find joy in the journey

DO SOMETHING // a girls gathering

One trait I think I inherited from my mom is the desire to gather people together.  For big things, for little things, or for no reason at all!  The process of gathering always opens itself to opportunities for creativity, learning, and connection.  Those are the things I thrive on.

While in Oregon I started a scrapbooking group (turned crafting group, turned hang out & eat dessert group - ha!) that met quarterly. I was also in a monthly Bunco group.  And we had a weekly playgroup. Then we moved to Nevada and life changed a bit, new friends needed to be found, and I was in the new position of having my kids in school full day (goodbye play group ticket).

For the longest time I have wanted to create a small monthly gathering for women.  Ideas have bounced in and out of my head for years and I've mentioned it to people from time to time, but I have never acted on it. I wanted it to be something meaningful where we could have great discussions and try new things & create together or explore cool places in the valley.  Trust me, I have LOTS of idea!

That desire to "gather" intensified at the beginning of the year as I thought about what I wanted to bring into my life as well as how I could share my light in 2018.  Coming off of a rough year, I also thought about what I needed to feel happy, whole, and purposeful.  Specifically, in following God's purpose for me and using the talents he has given me to lift others.  I started to formulate a plan and I began making notes, brainstorming ideas, soaking in inspiration and felt pretty excited about it!  But still, the doubts would creep in from time to time - you know the ones.  Is my idea lame? Is anybody going to care? Will anybody come? Will it make sense to anyone beside me? All the crazy thoughts! :)

Then one day as I scrolled through instagram I came across this post by Lizzy Jensen (love her).

@lizzy.jensen - Too many of us let the fear of what others think run our lives, and it's hurting all of us. I believe this is one of the biggest dangers of social media -- that we'll be brainwashed into thinking that what everyone else is thinking/doing etc is more important than what God is thinking about us. The scary thing? When we look to others for affirmation -- or even worse our purpose -- we'll never contribute the gifts or live the life that we came to earth to live.

Here is my challenge.  DO SOMETHING (I don't care how big or small) THIS WEEK THAT YOU'VE BEEN FEELING YOU SHOULD DO. Call that person. Hit send on that post. Quit that job, or start the other. Forgive and forget. In one thing, put away the fear of what anyone else but God thinks and do it.

At that time, I had composed an email with my big plan and it was sitting in my draft box.  After reading her post, I was confident in hitting send.

I decided to DO SOMETHING.  That I was going to take my happiness into my own hands and create this gathering. Another thing I learned from my mom's example was to just go for it.  Don't wait for someone else.  If you want something that is going to bring you happiness, do it - be the person who takes the first step.

So for you reading today, I also challenge you to DO SOMETHING!  If something has been sitting on your mind and your heart, be brave and take that first step. 

Okay!  After that long back-story . . . here is the basis for my girls gathering.

GIRLS GATHERING - THE PLAN

I emailed 12 women to invite them to join me for a monthly gathering, each month for the next 4 months (through the end of the school year). I invited 12 women knowing that with schedules & life circumstances everyone would not be able to make it every month. I'm not a fan of large groups for something like this, but I felt like this number would work great.  I picked a set day for the gatherings (first Thursday) so it would be easy to remember & calendar.  

I explained that my goal at each gathering is to provide opportunities to learn, create, serve, explore, and uplift. Each gathering would include a few specific elements:

• Creating or Exploring - Creating something with our hands, moving our bodies, or exploring new things & places
• Service - Everything is sweeter with service, right?
• Uplift - I always love the sharing of thoughts, ideas, and experiences that comes when great women gather together. To help facilitate that, each month I would suggest a short pre-reading assignment.  Specifically, a talk from the most recent Women's Meeting of General Conference.

Two weeks before the gathering I send an email to share the activities, service, and article we will be pondering.

GIRLS GATHERING - FEBRUARY

Yay!  Let's get this thing started!  

When the ladies arrived we started things off with a simple brunch - yogurt parfaits with homemade granola and warm scones with honey & jam.  Mmm!

I picked up that honey at a market in France almost 2 years ago!  It is the tastiest honey I've ever had.  The jar is just about empty and I'm trying to figure out how I can get my hands on more!

Then we spent a little time on some super simple Valentine's Day projects.  

First, clay hearts.  We used Paper Clay which is really soft & easy to mold with just your hands. 

