Big "D"

We've got the best dads around.

Bryn wanted to make a treat, so she and Diana baked Oatmeal Raisin Cookies together. They made a giant cookie shaped like the letter, "D." They estimated it was the equivalent of 8 regular cookies.

Other than that, we had a nice quiet day at home. It was stake conference today, so we had even more time than usual together.

Happy Father's day!

Our kitchen tonight

Had this for dinner.
I loved it and my husband, who did most of the work, said, "We could have this again."
Which means: "Let's have this again!"
I think this would be OK with rotisserie chicken as they mention, but tonight it was perfection b/c of the homemade grilled chicken we had it with.
My favorite part of grilled chicken is the outer surface--browned & a little bit drier. This time the chef sliced each chicken breasts in two pieces lengthwise--

This is not my photo . . .found it on google images

To make more surface area for the grill. Best way ever.
Fresh basil is an important addition--adds to the freshness & depth of flavor.

The under 12 crowd for the most part did not appreciate the red pepper sauce or basil, but it's easy to make theirs without. And the red pepper sauce is the reason I wanted to try it. It did not disappoint. It was so good I think you would not miss the cheese if you left it out.

A certain 11 year old saw that someone was discarding her fresh basil, however, and asked if she could have it. So there is hope.

Today was our neighborhood garage sale. We didn't make a ton of $$$, but enough. My neighbor was selling a copy of this:

After I told her I loved it, she gave it to me. Can't wait to try some of these, the first up on my list is Spinach and Feta Frittata. If you are a young mom wondering how on earth you are ever going to feed your family, this is a fantastic resource. Highly recommend.

Tomorrow we are going to try this.
Some night soon . . . . this, but we will have it with spinach, because it's better.

World Record Pace

Nathan finished his marathon this morning.
Last summer, he and his brothers started running a marathon, in sets of two hundred meters. Stephen made a google docs spreadsheet so they could see each other's progress. They ran ten 200 meters intervals with 200 meter rests in between.
How many 200's to make a marathon?
211.
Nathan ran a 1:56.4.
The men's world record pace for the marathon is 2 hours 3.6 minutes.

We live close to a high school track. Last mother's day, bought me a key. He paid the school district $25 for a key to get in. Many times he's gone alone, but often we go with him. 80% of the times we go, we are the only ones there. Ed is pretty happy to sit in the long jump pit with a bucket and shovel. The other kids play/run/sit/cartwheel and keep themselves entertained as well, which has been helpful.

Great job, Nathan and thanks Stephen for the challenge.

Spring food

I love spring food--it is so fresh.
If I were you, I would try this, Mixed Greens with Fresh-strawberry-herb-dressing
SOON.

This morning for breakfast I had wilted spinach with scrambled eggs and homemade bread. Heaven in my kitchen.

Mother's day tribute

To those who made me:
"Mommy"
Mom
It's a lot of

Cookie bakin'

 Ice Skatin'

 Goat Ridin'

 Cheetoo Spellin' (a.k.a. Cheetoh Chompin')

Face Makin'

Fun.

I tell you everyday, but if for some reason you need to hear it again,
"I love you guys."
And, to the man who makes it all possible.

Standing with his Moab dream ride

Mother's Day Menu re-cap

Perfect day!
Perfect weather, perfect company, and perfect food.

Breakfast:
Biscuits, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and OJ.
But, the best part of the meal is that all my children were seated and quiet when I came down the stairs.

Lunch:
Skipped--because breakfast was heavy and late and we have noon church.
There was snacking . . . . but nothing awesome.

Dinner:
Chicken Cordon Bleu (thank you Sam's freezer section)
Green Salad w/ homemade dressing
Cucumbers & grape tomatoes
Garden Pasta Salad with Summer vegetables.

The recipe is from America's Test Kitchen, found HERE. 
We doubled it to feed a crowd. Also doubled the green beans, because they were so fresh. I want to eat this all summer long.

and the ONLY mother's day dessert:
Strawberry Tart

My sister's family and my parents came--we had a nice time talking.

I love spring and summer food. It's going to be a great season.

Mother Hen

This week I joined my dad and sister Jennifer in celebrating my mom. For the past year, she's been the President of the hospital volunteer association. It's been a lot of work. She loves it and will miss it, but it's kept her very busy. On Thursday there was a luncheon to honor her and welcome in the new president. For her outgoing gift, she received a Hobby Lobby chicken shaped birdhouse. The chicken is a tradition--but my mom is a great mother hen.


This Weds, mother hen will be getting a new right hip--which will help her move better than she has in many years. Yeah for moms, and especially mine.

Keeping it real: The menu at the lunch was an Asian chicken salad. When I started mine, I noticed many large and strange mushrooms in it. Mom leaned over and asked what I was doing with mine. The lunch was pretty fancy, so I wasn't sure if I was breaking the rules, (actually I'm pretty sure I was breaking the rules), but I transferred about 5 of my mushrooms to her plate. I ate one, and left two. Thank goodness she was sitting next to me and was willing to take my 'shrooms.