Pioneer Woman's Veggie Lasagna

I went to a birthday party last week and the hostess made Pioneer woman's Vegetable Lasagna, and it was so good! I decided to make some myself! I made some changes to her recipe and added some extra goodness! First of all I added broccoli because I had some on hand that I needed to use! I chopped it and steamed it:

 Chop one red pepper and one onion:

 Chop 4 squash and a package of white mushrooms:

 The recipe did not call for spinach, but again I had some on hand that was going to waste, so I threw it in!

 Saute the veggies in about 2 Tbsp of olive oil with about 4 cloves of garlic, starting with onions, adding bell pepper, squash, mushrooms, spinach, and then the steamed broccoli.

 Add a large can of diced tomatoes (drained).

 She only called for 1/2 a cup, but I put a whole cup. (pour yourself a glass as well!)

 Season to taste! I added salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, and fresh parsley (about 1/4 cup)

 I mixed a large container of cottage cheese with a small container of ricotta cheese, added 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp of salt and some parsley flakes:

 Layer veggie mixture, noodles, cheese mixture, and sliced mozzarella--repeat ending with veggie mix on top.

Bake at 350 for 20 mins covered, 10 mins uncovered, and let stand for 10 mins before serving (sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  

I had enough extra to do a small individual one for my roommate to take to work!

Of course, what I didn't show is the part were the liquid bubbled over and spilled in the oven and smoked the house up! I had to shut the oven down, take out the racks, clean the spills, put the lasagna on a baking sheet to catch any future drips, and finish baking! Whew! Life's not perfect! That would be were the extra glass of wine would come in handy (and not fill the dish quite as high as I did in the first place!). :) 

V-day in B-town!

Happy Valentine's Day! My mom and I drove down to B-ham see our little Valentines! We had such a fun day together! I just can't express the love that I feel for these two little cuties! They melt my heart every time I see them!!

 We had a great tine just sitting in the living room playing and visiting!

"Grammie" always comes with tons of fun!

 Once a teacher, always a teacher...Grammie brought some arts and crafts for Thomas to do!

 In the afternoon, we went outside and did a photo shoot! Beware: picture overload to come!!! :)

I just love this candid one! While we were taking Elaine Mae's picture, Thomas just ran over and plopped on the blanket beside her, she immediately put her little hand up on his shoulder. She loves him so much and lights us every time he is around!

 Pretty mommy with her pretty babies!

  Aunt RuRu again!

 Grammie!

 Three generations! So thankful for God's faithfulness in our family's life!

 We had a great time, and we'll be back soon!

Ladies' Retreat 2013

I had a wonderful weekend with some ladies from my church as we all got away together for a Ladies' Retreat at Alpine Camp for Boys in Mentone, AL. It was an amazing weekend of fellowship and refreshment as we refocused our attention on our relationship with God and with each other as women in the church.

Alpine Camp is a special place, and all three of my brothers (and my brother-in-law) have been counselors there during the summer camps over the years. It was fun to go and see all that they would have experienced over the years!

 Our conference took place at the Ridge. The main meeting place was so cool! Loved the atmosphere created by the large stone fireplace and antler chandeliers! We had a great turn-out!

 The speaker this year was Pam Benton, who is a PCA pastor's wife! She was amazing, and I learned so much from her!

 Friday and Saturday nights we had a bonfire and cooked s'mores! Yummy!

 Here is the view of the main hall from our cabin on Saturday morning! I didn't get a picture of our little cabin, but we had a blast! I slept on the top bunk which was super fun!

 Saturday afternoon we had some free time so we took a long walk...first down to the "river."

 Beautiful!

 Then, beside the barn and pasture...

 We stopped along the way for some pictures in the ditch along the road! Haha!

 Chilling by the fire on a Saturday afternoon getting to know each other better!

 It was such a great weekend, and I am so thankful for the time away (and for the time with my sweet roommate...we never get to see each other because of our different schedules so it was fun to catch up! :)

February Table Decor

My roommate and I have both been so busy that we hadn't had a chance to create a new "tablescape" since Christmas, so today I decided it was time to "Valentine" our table! I found this amazing tall glass dome at TJMaxx in B-ham last visit, and I just love it! I went out in the yard and gathered some greenery and camellias and put together a little arrangement to display in the dome:

 I found these glass place cards at a thrift store recently. It's great because you can write on them with a dry erase marker and reuse them however you wish!

 I took some clear Mason jars, filled them with heart candy and put a tea light on top:

Here's the finished product:

  

 I love the reminders about what true love really is!

Happy first Monday in February!