That's what I did and went for a more primitive look.  I also printed "love" on little paper strips to be embedded into the clay.  It takes a couple hours for the clay to air dry.  Some of us (me) who were impatient went ahead and painted the heart with acrylic paints before it was completely dry.  It turned out just fine - but I don't have a pic of the final product so you'll have to trust me!

I found these ADORABLE templates for Valentine's Day Crowns at The House That Lars Built.  They were so cute!  And the perfect accessory for a group photo!

Then it was onto our service project! We put together freezer meals with the challenge to take your freezer meal home and GIVE it to someone.

To make this go smoothly, I purchased all the ingredients and did some of the big prep work in advance, like cooking & shredding the chicken. Everyone contributed a few bucks to the project and it was perfect.

We made Chicken Pesto Pasta Shells.  You can download the recipe right here - Download Pesto Chicken Pasta Shells.

Love seeing these hands at work.

And the chit-chatting going on as we all take turns.

Look at all those happy, beautiful women serving in the kitchen!

In advance we all read "Abiding in God and Repairing the Breach" by Neill F. Marriott.  We had a wonderful discussion of insights and sharing.  Just what I had been hoping for!

A couple favorite quotes

We are divinely designed to give love and be loved, and the deepest love comes when we are one with God.

. . . . Heavenly Father will help us love even those we may think are unlovable, if we plead for His aid. The Savior’s Atonement is a conduit for the constant flow of charity from our Father in Heaven. We must choose to abide in this love in order to have charity for all.

When we give our heart to the Father and the Son, we change our world—even if circumstances around us do not change. We draw closer to Heavenly Father and feel His tender acceptance of our efforts to be true disciples of Christ.

I also asked everyone to bring a favorite freezer meal recipe with copies to share.  Pretty great that everyone went home with a folder full of new make-ahead dinners to try!

Our first girls gathering was a success and I can't wait to share our other gatherings with you!

Andersen Caramels

My mom has always been the kind of person who likes to try a lot of different things. And holidays were no exception -- she played and created and experimented with the decorations, menu, etc.  But two things I could always count on were Ginger Snap cookies and homemade caramels.

I remember when she would crank out cookie sheets full of the delicious caramels.  And then it was my job to cut them into rectangles, cut the wax paper into little rectangles, and wrap each one individually.  I have many memories of sitting on the couch, watching tv, with a pan of caramels in my lap, wrapping away.  It was tedious and honestly I did not love doing it because it took so long!

This year, with nostalgia being an ever present friend, I decided to make mom's caramels for the first time.

The recipe comes from a family cookbook, compiled by "The Andersen Women".  It features recipes of my grandma, great-grandma, great-aunts, and more. The caramel recipe isn't attributed to any person in particular, but it has been used and loved by many Andersen women. :)

Here is what the recipe looks like in the book (with my notes). Just the basics and not a whole lot of direction.

Let me fill in the gaps and share my little process.

Get started by preparing your pan.  I used large cookie sheets, but a cake/casserole pan works too.  Butter your pan, or better yet, line it with parchment paper.  Make creases in the parchment paper so that it fits to the shape of your pan. 

Step 1:  add to a large pot 2 cups sugar, 1 cup dark Karo syrup, 1 stick of butter, and 1 cup heavy cream

Step 2:  Add a candy thermometer, and heat to boiling. Watch that temperature closely and stir often.  

Step 3:  When your candy thermometer reaches 232 degrees, add 1 cup heavy cream.  

Step 4:  Continue cooking until the temperature reaches 238 degrees.*  At that point turn off the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla.

Step 5:  Working quickly, pour the caramel mixture into your prepared pan or cookie sheet.  Let it set until room temperature.

*The recipe indicates that in Utah the caramel mixture should be cooked until 232 degrees.  I have found, though, that I like to cook the caramel until 238 degrees.  This could be a combination of factors -- a lower elevation in Nevada and a difference in candy thermometer readings.  This is something you might have to play with to find just the right temperature

**I am skipping the pecan option but you are welcome to give it a try!  Let me know how it goes!

Love my spoon holder!  You can find it here.

After the caramels were cooled and set it was super easy to lift that parchment paper out of the pan and set it on my table for cutting.  The measurement guides on the parchment paper also made it really easy to slice the caramels into mostly uniform sizes.  I went for 1 inch x 2 inches because the caramels weren't very thick.

