List Number One

As I've mentioned earlier, the food here is crazy expensive, no variety, and not very good...this is in relation to eating out. Needless to say, we have gone out to eat only a small handful of times (which means I have cooked more meals than any human housewife should).

Not that I need to eat (even with the lack of yummies, the bread and chocolate here is divine to the taste, but has been horrible for my figure)

Chocolate Aisle in my grocery store!

...but here's my list of places I MUST go when we're home.

In no particular order:

• Cheesecake Factory - Christmas Eve tradition
• Chick Fil A - chicken nuggets please!
• Kneaders - a good ol' American sandwich
• Taco Bell and Taco Time
• Subway - the real one
• Cafe Rio - more. than. once.
• The Mandarin in Bountiful. Haven't had Chinese food since we've been here
• Costa Vida - Maddie's favorite 
• Root beer floats at A and W (per Will and Maddie's request)
• Pizzeria 712 (although the pizza in Italy is divine)
• Zupas for salad that's not been pickled
• Harmon's...just to look around and dream and buy a few items to shove in my suitcase

And the most important item of all is Diet Coke. I could write an entire post on Diet Coke...first and foremost, they don't have the real stuff here - it's called Coca-Cola Light, they drink it room temperature and it DOES NOT taste the same. If you ask for ice, they actually tell you how wrong you are for wanting it and what it will do to your drink. They will then grudgingly give you two cubes which melt instantly in the warm Cola Light. They don't have crushed ice. They don't have cups with lids and straws. No fountain drinks at a gas station. No free refills. When my sister, Jana, was here, we would drive by a gas station and she would ask me if I was sure they didn't have fountain drinks inside. Are you kidding me...of course I'm sure. It was my quest upon arrival to find such a thing. I promised her over and over...they DON'T have it! It's truly one of the saddest things about being here. I know, I am ridiculous, but really?...

Why can't they have it?????!!!!

When I get on the airplane, they better have the real stuff!

I know I'm forgetting so many things...feel free to remind me.


Auf Wiedersehen,

Friday Night Fun

Having trouble deciding what to do on a Friday night?...We were. Bob was "itching" to take a drive in the new car. (We got rid of the van and got a Yukon Denali a few weeks ago). So we decided to take a drive up to Squaw Peak...and I forgot my camera so here is a shot from my phone.


We took a little hike up this path and a little way up, I realized my shoes were not fit for the rocky trail. I headed back down and Bob and the children kept going. I spent some time alone looking out over the valley-so beautiful! After a while, I hear these mountain bikers coming down the same trail we all went up...they were going incredibly fast...then I hear Bob scream "Will" and then I hear William screaming as he's coming down the trail. Apparantly, Will had run ahead of Bob and Maddie and was out of their view. Then the bikers came and Bob was hoping Will had got out of the way-he had and he got a little turned around and thought he was lost! He found the trail and ran down it screaming "Mommy!" Needless to say, we headed home right after that!

We went for treats at Sub Zero Ice Cream. Yummy Treats. I like it because it's hard ice cream with mixins, not as soft as Cold Stone. You choose a base that's liquid and they freeze it with Liquid Nitrogen-Maddie and Will thought it was pretty cool!

Not too exciting of a Friday night...but it was good, cheap fun!

A Yummy Favorite!

One of my favorite things to eat for actually lunch or dinner or a snack is a bagel with swiss cheese, tomatoes and Spike...remember these from the bagel shop in Poway? What was the name of the bagel place next to Ralphs across the street from the church? This is where we discovered this and they had the most delicious bagels!



Anyway...I make this in my little convection/toaster oven.

1. lightly toast bagel (onion, plain, garlic-not chocolate chip!)

2. place a slice of swiss cheese on each half (I like the Boar's Head lacey swiss)

3. broil for a bit until it's melted

4. add a couple slices of tomatoes-in the summer with garden tomatoes...oh my!

5. add another slice of swiss cheese

6. broil until top layer of cheese is super melted and bubbly

7. add Spike seasonsing (I've seen it in the healthy living section of Harmon's)

Be careful because it's really hot when you take it out of the oven...oh so delicious!

Friday Night Fun!

Last night we got to have the missionaries, Elder Parker and Elder Kelly, over for dinner-something you don't get too often here in Utah. It was great to have them over and to feel of their spirit. It is amazing the spirit the elders carry with them-you could really feel it. Maddie and William displayed such excellent dinner-time behavior...I wish they could eat dinner with us every night! :D Knowing the elders typically eat lots of food,I made a huge platter of Pasta with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Cheese...delish. This Rachel Ray recipe is one of our favorites-I make it often.

Pasta with Bacon, Tomatoes amd Cheese

1 pound penne or any short cut pasta

1 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil

4 bacon slices-chopped

1 large onion-chopped

4 large garlic cloves-minced

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1/2 c white wine (or white grape juice or just extra chicken stock)

1 pint grape tomatoes (I sometimes just use Roma tomatoes cut up)

1 ball fresh mozzarella

fresh basil leaves-I like to chiffonade mine (stack leaves, roll, and slice in long thin strips)

1/2 c Parmigiano-Reggiano

Boil pasta making sure to add salt to boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Heads up-you'll need to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid before you drain the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the EVOO. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring every now and then, until crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the white wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and reserved pasta cooking liquid, then bring up to a bubble and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the grape tomatoes and cook them for about 30 seconds, just to start getting them hot and ready to burst. Add the cooked drained pasta, toss to coat in the sauce, and let some of the sauce soak in, about 1 minute. Turn the heat off and add the diced mozzarella, basil, grated cheese and black pepper to taste.

