my trip to logan

on sunday, kreg and i got some food and drove to newton (a Mulberry-like town west of logan) and went to the park there for a picnic. as you can see, kreg enjoyed the merry-go-round even though it was making him dizzy :~) i got on the swings, and kreg climbed the dome. we proceeded to take an adventure drive through clarkston, and followed a gravel/dirt road up and down and around through farmland, and then entered the caribou national forest, passed deep creek reservoir, and ended up in malad, idaho. at the entrance of the forest, there were the cool rocks featured above. later that night, we went to cutler reservoir under a full moon and clear skies {enchanting} and fished until midnight. an old train went by, coyotes howled, and of course, we saw a muskrat (I seem to attract those little buggers!) i l-o-v-e this wild wild west.

me gusta

aren't they lovely? these are from the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Empire Room and Wasatch Room. I hope i will one day get married in the fall because i love love love shades of brown =)

healthy muffins!

ah yes...good for you and amazingly scrumptious!

Two of my favorite bran muffin recipes:

#1- Molasses Bran Muffins
1 c. wheat bran
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. raisins
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. milk
1/2 c molasses or honey
3/4 c. applesauce
2 Tbsp. oil
2 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine wheat bran, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
Stir in raisins.
In a separate bowl, blend applesauce, milk, molasses, oil, and egg.
Add to dry ingredients and stir until moistened.
Spoon into greased muffin tin (or paper muffin cups)
and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Makes 12 marvelous muffins!

#2: Walnut Bran Muffins

1 c. regular oats
1 c. milk
1 c. wheat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 mins.

No Bake (Boiled) Cookies

These were my favorite when I was growing up!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or 1 block of Mexican chocolate
  
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

bubble wands

k, ignore the dominoes in the picture. i'm just going to give instructions on the bubble wands. these are so fun to make for the kiddos! You take 3" x 6" wooden sticks (dowels) and choose whatever color of acrylic paint you want. Give the dowels a few coats of paint and let them dry completely. Then using black wire (I bought mine at Roberts), wrap the wire around a cookie cutter of the shape of your choosing. I used hearts and stars and circles, but you could use anything from moons to pumpkins. After forming the shape, wrap the wire 3 times around the top of the dowel, then proceed to spiral down the dowel and wrap 3 times around the bottom. Cut off excess wire. Wahla! You have your very own super cute bubble wands.

alton brown's stovetop mac-n-cheese

Lovin' the homemade macaroni and cheese!

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni *You could also use spirals
  
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded *You could use cheddar or another shredded cheese of your choice
  

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

easy key lime pie

in florida, key lime pie is a must in the summer. i haven't had this summer comfort food though since i moved west. i found this simple, delicious recipe the other day and thought I would share. you'll love it too!

Ingredients:

-1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
-1 (6-oz.) can frozen limeade *I used MinuteMaid
-1 cup of heavy cream
-1 (6-oz.) graham cracker pie crust
-Zest of 1 lime (or more if you want to put sliced limes on top)
-2 drops green food coloring if you want to make it green-colored

Place the condensed milk, limeade concentrate, and cream in a large bowl (and the food coloring, if you want). Use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy and soft peaks form. Pour the filling into the piecrust and smooth the top. Refrigerate until chilled and loosely set, at least 4 hours (and up to overnight). Sprinkle the pie with zest (or sliced limes) before serving. Enjoy!

bear lake

i went to bear lake for the first time this summer! the water was beautiful, the condo was really nice, and the raspberry shakes were aMaZinG. I loved it and can't wait to go back!

Coconut Skillet Rolls

i got this recipe off of "Good Things Utah." they are super easy to make and taste yum yum. you can substitute agave nectar for sugar to make them healthier. enjoy! =~)

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 2 well-beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1 ½ cups flaked coconut

Combine sugar, dates and eggs in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Carefully stir in cereal. Cool slightly, and roll into balls. While still warm: roll in coconut. Makes 24 date balls.

Trying it out

we'll see how this goes. i need something besides facebook to post pictures, add links, and write, so maybe this'll work? I have been wayyyy into new craft ideas and recipes this summer. the above picture is one i'm working on. isn't it country cute? :~) i'm actually a huge geography buff and it seriously bugs when my students don't know where utah is on the map or think that california is in another country. this is going right into my classroom come august.

caramel popcorn

Ingredients:

4 quarts of popped popcorn
1 stick of butter
16 oz. bag of brown sugar
1/3 c. karo syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla

pop plain popcorn in microwave, or in popcorn machine. in a medium saucepan, bring 1 stick of butter, brown sugar, and karo syrup to a boil, stirring constantly. Add baking soda and vanilla, reduce heat and continue stirring until the consistency becomes thick. (1 minute or so). Pour mixture over popcorn and fold in. Spread popcorn flat (on cookie sheets etc.) and break up any large clumps. Enjoy!

friendship frame

i was trying to think of gifts for friends and family and decided to try out a frame. this was a "practice" frame. i got this 5" x 7" wooden frame for $3 (1/2 off coupon yay) and then put a couple of coats of black paint on it. it took about 3 hours to completely dry. then i cut some coordinating scrapbook paper for the edges and added the puffy sticker letters. and i decoupaged it. more frame practice to come :~)

grad class

i read this book for a summer SUU class. really eye-opening and applicable even if you aren't a teacher. it's a short-read--i highly recommend. =)

travel tins

i made these "travel tins" for emmi and dillon. they could be used as miniature lunchboxes, but i made a magnetic tic-tac-toe board on the inside using buttons so that when they go on long road trips, they can play the game and also store some of their belongings inside the tin. roberts also has these tins in larger sizes, so they would be perfect for actual lunchboxes for school. i hope they like them! :~)