9/2/09

Rigatoni with Sun-Dried Tomato and Fennel Sauce

This recipe was quite a surprise, really liked the sauce, a little watery but really good, even my kdis liked it.......

2 T EVOO

1 c chopped fennel bulb

2 medium cloves garlic

1 c heavy cream

1 c low salt chicken broth

1/3 c oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/4 tspn crushed red pepper flakes

Rigatoni pasta

Heat the olive oil over med heat, add the fennel and garlic, cook 5 minutes, stir in 1 cup water and the cream, chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and 1 tspn salt. Bring to boil then simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Remove, cool, puree in a blender and pour over al dente cooked rigatoni to cook the last few minutes with sauce so it absorbs some of the sauce.

I sort of left off the last step and didn't blend mine in the blender, but it was still good!

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm trying a new thing....writing a letter. Most of the time I don't write much because I'm in a hurry but when I do write more I am glad I have those journal entries about the kids and what they are doing....so we'll see how long this lasts. I'm not so good at sticking with one thing....A picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, eh?

Gracie is nearly one.....it's hard to believe some days. She is so big compared to what my other two were at the same age. She is doing amazing. She has 4 teeth now, walking all over the house now, can scream when she doesn't get her way, and eats anything. We are headed to Portland in October for her 3rd postop MRI. I am going to try to convince them this should be the last, but I really don't have a clue what their plan is. I think it's getting harder and harder for me to want to keep subjecting her to sedation. I started reading all this stuff on the long-term effects of repeated sedation and then don't get me started on the contrast they use in MRI's.....I know you have to weigh the pros and cons....I just feel like at this point we are safe, but we'll see.....she will be 11 months out from surgery in Oct.....Her blood pressures are great, although admittedly I don't take them very much anymore. Try convincing a very active 11 month old to "just hold still" while I squeeze your arm. She is really done with the whole blood pressure cuff thing. Honestly, in my best "doctor" opinion, she doesn't really need the meds anymore, because we may have forgotten to give them to her a time or two and her blood pressures were fine. Although I know they have some great reason, like a slow wean or something, for keeping her on it, but honestly, I can't keep giving around the clock meds for years, can I?

Twinkle Toes started soccer this week. We thought we would give her a shot at it since Sweet Boy didn't seem ready. When he played last spring he mostly stood on the field sucking his shirt and didn't really want to run after the other boys who were notably bigger and taller than he. I have a feeling this storyline is going to repeat itself for many years to come..... Twinkle Toes did good though. She ran after the ball, didn't give up, fell over the ball several times, got back up, didn't cry or whine, but she did sit down a few times. Bless her heart, her stamina just isn't quite what it could be. Her favorite friend is on the team so that is good although she is a Super Soccer star, but luckily Twinkle Toes doesn't compare herself much to anyone. She is her own little person and knowing girls I am little glad she is so oblivious in that department. The other day she watched a movie at a friend's house and came home talking about these "engine turtles" and how great they were. It was a boy movie but she liked it anyways, she said. It took me most of the week to finally piece together that she was talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles......Her kindergarten teacher should be coming to our house next week for a home visit before the first big week of school.....they assess your child's reading, math, etc. skills.

Sweet Boy still sleeps on the floor in Twinkle Toe's room. He kind of got booted out of his room ever since Grace came along. Maybe someday soon he can return to his room and get his bed back. He doesn't complain though and I think he and Twinkle Toes are a little closer for it. He always has growing pains...right now he is hard to get to eat anything (unlike Grace). We still have to hand feed him sometimes and he has trouble sitting still long enough to eat. But he can always find time for snacks and this is our dilemma. It's a battle, one that I mostly lose. On another note he has a real tender heart.....The other day we were at a friend's house and he picked two dandelions, one for me and one for my friend. He has a soft spot for his mama. He has a thing with clothes though, not in a girly way, he just can't ever decide what to wear. He and his sissy change clothes about 4 times a day which makes for a huge mess to pick up. One drop of water on the shirt and off it goes for a new one. His favorite thing to wear is his fleece cozy (think zip up with footies). I'm still trying to explain to him that it is summer and it is way too HOT for fleece, but he claims he is cold......ah.

Love, Hubert, Jodie, Twinkle Toes, Sweet Boy, and Gracie