Kings: Do You Love Us or Hate Us?

I ask because I love my sister and her family,

which is why I can't understand why

they got our family a gift certificate to

Incredible John's for Christmas!

Samuel and I said:

"N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O !"

The kids said:

" Y E S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S!"

Let me explain our adverse reaction...

Samuel and I stepped inside once to

buy a gift certificate for someone else,

and when we got a peek at what it was all about...

[ Basically, it's a Chuckie Cheese on steroids... ]

...we vowed we would never

step foot in there again!

{ Guess again...}

Like I said,

from the beginning the kids were...

O V E R  T H E  M O O N !

...

And granted,

it was a GREAT family outing,

especially on a rainy Christmas-break day.

I mean,

think about it.

Where else can you ride on the bumper cars,

dine in an honest to goodness lodge,

and eat Spicy Peanut Butter or

Mac & Cheese Pizza?

Bowling was a huge hit...

And as you can probably tell,

Iris was bowling like a 300...

...

T H A N K  Y O U  K I N G  F A M I L Y !

We love you too!

Our Cali Spin on a Traditional East Coast Crab Boil

We have been a go-go-go lately

which is why we chose to slow things down

and celebrate Christmas Eve at home.

If you didn't already know it,

Samuel and I have a beloved tradition of

eating King Crab Legs at home.

And the kids,

up to this point,

thought that tradition was disgusting.

But as they've grown older,

their curiousity has led them to want to give

these gnarly crustaceans a try.

Granted,

I'm stingy though.

King Crab is pricey!

But as I was pondering a

simple Christmas Eve dinner,

it didn't take long for me to know that

it was time to get the butter melting!

Our beautiful family!

Though it was casual dress

-we're at home!-

some of the girls chose to don their

best Christmas dresses for the occasion!

The big kahuna!

Traditional East Coast Crab Boils have

whole new potatoes, Kielbasa sausage, and shrimp.

Sign me up!

We chose to keep things simple though,

with the crab-both King and Dungeness-centerstage!

My babies!

Sadly,

when I say "babies",

I'm referring to my lovely little crab legs,

scrumptious corn cobbies,

perfect lemon wedges,

and flowering of fresh cilantro.

Oh yes,

and then there are my girls!

{ I don't mess around when it comes to crab } 

Turns out they really are babies!

For all their begging to try crab,
each sampled a biteful before deciding they'd rather

much on corn on the cob and sourdough bread!

{ That's okay...more for me! }

Now if I could just get Samuel to eat only a forkful...

Dessert:

An irresistible chocolate bread pudding!

T O  D I E  F O R !

And did I mention the Vanilla Creme' Anglaise sauce?

Y U M M Y!

...

We hope your Christmas Eve

was just as wonderful,

and that you found yourself surrounded

by family, good food, and a heart turned to the Savior.

M E R R Y  C H R I S T M A S  E V E !

{ p.s. recipes coming soon! }

Our Extreme Gingerbread House

I'll admit it.

We get a little ambitious at Christmas.

And with the kids home for the holidays,

they also shamelessly partake in my love of cooking shows-

especially holiday cooking shows.

Something we always get a kick-out of,

is "Extreme Gingerbread Houses".

Basically,

teams from bakeries across the nation

are tasked with creating insanely large gingerbread houses

in a ridiculousy short amount of time.

The end result?

After a whole lot of blood, sweat, and yes, tears,

there are enormous sweet structures

that any of my kids would happily move into,

and someone is $10 K richer.

Which always gives us the brilliant idea:

We could do that!

Granted,

it's not on the same scale,

but I tell you,

we're getting there!

You see,

size DOES matter.

And after we're done,

we take a step back,

look at our finished product,

and for all of two-seconds we're happy.

Then, without fail,

we make our resoluton:

Next year will be

BIGGER!

And that's how it begins,

and soon you find

yourself sweating and crying

on national T.V.

{smile}

The walls...

Basic design outline...

Candy Quality Control (C.Q.C.)

Very important in any official competition!

The mason...

Ta-da!

She's a beauty!

I can't remember how tall she was,

or how much she weighs,

but she looked great on our buffet!

{ And yes, it's a "she"! }

...

