Back to Where We All Belong

The Snapsister that is my sister had a mini shoot at our house yesterday. Guys in Uniforms. I can't wait to see what she captured. Sam left very early this morning for Fort Bragg, N.C. Danny starts school in Seattle next week. And here at the Stone House we are back to a household of three.

Grill Pasta and My Guys

All of our guys were home this weekend. This Mama was HaPpY! It was such a great weekend. On Friday night Hubby and I went to Max's football game. The Lyncs lost but looked good. On Saturday evening Sam wanted to see family friends and so I asked them to come to dinner. A requested dinner was our Grill Pasta. Sam had mentioned it as a favorite and it was a good night for the grill, happy hour outside and then dinner inside.

This meal is a good company dish as it can be as big as the crowd. I went to Mike and Tricia's pancake breakfast on Saturday and she wanted to know what we were having and requested the recipe. No recipe really, this came about one night when I had a few chicken breasts and some veggies for the grill, but not quite enough. Now, it is a family favorite.

Grill Pasta

Hubby grills chicken breasts and veggies, including zucchini, white and crimini mushrooms, a small yellow squash, an orange or red pepper. You can add onion, garlic, and any other vegetable that you'd grill on the BBQ. Vegetables take much longer than the chicken, so start them first. I drizzle the veggies with evoo and season with seasoning salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, while Hubby is grillin' I make an alfredo sauce and get the water boiling for the linguine. I have no set recipe for my sauce, it's a dump and taste recipe. I turn the sauce off or on low and go outside for happy hour. Hubby gives me a warning when we are close and then I run in and cook the pasta and heat up the sauce.

My asparagus was roasted inside this time. Sometimes we grill it too but it was pretty tender and small so I roasted it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 7 minutes. I drizzle a little olive oil and seasoning salt on it first.

Then hubby comes in with the chicken, slices and wraps in foil. He goes out to get the veggies, I drain the pasta, we call everyone in to dinner, and then we layer in a huge bowl. It's a little frantic at this point.
The pasta and alfredo sauce in first, then the sliced chicken.

Then layer the grilled veggies. Next the asparagus and a healthy layer of Parmesan cheese.

We serve with bread and a green salad. Next you bring it to the table and if you have guests like Karen, they say, "Oh, I was dreaming of and hoping for that tonight!"
Karen offered to bring dessert. She is an overachiever and brought two Paula Deene pound cakes, five choices of ice cream or gelato and a tray of bars for us to nosh on while she served dessert. The Oreo Pound Cake and Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake were yummy!
On Sunday we went to church as a family. The last time all the boys were home on a Sunday morning, Hubby had to work so it's been years. After church we watched our favorite movie, Christmas 1993. A home movie of the boys when Max was a baby, Sam almost three and Danny almost 6 years old. Hilarious!

We went to my folks for dinner. Mom made Sam's favorite Sunday dinner, roast beef, potatoes and gravy, and all the rest.

Danny went back to Seattle last night and today is Sam's last day at home. It's been so nice having them home. We have enjoyed the visit and laughed a lot.

Faded Roses and Peaches

Back to school, football, routine, shorter days and cozy evenings makes this Mama happy. I love Fall. This year is different though. Instead of coming inside we are going out to work. The addition has started. Hubby dug up a lot of garbage while breaking ground for the foundation. Old houses have that bonus because homeowners used to bury their trash. Unfortunately, they didn't bury money here.

Hubby and Sam went to George, WA to visit family yesterday. Tonight they are coming back over the mountains with peaches. Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Click on "Watch on You Tube"

I can't wait to see them. Of course, I mean Hubby and Sam...

As much as I love Fall I do feel like the last rose of the Summer in the Fall. A bit faded, not sure what to wear and a little brown around the edges. The change of seasons is my favorite, no matter what the season but it always makes me tired. Do you know what I mean?

Hot Chocolate Cookies

• 2 sticks Salted Butter- At Room Temperature
• 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
• ⅔ cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla
• 3-¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 4 packages (1 Oz. Packets, NOT Sugar-free) Hot Chocolate Mix
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 cup Each White, Milk, And Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips - I used 3/4 cup each and it is plenty.

Preparation Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients in 3 to 4 parts, making sure all is incorporated. Fold in chips. Chill the dough for an hour or so. Use a 1/4 cup as a scoop to scoop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen site this morning and since it was pouring rain the thought of hot cocoa was appealing. I had a hodge podge of hot chocolate packet left from last winter and I combined them. Luckily for me it worked.

These cookies were a hit with the guys, baked and as dough. They will be great packed in lunches to take to Mt. Baker this ski season.

Friday Night Lights

Last night was the first football game of the season for LCHS. The Lyncs beat Sehome at Civic Stadium. Can we please play every game at Civic? It's so great there. The seats are covered and they have backs and arm rests. Anyway, back to the game. Max had some sacks and received a 23 yard pass.

After the game Max nearly tackled Miss K and gave her a sweaty, dirty hug. They have a strange friendship. I use the word friendship loosely here as they are more like partners in crime. Both got speeding tickets in the school zone . Now they monitor each other's driving. If Max sees Miss K in traffic and she doesn't use her blinker, he is on her like white on rice. Oh, and neither of them deserved their tickets. To hear them tell it they were totally wronged by the court system. Anyway, they have a bond and now Miss K has dirt and sweat on her jacket. Max looks crazy because he is crazy.
I love football season, today, anyway.

Committed or Committed

This week we had a neighborhood party at our place. We live right next door and hardly ever see our neighbors so it was nice to get together and visit. It's fun to have kids over too. Max and Ethan had some intense games of UNO.

Not sure if we are totally committed to the addition or if we should be committed for starting this project but the dig out started this week. We had to take out our leather leaf tree and that was hard for Hubby.
It's good to have Sam home and to see Blake and Jesse again too. They came for a dinner on the patio this week. I love these guys.
Danny, Sam, Max, Alex, Levi, Blake, Jesse, etc. etc. are spending the weekend at the cabin on Camano Island. A fun guys trip ... I just hope the cabin is still standing on Monday!

Happy Labor Day! We will be laboring, of course. Give thanks for your jobs this Labor Day and ask a blessing for those without. amen!