We had a wonderful time the past 3 days.  We took a quick impromptu vacation with a friend and her children to Boyne Mountain, MI.  My older son was already there with the young men's group from our branch for their High Adventure trip.  We agreed that we wouldn't bother the older sibling as this was his "friend time" and of course didn't want to crimp the 14 yr old style. (hence the lack of photos of Logan in this post)  It was a short, but sweet little trip and we are ever so grateful to the Mangus family for inviting us to join them!






























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We woke up this morning to 8 inches of newly fallen snow.  So 1 week before Spring Break, the kids got to have 1 last snow day.  Yes, school was closed and River, Logan and Isabella were more than happy to get to sleep in and stay at home!  Quite a treat for them-one last adventure to Mulberry Park to go sledding and snowboarding.



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I am longing for warm weather.  The past few days here in Indiana have been a tease: typical of Indiana weather in March.  As I long for Spring, Summer and their influx of fresh fruit and vegetables, I am reminded of this past late summer when we joined my mom and dad for a trip to Huber's Orchard, Winery and Vineyard located in Starlight Indiana (Southern Indiana) to pick the last of the seasons apples, grapes and peaches. 
It was so much fun to hop up on the tractor pulled flatbed trailer and catch a ride from orchard to orchard to vineyard.  We picked bags of apples: Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Gala, for eating throughout the next month or so.  We picked boxes of Encore peaches for freezing and canning. But the absolute highlight of our day was picking different grape varietals for processing into the best grape juice you have ever tasted!  Seriously, watch out Welches you've got nothing on this stuff. 


The three varietals we picked were Concord, Jupiter and Golden Muscat.  I'm pretty sure we should have weighed River before and after as he ate as much as he picked!



We had such a wonderful day working and having fun as a family.  I am definitely looking forward to strawberry season.

It won't be long before May/June is here and the strawberries are plump, juicy and ready for picking, or eating in River's case!

Schedule of picked and u-pick dates.

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"From scratch? What do you mean from scratch?"  These were the words my darling 6 yr. old touted when I explained that, no we weren't making Mac 'n Cheese from the box.  Tonight, a weeknight, I was making pasta and cheese from scratch.  I say pasta and cheese because I rarely have macaroni and generally use whatever I can find in the pantry.  Tonight was orzo mixed with penne.  I heard multiple grumblings of, "it's not going to be the same." as he grated the cheeses.  My reply? "River, I certainly hope not!"  And afterward, he and the others agreed it was not the same, but better.  This is a relatively simple dish, homey and comforting.  Make your own twist, you can pretty much use any cheeses you wish.  Surprise your family tonight without using the stuff in the box :).

Three Cheese Pasta

Ingredients

Kosher salt
1 lb pasta of your choosing
1 qt milk
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 C all-purpose flour
6 oz Gruyere, grated (2 Cups)
8 oz White Cheddar, grated (2 Cups)
6 oz Chevre (goat cheese) broken up into chunks
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
5 small fresh tomatoes (thick sliced)
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
Boil the water, add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Now you'll make a basic bechamel sauce.  Heat the milk in a small saucepan, taking care not to boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the flour bit by bit whisking as you go-don't burn this roux. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, again keep whisking. Continue whisking and add the hot milk in two batches cook for a minute or two more, until the sauce is  thickened and smooth. -No lumps!
Take the pan off the heat, and add the cheeses, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Pour everything into a 3-quart baking dish.
Place the tomatoes on top of the pasta.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and mix with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the bread crumbs are browned on the top.

Serves 8


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