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365: Day 193- Blueberry Picking

7/13/13: We had so much fun picking strawberries last month that we planned another visit to Ward's Berry Farm today. We met up with Wendy and the fam again, this time to pick some blueberries.


It was a damp and cool morning which meant there were very few people out picking. The kids had a lot of room to run around.


Blueberry picking is a lot easier than picking strawberries because blueberries grow on bushes. The kids have gotten the hang of all this berry picking business by now- when you find a berry that is deep in color,


you pick it! 


Most of the time it goes in the basket, 

 

but sometimes you just have to eat it!


When we were done picking we headed to the playground to ride S&Z's favorite horses.


Zoe LOVES riding the horse - she figured out the mechanics of push-pull last time we were here and she can get going pretty darn high! This video is funny because you can hear her excitedly talking about the horse.



Here is a video of S&Z riding side-by-side. It illustrates one of the big differences in their temperaments pretty clearly - Silas is extremely cautious. 



We ended off the morning eating a picnic lunch with our friends. Derek and I got sandwiches from the deli counter at the farm store. We discovered Fried Zucchini made with zucchini grown right on the farm. I will be going back for more zucchini crack real soon!

*****
Derek is working tonight - he will get home at midnight - and then he is working a double tomorrow (7:30am-11:30pm). This means that the kids and I started flying solo this afternoon and we'll be Daddy-free until Monday morning. In order to help pass some time after nap today I picked up buckets, sponges, and spray bottles so that we could have a car wash. I got the idea the last time we were over at Teresa's house. S&Z had a blast!


*****
Cook's Notes: I made fried rice for dinner last night, which the kids have historically enjoyed. Silas took one bite, pushed it away and said "I don't like it". We do not offer alternative meal options when situations like this arise, so he filled up on Trader Joe's Tempura Chicken that I served along with the rice. These mealtime situations really push my buttons!

Tonight I made Tortellini Sauced in Broth, which is an old stand-by from "A New Way to Cook". 


For tonight's version I went vegetarian. I grilled the zucchini and golden squash instead of sauteeing them, and I carmelized a yellow onion before adding the mushrooms to saute. I had some leftover spinach to throw into the mix, and I garnished the finished dish with a sprig of chopped mint. 

"Mmm mmm, delicious!", the kids said in unison upon taking the first bite. 
Until Silas bit into a mushroom and said, "oh yuck!". 

Seriously, parenting is payback for all of the terrible things we said and did to our own parents when we were children. I'm sorry, Mom!!

Tortellini Sauced in Broth

CATEGORIES
 pasta, vegetarian

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 pkg. tortellini of choice (I love Barilla porcini mushroom in this recipe)
    • 1 1/2 c. broth
    • Additions may include 1/2 c. cooked vegetables (I like sautéed mushrooms with a little onion/shallots and garlic), 1 c. spinach, or 4-8 oz. cooked chicken or shrimp
    • 1 1/2 t. extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
    • Pinch of sugar
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Garnishes

    • 1/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh herbs (optional), such as Italian parsley, basil or cilantro
    • 1/4 c. hard cheese, such as grated parm-regg or romano cheese
    • Few slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Pour broth into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low. Keep hot while you cook the pasta.
    2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over very high heat and salt well. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and return to the pot, along with any optional additions (this is when I add the mushrooms mixture and a few handfuls of torn spinach).
    3. Meanwhile, increase the heat under the broth, add the fat (oil or butter), and boil vigorously for 30 seconds.
    4. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat over moderate heat; season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
    5. Divide among four shallow soup bowls, and garnish with fresh herbs, grated cheese and crumbled bacon



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