What will we do different next year?

Everyone gets their own house!

I want COMPLETE creative control!

Googly-eyed-ness & The Oakland Temple Lights

Visiting the Oakland Temple to see the Chritmas lights

is something we love to do every year for

family home evening.

Samuel and I were sealed here,

and the kids still giggle over the googly-eyed-ness

of this special place which is where our family first began!

This year the weather was really mild!

Usually it's freezing and it's a quick trip up and down

the grounds before we take refuge in the visitor center.

It was nice to be able to amble...

and take things in at a more leisurely pace.

The kids loved that the water in the fountain was frozen!

Guess again!

It's really just empty!

Owen boy,

full of loves!

And his loves are gone!

Gabriel,

getting a good long look,

and I'm sure thinking all kinds of profound and wonderful things.

I wish I could peek into that head of his!

My beautiful babies-

minus Owen who was officially in the minus-loves.

...

M E R R Y  C H R I S T M A S !

 

One of the Happiest Moments of My Life

My dad is a funny man.

When I close my eyes and picture his face now,
it's composed,
thoughtful,
very serious,
or,
he's dozing!

Getting any type of alternate expression out of him
is nearly impossible,
and this was proven when on my families
last trip to Disneyland
he rode down Splash Mountain
like he was waiting in line at the DMV!

No scream-face,
no eye-brows raised,
just dead serious-
and my mom has the picture to prove it!

Which is what makes what happened,
all the more joyful!
...

In the midst of all the holiday preparations,
I realized something pretty incredible.

I don't recall ever
-and I mean never-ever-
singing "Happy Birthday" to my dad!

Granted,
his birthday falls on Christmas Eve
and is always overshadowed by Christmas festivities,
but still...

Never?!?

This couldn't be!

So after a family dinner,
with everyone still settled around the table,
Samuel dimmed the lights,
we brought out the cake,
and sang him his very own rousing
 birthday song!

I'm telling you,
never have you seen a grown man
disintegrate before your very eyes,
only to be replaced by
a twinkly-eyed,
grinning-like-crazy
little boy!

It was a moment I'll never forget!

And I realized with perfect clarity how
grateful I am to be
this man's daughter.

He has always wanted so much for us,
always wanted to be more for us,
but in the end,
I know that he
always, always
loved us.

I love you too, Dad!

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y !



Cookies Only Santa Would Love!

Yup,

I still hate making sugar cookies,

but I admit it's pretty fun

seeing each child take genuine ownership over

their portion of the dough.

From start to finish

they work with

intense concentration

and,

for want of a better word,

precision,

to see that

every

last

detail

is

just

right!

Though we won't win any awards for our cookies...

They certainly tasted

-and dare I say looked- 

good!

Thank goodness Santa's not picky,

but even so,

I think what we created would sufficiently

lure any legendary icon

to our home

for a sweet treat!

...

M E R R Y  B A K I N G !



Growing Up...Yet Young At Heart

Isabella Rose

So grown up now

at the ripe old age of nine.

I love that you still surprise me with your silliness,

and that you're keeping those creative juices flowing.

You are such a help at home,

and such a joy to have as a daughter.

I love you, my girl.

Always.

Love,

Mom

 

The Warm & Fuzzies

Some people have the warm and fuzzies

growing up.

Other's...not so much.

It's just the way it is.

I'm grateful that as a grown woman,

I can look back on my life

and see things from a different perspective.

I'm free to live, laugh,

and love.

...

The warm and fuzzies are never truly lost,

sometimes they just need a little time to develop.

Spicy Pork Tenderloin & Black Bean Chili

I'm a little Bobby Flay-crazy right now. 

I never pegged myself for a Southwest-loving kind of person-

and I guess I still don't!

But I am drawn to authentic Mexican cuisine,

so I do understand why cooking with bold flavors is extremely appealing to me. 

In studying his book,

"Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook"...

{And yes, I do actually study it like it's a textbook!}

...I found a recipe for
Venison and Black Bean Chili with Toasted Cumin Crema
that sounded absolutely amazing! 

It sounded fancy, 

but certainly adaptable to a home menu
that features homemade chili quite frequently in the winter months!

