Fireworks

 

Happy belated 4th of July!

 

 

We had a blast yesterday hanging out with “the gang” at our friends’ Jill and Ryan’s house.  The weather was off and on with downpours out of nowhere, but the company was great and the food was delicious.  Thank goodness they have a huge covered patio!

 

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of babies and dogs to go around, as well as a game of Mexican Train Dominoes, yard games, pool shenanigans and manly grilling.

 

 

It was also fun to get the new kiddos together for their first real picture together.  They are all 5 weeks apart and growing up so fast already!  I’m thinking that next 4th of July we will be busy chasing these three cuties around!

 

Kennedy 16 weeks, Everett 21 weeks, Nathaniel 11 weeks

 

The dads.

 

Which one of these bottles doesn’t belong?  My how times have changed!

 

Eating while baby wearing looks a little bit easier for the baby.

 

 

Abby’s magic head rub put E right to sleep!

 

I also tried a new recipe to take yesterday and must admit that it is a keeper!  I signed up to bring potato salad, but wanted to try something new…so after searching on Pinterest, of course, I found a couple of recipes for loaded potato salad, combined them and made my own version. 

It’s essentially all of the ingredients you would have on your loaded baked potato thrown together in a salad.  It got rave reviews and will definitely be on my cookout menu from now on!

Check it out!

 

 

Loaded Potato Salad

Print this recipe!

8-10 medium Russet Potatoes

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), softened

1 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled (or about 1 C bacon bits)

Chives, to taste

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

1. Peel, wash and cut the potatoes into 2 inch pieces. Cover with water and boil until fork tender, about 20-25 minutes. Do not overcook!

2. Drain and cool the potatoes. I put them in a separate bowl and once they cooled enough I put them in the fridge to cool all the way. This gave them an excellent texture and prevented the dairy ingredients from getting hot or the cheese from melting. If you are serving this salad hot then you don’t need to cool the potatoes, just skip step 2.

3. Mix the mayo, butter and sour cream together in a bowl. Add to the potatoes, then add the bacon bits, chives, and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.  I also added a few sprinkles of garlic salt for a little more flavor

4. Top with extra shredded cheese and bacon and enjoy!

 

 

Have a great weekend!