Waiting for #14

Joe and I are Uncle Joe and Aunt Re to 13 amazing kids!!! Our oldest niece will be 18 on Saturday so you could say we have been enjoying them for quite a while now. Each one has unique personality traits that we have grown to love - and we truly enjoy spending time with all of them. I am sure at times we seem over bearing and nutty...but we love being such a big part of their lives. If we know one of them is involved in an event, we do our best to be there to support them. As a matter of fact, our oldest niece is graduating from High School this year and initially we thought her graduation and Danielle's dance recital would be on the same day...I actually e-mailed the dance teacher to see if there was anything she could do!!! She knows me pretty well so she didn't try to have me committed....turns out the graduation will be the day after the recital....but trust me when I say to you I was so going to have a breakdown over this one.

We are anxiously awaiting our 14th niece/nephew....if all goes as planned sometime in the next 15 days or so we will be adding Bella May Rose to our list of amazing nieces/nephews. It has been a long time since we have had a baby girl on either side of the family...the youngest girls are 10 now...so this is going to be a big deal for us. Her wardrobe is already bigger than mine thanks to all of the friends and family who are showering her and Colleen with love!!!

Stayed tuned for updates and announcements on her arrival...and of course updates on all of the awesome kids who call us Uncle Joe and Aunt Re.


Christina (18)
Kayla (16)
Brianna (10)

Taylor (15)
Blake (12)

Devin (14)
Isaiah (13)
Mackenzie (10)
Noah (4)
Logan (3)

Taylor (15)
Amber (11)
Alex (4)
***Coming Soon*** Bella

5 Things

Here are the lists of 5 things I love about each family member in our house:

5 Things I Love About Danielle

Her Big, Beautiful, Bright Eyes

Her Smile - it lights up her whole face

Her self confidence when she is on stage dancing

Her kindness - she never says anything bad about anyone and she doesn't like others to either

Her foundation in faith - she truly tries to live like God wants her to

5 Things I Love About Joseph

His ability to be friends with anyone

His adorable eyes and smile - they light up the room

His ability to encourage others, regardless of the task they are taking on

His ability to find the good in everyone - he never focuses on the negative

His understanding of The Lord and how He wants Joseph to live

5 Things I Love About Dad (aka Big Joe)

He can always find a way to make something become fummy

He puts so much care and pride into our home

He thinks about Danielle and Joseph before anything else

He has always been there when I need him

He is growing in faith more each day and doing so with great ease

5 Things I Love About Nana (aka my mom)

She is never too tired when her kids or grandkids need her

She doesn't have much materially but she gives all she can of her time

She is PROUD of each of her grandchildren and to be a grandmother of 10

She is turning into Nanny Connie and laughing about it

She still speaks about Poppa (my dad) with true love in her heart

After my family saw and read their lists, Little Joe decided that he was going to tell me 5 things he loves about me:

My mom cares about everyone in this world

My mom worships like no one else

My mom is the best cook (as he was eating his favorite dinner)

My mom is the best bonding mom (in Danielle's words - everything mom does is for her family)

When I see my mom, it makes my day

They then both waited for Joe to add on and he said - The small, thoughtful things like these lists mean a lot more to mommy than expensive presents. (So true - but I do love the camera I got for Christmas)

Love is in the air...

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!

I had said in a post around Christmas that we were going to use our dining room and china more often to make occasions special since the kids enjoy it so much. Valentine's Day seemed like a great day to make special and I wanted my family to know just how much I love them.

I made one of their favorite dinners - including everyone's favorite side dishes and set the dining room up for the occasion.

Here is the table - on each plate I put a list of "5 Things I love about..." and each list was personalized for Joe, Danielle, Joseph and my mom. I also had small gifts for them - chocolate for the kids, candles for my mom and in sticking with the red theme - Guitar Hero boxers for Joe.

Family full of love.

Danielle and Joe - a girls first love should always be her dad.