Then it's time to wrap in wax paper!  This is the tedious part so put on some good music or a tv show to watch and get in the zone.  Or, better yet, recruit your kids!

 One batch of caramels produced approximately 100 caramels as well as a good assortment of scraps that were great for nibbling.  

For friend & neighbor gifts this Christmas I prepared cute bags of Ginger Snaps and Caramels. Quite a sight to see them lined up on the table ready for packaging - I think we prepared 25 gift bags!  But this kind of thing makes my heart so happy!  

I hope that your caramel making experience is a success!

Here is a Download if you would like to save or print the recipe for your own binder or files!

Download Andersen Caramels

 

 

ice cream sandwich cake

Ohhh, heavenly ice cream deliciousness.  Payton requested an ice cream cake for his birthday and I delivered.  Well, what he initially requested was a Blizzard ice cream cake from Dairy Queen but I said no and offered this cake as a substitute.  And I don't think he felt jipped in the least bit.

I have tried several ice cream cakes over the years and this one is hands down the easiest of them all.  And the prettiest.  Enjoy!

ICE CREAM SANDWICH CAKE

• 1 cup chopped Oreos
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding
• 1 container (12 oz) whipped topping
• 12 ice cream sandwiches

1.  Combine milk and pudding mix.  Whisk until mixture is smooth.  Add half of the whipped topping and mix just until combined.  Stir in the chopped oreos.

2.  Arrange 6 of the ice cream sandwiches side by side on a platter.  Spread filling evenly over the sandwiches and top with remaining 6 sandwiches forming a rectangular-shaped cake.  Smooth the sides.

3.  Spread remaining whipped topping over the top and sides of the cake.  Sprinkle crushed oreos, grated chocolate, chocolate chips, or colored sprinkles over the top.

4.  Freeze at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Download and print the recipe here:  Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

ginger snap cookies

Ginger snap cookies are an Andersen family tradition. 

My Grandma Margaret made these cookies often for my dad as a boy and to this day they are still his favorite cookie.  My mom used grandma's recipe in our house to feed dad's cravings, so ginger snaps obviously became a family favorite.  And now, I make them too.  

I really think they are the best in the fall and winter.  The cinnamon, ginger, and molasses just smell and taste amazing!

But I have to warn you that there is something a little different about these ginger snaps.  They've got a kick.  My dad likes LOTS of ginger in his cookies.  I'm talking 2-3 tablespoons.

Me, I prefer 1 1/2 tablespoons but I don't mind the "spicy" version once in a while.  My dad would say that you need to eat the spicy ginger snaps because "they will help grow hair on your chest!" There were lots of things that, in his opinion, help grow hair on your chest.  Side note: I grew up in a family of boys.

As I think about it, it's kinda funny that Grandma's signature cookie has such a spicy kick to it.  They fit her personality to a tee!  She was full of life, laughter, silliness, and warmth.  (I love to see that my Anna Margaret is definitely carrying on these attributes!)

I highly suggest making a batch of these cookies at least once in the next 3 months (Oct-Nov-Dec).  In my opinion they are just perfect in every way.  Enjoy!

 

Ginger Snap Cookies (by Margaret Andersen)

Cream:

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbsp. molasses

Sift & Add:

• 2 - 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 - 3 Tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Roll into balls, then roll in sugar.  Place on baking sheet and smash with a fork.  Bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

 Printable Recipe:  Download Ginger Snap Cookies 

white sheet cake

 

 A few years ago my sister-in-law Becca brought this recipe to a family gathering, I baked it up (I think she was busy with a baby at the time), and ever since I have been hooked.  It is moist, delicious, with just the perfect touch of almond flavoring.  I've made it three times now for gatherings and each and every time it has been a hit!  

CAKE

Heat and set aside:

3 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups water

Mix:

3 cups flour

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cups sour cream

3 eggs

2 Tbsp. almond extract

Combine both mixtures.  Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

ICING

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

8 oz. cool whip

Cream the sugar & cream cheese until smooth.  Fold in cool whip.

Top it with some berries and I dare you not to steal a bite for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight snack.

I've always thought it would be fun to make a cookbook with all of our favorite, tried and true recipes.  This one would definitely make the cut.  I'll have to add that to my Blurb to-do list.

