One month til my birthday

In case you were counting. :)

Warning: This will be a VERY random post! Are you ready? Good!

Class started for me today. I had planned to go in once I got Dean and the Manny settled in here and take a little time to go over my notes, maybe even work on an outline for Thursday's class. That all fell to pieces when the Manny texted me at 8:15 with a 102 degree fever and tonsil pain! I sent him packing to the doctor while Marcus made arrangements for Dean to attend his stage combat class (no swordfighting today, thank GOD), which meets at the same time as my arts management class. I have 7 students, all of whom were engaging and interesting and talkative. We spent today going through the syllabus, getting to know each other and our specific interests in the arts and brainstorming a bit. It was a fantastic start to the semester.

Marcus snuck home with us after class and we're having a nice, leisurely afternoon. I just made Dean some turkey meatballs. He's been eating pasta like it's going out of style, so I thought I'd make some meatballs to sneak in some protein (and more veggies!). Here's the recipe if anyone's interested. They seem quite toddler-friendly. Plus, I just tasted one and they are GOOD.
*To make mine "Dean-friendly," I minced my veggies in the food processor and only used a small amount of onion. If it was for just Marcus and me, there would have been much, much more onion. Oh, and this recipe is salt-free! Woo hoo! That would be me taking control of my hypertension. Also, you will see that I do not really do recipes. I throw things into bowls and cook them. Ok, recipe!


1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (I used a lot because I also made a turkey meatloaf--same recipe!)
1/4 medium onion, minced
1 carrot, minced
1/3 cup frozen peas, cooked and pureed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
dash garlic powder
dash salt-free Italian seasoning (Pampered Chef makes the BEST)
handful shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Mix all ingredients together, then roll into balls, or press into loaf pan. You can also use this recipe to make turkey burgers. They may be baked at 350 for 30 minutes (for balls, longer for loaf), tossed into a slow-cooker with some chicken broth for a couple of hours, or fried in a pan of olive oil.

That very well may be the most random recipe in the history of the world. But since many of us are trying to eat healthier and/or feed toddlers with very few teeth and picky appetites, I thought I'd share it.

American Idol starts tonight. Yes, I will be watching. I don't know how I feel about this fourth host, but I do love me a good old BAD audition! Please, let's discuss tomorrow!