Pleasant Dreams Farm: Where did you get those peepers?

Nest watch day 2. Still just 4 eggs today, looks like that is probably where we will stay.
I wonder if I need to tweak my black and white color levels to make these pictures a little better...any tips from my photog extraordinaire friend, AKA Wendy? :)

I will probably still take pictures every day...I keep trying to get better, it is good practice :)

Here is our barricade job. A couple chairs turned on their sides to block the dog (and Jericho) from getting to the nest from under the trampoline, and a table on its side to block off the other side. Momma seems OK with the new security measures so far....hopefully it will keep her nest a little more protected. It rained most of the day today, and it supposed to keep it up all week...that will be a good thing for keeping the kids off the trampoline for awhile.

Tried a new recipe from Skinny Taste today...Asparagus egg and bacon salad. Yummy! Perfect timing since we have all these Easter eggs left over.

Ingredients:

1 large hard boiled egg, peeled and sliced
1 2/3 cups chopped asparagus
2 slices cooked and crumbled center cut bacon
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
pinch salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the asparagus and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until tender yet firm. Drain and run under cold water to stop it from cooking further. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix the Dijon, oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Arrange the asparagus on a plate, top with egg and bacon and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Enjoy!
This amount makes 1 serving, and will cost you 219 calories and 13 grams of fat.

Jericho was looking out the window this afternoon, the sun coming in made his eyes just light up...my only non-blue eyed baby, he has gorgeous hazel's doesn't he?

Pay no attention to the BBQ sauce left over from lunch LOL.

Looks can be so deceiving...looks like a little angel doesn't he?! Hehehehe.

Blowing kisses.

Little cutie.

Xan, my kiddo with the lightest eyes...and the most light sensitive too. Of course the trio are all more pale than their little brother, so they sometimes wash out a little...need to keep working on my camera settings I think LOL.

Lily Bug...pale, red hair and blue eyes...pretty cute combo.

Sweet girl!

Then there is Miss Hayden Cheyenne.

Just where did they get these cute peepers?!

Little sweetheart.

Dinner tonight, I tried to lighten up spinach artichoke pasta.

This was really good.

1 pound penne pasta (we use Smart Taste)
8 ounces bacon,chopped,opt. (we left this out)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk (we used skim)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained (we used fresh and it turned out just fine)
1/2-1 whole carton of fresh mushrooms
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped (next time we will use 2 cans, but we love artichoke)
Few grates of fresh nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack, divided (we used a reduced fat mexican mix)
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, divided (next time we will use half this amount to try and cut calories more)

Preheat broiler. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium low heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in milk and bring to a simmer.

Add spinach, artichoke and nutmeg and stir until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are heated through, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 1 cup pepper jack and 1 cup Parmesan until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in penne and bacon.

Spread the penne mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining pepper jack and Parmesan. Place into oven and broil for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Serves 8, runs around 426 calories and 15 grams of fat, per serving.

After dinner the kiddos finally got to work on one of their Easter gifts. I am not even sure what these silly things are, but they have been bugging us for 2 days to decorate them, we couldn't hold them off anymore.