Happy Halloween!!!

The Kings Singers

I have a lot to blog about, but I'll start with The Kings Singers. My mom and I went to the concert down at BYU last night and it was AMAZING! I got to see them a couple years ago with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but for some reason I enjoyed it even more this time. Maybe because it was a smaller venue, I don't know. Anyway, everything was really entertaining and their blend is just incredible. From the very first sound the baritones made, I was just so excited! Sometimes I forget how much I love good music, and then I am reminded loud and clear. I used to have so many amazing musical experiences everyday at BYU and now they are very rare. I love my ward choir, but you know...I don't need to explain. The concert was so great though and I had such a fun time. Jeremy watched Eli (thank you honey!) and as I was driving on the freeway to meet my mom down in Provo, I was trying to remember the last time I went out like this by MYSELF. I couldn't remember. It was pretty exciting. After the concert I got to meet a couple of the singers and then of course I spent forever talking to all my old choir friends. It was so fun! Then my mom, Heidi, and 2 of her roommates and I all went out for ice cream. We didn't get home until 11:45! I can't remember the last time I was up that late because I was out partying, not up with Eli. :) It was kind of exciting. And Eli was a sweetheart and slept amazingly well last night, so I don't even feel dead today. Yea!!! Anyway, here are some pictures from last night:

I felt like a little teeny-bopper wanting to get pictures with all of them. :) These are the only two I saw after, but supposedly they all (all 6 of them) came out to the lobby after to sign CDs and meet people. They were very nice. Above: Heidi and I with Timothy Wayne-Wright, countertenor. Below: Heidi and I with Christopher Gabbitas, baritone.
Then my mom and her 2 youngest. :) Heidi looked so cute. Her roommate Brianna curled her hair and she looked like a babe! BYU Singers sang 3 songs with the Kings Singers, so that was fun. It was mostly just the KS, but the BYU Singers and Concert Choir have a concert in 2 weeks that we're going to, so that will be fun to see more of them. And Heidi is accompanying 4 of the songs! Woohoo! Go Heid!

More posts to come - Eli's checkup, what my mom and I have been up to, etc., etc...

Tasty Tuesday

Honey Lime EnchiladasOkay, this pictures does not do this justice, but these are seriously the best enchiladas I've ever had. I found this recipe about 2 weeks ago and I've made them THREE TIMES already. Every time I make them, Jeremy acts like Bob on "What About Bob". "Mmmm, these are soooo good". Yes, they really are that good. Anyway, I found the recipe on The Sisters' Cafe blog. As usual I will put up the recipe and add my little notes in italics. You have to try these. They are so tasty!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1.5 lbs. chicken or pork, cooked and shredded (I've only done chicken, but I'm sure pork would be great; I always cook about 3 chicken breasts in the crockpot for awhile and then it shreds really easily)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 10 oz. cans green enchilada sauce (I usually do half of a 28 oz. can and then freeze the other half; or do a 14 oz. can if you can find it)
Equal parts mozzarella & cheddar cheese, grated (I did monterey jack one time)
8-10 flour tortillas

After chicken/pork is cooked and shredded, combine with honey, lime juice, chili & garlic powder. Let "marinate" in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Fill your tortillas with chicken mixture and a little cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle more cheese on top (don't be stingy). Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then turn on the broiler for a couple minutes so it gets nice and brown. Take out of the oven and DEVOUR!!!

Seriously, the flavor with the honey and lime is just so tasty! I also managed to find an enchilada sauce that was more natural (not loaded with all sorts of icky preservatives and stuff), but of course I threw out the can and can't remember the name of the brand. So next time I get it at the store I'll let you know. I like to avoid processed stuff if I can. I also like the tortillas at Costco that you cook yourself. They're nice and thin and delicious. Anyway, these are amazing! I hope you make them soon. :)

***Also, my mom is here. Yay! We had these last night and she loved them! She got here yesterday and will be here until Friday. Heidi has a concert at BYU with the Kings Singers on Wednesday, so we're excited for that. Eli is also SIX MONTHS today! We have his check-up in an hour, so I'll be sure to post his stats sometime soon. Thanks for reading!

Picnic

I tried to post this on Monday, but it wasn't letting me put up pictures, and then I kind of forgot about it until now. Oh well.

Last weekend was a great weekend. Jeremy had a really busy work/church week last week, so we spent a lot of time relaxing last weekend. Friday night we got Chinese take-out and watched a movie. Then Saturday morning Jeremy had a Priesthood Leadership meeting for our Regional Conference. It was a BEAUTIFUL day on Saturday so after Jeremy got home, we went to a park up by the lovely mountains and had a picnic. It was the perfect temperature, the sun was shining, and it was a great day to enjoy the fall colors.
Family portrait:
Then we spent the rest of the day watching cooking shows (America's Test Kitchen on PBS - it's Jeremy's favorite; it's very scientific about how they find the best ways of cooking things; it's really fun though, and we always end up drooling over everything they cook), going to the grocery store, making fresh apple cake and playing games with our friends, the Sanders. Sunday we had our Regional Conference and it was really great. President Monson spoke, along with Elder Hales, Elder Costa, Sister Matsumori, and the temple presidents of the Jordan River and Salt Lake Temple. Quite the line-up, eh? Then we enjoyed the rest of the day being home. Sundays are usually really busy, so it was nice to have a little break. That was our weekend!

