Springtime Sunday Supper

This last Sunday we had the best dinner... our second barbeque of the year. We just love to fire up the grill! Our meals in the Spring and Summer tend to be lighter and healthier, and the grill makes it so easy! I tried three new recipes this weekend and I loved them all.

This is my new favorite salad! It was so easy, so delicious, and healthy. I've been eating the leftovers all week.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad (recipe from Allrecipes.com)

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat. Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

The chicken was also really good. I only marinated mine for a few hours, so I'll bet if you marinated overnight, it would be even better.

Easy Grilled Chicken Teriyaki (Allrecipes.com)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Place chicken, teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and sesame oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag, and shake to coat. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours, turning every so often.
Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Remove chicken from bag, discarding any remaining marinade. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes each side, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.

Of course, I didn't really do the grilling. I did make the marinade...but Brandon is the Grillmaster.

Notice his Sunday afternoon uniform...hoodie and pajama pants are a must (for me too)!

The third part of our meal doesn't really need a recipe, but trust me when I say you must try grilling your asparagus. I used to hate asparagus, until I tried it this way. It is divine! It doesn't even taste like a vegetable...it just becomes nutty, buttery and melts in your mouth. I just cut off the woody ends, throw them on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and take them out the Grillmaster. We probably eat this every Sunday in the summer. SO GOOD.

The final new recipe I tried was for Hello Dolly Bars (also referred to as 7 Layer Bars). I'm sure many of you have made these a million times...but I hadn't! Where have I been? Why didn't anyone tell me about these?

They are super easy, and sinfully rich. (You can feel okay about them after you have the above mentioned healthy dinner.)

Hello Dollies (Allrecipes.com, with some modification by ME!)

4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of an 9x13 inch baking pan. Layer the chocolate chips, coconut and pecans over the crumbs. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.

In fact, these are so good, I may never make them again. (Try to eat just one! I accidentally ate half the pan.) They are not good for my (upcoming) summer (swimsuit wearing) figure.

Man, we did some good eatin' on Sunday. The perfect ending? Enjoying the weather by taking a ride in the Jeep. I love Spring!

To Die For...

I found the most amazing recipe recently for "Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips." It is SOOO delicious. I have made it twice and gotten rave reviews both times. It is the perfect Spring appetizer, dessert, or snack...and it's pretty good for you! You must try it. (The name "salsa" is somewhat misleading because there is no spice in it at all. It is all sweetness from the fruit, and is totally scrumdittilyumptious.)

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries (I substitute frozen peaches that have been thawed)
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor ( I use apricot preserves)

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Soup Swap

Did you know that yesterday was National Soup Swap Day? It's true! To celebrate, I hosted my First Annual Soup Swap! It works like this: I invited about 8 friends to each make 6 quarts of their favorite soup. They divided them up into six (one quart) containers, froze them, and brought them to the swap.




After enjoying lunch (Hawaiian Haystacks, a Mormon favorite, and banana muffins) we went around and told about our soup (what was in it, what it's good to serve with with, any toppings to be added, etc.) Then we let the swapping begin!


Everyone drew a number. The first person chose one container of soup to take home, then the second, and so on. Then we repeated this cycle until all of the soup was gone!

I came away with six different containers of soup to enjoy at a later date. I received Taco Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Veggie Chili, Regular Chili, and Baked Potato Soup. I made a yummy, healthy soup called Gypsy Soup.



Some of the Swappers

It was so much fun. I can't wait to pull out one of my soups for dinner when I don't feel like cooking. I love opening my freezer and seeing all of the soup goodness! Nothing like a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter's night.





Lucky me, I had a sous-chef to help me in the kitchen.

Crickets, Sweaters and Cocoa...Oh My!

Brandon, Patrick and Stoney Basking in Sweater Beauty

As you probably know by now, I love to entertain. This last weekend we had a Christmas party and invited 8 couples. We required all guests to wear Ugly Christmas Sweaters, which apparently is quite the trend nowadays. I had to search many, many thrift stores to find attire for myself and for Brandon. They are hot commodities! My friend Shannon had to resort to making one for her husband, Patrick (pictured in the middle in the picture above). Is she crafty or what? The lights on the trees even lit up!

I made all the guests join me in playing Christmas songs on chimes. Each person gets one chime which is labeled with a number. I had posters of Christmas songs and each person hits their chime when the number comes up. Everyone was skeptical at first, but it ended up being a hit!

We did a white elephant gift exchange. One of the gifts was a box of live crickets that caused quite a stir. There were some other clever gifts like one that included a can of beans, a bottle of Beano, and some air freshener. Nothing like mature adults laughing about passing gas!

'Tis the season to overindulge...I had all the guests bring an appetizer to share and we ended up with a great assortment of food...spinach dip, veggie pizza (thanks, Holly!), orange rolls, fruit and dip, taquitos, shrimp and more. All of this yummy holiday eating is helping increase my girth until soon I will resemble Old Saint Nick.

Brooke and Holly

I decided to put out a hot chocolate bar. I made a big pot of hot cocoa on the stove, and then put out a tray with all kinds of things to mix in.

Cookies for dunking were also a necessity.