Please see below for my humble version,

and Bobby,

thanks for the inspiration.

Spicy Pork Tenderloin & Black Bean Chili

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Spice Rub

3 tbs chili powder

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs white granulated sugar

1 tbs garlic powder

1/2 tbs onion powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp coursely ground black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

2 lb pork tenderloin, cubed

Pam cooking spray

3 c low-sodium chicken broth, divided

1 c tomato sauce, divided

1 corn tortilla, shredded

1/3 c non-fat plain yogurt

1-8oz. can of yellow corn, drained or 8 oz of frozen corn, thawed

2-8 oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

Optional Garnishes

Light sour cream

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

2% Mexican-blend shredded cheese

Crushed tortilla chips

Directions

Create the spice rub and use 1/3 of the mixture to generously coat the pork.

Heat a cast iron skilled over medium-high heat and spray generously with the cooking spray.

When the pan is very hot,

you should start to see smoke rising from the oil, 

begin to cook the pork in batches so as not to crowd the pan. 

Sear the meat quickly and evenly on all sides
creating a nice crust,
and place in a slow cooker until the rest of the meat is done. 

Pour one cup of the chicken broth into the pan and raise the heat to high. 

Using a wooden spoon,

scrape the meat bits off the bottom of the pan

and incorporate into the stock. 

Add half a cup of the tomato sauce

and a tablespoon of the spice mixture

and combine until boiling. 

Pour the sauce over the meat, cover, and set to low for 4-5 hours.

When you're cooking time is up,

gently remove the pork...

{It will be super tender!}

...and reserve in a bowl. 

Pour the cooking juices back into a pan

and add the remaining broth and spice mixture and bring to a boil.

Add the shredded tortilla and thicken until reduced by one-fourth. 

Remove the pan from the heat,

stir in the yogurt,

and pour the mixture back into the slow cooker. 

Add the corn, beans, and tomato and stir to combine. 

Fold in the pork, cover, and set to low for 30 minutes to one hour.

Garnish as desired...

{I'll admit it: I love everything!}

and...

Enjoy!

 

Sea Salt & Caramel Truffles

As much as I love the taste of pure chocolate,

the sea-salt in this recipe adds a savory twist. 

The combination is refreshing,

and cuts nicely through the richness of the truffles.

Sea Salt & Caramel Truffles

Makes 30-35 Truffles

Ingredients

One recipe for Simple Chocolate Truffles

7 caramel squares, unwrapped and quartered

1 tbs of sea salt

Directions

Prepare the truffles as directed  in the "Simple Chocolate Truffles" recipe,

until you reach the stage where you've allowed the melted chocolate mixture to set.

Remove the mixture from the refrigerator

and let it rest for about 2-4 minutes

to allow for easier forming of the chocolate.

 

Have your salt and caramel quarters at the ready,
along with a prepared baking sheet lined with mini-candy cups. 

Begin to scoop your first truffle,
and prepare to get a little messy!

Typically,
you would scoop the chocolate mixture into your palm and roll it quickly into a ball. 

However,
because your essentially stuffing the truffles,

you'll need to scoop the mixture into the palm of your hand

to make a place in the center for your caramel and dash of salt to rest. 

Once you've done that,

close the mixture over the filling and proceed to roll into a ball

before rolling in your desired coatings.

{Again, I love using unsweetend cocoa and finely minced almonds.}

Set each truffle in a cup and refrigerate once more to set. 

When you're ready to serve,
remember,
room temperature is best!
   

Let them rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes and...

Enjoy!

The Early Bird Gets the Muffin...The Lazy Bird Skips Santa!

Don't ask me how,

but every year we fail miserably

at getting to the

come-in-your-jammies 

Ward Christmas Breakfast,

and as everyone knows,

the yummy breakfast disappears fast!

This year,

we got our heinies into gear and

actually made it on time!

While munching on

fruit, muffins, eggs, bacon,

and the all important cereal,

we visited with friends

and enjoyed the spirit of the season.

...

My favorite part?

Skipping Santa.

I know.

Sounds horrible. 

We must be super-mean parents.

But last year,

Samuel and I waited in the Santa line

all by ourselves!

