ceremony.  They knew several who were graduating and wanted to cheer them on.  Here are just a few...

Lara receiving her diploma

Mikayla, Rachel and Bridget

Bridget

We met up later at Bryan and Deb's house for Lara's graduation party.  The kids enjoyed volleyball in the backyard while the rest of us feasted on yummy food and enjoyed visiting and catching up.  Bryan and Deb sure know how to throw a great party!  We all had a wonderful time.  :)

shoes in the front hall at Deb's - but what made me chuckle was...

...seeing that Jonathan had stuck his shoes inside Jackson's boots.    :)

Polynesian Pork Roast

I loved this recipe!  I think my fellas thought it was pretty good, but they sort of ate around all the peppers, onions and pineapple.   :)  Oh well... we WILL have this again!

Polynesian Pork Roast
1 pork loin roast (about 2 pounds)
1 can Dole crushed pineapple in juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1 small onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. corn starch

Drain pineapple juice into roasting pan.  Place pork loin in pan with juice.  Cover with salt and pepper.  Bake, covered, for about an hour and a half at 350 degrees.  (or till done)

Just as the pork loin is finishing cooking, lightly saute the onion and peppers in a bit of olive oil.  Then add the drained, crushed pineapple.  Mix thoroughly.

Pour out the liquid from the roasting pan into a saucepan to thicken for the 'gravy'.  Use about 1 Tbsp. corn starch mixed with some of the liquid to thicken.

Pour the sweet/sour veggies over the pork loin and return to the oven while you make the 'gravy'.

Serve over brown rice and drizzle the sauce/gravy over top.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 233.7

• Total Fat: 10.9 g
• Cholesterol: 55.0 mg
• Sodium: 323.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 14.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
• Protein: 22.2 g

Banana French Toast Bake

I tried this for the first time a few days ago when I needed something to feed a group of hungry boys for breakfast during a time I would be gone.  I think it was pretty good (I did sneak a taste before I left) and will probably make it again for a group.

Banana French Toast Bake
8 whole wheat hot dog buns
1 8oz. package reduced-fat cream cheese
3 medium bananas, sliced
8 eggs
6 cups skim milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cut buns into 1 inch cubes (or just tear them into pieces like I did!).   Place half in a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Cut cream cheese into small cubes and drop over the buns.  Top with banana slices and then the rest of the hot dog bun pieces.

In a large bowl, beat eggs.  Add milk, maple syrup and cinnamon.  Mix well.  Pour over bun mixture.

At this point you can either bake immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight.
If you do refrigerate overnight, be sure to remove from fridge about 30 minutes before you put it into the oven.  I would also add about 30 minutes extra baking time if you refrigerate overnight, based on my own experience.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake, covered, for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking for another 30 minutes (or more if you refrigerated overnight).  Check to be sure a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This nutritional information includes 1/4 cup of sugar that I left out of the recipe.  It was plenty sweet enough without the added sugar, in my opinion.  I will try to recalculate the nutritional info and update it here, but until then, here is the original version.  (It was for pretty large pieces/servings, as well)

1 serving equals 341 calories, 12 g fat, 181 mg cholesterol, 379 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber and 15 g protein.

Creamy Italian Chicken

One of Jonathan's favorite dishes in the whole world is Chicken Jerusalem.  The recipe as written is extremely high in fat and calories, though, so we don't make it that way very often anymore.  However, my dear friend Donna has her own version of that recipe and we have adopted it as our new favorite.  Recently, another friend reminded me of the dish on facebook and I realized I don't have the new version here on my recipe blog.  So, here is a new take on an old favorite... with less fat and calories per serving.

Creamy Italian Chicken
7 or 8 Schwans chicken breast filets
2 packages Good Seasons dry italian dressing mix
1/2 cup water
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 8oz. packages of light cream cheese

Cut chicken breasts into chunks and place in baking pan.  Mix the Good Seasons in a bowl with the water.  Stir in the soup and cream cheese.  Pour over the chicken breasts.  (you can wait to add the soup/cream cheese mixture until nearer the end of cooking time if you prefer.)  I like to shred the chicken after it is cooked to make it go even further.  That ensures that I can use 7 chicken breasts to get 8 servings.

