Rebecca Homecca

We are back from visiting the fam in Ohio. It’s a long drive for such a quick trip!

We had a good time cracking up at letters and stories that Hubs and his brother made when they were kids.

Our favorite was written by Bro, in which is said that he knew Hubs like girls, but “they is flea bags”.

There was also mention of the old rhyme

“So so suck you toe, all the way to Mexico. While your there, comb your hair and don’t forget your underwear”

He wanted to know which was better, the Mexico thing or girls.

We also got to hear a story that hubs wrote about a panther attack, transformers and baseball (yes, all in one story).

We were cracking up! It was so funny. I also determined that any one of those things could have just as easily been written yesterday.

I am off from work until Monday. Today we are just hanging around the house, relaxing and watching nature shows in HD.

Well, Maisy is anyway. She stared at the TV for a good 40 minutes, even waiting through the commercials. There were a couple of times she couldn’t figure out where the birds went to when they flew off the screen.

Tomorrow we head down to the in-laws for a couple days.

It just a few days but I think we both needed a little break.

Today on the internet I learned that my couch cushions are toxic and likely to kill me. Also I learned on the internet that all the dust in my house is toxic and likely to kill me.

So, I’m not to sure what to do about that.

Hubs Aunt and Uncle were down in our area so they came over to see the house and have lunch. The last time they saw the house, it still had dirty carpet and was in general disarray. The carpet is gone, not too sure about the disarray…

As always the time was spent with good conversation and seemed to go too quickly.

They got to meet Maisy and she was chatty as ever. She does love to put on a show for the guests.

Marvin even dared show his nub for a brief moment before scurrying off to hide somewhere else.

The rest of the afternoon has been spent reading and napping.

It seems our weeks have been busy and crazy (and sometimes stressful) but our weekends lately have been slow and lazy. It’s a nice reprieve from the tasks of the weekdays.

This post doesn’t actually have anything to do with this picture, but I think it’s a funny picture, so I wanted to share.
So on with the post!
Last week I bit the bullet and signed up at a gym. Tonight was my first night.
Analysis: I am out of shape!
Not that I didn’t know that going in, of course. Before we moved out here, I belonged to a gym in town. I could do this same workout like it was nobody’s business!
I guess that’s what 2 years away will get you.
Not to be outdone, hubs went running tonight. I’m not so much into being on our roads in the winter in a car, let alone on foot.
I have to set up a time with the personal trainer so that he can confirm how out of shape I am. But then he’s going to help me get a plan on what to do about it, and that is good.
So here’s to not passing out on the treadmill!

Top Five reasons I have the Best Valentine Ever-

5. He spent 2 days helping me clean the house and get ready for my Valentine’s Party (also he cleans the bathroom always. If that’s not love I don’t know what is).

4. He worries about me more than I worry about myself.

3. He supports me in my hobbies and whatever adventures I want to go on. And He doesn’t complain when I drag him along on crazy adventures. Sometimes he even comes up with ideas for adventures we can go to together.

2. He values my opinion (which is good because I have a lot of them).

1. He makes me laugh all the time, even though he doesn’t think he’s funny. He says I’m just easily entertained. Either way, it’s a perfect match!

Here he is looking very smart in a smart car.

We had so much fun at our Valentine’s Party last night. Good Company and Good Food, what else do you need?

I made Ravioli Lasagna with white sauce and it was a hit. I had not made it before and also changed the original recipe up, so I wasn’t so sure! But I wanted something I could just throw in the oven and not worry about. I want to socialize when people get there, not cook!

It’s pretty easy. Way easier than regular lasagna! And it looks fancy. Which is the hallmark of a Becky recipe. Looks fancy but be easy to make!

First boil your frozen ravioli (any kind) per package directions. I made 81/2 X 11 pan so I bought a ginormous bag, but this could easily be halved.

While that’s going, you can make the sauce. First you have to make a rue with 2TBS butter and 4 TBS of flour. Melt the butter, add the flour, and whisk together. Cook a minute or so. Next add 4 cups of milk.

I learned a new trick for making a white sauce like this. If you heat the milk in the microwave for a minute or 2 before adding to the rue, it helps in avoiding lumps. The cold milk changes the temperature too much.

Add Salt & Pepper to taste and 1/4 teaspoon or so of nutmeg (that’s the secret ingredient)

Next, in a separate bowl mix 1 small tub of ricotta cheese, juice from 1/2 lemon, 3-4 cloves minced garlic and another dash of nutmeg.

Once the sauce is thickened a little,  pour about 1/2 in the baking dish. Next place the first layer of ravioli in the pan. Spread the cheese mixture on the ravioli.

For the next layer, the original recipe called for frozen spinach (thawed) and chopped artichoke hearts. I used diced roasted red peppers. You could probably use just about anything you like.

Then I sprinkled a little mozzarella cheese even though the recipe did not call for it.

On top of that layer the rest of the ravioli. Pour the rest of the sauce on top and top with shredded mozzarella and Parmesean cheese.

The original recipe counted on everything being hot going in.  So it baked at 475 until the cheese was melted. I made it in advance and kept in the fridge, so I baked it for like  a hour at 350, like you would lasagna. (actually 365 on my oven because it doesn’t heat properly. Don’t ask) Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

I loved the red peppers. It added a little pop of sweet and a lot of flavor. I think artichokes and spinach might be a little boring.

House is clean, salad is started, and dessert is in the oven. I am getting ready for my Valentine’s party tomorrow. I can’t wait. It is going to be so fun!

I’m breaking rule #1 of entertaining however. I’m making a new recipe I’ve never tried before. I’m not to worried though, because even if the meal is terrible, I have a fabulous cheesecake to end with.

Here’s some cheesecake tips for you in honor of Valentines Day-

1. All your ingredients need to be room temp. before you start. Get out the eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese well in advance. Cold ingredients equals lumps.

2. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven. Once it’s done, turn the oven off and open the door a crack. If it is getting too brown cover it with foil. This step should keep you from getting cracks.

3. Use full fat ingredients. Low Fat or Fat Free ingredients will not give you the right consistency. And really, it’s cheesecake. It’s not like you make it everyday, so why not have it be as fabulous and decadent as possible?

What are you big plans for Valentine’s Day? Going out to eat? Hope you like to wait or have enough dough to go someplace fancy enough to take reservations.

How about a Valentine’s Alternative?

I used to always have a Valentine’s dinner here at home with a couple of friends. The tradition kind of died off, but this year I am bringing it back!

I’ve got three couples I’ve invited. Still waiting to hear back for sure, babysitters and all that. It is so fun. You know I love to cook and entertain. It is way more fun than fighting crowds and dealing with overworked wait staff.

And the friends get a good meal (I hope!) and good times. So now I am in throws of menu planning and all that. I’ve got the salad figured out, and dessert (cheesecake, yum…) but still undecided on the main dish. But really, a good salad and a good dessert can go along way!

I love parties! I’m so excited.

Oh Michigan, how you break my heart. Sunny weather all weekend and today. Everyone out and about, spring fever in full swing.

A check of the weather tells me spring is not around the corner like you led me to believe! Oh, no! More snow on the horizon…Can we hope when it hits the lake the storm will fall apart? Do we dare to dream it?

No, we should not. No doubt it will pick up more water as it crosses over, turn it into snow and dump it all over our roads.

Don’t put those hats and boots away just yet!

I know, I know, we’re not out of the woods until April at best. So why does this weather always come in February? To give us hope? To remind us that winter, in fact, doesn’t last forever?