Zuppa Toscana and French Bread

I was in the mood for soup last week, so I was browsing through several cooking blogs/websites I usually look at, and I found a recipe for "Zuppa Toscana", like they have at Olive Garden. Yum! I've had it there before, and I remember really liking it. It's been awhile, but as far I remember, this tasted just like it. I decided if I was going to make soup, I had to make bread to go with it :), so I made Jeremy's mom's french bread. That along with some salad made it a great dinner! By the way, I halved both recipes, since there's only two of us, and it made enough for both of us to have it for lunch the next day. So if you have more than 2, you should probably do the whole recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

Zuppa Toscana
from www.stephanieskitchen.com

1 lb Italian Sausage
2 large russet potatoes, sliced in half and than sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2- 32 ounce cartons chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 bunches kale, chopped (I did a little less than this)
freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, if desired

Brown sausage in large soup pot. Remove sausage and set aside. To the pot add chicken broth, potatoes, onion, and garlic and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add cream and sausage to the pot and warm through. Add kale a couple minutes before serving. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Debbie's French Bread

2 1/4 c. hot water
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 c. flour (or more, if needed)

Sprinkle the yeast and 1 T. sugar over 1/4 c. hot water. Set aside so that the yeast can rise (just a few minutes).

Meanwhile, stir the other T. sugar and salt into 2 c. hot water. Add the flour one cup at a time and mix in the yeast mixture when it bubbles. Knead for about 5 minutes. Roll dough in a little bit of oil and leave in a covered bowl 1-3 hours until it doubles in size. Divide the dough and put into bread pan, or make two long loaves and put on a cookie sheet (I use the cookie sheet). Let rise a second time until double in size. Cut a few slashes on the top. Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes in an oven that has a pan of hot water on the lower rack (keeps it moist). Remove from oven and brush with butter.

Mmmm....Rice Cereal

Who knew it could be so appetizing?

I've tried giving Eli rice cereal a few times over the last month, and he didn't seem too interested, which was totally fine. I just thought I'd try. Well, that all changed this week. We found a highchair online for cheap, so we decided to finally get one and really try the solid foods again. And he loved it! It's so cute. He just dives for the food now and opens his mouth up so big. I think the timing helped too. I've been feeding him while we eat dinner, so now he feels like a big kid eating real food with the grown-ups. :) Anyway, it's been fun, so of course I took some pictures and wanted to put them up. Enjoy!

A few Eli pictures

It's Tuesday!

Honey ChickenI almost forgot to put up a recipe today. But I'm sitting here watching the Biggest Loser and for some reason that made me think of food? I don't know. Anyway, this is a really yummy recipe that my sister Amy gave me and I think she got it from my Aunt Marilyn. It's best served over rice and I like to steam broccoli to go with it too. This is something we eat pretty often and it's really easy! (Which is probably why we eat it often; that and it's delicious). Enjoy!

Honey Chicken

1 3 lb. fryer, cut up (I just cut up a couple chicken breasts)
1 egg yolk
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 c. honey
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

Place chicken in a shallow pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until done. Turn a few times while baking.

8 siblings, 7 states

Last night Jeremy and I were talking about how strange it is that we've never lived near any of our siblings or parents. We both have a younger sibling at BYU, so I guess that's not completely true, but that's not quite the same as having a permanent residence. We each have 4 siblings, so there are 8 altogether and they live in 7 different states! In January, Jeremy's brother Jonathan will be starting chiropractic school in Oregon so that will make 8 siblings in 8 different states. Jeremy's are in: Hawaii, California, Utah (soon-to-be Oregon) and Virginia. And mine are in Utah (while in school; CA during holidays/summer), Idaho, Texas, and New Jersey. (And both our parents are in California).

Isn't that sad? Don't get me wrong. I love where we are. I feel like of all our siblings, we are in the most central location and we probably get to see family the most of anyone. And I'm glad that we're within reasonable driving distance of a few siblings and our parents. (Sorry Wendy and Mimi. We miss you guys). And I talk to my sisters and mom on the phone a lot (I've decided men just don't do that very often - aka Jeremy and his brothers). And I have a lot of aunts and uncles very close by, which is great, so I rarely feel family-less.

