Monday, September 8, 2008, by Leigh Anne
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Jim and I just arrived home from a fun weekend getaway in Seattle. Thanks to the Heavenly Beds at the Westin I wasn’t sleepless in Seattle!
I love Seattle and the weather was perfect.
But I think I should definitely be nominated for Wife of the Year Award - let me explain.
Before I do though, for those of you who don’t know me as well - I am NOT a sports fan. I don’t like to play sports and I don’t like to watch sports. Despite my dislike of sports I am married to a man who LOVES sports - and I mean LOVES!! So….
Last Saturday Jim, I and the Road Trip Girls all attended the BYU football game while in Provo. I have to admit, if I have to attend a sporting event, a BYU football game is my first pick. I have a sentimental attachment to BYU football as Jim and I had our first date at a BYU football game.
Despite the fact that we roasted on the metal bleachers in 95 degree heat we had a good time and the Cougars won!
Well, luck would have it that the Cougars were playing the University of Washington Huskie’s this past weekend so off to Seattle we went. At least it was another opportunity to wear that BYU t-shirt I bought while in Provo!
I thought Jim was pushing it - two football games in 7 days. The Cougars won again!
And then he informed me that the Friday night before the football game the Seattle Mariner’s were playing at home - he loves the Mariners! The best part - they were playing the NY Yankees. Who could pass up a NY Yankee’s game!! Not my husband. At least Safeco Field has good food….
The Mariner’s won!
So yes - I have now fulfilled my yearly quota of sporting events - three in one week!!
Being the good husband that he is, he told me that the rest of the time we were in Seattle I could do whatever I wanted!
One of my first stops was Pike Street Market - I love to wander, look and enjoy all the sites, the people, the vegetables and of course the flowers!
Orange and Purple Cauliflower!
Then we went to another of my favorite Seattle stops - the Glassybaby Shop.
Aren’t the colors amazing!
I want one of each.
I picked out Jade to add to my green collection.
We’re back home now and trying to get back into the fall/back to school groove. I’ve been working on my Meal Planning presentation I am doing at church this week. A big thank you to all of you who have left such great suggestions and ideas in your comments!
I’ll share what I come up with next week!
So - what do you think? Wife of the Year?
Popularity: 1% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Connect, Family
Friday, September 5, 2008, by Leigh Anne
We have had a bumper crop of green beans this summer so I am always looking for new ways to prepare them. We attended a potluck party several weeks ago and one of the dishes that was brought were these yummy charred, spice-crusted green beans. I couldn’t wait to make them for a neighborhood Labor Day get together we had.
The great thing about this dish is it’s suppose to be eaten with your fingers and makes a great appetizer as well as a side dish. Not only is it fun to eat it is also fun to make. You will want to serve them soon after cooking and I promise they won’t hang around long! They will be gobbled up.
The only way you can ruin these beans is to NOT burn them! I prepared them using my cast iron skillet on my outdoor grill. They can be made inside but be sure to have your windows open and good ventilation or you will set of your smoke alarm!
The beans are served with a yummy, spicy remoulade. Just dip and eat!
Any other great green bean recipes out there??
Pan-Seared Green Beans
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl combine green beans, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic and salt; toss to coat beans. Heat in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat until smoking. Add the beans, being careful not to crowd the pan too much (cook in two batches, if necessary). Cook beans, without disturbing, until charred patches appear, about 5 minutes. Toss beans and cook 5 minutes or more. Transfer to a bowl or plate and serve immediately with Spicy Remoulade.
Spicy Remoulade
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp capers, rinsed, drained and finely chopped
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh parsley
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Mix mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, mustard, capers, garlic, parsley and lemon juice until combined. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes
Thursday, September 4, 2008, by Leigh Anne
I need your help!
I have been asked to teach a class next week at a women’s enrichment meeting on meal planning, quick and easy meals, etc.
To tell you the truth I have fallen off the meal planning wagon this summer and I’m having a hard time getting back on!
I have tried so many things over the years - once a month cooking, dinner groups, Dream Dinners, etc.
I’d love to hear what you do to help make meal planning and dinner time easier! Please leave a comment below and let me know your ideas!
Popularity: 15% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Nourish
Wednesday, September 3, 2008, by Leigh Anne
This summer while I was at Girl’s Camp I made friends with some wonderful ladies, the ladies I taught with and the “Camp Craft Ladies”. While at camp I discovered that several of these new friends were rumored to have pretty amazing craft rooms.
