Bananna Split for Breakfast

This looks tasty! From the Kitchn Blog

Breakfast Banana Split
makes 1 serving
1 ripe yet firm banana, peeled
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fruit jam or preserves
2 tablespoons sliced almonds or other nuts
Handful fresh berries or cherries
Split the banana lengthwise and lay the two halves in a shallow bowl. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the yogurt and put it on top of the banana. Warm the jam in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds or until it is very runny. Use a spoon to drizzle the jam over the yogurt, and sprinkle the nuts over everything. Top with the berries or cherries, and dig in!

 

 

OohLaLa! Apple, Cheddar, and Thyme Galette

Doesn't this look insanely yummy.  Since I don't cook (as you can read about HERE and HERE) I am going to ask Paul to kindly make this for me.  What a great dish for the fall. I realize it is only August, but I am already thinking of all things fall (pumpkins, soup, crisp air, autumn leaves). Jo at Little Jo Home I guess great minds think alike.

The recipe can be found on Fresh 365 blog.

PS.  Who does the cooking in your house?  Did anyone else marry an amazing chef to save them from the horrors of the kitchen?

Buying the Caged Free Eggs 2

It is nice to know that my friends are so forward thinking and cool! I am planning on watching Food, Inc. tonight and recommend it to all my readers.  I will blog about what I learned and what I think.  I checked and it is available to watch instantly on Netflix.com if you have a subscription.  Maybe we should have a date night?  Lets all watch Food, Inc. tonight.

Lauren, I love that you have chickens in your yard. My old neighbors in Sugarhouse have chickens and my dear friend has chickens too. I saw this post on Sunset Magazine that made me think of everyone in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you don't get Sunset Magazine and you live in the West you are really missing out. I highly recommend it. I love this magazine. It has such great stories of cool earthy things to do, gardens, recipes, places to visit, etc.




Here is the chicken article.
Backyard chickens
Written by Vanessa Chang

Fresh eggs from your SLC backyard

One word: chickens. A new Salt Lake County law means you can now keep hens in your yard. Get a jump-start on spring with an intro class at the University of Utah. This month’s Coops de Ville: How to Raise Backyard Chickens gives you the 101 on which breeds to choose, how to care for fuzzy little chicks, and how to keep them safe in the suburbs. Mar 2 and 9 or Mar 3 and 10; $51; continue.utah.edu












How cool is that?  Charlie and Jack would probably eat my chickens, but I like the idea.  Go buy a chicken and have fresh eggs.

Have a great weekend.  Tomorrow is mine and Paul's 6th Wedding Anniversary.  It is so weird to think about.  We are planning on playing all day in Washington DC and then going to a play or music concert or something or other. 

Buying the Caged Free Eggs

Do you spend twice the amount to buy caged-free eggs? Recently, Paul and I have switched to caged-free as I watched an intense video on battery-caged hens and it made me realize that it was worth the extra money to know I wasn't helping fund their animal cruelty. Here is an interesting article by the Humane Society on the subject. Tell me what you think. 

Cute Husbands-Have a Great Weekend

A husband's food art for his wife on bed rest.  I could so see Paul doing this for me.  One of the many reasons why I love him-just knowing that he is sentimental and caring-regardless if he actually did anything. Just knowing he is sweet is enough (don't tell him I said that I want to keep doing nice things).

Check out these great photos from parenting.com:

Shirley's "dull" breakfasts were limited to egg whites, wheat bread, peanut butter, and a few fruits and veggies. To liven up Shirley's bland meals, her husband Gat began to create funny faces out of boiled eggs and toast. "After a few days of that," Shirley told us, "they started to become more elaborate scenes."




Have a Great Weekend!

Paul left today to go to Montana for his Grandpa Carl's funeral.  My parents are in town so I didn't go. Grandpa Carl taught Paul how to fish (among many other manly things)- that was one of Paul's first comments Paul said after he told me that his grandpa had died because of a stroke. Death is always hard to deal with, but it is nice to know he is heaven with his loving companion and wife.That always helps bring comfort in a difficult time-at least for me.

What are you doing this weekend?  I am going to Mt. Vernon with my parents today and then we are going to rent a row bow and paddle around Fountain Head Park.

Enjoy the fabulous Virginia weather. I hear it snowed in my hometown--Utah. Haha. Suckers.

Macaroni & Cheese

So Paul, Jack, Charlie, and I are staying at our friends' house, the friends who got married this Sunday, and I know you may think it seems crazy that we are staying here and that we are probably more of a stress and burden than a help, but I am here to tell you that you are wrong.

So on Saturday-the day before the wedding- I was following Sam (the groom) around his house asking him if Anna (the bride) had mentioned if she needed help with anything, she wasn't home at the time, and he smiled and said "Yes. She wants you to make me lunch." I nervously smiled and said "anything you want," and he pulled a box of macaroni and cheese out of his cupboard and said "thank you, you are the best," and then went outside to work in the yard.

I stood there in the kitchen staring at the box on the counter and then to the stove and then to their pots and pans and then yelled "PAUL?" in a very forlorn and desperate voice. I heard loud laughter coming from the basement and Paul exclaimed that he was just waiting for me to call his name for help as he heard the whole conversation.

So alas, I suck at cooking and can't even make macaroni and cheese. Thank heavens for husbands that love to and know how to cook. Amen to that. I guess it is better than me trying to cook it and it ending up with shards of glass inside. (please see story "The PB&J")

The PB&J

I love peanut butter and jam sandwiches or lovingly called the PB&J. Eating one is a nostalgic experience bringing me back to my elementary school years. I prefer to use only the best ingredients: Whole wheat bread, crunchy peanut butter (I like Jif), and homemade strawberry or raspberry jam. The crunchy of the peanuts and the sweetness of the jam mixed with the heartiness of the bread is so yummy! It is also very important to cut the sandwich diagonally.

