Spaghetti Bake with Feta and Green Beans

In lieu of calling it a casserole, I'm calling it Spaghetti Bake with Feta Cheese and Green Beans. Sometimes when I'm making dinner I create a recipe that's pretty good. Often, I'll forget the ingredients and steps and forever the recipe is lost. So I've vowed to myself to write it down. This is a spin off what my Mom's Layered Spaghetti Casserole.

Here's what we had last night for dinner:

9x13" pan

350 for 30 minutes

Gluten free spaghetti (Quinoa Corn )--8oz box, I think

1.5 pounds ground beef

minced onion

salt

pepper

32 oz classico tomato and basil sauce

shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2-4 oz cream cheese

2 oz feta cheese

1/2 bag frozen french style green beans

prepare spaghetti , drain

ground beef with onion, salt, pepper

layer in pan:

tomato sauce

spaghetti

beef

cheddar cheese

cream cheese

green beans

spaghetti

sauce

beef

cheddar cheese

feta cheese on top

cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Sarah

New with Audrey: Funny Phrases and her first aerobic video

She walks into a room, often when Allie is upset and says while holding her hands out, " What seems to be the problem in here?"

My favorite Audrey quote: "Wait a second!" You have to hear her say it, it's so funny! But that runs a close second to, " Great idea, Mom!" Or "that's a great idea!"

She wanted to do my Turbo Jam workout with me yesterday. During the warm-up I catch her out of the corner of my eye doing the moves with me. It's so funny I have to look away so I don't laugh out loud! I think my favorite part was when she had her hands on her hips and was attempting to side step together. She did the whole warm-up with me until she decided she was done when I didn't have a resistance band for her to use. But all during the warm-up she'd say, "Look, Mom! I'm doing it." Hilarious!

Sarah

A little white lie

I'm not even going to write that I think Audrey has this potty training thing down because if I do, she'll quit. But let's just say she's been wearing panties. On our nightly walk earlier this week Audrey realized she forgot her grapes and drink. Very upset that I didn't bring them for her she began to throw what only can be described as a tantrum. Logic and explanation doesn't seem to work when she's in that place, so the fact that we'd given them to her and then she left them at home didn't suffice. We tell her we're not going back home. We rounded the corner and we hear, "I have to go potty!" I heavy sigh. It's hot and humid and after five minutes I'm dripping with sweat and five minutes is not enough time or calories. I tell Jeremy I think she'll be fine. But what if we're wrong? We head for home, cut through the neighbors grass and get to our garage door when we hear, "no, I don't have to go potty." All along I figured she was just saying that so we'd go home and get her grapes and milk. But since she's new to both wearing panties and apparently lying, I wasn't totally sure. She didn't have to go even a little bit. It was all a ploy. (an even bigger sigh)

Sarah

Coffee

This morning I was talking to my doctor while making Audrey and my breakfast. After I hung up Audrey asked who i was talking to. I told her I was talking to my doctor. She asked if we needed to go see her today. I said no, but that she wanted me to stop drinking coffee. A few minutes later, Audrey and I sat down to eat our toast and eggs in Audrey's cafe (that's what we call her little kitchen and table in the playroom). She leaned across the table and peered into my mug and said, "Is that coffee, Mom?" and I said, "yes." She then said in a scolding tone: "But the doctor said no more coffee mom!" I laughed out loud. Man, I can't get away with anything!

Sarah

Miss Audrey

Audrey loves to put on my shoes. This day, I just happened to have my camera.

Sarah

4th of July weekend

Picnic outside, fresh watermelon, a trip to Indianapolis and fireworks describes our 4th of July this year. In Indy met up with Sean, Gina, Hannah and Lilah and visited Pottery Barn Kids (I did good, I only spent $40!). Audrey and Hannah had a blast playing with the toys in that store. Audrey was in doll heaven with double strollers and doll houses galore. I wandered through the store searching for what I'd shopped for online...every thing looks different in person. Then, I see my husband and his brother having a seat on adjacent twin beds adored with fairy canopies, fancy dust ruffles and the cutest, girliest quilts you've ever seen. They just looked so out of place! Later, I found them in the boys rooms. They looked much more comfortable there amongst the Star Wars bedding and primary colors. Audrey found a play weed-eater and if it hadn't been $100, I think Jeremy would have bought it for her. A fun store that I'm glad, for my budget sake, is not around here.

Next we went to the Indianapolis Zoo. It was dreadfully hot. To see pictures from the zoo click here

Audrey and Allie didn't stress me out too bad! Audrey's favorite animal was the giraffe and she talked Jeremy into buying her a stuffed souvenir at the gift shop! She liked the dolphin show (Allie was glad when it was over) and she took a train ride with Daddy, Uncle Sean and Hannah to end the day.