A craft room is something that I have always dreamed of - a place that I could have all of my stuff in one place and I could make as big a mess as I wanted and not have to clean it up because we had to eat at the table or someone had to sleep in that room!
Because I now have two empty bedrooms at my house I decided that this fall was the time - I was going to make myself a craft room. (Sorry boys!)
Before I began my Craft Room Project I wanted to see what these other ladies had done - so I arranged a craft room tour and luncheon several weeks ago.
I’ll share with you what I served for lunch but first I wanted to show you a few pictures of the great craft rooms we toured.
The first stop on our tour was Karen’s house. Karen is a stamper and has every stamp and tool imaginable! Karen even had a fun little craft for all of us to do while we were there.
One of the great ideas I got from Karen was this fun way to store my ribbon.
She uses clear plastic shoe boxes and leaves the tails of all the ribbons hanging out between the lid and the box. You can just pull out the ribbon you want. Love it!
Our next stop was Michelle’s where she showed us her darling Mary Engelbreit craft room!
Not only is her craft room functional, it’s cute too! I especially liked the red hutch she had rescued from her sister who was going to get rid of it. Michelle painted it red and “Mary Engelbreited” it!
Our next stop was to Heather’s amazing craft room - it is to die for!!
Not only does she win the prize for the most stuff - all of her stuff has a place of it’s own! Not only was it organized but it looked organized with all of her matching green boxes!
All of these ladies inspired me and I can’t wait to get started on my own Craft Room Project!
Speaking of inspiration, the salad I made for our craft room tour lunch was inspiring because it was so pretty! The recipe came from one of my favorite blogs - Pioneer Woman. Her recipes are always yummy and her step by step pictures incredible. You must check her out if you haven’t already.
I decided our luncheon was the perfect opportunity to try her Asian Noodle Salad.
There is a lot of chopping involved with this recipe but it is worth the effort. As I finished my chopping the colors of all the vegetables were so pretty together I just had to take a picture of them!
Be sure and check out Pioneer Woman’s site for her step by step pictures and directions.
This recipe makes a TON so be sure and have a lot of mouths to feed. The six of us hardly ate half of it so I packaged up the rest and took it to the neighbors. I followed her directions except I decided to add some chicken to it too.
I served it on my bright green platter and it looked great - and tasted great too!
Asian Noodle Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet
DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS
Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro
Popularity: 13% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Inspire, Recipes
Tuesday, September 2, 2008, by Leigh Anne
I survived! My daughter is now safely settled in her cute little dorm room and I lived through it.
As I was looking through some old college pictures of mine before we left I discovered that I began my freshman year at BYU on August 30, 1978 - exactly 30 years to the day that I left Cali at BYU to begin her freshman year.
Here I am in front of my dorm, Deseret Towers on August 30, 1978. (And yes those are purple pants - it was the 70’s remember)
Here is Cali in front of her dorm - Hinckley Hall on August 30, 2008.
The dorm rooms haven’t changed much - they are still small.
Here I am moving into my dorm many years ago. (My roommate Pam was right in style with her purple pants too!)
…and here is Cali and her sister getting her settled in. 
Cali’s room was quickly personalized with all her pictures, cute bedding and “stuff”!
Yes, I cried - more than once. But I left Cali with a sense of peace. I know she is where she is suppose to be. Too many “tender mercies” have happened on this college bound journey for me not to know that she is in the right place.
She has already immersed herself in college life - staying up late, enjoying dorm food (or at least eating it), meeting new friends, finding her way around campus and having fun!
Best of all I know she is in good hands -
Her two big brothers are there to check up on her, eat off of her meal card, let her borrow their cars and love her. Thank you Logan and Clark!
Just as my family left me thirty years ago (and yes those are purple pants my mother has on too!)
We left Cali…..
As we left, Cali made me promise not to call her more than three times a day and I’m proud to report in the first 24 hours I have only called her twice.
O.K., so I did get her sister to call her a couple of times too but those don’t count.
And the text messages don’t count either!
Or the phone calls I made to her brothers to see if they had talked to her….
Popularity: 15% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Connect, Family
Friday, August 29, 2008, by Leigh Anne
After a long drive we have arrived in Provo, Utah. Cali is moved into her dorm and we are enjoying our last couple of days with her visiting some of our favorite spots in town.
Before we left home I made my list of BYU/Provo favorites. All the places I love to visit, shop and eat at while in Provo.
Always on the top of my list of BYU/Provo favorites is visiting the BYU Bookstore and having a BYU Brownie. I’m not sure that’s what they call them but it’s what we call them at our house.
