Family Dinner, Easter Egg Hunt and Silly Goats--Make for a great weekend.

We all gathered for dinner, Saturday. For the past several months, I have not had the energy or motivation to clean, cook dinner and then clean up again for family holiday gatherings. This past Christmas, Don and I left town.  I ordered each of the children a gift over the Internet and didn't put up a tree or any decorations. It was total escape from the expected.  But this past weekend, I was in the zone. My 3 grown children and their spouses and the 3 wonderful grandchildren all gathered with Don and me for a dinner that I cooked. I enjoyed every minute of it. I think I just needed a break from the expectation that I will clean, cook and clean some more. Just being able to not do the expected for a few months was what I needed; so I could feel the joy of doing those things for and with my family.

For dinner I cooked:

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten and add a little milk
• flour
• canola oil
• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce 
• 1 can of diced tomato with Italian seasonings
• 1 (16 ounce) package of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb of ground beef (optional)  I like it better without.  Don likes it with the ground beef.
• 1 diced onion
• Basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg and milk mixture, then in flour that has been salted and peppered. Fry them in canola oil until brown.
3. Brown the ground beef and diced onion in a skillet and then add a small can of tomato sauce.
4. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce.
5. Add half of the ground beef mixture.
6. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown

I also cut banana peppers in half, removed the seeds and stuffed the halves with sauteed shrimp. Then covered that with Philadelphia Cooking Creme Santa Fe Blend. Bake them in the oven for about 5 mins.

I also steamed baby carrots, broccoli and diced green onion.

 

Courtney made a wonderful lemon cake. I made a dessert I remembered my mother making, Peach Delight, is what she called it--layers of vanilla wafers and peaches topped with whipped cream.  Be sure to pour the juice over the layers before you add the whipped cream, so the cookies can soak it up.

Best in Eggamation

After dinner, Bridget and Trinity helped the grandsons dye eggs.  They had a great and messy time.

Click to see the goats better.

Sunday afternoon was a fun photo session in the yard.  It was hilarious how the goats kept getting in the pictures.  They were most insistent. They literally butt in--

that's what goats do.

Bridget, Trinity, Jacquie, and GB hid the eggs and Connor and Chase hunted for them.

Cracker the Sultan hen

The rest of the afternoon the boys played in the yard. Jacquie's and GB's puppy chased the goats.  A neighbor, who lives about 4 streets over, brought her 11 year old daughter over to see the goats and chickens.  She fell in love with Cracker. They also offered to feed the animals when I leave town--WOW!

My sister Debbie and I started blogging at the same time. 

Often we blog on the same topic.  Read her Easter blog at

http://debbiesknowledgetrain.blogspot.com/2011/04/cousin-sleepover-easter-it-works.html