Penny's Passion

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - March 9, 2017

Hey there from Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  Glad you popped in and hope you link up below to tell us what you're thinking out loud about today.

Today is a very special day in my life and that's what I'm thinking out loud about today.  Twenty-six years ago I stepped into the most important role of my life.  I became a mother for the first and only time to my son, Ian.


From the moment those eyes looked into mine, I knew my life would never be the same.  Every thought and action since that day I've taken him into account.  

I have to be honest, I miss mothering a little boy.  From the birthday parties to play dates to reading bedtime stories, I miss every second of it.  



Ian has always been by my side.  He stood up with me and Eric when we were married, looking so handsome and proud.


And he has made me over the moon proud on so many occasions!  







The first twenty-six years of his life have been full of fun and rarely a dull moment.




Ian, we are looking forward to the years to come and are sure they will be even better than the years that have past.  Happy birthday!  We love you!


So what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share your thought!




Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at:

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Let's Make Toasted Tortellini with Pesto

As promised in my Weekending post, today I'm sharing with you a marvelous Toasted Tortellini with Pesto recipe.


Eric loves when I blog a recipe because he knows something good is coming his way.  This week he was super excited because he LOVES this toasted tortellini with pesto recipe.  It was his lucky day when I ran across this recipe on Life Made Simple.

My favorite dinner recipes tend to be ones I can easily whip up for dinner during the week.  After a long day at work, it really boosts my energy when I can come home and produce a great tasting meal in a short amount of time.  This recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Here's What You Need
1 (20 oz.) package of three cheese tortellini
12 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. salted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup prepared pesto with basil
1/4 cup julienned fresh basil
1/3 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese


Here's What You Do
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the tortellini according to the directions on the package.  The tortellini I used needed to boil for 7 minutes.  Drain and set aside.


While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes until browned.

Pour the drained pasta to the skillet.  Let the tortellini get lightly toasted and brown on the edges.


Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the pesto, basil and Parmesan.


Serve immediately.  We top ours with a little bit more Parmesan and basil.  We also love to add some grilled chicken for a little protein boost.  Enjoy!


Handmade Tuesday's with Kristen

Monday, March 6, 2017

Weekending - March 3, 2017

Why, why, why do weekends have to go by so fast!?!  I love weekends!  And this one was a blast.

Eric and I kicked off the first weekend of the month with a date night Friday.  I had been looking forward to seeing Table 19 since seeing the trailer months ago.  The reviews were not great, but I was not going to let that detour me.  In hind sight, probably should have listened to those reviews.  Not the best movie I've ever seen.  Eric rated it a 3 out of 10.  I gave it a solid 5.  It's cute, light and one I could see enjoying on a lazy Sunday afternoon laying on the couch.


What saved the evening was the popcorn!  Oh my goodness -- I'm not sure how long AMC has had this cheddar/sea salt caramel popcorn blend but it was fantastic!  First time in history that Eric and I have polished off an entire tub of popcorn at a movie.  I even contemplated buying a bucket to take home.

Saturday morning we woke up and took a long walk.  The wind was a bit chilly, but it felt great to be outside.  Exercise is really not something I love, but my new fitbit is helping me stay motivated.

We met our friends and their daughter for lunch at a new place in St. Charles - Firebirds.  The food was great and the company even better.   We started with an order of wings for an appetizer.  For entrees, I had the shrimp tacos, Eric chose the Mahi tacos, our friends shared a salad and steak sandwich and their daughter ordered the sirloin.  All looked fantastic and rave reviews from our table.  Since we were headed to our nephew's birthday party and knew we would be having cake, we skipped dessert.


Our nephew, Kayden, celebrated his 7th birthday in style with a roller skating party.  We had fun chasing the little ones around and didn't risk actually putting on skates.  Great afternoon spent with family!



When we got home Saturday night, we tried the new Netflix series with Drew Barrymore - Santa Clarita Diet.  After the first episode, we decided it definitely wasn't a series for us.  Anyone else watch it?  Should we have given it more than one episode?


My friend, Sherri, gave our group of friends a cooking class for Christmas and it was scheduled for Sunday afternoon.  So after church Eric and I popped into Peel for a quick lunch before the fun began with my friends.


The class was held at Fezziwig's in O'fallon, Illinois.  I've taken classes there before and they have always been a blast.  The class on Sunday was a hands on demonstration of how to make dim sum.  We whipped up crab rangoon, spring rolls and fried wontons.  It was delicious!  Hopefully I can recreate them at home.




After class and a bit of shopping at Fezziwig's, us girls headed back to Peel to enjoy some cocktails, dessert and, of course, some great girl talk!  Sunday was the last day the orange beignets were on the menu and we felt we should grab them while we could.  They did not disappoint!  


Sunday night I made a menu plan for the week and went grocery shopping.  This is two weeks in a row I know what we're having for dinner each night.  How long does it take for something to become a habit??  

Hope your Monday is off to a great start!  If all the stars align, I'm planning on doing a recipe post tomorrow on toasted tortellini.  You don't want to miss it!  

Check out what others were up to this weekend.
Over the Moon

This post contained affiliate links.  I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase.  Thanks!

Friday, March 3, 2017

Five on Friday - March 3, 2017

Hello Friday!  Anyone else ready for a weekend?  I have to admit, this past week was the first time all year I truly felt ready for the week ahead.  We knew what we were fixing for dinner each night.  I planned my clothes for each day.  It was amazing!  I felt a bit like a rock star.  Now, if I can only keep up that behavior!!  I know, little things excite me.

