Seven on Sunday: Week 22

It's Sunday!! It's the day when I recap our week in 7 (or more!) pics :) It was a busy week with Halloween, soccer and Red Ribbon Week at school. Fun, fun!!

Day 1: Sunday --She asked to smell my wine, so I let her. She commented, "Hmm, smell good." She knows her stuff. Future sommelier right here!

Day 2: Monday--An old friend texted me this picture out of the blue on Monday morning. It almost brought tears to my eyes! Brookey went to daycare with Sophia, on the right, and they have since lost touch. Those two were SO stinkin' cute together!

Day 3: Tuesday--It was sunglasses day at school! Woo Hoo!! I worked today, and Buddy was hilarious running around at recess with his shades on! Don't ask me why Brookey is holding up the raffle flyer! #kidsareweird

Day 4: Wednesday--Twins Day at school!!!! This was the brother/sister Dynamic Duo! Rooney/Rattigan Irish Twins :)

Day 5: Thursday -- Sarah always wants to do WHATever Brookey and Buddy are doing...even homework. Here she is doing her "homework." The snapped her pic from across the table while I was helping Buddy :)

Day 6: Friday--Halloween. What can I say??! It's a blast every year seeing these kids dress up. We joined the neighborhood chaos and around 7:30, the kid's buckets were full and Brookey's feet hurt (Dorothy heels) so we went home, ate candy bars and watched Harry Potter. Scott and Buddy passed out on the couch. Happy Halloween!!!

Minnie Mouse, Dorothy and GI Joe :)

Sister Love :)

She's very into the photo op!

Day 7: Saturday--Brookey had a soccer game (they won again!) and then we headed up to Sonoma for our quarterly wine pick up at Bryter Estates. We had lunch in Sonoma and a yummy pizza place....let me just say, NO plates had any trace of food when we left! 

Ok, why does B look like a GIANT?! And yes, I know...Buddy needs a haircut!

Tried to get a sisters pic, but I have a photo bomber always willing to bomb!!

 

Have a great week!!!!

XO ~ Casey

Friday Funday: Fall Favorites

Halloween on a Friday! Finally! :) Now, Halloween is probably one of my LEAST favorite holidays, however I love fall and I'm really liking the change from Indian Summer here in California to slightly cooler temps.

Here's a hot mess of some of my favorite Fall things:

* This pic-- A friend texted this pic to me randomly this week and it almost brought tears to my eyes. Brooke went to daycare with this little girl, Sophia, forever, but they have since lost touch. This pic touched my heart...this was when my baby was still a baby :)

* Plaid--Yep, I'm on the bandwagon...I'm mad for plaid this fall., especially with scarves. I'm loving this Charlotte Russe one right now because it's lightweight for our lovely Indian Summer :) Truth be told, I bought this for a friend and loved it so much I got it for myself, too :)

Plaid and Floral Infinity Scarf

* Ankle Boots -- I bought these boots last year but wasn't really ready to jump on the ankle boot bandwagon just yet. I'm on board this year--100%. I think I wear these boots 5 times a week! The little dip and small heel make ankle boots work for short gals like myself! It's REALLY HARD to find these booties with the little dip, but these exact ones are on eBay now! Just search for the boot name for sellers with additional sizes.

Carlos Santana "Brooky" Boot

* This recipe: Crockpot Meat Sauce. So comforting, so delicious, so easy! Fall perfection in a crockpot.

...and OF COURSE...THIS!!! I am definitely a fair weather Giants fan (and there's been LOTS of fair weather these days!), but it's great to see a major underdog, wild card team bring it home (Royals were in the same boat,  but I had to cheer for the home team!). They are the team that never quits. My favorite part of the entire game was the exchange between Posey and Bumgarner during the last 10 seconds of the game--Posey's facial expression was priceless. I'm a chick, I notice stuff like this :)

 That's my random list of "fall" faves! I'm working on a "beauty products" Friday Favorites, so stay tuned. Have a great weekend and cheers to lots of treats and not so many tricks :)


XO ~ Casey

Recipe Wednesday: Bacon & Corn Pasta

This is my current favorite pasta dish! It's the perfect summer/fall transition meal..you have the sweet corn to remind you of summer, and then the creaminess and the bacon that is ALL FALL! It's just a big plate of deliciousness!!

