Halloween Is So Fun!

Mom and I went pumpkin hunting at the pumpkin patch

and Grandma and Grandpa gave me some cute pumpkin pj's. 

and I showed them my zebra costume. 



Crazy Dad and Laughing Baby

Dad having fun with Sloan.  Always good times.  She's changing so fast.  This will make you laugh.  Taken on October 10th, 2010 (4.5 months old)

Sloan Elizabeth (a.k.a. Mimz)!

Born Saturday, May 22nd at 5:11 a.m.

Weight: 7 pounds 5 ounces

Height: 18.5 inches

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We couldn't be happier with our bundle of joy!

Kid Friendly?

.............................

.

We don't have kids. We rarely have kids over. This weekend we had a reality check that our place (at least the kitchen) is not kid friendly. Our nephew, Keyton, and his friend stopped by on Saturday morning on their way to ride bikes in the mountains. I invited them in and chatted with them for a minute and then asked if I could get them anything. He asked what we had to drink and before we got to the fridge I was laughing. I'm not a big soda drinker therefore I don't buy a lot of soda. J is a "fountain" soda guy, apparently it is MUCH better than the bottled or canned versions - so he doesn't really buy it either. The only portable drinks we had in the fridge were five individual bottles of Perrier. It could have been the intrigue of the unknown elixir or perhaps it was the nonexistent options but they gladly accepted the Perrier. Keyton said he liked it, but I think he was just being polite and the reaction of his friend was hilarious. Fortunately, I had a box of fruit roll ups in the pantry (a huge stroke of luck - I think it was the first box I have ever purchased) and offered those up as consolation prize.

Feliz Cumpleanos Jodie!

Yesterday was my youngest sister, Jodie's, 22nd birthday. I have so many memories of Jod since I am eight years older than her. For example, I can remember the time Heidi & I dropped her on her head when we were babysitting her - the accident happened right as our Mom was pulling into the driveway and we frantically tried calming her down so she wouldn't give us away. We told Jodie about it many years later and if it makes you feel any better, she wasn't able to recall it. I remember her getting lost in Disneyland and frantically searching for her in a crazy crowd of people in Advertureland - not cool. I remember persuading her to ride her bike down the big hill by our house growing up only to watch her jump a curb and fly over the handlebars of her bike due to the large rock that was in her path (I think this happened when the parents were out of town and we had a babysitter....). Before she was in school, my Mom would bring her to the elementary on picture day for her annual photo and she would NEVER smile. All of her photos through probably 1st or 2nd grade have frowns EXCEPT for the Lagoon pass she got when she must have been four or five. Fast forward to today and now instead of seeming eight years younger than me, she's more like a friend (except for the fact that I still do have 8 years of wisdom on her!) Now that we're both in our twenties and eight years isn't such a big difference we talk about music, movies and books. It's been nice to connect with Jodie this way. Jod, hope you had a great day & your card is in the mail ;)

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Happy happy birthday Grandpa dear! I wish I could be there celebrating with you tonight, I'm sure it was a great party. I treasure our trip to Yellowstone (with Grandma, Heidi & Trent) that included skipping rocks on the lake, touching hotpots and listening to rangers teach about bears; the driving lessons in the field when I couldn't have been more than 10; bailing hay; and herding cows, big cows.

I happen to be in Kansas City right now and when I gave my Grandpa a birthday call he told me about a museum he visited in KC that housed The Arabia, a steamboat built in 1853 that was snagged by a tree trunk in the Missouri River in 1856 and sank. For years floods and topsoil covered the steamboat until it was fully submerged. The steamboat sat on the river bottom for 132 years until an elaborate plan was hatched to rise the steamboat. Click on The Arabia link above to see pictures are read the entire story (after opening the site, select Museum Info and Arabia's Story).

Viva Las Vegas!

Highlights of our road trip to Vegas:

• Spending time with Jared & Elaine,
• Dinner at Carnevino, Mario Batali's latest restaurant (they had the most amazing black truffle vinaigrette to go with the filet, amazing),
• Having my ID requested at the Craps table, twice (I told my sisters it would pay off one day that everyone thought I was younger than them - 29?! I think not),
• Watching La Reve, a hypnotic aquatic Cirque de Soleil-like show,
• Enjoying some time at the pool,
• Hanging with Mickey (Jared & Elaine's dog),
• Clubbing it with all the 'pretty' people at Pure and
• Spending 12 hours in the car with J, undivided attention and all.

Grey is 1!

My super cute, always happy, very laid back and newly walking nephew turned one on April 9th. He is so much fun to be around, always going with the flow and smiling at anything. Happy Birthday Grey!

Memo.

Heidi, J and I went to The Gateway yesterday so I could get this new Blackberry. After leaving Verizon, we were strolling along when Mehmet Okur and his Dad walked out of a store right in front of us. Heidi, a huge Utah Jazz fan, worked up the courage to ask Mehmet (a.k.a. "Memo") for a picture. He is really tall (6'11") and was very gracious.

