For everything else ...

Rib-eye steaks: $12.47. Heirloom tomatoes for a salad with organic feta cheese and shallots: $4.99/lb plus $4.99 for the cheese. Fresh garlic-potato bread: $2.99. Italian red wine: $6.99.



Small hands tearing into dinner with gleeful abandon before we've even sat down to pray: priceless.

Happy Father's Day!

My baby is 4.

Four years ago, I was thrown headfirst into the churning sea of motherhood and told I had to learn to swim. Not only my life would depend on it, but his.

There is no better proof of the love and grace of God than that one as unprepared as I could, four years later, call herself the proud parent of this faithful, kind, intelligent, creative and inquisitive little boy:



Happy birthday, sweetheart. As long as I'm living, my BIG BOY you'll be.

Chocolate makes everything better.

Yes, that's a cast on my three year old's arm. He fell down the concrete stairs in front of the neighbor's house. I was spared the horror of watching it happen. I was inside, cleaning the boys' bedrooms while my husband watched them outside ... and then I heard that scream. You know, THE scream that can only mean the next stop is the nearest E.R..

Thank God he was wearing a bike helmet at the time, because he landed on his head. We'll take a broken elbow over a broken skull. We have a follow up appointment June 17 to see whether it's healed ... they don't like to keep casts on little guys longer than three weeks. Which is a good thing, because it's SUMMER! Sandboxes, swimming pools, sprinklers, water fights ... all a bit hard to do with a cast on your arm.

He's been quite a trooper. I think he's braver than I am. And we'll soon have lots and lots of pictures of him in his little blue cast, because his birthday is the 14th, and so is the party! My little guy is turning 4. Amazing.

Summer Menus!

Except for today (raining and 48 degrees!), we've been enjoying warmer weather recently. I've switched our meal plan over to something more befitting the season. We're trying to be healthier in our choices, so we're focusing on the chicken, pork and lean beef, and trying to lose the fatty steaks and other naughties.

Some of what we've enjoyed recently or are looking forward to trying this week (if you see anything you want a recipe for, then comment and I'll post it!):

- Grilled jerk-seasoned chicken breasts topped with melted pepper jack cheese and served with sweet corn and green salad.

- Chicken pesto sausage tossed with linguine, sauteed portobella mushrooms, and basil pesto.

- Grilled tri-tip (also known as Santa Maria-style steak, a hometown delicacy for me!) served with fresh pico de gallo, brown rice and green salad.

- Mediterranean tuna salad and field greens sandwiches (made with olive oil and onions, not mayo and pickle relish) on flax bread, served with fresh fruit.

- Grilled lamb chops seasoned with a fresh rosemary, olive oil and herbed pepper rub; served with mint jelly, roasted baby red potatoes and green beans.

- Sauteed garlic chicken sausage tossed with penne pasta and cooked-until-just-wilted fresh arugula.

- Shrimp, pepper jack and shredded veggie quesadillas served with black beans and chipotle salsa.

- Grilled jerk and ancho chile pork chops with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

The go-to salad for the past couple of weeks has been a packaged fresh arugula blend that Wegmans sells, tossed with fresh pear slices, crumbled goat cheese and maple vinagrette. So delicious!

I hope this list inspires somebody on one of those can't-think-of-anything nights ... I don't pretend to be a great chef, so you know all of these recipes are easy to make and most take less than 30 minutes start to finish. Enjoy your own summer meals!