tomatoes, squash, and potatoes

Baked Tomatoes, Squash, and Potatoes



Ingredients
Serves 4-6
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 small tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 medium zucchini squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat oil over medium and cook onion until tender and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Arrange the onion on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Overlap tomato, squash, zucchini, and potato in rows on top of the onion.
4. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with thyme and Parmesan.
5. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes until golden.




From Whole Living, September 2011

slow loading blog

Lately I have had trouble loading a couple of blogs that I follow. I think it may be due to the blogHer ads on the top and side. More and more of those ads are java script videos and interactive links. They take a long time to load as they have to load video players and then use up quite a bit of memory.

One blog always gets this error, freezes and then I can't close it unless I open the task manager.



I tried opening it on another computer and it did the same thing.
I enjoy this blog and miss not being able to read it.

I was wondering if anyone else was having this problem with any blogs??

lemon lane cottage

when patty at



wrote this post: faith walk friday

I felt like she was speaking from my heart

so I wanted to share it with you . . .

mixing wine

We recently mixed
Chocolate Lab wine with Blackberry Merlot wine
for a surprisingly delicious treat.



We are generally dry red wine drinkers but
this mixture was full of flavor and full bodied.
I wouldn't drink it with a meal but it was perfect
with hors d'oeuvres
on an autumn evening
with our friends
in their new garden house.

thumbnails

I love blog thumbnails!
Most days at 6am. I pour a cup of coffee, sit down and sign in to blogger.
I look at all the thumbnails on my sidebar and can't wait to open each one.
Will it be a craft project, a new recipe, a makeover, a colorful new quilt, a wedding picture, a shopping hint, someones grandbaby, an adventure, a prayer request, a funny story . . .
The possibilities are endless.

wait to worry

I used to worry more.
About all of this . . .



“Wait to worry”
has now become one of my new personal goals.
I might have a reason to worry but what I am worrying
about may not happen today or even tomorrow or maybe ever.

So . . . I am not going to let worry steal my joy.

There are friends in my life {fellow worriers}
whose thoughts also run to the “worst case scenarios.”



Since I can't take their worry away I will encourage
them {and myself} to “wait to worry”.

The worst kind of worrying I do is about things I have no control over.
Such a waste of time and energy.

I read recently than only 8% of what we worry about ever comes true.
Pretty good odds that things will be okay.

We have so many things going on in our lives that are stressful.
Worrying about all of the things that “could” happen takes so much energy.
I want to avoid that extra stress - so now I will “wait to worry”.

Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

Corrie Ten Boom
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.

9/11 babies turn 10 years old

Ten years ago, a sad sisterhood of pregnant women gave birth to children who would never know their fathers because the men had perished in the holocaust of 9/11 terror attacks.

Now those babies are almost 10 years old.
Diane Sawyer - ABC News



9/11 Babies on Dads: "I Never Met Him but I Know I Love Him"
A very inspiring video story filled with both sadness and joy {tissue ready?}

italian chicken casserole

Italian Chicken Casserole
Makes 8 servings.

1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
16-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and diced (about 2 cups)
1 egg
½ tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch chunks
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat an 8-by-11-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, egg, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the chicken, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking pan. Cover with red peppers.



Spread the cheese mixture over the chicken.

In a small bowl, mix together the panko and butter. Sprinkle the panko over the chicken, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are browned and the chicken is cooked through.



Can be served alone or over a bed of noodles or rice.

first day of school

Things I miss about the first day of school.

shopping for and organizing all those school supplies
buying new lunch pails that match each personality
picking out the perfect outfit to wear
the excited {and nervous} faces of my children
getting back into a routine after a relaxing summer vacation
meeting teachers that will share my children for 10 months
a chance to get all 4 kids in one photo
knowing that soon new friends will become part of their lives
hearing about that first day over dinner
early bedtimes {for everyone}
structure that the school year brings

No more first days of school in our house



Good luck to those of you returning to school for another year.
I was never ready to give up summer until that first day of school
and then the magic happened . . .

teachers

Tuesday is the first day of school in our neck of the woods.
In honor of teachers I am posting this video to
remind us how important they are.


Poem by Taylor Mali