For Me This is Heaven

NYE

2012-01-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve day was wonderfully relaxing.
And best described in pictures.

I grilled the most perfect grilled cheese sandwich of 2011.

Made delicious cookie cutter pancakes.
Thank you again, Pinterest. All of my good ideas come from you.

A moose pancake, anyone?
(Make you look like a girl moose that makes the boy moose go "hwaaaaa!" Name the movie and we shall be eternal friends.)

Or how about a squirrel?
Cookie cutters via Ikea.
Don't tease. Our only metal cookie cutters are in the shape of woodland creatures.

(One note: spray the inside of your metal cookie cutters to avoid sticking. We lost a few animal legs figuring that out.)

For the Eve we partied at John and Caroline's.

The night began with rip-stick lessons in the house.

We ate copious amounts of ice cream and toppings.

Disney Scene It was the game of choice, with constantly changing house rules. (I kept forgetting which rules we made up and which ones were the real ones.)
The longer we played, the louder it got.
Can you not yell when playing this game? I submit you cannot.

Chris and Jilleena later joined us for a rousing game of Wits and Wagers, a game that involves numbers and betting which are two things I am beyond horrible at. It was, nonetheless, still a lot of fun.

We all hoped Jilleena would go into labor that night and have the first baby of the new year.
Sadly, still no baby to the day. (Come on, baby!!! We're ready to meet you!)

The newlyweds, as Neal would call us.
I'm starting to look a tad harried in this picture.
My attentiveness declines rapidly after 10 p.m.
Thankfully this photo is before my "eyes-glazed-over" phase.

The gracious hosts.

My only NYE-worthy attire was my sparkly shoes.
Which I have worn almost every day since I got them on Christmas.
(Hey, we still don't have snow so I am taking advantage of wearing my flats!)

I am again thankful for the legalization of the good fireworks.
NYE becomes that much more exciting.
Even better? A wedding reception at the nearby church ended at midnight and launched a killer firework show. What a great way to start off the year.

Happy 2012!
I'm nervous, excited, terrified, prepared, anxious, unprepared and ready as I'll ever be.
Come and get it.

Christmas is in the details

2012-01-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

I feel a bit ripped off from this Christmas season.
It came in so quickly and left even more swiftly.
I barely had a chance to register that it was the holidays.
And for that I feel bummed.
The lack of holiday-ness is more my fault.
I didn't slow down and really take advantage of the beautiful season.

I blame the lack of snow. (I'm talking to you, Utah weather! Snow already!)

However, the Christmas spirit was still found in the details.

Right before Christmas we bought a 5 pound bag of clementines....
which resulted in a very, very happy Jacob.

Then his parents gave us another 3 pounds.
We have been eating clementines with every meal.

My favorite Christmas decor is the smokers at my parent's house.
Smokers are like nutcrackers, but you put a little incense in them and they smoke. (notice the smoke above his hat)
I think they are German (?) and my family has been collecting them for years.
The one above is my favorite.
I picked him out when my G-ma and I were in Germany in 2005.
I hope to inherit it one day. (hint, hint Padre.)
We were given a nutcracker to start our own Benson collection.

In the midst of holiday mayhem, I got my Martha Stewart on by making a pine cone elf.
Pinterest for the win!
(I found my pinecone at the church parking lot. And I took it. Am I going to hell?)

One of my favorite holiday tradition is our advent calendars from my grammy (the German one, melissa).
One chocolate a day is the best way to count down Christmas.
(Does it seem like all of my Christmas traditions are German? I feel like Christmas is just German.)

Glitter took over our house.
I experimented with some glitter, clothespins and mod podge to create some magnets for some gifts.

Swoon.
Glitter is an instant mood booster.

Now I want to glitter everything.....

51 & 52: The end

2011-12-31T19:16:00.003-07:00

51: Ginger-soy Pork Tenderloin

From Our Best Bites Cookbook

1-1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced (love to use from a jar)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1/2 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients (except the pork).
2. Place the tenderloin in a Ziplock bag (at least gallon size) and pour soy sauce mixture over it. Marinate for 4-10 hours.
3. When you are ready to eat: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take pork out of the bag and place on a tinfoil-lined baking dish. Spoon the rest of the marinade over the pork.
4. Place in oven and bake about 20-25 minutes. If you use a meat thermometer, roast until the middle is 160 degrees.

Rating: 4 for Jacob. 3 for me. Jacob loved it. I realized that I don't love pork, so it's not the recipe's fault. Aaaaand I didn't pull the pork out of the freezer early enough so it took a bit longer to cook.

52: Oh, snap! Gingersnap Cookies

From my sister's foods class at BYU

Makes: 2 1/2 dozen

3/4 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soad
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ginger

1. Cream oil and sugar; beat in egg, then add molasses.
2. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture and mix well.
3. Place on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degres for 8-10 minutes. (ok if it still looks a little raw)
4. Cool slightly before putting cookies on a cooling rack.

Rating: 4. Pretty tasty if you love gingersnaps. However, I would bake for just 8 minutes. My cookies are a tad too crunchy. But the cookies made my house smell delicious. I wish it could smell this good all of the time. Also, I'd probably add a bit less of the cloves. It was a little strong.

Christmas-time

2011-12-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve.
While I was still in denial that it was already Christmas, we spent the morning relaxing, took a spin at the gym (a preemptive act knowing we would eat plenty over the weekend) and a last minute stop to Target to tie up loose ends.

Christmas Eve at my home is all about traditions.
It is very special to me and I long for the comfort that it brings.

Christmas Eve is spent eating in candlelight. (Those little votives are from our wedding!)
We eat Chicken Royale, a chicken dish with ham, stuffing and a mushroom cream sauce. Korianne provided Christmas Jell-o which is a a three-layer gelatin in Christmas colors. Yum.

Cute Stacie wearing her Christmas sweater.

After dinner we reenact the nativity.
Bath robes and scarfs are the costumes for almost every character.

Reagan is always the most tender Mary. She gazes lovingly at her Baby Jesus and holds him close, even after the pageant is over.

Jacob the scared shepherd.

Jacob and his sheep.

Sisters: Korianne/narrator/angel, Malorie, me and Stacie as the wisemen.

The whole cast.
Minus dad who was behind the camera this year.
And who also incidentally missed his entire scene as the donkey.

After the pageant I got to snuggle with one of my favorite little people.

Malorie and Stacie entertained us with a rousing rendition of Feliz Navidad.
(Does "Let's get together" come to anyone else's mind?)

If only Charlie's Angels used guitars and tambourines as weapons of choice.

The family band entertained the rest of us with some Christmas songs.

Santa knew we didn't need anymore jammies for Christmas Eve so he surprised everyone with subscriptions to our favorite magazines. (How did he know?!) Kiki and I got twinner gifts.

We were blessed to have Christmas on a Sunday.
I could not think of a better way to celebrate our Savior's birth.
Luckily, it was my mom's choir Christmas program and I loved celebrating Christmas with music.
Since church was at 9 a.m., and we didn't have any kids at the house, we postponed the usual festivities until after church was over.

We came home, switched back into our jammies, and ate breakfast, my favorite meal of the entire year.
Then we called video-chated my aunt in Greece.
And then we were finally sequestered back upstairs while we waited for mom and dad to put out the presents.

So in all actuality, present opening did not start until after noon.

Here we are so sleepy because we stayed up late the night before doing a puzzle.
Balla's.

Super-duper excited for Christmas morning.

Mom, the present czar, sitting in a pile of presents.

Moo wearing the cute ear warmer I made for her stocking.

Mom crying when she opened a gift from my dad: Neil Diamond tickets.
She claims Neil was her first love.
(Next time I need a warning, Dad! I would have videotaped the reaction)

Mom and Stacie.

The day moved by so quickly, as the best days usually do.
After winding down from the day we watched "A Christmas Story" on TBS (where else?).
That movie makes me laugh so hard I want to cry.

We had just enough time to run home, shower and heat up our soup for dinner with the Bensons.

Two of our cutie nieces. Piper (the blonde) showcasing the sparkly clothespin magnets I made her. (We had her family for the Christmas exchange.)

Aunt RoseAnn with the newest Benson addition, Ivy Rose.

Jacob teaching the kids to play a game.

In addition to a real gift we gave the Bensons, we included a little treat: stick-on mustaches of course.
And everyone got in on the fun.

Excuse me. I mustache you a question.

I'd love to stay and chat, but I really mustache.

Merry Christmas!

49 and 50: Ok and worse

2011-12-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

New recipes are cyclical in our family.
Every other one turns out fabulously, and the others... well.
Not so much.
This week brought a bit of both.

Week 49 brought out Wild Rice with Chicken and Grapes.
The flavor was bland and neither of us really liked eating warm grapes.
A bit of a dinner fail.
Rating: 2. Not disgusting but the leftovers sit in our fridge over a week later.

Week 50 was a spin at artisan bread.

My mom makes delicious artisan bread. She has had a lifetime to hone her breadmaking skills, so it is discouraging when mine didn't turn out perfectly on the first go.

Mine was a bit dense because I didn't raise it long enough. If you want to get into artisan bread, go for the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. The recipe I got was from a blog that adapted the recipe from that book and her adaptations were for the worse. (No offense.)

Rating: 3.5 for the recipe I tried, but I know that artisan bread can be well over a 5. I did, however, love the crunchy crust. And I just got a pizza stone for Christmas so I can perfect this recipe. (And I will! That is my personal challenge!)

From Autumn into Winter

2011-12-23T09:39:00.001-07:00

The insanity that has been December has prevented me from documenting our last few months.
Here is a little snippet of the latest haps...

I convinced my sisters to skip out on school (such a good example) to go to the store opening of H & M, the first one of its kind in Utah.

Someone asked if we were twins.
For the record, I got dressed first.

The line behind us.
We almost were in the first 500 but our dreams were thwarted.
The people in line with us were great and even bought us hot chocolate.
Sadly for them, they thought the store opened two hours before it actually did.
They were in for a loooooooooong wait.

An H&M opening is usually a pretty big deal. Fire code with hit early on, so the line continued to grow as shoppers filtered out. There was a line to get in all weekend.

We made up for the wait by shopping our little hearts out.
This is just my bag for trying things on.
My wallet's only relief is that the store is not close by.

Our annual Young Women in Excellence featured a cooking theme, hence the aprons.

I am currently working on my Personal Progress award (I was a delinquent youth and never earned mine).
For my first project I stitched two dresses, one of them entirely on my own! (If you don't look too close, you won't find any mistakes.)

And on to the hour we had a kitten....

We found this adorable little kitten outside of our church one night.
She would meow and peek her little head against the glass door.
Jacob said if she was still out there when we came out we could think about taking her home.
And would you believe it? He let me take her home!
At least until we found her a home.

We had her for a whole hour before we found a neighbor who would take her.
But in the short hour we had her our lives were halted.
We ridiculously followed her as she explored the house.
And in that short hour she already knew the personalities of the house. She would snuggle with me and play with Jacob.
Nothing got done. Is this how parents feel?

Note: I'm glad she was able to find a good home. Within the first 2 minutes she had eaten a Cheerio off our floor. I don't think we are ready to be cat parents.

The real kick off for Christmas was visiting Temple Square for the lights with Young Men/Women.

My car full of girls was hilarious.
I kind of wish we could ride together every time.

Jacob and I drove up to the Pioneer Theater for "Annie," our annual holiday show.
Thanks JoEllen for picking us up the tickets! (We are accepting applications for U of U students who will pick up tickets for us when JoEllen graduates. Any takers?)
The show was as wonderful as always, and continues to be one of my favorite ways to get in the holiday spirit. Previous holiday shows at the Pioneer Theater have included "White Christmas" and "A Christmas Story."

We spent a few Monday nights at Thanksgiving Point for ice sculpting.

Each week the sculptor hauls out a 300-pound chunk of ice and starts pounding away to the delight of the crowd.

Two weeks worth of sculptures.
I'm kind of dying over the intricacies of the sculptures.
What a really cool talent.
"Hello, I'm a professional ice sculptor."
Now that's a conversation starter.

And the Christmas spirit was kicked up a notch with reindeer.
That just laid there amid the shrieks of children begging them to fly.
(Really. The kids loved them.)

Once inside the Thanksgiving Point store Jacob found an elf hat.

Thanks to Loralee and DJ for coming with us!

We finally attended our ward Christmas party. The Young Women were in charge of the decorations.
(See the little paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling?)
The food was good and the entertainment hilarious, provided by the Primary children.

We've started a new family Christmas tradition.
When given an ornament that doesn't fit on our tree theme (red and gold) or is unsavory, we secretly stick it on the trees of our friends and families.
Without them knowing. A reverse stealing, if you will.

Beware if you invite us over during the holiday season.

No tree is safe.

* The photo above is of an ornament we left on my sister-in-law's designer tree. Read: fancy tree with all alike ornaments. We stuck this right in the middle before we left, sticking out like a sore thumb. And somehow no one has accused us yet. And no, I don't think she reads this blog.

A Fail for Week 45 and Persimmon Muffins for Week 46

2011-12-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't call it a fail, per se. However, dinner for week 45 would not be considered a triumph. We had 5-spice pork with roasted orange and broccoli. No need to post a recipe that I threw away right after dinner. I will say that the pork was tender and perfectly moist (yes, moist) but I hated the flavoring and the roasted veggies were not that great. I hate warm fruit and that includes oranges. Now we are fighting over who has to eat the leftovers next week.

Thankfully, week 46 gave us a complete 180.

A few weeks ago Bountiful Baskets, our local produce co-op, was filled with persimmons, which are weird little Asian fruits. They are only weird because I honestly have/had no idea what to do with them. I couldn't quite decide what to make of them when eating them raw.

So there they sat. Alone and unloved on my counter.

Imagine my delight when I found a recipe for persimmon muffins in December's Food Network Magazine (seriously- one of my favorite Christmas gifts. Thanks, Mom!)

PERSIMMON MUFFINS

Ingredients

2 to 3 very ripe persimmons (or 1 cup smooth applesauce plus 1/4 cup carrot baby food)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (didn't have lemon, so a splash of lemon juice?)
2 large eggs plus 1 egg white
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
2/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
Brown sugar, for topping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan or two 24-cup mini-muffin pans with paper liners. Cut the persimmons in half and scoop out the pulp into a food processor; pulse until smooth.

2. Combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (it's fine if the batter is lumpy).

3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters of the way. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes for regular muffins or 14 to 18 minutes for mini muffins. Cool slightly in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a rack.

Note: This made at least 18 regular sized muffins, instead of just the projected 12.

