shoe 4 africa

FACT: To date, the AIDS pandemic has left behind more than 14 million orphans...approximately 92% of them live in Africa, If, as expected, the number of adults dying from AIDS rises over the next decade,  Africa will largely be a nation of orphans.

I just read this fact from shoe4aftrica.org  and an article in the most recent runners world magazine about this race in Kenya.  check it out by going to this youtube video.

What a race that would have been to be a part of!

I am reading this book called Red Letters and it is opening my eyes to the devastation of a generation in Africa due to aids and genocide.  I am praying about how God wants us to give and be a small part in helping in this crisis.

That is why i posted the link to hopechest.org and fivefor50.com.  they are links to ministries that help with AIDS relief and caring for orphans.

cuban recipe

Heather found ......
 at tasteofcuba.com

We ate these two at her house the other night,  yum yum.  the platanos were my favorite.  They were baked and sweet and a perfect sidedish.  Try these out for a new meal that you won't be disappointed with.

Pork Adobo recipe courtesy of Cocina Cubana/ Preston Pittman / Sonia Martinez 1-1/2 lbs pork shoulder or butt, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes 1/3 cup vinegar 2 Tbsps soy sauce 1 tsp salt 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 small bay leaf 1/4 tsp pepper 1 Tbsp sugar 1/2 cup water 2 Tbsps cooking oil Combine all ingredients except cooking oil in a pot and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Simmer covered for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Drain and reserve sauce. Heat cooking oil in skillet. Brown meat on all sides. Transfer to a serving dish. Pour off all remaining oil from skillet. Add reserved sauce and cook for a minute or two, scraping all browned bits sticking to the pan. Pour sauce over meat and serve. [Variation: May be done with chicken or a combination of chicken and pork. Beef or chicken livers may be added too if desired]. heather made the combination dish of chicken and pork. Serves 4-6 people. Platanos en Tentacion recipe   courtesy of Cocina Cubana/ Sonia Martinez/ Pascual Perez/ Nitza Villapol Criolla cookbook Literally means Plantains Temptation Style. This recipe yields enough for 6 servings. Sonia's Note: Choose plantains that are VERY ripe. By this I mean so ripe that most people would be tempted to throw them away! The blacker the skin (sometimes even with a whitish cast to it) the sweeter the plantain. 3 very ripe plantains 1/3 cup white sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 3 Tbsp dry white wine 2 short cinnamon sticks 1/8 tsp powdered cinnamon 3 Tbsp butter Preheat oven to 375oF. Butter (or spray) a glass pyrex dish. Peel the plantains and place in the dish. Sprinkle half the sugar over them. Add the dry wine and stick little pieces of the cinnamon sticks into the plantains. Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar and the powdered cinnamon. Cut the butter in little pieces and dot over the plantains. Bake for approximately one hour. Sonia's Note: By the way, this is a side dish, not dessert. It is very good served along with a roast and fluffy white rice.

eventagram

I wanted to share this website with you, it is called eventagram.  It is a fun thing to do for someones birthday.  We ordered it for my mom, she will be 60 on May 9th.  Happy birthday, MOM!!

Naples Zoo

We took the kids to Naples Zoo this weekend.

It was a great time, and the kids loved seeing all the animals

we really were this close to the tiger, too bad that bar blocks the view.  they were really big

These pictures of the kids are kinda blurry, but i like them so decided to post anyway.

We will be back!

Grilling Dishes

For dinner the other night, we had BBQ chicken and i tried 2 new recipes that could compliment grilled chicken.  These dishes turned out better than the chicken.  I don't have a picture of the first, but trust me, i will make it every time i need to make Baked beans.  I used bacon bits on top instead of real bacon.

The second recipe was a hit also, for dipping we had hot garlic bread sticks instead of crackers.

Try them, you won't be disappointed.

Apple Baked Bean Casserole Recipe courtesy Paula Deen Show:  Paula's Home Cooking Episode:  Bean Cuisine

1 cup diced onion  2 (15-ounce) cans Boston-style baked beans  1 cup diced Granny Smith apple  1 tablespoon prepared mustard  1/4 cup brown sugar  1 teaspoon salt  5 strips bacon Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the bacon and mix well. Pour into the baking dish and lay the raw strips of bacon on top. Cover and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes.  HOT SPINACH DIP Makes 3 cups 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for baking dish 1 medium onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 pounds spinach, cleaned, trimmed, and coarsely chopped 1/2 cup milk 6 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce 3 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella Coarse salt and ground pepper Baguette slices, breadsticks, or crackers, for serving Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add spinach in two additions, letting the first batch wilt before adding the next; cook until completely wilted, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid. In the same pot, warm milk over high heat. Whisk in cream cheese until melted, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and 1/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot with accompaniments, as desired.

