Thanksgiving and Post Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful dinner at Jessica's parents entertained by stories from her aunt and uncle that had just returned from South Africa the day before.  It was a really nice and pleasant afternoon with a GREAT thanksgiving feast!  (sorry...we forgot to take pictures)

The next day we met my sisters Leah and Laura and families for the day.  We spent the first part at Wheeler Farms where the kids LOVED seeing the farm animals up close as well as "driving" every tractor available.  I love seeing the next generation becoming such good little friends.

The afternoon was spent with a great light lunch and games, then off to an early dinner with my grandparent's to celebrate Laura's birthday.  It was a really fun day and nice to just have time with siblings.  As the years have gone on and each of my 6 siblings have grown older, started families, moved, etc., I am struck by how much I am impressed with each of them and love spending time with them.  We enjoyed each other growing up (with a few rough days...despite being the model oldest brother), but I love our relationship as adults.  They are each great friends as well as siblings and we miss seeing those who live far away on a more regular basis!

We'll Get 'em Next Year....

Yes....our beloved Utes lost...barley.   But seeing what my brother-in-law and Jessica's dad did to the neighbor's makes the loss a little more palatable.

Nice work Darren and Roger!

Today

Here's to a GREAT game today!

GO UTES!!!!

The Perfect Stuffing

Making the perfect stuffing has been a quest, and I think it finally came together this week.  The ingredients are listed below with some rough measurements sometimes, but I think stuffing is one of those things that you just put together and then add a little of this and that till its how you like it.

Ingredients:
Corn Bread (made 24 hours in advance and left out to dry a bit)
White and Wheat bread (I like a 2/3 to 1/3 mix of corn bread to other breads)
1 package Sage sausage
Whole fresh cranberries
Granny Smith Apple diced
1.5 onion
Celery
Fresh Sage & Rosemary
.5 cup of half and half
1 Can of Chicken Broth
Cayenne Pepper
Tony's Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Pine Nuts
Rough Cut Mushrooms
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Saute then caramelize the onions, apple, celery, cranberries, and pine nuts, then half the quantity of spices for about 45 minutes on a medium heat stirring often.  Cook sausage and set aside.  Dice-up the bread mix and add the other half of the spices.  I go heavy on the rosemary and sage.  I think its good to have both spices in the onion mix to infuse the flavor, but also to have some fresh in the bread mix to give a little stronger flavor.

Sprinkle the cayenne and Tony's onto this mix.  (The cayenne and Tony's is not designed to make this a particularly spicy dish, but just add a little heat) Add the rough cut mushrooms too.  When the caramelized mix is ready to go, add to the bread mix and mix up.  After well mixed, add the half and half as well as the can of chicken broth.  The mix should be wet, but not too soggy.  Test and add any additional flavorings.  Put in a pan and cover with tin foil and cook at 400 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and broil until you have a crunchy top.  From this point, I like to add about 1 cup of the turkey juice to the pan to add extra flavor.  Serve hot!

The best....

In a continuous effort to the the "best of"....I give you Goodwood's BBQ's bowl of chili.  Thanks to my friend Matt Wirthlin for scouting this one out, we went together yesterday to re-test, and he was right.  This award winning chili has tender pieces of beef slow-cooked in a thick, rich and slightly spicy chili sauce.  It comes highly recommended!

The Blind Side

Comes highly recommended...

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Watch this, it's great.

I'm still trying to learn to be grateful for my trials, but I am working on it.
One step at a time, right?

Miss Birthday Girl...

Dear Sister.
Happy Birthday!
Never knew how grateful I would be for technology, especially Skype.
Would be lost without it/you.
We miss you more than we can say but are so excited (not to mention jealous) for the adventure you and D are having.
I love that Sofia calls you May-May, but can say "Mary" when she wants to.
I love that you are such a perfect auntie.
I love that you are so stylish, creative and fun.
I love that you still want to be seven years old, and can make me act a little silly too.
Man, thinking about how great you are makes me miss you even more right now.
Hope you have the best Birthday a Swiss girl can have.
xox.
sister.
P.S. Never realized how funny Sofia's hands looked in this picture. Special.

