St. George Part 2

St. George Part 1

Cute little G. I think we have a picture from last year that looks almost identical. I'll have to see if I can find it.


Back in October, we went on a little vacation to St. George. It was wonderful. What was not wonderful, was that I forgot my camera. Mom made me a cd of her pictures, but it's not working right, so all I have are a few pictures from Snow Canyon. Hopefully I'll get the rest soon because I know there are some super cute ones.

Bear was the hero of the sand dunes. He took the kids on a little hike, and they found lots of cool rocks. Everything is more fun when Bear is around.

I'm pretty sure Cam spent 95% of our trip in the Moby wrap. I guess that's okay because he was only 6 weeks old. He was so good. We hardly noticed he was there.

I love the shadows. It was such a beautiful day.

We had the whole place to ourselves for about an hour. The kids were thrilled.

This was the place for Griffin. He could run, jump, yell, scream, and just generally act like a fool. He loved it.

This is What Happens...

...when Lila's in charge.

I left Lila in charge of Cam while I went to put G-man down for a nap. When I came back, Cameron was having a little play date with Big Baby. Have I introduced you to Big Baby before? I believe I have. She usually wears a witch costume, if you recall. She is pretty much treated like our 6th child.

Lila is so funny. She told me Cam was having a fun time playing with Big Baby, and judging by Mr. Cam's smiles, she was right. I think I've got a pretty good little babysitter in Lila.

Silly Griff

Griffin is super talented in 2 areas...driving people CRAZY, and making them LAUGH. This was definitely a laughing moment. First, he wanted to wear Jackson's clothes to bed. Second, he wanted a pony tail like the girls. Then he wanted pictures of himself.

I love how he knows he is funny.

Cameron's Quilt

Nana Blair has a made a quilt for each of my children when they were born. They have all been beautiful, but I think this one is my favorite.

Is it not the cutest thing ever? She does such a great job and never runs out of cute ideas...which is amazing, because Cam is her 17th grandchild!

Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheels and Ranch Potatoes

Now for some decidedly unhealthy recipes. (To counteract all the yogurt and lentils you've been eating). This recipe came from:

www.pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

2

tablespoons ranch dressing

1/4

cup cooked real bacon pieces or 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled

1/2

cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

1/4

cup chopped green onions (4 medium)

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 350°F. 2 If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; press each into 12x8-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; press each into 12x8-inch rectangle. 3 Spread dressing over each rectangle to edges. Sprinkle each with bacon, Cheddar cheese and onions. 4 Starting with one short side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 slices; place cut side down on ungreased cookie sheet. 5 Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

I discovered these a few weeks ago and they are fabulous. I am a huge fan of "funeral potatoes" and this recipe just takes them up several notches. This recipe was found on:

theletteredcottage.net

Ranch Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 12 ounces of cream cheese, cubed
• 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of potato soup
• 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
• 2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1 cup of french fried onions, to preference

Instructions

1. 1. Blend soups and cream cheese in a large bowl.
2. 2. Microwave until mixture is creamy, and cheese is completely melted.
3. 3. Stir in the ranch dressing mix, then fold in 1 cup (half) of the Mexican shredded cheese. After that, stir in the potatoes.
4. 4. Fold until all of the potatoes are completely coated.
5. 5. Spoon the potatoes into a lightly greased 9x13 cake pan. Mash them down a little, and spread them evenly onto the bottom of the pan.
6. 6. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top.
7. 7. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
8. 8. Uncover and top with french fried onions.
9. 9. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes or until french friend onions are lightly browned.

Seriously, these are heavenly. I follow the recipe exactly, which I rarely do, because they are just that fabulous.

Crushed Lentil Soup

I have been bitten by the cooking bug this week and have spent some time trying out new recipes. I found this one for Crushed Lentil Soup at:

www.delectablyfree.com

(apparently this recipe, and others on the site, are gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan)

Crushed Lentil Soup:

1 medium-sized sweet onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups split red lentils, rinsed and picked over

6 cups water

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

pinch of cayenne pepper

parsley or cilantro, chopped, for topping

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, saute onion with olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.

2. Add lentils, water, cumin, coriander and salt. Stir. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Remove from heat. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.

The Verdict: This is definitely a keeper. The first time I made it, I wasn't totally sure. I thought it was good, but not fabulous. Then I ate it for leftovers...oh.my.gosh...it totally reheats way better than the first night when it is fresh. I am hooked. I made it twice last week and ate the leftovers for 3 days. I did tweak the recipe a little the second time. I used lemon juice because I didn't have a fresh lemon. I also used 1/2 cup instead of 1/4. I really like lemon juice obviously. I also added in a ton of cumin. Probably triple or quadruple what the recipe calls for. Finally, I added a couple tablespoons of chili powder for a little more flavor. Oh so good.

Please, go make this tonight. You can thank me later.