Then,

when it was time to jump on the big guys knee,

we had to corral them all back-

which was no easy feat!

Nope.

I'm not doing that again!

This year we laid down the law:

If you want to see Santa,

you have to stand in line yourself. 

The whole time.

Ava considered it for all of two seconds

before she said, "No thanks."

The other kids quickly agreed.

And there you go:

No Santa!

...

Merry Christmas

to the

Man in Red!

You got a break this year!

Basic Crepes

In our family, crepes are a staple at every New Years Eve Brunch. 

We always serve them sweet with
strawberries, freshly whipped cream, and a dusting of powdered sugar. 

It doesn't stop there though. 

Some of the best crepes I've had are savory-including the Turkey & Pesto crepe at Pier 39 in San Francisco.  Delicious! 

Whether sweet or savory,
it all starts with the basic crepe,
and here's how...

Basic Crepes

Recipe from Cooking Light

Makes 13 crepes

Ingredients

1 c all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 c low-fat 1% milk

1/2 c water

2 tsp butter, melted

2 large eggs

Directions

Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.

Combine milk, water, melted butter, and eggs in a blender.

Add the flour mixture to milk mixture, and process until smooth.

Cover the batter and chill for 1 hour.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat.

Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan

and quickly tilt the pan in all directions

so the batter covers the pan with a thin film.

Cook about 1 minute.

Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to test for doneness.

The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan

and the underside is lightly browned.

Turn crepe over,

and cook for 30 seconds or until center is set.

Place crepe on a towel and cool completely.

Repeat procedure with the remaining batter,

stirring batter between crepes.

 

Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.

Crepes can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to one month.

Nutritional Info (one crepe):

62 calories; 1.6 fat grams

{Notes}

Alton Brown of the Food Network

suggests a slight variation for sweet versus savory crepes. 

Savory:

Add 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 c chopped fresh herbes, spinach, or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

Sweet:

Add 2 1/2 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, in addition to other "flavorings".

Note:
He opts for 2 tbs of flavored liquor,
however since we don't drink,
I'd opt for 1 tsp of orange or raspberry flavored extract!

Enjoy!

No Small Feat: Braids!

When Isabella was born, she had a full head of hair.

 

Not so with Ava, who was as bald as they come, and whose hair, especially her bangs, seemed to come in so, so slow. Over the years though, we've been able to add to what we can do with what hair she had. First, nothing. Then a barrette, followed by a haphazard ponytail, some curls, and then lo and behold...braids! And it only took 5 1/2 years! She loves them, and now she wants them everyday!

 

 Note: The bangs are still wispy!

 

Love this girl!

Grandmas

 

Love them!

What's Our Wishbone Wish? Pizza!

Since everyone's schedules always go hay-wire
near the holidays,

we decided to do everyone a favor
and have a Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner.

{ Maybe that only added to the holiday crunch... }

Either way,

we avoided competing for the big day,

and had a great time relaxing and

just being silly!

...

For the real Thanksgiving Day,

we did something a little unconventional.

We had just returned from an

overnight backpacking trip on the coast,

so rather than the typical turkey and fare,

we opted for party food, pizza, and chinese food!

Who doesn't love take-out right?

Big problem though.

N O  O N E  I S  O P E N  O N  T H A N K S G I V I N G !

And I mean,

no one.

Except Raley's.

So we bought a couple of frozen pizzas,

and we even tried out the new P.F. Changs meals

(Beef with Broccoli isn't bad!),

but compared to what we had envisioned...

it fell a little short.

Next year,

do or die:

W E  A R E  H A V I N G  T U R K E Y !

{ Happy Thanksgiving! }

  

2010 Backpacking Trip: Point Reyes' Coast Trail

Every post-Thanksgiving,

Samuel and I make a resolution that next year we'll
run a turkey-trot or something.

Basically we want to sacrifice personal comfort

by working up a sweat,

while doing good for someone else,

and feel a little less guilty when we sit down to feast.

It's not a tall order,

afterall we love to get outside anyway,

but still,

every year rolls around and we find ourselves in our jammies

in front of the boob-tube watching

Snoopy get dragged down the street.