A BYU Brownie is a chocolaty, chewy brownie with a layer of mint green frosting covered by another layer of chocolate frosting - yum!
My first stop on campus today, on the way to spend a fortune on college textbooks, was to purchase my BYU Brownie. I had planned on taking a picture of it to share with you but somehow it disappeared before I could get the picture taken!
Since I don’t like having to wait until my next visit to BYU to enjoy a BYU Brownie I googled it and found a recipe for BYU Mint Brownies in the BYU Alumni Magazine. They’re great.
In fact, my younger daughter, after eating part of the brownie I bought today, announced she thought the ones we made were better.
For me, the best part of the brownie is the frosting and I love the combination of the mint and the chocolate together.
So in preparation for our trip to BYU I made a batch of BYU Brownies last week. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do and GO COUGARS! (We’re off to the opening season game of BYU football game on Saturday!)
I did manage to get a picture taken of the ones I made before they disappeared!
BYU Brownie
from the BYU Magazine
1 C butter
1/2 C cocoa
2 Tbsp honey
4 eggs
2 C sugar
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C chopped walnuts (I left these out)
12 oz. chocolate icing (I used the recipe for the mint icing below but just added about 1/3 C of cocoa and left out the mint extract and green food coloring)
Mint Icing|
5 Tbsp butter
dash of salt
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 1/3 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
Prepare mint icing. Soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and green food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.
Popularity: 23% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes
Thursday, August 28, 2008, by Leigh Anne
This week’s Barefoot Blogger recipe is Butterflied Chicken and was chosen by Stefany of Proceed with Caution.
We eat a lot of chicken at our house so this was a popular dish. The recipe calls for using whole chickens, deboned and butterflied. Since I was under a bit of a time crunch - too much “getting ready for college” going on around here - I just used chicken breasts with the bone and skin. They worked great and a lot easier!
I also chose to bake the chicken in the oven - about 45 minutes at 350 instead of grilling it as our gas grill cooks a little hot and fast.
The chicken came out nice and moist and I love the crispy skin! The combination of rosemary and lemon is a favorite of mine. Thanks Stefany!
Butterflied Chicken
Ina Garten
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 2 sprigs
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
good olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 roasting chickens (2 1/2 to 3 lbs. each), deboned and butterflied
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
Mix the chopped rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl to make a paste. Place the chickens on a sheet pan, skin side up, and loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Place 1/2 of the paste under the skin of each chicken. Rub any remaining paste on the outside and underside of the chickens.Turn the chicken skin side down and scatter the lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary over each chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Roll each chicken up, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.Heat a grill with coals. Spread the coals out in 1 dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Unroll the chickens, place them on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side.
Popularity: 23% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Barefoot Bloggers, Recipes
Wednesday, August 27, 2008, by Leigh Anne
If things have gone according to plan we are on the road! Beginning our 12 hour drive to Utah. I hope everything fit in the car!
I usually post a recipe on Wednesday but I am hoping you will indulge me a little while longer with my story of woe and misery - sending my daughter off to college.
I want to share with you some remembrances of home I am sending with her. Not that I think she will forget me but I just want her to have some visual reminders of home and those who love her while she is away at college.
In one of those moments when she might feel a little homesick - hopefully one of these items will bring her a little comfort.
Her Quilt - as part of our Senior Quilt Night at church I made a quilt for Cali. All the ladies at church took part in tying it to show their love and support for the girls that were graduating. I hope every time she wraps up and snuggles in this soft quilt she will remember all the women who love her and support her- especially her mom.
Her Graduation Necklace - I gave this to Cali for her high school graduation. I purchased it online at Charming Gifts. The necklace has three charms - a C for Cali, a topaz stone for her birth month and a butterfly. The meaning of the butterfly is :
A new beginning; “If there was no change, there would be no butterflies”
This is a time of change for her, for me and our relationship. But change is good and beautiful things come as a result!
A Dream - Do Notebook - I made this notebook for her and on each page I put a quote about dreaming and doing. She can use it as her To Do list, assignment notebook etc. I hope that each day as she puts her To Do list together she will read that day’s quote and be inspired.
One of my favorite quotes I included is:
“We all have possbilities we don’t know about. We can do things we don’t even dream we can do.”
- Dale Carnegie
Did I Tell You Storybook: I actually put this together for Cali’s 18th birthday. I used the poem by Elizabeth Knapp . I hope this book will be a reminder of the “Life Lesson’s” that I have tried to share with her. I found pictures of Cali to go along with the poem. It is a real tear jerker!