Rating: Jacob gave them a 5. I would give the muffins a 4.5. Delicious, interesting and very sweet. It was a fun twist on a traditional muffin. My only hope is to find out a way to make it healthier. 10 tbs. of butter? That is enough to put this into treat category instead of pretending that it is a good breakfast.

A weekend of thanks

2011-12-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesday and Thursday night we piled into one cabin at Aspen Grove for some serious cousin time. We played games, ate treats and laughed into the wee hours, and I was reminded how much I enjoy my cousins. Visiting each other every four years is not nearly enough.

The morning of Thanksgiving Jacob and I took a walk around Aspen Grove.
We had not yet been blessed with snow at our house (yes, I said blessed. I adore snow) which made the snow up there still a novelty.

We were all excited to show off our mountains and snow to my cousin's boyfriend who had never seen either before.

The Alpine Loop now is closed for cars, but we hopped the fence and trudged through the snow.
The Loop was ours for a moment. Untouched from other humans.

We set up Thanksgiving at my parent's cultural hall in their church.
The location gave tons of space for the kids to run around, easy clean up and we pulled in the couches for comfier seating.

Dad had to show off the bike car which was the the preferred transportation from our house to the church (oh, about 1 block).
With cousin Alex towed behind.

Even Aunt Reva got in on the bike car action.

Brand new Baby Molly.
She was the most popular person at the reunion.
She was passed around and eagerly snuggled by anyone who could scramble for a turn.
And she barely made a peep the whole weekend.
Perfect baby.

The actual meal was a whirlwind.
That ended with the traditional and obligatory family photo.

Mom.
The center of the show.

The whole Mickelson clan.
We had everyone there at one point during the weekend.

Our entry to Awkward Family Photos.

Thanksgiving is fine and all but my most anticipated event is post-dinner games.
This is the one time of year that we bust out Bunco.
It was great. Except when they decided to end the game when I had finally made it to the winner's table.
I think it was rigged.

We ended the night with a family talent show.
Grandma stole the show by performing "Skeeters," a bedtime song that she used to sing to the grandkids.
Its origins are unknown to me, so I will attribute them to Grandma.
When in doubt, attribute to Grandma.

We ended the night by piling back up to the cabin to play Things, Ticket to Ride and thinking about how glad we were to not go Black Friday shopping.

Moo, Stacie and Victoria.

Friday morning we moseyed about the cabin until we realized we had to book it down the canyon in order to make it to Thanksgiving Part Deux.

The Bensons kindly do T-giving dinner on the Friday after to allow each kid spend time with their out-laws. And so we have no excuse not to make it to both dinners. (Just kidding.)

Honestly, we underestimated our time and were unfashionably late.

In my defense, cooking 6 pounds of cooked carrots took a bit longer than expected.

Katelyn and Jocy.

Dinner round two was delicious as expected.
But after two days of non-stop eating I hit my brink.
My limit. I could eat no more.
Which meant no pie.

Those whose waistbands were not bursting at the seams played Twister (Jacob, Jenessa and the kids were the only ones who dared) followed by the ever popular Pit.

We hibernated on Saturday, recovering from a wonderful (and busy) week of family and fun.
It was, in my humble opinion, one of the better Thanksgivings.

Family reunion: Murder Mystery style

2011-12-18T22:38:00.002-07:00

The second night for our family reunion dazzled all with a murder mystery party.

This was my first dabbling in a murder mystery-ing.
Honestly, we had no idea what to expect.
Now I know to only expect hilarity.

The theme was Murder Under the Big Top.
If you haven't murder mysteried before, here is how it goes.
Everyone gets assigned a part. Before the party you get some background info on your character and a little details about shady dealings with other characters. Costumes are extremely encouraged.
At the party you are given tasks to complete. They range from blackmailing people for information, accusing people of stealing/cheating/murdering/lying, and the like.
Half way through, someone is murdered. And evidence is presented.
After reviewing the evidence, you place your vote for who the murderer is.

Jens took his part as the concessions salesman to heart.
And won every award. (At the end we vote for who we thought was the best actor, funniest, best costume, etc. Jens won every award.)

The strong man.
(Carny food was served. Corndogs and sloppy joes. You know, the classy stuff.)

Mandy Smalls, the two-headed woman.

Ruby the Clown and Finley Fiscal, the ticket taker.

Malorie was a...... matador? Ice skater? Knife swallower?
Stacie played the tattooed woman.

More mustaches.
The furry adhesives added spark to many a costume.

Erin played the tight-rope walker who was eventually murdered.

Look at this face.
Wouldn't you trust that face?
Well that, my friends, is the face of a murderer.

It is always the quiet ones.....

Dueling Chowdahs: Weeks 47 and 48

2011-12-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

This month I have been in search of a perfect corn chowdah (must say it like you are from Boston. It taste better that way). Soup in the wintertime is a source of warmth and comfort, and I am anxious to expand my cooking repertoire.

Plus, we needed to audition soups to take to the Benson Christmas dinner this weekend.

It was only fair to have a cook off between two recipes. One recipe is per a cookbook we received as a wedding gift and have only discovered its genius (America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook) and the other one was found on Pinterest.

Corn Chowder

From The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

10 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed (we substituted frozen corn. Directions below)
4 ounces bacon (about 4 slices), chopped fine
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups whole milk (I just used 1 cup 1 percent)
12 ounces red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 bay leaves (didn't have this but I am sure it would just add to the flavor)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1 cup heavy cream (didn't include. Do you usually keep cream on hand?)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven (I just used a regular pan) over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Slowly stir in the broth and milk, scraping up any brown bits. Stir in potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and grated corn.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in remaining corn kernels and cream. Continue to simmer until corn kernels are tender yet still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Rating: 4. Delicious. However, the potatoes were cut too small for me to easily pick them out (I hate potatoes). And I omitted the cream (I never have cream on hand) so it wasn't as creamy as I would have liked it to be.

Note: How to use frozen corn: Puree 1 pound of frozen corn in blender with broth until smooth. Omit flour in step 2 and use the pureed frozen corn in place of grated corn.

Summer Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder

From Weightwatchers.com* found on Pinterest

Serves 4
Cook time 15 minutes
Total time 25-30 minutes

1 medium uncooked potatoes

1 spray cooking spray

1/2 cups uncooked celery, chopped

1/4 cup uncooked onion, chopped (or 1 large shallot)

4 pieces corn on the cob, kernels removed with a knife

1 cup sweet red peppers, diced

4 slices bacon, diced

2 cups fat-free skim milk

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Pierce potato in several places with a fork; microwave on high power until tender, turning over once, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool; peel and mash.

2. Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Add celery, onion, corn and red pepper; sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

3. Stir bacon and milk into saucepan; stir in mashed potato and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; stir to combine. Cover and simmer 10 minutes (do not allow to boil). Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Rating: 4.7. LOVED this soup. The flavor was strong, yet delicious. And I loved having the potato mashed. I could barely even taste it! The extra veggies really made this soup hearty.

Note: I would add more liquid. It was more corn with some liquid instead of just soup. Also, corn on the cob really made a difference. The taste was elevated.

*This recipe is no longer "Weight Watcher approved." I doubled the bacon because I wanted to. I am pretty sure that negates the endorsement. Oh, well.

And the winner is...... SUMMER CORN, BACON AND POTATO CHOWDER!!

Christmas dinner, here we come!

Minute to Win It: Part 2

2011-12-02T16:52:00.001-07:00

I'm really behind on my blogging. Insanity has hit our home, but I want to get these memories down before I forget.

Family Game Night is still on my mind. Here are some other favorite photos from the night:

Padre rocking it out on 'A little bit dicey'.
Objective is to balance 5 dice on the end of a popsicle stick. Hold for 3 seconds.

Trick: do it out of the side of your mouth. Better grip.

Mom. Egg relay. Holding a baby.
Easter eggs, natch. (Real eggs in a rented facility would spell disaster.)

Olson's working it at non-beer pong.

Stacy and Victoria demolished non-beer pong.

Celebrity. The ultimate game that challenged everyone. (See an astronaut and automatically think Neil Armstrong? I'll raise you one Buzz Aldrin.Booya.)

Face the cookie: by far the most hilarious game we played.
Place cookie on forehead.
You have one minute to get it to your mouth.
No hands.

Celebrating after successfully shaking ping-pong balls out of a tissue box.

Don't worry, family.
I didn't post the most embarrassing photos.
Those I will save for later. :)

Week 44: Jeff's Sunday Stir Fry

2011-12-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Stir fry is the easy answer to a bunch of veggies that need to get used.

My Uncle Jeff makes awesome stir fry. So awesome that he is known for it.
And he kills it on a Sunday.

Uncle Jeff's Sunday Stir Fry

Note: I didn't measure anything except for the sauce because I just used what veggies I had on hand. Be adventurous.

8 chicken tenders (or equivalent to the kind of chicken you use. we only have tenders on hand)
A bunch of veggies (the original recipe calls for carrots, zucchini and onion)
Head of cabbage, diced

For the sauce:
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sugar
Crushed ginger (I didn't use this, but I am sure it would take it up a notch)
1 tablespoon crushed garlic (from the jar)
Cornstartch

1. Make the sauce by mixing the ingredients together really well.
2. Cut chicken into cubes and place into a large frying pan or wok with a bit of veggie oil. Cook at high heat and saute until almost done. Take about 1/4 cup of sauce and add to chicken. Continue to saute until chicken is completely cooked and sauce starts to caramelize. Remove chicken from wok and set aside.
3. Put a bit of oil into the wok/pan and return to heat. Add the cut veggies and constantly stir. Add a little bit of water to help it steam cook.
4. While the veggies are still a little firm, add the rest of the sauce. Cook on high heat until it starts to boil.
5. Add a mixture of 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water and mix into boiling sauce. The sauce will start to thicken. Turn down heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add chicken.
7. Mix completely and serve over steamed rice.

Rating: Always a 5. The soy sauce mixture is the perfect amount of sweet and tangy and it is a killer way to use a bunch of veggies.

Note: we used cabbage, onions and red bell peppers for our version. Any medley of veggies would be delicious.

Mickelson Reunion 2011

2011-11-29T20:57:00.001-07:00

This year Thanksgiving was turned into a reunion of sorts with my mom's side of the family.
At first I thought it was an extended get together but family t-shirts were involved so the event was kicked up a notch to family reunion status.

The events for locals were mostly at night so we could all still work. Meanwhile, my cousins rented a cabin at Aspen Grove where almost all the reunion activities took place.

Tuesday's adventures were surrounded by games.
Moo and I compiled a bunch of Minute to Win It games.
The winning team won a batch of cookies made by me. Score.

Note: Minute to Win It is a TV game show where the contestants must complete a task in one minute.

Games included:

Marker bowling with a foam tube and marbles.

Bouncing ping-pong balls into your partner's drinking cups.

Shooting down paper cups with a rubberband.

Face the cookie: putting a cookie on your forehead and making it to your mouth, only using your facial muscles. Yes, my friends, it can be done.

Other games included:
tying an empty tissue box filled with ping pong balls to your waist and booty-shaking them out
name that celebrity
beer pong (minus the beer)
balance dice on the end of a popsicle stick clenched between your teeth
and more.

Stay tuned.
This was only night one.

Stitching with Aunt Steph

2011-11-29T20:32:00.001-07:00

Last month I had the privilege of having my niece Reagan over for a sewing date.

For her birthday I gave her a sewing date to make a skirt.
She got to choose the fabric and she would come over for sewing and cookies.
So naturally she chose hot pink leopard print and it suits her perfectly.

She makes a wonderful buddy and she always reminds me why I love being an auntie. However, she did quiz me on why I haven't given her a cousin to play with yet. Smart little seven-year-old.

We shared the chair and I let her push the pedal.
Terrified to push the pedal to hard, Reagan sewed verrrrrry sllooowwwly.
Which is the perfect speed so she could guide the fabric on her own.

Yes, my friends. She stitched (what we can sewing at our house) both sides of the skirt almost all by herself.

Those are our sewing glasses.
She came over right after Halloween so she found our leftover nerd glasses laying around.
So naturally we had to wear them in order to sew.

AND the skirt even has pockets.

Booyah.

Skirt tutorial found at Freshly Picked.

Week 43: Greek Style

2011-11-28T19:10:00.001-07:00

I am definitely behind on my weekly new recipes, but I have to kick it up to make it 52 new recipes this year. I can do it!

To start, we did it Greek style (kind of) at our house. This was another meal of necessity because we happen to already have everything (and every other recipe we were missing something).

Spinach and Feta Pasta
from Our Best Bites cookbook

8 ounces penne pasta
1-2 tablespoons EVOO
1 onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
3 cups fresh spinach (my favorite!)
1 (28 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 ounces feta cheese, all crumbly
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat up some EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. (This is my favorite smell in the entire world.)
3. After onion is tender, add spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Add tomatoes and heat through.
5. Add drained pasta and crumbed feta. Season with S & P.
6. Heat and serve. Top with some extra feta.

Rating: 4.6. Loved this meal. It was creamy and flavorful and practically everything was a vegetable (besides the pasta). Plenty of flavor. I am just sad we didn't make enough for leftovers.

Goodbye Fall

2011-11-18T13:35:00.001-07:00

Fall is my favorite season. While short in Utah, Fall is gorgeous for when we have it.
And our mountains (yes, they are ours) are the haven for beautiful leaves.

After a quick picnic in the park (we must have an outdoor movie there in the summer), we headed up to lover's lane, aka Squaw Peak. (For those who didn't go to high school here, Squaw Peak is known as make out point. That is only hearsay.)

The only way to ride up the mountain.

Moo in the trailing car with Padre.

My hair was a rat's nest when we were done.
But sticking my head out the window was a lot of fun.
I can see why dogs like it. :)

Beautiful colors. (sadly, the sun was not on our side to get really great photos.)

We were not the only ones who thought Squaw Peak would be a perfect end of fall activity.
A loving couple was kind enough to take our photo.
I love the view of Provo. I've always wanted to have a house with this view.

One of the last sunsets.
With the sun setting often before I leave work nowadays (damn you, Daylight Savings!), this is the last one to see for a while.

Halloweenie

2011-11-18T10:16:00.001-07:00

The actual Halloween holiday was overshadowed by the work door decorating competition. Which is a nice way of saying that we were really uncreative... er, ahem... lazy with our costumes.

So it was a nerd again! Ironically, I only had to change a few items from my original outfit. Oh well.

Our Halloween adventures started with the ward Halloween party. The Young Men and Young Women are in charge. It is a really big to-do netting a big crowd. I was in charge of the spook alley which the little kids loved.

After the party I picked up $90 worth of pizza to convince the youth to stick around to clean up. My car reeked like pizza for a week.