Nana and Danielle

Nana and Joseph

This was our 23rd Valentine's Day!!!

We really aren't that old - but boy does 23 Valentines Day's make it sound that way or what???

My favorite part of the day was seeing the kids make toasts with the wine glasses filled with Sprite - and how something so simple makes them so happy. And listening to all of them say what they love about mom...without having the time to plan for it since my lists were a surprise.

I will have another post this week with the lists.

Taco Salad

This delicious salad is a recipe I got from my friend Johanette years ago...save this for a Summer BBQ - it is always a crowd pleaser.

1 lb Ground Beef (Browned and then seasoned with old El Paso mix)
1 Head of Lettuce
1 Medium to large tomato
1 Medium Onion
1 Bag of Doritos (regular size – crushed)
1 Small can of sliced olives
1 Carafe of Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing


Keep Doritos and Dressing separate until you are ready to serve – then add Doritos to the rest and toss with the dressing. Add shredded Cheddar if you want.

Egg & Cheese Casserole

Growing up North - Breakfast Casserole's were not the "norm" for us. This is my friend Lisa's recipe and my mom and I both love it!!! And request it when we go visit her.



1 pound of sausage - browned, drained and cooled

8 Eggs

2 Cups of Milk

4 Slices of White Bread - Cubed

1 Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

1 Teaspoon Salt



Brown Sausage. Blend eggs and milk together. Add bread cubes, cheese, salt and sausage. Mix well and cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered. Bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered or until cooked through. Use a 9X13 Pan.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Take this to a Super Bowl Party if you are going to one. This is from my sister-in-law Regina - she brought it to our house once and now gets lots of requests for it!!!

3 Grilled Chicken Breasts (You can use the canned chicken)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup Wing Sauce
1/2 cup of your choice of dressing - Ranch or Blue Cheese
8 oz Cream Cheese

Melt Cream Cheese in a serving bowl
After cream cheese is soft add all the other ingredients
Put all back in the microwave and heat on high for about 2 minutes

You can serve with crackers or tostitos or take the rest of celery sticks and cut into serving sticks around the bowl.

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

This one I got from my friend Tina. Since we work together we are always bringing each other new things we have cooked.



I love this recipe - and get requests for it often.



1 28 ounce can Italian tomatoes

2 zucchini, grated

1/2 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta - I use Barilla)

6 Sweet Bell Peppers (Red, Orange, Yellow)



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees



Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart using a pair of kitchen shears or your finger tips. Add the zucchini, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.



Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a strainer over a 3 quart baking dish and let the broth drain into the baking dish. Put the orzo into the bowl with the vegetable mix and combine.



Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.



Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. If you have extra mix place it in a corningware to bake - or freeze in a tupperware for next time.



Cover the dish with the peppers with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes.



I bake the "left-over" stuffing for 30 minutes if I am serving it with the peppers. Sort of an extra portion.

Recipe Week - Grilled Pepper Focaccia

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite recipe's that I have received from my friends over time. We all have our own specialties and things that none of the rest of us even attempt to make - but these are things I have asked them to share with me and have now become a regular in my "rotation" - I hope you enjoy them...

Grilled Bell Pepper Focaccia - (This one is actually one I had at a Pampered Chef Party and modified a little)

1 each - medium red, yellow and orange pepper - sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1 medium onion sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1/2 cup pitted, ripe olives drained and chopped
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 garlic clove diced
1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup (2 ounces) of grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Slice Peppers and Onions
Sautee Peppers and Onions with a little Olive Oil in a frying pan - don't let them get too soft.

On a rectangle pampered chef stone (floured) roll out the pillsbury dough.

Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella onto the pizza dough
Top with grilled peppers and onion mix
Spread olives over peppers
Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of the peppers

Bake for 22-25 minutes

Cut into squares


I usually use this as an appetizer - but I have also used it as a meal for me, Joe and my mom.