southwest pasta salad

pammy jo black, her sister brittany and mama black came over a couple sundays ago for a 

little meet mr. barlow/catch up/goodbye lunch before pammy jo went to Jerusalem for the summer. 

i wanted to make something that could be made the night before since we had our lunch date right after church.

it turned out awesome and it could totally be a side dish to a party or a main lunch dish.

i found the recipe here >>> Southwest Pasta Salad

some things i changed were using red and green bell peppers and i forgot the chives!

i also added little cubes of pepper jack cheese.

and there is chicken in mine as well!

i just grilled some chicken breast with spices and shredded it.

i didnt use the dressing from this specific recipe because i didnt have the ingredients.

and i wanted a creamy dressing so i thought, "hey the cafe rio one would be good!"

so this is the dressing i made for the pasta salad >>> Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

i googled a lot of the knock off recipes and i decided to go with this one bc i have no idea what a tomatillo is! 

[this sauce is also so yum on tacos!]

we all really liked it! i had it for lunch again the next day and it was still so good.

broccoli cups

instagram food photography isn't that great but trust me these are delicious!

my sister in laws and i started a food/craft blog [barlowbakingandbits.blogspot.com] 

together and heidi is the genius behind this recipe. 

i made them the other night and mr. barlow couldn't stop eating them.

i took that as a good sign!

You can use reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat crescent rolls to make it a little healthier. You could also substitute the broccoli for any vegetable you or your family like. We eat it as a main dish, but you could easily serve them as appetizers. 

Ingredients:

1 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (or neufatchel cheese)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, divided

1 tablespoons minced chives

1 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli

1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, chives, milk, garlic, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the chicken and broccoli. 

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into eight triangles; press triangles into greased muffin pan to make a cup shape. Spoon 

about 1-2 Tablespoon chicken mixture into each cup. 

Bake squares at 350 degrees F as directed on crescent roll package or until golden brown.

Number Of Servings:4

Preparation Time:20 minutes

baked pesto ravioli with chicken

i think it was my sister in law heidi who first had this recipe then it was passed onto mama barlow then to my other sister in law amber and now to me!

and i prob missed a couple barlows it was passed to in there somewhere.

i first tried it at our girls weekend in Branson and now i am hooked.

i want it again right now as i type this.

leftovers are really good too!

and if you are feeling fancy serve it up with a caesar salad and garlic bread.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. cheese-filled ravioli, fresh or frozen

1 lb. cooked chicken breasts in 1/2 in. slices

2/3 c. chicken broth

2 c. zucchini, cut in 1/2 in. rounds

½ c. red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 in. pieces

½ c. chopped scallions

½ c. store-bought basil pesto sauce

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. pepper

1 c. parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Spray one 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to baking dish and bake at 350 for 1 hr.

tomato basil bisque

this is from my sister in law holly!

i am not sure where she got it but it is the bomb.

best tomato soup i've had.

i love eating it with a pepper jack grilled cheese.

it just makes me happy and warm inside.

this recipe makes a good amount so invite some friends over!

use butter or olive oil for saute'

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 15 oz cans tomato sauce

2 14 oz cans chicken stock

1 tbsp sugar, or to taste

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatos, chopped

2-3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper to taste

saute' onion, celery, & carrots in butter/olive oil. add garlic & basil, cook till basil is aromatic, just a few minutes. add salt & pepper to vegetables as they saute'.

transfer to stockpot and ass tomato sauce, chicken stock and sugar. cook for about 20 mins on medium heat, stirring often.

make a roux with the butter and flour and add to soup.

puree all the soup in blender till smooth, return to stock pot, add diced tomatoes and heavy whipping cream, bay leaf and more salt and pepper to taste.

simmer on low for about an hour. remove bay leaf before serving.

oh hello may!

aren't you pretty with your sunshine, green grass, and puffy clouds?

6 months. half a year. 182.5 days.

here we are.

happy newlyweds!

half way to one year.

we celebrated by going to church, mr. barlow doing his home teaching, and me taking a 3 hour nap!

we also made a delicious dinner and watched modern family all night.

we are pretty romantic huh?!

oh hi husband.

i love you.

we celebrate in style!

obvi that means some Martinellis.

i love me some marriage.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

[no we are not pregnant.] 

even though the knot.com is trying to get us to join thebump.com [see below!]

we have a calling at church!!!

mr. barlow and i are teaching the CTR 5 class!

they are so cute. and rambunctious.

they are ages 5 & 6. and we have 12 of them.

wow.

this sunday was our first time with them and i would say we survived!

we taught about the healing power of the Priesthood and we asked the class if they had ever gotten sick..

one little girl raised her hand and said, "i take medicine that makes my poops really big!" 

what can we say.. we love our class!

"The Laborers in the Vineyard"

this is a good talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland..

it really stuck with me when i heard it in conference.

i have listened to it a couple times since.

his words are strong. his testimony is strong.

this talk helps me a lot to remember the power of the Atonement.

"Which leads me to my third and last point. This parable—like all parables—is not really about laborers or wages any more than the others are about sheep and goats. This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it."

"I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."

"Whether you are not yet of our faith or were with us once and have not remained, there is nothing in either case that you have done that cannot be undone. There is no problem which you cannot overcome. There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. “Come boldly [to] the throne of grace,” and fall at the feet of the Holy One of Israel. Come and feast “without money and without price” at the table of the Lord."

"When we realize that death is only one of the steps that the children of God shall take throughout eternity, and that it is according to His plan, it robs death of its sting and brings us face to face with the reality of eternal life."

- President George Albert Smith

(Teachings of G.A. Smith Ch. 7 “The Immortality of the Soul”)

"Sacrifice"

"Many years ago this conference heard of a young man who found the restored gospel while he was studying in the United States. As this man was about to return to his native land, President Gordon B. Hinckley asked him what would happen to him when he returned home as a Christian. 

“My family will be disappointed,” the young man answered. “They may cast me out and regard me as dead. As for my future and my career, all opportunity may be foreclosed against me.”

“Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?” President Hinckley asked.

Tearfully the young man answered, “It’s true, isn’t it?” 

When that was affirmed, he replied, “Then what else matters?”

"Sacrifice" - Elder Dallin H. Oaks, GC, April 2012

[Gordon B. Hinckley, “It’s True, Isn’t It?” Tambuli, Oct. 1993, 3–4;Ensign, July 1993, 2; see also Neil L. Andersen, “It’s True, Isn’t It? Then What Else Matters?” Ensign, May 2007, 74.]

for moms & dads!

this first video is a tribute to mothers.

warning: it will make you cry.

at least mr. barlow and i did.

its for the Olympics and not only am i now excited for them but i am excited to one day be a mother.

and this video will give you some giggles.

heres to you, mr. barlow in about 10 years!