adventure's in cooking...

I am still enjoying my blue apron deliveries and thankfully Ethan has as well. It's taken us on a culinary journey which is a good thing. Plus,  it's a little therapeutic to be back in the kitchen.

*recipe scallops with tomatoes and faro.

countdown begins...

Summer is dwindling down and school is right around the corner. We are spending this weekend getting all of our ducks in a row, making sure uniforms still fit, and enjoying the last bit of summer before school starts. Considering how the weather is today though, it sure feels like fall is fast approaching. Plus, I saw a maple leaf sitting in the yard this morning.

I just had my 20th high school reunion and I was a little hesitant to go originally, but actually ended up having a great time. I have to say that all of my classmates have aged well and everyone seemed to be doing good so that was great to see. I also got to spend time with good friends who I don't see often enough so it was all worth it in the end. Plus, Jeff and I got to stay at a great hotel as well.

breaking out of a cooking rut...

I am an avid lover of cooking however I seem to have run out of time to do it recently. I follow a few blogs and in the past week I noticed a lot of people mentioning Blue Apron. I had heard of it before and it sounded pretty interesting but then I noticed on one of the posts they were giving two free meals if you tried their service so I gave it a shot.

We got our first delivery this evening and I was a little skeptical if myself and my family would enjoy it and I have to say that I loved it. It was fun to prepare the meal, got me back to cooking unique foods, and I had the time to do it.

Plus, they make it really easy to follow the directions and give you the perfect amount of ingredients so it was amazing and actually really easy. I think the best quote to sum of this service is 'Anyone can learn to be a cook' - ratatouille the movie.

happy 7th birthday ethan...

We have been fully engulfed in Ethan's birthday festivities the past few days. Who says you only have one day to celebrate your birthday???

We started off with a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge with Ethan's cousin's tagging along. We all had such a great time at the waterpark, arcade, and just hanging out. It was definitely action packed the entire weekend and we all needed a nap when we got back home.

Then it was time for Ethan's actual birthday. Jeff has made it a custom to take the day off of work and let Ethan pick out what activities he wants to do. For the past two years he has basically picked the same things so next year we are going to throw in a few surprises.

Click below for more pictures...

summer bounty...

Summer has to be one of my favorite fruit season's. We have been taking advantage of all of the fresh food in the grocery store and farmers market recently and I have to say my current favorite combo is feta and watermelon. Mix it with a little mint and arugula and I'm in heaven.

What is your favorite summer combo?

growing green. ..

We have been experiencing some pretty hot weather these past few days so when we came back from a week of no watering my plants hated me. Luckily though we have been running our sprinklers and they are slowly coming back to life. I mean look at all those tomatoes.
I was a little weary at first because the hydrangea plants were moved from our old house and I absolutely loved them. I was not sure if they were going to survive at our new place but thankfully they seem happy.

the valley of sunshine...

We've just returned from a week long trip to Sun Valley. We had a great time playing in the pool, fishing,  and eating a ton of popsicles. A perfect summer trip.