Just Returning From...

Heaven on earth! We had a fabulous extended Easter weekend in Sedona and Flagstaff with Chris & Abby and my Mom and Dad!

The weather was beautiful... the adventures plentiful... the food was amazing and the company couldn't be beat!

We had the funnest time and were so grateful my mom and dad drove so far to be with us. The kiddos were spoiled rotten with so much attention and love...

Lots more pics will be coming but I just had to post a few... Flag and Sedona are just absolutely beautiful! We did lots of hiking and Ranger Riding...

Hope you all had a fabulous Easter Weekend!

Bah! It's Easter this Sunday!

Are you ready?!? ha. I am- yay- because I knew it was a crazy week and I wouldn't have time! (I am hosting a luau for our RS for 60-80 ladies... in our backyard tomorrow! FUN!!! But crazy busy...) Ok, so the kiddos were excited they got to do their eggs yesterday and I had to show them off. We tried a new kit by Paas and it was sooo fun! Came with a ton of colors and instructions on how to make them marbelized. The kids had a great time experimenting and we only had one big spill. ;-) They were thrilled with how they turned out. Each one was so fun and unique! I am so lazy I just take iPhone pics these days but did take some on our nice camera I will have to show off later. ;-) Another great and easy way to do fun tie-dye colored Easter eggs is on the post below- we made them last year and it was a hit...

http://fabdoverlife.blogspot.com/2010/03/easter-eggs-dyed-check.html

Easter Cuteness... for the bathroom!

BAH! These little Chickees just arrived in the mail today! So stinkin cute! The kids are already fighting over who gets which chick in their bathroom.

They are from Bath and Body Works... I got them for half off with my Groupon! yay!

They are going fast... The Blue Dancing Water Chick is gone. Can't believe Easter is in a week- bah!

Yummy new after school snack...

Frosted Banana Bars!

Got this recipe from a neighbor yesterday... made it yesterday... fell it love with it yesterday!

Wish I had the mini choc chips for the top... but the kiddos were like, it's missing something?!? They were the ones that had the idea for the chocolate chips on the frosting because we always make our banana bread with chocolate chips in it. You could even melt chocolate to drizzle on top if you wanted to be fancy! (Probably have to add a TBS of crisco or use the buttons so it would harden and not be a gooey mess.) But anyways, we also added nuts to half the pan and that was my half- ha! Then we cut them after this fab iPhone pic... It's a super easy and yummy recipe that I thought I would share.

Frosted Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter or margerine, softened

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (less fat is fine)

4 cups confectioners sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a 15x10x1 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until bars test done. Cool. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Gradually add confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Spread over bars. Yield: 3 dozen.

(This made oodles of frosting and you know how much I like frosting! You may only use half of the frosting, depending on how thick you like it)

Dover Version: Sprinkle with lots of mini chocolate chips! (Colby thought mini M&M's would be a better idea!) Nuts optional. ;-)

HaPPy BiRThDaY ALLiE!

Wow! The last year has flown by... too fast. Such a whirlwind... Allie turned 1 this weekend!

She has blessed our lives in so many ways... we are so incredibly grateful for her. She is so sweet.. and fun... and constantly making us smile and laugh! Such a good little girl... We are oh so in love with her. Welp, I'm off to get the rest of the kiddos to bed but just had to post a quick pic of her today with birthday wishes!

A New Favorite!

Yum! This is a fast, easy recipe that is family friendly and so amazingly tender and tasty. It's from my sister Becky... and I can't believe I haven't made it before- it's going to become a regular on our menu! This is the first time I have brined anything and wow- the chicken was so flavorful and juicy. Note: The kids loved the chicken but didn't love the sauce... they preferred the chicken with their fav sauce... Ranch!

Grilled Chicken with Moroccan Dipping Sauce

1/4 c salt

1/2 c sugar

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 TBS oil

Ground black pepper

2 T lemon or lime juice

1 minced garlic clove

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c oil

2 T minced fresh cilantro leaves

Dissolve sugar and salt in 1 quart (4 cups) of cold water in a gallon Ziploc bag. Add chicken, press out as much air as possible from the bag and seal. Refrigerate about 20 minutes. (I didn't refrigerate it because I like my meat to come to room temp before cooking, so it cooks evenly.) Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Whisk lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt together in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Whisk vigorously to ensure mixture is emfulsified. Stir in cilantro. Preheat grill. Removed chicken from brine and rinse well under cold running water. Toss or brush chicken with oil, sprinkle with pepper. Cook smooth side down until dark grill marks appear, about 5 minutes. Turn and continue grilling, covered, about 3 minutes. Temp should be 160. Serve chicken with sauce on the side or sauce drizzled over the grilled, sliced chicken. Serves 4. Source: Cook's Illustrated Grilling Cookbook.

So grateful to know I am a daughter of God...

As I have reflected on the blessings of the RS, preparing for the upcoming RS Birthday Dinner I am in charge of, I was so grateful to read the RS Declaration. Can't even express the gratitude I have for the gospel- that we KNOW we are beloved spirit daughters of God, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.

THE RELIEF SOCIETY OF
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

are beloved spirit daughters of God,
and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.
As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion
to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.
We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:
Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ
through prayer and scripture study.
Seek spiritual strength by following the
promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Dedicate ourselves to strengthening
marriages, families, and homes.
Find nobility in motherhood
and joy in womanhood.
Delight in service and good works.
Love life and learning.
Stand for truth and righteousness.
Sustain the priesthood
as the authority of God on earth.
Rejoice in the blessings of the temple,
understand our divine destiny,
and strive for exaltation.

I love this song too sung by Gladys Knight- Sisters in Christ- which states, "Teach us love and understanding, lift our eyes and change our hearts. Make us one in faith, and give us strength to stand for who we are. Grant us charity and vision! As we serve and sacrifice, that we may become sisters in Christ."

Anyways! Had to share. Incredible blessing to have this direction and purpose and meaning in our life... no matter what stage of life we are in...

Summer is around the corner ;-)

Wow! It's April already... and we've already hit 100 degrees here! Whew. We have already gone through cases of otter pops and lots of Dreyers Fruit Bars... and plenty of homemade pops too. Allie is a huge fan. Here are the recipes I am going to try this week... sound like a yummy and healthy treat! I will let you know how they turn out. Here's the first recipe...

Banana, Berry, and Buttermilk Ice Pops

Puree 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk, 1 banana, 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries, and 1/4 cup honey or agave syrup in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds and freeze. Makes 10 pops (75 calories each).

Firecracker ice pops

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 pound blueberries (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat plain yogurt

Directions

1. In a food processor, puree strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. Transfer to a small bowl. In processor, puree blueberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. In another small bowl, whisk together yogurt and 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour the 3 mixtures, alternating, into ten 3-ounce ice-pop molds, making 3 to 5 layers in each. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl mixtures together in an up-and-down motion. Insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until solid, 2 1/2 to 3 hours (or up to 1 week).
   Cook's Note

For tropical pops, use 4 kiwis and 1 large mango (about 1/2 pound each) instead of the berries.