Brian Head

We just got home from a family reunion up at Brian Head Resort. It was such a great time, and the weather was perfect. We did a couple of hikes. One of the hikes was to a waterfall. When I got there Parker was right underneath it singing. It looked like he was singing in the shower. There was still some snow up there so we were having a snowball fight while hiking. It was pretty crazy to be doing that in July. They have some cool caves that you can go in, kind of like the nutty putty caves, that Dave took Parker and Jack to. I had to stay home since Shane couldn't go but everybody who went send they were really cool. There was tons of just hanging out with cousins and eating. One night our niece Swaezy told Dave she would give him $100 if she could crack 2 eggs on his head. Dave agreed so we went out on the back patio and she cracked 1 and rubbed it all over his back and hair and then she said never mind I don't want to spend the money. We all had a good laugh about that especially since it was Dave. Parker one night decided to toliet paper Sadie and Saylor while they were asleep. He told us he used a whole roll. I was a bit scared to see the mess he made. When I saw what he did I cracked up. See the picture above to see what I mean. On the 4th they had face painting and balloon animals, along with bounce houses. Later that night they had a big firework show which was so awesome to hear the echo in the canyon. It was such a great time. I love the mountains and playing in them. All the kids got along great and Shane was so great as well. Dave's mom always does such an amazing job with the food. We ate like kings.

Our Best Bites

My sisters asked me for these recipes today so I thought I would just share them on my blog. These are from Ourbestbites.com. This is my new favorite cooking blog. They also have a cookbook which I am hoping to get soon. Every recipe I have tried on this blog is fantastic. These are 2 of my new favorites. Both quick and easy.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.


Then roll it up as tight as you can.


Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.


Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

The ones pictured below are actually flour tortillas- which I found out I like just as well (maybe even better!) than corn ones.


Dip ‘em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing.

Makes 12-16



Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
SALAD:

4 c. chopped Romaine Lettuce
2 c. chopped grilled chicken (you could use Taco Chicken if you want)
1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, washed
1/3 c. vertically-sliced red onions
1 avocado, cubed
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 3/4 oz. can corn, rinsed and drained Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

DRESSING:

DRESSING:
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c. light sour cream
1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. salt

OPTIONAL:

Tortilla Strips

Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been. Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with your hands (which you have obviously and thoroughly washed, of course! :) ). Set aside.

Mix dressing ingredients. I say to start with 1 1/2 tsp. of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 tsp. at a time. If you're serving this for a crowd, it's probably better to err on the side of not spicy enough rather than too spicy, but if you're just making it for your family and you have taste buds of steel, have at it. You could even chop up one of the chilies and toss it in there if you're feeling super-brave. Then taste the dressing and you'll know what heaven tastes like. Set dressing aside.

If you're making tortilla strips, fry those puppies up now. I didn't make them here because I'm trying my darndest not to be naughty nutritionally, but if I make this salad for some kind of festivity, I always make the tortilla strips. Allow them to cool.

When you're ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine with your hands and serve.

New Family Picture

We just got new family pictures a few weeks ago and I was so relived that a bunch of them turned out. Family pictures stress me out to no end. Trying to get 3 little boys to hold still is quite a challenge but our photographer Emily did great.

Easter

Here are my boys on Easter Sunday. I love that Jack had to hold his new water gun in the picture. Shane was taking a nap so we had to get some pictures of him later at Grandma's. We had an Easter Egg hunt and my mom's house, and then a great dinner.

Arizona/St. George

For Spring Break we had the opportunity to go to both Arizona and St. George. My sister in law and her husband got sealed in the Mesa Temple. It was such a great experience and it was so darling to see their little 18 month old sealed to them. That was the 1st sealing I have been to where a child is sealed to their parents and it just made me cry with how amazing it was. St. George was so much fun as well. The weather was perfect which was great. Camie, Tara and I got up early every morning and went to Crossfit Dixie. It was so much fun. A common bond we have always had with Tara was working out so it was fun to all go together. Tara was great to keep the kids 2 mornings so Camie, Kiah, Kesli and I could go shopping and get lunch. I love having nieces to go shopping with since I don't have any girls of my own. We took the kids swimming at Sand Hallow pool, and then to Nielsen's frozen custard one afternoon, which is one of my favorite places. We went and saw the movie Hop, which I have to say is one of the dumbest kid movies I have ever seen. But the kids loved it so I guess that is what matters. They have a fun Park right by a river we went to one night and got Taco Bell for dinner. It just wouldn't be a trip with my brother if we didn't get Taco bell. The kids had so much fun together. It was a perfect trip.

Jack;s 4th Birthday

Jack turned 4 this month and after celebrating Parker's birthday he was so excited for it to be his turn. We had a birthday party for him on his birthday at our house. We just played a few games and had cake. Of course the morning of his birthday Dad had to give him his birthday spankings as well. Jack woke up at 6:00 on his birthday and was ready for us to get out of bed so he could open his presents. Dave said "since when is a birthday like Christmas where you have to get up super early?" It was worth it to see the smile on his face. Jack is so excited to be old enough to do some of the things the big kids do. He gets to play t-ball this spring and soccer in the fall. Jack is our little athlete. He loves sports and he gets the same little face as Dave does when he is playing sports which is darling. We love our little Jack.

Freezer meals

A few months ago I realizes how much food we were wasting because we never would finish what I had made for dinner and both Dave and I don't really love leftovers. So I decided that from now on I was going to make the same dinners but split it into 2 pans and cook one and freeze one. This has been such a great option for our family. We save so much money on food and I always have 3-4 meals in the freezer, which is great for those days that are crazy, or if you aren't feeling well but you still need to be a mom. It obviously doesn't work with every meal but I have found it works great with any casserole, lasagna, enchiladas, chicken cordon blue, BBQ beef for sandwiches that you make in the crock pot, cafe rio pork, etc. If you have a bigger family you could double the recipe. It has worked so well I thought I would pass the idea on.