Halloween party #2 was the Saturday before Halloween at RoseAnn and Gordon's.
Yep, nerds again. Jacob's calculator kills me. Sadly, you can't see his pants tucked into socks. No one does nerds like us.

Uncle Gordon (aka Dracula) is really into Halloween. It falls on his birthday so he has taken Halloween on as his own personal holiday. Jacob spent a few weekends helping create his laboratory complete with science experiments to the delight of the children.

On Halloween I decided to dress up to deliver meals.
The seniors loved it!
And let's be honest, I did too.

That night we rocked it out at Korianne's annual Halloween dinner and trick-or-treating.

Ma and Pa as pirate and piratess. (Wench just doesn't sit well with me.)

Bug catcher and his bug.

Stacie and her cute owl pumpkin.

Trick-or-Treating with the kiddies.
Things are always a lot more fun with these kidlets around.

The nerdy bug catcher.
I adore him.

Halloween has been kicked up a notch since I was a Trick-or-Treater.
Instead of each house handing out little candy, people create their own neighborhood movie theater for the Trick-or-Treaters.

And by the time we were done Trick-or-Treating Malorie finished her costume.
(Pssst. She is Ke$ha.)

Happy Halloween, friends! It feels like a century ago.

Door decorating champion

2011-10-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

Every year my office has a door decorating contest for Halloween.
The prize? A full day off. PAID.

I didn't play last year because I was the new girl and I really had no idea what to expect.
Let me just say that my office goes all. out.

I scrounged for ideas this year, and with a combination of ideas from a variety of friends, (thank you!) I came up with a winning entry.

It started with this....

Jacob's clothes stuffed with newspaper.

With the addition of this...

and it turned into this....

And would you believe it-

I won!!!!!!

Note: the yarn had to be added after the first day because my intern fell during the night.
After a night of tossing and turning, fearing that the duct tape wouldn't stand, my worst fears materialized.
I came in and he was crumpled on the floor.
One very panicked phone call to Jacob (who helped me put him up) and some yarn kept him up until voting.

But our IT guy came back into the office the night before and found this.....

blogger is being weird and won't rotate this.

and it terrified him.
In an empty office in the dark, this would be freaky.
When I saw this picture I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

Even better: they hosted about 30 job interviews in that room the next day.
Thankfully, my door served as sort of an ice breaker.
I'm happy to help in anyway I can.

Now I have a whole day off to use before the end of the year.
Any suggestions on how I should spend it?

Week 42: Carrots to die for

2011-10-28T09:23:00.000-06:00

Cooking has been put on the back burner. {pun intended}
Added stress/anxiety at work has resulted in me in a coma after each work day.
So weeknights are turning into a panic of what to make for dinner, so new recipes were not an option.

From a non-inventive dinner week (or should I say weeks) one new recipe did come out on top. Just in time for a family dinner. Perf.

Brown sugar-glazed Carrots with Rosemary

Recipe adapted from "Real Simple Magazine"

3 pounds carrots, sliced into discs (round slices like above)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped (better from the garden!)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (ok, I didn't use this, but a dash might be a fun flavor)
Salt and pepper

1. In a large saucepan combine all ingredients with 1/2 cup water.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until the carrots are doftened.
3. Uncover and cook, stirring often, until the carrots are tender and the liquid has thickened, 10-15 minutes more.
4. Put in serving dish and enjoy!

Note: I didn't understand the recipe. I chopped the rosemary and just left it in. And when the recipe said to take the rosemary out, I was so confused. Apparently, I was not supposed to chop the rosemary but to put the whole sprig in. But I liked it chopped so I am going to go with that.

Rating: 5. I was so sad there were not any leftovers. We're talking tears. I'll have to make my own batch to just eat all myself. No sharing.

The Pumpkin Man

2011-10-28T09:03:00.000-06:00

Every year we get out pumpkins from Bud the Pumpkin Man, our neighborhood pumpkin man.
He sets up shop in his front yard and sells his pumpkins throughout October, wearing overalls and carrying his cane the whole time.

But some evil neighbor complained about him and he was almost shut down {read about it here}. Thankfully City Council came to their senses and let this local farmer sell his crop. Buy local!

Not only is Bud sweet as pie, he has incredibly affordable prices for pumpkins.

Big ole' pile of pumpkins. Pick your fave!

I am instantly drawn to smaller pumpkins. Isn't everything cuter when its tiny?
(Also a strategic move. If we carve, small pumpkins = less guts.)

But let's be real. We're not really carving our pumpkins. Carving is not for us.
Which is why Jacob picked one with a 'scar.' Instantly terrifying. Bam.

And witch's pumpkins with warts.

The Pumpkin man has everything.

Idaho-ing

2011-10-21T10:18:00.002-06:00

This past Sunday we trekked up to Jerome, Idaho for a baby blessing for Emmitt, baby of Jacob's sister Julianne. (Not the same baby from last post. The Bensons have a lot of babies.)
Yes, we tripped it in one day.
Yes, my legs were slightly numb.
But I am so glad that we went.

For starters, we rode up with Jacob's Grandma, Lola who is hard of hearing (or HOH in the senior biz).
After the meeting, Gma Lola asks, "Was the chorister singing in another language?"
Grandma, the whole meeting was in another language.
Julianne and David go to a Spanish speaking branch.
We could not stop laughing. We love her so much.

Auntie Steph with baby Emmitt.
Note: babies in jeans make me swoon.
Double swoon if they are jeggings.

While we were there, Jacob randomly got a cake!

Look at those big baby lips.

Good bye, Idaho. See you for the next baby blessing.

Week 40 and 41

2011-10-12T18:34:00.001-06:00

Typing weeks 40 and 41 panic me a little bit. There are only 11 or 12 weeks left in the year! What?!

Where has my life gone?

While I contemplate who I really am and finish panicking, here is what we've been eating.

So, I'm not so much of a broccoli fan. Unless it is in broccoli cream soup, and let's just be honest. Broccoli cream soup is more about the cream than the broccoli.

So when we got a head of broccoli in our BB, I was on a quest for green greatness. And, my blogging friends, I have found it.

Week 40: Blackened Broccoli
Recipe from Lunges and Lashes, fitness blog by a health guru who happens to be my hair stylist

A bunch of broccoli, chopped into florets
Minced garlic
S &P
Olive Oil

1. Start by putting broccoli and a heaping spoonful of garlic in a bowl.
2. Roll them around in EVOO.
3. Sprinkle with S & P.
4. Broil in oven until blackened, then flip and broil some more. But you don't want them charred, just nicely blackened.

Note: You want the garlic to be all over the broccoli. So how much you use depends on how much broccoli you have. Also, I am not sure if this would work with frozen broccoli.

Rating: 4.5. The roasted garlic had almost a sweet flavor. It made broccoli delicious. And you can never go wrong with garlic.

Sub note: every time we eat broccoli, Jacob tells me how he used to pretend they were trees and he was a dinosaur. (When he was a kid, of course.) This makes me laugh every time.

Week 41: Eggplant Rollatini
Found in Giada's cookbook "Everyday Italian." Online version here.

No photo. Dinner was insanely late that day.

2 eggplants
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
A few shakes of grated Parmesan cheese
10 basil leaves, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce

1. Preheat the grill pan and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Place a rack over a large baking sheet. Cut the 2 ends off the eggplant. Cut the eggplants lengthwise, into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange eggplant slices onto rack. Sprinkle with sea salt to help remove excess moisture and any bitterness from the eggplants. Set aside for about 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off the salt from the eggplants and pat dry with a towel.
3. Spray hot grill pan liberally with vegetable spray and then place eggplant slices on the grill until lightly browned on each side and tender, about 4 minutes per side. Remove slices from the grill pan and allow to cool.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs until lightly scrambled. Mix the ricotta in with the egg. Add mozzarella, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts and gently combine. Fold in basil just to combine. Do not overmix.
5. Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on 1 end of the eggplant and roll up tightly. Place the eggplant rollatini into a greased (with olive oil) 13 by 9-inch baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining eggplant. Evenly distribute the tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rollatini. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes. When cooked, drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil.

Rating: 3. It was pretty good. But I won't ever crave it or want to make it again. A lot of work. And I liked the insides better without the eggplant. Maybe I needed to cook it longer?

Falling into October

2011-10-11T21:32:00.001-06:00

These days fall can be seen all around.

Enormous pumpkins on State Street.

Tasty General Conference Bingo treats. I won.
(Wasn't Conference wonderful? It came up so quickly and finished too fast. So inspiring.)

And then fall quickly left and we had snow.
At least for a day.
Bizarre weather we've been having here. Dropped to snow temps and in the 70s tomorrow.

In the meantime, babies were born! I'm an aunt again!
Christopher Thomas Rogers is the newest addition to the Benson family.
He loves his auntie already.

A big yawn.
Because being in the world is exhausting.

Aaaaaaand I'll leave you with this little treasure.

They'll make patterns for anything these days.

Almost as cool as this pattern...

Week 39: Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ sauce

2011-09-30T22:26:00.000-06:00

With our aforementioned peach overload, we found a great recipe to use peaches for a main dish instead of a traditional dessert. And from Gwyneth Paltrow no less.She's good for more than just guest starring on 'Glee.'

Gwyneth Paltrow's Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 cup chopped peeled fresh peaches or 9-10 ounces frozen sliced peaches, thawed, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced (I love mine from a jar)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 8 chicken tenderloins (our personal favorite)
Vegetable oil

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer until peaches are very soft and flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let cool.

2. Pour peach mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Place half the sauce in a medium bowl; add the chicken and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes, or cover and chill for up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce.

4. Prepare a grill (we use a Foreman) to medium-high heat. Grill chicken until browned and almost cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Brush on all sides with reserved sauce; grill until glazed and cooked through, 1-2 minutes per side. Slice crosswise. Serve remaining sauce alongside.

Rating: 4. The chicken really flavorful and moist. But I did not like the sauce on the rice we had as a side. A great mixture of flavors. Not one overpowered the other to create the delicious sauce.

Note: After a long day at work, Jacob made this for me. I didn't lift a finger. Love him.

Guten Geburstag, Jacob!

2011-09-29T21:57:00.001-06:00

Jacob turned the big 2-8.
We both took the day off from work to celebrate the day. because no one should have to work on a birthday.
And it was absolutely wonderful.

Tucanos was the annual birthday choice for Jacob.
He loves meat. And I love the pineapple, so we make a good pair.

Chicken heart, anyone?

I tried to get a photo of the pineapple but those servers move in lightening speed.

If you are a birthday boy you get public humiliation in the form of a tambourine and bongo dance.

But the humiliation always earns a treat.

To top off the day, we went mountain biking at Timpooneke Trail in American Fork Canyon.

The drive up was ridiculously gorgeous. I suspect the rest of the leaves will change within the next week or so. It definitely warrants another drive up the canyon, even if you do have to pay the $6 to drive the Alpine Loop (the canyon road that connects American Fork and Provo canyon).

An afternoon jaunt in between conference sessions this weekend?

And then we were off.
Riding through the forest like this was my favorite part.
At times the incline was a little much for this first timer, and I fell off and had to walk my bike the rest of the hill (because of lack of momentum). I felt the burn either way.

The birthday boy riding the thin trail.

This photo shows the wide part of the trail.

At times it was so narrow that my pedals would hit the side and I would just eat it. (I have awful balance.)

But thankfully I only really fall over twice.

And almost again when a huge bird flew out of the bush when I rode by.

Views to die for.

Intense biker face.

A very tired biker.
Also, my bike helmet strap chokes me when I wear it right. Any suggestions? Make a little makeshift pillow to put in between? (Yep, I am that challenged. I even have a hard time with turtlenecks.)

With Padre.

I'm pretty sure he was trying to figure out a way to off me.

This is an intense ride for an experienced rider and a big challenge for a newbie.

Well played dad, but not this time.

It was a wonderful day and I could not think of a better thing (person) to celebrate.
Happy birthday, Jacob! I am so glad that you were born.

Week 38: peaches coming out of our ears makes sweet jam

2011-09-28T22:15:00.000-06:00

We are lucky enough to have a fully mature peach tree.
With the funky weather, the peaches were a bit late this year, but they made up for it by producing big time.
Every day I would go out and pick up bags full of peaches that had just fallen.
Within days we had peaches taking over our kitchen and our lives. Sound dramatic? I have issues with throwing away perfectly good (and FREE!) produce.

So we hunkered down and canned jam.
But a funny thing happened when we turned the bottles over....

Introducing.... levitating jam!
To our shock and amazement, the jam has stuck. In every. single. jar.
And now we have some quirky holiday gifts. Maybe more appropriate for Halloween?
On the positive side, all of the jars sealed perfectly!

I won't bother posting the recipe. Just follow the directions on the box of pectin you purchase. Just prepare yourself with a lot of sugar and a sticky little mess. I would say this is a two-person job.

Rating: 5. Nothing beats homemade jam. While strawberry freezer jam is a Benson favorite, the peach will be just as loved. If you have room in your freezer, freezer jam is easier and quicker.

Note: After a quick plea on facebook for someone to help us with our peach overload, I came home from work the next day to find our tree picked empty. Now I don't feel overwhelming guilt every time I look out of our window. (We really had a lot of peaches.) Ah, the power of social media.

Week 36 and 37: Lasagna with breadsticks

2011-09-26T21:58:00.000-06:00

More than any other origin of the world, our food revolves around Italian-style food.
Is is true Italian? I wish. But here is how we celebrated the beautiful county this week.

Week 36: Lasagna Rolls
Adapted from 'Cook This! Not That!'

10- 12 lasagna noodles
6 oz Italian-style chicken or turkey sausage, or any other ground meat
1 bag frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 bottle of marinara sauce
3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Boil lasagna noodles and cook al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, brown the sausage/meat. Add spinach, pepper flakes and nutmeg and cook until the spinach is warm. Season with S & P. Remove from heat and cook. Combine with ricotta in a large bowl.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread a thin layer of marinara at the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch baking dish.
4. Lay out noodles on a cutting board and cut in half crosswise. (So you have 20-24 shorter pieces.)
5. Place a large spoonful on spinach mixture in each noodle and roll up tightly. (Not too tight that it oozes out the side.) Place rolls in marinara dish.
6. Cover the rolls with the rest of the marinara sauce, then with the cheese.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Rating: 4.8 with some adjustments.

Notes: Noodles were too al dente for us. Also, if you are using just plain ground meat, add some Italian seasoning. It was a little bland without it. Be generous with the marinara sauce. Ours lacked a bit.

Also, this recipe makes for 6 servings. We ate it for the rest of the week.

The Miamaids came over to my house for a little lesson on how to make breadsticks.Try to guess which ones are the girls and which ones are the leaders. (I'm often mistaken for a tall young woman.)

