Sunday, July 29, 2007

Our typical Sunday......

Dating back to the days when Mike and I were dating, we have had pancakes on Sunday. We used to sleep in, then go to IHOP in big Lawton, America. It was something easy and we fell into a routine. Then we had two kids in two years, and all that sleeping in and going out for breakfast came to a screeching halt.
So we started a new family tradition.....on Saturdays Mike gets to sleep in and I get up at the a$$ crack of dawn with the kids. (please tell me at what age they start sleeping in??) Then on Sunday I get to sleep in ...Mike gets up and makes pancakes and sausage with the kids. Despite the obvious things, but this is one of the things I miss the most. just a little ps.....I can't eat pork, so Mike makes me a couple strips of turkey bacon just for me. Okay, I have to stop the Mike-praise-train, I am getting weepy.
So this morning, I managed to do the whole thing one more time without Mike....I did get in my token cup of coffee with my new White Chocolate Raspberry creamer. Yes, I like girlie coffee.

Another little thing we do each week is have dinner on china by candlelight on Sundays. I have skipped the china while Mike is gone, but we do still light a candle....Livi calls them 'candle dinners'. Tonight I made my all time favorite dinner....a Greek pasta salad that I found in a Cooking Light years ago.


I felt like the 'pioneer woman who cooks' taking a picture of this. I even considered going on a photo overload, but trying to prep dinner in the 30 minutes that "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast" is playing didn't include time for a step by step photo shoot. It is a whole wheat penne pasta, kalamata olives, feta cheese, spinach in a garlic balsamic vinaigrette. Seriously we have this at least twice a month! The kids love it and so do I.

I don't know why I let myself get sucked into "Army Wives" on Lifetime. I think I watched it once to see if I could laugh at it like nurses and doctors laugh at Grey's Anatomy and ER. But again for the third week in a row, I am watching it now. Some Colonel's wife just mentioned a Hail and Farewell ( basically a party to say, "Welcome to the battalion...or Here is a stupid plaque that you probably paid for.....see ya later." But she made a point to say it was for "officers and their wives".....whatever! I met Mike when he was a little Lieutenant. I don't get the wives "wearing rank" thing. I have always told Mike if I am going to wear rank, then I want a star or something. I am not going to be some little Lieutenant's wife! For every wife that does wear rank, there are so many more that don't even care about that. I am not a soldier and won't act like one! (****added for a laugh.....the lady wearing rank was a General's wife*** that is hilarious, since he is probably at least a one-star!...maybe she told her husband she would wear rank when he got his star! )

another edit: Katbliss asked what 'wearing rank' is.....basically it is acting like you so much more important because your husband is a higher rank than someone....a Captain's wife thinks she is better than a Lieutenants.....so a General's wife is pretty much the top dog of all officer's wives if she acts like she is wearing her husband's rank.

Though the men did just toast the wives as "essential tools to our success" ....amen to that !
We start t-ball this week....I think I should start chanting the serenity prayer now.....
happy Sunday, y'all
recipe:
it is so easy...

most whole wheat boxes are only 12 oz....so adjust the vinaigrette if you find a box that is more..

1 box of whole wheat penne pasta
4 oz crumbled feta (I use the tomato and basil blend)
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
3 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
bag of baby spinach
2/3 of a 7oz jar of kalamata olives

while the pasta is boiling, (make sure you salt the water once it is boiling....the whole wheat pasta tends to need a bit of seasoning), make the vinaigrette. Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic in a bowl.....swirl it around so the garlic flavors the liquids. Set this aside. If it starts to boil over, add a bit of olive oil to the water.

Pit the olives, and cut into chunks. (If you are brave enough to let the kids cook with you, Pampered chef makes a little knife that kids can use....my kids take the pits out once I score the olive...then they cut them into chunks) Set these aside.

Stem the spinach, or if you are in a hurry, just tear it into small pieces and pick out the bigger stems. I usually use about 3/4 of a bag. I go ahead and tear all of it. Throughout the week I add it to salads or sandwiches. It is so much more healthy than regular lettuce. Set this aside.

By now, the pasta is done...drain it....toss it with the vinaigrette until all the pasta is coated. Now add the spinach. Since the pasta is super hot, the spinach kind of wilts (making it harder to pick out, so the kids will eat it)....once that is all incorporated, add the feta and olives.

If it becomes a favorite you have to call it Tommie's pasta salad.....enjoy!

11 comments:

Wendy said...

Yum! Can you email me the recipe for that pasta dish, please? It looks great! We are doing the whole wheat pasta and bread thing now. Trying to be healthier.

My Mike gets up on the weekends with Jayke and makes breakfast too. Must be a man thing. My dad always does it as well.

KatBliss said...

I'm so out of the military loop, what does 'wearing rank' mean?

Love the tradition you have continued with your kids. Your husband has something to look forward to when coming home since I'm sure you'll want to have your Sunday sleep-in back! :)

Mrs. Preschool said...

Your pasta dish looks great! Can you post it?

I'm sorry you're missing your Sunday morning traditions.

tommie said...

wendy- that is neat to hear because so many husbands I know do NOT do this!!

katbliss-....basically it is acting like you so much more important because your husband is a higher rank than someone....a Captain's wife thinks she is better than a Lieutenants.....so a General's wife is pretty much the top dog of all officer's wives if she acts like she is wearing her husband's rank.

thirty-one trendy- done...enjoy. it is great.

tulipmom said...

Wow. My husband gets up early one weekend day so I can sleep in but make breakfast? Only if that includes toasting waffles.

I just started getting hooked on Army Wives, although I'm sure I miss a lot of things that you pick up on.

CarrieB said...

Awwww...I love that you still have dinner by candlight on Sundays. So beautiful.

I like the Friday Fill-In feature. I may have to join that!

Monogram Queen said...

I would love it but I doubt the hubs would eat it. I"ll have to make this on a week-end when i'm all by myself!

Libby said...

Alright, I'm going to have to tune into Army Wives, I'm seeing so much chatter about it.

Tommie's pasta salad looks delish, I'm putting on our list of recipes to try ASAP.

Unknown said...

Ive always wanted a tradition like that for Sundays, since we dont go to church. I want donuts, but he always wants "real food" and I am NOOOOT a breakfast cooker. Wont do it, no idea why. Guess I had better learn because when Ty goes to school he will need some good grub to last him till lunch box time.

And my kids would simply devour that pasta. Cooking Light you say? Ive only had my subscription since December and I havent seemed to find many recipes in it that Ive found useful except for desserts. And the Kraft mag is no longer useful because almost everything in their mag has cheese or milk in it. Depressing.

Pamela said...

That pasta dish looks really good...minus the olives! lol!
Thanks for sharing it :)

Head Hen said...

That looks so yummy!

Husband does the sausage (turkey) and pancake (InstaBake whole wheat w/sugar free syrup) thing here on the weekends, too. I really love it. I usualiy don't really get to sleep in with 3 kids but the Chicks love helping and "cooking."

The whole wheat pancakes are really surprisingly good. I usually wrap them around my sausage and forego the syrup all together.