Easy Summer Supper {Nicoise Pasta Salad}

Sometimes when it is stinkin' hot outside, I don't feel like cooking. Not a big shock there. Who loves to be in a kitchen in the summer, with the stove on, just adding to the heat?

This past week we had a few really warm, sweltering days. Supper still had to be made though, so I turned to my summer staple: Salad Nicoise or Nicoise Pasta Salad - whatever you want to call it. This salad is chock full of goodness. It is a meal in itself, which is great. Unfortunately, the stove still needs to be used, but you could make the ingredients earlier and then just throw everything together later. 

This recipe is actually originally from one of my mom's Company's Coming cookbooks. I really couldn't tell you which one though (I have it scratched down in one of my own recipe books). 

There are many variations of this salad. I have seen examples with a more creamy dressing and small potatoes. We usually make it with canned tuna, but for this recipe, I used fresh salmon and it tasted wonderful. 


Nicoise Pasta Salad

You will need:

• Cooked Fusilli Pasta (I used Penne this time)
• Small head of lettuce, coursely shredded 
• Small red onion, sliced very small 
• Canned solid tuna, drained and broken up into chunks (or fresh, cooked salmon, broken up into chunks)
• Fresh (or frozen) cooked green beans, cooled and cut 
• (Optional) Whole pitted ripe olives, halved
• Two medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

 Directions:

1. Cook pasta. I throw the beans in near the end of the pasta's cooking time so I don't need to use another pot. Drain the pasta and beans and rinse with cold water. Transfer to large bowl and let cool completely. 
2. Add the lettuce, onion, and tuna to the cooled pasta and beans. 
3. Mix the dressing together in a small container. Pour over salad mixture and toss. 
4. Mix in tomatoes and egg wedges

  And voila. Supper is ready and you barely broke a sweat. 

Enjoy! 

(If you are interested in learning more about Company's Coming cookbooks and recipes, go to, www.companyscoming.com)

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Adventures in Clothes Making

I love to sew and make things for my girls. Last night, I pulled out my sewing machine and decided I was going to make a romper for Sienna. Rompers might be the best baby article of clothing ever.. besides the diaper.. or onesie. So maybe the third? But they are so comfy and cushy and just plain comfortable to for baby's to wear. I had bought a few from H&M for her a few months ago, and I love how you only have to grab one thing out of the drawer in the morning when you're doing a mad scramble to get ready.

I used fabric that I already had on hand. When I'm trying new things, I don't like to waste my "pretty" fabric, just in case I ruin everything. The pattern was pretty simple for me to follow and the only unfortunate part of it, was that it had buttons. I hate making button holes. I'm not sure if it's me or my machine, but I just can't get them to look pretty! They are my nemesis. Thankfully, you can't see my terrible work when everything is buttoned up. Two hours after starting, I was done!

Now that I've made one, there are different ideas floating in my head of how I can make them even cuter. The total cost of this new outfit for my little girl was $0.

So what do you think? Have you ever tried to make clothes for your children? Let us know!

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Be. Our. Guest!

(Do you have the song from Beauty and the Beast in your head now?) 
 
Summer is the perfect time to jump into your car or hop on a plane and visit family and friends that you haven't seen in a while. There is nothing better than visiting, taking in the sights (and food), and hopefully getting a little bit of relaxation in as well. 

Maybe you are sticking around home this summer, but you have guests coming to visit you instead. That's our plan. Some of my husband's family will be traveling to see us later on this summer. We are looking forward to having them come and visit for a while!


Even though it's still a month away, I'm starting to think about where everyone is going to sleep, how we are all going to use our tiny bathroom, meal planning, and getting our house ready. 

When you have guests over, you really want them to feel at home - not so much that they decide to make your house their home forever :), but enough that they feel comfortable while they are visiting. 

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If you have the space to make a guest room, be sure to clean and open up the windows to allow some fresh air to blow through, especially if you haven't used the room in a while.

No matter if you have an official guest room or just a blow up bed in a spare area of your home, make the bed with fresh linens so that it looks inviting for your guest to sink into. Have extra pillows nearby so if your guest needs more, they are able to access them without the feeling of bothering you.

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I don't know about you, but whenever I go on a long trip, I always leave the house feeling like I forgot something. Usually it's something silly (but necessary) like deodorant. Make up a little basket of necessary items that could be sitting on a side table or a chair for your guest. 

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Some items that you could put in a basket are: 

• bottles of water
• small bottles of shampoo and conditioner 
• mouthwash
• a toothbrush and toothpaste
• a mini deoderant
• bobby-pins and hair elastics
• gum
• soap or body wash (include a pouf)
• your guests' favourite magazine 
• a small snack for any middle of the night cravings 

 Be sure to include towels and face cloths.

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 Above all, be sure to enjoy your guests and the time that you have with them. After all, they didn't come to judge your guest room (or lack of guest room) and whether or not you put the fancy linens on the bed. They came to see you. It is important to make sure they feel welcome while they are visiting, but it is also important that you have a good visit while they are there. 

Enjoy your summer guests! 

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Beach Days

One of the many things I love about summer time is heading to the beach! Whether its for a day or an afternoon. It is a place to relax, cool off, catch some rays, and have fun. The other day, my daughter Claire and I hit the beach to hang out and go swimming.

She loves the sand and the water! Feeling the sand in her toes isn't enough for her, she had to sample it and see if what was so fun to touch was also good to eat. Thankfully she also likes to drink lake water and rinsing her mouth out multiple times was not a problem. 


After tiring herself out in the water, I decided it was time to head home. Stripping her of her bathing suit and changing her 10 lb. diaper was half the fun. The sand inside it was where it got really interesting. (Please note the sarcasm in my voice) 

Thankfully I had seen a handy little trick to use Baby Powder to get the sand of little baby skin after a long beach day. The powder dried and cleaned that sand right up so all I had to do was wipe Claire clean with a towel and strap a new diaper to her! Brilliant! I know I'll will be using this trick A LOT over the summer, and hopefully you will too! 

Long Weekends and Chocolate Pudding

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend! I know I am for sure. We've gotten stuff done around the house - my lawn looks fantastic!

We went to the beach with family

Took in some gorgeous fireworks

And just lazed around the house doing nothing. It was perfect!
I also decided to make some dessert today for a special meal. I knew I wanted something with chocolate since I love chocolate. I found this recipe and thought I'd see if it actually tasted as good as it sounded. I have already had a bowl of it and it is fantastic! If you are looking for a way to sneak some healthy foods into your diet, this is a great way to do it!

The original recipe can be found here with a few changes of my own added in.

Raw Chocolate Pudding

2 very ripe avocados
2 ripe bananas
2 tbs raw cacao powder
1/2 cup almond, coconut, or regular milk
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp of lemon juice (stops the avocado and banana from turning brown which sounds strange since you're making chocolate pudding but trust me!)

Peel the bananas and avocados and put them in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend together until nice and smooth. Store in the fridge until you're ready to serve it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your long weekend :)

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