Finding brightness on a rainy day

Happy Monday! Today is a rainy and chilly but as I drove by this tree this morning, I just had to take its picture. She sure stands out among lots of gray!

So, the end of last week was just not fun. Many, many things going on that I can't possibly mention them all. Though, Sage wasn't feeling well and was quite vocal about it. She has been sick so much since we moved so I was concerned for her. We found out we owe an exorbitant amount of money in taxes. There is so much to do to get the house ready for Masters and for our new family member (who I am not sure I even want to add!!). I got into a car accident (rear ended someone, everyone fine) and ended up late to Sosie's soccer game. I sat down in my chair at the game, feeling just plain old down and overwhelmed. Their team was losing 1-0, then 2-0. Get the picture??? Sosie hasn't had a winning game since she started at Prep in basketball or in soccer, despite working so very hard as a team.

Then, Prep scored. Then, they scored again on a corner. And, guess what - Sosie scored that goal. The smile on her face and the excitement in the air made me forget everything else that had gone wrong that week, just for a moment. Prep ended up winning that game 3-2. The underdogs. A great moment, among lots of ugh. Just like seeing the tree this morning.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Put on I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons and get cooking!

Greek-Style Scampi from Cooking Light.  This is an oldie but goodie, and one that has sentimental value for me. I have different versions of this recipe but here you go. I served it with roasted asparagus (olive oil, salt and pepper, with a quick squeeze of lemon at the end. 375-400 degrees in toaster oven until it was no longer bright pink and caramelized at the tips, maybe 15 minutes?). I also made a simple salad with romaine lettuce and sweet onion with an apple cider vinaigrette (olive oil, apple cider vinegar 1-1, salt and pepper). You can serve the shrimp with couscous or rice. Last night we served over thin pasta. Either way, it is really yummy. You can see I had to sneak some asparagus to make sure it wasn't poisonous.

Greek-Style Scampi
1 tsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced (I use 3-4)
2, 28-oz cans, whole tomatoes, chopped. I love San Marzano and I usually put them in a bowl and mash with my clean hands!
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/4 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup crumbled feta (I use more and last night used a container of feta seasoned with basil and oregano)
2 T fresh lemon juice (I used juice of one lemon, minus the squirts for the asparagus)
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup parsley. Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp, cook 5 minutes. Pour into a 9 x 13 dish and sprinkle with feta. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice, 1/4 cup parsley and pepper.

 Have a spectacular day