I've Been Waitin' All Day for Monday Night!

The cure for a case of the Mondays? Monday Night Football baby! Really though, today wasn't a bad day. My 4-year-old had preschool today and after we picked her up we went to my in-law's house to drop off a birthday present. My girls and I hung out with my father- and brother-in-law for a bit then met my mom at the Farmer's Market. There is something very relaxing--no, that's not the word...poetic?--about shopping at the Farmer's Market. It is one of my favorite places to be. Not to mention it is a little easier on the wallet than buying produce at the grocery and it's a good feeling knowing you are buying from local farmers. My girls LOVED the pumpkins and it took my mom and I a bit to get them out from the rows of orange that towered over them. (Speaking of large pumpkins, who can drop $65 on a pumpkin?!? The large ones there were really that expensive. If I could spend that much on one pumpkin and not blink an eye, well, we'd be doing really well. But that just seems crazy to me.) The girls kept trying to grab all the pumpkins they saw and put them in the stroller. I brought my camera but left it in the car. Next time we go I'll take pictures.
While at the Farmer's Market, we bought two more pumpkins for baking bread and two more ornamental pumpkins bringing our total of little ones to five. (Since they are only fifty cents I let my girls each get one when we go.) The ones for baking were only $1 each. (The same ones at the grocery are $2.49 each.) I found zucchini squash at 99 cents/lb! That is really great considering everyone else was selling them at $1.49/lb. I also got gigantic sweet potatoes at 50 cents/lb--also a great buy! I'm telling you, if you haven't shopped your local farmer's market yet, you really should.

Tonight’s Menu:

Whole Grain Penne Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

1 box whole grain penne pasta
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 c. half & half
splash hawaiian marinade (for a kick)
dash – 1 tsp. garlic powder, onion powder, basil, paprika

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot, over medium-low heat.
Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients to a pot over low heat and stir occasionally.
Once the pasta has been returned to the pot, pour the sauce over it and stir (or toss) to coat pasta. Cover and let simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve and enjoy! (Everything is better with cheese, and grated Parmesan cheese would be delicious on top!)