The last time I made this cake was in the middle of my get-fit-for-hawaii goal a few months back.  As I was taking these photos I was literally all dressed up in my workout gear, moments away from shredding with Jillian Michaels.

But the cake!  Oh my, I just needed to have one more piece.  So I placed a piece on a pretty plate, with the intention of enjoying it after my workout.  I felt so rebellious, especially because Jillian Michaels was sitting there on the tv screen looking over my shoulder.

"Don't judge me, Jillian!"

 

banana cake, the legacy continues

I originally posted the recipe for Banana Cake way back in 2006, when this blog was just a baby.  On Friday I made some Banana Cake and posted a picture on instagram.  I got a lot of requests for the recipe, so here goes.

Banana Cake

recipe from my mother-in-law, Valerie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease & flour a 9x13 pan.

Cream together:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix together & add:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 cup sugar

Beat for 3 minutes.  Bake for 35 minutes.

Banana Cake Frosting (here's where it gets good)

Don't begin making this until the cake is completely cooled

• Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan.  Add 1 cup brown sugar -- cook for 2 minutes
• Add 1/4 cup milk.  Bring to full rolling boil.  Take off heat.
• Add 2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar & beat until smooth spreading consistency.
• Spread onto the cake right away (the frosting will set as it cools)

My favorite way to eat banana cake is to heat it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds -- just until the frosting gets a little soft.  It also makes a fabulous breakfast.  Make sure you have a tall glass of milk ready and enjoy!

Banana Cake is Scott's birthday cake, and has been since he was 8 years old.  Here he is blowing out candles on his birthday banana cake!

Once again at 37.

Once he finds something he likes he sticks with it and doesn't look back!

Even though he had a busy day at work, we were able to celebrate his birthday with decorations, dinner, and gifts in the evening.  And then we had a very relaxing Saturday by the pool which helped to balance things out.

Anna has decided that she loves banana cake.  In fact, Scott had to cut her off because she was stealing slices throughout the following day -- there weren't enough leftovers for him!

the penguin is back

Oh ya! Oh ya! Purple Penguin is back for business!  We've missed him the last 6 months.

This is my new favorite snack.  Perfect for curing the munchies with just a touch of sweetness.  Get 'em at Costco.

Scott and Conner went to General Conference in Salt Lake last weekend (I should probably blog about that!).  I asked Scott to pick up some delicious cake bites from The Sweet Tooth Fairy while they were there.  You know, I'm thinking like . . . 6 or maybe a dozen.  No.  That's not how Scott does things.  He came home with 100!  One hundred.  At first I was like, Ack!  Then I reminded myself to appreciate the gift (even if it was going to throw a wrench in my "get fit" plans).  Soooo we gave some to the kids' teachers, ate some, and froze the rest in small containers for future use.

On General Conference Sunday I made our traditional monkey bread for breakfast.  At that point it had been quite a while since I last ate something so sugary and sweet -- I swear I could feel the sugar rushing through my veins! 

Lest you think it's been all sweets and treats this week, this was my lunch on Tuesday.

Some cauliflower sounds really good right now . . . 

101 in 1001 // new year update

While it's January and we're all talking and thinking about goals and things we want to do I thought I would re-visit my 101 in 1001 goal challenge.  Yes, I haven't forgotten about it!  My 101 in 1001 page is up to date with everything I have completed so far.  But I did a little math and forecasting and I realized that I need to kick things into gear if I want to accomplish these things by my end date!  

Also, I've already missed a few months in my goals like journal every month, send happy mail every month, etc. etc.  Ack!  But I have decided not to beat myself up about it.  Well, I did for a second and then I moved on.  Whatever number I reach, whether it's 30 or 13 over the course of this 33 month project, will be an accomplishment in my books.  There.

Today, I wanted to give a little update on a few goals that I completed over the last few months.

Anna had a little bit of a rough transition to her new kindergarten class after our move last spring.  The curriculum & methods were just so different from what she was doing in Oregon and it really threw her for a loop.  She lost her self-confidence (going from thinking she was an amazing student to thinking she was a horrible student) and things kind of screeched to a halt.  At the end of kindergarten her reading skills were not where I would have liked them to be so we set a goal to read 100 books over the summer.  And boy, it was just the thing she needed.

