Cloning Penne Rustica

Keith loves Romano's Macaroni Grill. He especially loves the Penne Rustica. This past weekend, his love for the penne rustica became an interesting Saturday night endeavor. He researched a way to "clone" the recipe and we tried it.

We got the Penne Rustica recipe online. We also used some tips from a YouTube Penne Rustica video.

But here's how it all turned out:

The ingredients

Rosemary, spices, butter, garlic, and cream for the sauce.

The main attraction: chicken & shrimp!

Chef Keith decided to narrate
while adding the Prosciutto. 

Drenching the pasta and meat in the cream sauce. 

The finished product.  

So delicious! And we calculated that it was under $6 per serving.
(Versus $14 at Romano's Macaroni Grill). 

Prayer for Baby

For the little one we already love so much... May God guide your steps and be your All in All.

A Mother's Prayer 

(5min 47sec... Enjoy!)

I pray your little frame grows strong 

And that faith takes hold while you are young;

This is my prayer for you...

Take His hand 

And go where He calls you to. 

And whatever comes, seek Him

With all your heart;

This will be my prayer for you.

Glimpse of the growth!

From the Kitchen: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

We have to say goodbye to my brother, Chip, because he is taking a new job in San Francisco. It seems a family dinner is in order for this occasion. Instead of making the San Francisco treat of Rice-a-Roni, I thought Buffalo Chicken Lasagna was the right course to take. Inspired by a Food Network Episode, this is simply the yummiest meal around. 

Ingredients: 

For Sauce

1 jar of marinara

1 stick of melted butter

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons of brown sugar 

2 tablespoons of hot sauce

For Cheese Filling

1 24oz container of ricotta cheese

1/2 pound of blue cheese crumbles

1 tablespoon of BBQ rub seasoning

2 eggs

No boil lasagna noodles

1.5 to 2 lbs. cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups of shredded colby jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combined the sauce ingredients until well blended. Set aside. Combine ricotta cheese filling ingredients. 

Begin to assemble in 9x13 baking dish - Sauce, Noodles, Ricotta Filling, Chicken... Repeat. Top layer should be noodles topped with sauce and then the shredded cheese. 

Bake covered with foil for 45 minutes, uncover and bake for up to 15 more minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serves six. Enjoy! 

Strawberry-Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert!

Our prayer for Chip (as well as our own prayer of comfort) comes from Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Many blessings, Chip!

Vintage Valentine Shower

My friend, Stacie, threw a lovely baby shower for our little one this past weekend. She themed it out as a "vintage valentine" theme which was very classy... and we all know chocolate, hearts & babies are a perfect excuse for ladies to gather together! Both of the "soon-to-be" grandmas came to help set up... which was a big help because guess what? Stacie is having a baby herself in 6 weeks! Many of the little details were put together by Stacie's sweet mom, Sandy. Oh, boy, do we love Sandy! I am still in awe of how much time and energy went into making this the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of our perfect little gift.  Stacie is a great blogger and has described all the details in her blogpost, so I'd rather send you there to see those. 

I will use this post to show some other details and talk about the wonderful guests. My colleagues were a fun bunch passing around laughter as well as our friend Lauren's little twin girls. Church and Bible Study ladies were great at being friendly and conversational with all.  Columbus friends, Colleen and Angela with daughter Lucy, rounded out the group. What fun we had! 

Something healthy to munch on... assembled by Stacie's dad. 

Besides the wonderful activities that were planned, the guests could
sign this framed chalkboard to welcome Baby Hallas.

The finished product waiting to be hung.

Guests writing letters to Mommy & Daddy to open at specific times
during our first year with Baby. 

Smiles for thoughtful, heartfelt gifts! 

Cards and flowers are daily reminders of love that has been showered!