Not only did we eat ourselves silly with plenty of carbs and watch my skydiving video, they got to play around in my aprons. (You can't see Tami's but it is a floor-length apron from my great-grandma.)

Week 37: Italian Breadsticks
Yield: 36 small breadsticks
Time: 45 minutes start to finish
Recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up

1 1/2 C warm water
2 T sugar
1 T yeast
1/2 t salt
3 1/2- 4 C flour
1/4 C butter
3/4 C grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
Johnny's Garlic Seasoning (purchased at costco) or garlic salt

1. Mix the water, sugar and yeast together in a measuring cup or in the bottom of your mixer. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
2.Add the salt and the flour, one cup at a time, until it is wellincorporated. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5minutes.
3. Melt the butter and pour half of it into a jelly roll pan (large cookie sheet).
4.Place the dough in the center of the pan. Let it sit for 2 or 3minutes. Letting the dough rest makes it MUCH easier to shape.
5.Spread the dough out flat onto the pan until it reaches all of theedges. Doing all of the spreading and cutting of these bread sticks, inthe pan makes cleaning up your counter so much easier!
6. Pour the other half of the butter onto the dough. Spread it around with your hands. Sprinkle the Johnny's Garlic Seasoning all over the dough, and then the Parmesan cheese.
7. With a pizza cutter cut the dough into three rows lengthwise, and then into about 12 little height wise rows.
8. Put the pan into a 170 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes. The breadsticks should rise about 1 inch.
9. Turn you oven up to 350 and bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
10.When they come out of the oven let them sit and rest again for about 5minutes. Then redefine your cutting lines with the pizza cutter.
11. I use a pair of cooking scissors to cut the edges where the pizza cutter can't reach.

Rating: 3.5. These are fine, but not fabulous. Maybe a little more salt in the seasoning? Cook a little longer?

Note: If you make this with a Bosch mixer, you need to double the recipe. With an extra batch I made Cinnastix. Trade the garlic seasoning for a mixture of 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon. I also put a dash of nutmeg because I am just that wild.

Finishing up September

2011-09-26T11:00:00.000-06:00

My office had a BBQ up Provo Canyon and a few of us rode our bikes to Bridal Veil Falls after.
After a week with a few high stress situations, it was nice to breathe in the scenery.
All my bike needs is a basket. But the bike keeper isn't sold. Come on, Dad! You know you want one...

The Falls.
I met a couple from the Netherlands who were sad to learn the tram is no more.
Seems like their travel book is a bit old, but we gave them some good Utah suggestions while they were here.

The weekend was spent immersed in these books.
I am sharing custody of Bernie the sewing machine with Jacob's sister.
I desperately want to sew my own clothes. And the machine can smell my desperation and has revolted.
And I think I bit off more than I can chew. (Perhaps I should start off with a simple pillow case instead of a dress?)
I spent more than 6 hours on a so-called 'One Hour Dress' that I had to give myself a little break from.
The whole sewing episode made me mad at Project Runway, and not just because Bert is still on the show.
(I watched Project Runway while I stitched. How do they do it!?)

I am a sewing ninja.
Or just a weirdo with fabric scissors.
You decide.

Friday night we watched Stacie's band, Juice Box, play at the Riverwoods. I really love what they have done to that place.

Then we walked 10 steps to La Jolla Groves for my longest and now oldest friend Melissa's surprise birthday dinner.(At 26, she is practically geriatric if you ask her. In my work you are not old until you are in your late 80s.) Sadly, no photos to document the event. I'll just leave you with this little blast from the past.

From Spring Break in NYC 2007

You know you want that jumpsuit.

I spent Saturday morning running a booth at the Walk for Alzheimer's and they raised $20,000!
Naturally, Harley the mascot for the Harley Davidson store was there to flirt with all of the girls. Naturally.

After two stressful sewing days, someone surprised me with a treat.
Aaaah. Are we grossing you out yet?
It is my absolute favorite to find little treats or love notes strategically placed for me to find them.
They taste better that way.

Things to do in Utah: BYU Museum of Art

2011-09-25T21:32:00.003-06:00

A few weekends ago we spent an impromptu date night (great idea, Jacob!) to the BYU Museum of Art.
Great thing is admission to the museum is free.
What can I say, I'm a cheap date.

I have been eying the book exhibit called 'Matter of Words' that is basically art with books and words.

The largest and most expansive part of the exhibit is this art installation of books that weighs 80,000 pounds.

Lots of books.

The rest of the exhibit was really 'arty' and above my taste level, but I loved the concept of using words and written works to convey a visually artistic message.

We lucked out by visiting the museum the same time that the American History major was hosting an open house. With free pie. Don't mind if we do. (No, we didn't steal pie. The server told us we could have some.)

You would think those art school kids would be all hoighty-toighty.
That facade crashed down when we found this nose pencil sharpener in the gift shop.
(Won't lie. It was $1 and I really want it.)

Other Fall events in Utah County we hit up this weekend:

Crucial Conversations Date Night for a good cause. Cupcake pictured above was the refreshment from Cupcake Chic. Don't hate cupcakers. Still don't get the whole cupcake thing, but the red velvet ones were good.
Williams-Sonoma free cooking classes every Saturday morning. I went with my friend Erika and we learned how to make true Italian pizza. For some reason, I felt extra nerdy to take pictures that morning. I know what you are thinking, When has that ever stopped you before? Alas. You will just have to imagine my margherita pizza. Beware. If you cannot withstand a good sales pitch, avoid these classes. But if you are good at keeping your wallet closed, carry on. The product push is pretty high and let's be honest, they have you coveting every machine they are using. I'm pretty sure I need a $200 food processor after going to that class.
Utah vs. BYU rivalry. The Wasatch War (I think calling it the Holy War is in poor taste) is a Utah favorite. Just not this girl's favorite. I was practically forced to watch the game against my will. However, the Utes dominated and I won dinner and a movie. So not a bad night for those wearing red. Dinner and a movie is our standard rivalry game bet. FYI: Our alma maters play in that game. Does it get heated? I could care less about the game so the sting of losing is not exacerbated in our home. Although, sometimes I drape my Utah shirt on Jacob when he is sleeping after a big win. Just kidding. I think.

Fall is getting off to a busy start.

What say you, blog friends? What should we put on our Utah Fall To-Do list?

Weeks 34 and 35: Cauliflower and potatoes

2011-09-13T21:11:00.003-06:00

Bountiful Baskets is always a surprise.
Which can be good or bad.
Bad when we got a bag of potatoes.
Their on my black list. (I'm a picky eater.)

But I have a potato lover in my house so the poor potatoes went to good use.

Week 34: Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Potatoes

from Our Best Bites cookbook

2 1/2 tablespoons EVOO
5 cloves minced garlic (I get mine from a jar)
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (from our garden!)
2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Black pepper
1 1/2 pounds small potatoes
Salt

1. Boil potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork
2. Meanwhile, combine EVOO, garlic, rosemary, mustard and a shake of black pepper in a bowl.
3. Preheat over 425 degrees.
4. When potatoes are done, drain and return to pan. Toss with the mustard mixutre.
5. Put potatoes on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and sprinkle a little salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Rating: I forgot the salt so the potatoes were only a solid 4. After the salt, Jacob bumped his rating right up to a 4.5. Not to shabby. I love garlic so much I almost had a bite. Almost.

Week 35: Pasta with Cauliflower

Cauliflower was another random BB pick. Neither of us are such a fan.

The recipe and photos can be found here.

Rating: 2.4. This was not a fan favorite. It was bland and not really anything. However, you could not taste the cauliflower so I am all about tricking myself to eat things I don't like. But this will not be made again at our house.

A day free of labor plus week 33

2011-09-11T15:36:00.000-06:00

Long weekends make my life.
I work M-Th so holiday weekends make for a 4 day break.
Love.
I look forward to them all year long.
Labor Day weekend is such a weekend.

The best part about a holiday is no responsibilities for either of us.
We get to just hang out all day together.
Bliss.

After running a few errands, perusing Borders (still over priced at 70% off), we had lunch in the canyon.

Along with everyone else in Utah County. It was packed.

And we decided to hike Stewart Falls on a whim.
Also along with everyone else in Utah County.
Great minds think alike.

A rare photo of the trail without a single person on it. (For now.)

Timp from the back side.

The Falls.

Sundance. I would die to have a cabin there.
Or know someone who has a cabin there.

A handsome hiker who carried my bag the whole way.

The hills are alive.......

Right after I took this picture a dad told his kid never to get near the berries.
I guess I was being a bad example.

There was a distinct rustling in this part of the woods.
The offender was never caught.

We got very dusty.

The weather was perfect (overcast and breezy) and the crowds died down toward the end.

We ended the day with a delicious and also impromptu meal.
Necessity and lack of time is where our best ideas come from.

Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
This really does not warrant a real recipe. But here it is...

2 slices of bread of choice
1 slice of mozzarella cheese
A spread of pesto
Roasted red peppers (I got a jar of peppers from Costco for easy access)

Make a regular grilled cheese sandwich except for....
- Spread pesto on the inside of one of the pieces of bread.
- Add roasted red peppers on top of the cheese.
- Eat. And try not to cry because it is so delicious.

Rating: 5. I have already had this again and it has been less than a week. I am proud to have really classed up grilled cheese.

Goodbye to summer

2011-09-11T13:49:00.000-06:00

Labor Day weekend ushers out the lazy, hazy days of summer.
Weather in Utah is fickle so it cannot always be counted on.
But it was like Mother Nature flipped a switch and it has been 10 degrees colder ever since the holiday came.

To say goodbye to summer, I took K and Reagan swimming.

I have never seen the Scera pool this empty.
It was glorious. I finally didn't feel like I was bathing with a few hundred other people.

After swimming, I hit up the Rooftop Concert Series with cousins on the Benson side, Deborah and Heidi while Jacob went camping with man-friends.

Deborah is trying to convince Heidi to come to school here next year for college so we were trying to show her what life in Provo is like.

The openers, the Vibrant Sound, were killer. From the first syllable of their cover of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' I knew I would like them. The headliner was fine, but I felt really old when all of the college kids rushed the stage. I just wanted to sit in my lawn chair and enjoy some music under the stars. I know your thinking, Come on, grandma. But I just liked the concerts better before college season. (I'm talking about you, Zoobies!)

Goodbye, summer.
A long weekend is the best way to usher you out.

It is your birthday

2011-09-09T23:13:00.001-06:00

Would you believe it?

I turned 25. The big two-five.
I am feeling old.
Not geriatric old, but older in a sense where I feel more established.
Which is weird because at work if you aren't over 80 years old you aren't considered old.
But I do feel older.
Like, now I am 25 and I have outgrown many "young" things I used to enjoy.
Until a senior told me that I looked too young to have a job. Or to be married.

Sigh.

My actual birthday was spent in Zion and the whole jumping out of a plane thing. But I found ways to extend the birthday celebration beyond just one day.
That's how I roll.

The fam gathered together for a birthday barbecue after we got home from the family reunion.

On the menu, my favorites: bratwurst (every German loves 'wurst. I am such a German), Momma's homemade corn salsa, whipped Jell-O.

And my sistah made me a cookie cake! (well a bunch of cookies stacked like a cake)
It was delicious.
Moo makes the best cookies.
Even though she is painfully stingy with her cookie dough.

The next weekend Jacob took me out for a my choice dinner and movie date.
We hit up the trendy Spark restaurant where Moo works.

My handsome carnivore enjoying his steak.

Spark specializes in non-alcoholic drinks.
Their most popular: a Shirley Temple topped with cotton candy.
Since we were the only people in the restaurants (we ate like seniors and dined at 5:30 to make our movie), Moo hooked me up with just the cotton candy.
It pays to know people on the inside.

After dinner we saw....

I fell in love with the book last summer.
Seriously, I felt a little empty when I finished the book and there wasn't anymore to read.

The movie was wonderful. It is even male approved by Jacob who was surprised with how much he liked it.

25 is turning out to be not so bad.

Family Reunion in Zions

2011-09-09T15:08:00.000-06:00

Every three years the Benson clan gets together for a blow-out of a reunion.
Before I joined the Benson fam, my family reunions were at Aspen Grove as we hoped and waited until the one day that our extended family would be big enough to fill the Family Lodge. (you must have 25 ish to get the lodge. We were never big enough.)

This reunion had more than 80 people there.
About 40 of them were under the age of 18.
I swear.

This year the reunion was at Zions Ponderosa Ranch.
It was awesome. (Thank, Aunt Mary Jane!)

{What's happening to my hand? No one can be sure.}

We roadtripped it down to Zions with Jacob's sister, Jenessa, who is seriously with child.
You might think it remiss for her to sit in the back seat.
But we sat her next to the cooler, a prime spot for a pregnant woman.

The ranch is on the east side of the park which means we turn off I-15 and go through Beaver to our final destination of Orderville.

It was late when we drove in and Orderville was full of cops.

But upon further inspection, we discovered that the cop cars were full of these....

Sexy mannequins dressed in cop gear.
It definitely fooled us the first time around.

Orderville is also the Home of the Ho-made pies. Klassy.

All 80 of us did not stay in the same place.
35-ish of our immediate family stayed in this vacation home.
This is my kind of camping.

Our place was decorated impeccably.
My favorite decor was Pig in an Apron.

The first day was marred with tragedy.
Making breakfast the first day the flipper was martyred.
I blame lack of sleep. The Bensons keep late hours that this girl is not used to.

Our place was 15 minutes outside of Zion National Park
(Did you know that it is Zion not Zions? I have been saying it wrong my whole life. I'm such a fool.)

With Matthew and Kim at the Lower Emerald Pools.

Four-wheeling with Sam and Jameson in our back seat.
They kept screaming for Jacob to go faster.

You turn around and all of the sudden it is Father and Son splits time.
They might have been egged on.

I love my birthday. I was a bit bummed that it was during the family reunion.
I'm a bit territorial about my birthday, but we found ways to make it special.
(I'm a middle child. It explains everything.)

The biggest birthday event at the reunion was skydiving on Friday.
Very hard to top.

On my actual birthday I woke up to a kitchen decorated with balloons and banners.
Jacob is the best. He supports my birthday neuroticism.

In the morning we hiked Angel's Landing.
Not my typical birthday activity but when in Rome....

To say it was hot would be an understatement.
It was at least 100 degrees and we were hiking in the middle of the day.
Not smart. To think we had a handful of degrees, and a Ph.D. among us.

Sadly, I got heat exhaustion half of the way up.
But I am committed.
I just kept saying my motto "I can do hard things" to the point that I was being mocked. (I'm talking about you, David!)