For my centerpiece, I used an easy idea I got from my Mom. Take three glass cylinders, fill halfway with real leaves (I clipped mine off of the bushes in my front yard), pour in some real cranberries, fill with water, and float a candle on top. They are simple, but I think they are so beautiful. (They will last for a week or so.)

Brandon ended up with a wooden tie (yes, made of wood) after the gift exchange. He kept threatening to wear it to church on Sunday, but thankfully, he did not. Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to wear it to work. Would you buy furniture from a man in a wooden tie?

Are we hot or what? Look out, Brad and Angelina!

I'm already trying to think of the next reason to have a party. Martin Luther King Day?

Remember Me?

After much pondering, prayer, and harassment from family and friends, I am sheepishly returning from my nearly six month blogging hiatus! Here's what I have learned about blogging:

once you stop, it's hard to start again (it's the opposite of what happens when you eat Pringles). You miss a week, a month, and it's a slippery slope from there. So, because I do want to document my life and the life of my child, I am resolutely resolving (how's that for a tongue twister?) to be a better blogger. If you want to come along for the ride, that's fine too!

Last night, Brandon and I hosted our first annual Halloween party. Costumes were required; children were forbidden. We invited 8 couples to come in costume for a night of merriment and mayhem (okay, not much mayhem occurred). I think it was a smashing success. I hope my guests would agree. We dined on baked potatoes, chili, rolls, salad and cookies.

We had a costume contest.

(Yes, you can hire me for your daughter's Disney princess birthday party.)

We had old people.

We had pirates:My cousin Shelby and her husband, Tom.

(I only recently met her, but that's a story for another day!)

We had '80's punk rockers.

Everyone had fantastic costumes. We laughed and played games and enjoyed the freedom of being childless for a few hours. I can't wait for next year!

(Oh, one more thing. I decided to make my blog public again and just be more careful about what I write. Please don't share this blog with any of your friends who are dangerous stalkers.)

Fondue, Friends and Fair Weather...Finally!

I am in charge of a Relief Society cooking group in my ward that meets bi-monthly. This month I decided to plan a fondue night to try out my new fondue pot and some new fondue recipes. It was so fun. We had quite a spread that included a chocolate fountain, Chocolate Butterscotch fondue, S'mores Fondue, and White Chocolate Fondue. We also had two savory fondues...a Bacon Cheddar one that I made and a Chili Fondue that was spicy. For dipping, we had french bread, veggies, donuts, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, Oreos, marshmallows and pretzels. I was in a sugar coma after not eating sugar for a month!





I invited my friend Jaime who used to be in our ward to come and was glad she did. Please disregard my chin (s) and my off-center necklace.




This weekend I got a visit from one of my old dear friends from high school, Lisa! We hadn't seen each other in about seven years. Her and her boyfriend Todd were in Boise and stopped by for a visit. It was so fun to see her and catch up. Why do I look like I'm pregnant in this picture? I'm posting it anyway to prove that she was here.





Lisa and Todd




Spring has finally arrived here in Meridian, Idaho! She's a temper mental woman, though...last week it snowed one morning and two days later it was 7o degrees. Those warm days have been beautiful. One day last week my friend Kaydee and I put our babies in their strollers and went for a nice, long walk.


Here's her six week old, Ethan. Isn't he precious?




And of course, Miss Addy Waddy:

She's gazing heavenward like a little angel...or more likely plotting her next ill-timed diaper blowout. She's been doing that often lately.

It's tax day today...are yours done?

Weekend Update

This weekend I (with the help of two other friends) gave a baby shower for my friend Kaydee. She is having a baby boy in a few weeks. It was an open house brunch. Don't you just love brunch? It's that magical hour that's not quite breakfast, not quite lunch...and have you ever been to a brunch where the food wasn't delicious? We had quite a spread of spinach, ham and mushroom quiche (I made that), blueberry french toast casserole with blueberry syrup, a gorgeous fruit tray, 2 other savory breakfast casseroles, and juice. It was simply divine. Kaydee got a ton of great stuff, too!



Kaydee

Kaydee is one of those people who looks GREAT pregnant. She's still skinny all over, with just a cute basketball belly. She actually has that pregnancy glow. If she wasn't so nice, I'd hate her guts. I looked like a beached whale when I was nine months pregnant.

My mom gave me this great decoration to use for the shower. She went to Wal Mart, bought some wooden letters to spell out BABY, painted them blue, and stuck them in a wooden stand. I wove some ribbon through it, and BAM- a centerpiece for the table. I thought her idea was ingenious. Of course you could do the name of the baby, or paint it pink if it's a girl.



Today is, of course, Super Bowl Sunday. We usually either go to a party or have a party, but this year we stayed home and were low key. Neither Brandon nor I really cares about football, but we like to watch the commercials and have an excuse to eat. I made these ...and we had chips and salsa and other munchies. We also made homemade peach ice cream in our new ice cream maker we got for Christmas. Yes, it's the middle of the winter and it snowed several inches today...but why not? It was delicious. Here's us vegging out:





Me enjoying the ice cream!


Brandon and Addy

It was a great weekend!

**Do you like brunch? Any great ideas for baby shower decorations? What did you do for the
Super Bowl?**