August 2011 is officially nearing it's end. It has felt like a lifetime, and yet, a quick moment at the same time. It never ceases to amaze me how that can happen. Throughout the month, in my complete exhaustion, I felt it would never end. Closing Night for Oz felt like months or years away. Rhianna's dance camp that lasted every night of the first two weeks of August felt like it happened 3 months ago. But, when Closing Night was finally upon us, I was sad. Why did it have to come and go so quickly? Why did the journey have to be over so soon? I felt like I hadn't had the chance to truly enjoy it yet. The last show was incredible. Tiernan really grew into his characters as the weeks passed, and we were blown away. The whole cast was even more amazing than Opening Night and I found myself getting more than a little weepy on multiple occasions. At the end, when the entire room stood up at the very start of the final bow, I had to choke back real tears. As we waited around the back of the theatre for all the munchkins, we parents agreed that it felt like a minute, and a year. We all agreed that we were looking forward to the week of down time before school starts up again, but that it was sad to say farewell to Oz, and all the people who helped make it such a magical experience.
I waited a bit anxiously for my boy to come out for the last time. Would he feel sad and disappointed that it was over? But the minute I saw him trip up the stairs (literally!) from the dressing room and I saw the sparkle in his eyes, my heart was at ease again. He was so completely happy. He came out of there hooting and hollering, saying that this experience he had just lived through was incredible! He ran into the green room to say goodbye to the professional actors and the wonderful behind the scenes crew. He danced up and down the streets with such a lightness about him. He felt on top of the world! I am so proud of this Tiernan-guy of mine. ♥
My poor blog has been quite ignored this summer. I feel so neglectful. I'm sure things will become much more regular once our September routine rolls around. I worked Friday straight through to Tuesday, so Kyle was left to make dinner for us on Saturday and Sunday. My folks took it upon themselves to make a delicious veggie lasagna and a crazy fresh garden salad with apple crisp for dessert for Monday. Saturday was closing night, so it was an easy dinner of caesar salad and grilled cheese with smoked maple tempeh bacon. Sunday my husband made a very yummy Fiorentina Baked Pasta from 101 Vegetarian Dishes that I had been dying to try. He had it ready for when I got home (talk about role reversal!) and I appreciated it so much! That night we had our Date Night In with some sinful Mushroom Canapes (which started out from Simply Appetizers, but I changed a fair bit) and more episodes of LOST. We are so predictable! :) Tonight I made a Pesto Pasta Bake from Half Baked Gourmet Pasta that was unbelievably good! So good I ate two helpings.
Fiorentina Baked Pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
10 oz spinach and cheese dip (we used a simple recipe - to follow)
1 cup milk
3 oz parmesan cheese, grated
10 oz orzo pasta
Heat oven to 350.
Heat oil in a wok and add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Season with salt and pepper, and place in a shallow ovenproof dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Mix spinach dip, milk, half the parmesan cheese and the pasta in a bowl. Stir and season with pepper. Pour over the mushrooms in the container. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake 45 minutes until pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Spinach Dip
(leaves lots left over for snacking)
10 oz package of chopped frozen spinach, thawed
16 oz sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 package of Knorr vegetable soup mix
Mix it all together, and chill for a few hours.
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Mushroom Canapes
30 cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
white pepper, to taste
1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated
butter crackers (we used Ritz)
Saute the mushrooms in oil until tender and liquid has cooked off. Put them in a bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and serve warm.
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Pesto Pasta Bake
1 large bag of rigatoni (900 g)
1 batch of Jill's super fabulous yummy pesto sauce
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, diced in small cubes (important to use the good stuff!)
2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350.
First make a batch of pesto.
Cook rigatoni according to package directions, until al dente. Drain well and place pasta in a large lasagna pan.
In a separate bowl, mix together the pesto, whipping cream, salt, and pepper until well combine. Pour over the pasta and stir well. Top with the fresh mozza and parmesan cheeses.
Bake 10-15 minutes until brown and bubbling. I broiled mine for a couple of minutes to brown.
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