Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Fairytale Shower

Newsflash: Randi is getting married.  And we're all so excited for her.  Tonight we threw a shower for some of Randi's friends, at the beautiful Sarah's home.  The food was fantastic, the decorations were beautiful, and there was such a fun theme!  Everyone was assigned a specific fairytale, and their gift was supposed to be based from it.  For example:  our friend Carly was given Rapunzel, so she gifted Randi a frying pan... how clever (If of course you've seen Tangled)! 
What a fun night!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Dinnertime

It scares me that I seem to be taking more and more pictures of food, and less and less pictures of everything else.  Am I obsessed?  Am I remembering how much I really love to cook?  Is it that I have been able to take advantage of the natural light and take some pictures the last few days?  Maybe I just love food!  Tonight, TT and I made dinner together.  He got the noodles ready and grilled the chicken, while I prepared the special sauce/dressing and put the other groceries away.  I hate putting the groceries away!  If it were up to me, they'd probably get left on the counter the majority of the time.  

I found this delicious recipe for Sesame Noodles here (thank you Pioneer Woman).  The noodles were delicious, but to be completely honest with myself, I'd have to say they were not quite as flavorful as I'd hoped they'd be. But overall, this was a very good meal.
The chopsticks came from our last round of Chinese take-out.  But don't let the picture fool you - we promptly pulled out the forks to enjoy our dinner.  

Dessert is always a must for FHE in our little family, so after dinner we jumped in the car and went for some frozen yogurt with TT's parents.  Monday nights don't get much better!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Sunday Lunch

This afternoon we enjoyed a classic turkey sandwich on wheat pita bread, with tomatoes from my grandma's garden and steamed broccoli.  I love freshly picked tomatoes from the garden.  I also "borrowed" some zucchini from her garden and tried a new recipe for zucchini bread, and I'm happy with the way it turned out.  Here's to fresh produce from your own backyard (or in this case my grandmas!).

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Summer of Movies

 It's been a summer full of movies.  And we've loved every minute of it.
And these two, well they're movie champions. 

Monday, August 22, 2011

Backyard Birthday Celebration

How fun and cute are these trays?  They were absolutely perfect for our big family party on Sunday.  Not only do they hold many different sides, but the clean up is easier too.  Everything on my plate was delicious, and very healthy!  It's always so nice to see a colorful plate full of fresh produce, and home grown vegetables.   I can't wait to borrow these trays (thanks mom) for future bbqs and outdoor entertainment, such a fun addition.

The Birthday Card. 
Birthday Jeopardy.
Cute and simple table displays.

I think it's obvious we love backyard bbqs.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sunday Lunch

One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday afternoon is spend time in the kitchen.  I always have one or two recipes in the back of my mind that I've come across during the week, or have been craving for awhile.  I love pancakes, and I almost always prefer wheat over white, which is why I decided to try some whole wheat blueberry pancakes.  Originally I had planned to use a mix from the pantry, but pulled it out only to see it had been expired...for over a year (that's embarrassing).  So I tried this recipe, and it actually turned out really well!  I love all of the fresh produce right now too!  TT and I enjoyed this for lunch before we headed to our families for birthday celebrations galore.  Happy birthday Dad, Chandler, and Savannah! 

Happy Birthday Dad + Silver Fork Lodge

Saturday night, the family met at Silver Fork Lodge up Big Cottonwood Canyon to celebrate my Dad's birthday.  The night included incredible food, the beginning of a great birthday celebration, and breathtaking scenery. 
Love the feel of this little restaurant.
School starts this week, which means the twinners are headed back down to BYU.  It's so much fun having them around for family dinners and adventures.   I can't believe how fast summer has flown by!
WIW: Top: J. Crew, Jeans: J. Brand High Wasted Skinnys, Necklace: Falling Whistle, Boots: Frye
EVC finishing her nap just in time for dinner.
In love with my new Frye's.  Can't wait to wear them all day every day this fall.  So excited!
When we all go out for a meal together we usually order lots of appetizers.  I love it! It's such a fun way to get a feel for the restaurant, and I love tasting lots of different foods.
Canyon Pepper Steak, fresh vegetables and steak fries.  This is TT's meal, however I think a few other people ordered it as well.  Delicious.
Blackened Salmon with Special Sauce (read: I don't remember what it was), mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.  This was my meal.  I love salmon, and this didn't disappoint.
Berry Crisp Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream.  This is one of the many desserts we tried and was my favorite.  The table favorite was the chocolate lava cake, which I unfortunately do not have a photo of. 

Why to dine at Silver Fork: Beautiful drive up the canyon (even though I fell asleep).  If you eat on the patio you have an incredible view of the mountains and canyon.  The food is delicious, and the menu offers something for everyone.  It is a little bit on the pricy side, but because of the location, atmosphere, and time you'll spend dining at the lodge, I think it's worth it (then again, I didn't pay for the meal).

Happy Birthday Dad!!  You are the best!
Here's a super quick video from last night's dinner...

Thursday, August 11, 2011

2 years

happy 2 year anniversary to us!
I love you a million times!
I love that our wedding was in my parents backyard.  I am reminded of it every time we're over there.
tossing the bouquet. 
Flinging the garter.
we love each other.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

lunch downtown

Today TT came down and picked me up for lunch.  We ate outside across the street from the temple at BlueLemon.  I've eaten there with a few different people, and everyone always seems to like it there.  Today we ate outside because the weather was perfect, and so was the view. 
He got the Turkey Sandwich, and I got the Turkey Burger.  Both were delicious!  I always feel so lucky each time TT, my mom, dad, sister and her girlies come down and share their lunch time with me.  I love it!!

dinner at the bird

Snowbird.

And to top off the night...

We had a tasty and fun family night up at Snowbird.  We love Mexican food in this family, and are always up for trying new restaurants.  We enjoyed our dinner out on the patio of El Chanate up at Snowbird.  It's absolutely beautiful up there and starting to feel like fall (already!).  I needed a jacket.  So fun!