Cooking and Mommy's Helper

We had a nice weekend at home. Gus didn't feel very good yesterday so we stayed home all day. I cooked a big lunch and then made Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler- so good! We played some games and enjoyed having a fire.

Today I am going to be just doing things around the house. I am going to try a new bread recipe- I will let you know how it turns out. I am also taking food to a friend who just had a baby. I was supposed to take salad and bread. I am going to take one of my favorite salads:

Spinach and Strawberry Salad
1/2 c. Splenda
1/4 c. white wine vinegar (I use whatever white vinegar I have)
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. minced red onion
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds (I don't always have these)
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
Baby Spinach
1 c. sliced strawberries
1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

Combine first 7 ingredients and mix well. Pour over spinach. Top with strawberries and feta

This salad is sweet and fresh! I thought it would be fun to make today, plus strawberries were on sale. Blackberries were also on sale, and I bought some to freeze. Then I can make cobbler whenever we want it. Berries are so easy to freeze, and then you can always have them on hand, even in the winter!

I feel a little outnumbered with my parent's two male dogs at our house- for a total of 6 boys (although Josh is a man, not a boy)! The hardest part is when it is time to eat. All the dogs want to eat each others food. It takes careful planning, which usually involves putting some of them outside so that each can eat his own. My dog Bear is not a very gracious host. He growls at BeBe all the time. He will sit or stand by me and attack if Doodle or BeBe come near.

As I have said, Gus is getting into everything! This morning, he helped me with the dishwasher:
On Saturday night I wanted to rent a movie. We finally had decided to rent the new Pirates of the Carribbean movie in the Redbox in town (there is only one) and while we were deciding someone rented it! So.... we decided we could rent it on ITunes and then hook the computer up to the tv to watch. Right now, Monday at about noon, it is just a little over half-way downloaded...... Note to self- our internet is not fast enough to download movies! (unless of course you rent them a week in advance)

I will be spending the rest of the day cooking, entertaining a certain cute little boy, and letting dogs in and out of the house. Sounds like a pretty nice day to me!