{Exception}
I can't fail to mention that Samuel does manage
to make it out to the ward Turkey Trot every year. 

Go babe!

Granted,

parades and throwing the pigskin around is fun too...

and I'll admit,

we did that AGAIN this year,

only guilt-free and minus any next-year resolutions because

days previously hiked our heinies off on

one of the most beautiful coastal trails in California,

Point Reyes':

 T H E  C O A S T  T R A I L

And who better to share that with,

than three beautiful daughters,

a wonderful husband,

a sweet-heart of a sister,

and a horde of equally adventurous in-laws!

It was a dream come true,

and if you ever get the chance,

even for a day,

visit this magical place.

You will not be disappointed!

Seriously,

does it get any more fairy-tale-like than this?

The Great Blue.

She's big, beautiful, and yes,

just over that cliff that my daughter's standing on!

Ava,

geared up and ready to go!

Fresh-faced and clean!

That won't last long!

Our first wildlife sighting!

T H E  B A N A N A  S L U G !

As we neared base camp,

Ava found her favorite part of the whole trip.

A mini-gorge created by the trail splitting

right down the middle!

Off in the distance:

Wildcat Camp

Or shall I say,

"Home, sweet, home!"

For the next few days at least!

We met up with our party, the Green Beans,

and made fast work of setting up camp.

As you can tell by the sweaters and hats,

with the sun setting the temperature began to drop quickly.

That's no reason to hunker down though.

It's time to hit the beach!

Afterall,

you wanted want to miss seeing Indiana Jones would you?

Beautiful, beautiful girls!

We were thrilled to take them along,

and share with them the joys of

exploring this beautiful world,

pushing yourself to do something you've never done before,

living simply,

and enjoying good, hard work!

Frozen sweethearts!

Hot chocolate rules out here!

And candy bars make for a perfect dessert!

Goooood Mornin'!

At this point we'd all been sufficiently deprived of

day to day luxuries we take for granted everyday

(a hot shower, a cold bowl of cereal, a hot shower...),

that when we saw a passing cruise ship we all feel all over ourselves

imagining what fantastics meals and accomodations were on board!

Then we realized it was a cargo ship-NOT a cruise liner.

Uh.

Can you hear the air hissing out of our balloon?

Nature's best playground is...

Nature!

And the kids had a blast taking it on!

And you never know who you'll run in to.

Look!

It's Pocahontas!

Just kidding, Jules.

{smile}

The coveted treasure find:

Deer bones!

One even made home and onto our Christmas Tree!

Samuel,

taking care of business

before we hit the coast for a hike on the beach.

From left to right:

Isabella, Ava, Julia, Meghan, Abby, Lennon, & Sam (Lennon's bud)

I can't wait until Iris and our boys join the line-up too!

Alamere Falls

A 40-50 foot waterfall drop right into the ocean!

Samuel scrambled up to the top and

we all quickly followed suit.

The view was absolutely breathtaking!

It looks like the girls could slide right off the cliff

and onto the beach below,

but actually,

this is a section of the upper fall set quite a ways back. 

Back at camp,

the deer came super-close for some lunch.

I wonder who made that...

All smiles cause we're headin' home!

I love this shot.

It's really, really fun to travel in a large group. 

It kind of feels like we're in a PBS special

hiking in the Andes or something!

I'm proud of these girls!

They really pulled their weight,

literally!

{Except, Ava.  Who gave up her backpack pretty quick!}

More wildlife sightings:

Newts

(or salamanders)

Alternately pulling up the rear with Ava gave us some

great alone time with this girl.

She's a fighter,

and we love her spirit!

Renewing that memebership in the oh-so-exclusive

"Banana Slug Club"!

With the sun rapidly...

Yes, I said, "rapidly setting",

we made a mad dash for the lighthouse.

The Elk were out in force...

And, of course,

the lighthouse was closed!

We've been here many times,

and every time,

for one reason or another,

we miss it!

Lucky for us,

out here there's a view at every turn...

We had the best time ever,

and I am chomping at the bit to get out there again,

only as a whole family,

boys in tow.

It's camping at it's simplest,

and at it's best,

with a total body workout and

the very best sight-seeing too!

...

Now for a shower...