Oh, and I forgot to post Seven on Sunday on Facebook this week, so if you missed it, here it is: Seven on Sunday: Week 21.

Bacon & Corn Pasta
1 lb of pasta (I like to use linguine)
6-8 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn kernels OR 1 can of corn
1 can cream style corn
1/2 Parmesean cheese, grated
1/2 cup chicken stock OR 1/2 cup of pasta water (water you cooked the pasta in)
1/4 cup half and half (optional)

1. In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions (reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, if using)
2. In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
3. Add onion to the pan and saute for  few minutes, until soft.
4. Add garlic and frozen corn and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Add in creamed corn and reserved bacon and heat through.
6. Stir in chicken stock or pasta water, along with the Parmesan cheese and cook a minute or so until the sauce starts to thicken a bit.
7. Stir in half and half, if using. Season with salt and lots of pepper. Toss pasta in the sauce and serve!

SO, SO YUMMY!!!! Enjoy :)

XO ~ Casey

Seven on Sunday: Week 21

Happy Sunday!! Today is the day I recap our week in (about) 7 pictures. I have a few more than seven today :)

Day 1: Sunday--Over the weekend we headed to Fresno for a birthday party for my BBF's son, Andrew. It was held at the Fresno Zoo and so much fun!!! Here are the kiddos petting an armadillo.

Brookey and Ashley :)

 

Crazy girl...

Day 2: Monday--Kindergarten field trip to the Pumpkin Patch!!! Buddy and his bestie, Cian.

Day 3: Tuesday--Family workout time!! So we always tease Buddy that he has skinny "Sponge Bob" arms, but this kid can do PUSH UPS!! He can do more push ups than I can and with good form!! Crazy!

Day 4: Wednesday--Buddy came home with a picture of the California flag. When I questioned his "bear" he said: "Yeah, the bear was boring, so I made into a stegosaurus." Okaaaay, then :)

Day 5: Thursday--It was Brookey's turn for a field trip! I think it was one of her all-time favorites, learning about California history at the former capitol of California...Benicia!!! It's amazing how much history there is right on our own backyard :)]

Day 6: Friday--Friday Night Lights with my loves at the St. Pat's game. Probably the worst high school football game I have ever been to, but I think the kids had a good time :) Sarah WILL be a cheerleader someday. You heard it here first. She is seriously a natural! LOL!

Day 7: Saturday--What a day! How often do you get to go to a priest's ordination and rainy, soccer games in the same morning??! I had quite a hard time figuring out what to wear, that's for sure! HA! All jokes aside, it was an awesome day--to see someone literally "lay down their life" for God (picture below) and then to see my baby girl win the soccer game for them with the game's only goal. Awesome day all around :)

Have a super week!!!

XO ~ Casey

Recipe Wednesday: Ham and Swiss "Cuban" Paninis

We LOVE paninis at our house! When we do paninis, we customize them based on everyone's likes...no meat, extra cheese, more ham...etc. Everyone is happy!!! :) Of course, you can put whatever you want in a panini...if you put a combo of meat and cheese on some good bread and get it nice and melty, you really can't go wrong, can you?  These are perfect to serve alongside soup as a cozy fall/winter meal.

I hesitate to even put the word "Cuban" in this recipe because this is certainly not an authentic version of a Cuban sandwich (no roasted pork, just ham). However, the addition of the pickles/dijon/mayo make it more special than just a plain grilled ham and cheese.

We don't own a panini press, so I use my counter top griddle. If you don't have a griddle, it's just as easy to use a grill pan or large skillet. I just love my griddle because I can cook 4-5 paninis at once (not to mention, it's awesome for pancakes, too!). Definitely think about having "panini night" at your house...it's always at hit at ours!!

Ham & Swiss "Cubans"

- Ham Slices
- Swiss Cheese Slices
- "Sandwich" dill pickles (the ones that are thinly sliced)
- Dijon mustard
- Mayo
- Good sliced bread (we've found that Sourdough or Cracked Wheat works the best and makes the crispiest sandwich)

1. Heat griddle to 350 or heat skillet

2. Spread each slice of bread with mayo and dijon.

3. Layer sandwich fillings on one slice of bread: 1) Swiss 2) 1-2 slices of ham 3) Pickles 4) Swiss. Top with other slice of bread.