Felicidades

CONGRATULATIONS KEVIN AND CARLY!!

IT IS A GIRL!!!

At least on the Ultrasound.  We got to see it today thanks to Sneak Preview, a great little place to go for your personalized 4D ultrasound. You can have up to 16 people in the room. They serve popcorn for your guests, there is a play area for kids, and everyone gets to sit in a chair and enjoy the the baby on a Huge Screen.  We all saw little Libby, moving her mouth, and raising her arms; she looks like Kevin.  It was such a fun event to be included in. Thanks Car, can't wait to meet her!

Unfortunately my pictures are not uploading right now

check later

outside play

Here are some pictures of the boys outside in the yard.  

They love playing outside, in these first few pictures, they were watching the neighbors sprinklers, in awe.

Caeden by the tree staring at the ants and his first attempt at tree climbing. we need some bigger trees for that.

Owen posing in the grass, finally he sat still enough to take a picture.
I am not so sure what caeden is doing here!

I love these kids!

Hope's Apartment

Hope is still working on decorating her apartment, and until i can get over there and take some final pictures, here are some of her fun purchases.....
 

the Top pink canvas is from urban outfitters.

the flutterby canvas and the black and white canvas are from blueruby designs on etsy

The black chandelier wall decal is from whatisblik.  this is not the exact picture from that website.

And of course her bedding, the inspiration is from target.

She has painted one of the walls in her bedroom a green that matches her bedding.

Now all that is needed is some great art work for the living room.  it is looking so cute

Heather and I have had fun helping her shop.  She also got some great Orange curtains from IKEA that ties all the colors in together.  Hopefully i can get pictures soon.

simply delicioso

These are probably the yummiest oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that i have tasted in a long time.

Thanks to Joy Spatola for the oatmeal cookie recipe.  I added the chocolate chips to it. Caeden and I made them last night.

Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

as many chocolate chips as you like.! (ca use 1/3 cup walnuts too)

Melt butter in sauce pan.  Beat in granulated sugar and brown sugar using wooden spoon. add egg and vanilla and stir again.

Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt

Stir in to the egg mixture

Add oats and choccolate chips

Cover and refrigerate 1 hr.

Place on Greased cookie sheet

 Bake 350 deg. for 12-15 min.

YUMMY!!

food and thought

i totally stole this recipe from buildabelly.  but it was worth it because it is one of the best broccoli recipes that i have tasted.

streusel-topped cheesy broccoli

1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds of broccoli florets

Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons butter
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 -1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
@ three slices of fresh bread (I used oat) broken into smallish crumbs
Parmesan cheese, salt, and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cheese Sauce
3-4 tablespoons butter
3/4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
salt, freshly ground pepper, ground cayenne, and ground nutmeg, to taste

Cook broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes until slightly cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium-low heat until onion is translucent. Add the mustards and the bread crumbs. Fry until crumbs begin to turn golden and then season with salt, pepper, and parmesan. Set aside.

For the sauce, prepare a basic white sauce by melting the butter in a pan and then stirring in the flour. Whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, whisking constantly. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne and add the grated cheese. Stir until cheese has melted and is incorporated completely, forming a smooth sauce.

Layer the broccoli in the bottom of a baking dish and spread the cheese sauce on top before sprinkling the bread crumb topping over it all. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the topping is nicely browned and toasted.

So we watched this movie last night called Into the Wild.  It came out last year and is one of those independent films that really makes you look at life and think.  It was really good, below are some of the inspirational quotes from the movie.  Basically this college kid goes on a 2 year quest to live in the wild and his journey ends in Alaska.  He has the mentality that Life is worth living and why waste your time wanting all the things that won't bring pleasure, namely money and stuff.

Mike and i have been talking alot about living more simply.  I want to raise my kids to Live and not to Want. In order for them to do that, they need to see that in us. I once heard someone say that the reason he thought so highly of his mother was not that she was perfect, but that she taught him how to love life.  She taught him by living it out.  To love Life is to Love God and to love people more than myself and to not get so consumed with daily tasks and frustrations that i let it get me discouraged and side tracked. To make the best of the life God has granted me and to Glorify him with my life.

*When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines upon you.

 

*Happiness is only real when shared. 

*Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth.

*"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greather joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."