For those who do not know, Angel's Landing beautiful but strenuous hike.
It is two miles one way and the last half mile must be completed holding onto chains.
On the edge is a cliff.
Sometimes on both sides.

It was not scary (I just jumped out of a plane. The shock value threshold is pretty high.)
But my legs started shaking because of the heat exhaustion so that was a little scary. (Read: A LOT scary.)

Jocy, Jacob and Chris.

Jilleena. She hiked this while pregnant.
Not only is she my hero, she is pretty bad-a.

The trouble starts when you are going up and another group of hikers is coming down.
The ultimate road block.
But what is hiking without a little thrill?

But the pay off was worth it. Absolutely gorgeous.

The hiking group at the summit. Chris, Jilleena, Jocy, Me, Jacob, David.
Not pictured: JoEllen and Tanner.

This birthday was far more adventurous than most, which I fear gave Jacob's extended family a false impression that I am a total resident bad-A.

I hate to disappoint so I let them believe it. :)

We finished up the day with a round of miniature golf.
Jacob's ball launched into the water.
It made me very happy.

Gorgeous view, handsome husband.

And cake!
Thank you, Jilleena (and others who helped) to hook me up with a delicious cake and my favorite treats.
I felt very loved.

Then we came home and I took a sick day from work to recover.

Thanks, Bensons! See you in three years.

Week 32- Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

2011-08-30T16:26:00.000-06:00

Our rosemary plant has been neglected this season because the oregano and basil have taken over, so I forget about our little rosemary. Hopefully this recipe will make up for it.

Grilled Tuscan Chicken and Rosemary and Lemon

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), (we used chicken tenders)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat grill to medium. In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup water and rosemary to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let steep 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender. Add oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth; let cool.
Combine chicken and rosemary oil in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, and turn to coat. Cover, and let marinate at least 15 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, turning chicken occasionally.
Remove chicken from marinade; place on grill. Discard marinade. Cook, basting frequently with lemon juice and turning as needed to prevent burning, until cooked throughout, 20 to 30 minutes.

Rating: 3.7. The chicken was a little dry. I am not the best at knowing when it is done. I convince myself there is pink because I am so nervous about food poisoning. I blame myself for this.

Note: I halfed the recipe and it was perfect for dinner and leftovers for lunch. We used 6-7 chicken tenders instead of a whole chicken and we grilled them on our Foreman grill. We served it with grilled zucchini and Rice Almondine (a FAVORITE, but it would be better named as Rosemary Rice).

Week 31- Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

2011-08-28T16:16:00.000-06:00

Sometimes new recipes are the invention of desperation.
After returning from our family reunion, we have been too exhausted to make anything that required really any thought or serious effort. Therefore, our healthy eating habits have declined rapidly.

This meal is the birth child of desperation and what I had in the pantry. (And by pantry, I mean book shelf in my office.)

Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto found here.

Ingredients

12 ounces penne pasta
1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

2. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

3. Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped.
4. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.
5. Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten.
6. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve.

Rating: 4. This was simple and easy, but I probably won't crave it. But it was still really good.
Note: this recipe makes a TON! I halfed it and it is going to be more than 3 meals.

#4- Go skydiving.

2011-08-25T22:23:00.001-06:00

On August 19, one day before my birthday, I completed the most daring, improbable and most talked about goal on my 25 Things to do before I turn 25.

I went skydiving. (For those not wanting details, the video is at the bottom of the post.)

It wasn't until my 25th birthday snuck up that I decided it was time to commit. The Benson family reunion in Zions was scheduled over my birthday, so it seemed like fate. Jacob is not into heights (read: terrified) so I had to convince someone else to jump with me. Enter David, Jacob's eldest brother.

We drove a little over an hour to Hurricane airport to report for training at Skydive Zion. (Shout out to Rick! You were/are awesome!) We signed our lives away (literally) with waiver forms instructing us that if we die we cannot sue. The advice I was given before we went was to just sign the waiver and not read it because it WILL make you second guess.

Then we watched a training video featuring this guy as their lawyer......

ZZ Top was a lawyer for a skydiving company in another life.

We did some training on the ground. I am learning how to free fall properly. Apparently, free falling is more than just falling. Proper arm placement and a good back arch is all you need.

Pre-jump. One last family photo.... just in case. :)

Rick filming me for my video. Best spent money ever.
And Rick is the BEST instructor. More than 8,000 jumps under his belt. I felt very safe in his hands.

Practicing in the teeniest plane ever. No seats for me and Rich. Just chillin' on the floor.

Getting ready.... and we're off!

The plane ride up takes about 15 to 20 minutes. It seems longer on the ground but it felt really quick. Rick pointed out all of the beautiful scenery and when we finally reached our ascension, we were at 11,000 feet.

Once we hit destination point, Rick tightened the harness on both of us tighter and it was time to go. We scooted up to the front next to Roger and then they opened the door. It was so cold and the wind was so loud!

I was so nervous before. I knew that I was going to jump because I was committed. But I still was nervous/anxious, etc. But right before the big jump I got a huge sense of calm for the last 1,000 feet of ascension. But once he opened the door, that sense of calm was gone.

I thought that once they opened the door we would just barrel out and it would be over with. But he opened the door, had us look at the ground below. Next I swung my legs over the edge and set my feet on this little step. Then I scooted my bum to the edge so he could fit behind me. Then I crouched and stood up, held onto my harness and leaned forward into a front wards flip.

From then on, it is hard to recollect what happened. The flip happened so quickly that it was hard for me to discern where we were. The feeling of free falling cannot be described or related to anything else. It was like being in a wind tunnel and feeling weightless. I panicked a bit through my flip and I did the spread eagle a second or two early but it still went smoothly.

Then once we hit 4,000 feet Rick motioned to my parachute line and I got to pull the rip cord myself! That feeling of pulling the parachute was another experience and sensation all on its own. I couldn’t stop screaming in exasperation, happiness and pure shock that I was able to actually do something so crazy.

Once the parachute was pulled, we did a few turns but I started to feel a bit motion sick so I just floated the rest of the way down. We went to land, I pulled hard on the parachute, lifted my legs and the instructor and I landed.

WE DID IT!!!!!!!

This is by far the craziest thing I have ever done and I LOVED it.

It went by so fast. I'm sure that I will have to do it again to really experience the full sensation. :)

Note: Before my skydiving experience, Jacob was at a definite 'hell no' whether he would go or not. I think we might have squeaked him to a flat 'no' now. Progress, friends.

The whole video rocks, but the action starts at 4 minutes in.

This is by far the coolest thing on my 25 Before 25, if not the coolest thing I have done ever.

2011-08-23T11:37:00.000-06:00

In keeping with our summer goal to hit up the best things to see in Utah, we went to the Bingham Copper Mine. I was not exactly sure what to expect.

The low-down: It costs $5 per car to get into the mine area.
After a visit to the visitor's center and a short video (very important if you really don't know anything about mining anything), you can visit the actual mine. It is enormous.

Jacob, me and Padre.

The mine. It is huge.
To see size comparison, look in the right corner for the truck.

A close up of one of the trucks used to haul minerals.

Aaaaand this is the size of one of the wheels. Enormous.
Mining copper and other minerals is not joke.

While we are up on the faaaaaar west side of Salt Lake Valley, it seemed logical to find the "Up" house in Herriman.

Yes. Some developer created an exact replica of the house from "Up" as a part of the Parade of Homes.
Admission is permitted with a ticket for the Parade.

To add to the charm, they had Mr. Fredrickson and Russell to greet visitors.

I'm all about the extra touches. And the mail box really hit this house over the moon.

Well, played West Side.

Four more years!

2011-08-23T10:49:00.000-06:00

We just celebrated our fourth year anniversary!
It took everything in me not to shout "Four More Years!" all day long.
August 9th, 2007 was the best day of my life and I could not be more happy.

We celebrated in our usual fashion with a trip up to Park City (where we spent out honeymoon).
The weather was beautiful on Main Street which is my favorite part of PC.
While I love the Outlets, and we always still go there, they are packed with back-to-schoolers who are hounding for good deals. It can be a bit much for one who wants to leisurely stroll through the stores.

The traditional picture with Franz the bear. (I'm almost positive that is his name.)
We should do a flip book with a photo of us every year with Franz to see how we've grown.

Jacob and Franz.
Oh, how he humors me.

We switched it up and had lunch at Bandits.
Jacob was craving meat and meat is what we got.
During the summer the Main Street restaurants put wooden extensions on the sidewalk to provide seating and covering outdoor dining. It was wonderful.

Barbecue sauce + tri-tip steak sandwhich = a very happy Jacob.

Happy anniversary, love!

Life, according to my camera phone

2011-08-23T10:23:00.002-06:00

Biking up to Bridal Veil Falls.

Playing around with new camera phone app while dad rode down the mountain to get the car. Sadly, the bike car suffered an injury and had to be driven home in the car. But he will survive.

Cute sister. She's getting all grown up.

Reading in the park. The book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" was devastating, wonderful and riveting. I read it in two days. A big portion of it was at the park.

My favorite place: the library.

Now my nightstand looks like this. I couldn't decide what to read next so the librarian told me to check out as many as I want. So I did. Now I can't decide.

What are you reading?

Week 29 and 30: Pizza Margherita

2011-08-22T19:55:00.000-06:00

I am going out of town this week for a family reunion, so I am counting this meal as two weeks because I used two recipes.

I love homemade pizza and I wanted to find other ways to use our fabulous basil from our garden.

Enter Pizza Margherita. This is a two-for because we made the dough from scratch as well.

Easy and Basic Pizza Dough

From Just Cook Already

1 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast in bulk
1 tsp. sugar
2 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 cups flour

1. Mix all ingredients together in mixer with dough hook.
2. Knead for 3-5 minutes until dough goes into a ball and is smooth. (if needed, add a couple of tablespoons of flour to help it not be too sticky.)
3. Roll up in plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Split dough in half and roll out dough onto cookie sheet.
5. Melt a bit of butter and spread on dough with a pastry brush over crust.
6. Cook for 8 minutes.

Pizza Margherita

1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped and julienned
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesean
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In food processer, combine tomatoes, EVOO, salt and pepper to taste and process until smooth.
3. Spread sauce on dough.
4. Sprinkle basil leaves on top of sauce.
5. Sprinkle Parmesean cheese.
6. Arrange mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.
7. Cook for 15-20 minutes until edges are golden brown.

Rating: 4. I loved the crisp crust (we made it thin to be more true Italian) but the original recipe had the oven temp set to 500 degrees so we set off the fire alarm when the crusts got a little too crispy. Also, I would cut the mozzarella into smaller pieces to spread it out on the whole pizza.

Week 28: Stuffed Bell Peppers

2011-08-14T15:49:00.002-06:00

It has been some good eats here at the Benson house.

I have a bell pepper obsession. I love every color (especially yellow and orange) and they are the best addition to any dish.

This time we centered the dish around bell peppers. And it was delish.

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Recipe adapted from a few different recipes, but mostly based on Emeril's version.

3 beautiful bell peppers, tops cut away and seeds removed
1 tablespoons veggie oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 pound ground beef and ground turkey mixture (use whatever meat you want)
1/2 tablespoon garlic
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves (fresh from the garden, holla!)
1/8 cup chopped oregano (from my garden!)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup cooked rice
4 ounces tomato sauce

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, parboil* the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Removed with slotted spoon and dry on paper towel.
3. In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chopped bell peppers and cook until soft about 3 minutes.
4. Add meat, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, black pepper and pepper flakes. Cook until meat is browned, breaking up the lumps with a spoon.
5. Add the rice and tomato sauce and stir well. Remove from heat and adjust the seasoning to taste.
6. Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom, about 1/8 inch deep.
7. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and place in the baking dish.
8. Bake until peppers are tender and the filling is heated through. Usually 20-25 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, cool a bit and EAT!

*parboiling is when you partially cook a vegetable by boiling. I think of it as giving it a kick start before the baking.

Rating: 4.5. This was so good! It seems complicated, but it is basically Spanish rice stuffed into a pepper. Although, I changed mine and made it more Italian with the basil, oregano and red peppers. We scarfed the peppers up and Jacob at the leftover rice plain. That is just how good it was.

Week 27: Summer pasta

2011-08-10T22:21:00.002-06:00

Our garden finally produced fruit!
It has been a long summer because we waited so long to plant, but finally we have something to pick!

Look at those beauts.
I am so proud of this meal because it has all the makings from our garden.
(And picked minutes before they were tossed in.)

Baked Pasta with Summer Vegetables

Serves 4

From Handle the Heat.

6 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni, etc.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow squash
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped tomato
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Serve with salad greens.

Note: I did not have ricotta cheese so I subbed it for Parmesan.

Rating: 4.8 This meal was delicious. Like Mmm mmm, good. (Sorry for the trademark, Campbell's. I can't think of any other way to describe how good it was.

Week 26: Heavenly tomato soup

2011-08-09T22:08:00.001-06:00

In June the girls in the family went to a cooking class at La Jolla Groves.
It was three hours of delicious food from a fabulous chef.

One of the recipes was tomato soup that made me cry for joy. Love it.

Tuscan Tomato Soup
(Adapted from Kent Andersen's recipe)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 1/2 cups diced and seeded tomatoes (I used canned tomatoes because our garden is a bit behind)
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cups heavy whipping cream (I just used milk, whipping cream is not usually in my fridge)
1/2 cup basil pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: add tomato paste to adjust color and flavor or if it was too water

1. Heat oil in a medium large soup pot. Coat the bottom of pan and let that get hot.
2. Add the onions and cook until translucent
3. Add tomatoes and warm to a simmer
4. Add chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes
5. Add pesto and whipping cream. Do not boil soup after cream is put in it.
6. Blend to desired consistency. (I used my trusty blender)
7. Use s & p to taste.

And this soup is the perfect way to class up your grilled cheese. Seriously.

Rating: 4.5.The only downside is that it is a little rich so it makes it hard to eat a ton, but I love it.

Week 25: Mix and match pasta salad

2011-08-06T20:58:00.002-06:00

There used to be a time that pasta salad was my thing.
I brought it to every family dinner/BBQ because I could make it from a box and just knock it out in minutes.
But it was from a box and nothing is really good from a box.

We wanted to go for a picnic and needed something quick.
So I whipped out Food Network Magazine. (man, they should really sponsor me.)

I love their monthly Mix and Match section, and June's was pasta salad.

My version?

Penne pasta
Chicken
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Feta cheese
Garlic oil dressing (saute garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes and olive oil. Season with s & p)

I love how simple and easy it is and the endless possibilities. And we could use what we had just in our fridge.

Seem to simple? It really was. And it was perfect for a non-fussy picnic.

This weekend...

