Birthday Hat and a Recipe...

Good morning and happy Monday to you all!  Today my son started his first day back at school as a junior. I start in a few short days.....summer is winding down. 

My lil' family and I spent the day together yesterday.  We went to the race track.  (Great parents aren't we? ;)

Cort loves horses and enjoyed watching them. Kyle placed his 2 dollar bets and won a few bucks.  One of his long shot horses came in first and he was all excited to have almost won 20 bucks, but unfortunately it was disqualified for bumping another horse. :( 

It was a beautiful day and I was glad to have the day to be with my kids and hubby. :)

I have a birthday card to share with you today that was published in Northridge's Cricut Magazine.  It uses the Straight from the Nest cartridge.  I added loads of glitter, Melissa Frances tissue paper garland, and a sentiment from SRM stickers.  

The center of the flower was a large gem from Prima. 

Since placing Cortney on a healthier and gluten free diet, my entire family has been eating better.  I've been cooking more and ordering out less.  It takes a bit more time and creativity and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can continue this trend when I go back to work.

I found this delicious recipe from The Food Network for:

Penne Pasta in Vodka Sauce.

I substituted the noodles for Gluten free noodles and the vodka was also gluten free. (Smirnoff)

 Ingredients

12 ounces penne (gluten free)

3 TBS of olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large shallot

1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand

1/4 cup vodka (optional) Smirnoff is gluten free

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

2 TBS chopped parsley or basil

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to box. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, toss, and set aside.

2. Heat 2 TBS olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vodka, the reserved cooking water, 1/2 tsp salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 min. Stir in the cream and simmer for 1 more min.

3. Add the cooked pasta, the remaining 1 TBS of olive oil, the grated cheese and basil to the sauce. Cook, tossing  to 3 min. Season with salt.  Divide among the bowls and top with more cheese. 

Have a great day my friends!