4. Butter/Olive Oil both sides of the bread and place on griddle or skillet.

5. Cook until bread is nice and brown and cheese is melted--about 4-5 minutes per side--don't rush it :) You can use a heavy pan or skillet if you need to weigh down the panini (optional).

6. Cut in half and serve with soup or a nice side salad. One of these salads would work well :)

Enjoy!!

XO ~ Casey

Seven on Sunday: Week 20

Happy Sunday!!! Sunday is the day where I recap our week in 7 (sometimes more!) pictures. Enjoy!!!!

Day 1: Sunday--The annual Rooney pumpkin patch trip! Unfortunately, like so many years, it was blazing hot. In this pic we are all squinting and dripping with sweat. Gotta love fall in the Bay Area!

Day 2: Monday--It was Columbus Day, but the kids had school. Buddy came out of his classroom wearing this hat with the names of Columbus' ships on it. In the car he asked, "So was SANTA actually on the Santa Maria?" Crazy kid.

Day 3: Tuesday--I finally got all the pics of my kiddos up on my bulletin board at school. It always takes me awhile to know which kids I'm seeing and to take all of their pictures! But it's finally done!

Day 4: Wednesday--It FINALLY rained here!!!! Sarah insisted on wearing her favorite jacket in the morning, even though it wasn't really raining yet. Sure enough, while we were doing errands, we were in a downpour! She was prepared :) We got home and lit the pumpkin spice candle and enjoyed the awesome fall weather. BTW, can we guess what her favorite color is???!!

Day 5: Thursday--The kids had the day off school, so we did a different pumpkin patch. The weather was MUCH nicer than Pumpkin Patch Round 1 (above) !! We also shopped for Halloween costumes and stopped at In and Out. Perfect day off!!! :)

Day 6: Friday--Today was parent-teacher-student conference day. I seriously could not be prouder of my kiddos. Brookey works her BUTT off for every A on that progress report (as well as the 89.9% B+ in English!! WTH??!!). All jokes aside, she's come a long way and knows the value of hard work. Buddy is doing awesome in Kinder--no surprises there. We knew the "work" would not be a problem for him. His teacher's "constructive criticism" of him was "He's kind of a perfectionist and needs to work on controlling his emotions when he can't get things perfect." =SIGH= Scott is taking FULL responsibility for that one!!! I'm also blaming Scott's dad, Pops Rooney!! They are like 3 peas in a pod! Again, all jokes aside, if that's the worse thing about him, I'm pretty happy :) Heck, I live with a perfectionist and it's turned out OK :) I guess now I live with two perfectionists! LOL!

Day 7: Saturday--Fresno Fun!!! Dim Sum and noodles on Saturday morning. Sarah ate us all under the table!! I don't know where it all goes, but this girl can EAT!

Fall Fun Round 10... in Fresno this time! :)

Enjoy your week!!

XO ~ Casey

Recipe Wednesday: Sausage and Spinach Tortellini

This is the perfect fall meal to cozy up to as the weather gets a little chillier. I love how there is everything in one big pot--pasta, veggies, protein. SO yummy :) I love buying tortellini at Costco because it freezes and keeps well. It's also super versatile--you can have them with any kind of pasta sauce or you can throw them in a big pot of soup to make a simple vegetable soup into a full meal.

Spinach and Sausage Tortellini
 1 package of pre-made tortellini
1 package of Italian Turkey Sausage (or you can use about 1lb of any sausage you like)
2-3cans of fire roasted tomatoes (depends how "saucy" you want it)
4 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 cups (or about one package) of fresh, baby spinach (found in the produce aisle)
1/2 cup of half and half (optional)

1. If you are using Italian Turkey Sausage, remove sausage from casings. Brown sausage in a large skillet with a little olive oil, breaking apart sausage as it cooks. When sausage is browned, remove and drain on paper towels.

2. Add garlic to skillet and cook quickly (about 30 seconds); add tomatoes and simmer a few minutes.

3. In the meantime, cook tortellini according to package directions; drain.

4. Add sausage back into sauce. Stir in baby spinach and cook for a few minutes until it wilts (at first it seems like a TON of spinach, but it will cook down quickly). Season sauce with salt and pepper if needed.

5. Stir in half and half, if using, and heat through. Stir in cooked tortellini and toss to coat. Enjoy with plenty of red wine :)

It's just a bowl full of comfort :)

XO ~ Casey