2011-08-05T22:37:00.003-06:00

Someone at our house got his wisdom teeth out this weekend.

So it will be spent eating copious amounts of this.... (which makes the surgery awesome)

and these.. (which makes the surgery less awesome.)

Catch you on the flip side.

Taste of the Valley 2011

2011-08-05T17:43:00.004-06:00

I love Pioneer Day.
Mostly because I got Monday off to observe the holiday so I had a 4-day weekend. Holla!

But seriously. The real reason we love Pioneer Day is for
Taste of the Valley.

What is Taste of the Valley, you ask?
One of our favorite food festivals that we look forward to ever year. (Melis- much better than that food festival at BYU I dragged you to. I swear!)

Here's how it works.
Restaurants around the valley set up booths and give participants a sampling of what they offer.
Participants show up and buy a punch card. $10 per ticket.
The punch card gets you one sample from each booth. (I use the word sample loosely. Most places are generous in their sampling.)
Then you eat yourself silly. Literally. Just look at how many places were there. Forty-one, people!
Definitely should have worn expandable pants.

All the crowd favorites were there: P.F. Changs, Tucanos, Gloria's Little Italy, Cupcake Chic and La Jolla Groves. Even Noodles and Company, who gave my mom a shirt emblazoned with the words 'Mac Daddy' on it.

Word to the wise: share a ticket. We learned our lesson the first year. Even with sharing a ticket, we still didn't make it to all of the booths because we were so stuffed. Enter serious food baby. (food baby, not real baby. I posted that on FB and was rushed with a flurry of pregnancy questions. I am not, I repeat, not pregnant.) CPK and Malawi's pizza gave out full slices. And Cafe Paesan gave out a full meal. They didn't mess.

A very happy and full Jacob.

When you purchase your ticket you are given a box to carry all of your treasures inside. Some people did not play around and brought cookie sheets to carry their food. Overkill? A tad.

Go early. Like, right when it starts. End of July in Utah is hot and swarms of people make it hotter. This is only a snapshot of the crowd. And plus, it takes time to make it to 41 booths while eating.

Enjoying fro-yo. Or is it frozurt? What do the kool kids call frozen yogurt these days?

Mama and the little sisters.
{Other attendees not pictured: Kiki and Neal's fam and the Lows.}

One of the booths was a massage therapy school, which entitled you to a quick massage.
My 6-year-old (soon to be 7!!!) niece collected everyone's extra punch cards and got herself some extra massages.
She is a smart little girl.

Gazebo in the center of Riverwoods where local musicians played.

In recent years, Taste of the Valley has been held by the courthouse.
This year they upped the ante and Riverwoods hosted.
Have you been there recently? The work they have put into it has paid off.

The only thing I didn't like that a few stores in the Riverwoods were on the punch card. But once you went in the store, they gave you a coupon. Definitely not worth my punch. (Do you hear this, Taste of the Valley planning gods? Leave those stores out!) Although not all business punches were a waste. Williams and Sonoma was the surprise of the event with fabulous food. Delicious.

Taste of the Valley is the Saturday closest to Pioneer Day.
Schedule it.
You're all invited to come with us next year.

Llama and blue ribbons

2011-08-04T22:14:00.000-06:00

On July 17 we went to Llama Fest, a Peruvian Festival at our local Hare Krishna temple.
This event was just absurd enough to be perfect.

We have hit up the Hare Krishna temple for other events before, Festival of Colors and India Fest. And they know how to throw a good party.

When we first arrived, the llamas were all gathered in a gazebo.
I noticed a friend of a friend holding the reins of the llama, laughing that someone just handed them to him.
And then he proceeded to pass them along to me.

Initially I was grossed out. My llama reins were moist. (Not wet, but moist. That is how gross they were. They deserve to be described by a word like moist.) And my llama was temperamental and a tad moody.

We first were judged by appearance. Which confused me, mostly because the judges owned all of the llamas, but the participants were all along for the ride. I only held onto the smelly reins because I had heard rumor that there was a llama race. And I would be darned if I was not a part of that race. As I waited and bonded with my llama, people would come by and ask to take pictures with "my" llama. (His name was Wind Star.)

Shockingly enough, some people are 'llama people'. When mine would misbehave, this girl would say "Last year, I learned..." and "llamas usually are like...." They have a cult following.

OK, finally race time. We were instructed to run down the dirt road, up a hill and around a tower and back down to the finish line. (For those who want the quick version, race starts 30 seconds in and watch the finish line at 1:10. I don't know how to edit video.)

And it was.....

STEPHANIE AND WINDSTAR
FOR THE WIN!

Can you handle it?

Me neither.

I was told by the llama expert to not look at your llama when you pull him and he will follow you.
So I pulled hard, never looked back and hauled it.

Baby llama. Much cuter than an adult llama. And way less moody.

While my llama never spit, I was sneezed on, which I declare to be equally disgusting.
And while we fared well in the llama race, Windstar was not feeling it for the obstacle course and we failed miserably. I did the obstacles and he just walked along the side. Nice.)

The fabulous spectators.
They waited with me while I held the reins and cheered me on through the llama events.

Llama Fest, you will definitely go down in history.

In a cave

2011-08-01T21:10:00.000-06:00

A few weekends ago we hiked to Timpanogos Cave.
It is days like that when I realize how beautiful Utah really is.
I often fantasize about running away together to a myriad of destinations (Morocco, France, Italy, Egypt, D.C. to name a few), but Utah truly is wonderful.

The cave is found after a 1 1/2 mile hike, with an increase of altitude of 1,065 feet.
We hiked it in about 45 minutes.
And at 7 a.m. in the morning. I definitely recommend the early hike.
It was just us, which was perfect. And the heat had not starting bearing down on us.

The whole hike is a series of switchbacks.

The hikers.

Inside the cave.
Once we got inside and they turned off the lights, it kind of felt like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland. Even down to the smell. Sadly, there were no pirates in our adventure.

The lake inside of the cave.

Weird cave shapes throughout the cave.
Tempting to touch? Don't even think about it.
You would be a cave killer. (The tour guide's words, not mine.)

Thankfully there are well-placed lights throughout the cave to give it the dramatic effect.
And when the lights were turned off, danger ensued. Literally.
They turned off the lights and the tour guide from the other group fell down the stairs.
Like head-over-heels. It was the saddest/funniest part of the tour.

The "heart" of Timpanogos.
To meet it looks like an artichoke heart.

The stalactites and stalagmites were incredible. It boggles my mind to see something that took thousands of years to create.

Maybe in another couple of thousand of years these two will touch.

The boarded up area between the rocks in the original entrance.
Two young boys walked through the cave with candlelight to shine their way.

Things we learned:

Go early. Our tour was at 8:30 a.m., and it took about 1 hour to hike. On the way down the pathway was packed.
Take your camera. And get used to using flash. It was hard to get great pictures.
Bring snacks. The tour lasts an hour, so it is like a three hour ordeal. Snacks make everything better.
Take a flash light. There are cave lights but they only light the way and highlight features of the cave.
Follow instructions. When they say, duck. They mean it. (Poor Jacob)

Thanks, Timpanogos! I could not be happier that you are in my backyard.

Camping... or is it Pamping

2011-07-23T19:45:00.002-06:00

I recently got a new calling in church.
I got called to the Young Women program (as secretary), helping with the young girls in our ward.
When I was extended the call, I blurted "Do I have to go to Girl's Camp?"
You see, the whole presidency was called 3 weeks before camp.
Um, three weeks.

As one of the few working leaders, I was unable to take a whole week off from work on such short notice (and I had just taken a fabulous trip to D.C.). So I went and spent the last two nights.

My camp duties were mostly pre-camp.
And they were challenging and well, let's just say stressful.

But we made it and camp was a success. (minus the sleepless nights from the girls' giggles and a cabin of snoring. Remind me to kiss Jacob for not being a snore-er.)

This is the same camp that I went to when I was a YW. (well, the only two times I went.)
When I was a girl we were told about the scary things that lurk in the lake.
As a leader I am now in on it. It is a tale to scare the kiddies into not splashing each other.
Well played, former leaders. Well played.

Our theme this year was N.E.R.D.S.- Need Every Righteous Daughter Serving.
The goal was to encourage tons of service among the girls, and to wear nerdy accessories.

My camp duty was to help run 'Spa Day'. Now, this is my kind of camping.
The girls loved getting facials and manicures from the two cleanest leaders.
Ok- I'll be real. It is generous to call what I did "manicures."
I more globbed on paint to their nails. (I am awful at nail painting.)

Girls Camp is never complete without a visit from Justin Bieber.

And finally, our pet salamander named Sally or Sal.
It is near impossible to tell the sex on these things.
Sadly, Sally died at camp a few hours later. I suppose he/she was not ready to be domesticated.

It is a joke in our ward that our kind of camping should be called 'pamp-ing.'
Because we are so pampered at camp. (cabins, excellent food, flushing toilets)
But to me, it is as serious of camping that I would ever like to get.

Is there a more beautiful sight?

2011-07-13T23:16:00.000-06:00

This yellow flower warms my heart.
We don't have kids.
We don't have a pet.
So we focus on our garden. (and my Toms)

And right now we have 5 little zukes growing.
Ah, summer.

Our garden has really taken off.
I love checking it every day and I am very protective.
So protective, I got after a stranger who was looking under my pot, only to find out he is one of the new tenants downstairs. Well, hello. Nice to meet you. Awkward.

What do you grow in your garden?

Week 24: Fancy pasta

2011-07-10T16:32:00.003-06:00

Cappellini Pomodoro

This is a tried and true family favorite.
It is so simple and these 4 main ingredients taste ah-mazing.

1 cloves garlic, minced
1 pounds plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 ounce fresh basil leaves, minced
1/6 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese
6 ounces dry angel hair pasta, cooked (I used spaghetti sometimes)
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Heat olive oil and add garlic. Cook until garlic turns white.

Add tomatoes and pepper. Heat through, stirring constantly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Tomatoes should not lose their shape.

Remove from heat. Transfer hot, cooked pasta to large bowl. Toss pasta gently with tomato mixture, basil and half of Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately with the remaining Parmesan.

Rating: 5. This never disappoints. So simple yet delicious.

Week 23: a birthday cupcake

2011-07-10T16:17:00.004-06:00

It was my mom's birthday earlier this week and instead of a cake we had cupcakes.
My sister (and Neal) made delicious pink lemonade cupcakes from scratch.
I was instructed to make strawberry shortcake inspired cupcakes.

So this is my recipe for this week. A bit half-baked because it is so easy, but it really was so good.

Strawberry Stuffed Cupcakes

1 box cakemix and the ingredients listed on the box (I used yellow, could use vanilla. Is flavor is 'yellow,' anyway?)
Fresh strawberries, chopped up and some sliced
Whip topping (Cool Whip is a favorite)

1. Make cupcake batter according to instructions on box.
2. Fill baking liners only half way.
3. Add chopped strawberries. Fill with rest of batter and bake like normal.
4. Frost with whip topping and top with a sliced strawberry or two.

Simple, right? And it was delicious. Popular with the kids and the whip topping is better for you than cream cheese frosting so I felt like I could more. :)

Rating: 4.5 I like my cupcakes simple and light. These do the trick. Thanks for the idea, Kiki!

Empty wall

2011-07-10T16:03:00.002-06:00

We've lived in our house for almost four years.
What should be plenty of time to decorate a house has quickly flown by.
Being students has given us the excuse to have mismatched furniture and hand-me-downs to adorn our humble abode.
But alas, we are no longer students. Even though our home still looks a bit like it.
We've never known how long we would live in our house or where life would take us, so my excuse was: I am not buying a whole new couch set just to move and have it not work.

So while I wish I could be debuting a new couch or bed set, (I'm suddenly feeling like this post is anticlimactic) I finally put something on one of our kitchen walls.

Said wall. So sad. So white. So lonely.

I asked for a print for my birthday last year.
The birthday fairy (Jacob) came through and I have searched and searched for the perfect frame.
But with odd dimensions, it was impossible to find a frame I loved that wouldn't break the bank.

So we decided to make one.
We headed to Lowe's and picked up a long piece of decorative molding.
(how long? Really long. It went through the trunk and between us in the car.)

My padre (AKA- Mr. I-just-made-this-from-scratch-but-it's-no-big-deal) helped us cut the frame and glue it.

He insisted using my finger for the glue.
And no, I did not glue my finger to anything. (Hey- anything is possible with super glue)

And then we set the pieces together.
(Dad's hands, not mine. Didn't want you to think I had that hairy of arms.)

Then came spray painting.
As mentioned in this post, I love spray paint.
I want to spray paint everything.
If you haven't tried it, I dare you.
This project took about 2 light coats and some touch ups.

We added on a little tooth/saw picture hook.
And taped the picture on the back.

A voila. The empty wall now has a friend!
I know the "Keep Calm and Carry On" print is so last year, but I love it and love what it represents.

Week 22: Spritzing seltzer

2011-07-09T00:02:00.000-06:00

When we got out Bountiful Baskets this past week we got a bunch of limes.
What to do with limes?

While this might be a cop out to use as a recipe, I'm using it because I was at girls camp last week, so this was the bulk of my cooking.

Take a lime. Roll it under your hands to soften.
Or if you are like Rachael Ray, you can heat in the micro for a few seconds.

Put your hand strength to good use and squeeze out some juice. We really need to get one of those hand juicers. I almost got a hand cramp.

Grab some flavored sparkling water. I opted for raspberry but Jacob like the lemon lime.

Add a bit of lime juice, sit on your porch at sunset and enjoy.

Note: add a touch and then taste. There is such a thing as too much lime juice.

Week 21: Artichokes

2011-07-08T23:50:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago we got artichokes in our Bountiful Baskets.
I would consider myself a connoisseur of spinach artichoke dip (Red Robin has the best one, hands down. Trust me, I have tried a lot.)
But I am a bit uncomfortable with artichokes when they are not in dip form.

So we kind of winged it.

Get your artichokes. Cut off stem, leaving an inch so it can stand up right.
Put a couple inches of water in a pot. Add in some chopped garlic and a little lemon juice.
Place in artichokes in pot so they are standing up right.
Boil for about 30 minutes or until tender.
Pull out and admire. (look at those juicy babies above.)

Start pulling off leaves from the outside working in.
Put leave in mouth, close teeth and pull out, pushing the insides of the tip in your mouth.
(Yes, I did not know this is how you ate them. You mean you don't eat the leaf?)

We made dipping sauces.
Mayo/miracle whip with a little paprika.
Mayo/miracle whip with a little Dijon mustard.

You know you are done when your plate looks like this.
While it is a bit tedious to eat, it was a lot of fun.