We went to the library every week and checked out a big bag of books.  Nearly everyday we would spend a little time sitting on my bed reading those books.

She started to love reading and she definitely improved.  I'm so glad we completed this goal because it set her on the right foot for 1st grade.  And today?  She is a great reader.  And loves it.  She has begun chapter books.  Each morning she begs for more verses to read in the Book of Mormon.  And I couldn't be more pleased.

This little video is typical Anna.  Shot way back in July, she's having some fun with our reading time. 

We kept a list of the 100 books we read.  Here are a few of our favorites:

• Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• The Best Kind of Kiss by Margaret Allum
• The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willem
• Beware of the Frog by William Bee
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
• The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

In August I spent 3 separate days taking each child individually on a back to school shopping date.  This was the first time I had done something like this and it worked out really well!  Oh, I can still remember the trauma & frustration from the back to school shopping trip of 2010.  Never again.

On each of our dates they got to choose a place for lunch.  With Conner we ate at Applebee's (he had received a coupon for a free kids' meal through the summer reading program).  Payton chose Wendy's so that he could eat the Son of Baconator.  And Anna wanted something "healthy" to eat so we ended up at Chipotle.  ??

It was so great to have one on one time with the kids and I know they really enjoyed it too.  I loved it when Payton hopped in the van after lunch and said, "this is fun."  That was enough for me to know that this time was well worth it.

Has anyone else been through this situation:  You purchase your kid a kit/project type gift for Christmas, and everytime the kid comes asking if you will help them do it (because it requires adult supervision) you say "not now" and then 2 years go by and they are still asking and you feel totally lame.  Anyone? . . . . Just me?  Alright.  But I'm owning up to it.

A while ago we bought a crystal kit for Payton.  He LOVES crystals, rocks, minerals, gold, and shiny things.  And the poor kid has been so patient while I've put him off and off.  I decided that this Christmas break it was going to happen!

Just look at that happy look on his face.  We currently have crystals growing in our dining room.  And I feel like a good mom.  Now, we just need to hang up that Darth Vader Fat-head we got for Conner's birthday 6 weeks ago . . . . .  

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies - These were very good and the kids really liked them.  Just a touch on the oily side, though.

Nutella French Toast -- I had high hopes for this one, and it does look so pretty, but it was just too soggy for me.  I cooked and cooked and cooked it, but just could not compensate for the layers of bread & nutella & egg mix that had saturated everything.

Nutella Brownies (4 ingredients) - These were super quick & easy to make (beware, the batter is thick).  And it makes a small batch of 12 mini brownies.  Perfect for when you just need a little snack.

For Christmas I pulled together the photos from Scott's first 9 years of life and compiled them into a project life album for him.  It turned out so great!

There is more work to do (ages 10-18) but for now I am calling this goal complete!

my week with eMeals (and a give-away!)

About a month ago I was contacted by eMeals, asking me if I'd like to try out their program.  Seeing as menu planning and grocery shopping are one of my least favorite, time-sucking activities I said, "sure thing!"

Here's basically what they offer:

• A weekly menu plan - It includes 7 different meals with recipes.  The variety is great.  The week that I tried out included beef, chicken, pork, fish, a salad, a breakfast casserole, and a crockpot meal.
• A printable shopping list - This was super cool. All you do it print it out and head to the grocery store.

One of the meals that we enjoyed:  Beef Burgundy with Egg Noodles and Fresh Steamed Carrots

Ingredients

• 1 lb London broil, cut into tips
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup red cooking wine (I substituted with a little worcestire sauce and water)
• 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
• 8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms

Instructions

Cut beef into bite sized tips.  Add meat to crockpot and mix in soup, water chestnuts, wine, soup mix, and mushrooms.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Boil 1 package of egg noodles until done.  Drain and serve with beef burgundy over noodles.

Steam a 16 oz bag of mini carrots and season with butter and salt.

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After trying out eMeals for a week, here are my observations:

Cost effective -- In my opinion, the coolest feature of eMeals is that you can sign up for a plan that is specific to the grocery store that you shop at.  They do the extra work to coordinate the menu/meals with items that are on sale at your grocery store that week!  This is a big time saver for me - as I usually spend time each week pouring over the grocery ad to plan our menu and write out my grocery list.  Also, with eMeals doing all the work for me, my grocery bill for that week was lower than usual.

