What to Eat Wednesday: Cheesesteak Zucchini Boats

Here's the best part of being married: 
Me: "Oh, tonight I am making a new recipe!"  Duck Dude: "Cool! What is it?" Me: "Philly Cheesesteak..." Duck Dude: "Oh my gosh!! I love philly cheesesteak sandwiches!!!!! Yum!!!!!" Me: "uhhh.. Philly Cheesesteak Zucchini Boats!!!!!" Duck Dude: "Hmm... that's different." Me: "Yeah! Minus the bread... add some vegetables!" Duck Dude: "Can't wait to try it." 
So, when you tell your significant other you're making these maybe you should begin with zucchini! Either way, I promise they will not be disappointed! These are good. 

I don't cook with roast beef... um, ever? So it was a really fun change of flavor profile for me! I accidently broke a zucchini in half... (I did arm workouts one day and I am just snapping zucchini in half!)... and I ate that one straight out of the oven. It was so good without any of the cheesesteak stuff! This ended up working a lot quicker than I thought. It was very easy to get the saucepan finished while the zucchinis were cooking. Most 30 minute recipes take me an hour? This really did take me 30 minutes!

And, of course, it is definitely Duck Dude approved..... even with zucchini. 

Showing Love

This post is going to be all about a dish towel. 
I'm half-serious. I found this dish towel when I was out shopping with bridesmaid Kristen. We were at Anthropologie and having a grand 'ol time. I have my own little obsession with dish towels, but that's another post for another time. This one caught my eye and I just had to have it. Look at it!! It's beautiful!

Since then, it's been hanging on my oven (except for the 5 minutes it was hanging on the fence for this picture). It has served as an excellent reminder of my purpose this school year: to show love. 
More than any other school year in the past, I have not felt like an educator. While I, of course, taught my students how to find the volume of a triangular prism and that a negative fraction times a negative number is a positive, I feel that this year was more about showing my kids love. I spent time investing in the ones who needed it most. I wrote hand written cards to give to a couple who I felt just needed to hear that I... that someone.. believed in them. 
After going to Game Changers in Feb of 2013, I have made it a habit to tell my kids every Friday that I love them. I really do not know if that is the only time they hear it. This year, I feel it has mattered more than ever. I do not know if they recognize all of the effort I have poured into them, but I am hoping one day that they can look back and know that I cared. I want them to know that I want the best for them, and I want them to know I loved them. 
I want to do my best to show them I love them through my actions.. by having patience when they have zero, by having empathy when they have none, and by being kind when they are so often not. 
So, while this dish towel is really, really stinkin' pretty... it is also a daily reminder to show my kids love when it is the hardest. 

Aunt x2

That is right! TWO baby posts in a ROW... because my life is changing. Not only am I going to be an aunt to a for sure baby girl in July/end of June.... I am going to be an aunt AGAIN!!!! 
I've been keeping another secret!!! My red head is pregnant!!!!! 
So, back when the red head got engaged.. the blonde and I were a little excited. We photobombed their announcement because we just had to be involved. This pregnancy announcement is no different... but the red head is in North Carolina. Thanks to the interwebs... Caroline and I were still able to able to photobomb through facebook. Here's our original photobomb with the pregnancy one right after!!

I am DYING to know if she's having a girl or boy. If it's a GIRL it will be SO much fun!!! Two nieces?! I can buy them matching bibs, shoes, bows, etc!! If it's a BOY, I will have one of both!!! It's the best of both worlds!! A niece and a nephew!!! The red head will be in Texas from July 1 - 10 and she is going to do a gender reveal party then! It's sooooooo far away.. and I am going to be an impatient monster until then. 
Here's the biggest question: WHO is going to have the RED HEAD?!!?
Fun fact: Duck Dude's dad was a red head! Crazy, right? I asked Shop Mama for a picture, but to be fair, I only gave her 1 days notice.. she said, "We did not have digital in those days." So Laura could definitely have a recessive red head gene. Then she married Naked Nick...  he has some red in his hair..and definitely in his beard! See? 

Then, Hannah is obviously a red head.. most people don't even know her as Hannah, they know her as the red head. And my grandfather, D-Daddy, had red hair like Hannah! So, between the two babies... at least one of them has to have red hair, right?! Maybe both?! 
Bring on the babies... and bring on the red heads... because Aunt Mollie is here!!!!!!!

Baby Cam's Shower

Who is a baby shower technically showering? I've sat here for 5 minutes trying to decide if the title should be "Laura's Baby Shower" or "Cam's Shower".... is it both? Technically they are one person right now... so Laura and Cam's Shower? All I know is I'm thankful they didn't ask me to write the list of gifts... uhh baby thing. I don't know what that's used for. Cute clothes. Snot sucker outer - ew gross. More clothes. What is that? 
Even though I am not a pro at the baby stuff.... I had a marvelous time at the shower! It was beautiful, my sister Laura looked beautiful, and baby Cambrie received more fantastic things than I know what to do with! 

There is one thing I know, the sign in the middle of that table is SO true. She is so loved, already.  
I made a dessert for the first time, and it was not a disaster! Pretty good for this not so dessert person. My mom did tell me I didn't crush the pretzels on the bottom enough, so i'll change that for next time!

My friend, Sal Pal, showed me the coolest thing ever when I was over at her house. It's a baby Keurig. No, it doesn't make coffee... it makes formula!! And she swears at 2 am it is the best thing in the world. So, Duck Dude and I chose to get that for Sister Laura and Naked Nick. I so hope it comes in handy!! 

My mom was there and gave Laura the cutest little burp cloth that said "Little Firecracker Cambrie." She definitely got a large amount of monogrammed items... which only proves we definitely live in Texas and everything is cuter when it says "Cambrie" on it!!! 

I loved the shower and I love my family. 55 days to go. (It's really 60... but Sister Laura is thinking she's gonna come early.. so 55 it is!) What momma wants, momma gets.. or at least that's how I am imagining it!!! :)

What to Eat Wednesday: Waldorf

Have you ever been to a pizza place and ordered a salad?!  It sounds crazy, right? But I do... every single time at California Pizza Kitchen. Their Waldorf Chicken Salad is ahhhhmazing. I crave it.. and so, last night, I made a copy cat version. 

It's one of those salads where you want a little lettuce with everything else in it! All the goodness in it makes you forget that you're technically eating a salad. A little bit of chopping and a little bit of whisking and dinner is ready. 

Chopped apples (I used Fuji because they are my favorite), chopped red grapes, shredded chicken (I used rotisserie), chopped celery, gorgonzola cheese, and glazed walnuts. I have never bought gorgonzola cheese, but there it was already in crumbles in my cheese section. Cool! 

The dressing was very simple to make and I already had everything I needed. It was a little tart, which I didn't mind at all. (I actually had left over celery and dipped it in the leftover dressing for lunch today!) I don't know how to make it not as tart, but that did not stop me from eating it. 

Make it.. then you will realize I am not crazy for ordering this salad every single time.