flat

Coming back from the jetty we got a flat. I heard a thump thump thump and asked Josh if he could hear it. He did not at first but it quickly got louder. our tire was shredded to bits. Josh was great though he was calm got us down the hill and to a level spot, changed the tire and got us back on the road. I called John while he drove and got directions to a Big-O tire and we ate lunch while they put on new ones. Rachel was very good considering all the driving.

Spiral Jetty

The spiral Jetty is the art of Robert Smithson made in 1970. There was a drought but within a few years it was covered by water and has continued to be submerged every now and then. It's 1500 ft long and 15 ft wide. the water levels and and salinity of the water change the look and color from time to time. It was the middle of the day but still pretty cold for Rachel so we walked down to it and onto it but did not walk all the way down it.

cow!

Holy cow!

To get to the spiral Jetty we had to go down a gravel road through a bunch of farmers land. The sign watch for cows on road was very serious we ran into several groups and one huge heard! at least a 50-100 head.

promontory point

We visited Promontory point Utah which is where the golden spike was laid to connect the east and west railroads. We watched a video looked at the museum and the site and monument. They had a penny machine but i did not work when Josh tried it. Very sad.

christmas bears

I got out my BYU Bookstore christmas bears and Rachel loves climbing all over them.

wants dad

when dad comes home Rachel follows him around and if he puts her down she immediately wants back up

remember

what do you remember that was important to your families thanksgiving table and what was not?
For me there were several things that were always very important.

Turkey
Gravy
mashed potatoes
rolls
stuffing
pies( pumpkin and cherry cream cheese)

not always there...
cranberry sauce (dad wished it was)
green bean casserole (later it did and i loved it)
sweet potatoes/ yams
apple pie (sometimes)

I loved snacking on the stuffing after the veggies, butter and stock were added before it got soggy. It is the best! Moms green beans are a little special with the sesame oil. Josh tried to have me make it with canned green beans but the little crunch of fresh green beans is just to die for. We never made our own pecan pie (don't you dare mispronounce it) but i loved it when we had it.

ultimate beef taco

I tried the beef tacos from on food network called Tyler's ultimate beef tacos. They were really awesome. The fresh taco shells were really good but they need to be fresh. The day after they get stale. Although expensive the ancho chili powder makes a difference. It is usually described as a spicy raisin flavor. Any leftover beef can be tacos leftovers or would make really great rolled in the corn tortilla and fried. I know what i'm making when chuck roasts are on sale. (beef shoulder is called the chuck so when the recipe calls for beef shoulder get a chuck roast.

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, 2007

Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate Beef Tacos

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (145)

• Cook Time:

  3 hr 30 min

• Yield:

  6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef shoulder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 bay leaves
• 
  
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 6 fresh medium corn tortillas
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups finely shredded white cabbage

Directions

Guacamole, recipe follows

• 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
• 
  

For the simple salsa:

• 
  
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, reserving the juice (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 Serrano chile
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.

Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat. When oil reaches 350 degrees F, fry the corn tortillas 1 at a time. Place the tortilla in the oil and wait about 30 seconds. Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press down into the center of the tortilla and fold it in the middle. Hold down for a few seconds waiting for the tortilla to form into taco shell and then drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

For the simple salsa:

To make salsa, pulse all the ingredients, except the tomato juice, in a food processor. Add the reserved tomato juice if the salsa is too thick. Drizzle salsa with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and set aside, allowing the flavors to marry.

To assemble the tacos:

Lay some shredded cabbage as a base. Top with some shredded beef. Serve alongside Guacamole and salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

leaves.

Guacamole:

• 
  
• 6 ripe avocados
• 3 limes, juiced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, smashed then minced
• 2 serrano chiles, cut into rounds
• 1 big handful fresh cilantro with stems, about 1/2 cup, finely chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Halve and pit the avocados. With a tablespoon, scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados using either a fork or potato masher, leaving them still a bit chunky. Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together. Drizzle with a little olive oil, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and give it 1 final mix with a fork.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap tight on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Yield: about 4 cups

BBQ pizza

I made homemade pizza for dinner and we had pepperoni and a BBQ chicken pizza. It was super good

BBQ chicken pizza

pizza dough
bullseye BBQ sauce or your favorite
chicken
red onion
mozzarella
cilantro

tupperware

Vote

Me and Rachel went out today and did our civic duty and voted. Rachel got sad part way through so I had to try to vote (paper ballot) while holding her. They offered to give Rachel a cookie.....she is 7 months....no cookies yet. We both got stickers!

Rachel at play

chicken scampi

When I bought the restaurant recipe book I checked its accuracy by checking the P. F. Chang recipe with the one I had tried and had really good results with. It was a match. The next recipe I have tried is the chicken scampi. We have a recipe for it that we found while trying to clone the olive garden. It was pretty yummy and everyone seemed to like it but it was not like the olive garden. I tried the recipe on Saturday night and it was amazing. I thought I was eating olive garden. The only change I made was trading the wine for chicken stock. If you want to use wine the process of reducing the stock by half will get rid of most if not all the alcohol. For those who don't have the money or desire to buy spirits chicken broth or stock is recommended as a good substitute.
Now having two recipes turn out amazing I am eager to try more. Here is the recipe....

Chicken Scampi (serves 4 restaurant portions)

scampi sauce:
3 T butter
2 T minced white onion
1/4 c finely minced garlic (8-12 cloves)
1 1/2 c Chabis wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
1 c heavy cream

water
16 oz angel hair pasta
4 T olive oil
12 chicken tenderloins
1/2 c flour
red, green and yellow bell peppers thinly sliced
red onion thinly sliced
2 tsp minced fresh parsley

1. Make scampi sauce:
Melt butter, add onion and cook on low till light brown, add garlic 30 sec (do not brown garlic). Add wine, salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Simmer 15-18 min to reduce by half. Add cream and parsley. Heat 10 minutes (do not let it boil!)

2 Start pasta. Drain when al dente.

3 heat 2 skillets with oil. Salt and pepper chicken, dredge in flour, shake off excess. Divide chicken between pans and brown on all sides. Move to edges, divide veggies between pans and saute until veggies and chicken are both done.

4. Divide scampi sauce and pasta between pans and toss and heat together. garnish with parsley.
Each pan serves 2.