Trip to Yakima

Sofia and I went on a special daddy/daughter trip up to Yakima Wa. to see my amazing sister Sara and husband Birch and their 6 Kids.  Sadly, Jessica had some responsibilities here, so we had to go without her.  It was really sad and she was missed!

Sofia has only met these cousins 1 other time when she was much younger, so we felt it was important that they get to know each other a bit.  They all had a blast and played endlessly!

We played, wrestled, ate, watched movies, talked and talked and thoroughly enjoyed our time.  We wish we were closer to make it happen more often! Thanks so much Dittos for having us.

Pie In A Jar

So, it's really been a problem for 5 years now.  I love pie, Jessica doesn't.  A few weeks ago, my dear wife, came up with a brilliant solution that she found on a blog.  She made a bunch of individual pies in small glass canning jars which can be frozen and then taken out on an individual basis and an hour later, you have hot pie!  It's really the greatest thing ever.  Thank "J" for such a innovative solution to a serious problem.  Now, Cherry, Apple and Pumpkin pies await safe and sound in our freezer...we are now all happy here!

Click here for how to.

Once in a lifetime

It's no secret that I like to try out places from cheap and scary to nice and expensive.  However....I usually embark on the cheap and scary places on my own.  We've (all 3 of us) have been sick this weekend...no swine, just a cold, and today we needed to get out of the house.

 Somehow I talked Jessica into going to the Olympian...home of the $2.50 breakfast.  I decided to document this as I'm quite sure it will never happen again.

By the way...should anyone want to try this place out in secret, its not too bad.  About 2200 South and 700 East on the east side of the road.

Pupusa's

What is a pupusa? I suppose now would be a good time to talk about their deliciousness.  A pupusa is a wonderful treat which comes to us from El Salvador.  However, instead of using a thin tortilla like our amigos mexicanos, these salvadorenos use maize flour dough to create a thick flat bread which they will with all sorts of things like cheese, pork, chicken and many others.  The best way I have found to describe pupusas to most people is that they are a lot like a mexican gordita but their bread is much thicker.

Pupusas at the stand run $1.50 a piece and usually 2 or 3 will be more than enough for a meal.  Add a bit of cabbage and salsa and you’re in business for a great meal on the hustling and bustling streets of downtown Salt Lake City.  These were really so good!  On the corner of 300 South and Main.

Amen!

First Half Marathon

So, Saturday I did my first half marathon.....as you can see from the pictures, it went about how I look here...also, really sore for the next two days.  I'm re-thinking that desire to do a marathon.

Never Thought I Would See The Day....

So here's the deal....I promised myself long before Sofia arrived that I wouldn't ever give up and fall prey to the "Happy Meal." But...today it happened. We were at a funeral, Sofia was a wreck (hungry and tired), I was on my way home with her and realized that we haven't been shopping for awhile and had nothing to eat, Sofia was crying, and McDonald's came into view as I sped home. So...you can see the results above, and now I have a full, happy and sleeping baby. Thanks Micky D, but don't get used to seeing us!

A Sweet Lil' Witch

HaPpY hAlLoWeEn!!!

After a very indecisive month, we finally settled on a costume.

Wheeler Farm

Waiting for the hayride to go by

Exploring the tree house

Watching all the ducks

A goat up close

Cows are so much bigger in real life!

The pumpkin patch

It is so great to see Sofia enjoy some of the things that I enjoyed growing up. Wheeler Farm is always a highlight in the fall. Some things never change, I guess. She loved the tree house, just like I did when I was little. She loved the animals, maybe a little more than I did when I was little. Happy Fall!

Sofia and Matt's 5 Seconds of Fame...

A New Day

Just read this book last night. Yes, it was a sleepless night and let's just say I was glad to have a book to read and help pass the hours. I am grateful for a new day and that the sun has once again decided to peek through the clouds, making a beautiful fall day.

I know I'm late jumping on the band wagon for this book, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It made me think about how fast life goes by and how important it is to find joy in the journey, and love each and every day, even the hard ones. Oh, and also, how grateful I am that I can live in a state, and not a territory in those wild, wild days.

I'd recommend this book to anyone, sleepless night or not.

Now, can I take a nap today?

An Appetizer for the Ages....

Peppered-Bacon Wrapped Grilled Jalapenos Poppers stuffed with Raspberry Cream Cheese

The name says it all....