The (mostly) gluten free Brazillian Steakhouse rocked. It was hard to enjoy with two kids--I should say, a 6 month old and a 2.5 year old. It will be better in ten years. I haven't been able to eat rolls at a restaurant in over 4 years and I couldn't stop eating them. They were soooo good. Jeremy couldn't believe that I kept turning down meat (at this place they bring the meat (pork, beef, lamb, chicken, etc) out to you on a skewer and you say if you'd like some or not). Jeremy will try anything. I'm a little pickier when it comes to meat. Besides, I had rolls.

We opted out of fireworks, but saw several shows driving home.

Like I've heard it said, when you're a mom and you're traveling with your children, it's not a weekend away or a vacation, it's a business trip! And that it was.

Audrey and Allie, Indianapolis Zoo, July 4th 2010

Sarah

It's Official

Audrey climbed the gate and successfully broke out of her room tonight. Great.

I was in the nursery rocking Allie and heard Audrey fiddling with her gate--trying to get out. I heard "Daaddddyyyy! Daaddddyyyy!....................Jeremy!" (that last one made me chuckle so much I nearly woke up Allie) Then I heard a thud. Audrey then muttered something I couldn't understand. (which made me chuckle even more) A few moments later she sheepishly appears in Allie's room. I could tell in her eyes she couldn't tell if she'd get in trouble, or be praised. Regardless, she was pretty proud of her accomplishment. I couldn't help but laugh. "Audrey! You got out of your room!" She then told me how she had hit her head getting out and it hurt. (That must have been the thud I heard). I don't think she'll try it again anytime soon---at least that's what Jeremy told me.

Sarah

Because everyone wants blueberries on their pizza and other Audrey-isims

This is how I found Audrey's puzzle pizza the other day. Complete with blueberries! (real ones)

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One night this week I asked Audrey if she wanted me to take her to bed and she replied, "No Mommy, you dirty. You need a bath." Seriously! I had been complaining that I stunk and needed to take a shower and I guess she thought I was too dirty to escort her to bed.

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So, the other day I called Audrey in from outside. As she's closing the screen sliding door with all her might she says, "Mommy, what you need me for?" I wanted to show her the juice I bought her--it had Woody and Buzz from Toy Story on the front. She smiled real big, clapped her hands and said, "Me so happy, Mommy! I like Toy Story!" I know she won't always be that easily to please, so I'll enjoy it today.

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Audrey set up a garage sale in the playroom the other day. It was so cute. She organized her toys nice and neatly on the floor and I shopped at her garage sale. (She's really into garage sales--we've only been to one or two this year, but something about them she loves! She always asks every time we set out in the stroller if we're going to one. She even has a little song, "we're going to a garage sale".......yep, those are pretty much the lyrics. She's two. ) So I was her customer and I asked her how much an item was. She showed me how it worked, but never told me the price (good sales tactic, her father was proud!). I then pointed to two items and said, I'll take these please. She said, " ok. " and picked them up. "Me get you a bag." I couldn't help but laugh. Where on earth was she going to get this bag? she stood up, looked around the room and said, "hmmm" then she went over to her kitchen, grabbed a mixing bowl, put my items in there and threw in a bonus item( I must have been the 100th customer) and said, "there you go." When I showed Allie what I got at Audrey's garage sale, she (Audrey) promptly told me she needed to return the items to the garage sale. Such an imagination this girl is starting to have.

Sarah

Allie

Sarah

sickness

Sickness has ransacked our house this week. It started with Audrey and spread to Allie, as viruses often do. All the fevers, rashes and vomiting has me longing for the day that they are running around the house making messes. I hate to see my kiddos sick. Now that Audrey is 2 1/2, I'm a little more laid back than I was when she was a baby--but when Allie got a 102.6 fever last night, my anxieties came back a little. Audrey's never got above 101 this time around. Fever isn't a bad thing, but my mind is programmed to think so after our situation with Audrey as a newborn.

It seems the bath helped Allie's fever this morning as she was spitting out all her medicine (sigh) and then vomiting up when she didn't spit out. All part of the job, I guess. I do find it interesting that guys don't seem nearly as fazed with their kids being sick as women do. I think it's a mom thing. Although Jeremy did buy Audrey a puppy (stuffed) when he made a Pedialyte run the other day. When we were rearranging her room yesterday she told me that was the puppy daddy bought her so she would feel better. His name is Jacks.

We've only been to the doctor once this week, but I've called that office at least a dozen times with questions, even made a few after hours phone calls. When we did go see Dr. Emm he applauded me on the interesting rashes my girls had that day. I replied, "I do what I can to make your job interesting!" He laughed and said he was going to start taking pictures of my kids' rashes and write a book! Allie had hives the day we took Audrey in to see about her all over rash/fever/illness. At that point we didn't know if it was an allergic reaction or the same virus. Time always tells.

Here's hoping the fresh air from our windows ushers out this sickness so we can keep our plans for the 4th of July!

Sarah