it's not just ravioli...

Veggie Ravioli:

I've made this dish twice and it's really good, and easy! There isn't an exact recipe so i'll just explain the steps and it can be varied to your liking. The first time I made it I didn't add the zucchini or squash but I had some I needed to use up so I added it this time. You can really add or take away any of the veggies.

1/4 of an onion, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves chopped

handful of baby carrots sliced (or 1 large carrot sliced)

1-2 celery stalks sliced

1 medium zucchini sliced then quartered

1 medium yellow squash sliced then quartered

sliced mushrooms

1 can pasta sauce or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 and 1 can tomato paste

1 package Buitoni Whole Wheat Four Cheese Ravioli

freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cut up all veggies. Heat pan to medium, saute onion and garlic in coconut oil* (or olive oil). As onion and garlic starts to cook down a little add carrots and celery, saute a few minutes, add zucchini, squash and mushrooms. Saute until veggies are mostly cooked through. If they start to stick to the pan go ahead and add tomatoe sauce(s). Season with italian seasoning or whatever herbs you have (basil, oregano, parsley, etc) Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a dash of sugar to the sauce, this gives it a nice sweet flavor. While sauce continues to heat, in a separate pan bring water to a boil. Cook ravioli according to directions. Add cooked ravioli to sauce and serve with freshly grated parmesan on top. Enjoy!

Graduation weekend and a new recipe!

Well last weekend we flew to Lubbock for Andy's graduation! It was a great weekend. Friday evening Bart and Becki treated everyone to dinner at Cagle's Steakhouse where Andy works. Dinner was amazing and we had a really great time visiting. We had a private room which made a huge difference in being able to carry on a conversation without yelling. After dinner we went back to the hotel and hung out in the lobby for a little while before heading to bed for an early morning the next day. Saturday we met at 8am to head to the graduation ceremony. For a summer graduation it was surprisingly long but so worth it to see Andy graduate! Congrats Andy, we're so proud of you. We had a nice picnic lunch at Andy's house before getting on the road back to Austin. My mom watched Bruce for the weekend and I think he was a little more out of control for Nana than he is for us. We found out he pee'd on the floor and when he pees in the house, he doesn't just stand there in pee's he walks around thus leaving a trail, for quite a ways Lauren said. He also wanted to play with Duke instead of sleep and he ran off chasing a dog down the street, those were just the stories they told us, I'm sure there were others. Anyways, we really appreciated them watching our little fur baby. He was exhausted once he got home on Sunday.

Andy with the delicious cake Becki made.

Andy, Grandmother and Alan

Andy and Grandmother

Andy at his graduation

NEW RECIPE:

Last night I made a pizza recipe that I make often and I thought I'd share it. I got this recipe from my old roommate Jessica, it's a recipe her mom makes and it is delicious!

Artichoke Pizza with Feta and Thyme:

1 tsp Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

1 sm. red bell pepper chopped

1/2 sm. yellow, orange or green bell pepper chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 tsp. crushed pepper

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 - 9oz. can artichoke hearts (quartered)

1 pkg. whole wheat naan bread (2 pieces in package)

Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup crumbled Feta

dried thyme

Saute peppers and garlic in oil, set aside

Combine next 4 ingredients in food processor or just chop and mix

Top pizza with artichoke mix, then peppers, cover with mozzarella cheese, sprinkle feta and thyme.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, or broil until cheese is melted and pizza is heated.

Enjoy!

Am I a good steward?

I've been thinking a lot about how great God is! I mean really amazing... I was listening to a sermon by pastor Mark Driscoll this week about stewardship and how everything we have belongs to God we are just stewards of what he has given us. He started talking about "rich" people and pretty much if you're American, you're rich! We have more at our disposal than any other country, yet we're so wasteful with what we have. How often do I find myself wanting this or that and how rediculous it is when I have already been blessed with more than I deserve. I'm learning to count my blessings instead of worrying about what I "need" or don't have, and when I say need it's probably just a want, there is definitely a big difference. When you look at where your money goes it shows you where your heart is. I think a good question to ask is, would Jesus want you to spend his money this way? Just some food for thought...