The Circus Came to Town

Granny and I took the boys to the circus in Cottage Grove. I had not been since I was a kid and frankly too young to remember. It was the first time my kids got to go too. So we had a great time. I think their favorite part was seeing all of the animals. They had pony/elephant/camel rides and a petting zoo with goats, cow, donkey and llama. They also had a baby hippo and zebra, but you couldn't pet them. I tried to get the kids to ride the elephant, but they wouldn't (don't tell anyone, but I wanted to get up there with them). So we stuck to the ponies and Gabriel was all smiles. His favorite animal is the horse. We seriously need to get one. But I digress . . . . The kids were mesmerized by all of the circus acts too. They put on a pretty good show. I was impressed and the cost was reasonable. So all-in-all, we had a good day.

Crab Linguine w/ Pesto Cream Sauce

Pesto Recipe:
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted in skillet
1/3 olive oil
5 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh basil

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Pesto Cream Sauce Recipe:
1 package fresh linguine
2 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup butter
2 TBS flour, cornstarch, or tapioca starch
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup pesto
meat from 1 crab
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, diced
romano or parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta per package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent. Stir in garlic and butter. Saute until garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Dissolve flour in milk, then stir in. Season w/ salt and pepper and simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in pesto. Add crab, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated. Top with a sprinkle of fresh cheese.

*This would be great with other seafood too: scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, etc.*

Fly Whisperer

Well, I have my very own fly whisperer. Gabriel has an awesome ability to catch flies with his bare hands. He practices catch and release. I have literally seen flies just sit in the palm of his hand or on his finger. They don't even try to fly away. I don't even need a fly swatter, he just takes them outside for me.