Road·block.

an action, condition, etc., that obstructs progress toward an objective.

These are just a few of my blogging roadblocks over the past week.

I ordered these shoes and they arrived on Thursday. But much to my dismay, they were super red and super shiny. After flip-flopping on them, I decided it would be best if I returned them and continued my quest for the most perfect red shoes ever. I did order the shirt pictured and it was quite nice.

Work. Need I say more?

On Friday night we went to dinner with J's parents. It was the first time we've went out since moving back from NY (can you believe it's been 12 weeks?!). They went to their community caucus last week and Lindy was nominated as a State Delegate. We're really excited to hear about everything she will be involved in and know she'll do a great job representing her city.

I was dedicated last Saturday morning and made it to two classes at the gym before 9:00 am. J met me there and when we got home, we made these muffins and delivered them to some of our family for breakfast. They were good - not too sweet, but a little heavy (I didn't exactly measure the banana and I used three...). I think I would make them again, maybe as mini muffins.

Tropical Muffins with Coconut-Macadamia Topping

Ingredients
Muffins:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 ounces)
1 cup regular oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
3 tablespoons finely chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
Cooking spray

Topping:
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
1 tablespoon finely chopped macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon regular oats

01. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

02. To prepare muffins, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in pineapple, 1/3 cup coconut and 3 tablespoons nuts. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
03. To prepare topping, combine 2 tablespoons coconut and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
04. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of topping over each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.


Yield
12 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 205(29% from fat); FAT 6.7g; PROTEIN 4.3g; CARBOHYDRATE 33.3g; FIBER 2g; CHOLESTEROL 19mg; IRON 1.5mg; SODIUM 215mg; CALCIUM 69mg

A visit to the Anastasia Brow Studio on Saturday was much needed.

Our good friend, Lisa, turned 30 on Sunday. Her husband helped start the celebration with a surprise birthday party for her on Saturday night. It was a great party, lots of family and friends, delicious food and a sweet video of pictures of Lisa throughout the years. Happy Birthday Lisa!

Been loving the gym. The classes are great and I've been spending some time on the treadmill to get ready for a 5K this summer. I am not a runner....

I'm always looking for versatile t-shirts and these vintage T's at Target fit the bill. I purchased them on one of many trips to Target in the last week..

After learning that chicken was a major meal category last week, I decided to try some new chicken options. This Barbecue-spiced chicken was from Cooking Light on the Menu Suggestions page at the back of the March issue. It was good and really quick. The sides were standards at our house, green beans with toasted almonds and mashed potatoes.

Barbecue-spiced Chicken

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (I couldn't find this so I used regular chili powder)

01. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
02. Combine spices and sprinkle evenly over 8 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
03. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat pan with cooking spray.
04. Saute chicken in pan, 2 minutes each side (will need to saute in batches if making 8).
05. Remove chicken and arrange on jelly-roll pan.
06. Bake for 12 minutes or until done.

Tonight I made the most delicious salmon dinner ever. I've always liked fish and ate all different kinds of it growing up, but when I started eating sushi a strange thing happened - I was totally turned off to cooked fish. I finally came around to white fish that is flakier and I like tuna barely seared but anything else just doesn't taste right. So for years, I haven't been ordering salmon or tuna, let alone cooking it. With the time I've been able to spend cooking since moving, I realized J has been dying for salmon (something he ate for lunch a couple times a week in NY) and I found this recipe in April's Cooking Light. It seriously was the most amazing salmon I've ever had AND it only took minutes to make. You should try it!

Herb-Crusted Salmon with Mixed Greens Salad

Chopped fresh herbs dress up salmon fillets, which are a great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The homemade vinaigrette brightens salad greens while keeping calories and fat in check. Serve salmon with lemon wedges.

Ingredients
Salmon:
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick), skinned
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Salad:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups mixed salad greens (I used baby spinach)

01. To prepare salmon, combine the first 7 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate. Lightly coat both sides of fillets with cooking spray, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Dredge both sides of fillets in breadcrumb mixture.
02. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fillets to pan; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; carefully turn fillets over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
03. To prepare salad, combine juice, oil, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add mixed greens; toss gently to coat. Place 2/3 cup salad on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 fillet.

Yield
4 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 256(33% from fat); FAT 9.5g; PROTEIN 32.1g; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 110mg; SODIUM 399mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9g

Easter Sunday.

I hope you all had a wonderful spring weekend and a fabulous Easter Sunday. We went to J's parents for Easter dinner. His mom, Lindy, made a tasty honey baked ham and each of the couples brought salads. I made a Basil Lime Fruit Salad from the March edition of Cooking Light (Jodie, my youngest sister, gave me a subscription for my birthday and I love it --- as pointed out by my husband on Sunday I bite off more than I can chew and intended to make four recipes out of the magazine on Sunday (yes in one day only), but only managed to complete two of them.....). The salad was really good and quite easy. It will be a great spring/summer option.

.

