I love to whip up pasta salad for thrown-together-at-the-last-minute cookouts during the summer months. I did so just last weekend. My neighbors raved over it and couldn’t believe I was able to put it together so quickly. I made it just like my mom taught me years ago. Now I am going to share it with you.

Ingredients:

Cooked pasta of your choosing – I like little shells or spirals
Mustard
Miracle whip
Onion
Sweet pickle relish
A pinch of sugar

All you need to do is throw everything together, mix, and refrigerate.

I don’t measure. I just keep adding ingredients to taste. It’s as easy as that. As it cools in the refrigerator all of the flavors mix together. It is so easy and you can make it in about 15 minutes. It is perfect for a last minute meal.

There have been 134 space shuttle launches. The final one is just a month away. The Shuttle Atlantis is expected to take off on July 8. That will be the final space shuttle flight.

These are sad facts for me. I am, quite frankly, worried about the future of the U-S space program.

Few understand why I care so much… especially since the ‘space race’ ended decades ago. Let me make it a little clearer. I grew up in Wapakoneta. It is best known as the hometown of Neil Armstrong – the first man on the moon. Going to the same high school as a national hero has its effect on you, trust me. Growing up I wanted to be an astronaut. In fact, nearly all of my classmates wanted to be astronaut at one point in time. In elementary and junior high I was even a member of the Young Astronauts program sponsored by NASA. We met weekly at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space museum. We had a meeting the day after the 1986 shuttle Challenger disaster where the craft exploded 73 seconds into its flight, killing its crew of seven.

I am guessing you might understand why I am sad for the space program. I am disappointed I will never get to see another launch. (I was able to watch one from a cruise ship in 1995.) Hopefully NASA will go on to bigger and better things. Who knows what the universe holds?

Its the unofficial start to summer… Memorial Day weekend. Every year the neighborhood my husband grew up in has a block party of sorts. It is a blast… Lots of great food and a hillbilly horseshoe tournament.

I still have plenty of frozen berry left from my picking adventure last summer. So, here’s what I am making for our annual ‘Sunday before Memorial Day’ picnic/party:

Ingredients: 6 cups of frozen blueberries (defrost first), 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup white granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 Tbsp butter (unsalted)

Egg wash ingredients: 1 egg, 1 tablespoon milk

Prepare the crust. Roll out half of the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured work surface, about 13 inches in diameter. Fit the dough over a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to a 1/2 inch over the edge all around the pan. Put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

Gently mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer them to the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot with pieces of butter. Roll out remaining dough to the same size and thickness as the first. Place on top of the berry filling. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.

Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash.

Remove the unbaked pie from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with 4 cuts. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving.

I want to share some of my most recent art work. I have mentioned before that I am a fused glass hobbyist. I have a kiln in my basement. I really enjoy creating glass, jewelry, vases, plates, even nightlights.

This weekend I finally was able to perfect a design for a plate that looks like a piano keyboard. I had t be careful with the measurements to make sure it would melt just right. I am thrilled with the result:

I also made a desert scene plate with my 4 year-old son. It was actually his idea. He said he wanted us to make a special plate that he could at dinner. I let his pick out what ever he wanted. He said he wanted wolves, a cactus, and sand. Here is how it turned out:

I had an interesting conversation with my 4 year-old today as he walked in while I was watching news coverage of Osama Bin Laden. It went something like this…

Me: “He was a really bad guy and he killed a lot of people. Our military guys got him.”
Kelan: “Oh, so the Army guys killed him and he’s dead?”

First off, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to address the whole ‘death’ thing. Second, I know it was a Navy Seals operation, but to my son anyone in uniform is an ‘Army guy.’

I now have realized my son is too old for me to try and weasel my way out of explaining world events, no matter how uncomfortable I feel about explaining it. I knew this day would come and I thought I would be able to master these kind of talks with me son because I follow news events so closely. Apparently I was wrong.

I spent this Easter in Nashville with my sister once again. We had a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect. We had sunshine, low humidity and highs in the 80s. I was amazed that all of the trees had their leave and rose bushes were blooming.

Perhaps the most fun we had was on Saturday afternoon when we headed downtown to listen to live music at the honky tonks all along lower Broadway. There was a group of us; my parents, in-laws, husband, son, sister and brother-in-law.

We ended up at a place called The Stage. My sis knew the band, and she and my bro-in-law were brought up on stage to sing a few songs. My son was sitting on the side of the stage in his cowboy hat with his toy guitar. All of the sudden, he jumped up and took center stage during a guitar solo. The crowd went wild. I laughed so hard I cried. Several people were taking his picture and giving him tips. He gave all of the money to the band. All in all, not a bad debut for a rock & roll four-year-old.

My neighbors and I have started a little Easter tradition. For the second year in a row our kids have colored eggs together.

I will admit I am just a big kid and had to take part. We had so much fun. I taught them to use crayons to write their names and make designs, then dip the eggs in the dye. (In case you didn’t know… the dye won’t affect the wax.)

Now I just need to figure out what to do with two dozen eggs. If you have any suggestions, just zip me an email to hmiller@foxtoledonews.com.

This Saturday is your last chance to hit of the 2011 edition of Artomatic 419! in Toledo’s Warehouse. The family and I hit it up last weekend and I was NOT disappointing.

Artomatic 419 is basically a showcase of local talent exploring all artistic mediums. It is housed in two former warehouses at 4-7 Washington and 25 S. St. Clair near 5/3 Field. I was amazed at all of the outstanding talent the area has to offer. There were artists of all ages displayed. I was particularly impressed by a U-T student who specializes in what I consider surrealist painting (Think Salvador Dali.). Much of the art I saw was definitely museum worthy. Of course, I didn’t go home empty handed. I splurged and bought an owl pillow from a fiber artist.

Artomatic 419! runs this Saturday, April 16th from 11:00am to 11:00pm. I just might be back again this weekend!

I am officially a proud soccer mom! And, I must admit, its pretty fun. I do, however, refuse to trade my convertible bug in for a minivan.

Kelan had his first soccer game last weekend. It was a hoot watching the four, five and six year-old chasing the ball around. My boy was about two steps behind at all times, but he finally kicked the ball… once.

I am not expecting to raise the next David Beckham, but he’s having fun, playing outside, getting exercise and learning to play as a team. The best part is. He didn’t even realize his team lost!

I just found out we will be adding another bouncing, baby boy to our family. I am due with my second son in early August.

My 4 year-old, Kelan, is thrilled at the news. A few weeks ago he announced to me that if the baby I am carrying was a girl, it had to go live with his friend who already has two sisters. His reasoning was straightforward. He said, “Bryson is used to girls. I am not.”

I really didn’t have a gender preference. I am simply content that our family is expanding. My husband says he just wants the baby to be healthy, but I swear I saw tears in his eyes when boy parts were pointed out to us on the ultrasound screen.

I am now more than half way through this pregnancy and now that I know it’s a boy, I want to know everything about him. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.