valentine's day is just around the corner!

~Card Making~

Bob, Braydon, and i had valentine's day cards!

we had so much fun making cards!

Family Favorites!

Cheesy Garlic Bread

The serrated edges on a bread knife can pull off the cheesy crust. To prevent this, place the finished garlic bread cheese side down on a cutting board. Slicing through the crust (rather than the cheese) first will keep the cheese in place.

Serves 6 to 8

5	cloves garlic , grated
8	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/2	teaspoon water
1/4	teaspoon Table salt
1/4	teaspoon ground black pepper
1	baguette (18- to 20-inch), sliced in half horizontally
1 1/2	cups cheese (shredded Italian blend)

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook garlic, 1 tablespoon butter, and water in small nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until straw colored, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Mix hot garlic, remaining butter, salt, and pepper in bowl and spread on cut sides of bread. Sandwich bread back together and wrap loaf in foil. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

3. Carefully unwrap bread and place halves, buttered sides up, on baking sheet. Bake until just beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set oven to broil.

4. Sprinkle bread with cheese. Broil until cheese has melted and bread is crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer bread to cutting board with cheese side facing down. Cut into pieces. Serve.

note: baguette is a type of bread you can buy at
your local bakery.

Baked Manicotti

We prefer Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles for their delicate texture resembling fresh pasta. Note that Pasta Defino and Ronzoni brands contain only 12 no-boil noodles per package; the recipe requires 16 noodles. The manicotti can be prepared through step 5, covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Serves 6 to 8

Tomato Sauce
2	28-ounce cans diced tomatoes (in juice)
2	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2	teaspoon hot red pepper flakes , optional
	Table salt
2	tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Cheese Filling and Pasta
3	cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4	ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8	ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2	large eggs , lightly beaten
3/4	teaspoon table salt
1/2	teaspoon ground black pepper
2	tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2	tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16	no-boil lasagna noodles (see note above)

See Illustrations Below: Manicotti 1, 2, 3

1. For the Sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can tomatoes.

2. Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil; adjust seasoning with salt.

3. For the cheese filling: Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs in medium bowl; set aside.

4. To assemble: Pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch broilersafe baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

5. Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

6. Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Remove baking dish, adjust oven rack to uppermost position (about 6 inches from heating element), and heat broiler. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Broil until cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve.

1. Soak no-boil lasagna noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes until pliable, using tip of paring knife to separate noodles and prevent sticking.	2. Using soupspoon, spread about 1/4 cup filling onto three-quarters of each noodle, leaving top quarter of noodle exposed.
3. Roll each noodle by hand and place in baking dish, seam side down.

Step-by-Step: No Shortcut At All

Many recipes replace the traditional pastry bag with a zipper-lock plastic bag. But using a plastic bag to stuff parboiled manicotti shells is a messy, frustrating job that is eliminated by our simple recipe. This is "TO DIE FOR!!!!" =)_

An Update on Basketball-

-Chattanooga Patriots-

"The TUNNEL"

Pom-Poms AWAY!

"Can you do the Can-Can?"
This is The Brian and Ryan Show!

Our mascots!

The spectacular fans!

The Patriots are now 14-9!

These are just some of the pictures..
(notice they are only of my brothers=)

But you can see lots more pics!!!!
Go to www.patriotbasketball.blogspot.com

GO PATRIOTS!

A Little Snug?

The other day we got out a few things of Bob's
when he was a baby. He was proud to say
that those shoes were his!

He kept saying "my toos!"

What do you think? a little snug?

Here was one of his preemie outfits! =)
He 'used' to be SOOOO small!

The Updated Version of Roy Rogers!

Brothers-

I

"Cuteness!"

"For the Word of God is quick and powerful,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and discerning
the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12

The Day Finally Came!

I go from this...

To THIS!!!!!

I am SUPER excited!

Thank you Mom and Dad so much for
the gift of getting my teeth fixed!
I love you both!

~Ali

Snow Dayz~

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!

Now this is what I call an abominable snowman!

They look like the kids from A Christmas Story!

Dad and Bob are styling!

We tied a rope on the back of our
4 wheeler and held on for dear life!

Mr. Scott came over to trow snow balls =)

The life of basketball!

Me...making snow angels... :-)
I kind of look like a zombie!