Normal food - Nothing froo-froo or fancy.  Just good, normal, family-friendly food.  I would say that 6 out of 7 meals got a thumbs up from most of the family.  (It's impossible to please everyone.)

Organization - These people are super-organized.  On the shopping list, I love that the food items are cross-referenced with each meal number.  So, say there's a meal you don't want to cook (maybe fish isn't your family's thing), then it's quick & easy to eliminate those items from your list.

Ease of mind - Knowing all week that I had the ingredients for 7 planned meals, count them . . . seven, in my cupboards & fridge, ready to go, was just awesome.  It made dinner time a stress-free experience.

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Today I get to giveaway a 3 month membership to eMeals!  To enter, leave me a comment telling me which eMeals plan you would try.

For additional entries:

1) "Like" eMeals on Facebook -- then come back and leave a comment to tell me you did

2) Follow eMeals on Pinterest -- leave a comment here to tell me you did

I'm going to close the giveaway on Monday, June 25th at 9pm PST and announce the winner soon after.  Good luck! 

link: get in my belly

Just a few things that I have put in my belly that are more than welcome to return again.

Sobe Lifewater with coconut water -- I was already a fan of Lifewater, but the coconut . . . . I am addicted!  Thanks to Paige for introducing me to this.  Each time I go to Target I clean them out.  It is just so refreshingly delicious.

Slow cooker shredded beef tacos -- Mexican dinner success!  I even got a thumbs up from my non-Mexican-food-loving husband.

Chocolate Banana Spring Rolls -- So easy to make and so delicious.  Of course, everything tastes better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  (I used semi-sweet Baker's chocolate squares instead of dark chocolate)

Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato salad at BJ's -- Love.

Oven cooked bacon -- Have you tried this?  I did and I am forever changed.

The "get in my belly" wishlist:

Crepe Cake -- I may need to hire someone to make this for me for Mother's Day.  Or any day.  

Source: creampuffsinvenice.ca via Shannon on Pinterest

cooking with pinterest

Yes, this is another pinterest-related post.

A few weeks ago I pinned my 1000th pin on pinterest.  Now that's a lot of ideas, projects, and visual-goodness.  I think this sums up the feelings of a lot of pinterest users . . . .

Source: marlenemccune.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

 

 

I feel creative every single day!  :)

I also like this quote . . . .

 

Source: iloverosemarywatson.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

 

 

I came across a great idea on a blog the other day.  She creates a pinterest board for things she has actually completed, and simply re-pins the idea to that board.  Love that.  So I did it too.  I made a board for the recipes I have tried that turned out well.  If it was bad, I just delete it.

So here are a couple that I have tried in the last month that have my mouth watering and taste buds dancing.

 

Source: landeeseelandeedo.com via Shannon on Pinterest

 

 

Love love love this recipe!  I took it to a Relief Society activity and was glad to have most of it gobbled up so I didn't feel obligated to eat it all myself.  I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie but this totally works for me.

 

Source: tasteofhome.com via Shannon on Pinterest

 

 

Made this for dinner on Tuesday and we had the leftovers last night.  Country Pork Ribs went on sale a while back at Safeway so I stocked up my freezer.  But I had never cooked them before!  These turned out so tasty and tender, I think it will be my go-to recipe from now on.

 

Source: eatcleandiet.com via Shannon on Pinterest

 

 

Scott's new diet has introduced us to tilapia.  It is surprisingly versatile and really easy to cook.  Add some spices, grill or bake, and 10 minutes later you have dinner.

As for dinner tonight, the kids have requested German Pancakes.  That works for me.

 

quesadilla & guacamole . . . works for me!

 
 yum-o!  I love this dinner.  It's a recipe I pulled from Parents magazine (thanks to my free subscription - another great deal find).

You need: 

• 14 oz. chicken breast tenders, or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1Tbs. Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning blend (I haven't been able to find this in my store so I use 1 Tbs. McCormick's Montreal Chicken Grill Mates Seasoning and the juice from 1/2 lime)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 2/3 cup chopped red sweet pepper
• 1/3 cup frozen corn
• shredded cheese
• tortillas

Coarsely chop the chicken tenders and toss with the seasoning blend.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink inside.