When Paul and I were first married, he had to leave for work pretty early, around 6:00 am. We had been married about a month and I felt like I should be a sweet little loving wife and make him a lunch to take to work.

I am not a morning person.

I stumbled out of bed and deliriously headed to the kitchen. I had recently purchased a gigantic jar of jam at the store and I thought I would use it to make him a "made with love PB&J". Well in the process of grabbing the jar out of the cupboard, the jar slipped through my fingers and shattered all over the ground. I was devastated. Paul was in the other room and asked what happened and I yelled back "nothing" and then I continued to spoon out jam from the top of the pile of shattered glass ( I figured if it didn't touch the floor it must be safe). I searched my jam selections for glass and it seemed okay. I made Paul's sandwich, threw in some treats, a hot love note (remember we were newlyweds) and packed it up in a brown paper bag and felt like I was just the best wife.

Around lunch time I got a call from Paul thanking me for his lunch and kindly asking "did you put glass in my sandwich cause I took a bite and it was a different kind of crunchy and I pulled out a big piece of glass from my mouth."

The moral of the story is that I don't make Paul's lunches anymore and will probably never have to make lunches for my future children. Yeah to the PB&J.

Interesting PB sandwich that I saw at a restaurant the other day and want to make.
Peanut butter and bananas and agave nectar on wheat bread

Does anyone have a better recipe idea?

Cupcakes for Dinner

In my fantasy life I am Julia Child with the ability to whip up the most decadent of treats and meals with ease and pleasure. Alas, as many of you many know, I am not a chef, or a baker or even a cook. I really hate doing it. I am not sure if it is that every time I try the food seems to not taste as good as when Paul makes it or that sometimes my cooking just really tastes horrendous.

So last night Paul wanted to make red velvet cake from scratch (honestly who makes anything from scratch) but it was kind of late and we were at the grocery store and I insisted on buying the Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix and Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting, as well as, all the ingredients so he could make red velvet cake from scratch another night.

So my fabulous husband makes me red velvet cupcakes last night before going to bed and all day I have been eating them. So tonight for dinner Paul was busy at work and like I was going to cook anything, so instead I had cupcakes for dinner!


Mom, please don't be mad-- I did at least put a raspberry on top so I would get my fruit food group.

Happy Weekend! Eat a cupcake!

My Hot Baker

(I stole this post from Shari Stone, I liked it so much. All photos by Shari Stone)

The area of Herdon is a quaint place with little streets and lots of little shops. Paul makes bread at Great Harvest between the hours of 4am and 12 noon. He rides his bikes through the woods and through the dell each morning. So if you live in the area go say hi to him and his crew. They will give you a free slice of bread to enjoy.

This is the Kneading Team of Great Harvest of Herdon. Kyle, Sally, Paul and James. They knead over 1000 loaves a day. Next week with the holiday they will pick up the time and pace up to 1500 loaves.

Paul, the Baker Man and his Cinnamon Roll Bread.

Paul kneading his orange cranberry size D loaves......................heheheheh! I don't know where he gets such skill cause I know he doesn't get that kind of full sized practice :)

Feeling Crafty

Paul and I survived Thanksgiving- luckily everyone brought some yummy food to share and Paul's mom cooked like Julia Child, so the food was fabulous. We had 20 people here, I guess 24 if you count all the kids too. We borrowed tables from the neighbors so everyone could fit in our family room. Thanks Shari for all your help!

Shari, Paul's mom, posing sexily for the camera while peeling sweet potatoes

The amazing 21 pound turkey bird

My Family Room filled from one end to the other with tables and chairs- real cozy!

I think we had at least 10 people at a time in the kitchen, lots of chaos, but lots of fun too.

Also, while Paul's mom was in town we did lots of sight seeing on the sunny days and lots of Martha Stewart type things on the rainy days. I sewed these pillow covers. For all of you who are laughing that I sewed, I want you to know that yes I own a sewing machine and yes I did these pillows all by myself. I also made window valences too! I know I know- amazing right?!

Here is my Christmas Tree- I love it. It is decorated like a May Pole. Shari did the ribbons and did a great job. I decorated the tree with all these old ornaments my Grandma Blanche Richards gave me as a little girl and added some fun colorful balls and such.

Also, check out my window valence in the background. Feel free to tell me how amazing I am. I hope everyone has their trees up and are ready for the Holiday. I am listening to Christmas music right now as I type this (Kristin Chenoweth's Christmas Album, song "I'll Be Home For Christmas" to be exact) sadly I wont be home for Christmas though. I'll be partying it up at Disneyland with my family after Christmas to bring in the New Year...Woot Woot...thanks Mom and Dad!

Love and miss all my friends and family.

xoxoxo

Model for a Day

Paul's mom, Shari, came in town to spend time with Paul and I and we have been having a great time. Yesterday we went to Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. Shari is a fabulous photographer and she took a couple of headshots of me and all of these photos in this posting. Tell me what you think...which one is good enough to use on my website for teaching?

Other Pictures of us at Harper's Ferry

We also saw the movie "Julie & Julia" about Julia Child and a so we had to go the Museum of American History to see Julia Child's kitchen.

Ruby Slippers Judy Garland wore in the "Wizard of Oz"

Smithsonian
White House

Obama's Body Guard

Church in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Oh by the way...did I mention that Paul and I are having 19-20 people over for Thanksgiving in Virginia. Yikes! My party got bigger than expected, but hey the more the merrier I say --as long as there is room for everyone. Thank goodness I have Shari here to help me cook, or else it would be a huge disaster or burned turkey and lumpy gravy. I will keep you posted on how it goes.