Life Lately!

Oh hey!  Long time no talk - oops!  Life has been craaazy busy (and FUN!) and I haven't had a chance to sit down and blog.  We've been doing a TON of fun summer stuff and it's so exciting to experience it all with Elijah - he is having an awesome summer (we would know - he told us himself!)  So here's a little peak at what we've been up to lately... enjoy! :)

Brett's Birthday!

We surprised him with donuts & spent the day at the pool :)

Hiking!
Followed by games & dinner at Mad Mex - so fun!

Running around downtown!
And getting delicious Jamba Juice smoothies afterwards

Mini golf!
Omg, this was Elijah's first time playing and it was HILARIOUS!  He loved it!

Froyo!
There's no such thing as too much froyo :)

Elijah's first pets!
We got him 3 goldfish & he named them: mommy, daddy, and baby (heart melting!)

Summer cooking!
Fresh veggies, plus homegrown basil and oregano - yum!

Oh, I love this life with my people :)

Cheers to more summer fun!*

1st Weekend of the Arts Fest - Summer is Here!

Hi friends!*  Happy Wednesday!  I can't believe we're already half way through the week AND that it is already June SEVENTH.  Whoa summer, slow down!  I'm trying my best to make sure we spend looots of time outside these days.  Elijah usually requests to go outside at like 7AM :) and most days I happily oblige.  Coffee + early morning fresh air + warm summer weather = happy campers.  I've also been biking at least once a week, which is one of my faaaavorite things to do. :)  

This past weekend was opening week of the Three Rivers Arts Festival downtown!  This is one of my most favorite times of the year in Pittsburgh.  10 days of FREE music, arts, and events!  It's the perfect place to take Elijah - he's pretty much free to run around anywhere he wants & dance along to all the fun music.  We went both Saturday and Sunday - and we plan on going back down this Friday and Saturday.  Especially because my little sister, Brita, has an artist booth again this year!  Can't wait!

We've also been getting in lots of runs on the trail and of course, froyo.  Elijah loves froyo - obviously, because he is my kid... :)

I hope you are all having a great week so far and are planning some fun things for the upcoming summer weekend!  The weather is supposed to be beautiful here - hooray!*

Claudio's Pizzeria & Ristorante

This past Saturday, we tried out a new little Italian restaurant and couldn't have been more pleased.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you step inside, it's a whole different world.  The owner and staff treat you like you're all one big family sitting together in the dining room.  The food was out of this world delicious.  We wanted to try everything on the menu, but settled for a couple house salads and the margarita pizza.  Holy yum.  So delicious.  The whole time we were there, the owner/chef wandered around the restaurant, talking to everyone and making sure they were satisfied with their meals.  Towards the end of the night (we were there right around closing time), he even passed out some cinnamon bread fresh out of the oven for everyone to try.  What a sweet guy.  This place seriously gets an A+ from us.  And not to mention, it's a BYOB, which always scores big points in our book.  I can't wait to go back again and again until we've tried everything on the menu. 

I love finding unique and local places close to home.  It's such a good feeling to support local businesses, compared to all the big (dull) chains out there.  We will definitely be back!

Homemade Pizza!

I always tell Brett that if I had to choose one super power, it would be to have the ability to turn anything into pizza.  Because pizza is one of my favorite things on this earth.  Now I'm not one to discriminate between pizzas...but one of my faves?  Homemade pizza.  And it happened this weekend.  Boom.

(heart shaped!)

And don't forget the red wine, duh.

Dear whoever invented pizza,

you're the best.

Love, Anna

Pineapple, Strawberry, and Basil Salsa!

Ah, one of my most favorite things about summer is the plethora of fresh fruit and veggies available everywhere.  Nothing beats going to the farmers market or grocery store and coming home with tons of fresh food ready to make some magic with.  A few weeks ago, we were craving some fresh seafood and came up with a recipe that just screams summer: Grilled salmon with pineapple, strawberry, & basil salsa.  Holy YUM!  Lemme break it down step-by-step for you.

1.  Chop up some fresh pineapple & strawberries

2.  Mix those delicious fruits together

3.  Add some fresh basil from your very own garden

4.  Stir fry some fresh onions, green peppers, more pineapple, and fresh basil to mix with some rice

5.  Relax with some tasty snacks and wine on the patio while the hubby grill some fresh salmon

6.  Enjoy one of the most delicious (and healthy!) meals of the summer!

Oh, I'm craving this all over again just looking at these pictures.

Do you have any recipes that I need to try that just scream summer??

Please share!

Homemade Pasta

This past Saturday we made pasta... like homemade pasta noodles.  We were in the mood for a pasta dish but didn't want to just eat your basic boxed noodles and jarred sauce.  So homemade pasta (and sauce) it was!  Keep in mind, we don't have a pasta machine or anything.  We did everything by hand.  And it really wasn't that hard!  Though, you'll probably want to get your manly, strong husband to roll out the dough, because that clearly was not happening by me!

We used this super basic recipe for the noodles:    

1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width.  Dry for about 2 to 3 hours.

To cook the noodles, boil in water for only about 2 to 3 minutes.  Homemade noodles finish cooking a lot faster than boxed noodles. 

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We doubled the recipe (and ended up having enough leftovers for a whole second meal...).  We also did not let the noodles dry for the full 2 to 3 hours.  We are too impatient for that and we were hungry!  We let them dry for about an hour and they seemed to work out just fine.  Also, like I said before... we don't have any fancy pasta making machines, so we hand cut the strips with a pizza cutter and dried the noodles over our two kitchen chairs... yup.  Who needs fancy cooking machinery?!  Worked just fine!   

While the noodles were hanging to dry, Brett made the homemade sauce.  His homemade sauce is sooooo good.  And here is his lovely demonstration of how he makes the homemade sauce.  Please note, you must be very animated or else it won't come out well!

See how he humors me?  What a guy.  Once you make the sauce and boil up the noodles, it's time to eat!  And here is the finished product...!

Yum, it was SO good.  Definitely a weekend dinner, since it takes a lot of prep time, but seriously worth it!!  Let me know if you try it!