Parmesan Tomatoes - Super Easy, Super Good

I wanted to make a good, not too bad for us snack and my Papa Bear bought a lot of tomatoes,

......so......

I decided to try to make some simple Parmesan Baked Tomatoes.

First I sliced three Roma tomatoes and layered them on the non-stick Reynold's foil. 

{{If you haven't tried Reynold's Non-Stick Foil....you are SERIOUSLY missing out!!}}

I gave each tomato slice a sprinkle of salt, tiny dash of garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and a more generous dash of Italian seasoning.

Next, I sprinkled a very tiny dash of plain bread crumbs and a heap of Low-Fat Italian Blend cheese. 

I then sprinkled my Francesca Parmesan Basil & Oregano cheese blend on top. 

This Parmesan cheese blend was a special new item at H-E-B, so I thought I would give it a try.

It is really good!!! 

I baked the tomato slices on 350 for about 15 minutes. 

And then, my goodness.....

they were so good!!! 

A perfect mid-day snack.

My girls loved them!!!

The only thing I would change next time is to add the bread crumbs into the cheese and make a mixtures out of it. And add a bit more of the bread crumbs. I think that would be really good.

This was my first attempt at something new. 

There's always room for improvement!

Boerne and Kerrville

The weekend before my promotion we drove up to Boerne taking the country roads.

There is not much that I love more than driving country roads and admiring the country skies. 

We found a cute little bakery on Main Street that we stopped and had deserts and lemonade at.

Then we drove to Boerne State Park and enjoyed the river. 

It was so hot but we really had fun just sitting and watching the ducks and little turtles. 

This guy came right up to us, not the least bit scared.

He looked old and like he had an old injury. 

This past Labor Day we drove up to Kerrville, Johnny Manziel's hometown, to enjoy the scenery and have some good food. 

We found the perfect restaurant with a beautiful river view. 

The food was really delicious too! 

I love country skies and the sky on the drive home did not fail to disappoint. 

This was the view from our table.

I found this picture of Manziel and Jase and Willie from Duck Dynasty.

Perfect combination! 

While I was enjoying college football this past Saturday, so was my very own Manziel...

Convention, Promotion, Fall...August 2013

It's hard to believe August is gone and September is here.

I wish the weather would cooperate! It's still in the upper 90's!

We have had some amazing sunsets...

Fall is just around the corner!!! 

CC and I went to the store and when we came home Lena told us there was something wrong with Luigi's ear. Turns out he busted the blood vessels and cartilage and had an ear hematoma.

My poor baby had to have surgery and get plugs put in. They still haven't come out.

We're hoping next week he'll be plug-free! 

The girls and I went to a convention in Belton together.

We had such a great time! 

I was able to do something I NEVER have time to do at home....

sit and read.

It was sooooo relaxing and much needed! 

And what better way to break up the AM & PM sessions of the convention than with a Starbucks run. 

The girls had fun with my phone while I was away from the table..... 

Fall scents have finally hit the stores...

I couldn't be more happy...

but really, I need the weather to start cooperating.

I want to feel that chill not only in the early mornings, but in the evenings as well. 

I also received a promotion at work. I loved the position I just transferred into. It was super easy, not much work, perfect hours, almost zero stress....

why did I leave???

I know this promotion will get me where I want to go in the company.

I am ready to "serve my time".

Will it be easy? No.

Will it be stressful? Yes.

Will it be worth it? I sure hope so!! 

CC has taken some amazing shots of the moon the last few days of August.

It's especially fun to zoom in and see the craters. 

We've been taking some road trips to little towns around here.

It's so fun to do these things, spur of the moment with my family.

.........And ........

College Football is here...

I couldn't be more excited!

I spent this past Saturday glued to the TV watching my wonderful Aggies and Johnny Manziel...

Alabama and LSU!!

This is going to be a great season!

Simple Turkey Casserole

I've been out of the kitchen quite a bit lately but have been trying to come up with some simple, quick and super easy recipes that I could hopefully stretch out to a couple of meals.

I came up with this super simple turkey casserole.

First, I browned one package of lean turkey meat.

I seasoned it with a little onion powder, garlic powder, season all an pepper. 

I boiled one box of elbow macaroni with a little salt. 

I mixed the macaroni, ground turkey, one bag of broccoli pieces and two fresh tomatoes.

Sprinkled a little for good measure...

Added in about 1/3 cup of plain bread crumbs, two handfuls of cheese and mixed.

Layer the top with about 1/8 cup of bread crumbs and another 1/2 cup of cheese. 

Threw it in the oven...baked for about 15-20 minutes on 350.

It was so delicious!

There were absolutely no throw aways on this one!

It will definitely stay in my recipe box for future use!