Here is how the poem begins:
“Now that you are almost grown I look back and ask myself, Did I tell you? Did I tell you all that I meant to tell you, all that I felt was important.
Did I tell you or was it lost in the shuffle of our everyday lives, the busy full days when we taught and didn’t know it. What did we teach? Was it strong? Was it good? Will it root you in something real that will allow you to grow with a firm and sound foundation? Did I tell you….”
And finally the gift I will leave with her when I leave her… (O.K. I’m crying already as I write this!!!)…
This great print from Brian Andreas of Storypeople. The print says:
There has never been a day when I have not been proud of you, I said to my daughter, though some days I’m louder about other stuff so it’s easy to miss that.
I hope she will always remember this.
I know I have told her how proud I am of her over and over again but on those days when she may be doubting herself or her abilities I want her to have this visual reminder in her room of how proud I am of her - always have been and always will be.
I love you Cali!
Popularity: 25% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Connect, Family
Monday, August 25, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Amongst all the “getting ready for college” that we did this week we were able to squeeze in a few social events.
One night Cali and I gathered with a group of other college bound daughters and their mothers. As a result of the girl’s friendship, the mothers have become friends too. During our evening together the girls gathered in the family room and the moms gathered in the dining room.
I am not sure what the conversation was in the family room but in the dining room the mothers were sharing their concerns, apprehensions and excitement for their daughters and for themselves.
During the years we have known each other some of the women have undergone major life changes - three of them have been divorced, one widowed. Some of us work full time, some part time and others don’t work outside the home.
But one thing we discovered was that despite our differences we have a lot of the same needs - the need for friendship, support and love from other women.
In fact, we even decided to form a support group - gathering together once a month to enjoy being together, putting together care packages for our college girls and of course enjoying some good food!
One thing I was reminded of again this week during our dinner was that…
despite our differences women are more alike than they are different
I believe that all women need support from other women. When our daughters heard that we were forming a “support group” they laughed and thought we were silly.
But as I thought about it I realized - our daughters have formed a support group too. Through their use of Facebook, My Space, email, text messages, instant messaging they stay connected. They communicate with and support one another.
All women need support groups - no matter what their age. Whether your friends are next door or across the country we can support each other and stay connected through technology.
Several months ago my good friend Sherra and I were talking about this very topic - women supporting women and staying connected. During one of our many conversations the idea for an online community for women by women was born.
So today I’d love to invite you to visit our brand new online community
I hope you’ll take a few minutes and watch our short movie which will lead you to our new website and the story will unfold from there!
Every Woman Movie.com
Sherra and I would so appreciate it if you’d share this link with some of your girlfriends too! Help us grow our online community for woman by woman! We hope you’ll want to be a part of it.
Be sure and check out the Sunday Surprise post for a chance to win our first giveaway.
Popularity: 27% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Connect
Friday, August 22, 2008, by Leigh Anne
I think I have mentioned before that I am not a potato fan. Basically, I don’t eat potatoes.
It’s not because I’m trying to cut down on carbs - I just don’t like them. I think it’s more of a texture issue for me than anything else.
Yes, I am married to man from Idaho - a man whose first solid food was probably potatoes!
The first time I went to Idaho to meet Jim’s family I think they were all a little shocked and dismayed (and maybe even a little insulted ) that I did not eat potatoes!
How could their son possibly fall in love with a girl who didn’t eat potatoes!
As I have gotten older I have found a few ways I will eat potatoes.
One of them is as a very crisp french fry! No soggy fries for me!!!
The other way is Patrice’s Potatoes. Patrice is one of my Beach Babe friends and an amazing cook. She is one of those cooks that doesn’t need a recipe - she just cooks!
I first tasted Patrice’s Potatoes at one of our yearly Beach Babes and their Boys Valentine dinners. We have been eating them at the Wilkes’ house ever since. I even eat them too.
They are made from red potatoes and I slice them fairly thin, thus creating a crisper finished product!
You can adjust the “heat” to your liking by adding more or less cayenne pepper and chili powder.
They are pretty much a staple around our house for Sunday dinner.
Guess who eats the extra crispy, almost burnt ones!?
Patrice’s Potatoes
8-10 medium sized red potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cube butter, melted
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
2 tsp mild chili powder
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Mix above ingredients and toss with thin sliced potatoes. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 500 degrees for 7-10 minutes, then turn potatoes and bake another 7-10 minutes until desired crispness.
Popularity: 38% [?]
Print This Post
Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes
RSS Subscription
E-Mail Subscription