First Week in August

On Sunday night, I made pizza dip for Andrew and I to munch on while watching our HBO shows. I finally got him to watch True Blood with me and although he will probably say he doesn't, he really likes it. Here's the yummy (and EASY) recipe:

1 large container whipped cream cheese
1 small jar pizza sauce
1 bag (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese

Layer all ingredients (in above order) in oven safe dish and heat at 350 until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve with chips or crusty bread to scoop.


We all went to Atlantic Farms on a hot and muggy Monday morning to see our animal friends.

Benjamin loved it. He was feeding the animals on his own.

Daniel not so much. We had to take turns holding him.

He especially doesn't like the roosters.



I wanted to take some good pictures in the pretty sunflower field. But no one was cooperating. And it was muddy. Plus, I saw a dead bunny under the flowers. I screamed.






Our friend Dean came over on Thursday with Micah, Ellie and Jane.

Dan and Ellie in the playhouse.


Sweet Jane


These are the cheery hydrangeas that Dean brought me from her yard.

I made grilled cheese and fresh tomato soup for lunch. I used this Barefoot Contessa recipe for the soup which calls for fresh summer tomatoes. It's really good and will make you want to eat hot soup on a hot day! Here it is:

3 tblsp. olive oil
2 red onions
2 carrots, chopped
1 tblsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)
5 large fresh tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tblsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil
3 cups chicken stock
1 tblsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream

Heat olive oil in large pot over med-low heat. Add onions and carrots and saute for about 10 min. or until very tender. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 30-40 min. until the tomatoes are very tender.
Add the cream to the soup and process it in food mill. (I used my food processor)

Enjoy!