This can be cooked in a crockpot, in a Pampered Chef stone combo or in a regular baking pan covered with foil.  Just adjust the cooking time for the method and it will work with any of them.  It is a very forgiving recipe.  I typically cook mine in the PC stone combo  at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half.  Serve over rice or pasta.  It is on a bed of whole wheat linguine in the photo above.

Nutritional Info
(using 7 chicken breast filets and light cream cheese)

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 344.0

• Total Fat: 19.6 g
• Cholesterol: 101.3 mg
• Sodium: 1,858.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 10.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 26.7 g

Poppy Seed Chicken and Berry Salad

I am on a HUGE fruit and salad kick right now.  Partly because so many luscious kinds of fruit are in season now (yay!) and partly because I have a new favorite salad dressing.  

Here is one of my favorite quick and easy meals, Poppy Seed Chicken and Berry Salad.

I cook a Schwans chicken breast filet in the skillet with just a little salt and pepper.   Leave it to cool while I assemble the rest of the salad.  Fill a plate with greens of your choice.  I like a mixture of field greens, spinach and some iceberg.  Often I'll use a little bit of bagged iceberg salad to get the extra carrot and cabbage pieces with no fuss.  Sprinkle berries of your choice on top.  I love using the berry mixture below.  In fact, I make this up about twice a week and eat it constantly - plain or on salads.  (I often add fresh pineapple, too.)

Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries

Shred the chicken breast over the top of the salad.  Then toss with a couple of tablespoons of Panera Poppy Seed Salad dressing.  Oh my goodness... this stuff is AMAZING!  And it is only 15 calories per 2 Tbsp!!!  And no fat!  I get this at my local HyVee grocery store and am SO glad they carry it!  That huge delicious plate of salad pictured above?  It is less than 200 calories total - including the chicken breast and the dressing!  Happy day.   :) 

Matthew's Graduation

Tis the season...
We attended Hannah's graduation from OU on the 12th and got home in time to help Matthew celebrate his graduation from high school on the 20th.  (Will be attending one more graduation this coming weekend, as well!)    :)

We are just so proud of Matthew - what a fine young man he is.  Of course, we love his entire family and take any opportunity to celebrate with them.  The fact that they make incredible homemade peppermint ice cream doesn't hurt anything.   :D

Here are several photos from the day.

Matthew receiving the honor of Valedictorian

Hate that the photos are so dark.  It was dark in the gymnasium and we were actually a LONG way away from the stage...

Valedictorian and Salutatorian

I loved this part...

Matthew brought flowers and gifts down to present to his family.  Mama Brenda was first.   :)

Then Megan...

and Melina...

and finally his Dad, Matt.  What a great moment!

All done!

Love Melina passing by...

Matthew

Matt, Melina and Brenda  (Megan, where were you for this photo!?)

Brenda, Matthew and Matt

The Big 5-0

Alicia gathered a few of us together last week to help Chris celebrate the 11th anniversary of her 39th birthday.  The inscription on the card I gave her tells the story... she doesn't seem to age; I just don't think she's really trying!   :)

Here is the birthday girl!

I have to say, though, that I am pretty sad at this point.  Chris and her lovely family will be heading to Panama at the end of the summer to live for at least a year.  Man, am I going to miss her!  We will definitely have a welcome home party for you, Chris!

Here are more photos from the celebration.  I have to tell a little backstory about Alicia's dress.  This was actually Chris's dress when she moved to MO from Florida.  She soon realized that it wasn't really a MO style and gave it to Alicia as a white elephant gift.  That was MANY years ago!  Alicia remembered that she had it somewhere in a box and dug it out to wear it in honor of Chris's birthday.  Too funny.  I know I have a photo (or two) of Alicia wearing it at other parties through the years.  That dress has quite a long history!  ;)

Chris with Alicia in 'the dress'.   :)

Michele, Lori, Susie, Jasmin and Chris

Laura, Chris and Alicia

Love this photo!  Captures her perfectly.   :)

Chris, Alicia and Michele

Alicia and Lori

Susie and Jasmin