Here's some other things that excite me this week ~

1.  Ed Sheeran New CD Divide (÷)
It's here, it's here!!  Just when I was truly starting to worry that we wouldn't be hearing from Ed again, he began dropping us hints that a new album was on the way.  And today is the day you can listen to the entire new 16 song collection.  His CD titled Divide (he must really like math) comes out today and I can't wait to listen to the entire thing.  The songs he's floated out ahead of the release have been wonderful!  Ed, please add some US dates to your tour!!

÷ (Deluxe)

2. Table 19
I know the hype in movieland this week is The Shack, but I'm looking forward to seeing Table 19.  After all the serious, depressing Best Picture nominated movies I've been watching, I'm ready for a flick that just makes me laugh.  The reviews I've seen haven't been great, but I'm still willing to give it a try.  Here's the summary per Rotten Tomatoes, "Ex-maid of honor Eloise- having been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text - decides to hold her head up high and attend her oldest friend's wedding anyway. She finds herself seated at the 'random' table in the back of the ballroom with a disparate group of strangers, most of whom should have known to just send regrets. As everyone's secrets are revealed, Eloise learns a thing or two from the denizens of Table 19. Friendships - and even a little romance - can happen under the most unlikely circumstances."


3.  Illusion of Justice
Did you get as wrapped up in Making a Murderer as I did?  Well, Jerome F. Buting, one of the defense counsels, has written a book with even more insight into the case.  Amazon says, "Interweaving his account of the Steven Avery trial at the heart of Making a Murderer with other high profile cases from his criminal defense career, attorney Jerome F. Buting explains the flaws in America’s criminal justice system and lays out a provocative, persuasive blue-print for reform." Check it out HERE.

                           

4.  Peeps-Flavored Oreos
Are you a Peeps fan?  Well, if so get ready!  Nabisco released the Peeps Oreo for a limited time.  Right now they are available at certain Walmart stores, but apparently other distributors will be getting them soon.  The brand released this statement, "For generations, Peeps Marshmallow Chicks have been a spring staple and a symbol of Easter. Now, the two iconic brands, Peeps and Oreo, spring into the season together."  Yep, I want to try them!  Love the pink icing!  Will they be on your shopping list?


5.  Correct answer....

It's was just suppose to be a joke:
What's on your agenda this weekend?  We are having lunch with some friends on Saturday (still have a Christmas present to give them!!) and then headed to our nephew's birthday party.  On Sunday I'm doing a cooking class with some friends ~ so excited for this!  We'll see what other fun things come our way.  Have a great one!

Linking up with:
Why Girls Are Weird

This post contained affiliate links.  I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase.  Thanks!

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Friday Favorites - March 3, 2017

It's Friday!  Can't wait to see all the ideas you are sharing with us today.  You'll have to check out my feature - Watercolor Art Banner with free printable letters!  I loved it because it reminded me of Spring.  Enjoy yourself checking out all the other Friday Favorites ~

 photo Friday Favorites Banner 2.jpg
Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:
Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Christine at Light and Savvy - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin
Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

 photo Friday Favorites Featured Button.jpg
You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!
And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - March 2, 2017

With a blink of an eye, February is over!  Welcome to March.  Ours definitely came in like a lion as the tornado sirens screamed and the wind furiously blew.  Now we have to wait to see if it goes out like a lamb.

These first two months of 2017 have gone by so fast!  I realized today that I haven't done a weekending post on Monday since the beginning of January.  That needs to change!  So today I'm thinking out loud about all the fun things I did in February and some goals I have for March.  Feel free to link up below and share what some of your goals are for this third month of the year.
The first weekend of the month we celebrated our great nephew's birthday as he "O-Fish-ally" turned one.  If you missed the post, you can catch it HERE.



Our niece turned one the following week and we had the cutest princess party ever!  She's the first girl in the family since I was born many moons ago, so getting to decorate in pink is a bit new to us.  :) Her party recap was HERE.




February 18 and 19 were pure fun for me - my friend, Debbie, and I attended back-to-back Bon Jovi concerts in two separate cities.  On Saturday we drove to Nashville and caught him at Bridgestone Arena.  During our 24 hours in Nashville we managed to hit some tourists spots and eat some amazing food before hitting the road back to St. Louis to watch our buddy Jon do his thing at Scottrade Center.





Image may contain: food

If he is coming your way, I highly recommend trying to see this tour.  So good!

As if the month hadn't been packed with enough good things, I got a new job too!!  After nearly two decades, I switched positions at work.  There were so many things I loved about my old job, but at the same time I was feeling drawn to try something different.  I officially started my new appointment on February 27 and am settling in quite nicely.

The Friday night prior to my official start date, a group of friends from work gathered to watch Scandal.  Before we settled down to catch up on Olivia Pope, they did a sweet toast for my new job.  It was amazing to feel their support and celebrate with a fabulous group of ladies.


And let's not forget the Oscars!  Oh my goodness, talk about an embarrassing moment for the Academy!  This is the first time in a couple years I actually watched all nine films nominated for Best Picture.  There's something satisfying checking all the movies off the list.  We barely got them all in before the award show began.  The last one on our list was Hell or High Water and we rented it from Amazon Sunday morning before going to church.  I have to admit, Moonlight was NOT my favorite.  Did you see it?  Who did you want to win?

Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Now let's chat about March.  This month I'm going to try to kick it in gear and actually be a bit more intentional.  I want to try some new recipes and work on my bullet journal.  Reading is also on my March Goal List.  Eric and I are hosting a Bachelor Nick finale party.  Oh, and the big one is try to figure out my  new job!!

How about you?  Link up and share your post.  Would love to hear what you've been up to!