Monday, July 27, 2009

More Fun in the 'burbs

Keeping up with the Summer fun, some of us Mom's and Dad's from the neighborhood got together this past week and took the kids to a wonderful water park in Statesboro, GA. It was a blast.
The park had all kinds of fun things to try. Shelby had a ball!
Here she comes down the slide. This water park is actually run and maintained by the county park and recreation department. We wish our county would get on the ball and start one of these! By the end of the day, we were all tired, soaked to the bone and baked by the sun.

After the kids had fun earlier in the week, it was time for a little adult fun. We had our 2nd Supper Club hosted by Trina and Hal.
Trina hosted a beautiful supper and the theme was Italian. Here was the evening's menu:

Peach Bellini's
Mini Fritatta's
Hot Artichoke Crostini
Chicken Parmesan
Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
Summer Fruit Crostada
Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart
Trina's homemade chicken parmesan is to die for! I was picked to make the Baked Penne and Roasted Vegetables. It was all fantastic.
We had an absolutely fab time! We talked and laughed until 11:30 that night. The "Monkey" was working that night!
Last time I missed getting a picture with Stan and Annette, so here they are. The happy couple.
Thank you Trina and Hal for sharing your home with us. Your home was beautiful, cozy and inviting. Your dinner table was perfect and the conversation was outstanding. That night is going to be hard to beat!!!
Now for those of you who would like to try the Baked Penne recipe, here it is. I also recommend making the roast vegetables as a dinner side one night. They were great all by themselves.
Bon Appetite!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
2 red peppers. cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1 inch strips
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon Italian Herb mix
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzerella
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese + 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss the cut vegetables with olive oil. 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the dried Italian herbs. Roast until tender. Approx. 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes. Leave the pasta very al dente because you will be baking the pasta in the oven once everything is mixed together. Drain in a colander.
In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta, with the roasted veggies, marinara sauce, cheeses, the rest of the salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix until all the pasta is covered and all the ingredients are combined.
Pour the pasta into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Top with remaining parmesan cheese and spread out butter pieces along the top. Bake at 400 degrees F until top is golden brown and cheese melts. Approx. 25 minutes.

5 comments:

Sugar Bear said...

Looks like fun! I love the striped umbrellas!
Karla

Lee Weber said...

hey girl- looks like you are having a great summer! The water park looks fun- hoping to take the kids to on before school starts. xoxo

cinnibonbon said...

You rock--I'm so going to try that pasta dish--mmm mmm mm.
I'm so glad that little miss S is still getting some sun!!!

PS..Loren and Dennis were talking about you today!! They were talking about SCAD and your close proxcimity to it---and involving you in laundry and homecooked meals...LOL. I thought you'd get a laugh out of that one!! No worries--didn't I tell you I plan to follow her to college??? I don't think I can deal with not seeing her everyday!!!

Angela said...

I am so jealous.....I MUST move to Gray soon!!!

Stephenie said...

It really does look like lots of fun...The water park looks amazing..Glad you're having fun.. Thanks for that yummy recipe..I'll have to make it..
Stephenie