Add pepper and corn to chicken and cook for 2 minutes.  Spoon filling onto tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, top with another tortilla and cook quesadilla style.  Serves 4.

Serve with guacamole.

Here's a little something I tried to whip up some guacamole.  I caught part of a Food Nanny episode on BYU-TV and I think this is what she did.  So, so good and easy.

Mash 1 avocado with a fork.  Add 1 clove of garlic (minced), juice of 1/2 lime, and several dashes of salt (to your liking).  Mix and enjoy.

our day off

Let's see, I had intentions of getting up and exercising this morning but decided to sleep for another hour.

We had intentions of going on a little hike mid-morning, but it was raining.

Instead I dove into the boys' room and spent 1 1/2 hours cleaning, organizing, and attempting to de-stink the place.  We came away from the job with a bag full of garbage, everything back in it's place, and a deal that if they keep the room clean for 30 days I will take them to Chuck E. Cheese.

Then we packed into the car and drove into town for lunch at Chipotle.  This is the first time we have gone there with the kids and not brought along Happy Meals from McDonalds.  Today we ordered plain cheese quesadillas for the 3 turkeys and everyone was perfectly happy.  Score.

For entertainment we went to Sleep Country and tested mattresses.  The kids thought that was great fun.  We (mostly Scott) would like to get a new mattress.  Our current mattress is 11 years old and he often wakes up with a sore back.  Our favorite of the day, the Simmons Bonnard Plush (a.k.a. The Heavenly Bed).  Ahhhhh.

A little detour to show the kids the apartment complex we once lived in (2000-2002).  Conner had a hard time believing we actually lived there once, because he has no recollection of the place.  Yep, not too surprising since he was 17 months old when we moved out.

A "like it" or "love it" for everyone at Coldstone.  Thanks to E! for celebrating 20 years, we got 20% off.  Anna was the first one to finish her "like it" and then turned to Scott and said, "It is nice to share."  Hint, hint.

Now we're home.  Doing laundry.  Scott is setting up the kids with some Guitar Hero and I'm about to cut up some pineapple for grilling with a very delicious glaze from Tucano's.  Here's the recipe:

• one half pineapple, cut into spears
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• lemon juice

Warm your grill to medium heat.  Sprinkle pineapple spears with half of the cinnamon and a little brown sugar.  In a small saucepan heat butter, brown sugar, and rest of cinnamon.  Heat until bubbly and sugar is properly melted.  Grill pineapple spears over direct heat about 2-3 minutes per side, turning occasionally.  Each time it turns, baste with a brush of glaze.

Hope you are enjoying your day off!

chicken and wild rice soup

It's been quite a while since I posted a recipe here.  But this soup is most definitely blog-worthy.

{photo taken just after the addition of spices -- curry, mustard powder, pepper, parsley}

I made this for the second time yesterday and Scott & I can't get enough of it.  The kids on the other hand . . . they were happier with a can of chicken noodle soup.  {sigh}  They don't know what they're missing.

The recipe came from My Kitchen Cafe.  If you have the time, also try her bread bowls -- fabulous!

My recipe notes:  

• I omitted the slivered almonds -- didn't want to add something that crunchy to an otherwise creamy, delectable soup.
• Use fat free half-and-half like she suggests . . . your taste buds won't miss a thing.
• Uncle Ben's Ready Rice is simply amazing.  2 cups of wild rice ready in just 90 seconds . . . I'm sold!

 

brown sugar muffins

When I married Scott, part of the package deal was a set of recipe cards handwritten by his mom, that she had given him when going off to college.  Chicken fried steak, Ketchum poporn, crescent rolls, cream of wheat potatoes, finger jell-o, and banana cake to name a few.  I remember staring at the card for brown sugar muffins several times, a bit confused -- is this a breakfast muffin? is it a dessert?  When Scott informed me that it was a dinner muffin and they were fabulous, I made a batch.  And we still make them 1 or 2 times a month.  They are yummy, quick & easy to whip together, and thankfully Conner doesn't like them so there is more for us!  Ha-ha!

Sorry there's no picture, but here's the recipe.

Cream together:  1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup brown sugar

Add:  1 egg

Sift together and add:  2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt

Mixture will be dry

Add:  1 cup milk  and mix until smooth

Spoon into muffin cups and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Makes about 16-18 muffins.