Celebrating Fall

Every year we gather at the farm for a day of fun.

This year was awesome!

The weather was awesome.

The activities were awesome.

The turnout was awesome.

We all piled into this trailer,

 

for tractor rides,

 

through beautiful fields.

 Later, we turned this pile of pumpkins -

 into these little beauties -

 The kids worked hard, 

painting, carving and sticking jewels on their masterpieces.

I got in on the action and decorated this little guy for Emily. 

She mostly hung inside with my Grandma

 who was happy to stay inside holding her.

 

The kids did some "trick-or-treating" around the campfire ring,

receiving various treats and prizes from the adults.

 But one of the most fun things to watch was the silly string fight!

 

 The kids LOVED it.

Friends,

 Family,

 

and of course,

FOOD!  

 

We had a "taco in a bag" assembly line.

Another successful year of fall farm fun is in the books!

Zucchini Parmesan

I had some zucchini to use up and thought I'd try a
new dinner recipe for Zucchini Parmesan.

 

This was my inspiration:

 but I made it simpler for a busy mom like me!

First, slice up your zucchini in about half-inch thick slices and
grab a bowl of egg whites and bread crumbs for dipping.
Dip each slice first, into the egg whites and
then into the bread crumbs until fully coated.

Place the coated zucchini slices on to a baking sheet
and pop them into the oven.

While those are baking, brown some Jimmy Dean sausage-

and make a package of whole wheat noodles
according to instruction.

Then grab a glass baking dish and your sauce and cheese -

and dump everything into the dish -

and mix it together, thoroughly.

Finally, grab your cooked zucchini slices and arrange them on top -

before pouring the remaining sauce and cheese over top.

Place the dish in the oven for about 10 minutes
until everything is warm and melted.

Most people know that I don't cook dinner often,
but a fun recipe like this makes me want to do it more!

 It was easy and very tasty - even reheated!

It's a wonderful new go-to meal for

when all of your zucchinis start rolling in from the garden.

I branched out from desserts and found zucchini is

not just for brownies anymore!

Zucchini Parmesan
10-20 slices zucchini (enough to cover the top of a 9x13 dish)
1 c. breadcrumbs
5 egg whites
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage
1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, divided
1 c. shredded Italian cheeses, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch thick slices. Put egg whites and breadcrumbs into 2 separate bowls. Dip the zucchini pieces into egg whites and then into breadcrumbs, covering both sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully flip each slice over and bake for another 10-15 minutes until browned and firm.

While zucchini slices are baking, brown sausage and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and mix together with approximately 2 cups sauce, browned sausage and 1/2 c. cheese. Pour into a glass 9x13 baking dish.

Arrange the baked zucchini pieces over top, cover with remaining sauce and 1/2 c. cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melting and bubbling.

The Littlest Pumpkin in the Patch

I recently took Emily out to the pumpkin patch -

  to meet up with Walter & Ruby and all of their day care pals!

The pumpkin patch is one of my favorite fall activities.

It's always packed with fun and
full of so many adorable photo ops.

We went for a wagon ride -

rode a hay bale steer -

found a frog -

and a new family.

Then we checked to see how Walt & Ruby measured up this year -

 

before scouring the patch -

for the perfect little pumpkins to take home.

Emily may have snoozed through her first visit -

but we still had a great time at the pumpkin patch!

Cinco

My son turned 5 last month.

FIVE!

How did that happen?!

I knew I'd be fresh out of the hospital with a newborn when

Walt's birthday rolled around this year, 

so I wanted to line things up early to make it as easy as possible.

I briefly considered ordering a cake.

(Insanity, I know.)

But instead I busted out my cake supplies and got to work.

I've made each of Walt's prior birthday cakes:

4, 3, 2, 1

so I couldn't stop now.

He's into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 

and Leonardo is his favorite, 

so this is what I came up with -

 

We did a couple of crafts for Walt's party.

Quick, simple ones that didn't take much time or effort.

I purchased green bags, crepe paper and googly eyes -

to make these cute treat bags!

And then we just used the same stuff to turn 

plain, green balloons into Ninja Turtles as well.

On the big day just we grabbed everything
and headed over to Games Galore
where we'd booked an early party from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

The kids had a great time on this huge blowup slide -

 

and in another bouncy house that was available.

But they all really loved this shooting gallery -

 

 

Walter had cake -

 

made wishes -

and opened presents.

He was king for a day,

 but that didn't stop Ruby and her friend, Rylie,
from trying to steal his throne.

The kids had such a great time -

and honestly, it was pretty nice to be back home before lunch
with a birthday party all wrapped up and nothing to clean!

Walt was so excited when we told him to go outside
and find his gift from us.

He was due for a new bike after learning how to
 ride without training wheels this summer.

We're so proud of this little bugger
and can't believe how fast he's growing!