What a wonderful Christmas Eve. We enjoyed a candlelight service at our church and the pastor had all the kids come down front as he told the story of the birth of Jesus. Afterward, we had Penne ala Vodka for dinner with homemade garlic bread. The most fun of all, at least for the kids, was opening presents! The kids had a great time. Kate was so excited to get clothes. Hayden got his first pocket knife. Sarah got a Turquoise fuzzy robe and Rachel got the exact Webkinz she wanted.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas 2009
What a wonderful Christmas Eve. We enjoyed a candlelight service at our church and the pastor had all the kids come down front as he told the story of the birth of Jesus. Afterward, we had Penne ala Vodka for dinner with homemade garlic bread. The most fun of all, at least for the kids, was opening presents! The kids had a great time. Kate was so excited to get clothes. Hayden got his first pocket knife. Sarah got a Turquoise fuzzy robe and Rachel got the exact Webkinz she wanted.
Penne ala Vodka
Penne Ala Vodka Sauce
1 package sausage (Italian Turkey)
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 large can crushed tomatoes (28oz.)
¼ cup vodka
½ teaspoon salt
½-1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¾ cup fat free half and half
1 cup skim milk
Cook garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes, add sausage; cook until sausage is browned. Add tomatoes and vodka and simmer for about 3 minutes (this cooks off the alcohol). Season with salt and hot red pepper flakes. Add the half and half and milk and simmer 2-3 minutes. Serve over Penne Pasta.
Freezing instructions: Cook as directed above. Allow to cool and store in freezer bags. Thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before serving. Heat the sauce in the microwave, on the stovetop or in the crockpot (High 2 hours or Low 4 hours). Serve over Penne Pasta.
The original recipe called for1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, but I altered the recipe to be lowfat. I also used turkey Italian sausage and the original called for Italian or Breakfast sausage.
Weight Watchers Points: (sauce only)
Made with Turkey sausage
1cup= 4 points 188 calories
½ cup=2 points 94 calories
Made with regular Italian sausage
1 cup= 6 points 251 calories
½ cup=3 points 126 calories
Or, if you'd like to try this link, I uploaded the recipe to Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Website.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
1st Grade Christmas
Hayden's class had their Christmas party this week. They had pizza, cookies, made a craft and did a gift exchange. They each brought a wrapped book and sat and listened to a story and passed the book each time they heard the word "snow". It was fun to be able to go celebrate with Hayden's 1st grade class.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thanksgiving 2009
We had such a great time celebrating Thanksgiving! We hosted my family the Sunday before Thanksgiving and had 23 people for lunch! Then, the kids were out of school and we headed to Lubbock to celebrate Thanksgiving with John's side of the family. Of course, when we go to Lubbock for Thanksgiving, somebody goes to shoot guns. Being back home sure is nice. We love being close enough to celebrate holidays with family. Don't get me wrong. We LOVE our military friends. They were our family for 14 years. We really enjoyed inviting friends over and having Thanksgiving dinner together, but there is nothing better than being close enough to celebrate each holiday with everyone. Our kids just asked me 'how many Christmas's ' we are going to have. I think that is funny. Until now, it's mostly been one. Now, we have my family, then Christmas with us and then with John's family. It keeps growing... We love it.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Cadillac Ranch
Some friends came to visit on a very windy day and we took them to see this odd tourist site.
The Cadillac Ranch was built in 1974 by Helium millionare Stanley Marsh. It is a collection of 10 Cadillacs buried nose down facing West. It is in the middle of a field just off I-40 (Route 66) West of Amarillo. So, if you're looking for quirky, this is it.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Meet the Buffs...
West Texas A&M University recently had a basketball camp for FREE! All the Buffs and Lady Buffs came out on a Saturday to play with the kids and teach them some ball handling skills. I thought I might drop the kids off and come back later to get them. NO! Once I was there, I couldn't make myself leave. There is something still in me that LOVES basketball. I'm quickly approaching 40. I thought I would have outgrown it by now, but I haven't. So, we all had a great time! Hayden and Rachel thought it was really cool to meet the players, the coaches and to play where the Buffs and Lady Buffs actually play.
Did I say I love living in a small town? This is just one reason why. No other town we've ever lived in has done anything like this. I LOVE it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)