I mentioned some time ago that I have new neighbors.  The young couple, Kirby and Annie, who moved in down the block, went to college with my son Ryan and his wife Amanda.  I am excited to have them in the neighborhood and am really excited about their new addition – a beautiful baby girl.  Kendall was born on February 5.

Ryan and I are constantly looking for easy weeknight meals, but we want to use ingredients that are fresh and full of flavor – none of this boxed business for us! A challenge for expanding my fast-meal repertoire, though, is that Ryan claims that he isn’t a big pasta fan.

It’s a big day tomorrow for a special group of friends. It’s RACE day! A few months ago, I made a simple pledge to myself to eat better, lose some weight and get in shape. In my adventures to try and be more healthy, I was able to find an amazing group called Strong Women In Fitness Together, a women’s running club near my home town of Philadelphia. I hesitated - they would probably be these amazing athletes. In my mind, the ladies would actually run fast and LOVE to work out... UGH. What I found was full time moms, career girls, out of shape and in shape women in all body sizes as well as athletic abilities.

I love Margherita pizza – the gooey cheese, chunks of yummy tomato and most important - the fabulous flavor of fresh basil. On the other hand, pasta has been a big winner for me since becoming pregnant. I don’t know if it’s the heartiness of pasta that the baby loves or what, but even early on when I didn’t feel well, carbs settled my stomach.

When I heard our marketing director Heather’s daughters love to help make dinner, I had to know more. After talking with Heather about it, I learned that her girls, Leah (11), Erin (9), and Meredith (7), are each responsible for dinner one night a week. Their dinners have included a wide variety of items, such as lasagna, tacos, spaghetti, frozen waffles, English muffin pizzas, Caesar salad, and more.

As fall approaches, and the temperature cools down, I finally feel like using my oven again. It is just too hot in the summer to cook with it and I would rather grill outside than heat up my house. I can cook almost anything on the grill, but there are a few things I like better when cooked in the oven. The first on my list is vegetables.

As a busy mom of three, I have days when not a single square inch of open space remains on my week-at-a-glance planner. Perhaps, I need a larger planner - or a few additional hours in my day. Or, maybe an extra driver.

This past week, my childhood best friend was visiting from Washington DC and I decided to throw a party in her honor. I wanted her to meet some of my friends and neighbors, and of course, their children. I scheduled the party and began my search for a great dinner party recipe.