Johnson Family Adventures

Meatloaf...not often something you think.. "OH YUM GIVE ME MORE!" Well, let me tell you...this meatloaf will leave you wanting more :) I kid you not, Chuck could've eaten the whole thing...And I have to ask myself, when will I stop being surprised at how GOOD PW's recipes turn out??? So the binder, instead of oatmeal or bread crumbs is fresh bread, soaked in milk. Parmesan cheese, flatleaf parsley, eggs...that's really all there....until you get to what makes this meat loaf SPECTACULAR.... BACON. Cover the meatloaf with BACON. Yes, BACON. Then top it with this amazing, delicious, simple sauce (ketchup dried mustard and brown sugar) then bake it till its done and a bit caramel-ly. :) MY MY MY ....The only thing I will do different next time is pre-cook the bacon a bit - it was a tad soggy, which I find un-appetizing. :) Tomato soup - we love tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches at our house. So I was excited to try PW's Creamy Tomato Soup...even th...

 Yes, it was the size of his head..almost. We asked for SMALL....in what world is that SMALL?? And he'd eaten 2 inches :) he loves to KISS Hudson - loud zurbert kisses 26 weeks, taken by Savvy The whole family :) He loves to read w/ Grandma Great. It is PRECIOUS :) First time really climbing a tree! YAY!!!! Felt story boards...all about the ZOO. biggest snow cone EVER I love the sweet grin :)  Yet another reason to LOVE the swingset...they were swinging and fell asleep. Not sure if Savanna was REALLY asleep or if she was just resting but they both stayed like this for almost an hour :)  Daddy has been practicing scaling walls for work - useful skill in his line of work - and they wanted to try. F is for FROG!!!  LOTS AND LOTS of fun in these boxes. I love that they take something so simple and enjoy it for days :) Wyatt's first self-portrait. He has been watching his sister take pictures and loves to say CHEESE!!

 we recenlty got to spend 2 afternoons with some great friends - Jaynah and her 2 precious wee ones, Addie and Cason. We played at our house one day and went to the Phx Zoo the other. It is so fun to watch the kids ENJOY being outside and seeing the animals...so so so fun :) Yes it is hot enough for playing in the sun :) CHEESE :) Coloring macaronis and making shamrocks for St. Patrick's day :) We went to an Art Fair w/ Papa & Grandma and had a snowcone the size of Savanna's head!  Learning to climb w/ a little help from Daddy :) fascinated by the huge tortoises holding hands...and Emily (our Moose-deer too) They just love to climb :)  Jaynah and I :) Giraffes!! yAY!  They weren't quite sure about the Water park area...they watched and mostly just ran around the water sprays. It was pretty cold water :)  They have a new Elephant observation area - you can get within 10 feet of the elephants ...it is SO SO ...

Frist things first...Mocha Brownies.  ok so I"m a brownie person. I confess. Confession #2. I use a box mix.  Confession #3 and often substitute some apple sauce for some of the oil so they aren't quite so naughty.  There. With that off my chest I can tell you about the most amazing brownies... Are you surprised that Pioneer Woman's brownies are amazing? and filled with butter? Me neither Finished product...I added green sprinkles for St. Patrick's Day :) basic ingredients...butter, eggs, sugar, chocolate flour and vanilla. How simple? yummy batter... My sweet girl is going to be an AMAZING cook :) My helper :)  PW's Rosemary Potatoes...the ultimate in scalloped potatoes. Ok, yet another confession - I don't really love potato dishes...I like baked potatoes, and french fries and it pretty much stops there. These are really, really good, but I think I'll stick to my previous opinion. :) For those of you who LOVE creamy potatoes, thes...