BUT...I still think it's sad that none of our immediate family lives near each other (and it makes my mom even more sad; sorry for bringing it up, mom). There's a difference between the sibling-sibling or parent-child relationship and the aunt-niece or grandparent-grandchild kind of relationship. We were thinking about how our relationships with our immediate family would differ if we lived close enough for a "just come over for dinner" visit or "sure I'll come watch the kids for an hour" kind of deal rather than a 3-4 day stay every few months. I think it would make a big difference. I wonder if we would be closer or if it would just be different. What do you think? Have you experienced both? I wonder if we will. It's hard to know where everyone will "end up". But it sure sounds like fun to live close enough for a pop-over visit sometimes...
Above: Jeremy & his siblings and parents last Thanksgiving
Below: Me & my siblings and parents (and babies & grandma) last June

Cinnamon Rolls and Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake

Today is a double-wammy. I promise I do make healthy things too. It just so happens that all the recipes I've posted so far are not so healthy. I'll try and do better next week. :)

So before General Conference last April I was looking around online for a good cinnamon roll recipe and I came across this one. I liked it because you can make the cinnamon rolls the night before, roll them out and put them on the pans, and then cook them the next morning. I'm just going to post the link to the recipe because it's pretty lengthy. So I made them for the first time last April and they worked pretty well and then I tried them again this past weekend and they were FABULOUS! If you do the refrigerator method though, I suggest taking them out several hours before you want to bake them OR put them in a warm oven and they'll rise pretty quickly.
Cinnamon Roll Recipe*: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/CinnamonRollsFantastic.htm

Next is a recipe I tried spur of the moment last week on Jon's birthday. I didn't know they were coming up until about 5:00 that evening, so I had to scrounge around to see what I could come up with. I didn't want to do a boring straight-from-the-box cake, but I didn't have too much on hand to do anything fancy, so I found this recipe in Jeremy's mom's cookbook. It actually does use a cake mix, but it uses a bit more too. Sorry the picture is so bad, but I forgot to take one of just the cake. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Poppy-seed Cake

1 pkg. white or yellow cake mix (I used yellow; it's what I had)
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
4 T. poppyseeds (I only had about 1 1/2 T., but it worked)
1 pkg. instant lemon pudding

Throw all together and mix up. Bake in a well greased bundt pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan before taking out. Use a light glaze or powdered sugar and water for frosting. I used a lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze:

1-2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 T. lemon juice
a little milk, if needed

I just combined the powdered sugar and lemon juice, and then added a little milk to make it a little thinner. Then I just poured it over the cake! (I didn't really measure, but just taste it and see if it needs more lemon or whatever).

*FYI: If you are a vegan (Rebekah) or can't have dairy (Abby), I saw a link to a veganized version of the cinnamon rolls on the comments section of the recipe. I have no idea if that would be any good, but I thought I would mention it. :)

Lots

We had a GREAT weekend. Lots has happened. Last Thursday, it was Jon's birthday (Jeremy's bro) so he, his girlfriend Shannon, his cousin Ari, and her friend Forrest came up for some birthday cake. Then on Friday Jeremy and I stayed home and watched a movie. (Emma - Gwyneth Paltrow version; I just finished reading the book for the first time so I wanted to watch the movie). Then on Saturday we watched the LDS General Conference. It was so great! We realized this is the start of a new phase of not being able to pay attention as well because we're watching the child(ren). But that's okay. In between sessions, Jeremy mowed the lawn, I cut his hair, we cleaned up the house, and went on a walk. While on the walk I looked over at Jeremy and discovered this:
Yep, that's a GRAY HAIR!!! Ahhh!!!!!

Anyway, so then we recovered from that shock and watched the next session. After the afternoon session, Heidi and her roommate Brianna came over (they went to the afternoon session at the Conference Center) and we had dinner and sent Jeremy off to the Priesthood Session. That night Heidi and I practiced her concerto, we made cinnamon rolls (recipe coming tomorrow) for the next morning and played a game. Then on Sunday we woke up to the sound of booming thunder, hail and rain. It was pretty exciting! It was a great morning to stay inside and eat cinnamon rolls. :) We also enjoyed another 2 sessions of General Conference and then we all went over to my grandparents for dinner. It was a great weekend!

Eli is changing everyday. He is starting to be able to stay sitting on his own. He can't sit himself up, but he's starting to be able to balance himself when I sit him up. And...he's getting a tooth. Yikes! I'll be sure to take a picture when it emerges. As of now it's just a bump with a teeny bit of white coming through. Pretty exciting.And I have been baking up a storm lately. I needed to take dinner to someone last Wednesday, so I made lasagna, breadsticks, and pumpkin cookies. Then on Thursday I made a cake for Jon, on Saturday we made cinnamon rolls, on Sunday I baked the cinnamon rolls, and I made pumpkin bars to take to my grandparent's house. Now I just have to decide what to post recipes for tomorrow. I forgot to take pictures of a lot of things, so I'll have to make them again. :) Anyway, so that's what we've been up to! We're loving the cool rainy weather!

Tis the season...

for this...
and these...
and these...
and this.
I love fall!!