my little ballerina

shelby started her "pre-ballet A" class today. the teacher, mrs. dana, is great with kids. she makes it really fun.

shelby is very outgoing! she was so comfortable in class, it was like it was her fifth class instead of her first. she was even the brightest dressed ballerina out there in her orange and pink tu-tu! it surely fits her personality :) she participated pretty well. most importantly, she had a great time!

the class worked on the first couple of ballet positions. they did ballet walks in a circle around the room. mrs. dana made tinsel wands for the kids that they danced with. they learned to plié and to do an arabesque. it was a great first lesson!

elise and i sat on the side of the room and watched. elise was funny because she did the stretches with the class while we were sitting there. a couple of times she wanted to go dance with shelby, but never went further than a few steps from me. she really liked watching. i think after a couple of classes, she will try to join the class :)

shelby hasn't changed out of her ballet clothes all day! she dances ballet to every song she hears and "ballet walks" all over the house. i love it!

mommy's peanut butter cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. beat in eggs.
3. in a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. stir into batter.
4. put batter in refrigerator for one hour.
5. roll into one inch balls and put on baking sheets. flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
6. bake for 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. do not over-bake!

mommy's lasagna

i've substituted turkey for sausage and chicken for beef. i also use whole wheat noodles. the people who tried this never knew about the healthier substitutions; said they never would have guessed even after i told them. this lasagna is so good!

Ingredients:
1 pound sweet italian turkey sausage
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
30 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
3. in a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. preheat oven to 375 degrees
5. to assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. arrange one layer of noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. spread with one third of the ricotta cheese mixture. top with one layer of mozzarella cheese slices. spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
6. bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. cool for 15 minutes before serving.