My little Scholar

Landon is our first child. He has been there through most every major event in our marriage. Mainly Jesse's education. By the time Landon is 6 or 7 years old Jesse will just be finishing his PhD . Because school plays such a large part of our lives he is starting to copy Jesse more and more. There is hardly a day that goes by where he doesn't see Jesse reading on the coach or writing a paper on the computer. Now, there's hardly a day that goes by where I don't see Landon pretending to read on the coach or playing at the computer. It is amazing to me, to see how closely we are being watched as parents.

We are still trying to teach him how to hold the
book right side up.

And who really knows what's going to happen. But maybe after having Jesse as a good example to follow, he will end up just like his dad.

Lemon Rice Pilaf

My Mom made this while she was visiting from Utah. I really don't like rice but this was really yummy. We sauteed some mushrooms and mixed them in with our rice which made it even more delicious. This makes a lot so you may want to cut it in half if you don't plan on feeding very many people.

LEMON RICE PILAF

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
1 Teaspoon dried basil
1 Cup celery, diced small
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (2 fresh lemons)
1 Tablespoons lemon rind

1 Cup orzo or broken vermicelli (pasta) (You can use both Orzo and Vermicelli)
1-½ cups long-grain rice
1 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper
5 Cups chicken broth (5 cups water and 5 bouillon cubes if you don't have broth.)

Instructions

· Sauté celery, onions and pasta in butter until it begins to brown.
· Add rice, basil, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt and pepper
· Add chicken broth to rice mixture
· Turn to high heat until the rice comes to a boil
· Reduce heat and cover
· Simmer 20 minutes until rice is fluffy and all liquid is absorbed
· Let stand 10 minutes before serving
· Fluff with a fork
· Serve hot

Note: You may need to add more water to get the texture you want. You can also add sauteed mushrooms for extra flavor.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I was pleasantly surprised how yummy these were. I have never been able to make chocolate chip cookies. Now I don't need to, these are so much better! My family came to visit us on 4th of July weekend and couldn't stop eating these. We had to make a second batch they loved them so much.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
2 tablespoon milk
1-½ cups brown sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
Chopped pecans

Instructions

· Preheat oven to 350°
· Mix all ingredients
· Pour into a 9 x 13 inch greased pan
· Bake for 20 minutes
· Cool and serve

Note: I like to sprinkle chopped pecans over the top just before I bake them instead of mixing them in. For higher elevation add a little more flour.