a trip to the farmers market...

The other day we made a trip downtown to the Farmers Market... I love going to the Farmers Market, especially this time of year.

Of course I had my camera in hand for this visit.

Besides picture taking, picking out a couple of pumpkins was on our agenda.

Just look at that gorgeous color!

These are our number one reason we make the trip to the Farmers Market often... Beefsteak Tomatoes. JB won't eat any other kind. We love 'em just sliced up with a little salt & pepper... mmmm.

Check out the vivid color of these peppers.

People watching is always fun.

Or, if your hungry for a little Mexican food.

I love the beautiful colors and patterns of the Spanish pottery... one day, I hope to have an entire collection of the stuff.

Happy Fall!

xo
Ralonda

nesting and wedding dresses...

Life is strange. Or at least *my* life can be anyway.
As I prepare my nest for the arrival of a little one in approximately seven weeks...

A thousand miles away, my oldest, Megan, is making preparations for her wedding day in approximately seven months.

Strange I tell ya... but oh so fun!

xo
Ralonda

saturday morning munchies...

Want something more on a lazy (or busy) Saturday morning than a bowl of cold cereal? Want something that doesn't require a lot of time and that is hot and satisfying?
Me too!

So, why not make these ol' time favorites... Pigs-in-a-Blanket. Remember these? I had forgot. Here in Dallas it's become a tradition for me to just run to the local donut shop and purchase a couple of "Kolache's". But after having my husband remind me of these this morning, I think they are much more charming. And a heck of a lot easier to just pop in your mouth on the go (if you actually had somewhere to be on a Saturday morning... like say, your kiddo's soccer game or something).

In case you forgot (like me) how to make the lil' suckers, let me remind you...

Pigs-in-a-Blanket

1 can biscuits
1 package lil' Smokies

~Preheat oven to the temperature on the can of biscuits... approx. 375 degrees
~Flatten and cut each biscuit in half.
~Roll up a lil' smokie in each of the biscuit halves.
~Bake according to biscuit directions... approx. 10 minutes

So, go ahead and make these ol' time favorites... they'll take you back to your childhood.

They also would be great to serve the morning after a sleepover/slumber party along with a box of donut holes and some fresh fruit.

Have great weekend!
xo
Ralonda

easy homemade italian meatballs...

Like I said the other day... I have a 12 year old that LOVES pasta with a red sauce. And because of this, I make some sort of pasta with a red sauce, it seems, at least twice a week.

Last night I decided to make my own meatballs and serve them a top old fashioned spaghetti and a tomato and basil sauce from a jar. Easy enough for a Wednesday night dinner... I even had extra time and energy left over to make brownies for dessert! Look at me go with my eight months pregnant self! I even took these pictures (yes, this was my plate and yes, it was cold by the time I ate it)... remember, I'm trying to get lots of practice in with my camera before the baby gets here.

Anyway, even though you probably have your own meatball recipe, I wanted to share mine with you. So, here it is...

Easy Homemade Italian Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tlbs. parsley flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tlbs. olive oil
2 Tlbs. butter

~In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the olive oil and the butter. Mix well... you may need to use your hands.

~Shape and roll into ping-pong size balls... or smaller.

~In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked thoroughly.

~Serve over plain ol' spaghetti or your favorite pasta and tomato sauce, a green salad and garlic bread. You can also make meatball subs... yum!

Enjoy!

xo
Ralonda

creamed spinach...

I've been crunching on a lot of ice lately... and little did I know, that that's (among many other things) a symptom of anemia in third trimester pregnancy. Really, it is! I thought, when an acquaintance recently informed me of it, was the craziest thing I'd ever heard. I mean, really... Craving ice during late pregnancy is a symptom of anemia? So, the next day, as I was chomping on some ice, I decided to do a Google search on the subject, just for fun... and lo and behold, IT'S TRUE! Who would've thought.
So, after I became enlightened, I decided that chomping on ice for the next eight weeks probably wouldn't be too good for my teeth and sought out ways to incorporate more iron in my diet. Spinach seemed to be the quickest and easiest fix for the moment... and it just so happens that Pioneer Woman had a yummy recipe just calling my name.

That night JB and I made a fabulous dinner of steak, mashed potatoes and yes, PW's Creamed Spinach... and oh, was it ever so delicious. My only complaint was that I didn't make enough. I probably could have had just that alone for dinner... hmm, maybe I am low on iron. Mental note, bring it up to my Dr. this week during my appointment. Just thinking about it now makes me want some more. The sauce was so light and creamy and it complimented the steak nicely. In fact, JB was wondering if he should make a gravy or sauce for the steak, but decided against it, as we were starving. It ended up being a good call on our stomach's behalf because had we had a special steak gravy for dipping we would've never known how well the cream from the spinach tasted with the steak. Heavenly I tell ya... just Heavenly.

So, if you like spinach, or need to add more iron to your diet, make PW's Creamed Spinach tonight! You'll be glad you did.

xo
Ralonda

fall is here...

Autumn is my favorite time of year with October being my favorite month. I absolutely love the cooler temps and the saturation of warmer colors. But living here in the "Big D", for the most part, it's still HOT, which makes getting out and enjoying the new season a bit uncomfortable... especially for an eight-plus month pregnant lady. If we do happen to get a break in the weather and it dips, say below, ninety degrees, people are out in full force... even me. Like last Friday for instance... my good friend, Amy, was headed to the Dallas Arboretum with her kiddos and invited us along. I eagerly accepted the invite and thought it would be a great opportunity to finally blow the dust off my new camera and actually take some pictures with it.

How cool is this... I was in pumpkin and gourd heaven.

Besides getting lots of shots of pumpkins, gourds and flowers, I also used Haley as a subject... she enjoyed that!

Here is Amy's youngest, Tommy... err, I mean, "Super Tommy". He had a blast conquering the mountainous hay bales and pumpkin jungle.

Here is the view of White Rock Lake. I love living near the lake. My next picture excursion will be of the lake. I'm just waiting until it gets a tad bit cooler.

I just love paths like this.

Here are a few up close shots using my powerful zoom lens... this lens really intimidates me.

Haley is now enjoying a refreshing treat near the water frogs.

And one last one of me and my baby girl. What a fun time we had... Thanks Amy!

xo

Ralonda

Lasagna Rolls... yum!

Love Lasagna? Love Spaghetti? Love Pasta and cheese sauce? Or just love the Italian cuisine in general. Well, over here at my house I have a certain 12 year old girl who loves, loves, loves anything with pasta, a red meat sauce and bubbly hot cheese. Did I say she LOVES it? I can make almost anything with those three ingredients and she'll do flips in the kitchen and tell me that I'm the "best mommy ever"! It's true.
Last night I made these... Lasagna Rolls... and that certain 12 year old girl, who by the way is as skinny as a rail, had two helpings!
They were actually fun to make and pretty easy. Easy is the key word here for me, given my physical state, with my ever expanding belly and swollen feet.
*Please Note... I did change, or well, added, a couple of ingredients that JB said, "made" the dish.
I mixed together in a separate bowl 8 ounces of Ricotta Cheese with a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan Cheese. I then spread about a tablespoon onto each Lasanga noodle before adding the meat sauce and then sprinkled with more Parmesean Cheese before rolling up. Yum! Come to think of it, you could play around with other ingredients as well... like, chicken, spinich and a white cream sauce. Well, maybe you could get away with that at your house. I'm not so sure that certain 12 year old girl would do quite as many flips if I were to serve it that way over here.

So, give 'em a try for something different in place of "Spaghetti Night"... they'll be a hit, I promise!

xo
Ralonda