Basil Lime Fruit Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
4 cups cubed pineapple (about 1 medium)
3 cups quartered strawberries (about 1 pound)
2 cups cubed peeled mango (about 2 large)
4 kiwifruit, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

01. Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in basil and rind. Cool. Strain sugar mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl; discard solids.

.
02. Combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with sugar mixture; toss gently.

.
Yield 12 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 92(3% from fat); FAT 0.3g; PROTEIN 0.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 20mg; SODIUM 2mg; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.8g
.

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After dinner, we headed to my parents for dessert and an Easter Egg Hunt for Lilly, Mia and Grey. I made Chocolate Mint Brownies for dessert, also from Cooking Light. I love chocolate and mint together and the brownies were excellent (as was the Pineapple Angel Foodcake, Frozen Strawberry Cake and Lemon Cupcakes!).

Chocolate Mint Brownies
.
Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
Cooking spray
.
Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring
.
Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
.
01. Preheat oven to 350°.

.
02. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, egg substitute, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

.

03. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.

.

04. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

Yield 20 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Nutritional Information CALORIES 264(30% from fat); FAT 8.7g; PROTEIN 2.8g; CHOLESTEROL 38mg; CALCIUM 12mg; SODIUM 139mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Jeff

Happy Birthday to you!

Hope you have a great day keeping up on the March Madness tournament. Thanks for hanging out with us, letting us join in on your homemade meals (french toast and french fries have never been better!) and for always being hospitable when we crash at Hotel Heidi.

Heidi + Jeff.

Today is Heidi & Jeff's two year wedding anniversary. This evening they let us crash their anniversary dinner and invited us over for hamburgers and homemade fries - it was excellent. When we moved back to Utah in January, we stayed at "Hotel Heidi" for a couple of weeks. Heid made sure we had everything we needed and was very accommodating. It has been great being back in Utah with them. We wish them many more happy years!

Leap Year = Great Grandma Elwood.

My Great Grandma Elwood was born on Leap Year in 1907 and so I'll always associate February 29 with her (odds of being born on this day are 1 in 1,500). She was 95 when she passed away and today Heidi, my sister, and I were talking about her. Heidi remembered that she always had packs of five stick Doublemint gum. I remember her tying one end of a piece of floss to a loose tooth and the other end to a doorknob and then slamming the door to pull the loose tooth out --- then she'd give us a quarter. She would always monitor the food everyone ate at family parties (e.g., that one didn't eat any vegetables) and she would tell me I wasn't growing taller because my waist length hair was weighing me down. She was a master knitter (way before it was in vogue) and would make the best dish clothes and afghans. She was a die hard Democrat and loved the Utah Jazz. When I was a kid, she came to stay with us once and I remember being fascinated that she could take her teeth out. I also stole the car (pre-16) for the first time on her watch - luckily I got home safely and with no damage. I'm thankful I have so many memories of her and am sure she was celebrating today.

*No digital photos of Grandma Elwood --- add another mark to the New Year resolution of converting photos to digital.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Sunday was my Grandpa Traveller's birthday. It's funny I can remember where I've been on his birthday's past, thanks in part to travel for work (Canada, NY, IL, NY). I'll always remember the beef jerky from Lowry's, the chocolate covered nuts and the hike to the peak.

Buon Compleanno Elaine!

My sister-in-law, Elaine, celebrated her birthday last week. And typical of me I remembered on the days leading up to it, but totally spaced the day of. She's a great person and has been an awesome sister ever since she married Jared, J's brother, and joined the family. Shortly after J and I moved to NYC, Jared & Elaine came for a visit during which they were engaged. We have great memories of their visit and now that we're closer to home, we hope to make the trip to visit them. I hope you had a great birthday!

Happy Birthday Keyton!

Happy Birthday to our first nephew! We hope you have a great day, eat lots of cake and get good presents!

Rock Star.

My sister, Jodie, and her husband have this game for their Sony Playstation. My family started playing it a few weeks before we moved back to Utah from NYC and we've been playing it on weekends ever since. Jodie is the most accurate, always hitting 100% of the notes. Heidi has become the one to beat since she has learned all the cool tricks. That was until Jeff practiced up and moved from easy to medium, now he can smoke us all. It's fair to say I'm one of the less talented Guitar Hero's. Not a surprise, I've always said I'm not musically inclined (remember Kathryn?). The only exception to my mediocrity is When You Were Young by The Killers. J and I saw them in concert at Madison Square Garden last May; it was a great show. I listen to them on my iPod and on iTunes at work all the time and I think I can rock the song because I know it so well. I guess the weekly Headbangers Ball on MTV while getting ready for Davis football games on Fridays during junior high didn't stick....otherwise I'd be the one smoking them.

P.S. I Love You.

My sister, Heidi, and I went to this movie on Saturday afternoon. I'm a movie cryer, always have been. This one was no exception. I really liked it, it makes you appreciate the smaller things in life. Oh yeah, Hilary Swank looked amazing in it - best she's ever looked in a movie. Get some girlfriends together and go check it out.