After dinner we went to see Nims Island (of course without the elders)! We really enjoyed the movie...especially Maddie. It would be Maddie's dream to live on her own island with no one else and be friends with the animals. I had the most fun watching her. The story is so fun...adventure, comedy, scary...it has it all. I must admit, I got a little teary-eyed at the end. I don't want to spoil the movie, but the relationship between the father and the girl was so sweet. I have loved watching Maddie grow and become the young woman that she is and I have loved watching her relationship with her dad grow and develop...she loves to study with him, go on rides with him, play Nintendo with him, watch SpongeBob with him, ride scary rides with him...she loves being with her dad.

Nim's Island is just one of those happy movies-I love those kind! We would highly recommend seeing this movie-the whole family will enjoy it.

Sushi?...Ya!

So last night, we had some friends call to go out to dinner and a comedy club...they wanted sushi at this fairly new place called Sushi Ya! in Orem-an all-you-can-eat sushi bar...not my idea of something yummy! I went hoping there would be something like tempura veggies and teriyaki chicken (boring, I know, but I was hungry and I DO NOT eat sushi!) Everyone else got the all-you-can-eat sushi...there were over 40 rolls to choose from! When they brought out this huge plate of rolls, I decided to try one-it was called the Godzilla (spicy, white tuna)! Heaven in a bite! It was delicious to say the least. By this time I had my chicken, but the waiter offered to not charge me for that and I could do the sushi instead--heck yeah! So, I proceeded to try all of them and they were soooo good! Godzilla, Crystal Shrimp, and the Happy Roll were my favorites and you have to put lots of wasabi in your little dish and then pour soy sauce over it and stir and then dip your roll...oh my goodness!. I even tried one with raw scallops on it...go figure...I like sushi! (And Ben, I can't wait to take you there when you guys come later this month!)

This is the Godilla Roll...see the yummy tempura on it and the scallions DELISH!

Then we went to this comedy club in Provo called Comedy Sportz. So funny! I can't wait to take Maddie there...serious fun for the whole family. They don't even allow off-color jokes...perfect for a bishop! :D

Easter!

This Easter came and went so quickly! I can't believe there's a week left of March and Easter is already come and gone!

Did you know that the earliest Easter can ever be is March 22nd! The last time Easter was this early was 1913 and it won't be this early again until around 2116! Just some interesting facts we learned in Sunday School yesterday! And I never knew how the date of Easter is set: Easter is on the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (closest Sunday).

Anyway, I spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and I am so glad it's over. But to be honest, it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating (and I actually spoke for 14 minutes!-the longest I've ever given a talk for.) I guess I'm maturing! :) Grandma and Grandpa came (because of Easter) and they sat with Maddie and Will. Well, they sat with Maddie anyway...during the Sacrament, Will drank from the water cup and as he was putting it away, he dripped some water from the cup (he hadn't drank every last drop), and it dripped into some other cups. Maddie made a big deal of it and made Will feel bad...he started crying (loud) and Grandma tried to take him out. But he hooked his foot on the pew and was crying out that he didn't want to be taken out. I motioned for him to come and sit with me (I was on the stand just about to give my talk). He came up and sat with me and then went and sat with a friend. All is well that ends well and to repeat...I am so glad it's over!

After church we had an Easter Egg hunt and ate a very yummy dinner of Honey Baked Ham, potato salad, baked beans, green salad, and rolls...followed by

V Chocolate's chocolate dipped strawberries! I am still full!

I love Easter!

Favorite Christmas Gifts...

Bob and I exchanged iPods for Christmas...he got black, I got green! At first, I thought what am I going to do with an iPod? Would I really use it? When would I get a chance to listen to music without the ability to hear children talking to me and asking me questions all day long? Oh, how wrong I was! First of all...the fun Bob and I had choosing songs to purchase on iTunes! (We each had a $25.00 itunes gift card and we spent every last dollar and then some.) We spent a couple of hours reminiscing the past...middle school, high school, early days of BYU,old girlfriends, old boyfriends-think...Asia, Toto, Chicago, Journey, Foreigner, Donna Summer, INXS, Depeche Mode, Eagles, Michael Jackson, Howard Jones, OMD, Styx, Rick Springfield, Tears for Fears, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Whan!, etc.-you know you love it! Nobody really makes music like they used to. Great Fun! Second, it's a great way to tune out the kids when you need a break from the talking/questions. And, believe it or not, that music right in your ears actually makes you want to exercise-resolve of 2008 :D! And last night, I fell asleep listening to 80's soft rock. I slept like a baby (one that sleeps through the night without making any noises to wake up its parents).

My other favorite gift is my Breville Ikon Panini Press! Can I just say it makes the yummiest sandwiches ever! Clean-up is a breeze-just wipe it down with hot soapy water and you're done. We've had mozzerella, tomato and basil; turkey, swiss and bacon; regular grilled cheese-a favorite after-school snack for Maddie (and she makes it herself). And my favorite is turkey with pepperjack cheese-I add thin sliced tomatoes and romaine after I grill it-YUMM-O! And you don't have to have hard, crusty bread-regular sandwich bread works too. Everyone should own one of these-it's not one of those weird appliances that you think you'll use and never do. I'm having a love affair with my panini grill!

Bob told me last night "you're into things with the letter 'p'...paninis, iPods, Project Runway, pepper jack." (hehe) Silly man.