Zucchini Pie

Ok, so this is a 'family recipe' from my mom's side...I could be in trouble for sharing our secret, but since mostly family and friends read this I'm going to take my chances ;) . This is definitely one of our favorites. It is pretty much a quiche, but my Grandpa Brochard didn't want to seem to "femme" so he would say it was a pie.

Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups of sliced zucchini, 1/4" thick or less
1 cup chopped onions
6 tblsp of margarine (or butter or olive oil)
1/2 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbs of parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package of Pillsbury crescent dough (8 pk)

In a large saucepan melt margarine. Saute zucchini, onions, parsley, salt, peper, basil, oregano, and garlic in margarine until zucchini is soft and opaque (not clear). Drain off most of liquid leaving just a little. Ina seperate bowl slightly beat 2 eggs, add mozzarella and mix. Pour into saucepan with zucchini mixture. Line 8' x8' square Pyrex dish or metal pan with crescent dough by placing 2 rectangeles in the bottom, and slicing 2 rectangles in half the long way to line th esides. Pour in zucchini mixture and bake for 20 minutes covered in a 375 degree oven. Remove foil, if crescent dough is golden brown it is done, if not place in oven another few minutes.

Enjoy!

A Trip to St. Augustine

Last weekend we took a trip to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US. It is only an hour and a half drive from us. We took our friend Dave who was visiting from Utah. Zelda had a blast running around the old Spanish fort and we had a fun day which included a visit to the local winery, a walk down St. George's Street(a walking street with lots of shops and curiosities), a craft fair, an old drug store with medicines from the 1800's (Anyone heard of sugar of lead?), an old cemetery and a drink at an old 18th century style tavern. Zelda tried peanuts for the first time and loved them.

A sweet note

Right now, Zelda is sitting with me while I check a few emails. She is sitting up on the computer desk, which is rather large. She has been giving me a lot of hugs, and being silly and putting her face up to mine. She just said "Mommy!" and gave me a hug. A few minutes before she was behind me on the chair, her arms around my neck and bouncing, then she said "aww" and patted me. It is so sweet! :D
Better post this before she pushes a button that does something weird to the computer... ;)

Pesto and Smoked Gouda pizza

(Transferred from the old blog, Numeenum)

This is my absolute favorite thing at Red Rock brew pub in Salt Lake. I love it so much I decided to figure a way to make it at home. Their pizza's are wood fired, and I don't have the ability to do that, so I just buy Mama Mia's pizza crust at the store. I am fond of the whole wheat crust, which is a great flavor and thin but not flimsy.
So, after you've got your crust, place a good layer of your favorite pesto sauce on it. I learned the hard way that if you make your own, use fresh basil, not dried. To save time I like Classico's pesto the best. If you choose to use theirs, drain off the excess oil that resides at the top of the jar. I use about 3/4 a jar for a whole pizza. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, then some smoked gouda cheese. In the pizza pictured I used sliced smoked gouda that I tore off into pieces. If you want some extra garlic flavor, sprinkle with garlic powder or place bits of roasted garlic on the pizza. Bake as directed for the crust, or at least until your crust is cooked.

When it is ready to eat I usually like to sprinkle some crushed red pepper on my slices as it goes very well with the strong flavors of pesto, smoked gouda cheese, and garlic.

Enjoy!

Toddler tales

Zelda has been forming a lot of little sentences lately. Ryan told me that the other day she was sitting on our office chair, and he was going to sit down in it, when she told him "Don't sit". She likes to talk a lot about Poo Bear, Piglet, and Tigger (poobeah, pigget, tiggah), oh, and "eeoh". She has been introduced to the disney princesses the daughter of our friend Ashley. She calles them "Pinness". She likes SpongeBob Squarepants, who she calls 'bobbob'.
Yesterday while playing she put Pooh in the play crib, telling him "Nigh nigh, poobeah".

Last Saturday she went to Ashley's daughter's 4th birthday party. It was at a local park by the Indian River. She took me to the swings which she loved, chased a squirrel, and when it went up the tree she tried climbing the tree to follow it, an impossible feat as there were no nearby branches (thank goodness), and that got her a little frustrated. She spent a lot of time playing on the playground, which although it said it was for ages 2+, there were several spots that were just too unsafe for her, so she definitely had me running around to be there when she attempted one of those parts. She loved the big slide, which she went on all by herself, a first, since she asks for help on the big slide at home. At one point there were two little twin girls, a few months younger than her, and she sat on the slide and looked at one of the girls who was standing nearby, talked baby talk and was all smiles as she showed her how to slide. It was so cute.

She also showed me what trouble she will be when she gets older. She kept on hugging a little boy who was between 2 and 3, and at one point they kept on falling over when she was hugging him. I walked up to them to make sure they were ok, and she got up, hugged him, then tried to kiss him...he was trying to politely pull away and this is why they were falling over! She is already boy crazy at 1.

Last night she stayed up late with us since we had friends over and were playing video games. Zelda had a blast watching and pretending to play. She eventually got very tired, grabbed her mickey mouse, then grabbed my hand to lead her to bed. Normally she insists that Daddy put her to bed, but she was on a mission and couldn't wait for him. I told her to tell Daddy goodnight, and rather than go find him, she just said while in her room "Nigh Nigh Daddy", then held her arms up to go into bed. I asked for a kiss, she took out her passy and gave me one, then said "hug", leaning in for a hug (this is a normal night routine). I laid her down, then she said "Poohbeah, tigga?" And I told her that I would go get them. They were still in the play crib, but she had moved the crib from her playroom to outside her room. As I was getting them she said, as if she just remembered, "Eeoh!", and I got him too. I then hid them behind my back, came to her and said, "Ok, here's Tigger!" and tossed him in. She smiled then said "Poohbeah?", then I said "Here is Eeyore!", tossed him in, and again she smiled then asked "Poohbeah?", to which I replied " And Pooh bear!" and gave him to her. She laughed, which is what she always does when she is happy that we understand what she is asking for. Then she looked up at me and said "pioh" a few times, taking me a minute to realize she was asking for a pillow. I told her I would go get her one, since she normally doesn't use one I went to the playroom and grabbed her the Piglet pillow. She was happy when I brought it back. She then asked for something I didn't understand, and was a little upset I didn't understand, then she pointed up and I realized it was the light. I turned the light off and told her goodnight, she responded "nigh nigh", and then went to sleep.