Water in the Park, and a Recipe

It was a bright sunny day today, so the kids tried out the wading pool at Memorial Park nearby. Evidently we weren't the only ones who thought it was the perfect day for playing in the water - it was crowded! But the kids had a wonderful time. Can you spot J here?

We'd brought some water toys for the kids, so it was a good lesson in sharing and taking turns, with all the kids there. Apparently, they didn't use to allow any toys in the wading pool, but no one stopped us today, so it was ok. What's the fun without any toys?



We brought a picnic out for lunch too but E was only interested in the grapes. When J was in the water and I asked him if he wanted any food, he said "I'm having fun now, Mum." Like that was the silliest question to ask. Anyway, he did make it a point to remind us not to finish up all the food, so he'd have some too!

We've also discovered Quaker's Granola Bites - and the kids and K love it!!! Here's E, quietly sitting at the sofa, enjoying her bowl of granola bites.

I've been catching a lot of Rachel Ray on TV - she's quite big here, and is most famous for making 30-minute meals (meaning she makes an entire meal, inclusive of food preparation time, in 30 minutes)! Every time J sees her show on TV, he tells me "Your favourite show, Mum!" So tonight, I tried out a recipe I caught on TV some time ago, with a few modifications (Rachel Ray's original version didn't have the shrimp, and she used broccolini). I'm putting the recipe here, just so I don't forget it and can replicate it again later. K and I loved it!


Pasta with ricotta-sauce, sauteed shrimp and broccoli.

1. Cook pasta according the package instructions. Just before draining, reserve about half a cup of pasta water.
2. Sautee shrimp and broccoli in extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Season with salt, a little pepper, a pinch of sugar and some dried basil. (Yum already.)
3. To make the sauce, mix about a tsp or two of thyme, lemon zest, juice from one lemon (or maybe less? Taste and see), about half a tub of ricotta, a couple of small handfuls of grated parmesan-romano and about a quarter cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything (the shrimp, broccoli and pasta) in the sauce. If it's too dry, just add a little more pasta water. To serve, top with more grated parmesan-romano and chopped fresh parsley. (I left out the lemon this time, cos we didn't have any. I forgot to buy from the supermarket, and the lemons on our tree weren't ripe yet. But K and I both agree that the lemon will give the meal an additional lift.)



Yum Yum Yum! K and I loved it. Rachel Ray rocks. J didn't like the broccoli, of course. And E ate only broccoli and some shrimp (no pasta). For the kids, a meal in parts.

Ok, so this isn't the best picture of it, but it was near the end of the meal. I had, once again, forgotten to take my camera out earlier. It's tough to remember when you have two kids at the dinner table asking (or yelling) for different things. E always salivates at the sight of broccoli so she's yelling for us to give her some, while J insists that he won't eat it and is whining for us to take it off his plate.