Ok, I’m back on the blog 🙂  My dad left Monday, and my mom left today.  I’ve moped around missing them most of the day today, and it’s time to get moving… starting with dinner.

My friend, Michele, who we visited in Chicago 2 weeks ago (and I hope to post pictures tonight!!!), introduced me to orzo pasta, with a great recipe for Mushroom Orzo.  Tonight I came up with my own version, using what was in the kitchen.  Ta-Da!

Skillet Orzo

• 2 T butter
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups orzo pasta (Trader Joe’s… you know my love for them… has a good, 2cup bag for 99cents)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups leftover chicken
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 bag frozen broccoli

Melt butter in skillet and saute onion until soft.  Add pasta, and saute for a few minutes.  Add chicken broth, and simmer for about 6 minutes.  Add frozen broccoli, and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Add chicken, and stir in parmesan cheese last.

We haven’t eaten yet, but I’ve tasted it, and it was good!  Enjoy!

Tomorrow is Brian’s birthday!!  So I’m on a mission today to put together a yummy family dinner and bday cake.  The menu is Sour Cream Chicken Tacos with all the toppings and a variation of this delicious cake (except without the peanut butter mousse… just the fudge icing and pb cup pieces in between the layers.  Brian would love the pb mousse, but since he’s on racing-season diet, he’ll only eat a small bit, and I need to please the majority who’d rather not have pb)!

Super fun day at the Space & Rocket Center yesterday in Huntsville.  Loads more to tell, but the cakes need to come out!

My mom just pointed out it’s been a while since I posted any links.  Sorry!  Not for lack of them, I promise. 

But here’s a great one with a freebie!  Shabby Princess is a site that has digital scrapbooking files, mostly to buy.  But at the end of each month, they post a free layout with a calendar so you can add your own photos and have a desktop background for your computer!  Here’s one I just made for August with the awesome pictures that Robyn & Scott took of the kids…

And from earlier this year…

Hope you can enjoy them, too!  If you need tips on how to do it, post a comment.  Or if I like you a lot, you can email me your photos and I’ll put them in for you 🙂

I’m sorry I’m so behind!  Got tons of pictures from our great weekend in Chicago (well, outside Chicago, since the closest we got was to see the skyline from 290 as we were leaving!).  Great weekend.  Brian did fabulous, and you can check his blog for all the details.  But my parents are here and we’re going to be busy having fun for the next few days!  Hope to check in soon!