Rating: 3.7. While I don't know if I would ever crave eating an artichoke like this, it was a lot of fun. And we laughed the whole time.

7.4.11

2011-07-07T19:23:00.000-06:00

I am still in awe that it is July already. Where did the past 6 months go?

Tradition usually rules this holiday, and this year was no different.
It was jam packed into one day because Girl's Camp dominated the first half of the weekend (more on that later).

Balloon Fest usually kicks off the festivities.
The three-day festival is a must see, even though it starts at 6:30 in the morning.
To avoid the crowds, we usually attend on the first day of the festival but the morning of the 4th was our only option.

And, man, it was packed. Does this picture make you want to cry?
Me too. Especially considering that we know how fabulous Balloon Fest can really be.
Trust me- there is only a 1/3 of the crowd on the other days.

Maybe everyone was getting their hot air balloon on because of the Vader balloon.
Sadly, I only got a picture from behind. Right as we were going to see the front, a huge gust of wind took down every balloon. Then they packed up and went home. Boo.

And, of course, with the debut of the Vader came people dressed in Star Wars costumes.
(Is this guy even a character?)

And some people make themselves so comfortable at Balloon Fest they even bring their portable grill for breakfast. Pancakes, anyone?

After the fateful gust of wind, we boogied on over to the parade.
Usually parade-eve is spent camping out for awesome parade spots and playing all night.
Am I getting too old? Maybe. This year, the Doty's scoped out the spot morning of and it was awesome.

J and S.
Parade spectator extraordinaires.

Me with the wonderful Doty's.
Holla.

Later that day, our nephews and niece came over to sell soft-serve ice cream on our street because we get so much traffic.
Apparently everyone was off barbecuing, but I think they still made some cash.
I mean, how could you not buy ice cream from such a cute entrepreneur?

We ended the day with the most American thing ever: grilled bratwurst. Schmecht gut.
And fireworks, of course. How are you loving the new legal fireworks? Making fireworks legal that go 100 feet in the sky has sure spiced up this holiday season.

Hope you had a fun and safe 4th!

Sparkler photo tutorial found here.

Summa-time

2011-06-24T19:15:00.002-06:00

I do declare that summer is finally here.
It has been a tease, but the 90 degree plus weather proves otherwise.
I penned a list a mile long for our summer bucket list, but June is practically over and we are so behind.
It is this job thing that is getting in the way. ;)
My niece asked me if I got work off for the summer.
When I told her no, she responded with, "Poor you."

I think we will try and make the most of our three-day weekends this summer.

My padre turned 50!
And I, apparently, look 15.

Summer equals outdoors. What better way to satisfy the natural order of summer than an outdoor concert.
The Rooftop Concert Series was just that.
On the first Friday of every month in the summer, there is a concert on the top of a parking garage in P-town.
And we're not talking hometown heroes plucking away on a guitar. (Well, one was a hometown hero but she was awesome.) We caught Ran Innes, Mindy Gledhill and Meaghan Smith. Wonderful.

And we finally planted our garden!
After battling with ridiculous weather, we finally bit the bullet and planted our garden.

Our chives and oregano are still alive from last year. (Who knew they were perennials?)
And a parsley plant from a seed that never materialized grew over winter.

Summer also brought one of the best sales of my life.
Mod Bod had a case lot sale. $15 for as many things as you can stuff into the bag.
The record was 13; I conceded at 12. (11 tanks/cap sleeve plus a swim suit top. Score.)

This year Summer Fest actually felt like summer.
No winter coats, just shorts and blankets.
While the parade felt like a constant commercial with all of the business "floats," it still was pretty good.
And the fireworks were awesome.
Well played, Summer Fest.

Week 20: Greek-Style Skillet Supper

2011-06-23T23:26:00.004-06:00

Pasta is a staple in our house. It can easily be transformed into so many meals- a chameleon in the kitchen.

I find recipes in a myriad of places. This one I found in the coupon section of the newspaper. While Mrs. McCormick would hope I would use her spices to make this (hence the coupon at the bottom of the recipe) but I just used what I had.

GREEK-STYLE SKILLET SUPPER

1 lb ground beef (I would use half a pound, but I'm not a meaty person)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes (can't wait to use fresh ones from our garden!)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 1/2 cups spinach (it says to use frozen but I used fresh and it was delish)
3/4 crumbled feta cheese

1. Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat until beef is cooked through. Drain fat.
2. Add oregano, cinnamon and garlic powder. Mix well.
3. Stir in broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil.
4. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender. (Note: this took more like 15 and I had to add a little moisture to get the noodles cooked all of the way.)
5. Stir in spinach and 1/2 feta cheese.
6. Cover. Cook 5 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.
7. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes. (Honestly, mine wasn't watery enough to need to stand, but yours might.)

Rating: 4.7. We've already had it twice since then. The cinnamon is an unexpected flavor and I felt a little Greek, even if it is only a Greek "styled" meal.

Week 19: Pasta Primavera

2011-06-23T23:10:00.001-06:00

Alright, alright. I'm behind on my weekly new recipes, but in all actuality I have been on it. It is the posting I am behind on.

This week we noshed on Pasta Primavera. Primavera means spring, but my mom said it means vegetable. I determine it should mean spring vegetables. We're all about compromise here.

I have developed a love affair with Bountiful Baskets. I am a card carrying "fruit person," but I fallen in love with vegetables. We eat so much healthier when we order BB because I refuse to throw away produce, so we eat it instead. And we are eating so much better because of it.

But the real perk of BB is that is guides what I make for dinner. No longer are the days when I come home from work and sit in the kitchen as my stomach gurgles with hunger pangs, trying to decide what to make. It gets to the point when nothing sounds good and I don't eat until 8 p.m. Well, NO MORE! I plan my meals around what we get in BB and it takes a lot of guessing out of it. BB did not endorse this post, however, I would happily become their spokeswoman. :)

On to the recipe. This meal is perfect to throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand.

PASTA PRIMAVERA
Serves 4. Takes about 30 minutes

12 oz. fusilli or other corkscrew pasta (we only had bowtie on hand and it worked fine)
1/2 pound sugar snap peas or broccoli (we used what we had on hand- broccoli)
2 carrots, shredded
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips (have a red or orange? Toss them in, too!)
1/4 cup EVOO
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes (we used normal ones which we had on hand)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (gentle, people. Don't over do it.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces Feta Cheese, crumbled (recipe calls for goat. Any crumbly will do.)
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

1. Cook noodles according to instructions.
2. Add peas/broccoli, carrots and bell peppers to boiling water for the last two minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and then drain pasta.
3. Meanwhile, heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add garlic and cook until just golden, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and 1 tsp salt; cook until tomatoes begin to wilt, usually about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in 1/4 cup of reserved cooking water.
7. Pour tomato mixture over pasta and vegetables.
8. Add Parmesan and half of crumbly cheese and toss to combine. Season with salt.
9. Divide among bowls. Tops with remaining cheese and give a small drizzle of olive oil.

Rating: 5. This was awesome. The vegetables perfectly complement the pasta, and the EVOO just... well, wow. Heart.

Recipe adapted from the Food Network.

Week 18: Chicken and spaghetti with pesto

2011-06-10T12:33:00.000-06:00

Glamour magazine touted this recipe as 'the fast pasta you can even cook for company.' I was determined to see if their claim was true. (You never know. Earlier they claimed the magical powers of 'Engagement Chicken', a chicken dish that is supposed to result in a proposal. Since I am already hitched, this would be hard to test out. They also have a pregnancy meal but we are not ready to test that one out. And while I think it is a bit far fetched, I am not taking any chances.)

Chicken Spaghetti with Pesto
originally found in Nov. 2009 issue of Glamour Magazine. Adapted to my tastes.

2 oz. dry whole wheat spaghetti (I love whole wheat, Jacob hates it. Good thing the recipe called for it.)
4-6 chicken tenderloins
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. pesto sauce
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. shredded Parmesan
Fresh basil (optional, but fun)

1. Boil the spaghetti according to directions on the package.
2. Meanwhile, heat up a saute pan over medium heat.
3. Season thawed chicken with salt and pepper. (I used sea salt.) Cook a few minutes on both sides until cooked all of the way through. When finished, slice crosswise.
4. Drain spaghetti, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.
5. Toss spaghetti with chicken, pesto (which I warmed in the micro for 10 seconds), olive oil and enough cooking water so that the pesto spreads evenly over the noodles.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan and and basil on top. After the photo, we sliced the basil and put it on top.

Rating: 5. This was super easy considering I had little to prepare. We keep a jar of prepared pesto on hand, as well as grated Parmesan cheese. It was delicious, fast AND easy which is big in my book.

Week 17: What do you do with Anaheim peppers?

2011-06-09T22:54:00.000-06:00

This week in Bountiful Baskets we received 6 Anaheim peppers. After a quick Google search, I found out what an Anaheim pepper is (a mild chile pepper), and a recipe to boot.

Spanish Fried Rice ala Food Network.

Alas, another poor food photo. My apologies.

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 Anaheim pepper, diced
4 cups cooked white rice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces tomato sauce
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch green onion, chopped

Directions

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and toss to coat well in the oil. Adds the paprika, chili powder and garlic. Cook tossing for 1 minute. Slowly add tomato sauce and tomatoes, in small increments, cooking off the liquid. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. When the rice is cooked and has nice red color and none or very little liquid remains, remove to a bowl or plate and garnish with green onions.

Rating: 4.5.
It was really good. And we fought over the leftovers.

Note: I know I'm behind on my weeks, but I have been cooking just not posting.

Week 16: Will it grill?

2011-06-09T22:37:00.000-06:00

In the same vein as Will it Blend, we have created our own version called Will it Grill.

When we can own our very own grill, we will know we have made it. (That along with our own house, a garbage disposal and air conditioning. All in due time.) Until then, we improvise with our George Foreman Grill, a beloved wedding gift.

This week's adventure: corn. I adore grilled corn. It makes me very happy. Like deliriously happy. Jacob mocked the project originally but changed his tune once we tasted the results.

Easy-peasy recipe for delicious grilled corn

1 Ziploc bag
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

1. Pour EVOO into baggie.
2. Toss in corn and smother them with the oil.
3. Salt and pepper.
4. Put on grill, turning occasionally.
5. Optional: My mom puts the corn in tin foil after grilling to steam cook for a bit. This helps the corn not be so hard.

Look at those grill marks. Good job, Foreman. Good job.

Rating: Grilled corn is always a 5. Even better in corn salsa.

Memorial Weekend

2011-06-03T18:20:00.000-06:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend here.
St. George.
Pronounced saint gay-org, like on The Sound of Music.

It was beyond wonderful.
The weekend consisted of.....

Napping on the car ride down (well, just me. Not Jacob.)
Visiting Cove Fort (pictures to come)
Playing Rummikub with Grammy
Swimming
Riding scooters around the neighborhood (I must have a scooter. Now.)
Hiking with the most beautiful landscape in the world
Taking TWO naps in one day. TWO!
Eating all the whole weekend long
Great company

I wish Memorial Weekend could happen more often. Who's with me?

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

2011-05-26T21:14:00.001-06:00

Awkward

Forgetting my sunglasses at home and having to wear Jacob's old broken pair that wouldn't stay on my face. (My question is why are we saving these?)
Being absolutely positive, beyond a shadow of a doubt, on my mother's future grave, that I turned in my library book....................only to find it under my passenger's seat in my car. Cue walk of shame to return the book AND pay my fine.
Refusing to be the last person to leave the office. It gets really dark, ok?
Receiving jicama from a co-worker and wondering who put a rock on my desk.

Awesome

Working myself to the bone at a work luau, complete with a candy lei and hula dancers. Don't mind if I do.....
A FOUR day weekend!! Four-tens is the best work schedule ever. Holidays are 4 day weekends for me, which equals heaven.
Watching Alias like it is going out of style. I. can't. get. enough. I'm thinking we'll name our children Sydney and Vaughn. We're obsessed.
Learning what to do with my jicama. Stir-fry, anyone? Thank you , Google.
Visiting my Grammy this weekend before playing with friends. I can't wait to see you sunshine!!!!

Have a great weekend! See you on the flip side.

What are you doing this weekend?

Week 15 - Pasta delights, with fewer calories

2011-05-23T22:11:00.002-06:00

Photo and recipe found here.

Spaghettini with Sweet Italian Sausage and Spinach

This should have been a winner.
It has spinach for me.
Sausage for Jacob.
It boasted "pasta delights, with fewer calories," but I did not feel delighted.

But this recipe was not what I expected. It lacked flavor, so I added more red pepper flakes.
Note: red pepper flakes should be added sparingly.
I have bribed Jacob into finishing the leftovers.

Rating: 2. It wasn't disgusting, but I did not like it. Jacob thought it was fine.

Week 14- Caramel cookie adventures

2011-05-20T22:10:00.005-06:00

Thank you for sticking with me through our adventures! You are the best.

I got a little behind on my weekly recipes with the trip and recovering from the trip. (shouldn't there be a grace period after each vacation to recover?) But the new recipes have been coming.

I though it was time for a dessert. My BFF Melissa gave me a late Christmas present of a recipe and the necessary ingredients for a delicious cookie bar. (including an apron I adore.) I made them for a get together. Yes, I am crazy for trying a new recipe for a group of people, but it made a lot and it would be physically impossible for me to work off all of the calories at the gym that I would have gained by consuming the entire pan. (But it would've been delicious.)

CARAMEL COOKIE BARS

2 c. real butter softened
2 1/4 c. brown sugar
3 c. flour
3 c. quick Quaker Oats
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
1 bottle of Mrs. Richardson's butterscotch ice cream topping (I could eat this by the spoon.)
1 pkg. milk chocolate chips

1. Mix first 6 ingredients in a very large bowl.
2. Take out 1/2 of mixture and set aside.
3. Press remaining mixture into large cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes at 350.
5. Let cool a bit and spread on caramel topping.
6. Sprinkle on chocolate chips and cookie crumbs.
7. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes at 350.
8. Take out and LOVE IT.

We ate it at the party with ice cream on top. I thought it was OK with the ice cream. But we ate it alone later and it was much better.

When I asked Jacob what he rated it he said, "Oh, at least a 4.7." Well, said.

#1- Read 25 Books

2011-05-20T12:08:00.001-06:00

Picture credit.

I am slowly knocking off my 25 Before 25 (see sidebar on right). During our trip, I completed #1: Read 25 Books.

Disclaimer: I listened to a lot of audiobooks while I drive for work to visit my cute seniors, so I suppose I technically did not 'read' some of them. But I counted them. (I did not, however, count any books I have read before.)

1. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (5 stars)
2. Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell (3 stars)
3. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (3 stars)
4. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen (4 stars)
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (4 stars)
6. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loeman (3 stars)
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (5 stars)
8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (5 stars)
9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (3 stars)
10. The Guernsey Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (4 stars)
11. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (3 stars)
12. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman (4 stars)
13. Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews (4 stars)
14. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (4 stars)
15. Austenland by Shannon Hale (3 stars)
16. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (3 stars)
17. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank (5 stars)
18. The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman (4 stars)
19. A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd (3 stars)
20. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (4 stars)
21. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (4 stars)
22. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (5 stars)
23. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (4 stars)
24. No One Can Take our Place by Sheri Dew (5 stars)
25. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (3 stars)

Phew. I made it! But I found that sometimes I would push through a book I didn't really like because I felt like I had to finish it. My new personal goal is If I don't like it, I don't have to read it. So there.

I tracked my goal and my reviews on Goodreads. Let's be friends! stephaniefleischer@gmail.com

Do you agree with my ratings? What books should I read next?

D.C. The Final Act

2011-05-18T22:37:00.000-06:00

We spent our final day finishing up our last requests. We only had a half day so we had to knock it out.

The first stop was the National Gallery of Art- West Building. And oh my. It was wonderful. I could have stayed all day long. It was quiet, breathtaking and I felt so cultured.

We rolled through the statue section. Got yelled at for taking a picture (this time I really didn't see the sign!) and squeaked a lot with our wet shoes (it rained) in the quiet museum. I loved it.

The NGA owns (showcases? has? I'm not sure which) the only Da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere. It was not what I expected. Maybe I'm not a fan of Da Vinci.

We saw plenty of famous artwork, including some by Degas, Renior, Monet. You know, the bigs.

We also saw some more interesting artwork.

If only this picture did this painting justice. I want to transport there. Now.

Art students filled the galleries (which you could get lost in easily) sketching, drawing and painting. Her copy is identical. Oh, to have such talent.

The American History Museum was next. By this time we were hitting the end of our museum capacity and this one was packed with crazed school kids. But I had enough attention span to marvel at the gallery of the First Ladies inaugural gowns. Mrs. O's above.

Downstairs was Julia Child's kitchen. This was the best section of the whole museum. She was wonderful.

And no visit would be complete without a stop by the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Sadly, the ruby part has faded a bit.

Our last act in D.C. was to touch the Washington Monument-- something Jacob was dying to do.

Standing at the base and looking up is dizzying.
We tried to rush home, but had some delays with trying to exchange a Metro ticket.
Which delayed our packing and getting to the airport.
Even with a threat that our luggage might not make it home because we were 'late arrivals', we made it safe and sound at home (with our luggage).

Goodbye, D.C.

We miss you already!!!

W.W.G.W.D.?

2011-05-18T21:49:00.001-06:00

With only a day and a half left, we had to be smart about our adventures.

So we thought, W.W.G.W.D.?
What would George Washington Do?
We decided to be persistent and knock them out.

Our first stop was the Newseum, one of the museums I have been looking forward to the most.
I was a communications major-- now I'm a P.R. specialist by day and freelance reporter by night.
I love news. Love to read it, love to write it, love to be a part of it. It stems from my desire to be the first to know things, so I was very excited for this museum. (Even though it is the only one that cost, it was worth it to me.)

Wise words by Bart Simpson in the First Amendment Hall.

On the bottom floor of the six floor museum (six floors!) with a portion of the actual Berlin Wall.

The G-men (government man) exhibit also included the unabomber cabin. Yes, the actual cabin.

One section of the museum changes everyday. It features a glass case with the front page of every major newspaper from each state and major international newspapers. I am still shocked with how current this museum is.

The History of News room featured front page papers with the major historical headlines. The three rows each pull out to view the papers. They have front page papers from 1860! Heaven.

Popular front page headlines included Titanic, Man Landing on the Moon, Y2K, etc.

The next section was about free speech. The map shows the areas of the world and the levels of free speech. (Green = free, yellow = some freedom, red = not free.) I can't wait to live in a world where everything is green. I think I sometimes forget about the freedoms we have everyday. For a slightly outspoken and opinionated person, not being able to say my mind would have no words. (OK, off my soap box.)

Next we headed over to the National Gallery of Art- East Building.Yes, the National Gallery of Art has two buildings. The East Building is more modern art (think Jackson Pollock, pop art, one stripe down a canvas, etc.). It is not so much my thing. However, their temporary exhibit Venice: Canaletto and his rivals was exquisite. I could have spent all day there.

One piece of modern art really stood out to me.

This is the painting close up. All 'strokes were thumbprints. oh. my. word.

The finished product. I am still amazed. The painting was larger than me. That is a lot of thumbprints.

We booked it up to the 'hood, I mean, Chinatown for lunch at Wok and Roll. The sesame chicken was fabulous but the dumplings were sad. One day, I will find authentic dumplings. I am determined.....

We skipped over to the National Building Museum, hoping to get Jacob his architectural fix. This teeny museum was lessened because of a big, fancy party they were throwing.

And a hop, skip and a jump over, we made it to the American Museum of Art and Portrait Gallery. This gallery is two into one. One side if the American Museum of Art with art by Americans, and the other side was portraits. Some enormous (like the G. Wash above) or head shots like the one of Joseph Smith we saw.

Beyond breathtaking. This enormous painting was a must see. And it has a couch right in front of it so you can take it all in. This museum was so large, the only way to know what to see is to ask for help. We learned this about half way through our trip. Most museums will have a must-see list, which is perfect if you are trying to maximize your time.

Our last stop of the day took us to the National Archives. We walked in there about an hour before it was supposed to close and we strolled on in. (The next morning, lines were wrapped around the corner. Go at night, I tell ya.) One thing I learned- children do not belong in museums. The rest of the museum was a bust because we were a bit museume-d out. But it was really neat to see the actual Declaration of Independence (you can barely see the writing anymore!) and the Bill of Rights. I love old things.

We hopped on the Metro to meet Matthew and Kim for one last night at the mall. I know, I know. We shouldn't shop our whole vacation, but their mall has two H & Ms. TWO!

Montag on Capitol Hill

2011-05-13T16:47:00.000-06:00

Big things happened while we were in D.C.

Due to the death of bin Laden (you know, America's Most Wanted), the metro ride into D.C. was tension filled with policemen with M-4 rifles (semi-automatics with a pistol whip and gun barrels with blazing torque and steel silencers. OK, I know nothing about guns, but I know the M-4 part is right. Someone smart told me.) But we made it to the Capitol with just enough time to make it through security.

We started off our tour with a man in a gold loin cloth.
No Monday should be started without it.

We had our tour of the U.S. Capitol that morning, and this statue was our meeting point. Can't miss it.
I scheduled our tour with our Congressman (after he denied us our White House tour) in advance.
While you can get tickets the day of, I strongly recommend going with your congressman.
It is like the ultimate fast pass. Our tour was given by one of the most important politicos: the intern.
And he was hilarious.
And we got to jump in front of all of the lines.
Everyone mocks the planner, but it pays to plan ahead, guys.

This star inside of the Capitol used to be the center of D.C. (I can't remember why it isn't anymore.)
Intern said people rub it with their feet for good luck.
So we did.

Honest Abe. (sorry for the bad lighting. It was so dark in there.)
Note: his ear is missing. Abe's, not Jacob's. That was on purpose. Odd.

The old senate room. No pictures are allowed in the current senate room.
So this will have to do.
Love the curtains.

Next was the rotunda, a circular room with life size paintings and sky high windows.
Finally, some light!

Our wonderful hosts. Thanks for taking the morning off from work!

The fresco on the ceiling in the rotunda depicting the apotheosis of G. Washington.
AKA- when he becomes a god.
(read all about it in 'The Lost Symbol'.)

Also in 'The Lost Symbol' was a severed hand found in the rotunda.
I checked- everyone had their own hands.
Now my nightmares about the rotunda can stop.
(Ok, it is not really that bad in the book. But can you imagine? Ich.)

Stunning paintings in ornate frames adorn the walls in the rotunda.
Breathtaking.

This is also the room I got yelled at by a security guard because I touched a statue.
My middle name is danger.

The door where those with a golden ticket can go.

Every state has a statue inside the capitol. Utah has B. Young.
It seems appropriate that the recent BYU graduate posed with his school's namesake.
They also call this the 'whisper room.' There are specific spots you can whisper and be heard across the room.

I loved the capitol. (However, skip the visit to the current senate room. We had to wait FOREVER, and you walk into the room and leave. I'd rather see it on C-SPAN.)

Matthew and Kim had to ditch us after the Capitol tour. (work, smerk)
So Jacob and I headed over to one of my biggest anticipations: the Library of Congress.

The entryway only upped my anticipation to enter the library.
Gimme books!

Wha?!
A library without books?
Where are all of the books?
The president's secret book isn't real????
WHYYYYYYY!!!!!
Photo above is of the 'reading room' (yeah, with what books?). It was technically forbidden to photograph. I live on the edge.
(Ok, I am only kidding about the president's book. The rest I am totally serious about.)

I consoled my book sorrow with Stephen Colbert at the Political Satire exhibit in the basement.

Look! I found books!
In the gift shop. At least they had my favorite type of book: books about books.

(Really- I loved the Library of Congress. Seeing the Gutenberg Bible was impressive. But I wasn't prepared for no books. Yeah, yeah, I get that they don't want tourists' grimy hands all over the books, but I didn't know. Forgive me, I'm new.)

Next we hit up another library. Also with no books.
The Shakespeare Folger Library is kiddie-corner to the Supreme Court, and is one of those museums where they love guests. We were treated very well.

Inside their working stage. Opening night for 'Cyrano' was later that day.

The museum docent really wanted to take a picture of us in front of the statue of Puck from 'A Mid Summer Night's Dream.' It was awkward. And totally awesome.

But we were lucky enough to get a peak behind the red curtain.

The books!
The docent said future playwrights or ones working on a script are allowed in for inspiration. A written request is a must.

The Supreme Court was the next logical step on our agenda.
To start off, the building is spectacular.
We watched a quick video about law in America and went upstairs for a lecture. (per recommendation of the information booth attendee.)
That was the best. advice. ever.
If you do not attend a lecture, you can only see inside the actual courtroom from a far.
But in a lecture, you sit inside the courtroom (no sneaky photos. They had plenty of armed guards) while the 'lecturer' gave us the inside scoop. This is a must.

The Supreme Court Justices' seats from the outside.
Powerful things happen here.

The building showcases gorgeous spiral staircases.

Another view in front of the Capitol. It really is my favorite building. White House, who?

After a quick lunch (linner) at the Union Station, we ran over to the Museum of Natural History.
The hours were extended, so we made it right after it was regularly supposed to close at 5 p.m.
This is the way to do it people.
It was practically empty.
See- planning pays off again.

It was terrifying when I had a Ben Stiller moment and the animals came to life.
(Well, the bones are at least real!)

Two of my favorite things: Jacob and an elephant.
And he is holding my bag when it got too heavy.
He is the best.
Note: taking unisex looking bag was the best idea ever.

There were plenty of bones.

And cavepeople too.

The animal exhibit was pretty cool. (unless you thought that they used to be alive. and then it was a really creepy zoo.)

And the Hope Diamond. (bad lighting.)
As the wife of a diamond enthusiast, this was a really fun section. (Jacob used to work at a jewelry story and can be found gazing into my diamond wedding ring like he is on 'Aladdin' looking into Jafar's staff.
However, I found the other jewelry more interesting. (Um, red diamonds? How cool is that?)

Another favorite? The photography contest exhibit. I am still in awe.

Phew. I'm exhausted.

For Me This is Heaven

NYE

Christmas is in the details

51 & 52: The end

Christmas-time

49 and 50: Ok and worse

From Autumn into Winter

A Fail for Week 45 and Persimmon Muffins for Week 46

Ingredients

Directions

A weekend of thanks

Family reunion: Murder Mystery style

Dueling Chowdahs: Weeks 47 and 48

Instructions

1. Pierce potato in several places with a fork; microwave on high power until tender, turning over once, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool; peel and mash.

2. Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Add celery, onion, corn and red pepper; sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

3. Stir bacon and milk into saucepan; stir in mashed potato and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; stir to combine. Cover and simmer 10 minutes (do not allow to boil). Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Rating: 4.7. LOVED this soup. The flavor was strong, yet delicious. And I loved having the potato mashed. I could barely even taste it! The extra veggies really made this soup hearty.

Note: I would add more liquid. It was more corn with some liquid instead of just soup. Also, corn on the cob really made a difference. The taste was elevated.

*This recipe is no longer "Weight Watcher approved." I doubled the bacon because I wanted to. I am pretty sure that negates the endorsement. Oh, well.

And the winner is...... SUMMER CORN, BACON AND POTATO CHOWDER!!

Christmas dinner, here we come!

Minute to Win It: Part 2

Week 44: Jeff's Sunday Stir Fry

Mickelson Reunion 2011

Stitching with Aunt Steph

Week 43: Greek Style

Goodbye Fall

Halloweenie

Door decorating champion

Week 42: Carrots to die for

The Pumpkin Man

Idaho-ing

Week 40 and 41

Falling into October

Week 39: Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ sauce

With our aforementioned peach overload, we found a great recipe to use peaches for a main dish instead of a traditional dessert. And from Gwyneth Paltrow no less.She's good for more than just guest starring on 'Glee.'

Gwyneth Paltrow's Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ SauceAdapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Guten Geburstag, Jacob!

Week 38: peaches coming out of our ears makes sweet jam

Week 36 and 37: Lasagna with breadsticks

Finishing up September

Things to do in Utah: BYU Museum of Art

Weeks 34 and 35: Cauliflower and potatoes

A day free of labor plus week 33

Goodbye to summer

It is your birthday

Family Reunion in Zions

Week 32- Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

Directions

Week 31- Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Directions

#4- Go skydiving.

Four more years!

Life, according to my camera phone

Week 29 and 30: Pizza Margherita

Week 28: Stuffed Bell Peppers

Week 27: Summer pasta

Week 26: Heavenly tomato soup

Week 25: Mix and match pasta salad

This weekend...

Taste of the Valley 2011

Llama and blue ribbons

In a cave

Camping... or is it Pamping

Is there a more beautiful sight?

Week 24: Fancy pasta

Week 23: a birthday cupcake

Empty wall

Week 22: Spritzing seltzer

Week 21: Artichokes

7.4.11

Summa-time

Week 20: Greek-Style Skillet Supper

Week 19: Pasta Primavera

Week 18: Chicken and spaghetti with pesto

Week 17: What do you do with Anaheim peppers?

Directions

Week 16: Will it grill?

Gwyneth Paltrow's Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appetit