coloRADo...more memories

Time marches on my friends, and as a wise man once said, "Don't fear the beaver".  Actually I said that, because one year while I was at the Hammer's cabin in Bear Lake a beaver literally swam up to my friend Ben and bit him on the hand.  I couldn't make this stuff up.  Anyhow, every year I go to Bear Lake with my family, and each year I must yell that to each family member as they enter the lake.  It has really helped everyone stay calm and collected as they go forth into the treacherous waters.

My girl Nettie and her boys came to see us!  Yes!  I love family time.  I truly have the best sisters in the world.  They are full of positivity and they know how to play hard and work hard.  I had been missing my handsome nephews as well, so it was just what the doctor ordered.  I started the week with big plans, but the rain came down and floods came up.  Okay, there was no flooding, and no one washed away, but it did limit our activities a little.  We made it over to Chatfield Resevoir which is just a hop, skip and jump away from our house.  We went to the public swimming area of the reservoir, but it almost seemed like it was a swimming pond for geese, and they may or may not make room for humans.  The reservoir was absolutely beautiful, but the geese poop was um how do I say this.....everywhere.  Yep that is a good word.  I love a good goose, but this was ridiculous.  I may send a letter to the parks committee and let them know that the geese are over fertilizing the ground, and in turn are ruining our flip flops.  Not to mention the fact that they were ready to take a granola bar right out of James P Farthing's (my nephew's nickname) hand.  Poop is one thing, theft is another. Back off geese.  I would like to find a place to paddle board over there though.

Nettie took the kiddos swimming while I registered my kids for school, and then I spent a few thousand hours with the cable man trying to get our house set up.  Remember when you had a net zero dial up account?  I don't know how we did it.  Not having internet for three weeks was quite difficult.  Phone books, paper bank statements, stationary for letters all became valuable again. What a trip! We survived three weeks without you Mark Zuckerberg.  FACE!

Friday afternoon we headed over to Casa Bonita.  Whoa, Whoa, Whoa.  So picture that Mayan restaurant that the Larry H Miller group tore down in Sandy, but with 1/4 the budget.  It was the same brave 17 year old kid that would climb the rocks and make the dives, after which he would star in a little skit.    I hope he gets all the free sopapillas he wants to eat.

Nettie watched the kiddos while T and I headed to Breckenridge for an anniversary get away.  Fourteen years baby.  Breckenridge is a little ski town about an hour and a half away.  It is gorgeous.  It reminds me of Park City but on a much smaller scale.  I was completely overdressed by the way, but that has been the norm for my Colorado adventure.  Why wouldn't I accessorize for a ski town?  I looked like Jackie Kennedy stuck at a lodge.  Is that a movie?  Anyway, we ate a delicious meal and then watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" on cable.  How is that for romance?

It feels a little like we are on an extended camping trip... the fancy camping though that involves flushing toilets and showers.  There is so much to discover here.  The ability to go from recreation to city life is unbelievable.  We are being well taken care of by neighbors, ward members and friends.  I am truly grateful for a Heavenly Father that has given me an opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone, but has also surrounded me with little angels that bring love, comfort, and generosity.  There are many angels I can actually see, but some I cannot see and simply know they are there.  I teach Relief Society in my new ward.  I gave the women a bookmark that said "You are a Daughter of Light. Be Shiny."  I am working on that.  I hope to be shiny enough that I can make each of you proud of what I am doing here in Denver.  Love to all, except the beavers.

Getting Settled

Grandma and Grandpa arrived the third week in July.  We were so happy to see our sweet family.  After living so close to our loved ones in Utah we were definitely ready for some company.  G-ma and G-pa were just as sweet as ever.  After a long drive (and more Denver rush hour) they arrived with hugs and treats.  We took them to all of our favorite new spots, but we mostly spent time playing the same games the kids liked at their home (carnivals, stuffed animal pet store, etc.)  Gpa ran the river!  What a good sport he was.  I am afraid the current wasn't great, but he hung in there.  We spent one afternoon at the butterfly exhibit that was recently made famous by the movie "Heaven is for Real".  I am not sure all of my family enjoyed it as much as I did.  In fact, T and A-hizzle were down right creeped out by them.  G-pa was brave enough to hold Rosie the tarantula!  I am sure Rosie is nice and all, but I never, ever want to hang out with her again. We ended the evening with pizza and cookie dough pops.  A-hizzle is quite the baker these days.  It is fun working next to him in the kitchen.  That kid is pretty amazing.  His tenderness amazes me, and his bravery truly impresses me.  He is like my little soul mate.  A little piece of my heart walking around on the outside of my body.

Haven't had a bite from a beaver yet.  Heavenly Father has continued to hear and answer our prayers.  Still learning and growing, which isn't always easy but necessary none the less.  This article of faith keeps coming to my mind, "We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured all things, and hope to be able to endure all things."  Bring it Colorado, we are ready for you.

The First Few Weeks

Last December "T" took a job with a new company.  We knew that this was an opportunity he should not pass up, but the job was based out of Colorado.  After much thought and prayer we knew that moving was the next step for us.  Man I hate selling houses.  Have I told you that lately?  It is like the worst blind date ever.  Will they like me?  Will they call me again?  Do you think they can commit? Our first offer fell through, but the second offer was a sure thing.  I'm sorry did you just ask if I had to put up my house for sell twice in a six week period?  Um...yes, I did.  Where did I put the piles of laundry that usually line my home?  In the back of my car of course.  We had the help of many family and friends though, which we will be forever grateful for.  We could not have made this move without them.

The second week in July we made our way from Salt Lake to Denver.  We only stopped 9,347 times in Wyoming to use the bathroom.   Thank you Wyoming for your hospitality and your beef jerky.  The hours were long for the kids, but man they were troopers.  I thought they could do some reading for school or maybe some math drills during the long car ride, but instead they found this cool app on my phone.  Have a look at these masterpieces:

Pretty cool right?  So we landed at a hotel in Lone Tree, Colorado.  We fit pretty well, but they didn't have a roll away, so Averi ended up sleeping in the port-a-crib.  That is just the bonus of being pint size I guess.  We spent four nights in that hotel.  We swam and ate, swam and ate.  We checked on the house several times, but it wasn't ready for us yet.  Our final day being homeless was spent at the Denver aquarium.

The admission is not cheap, but what do you expect when you get to have a shark almost bite your face off.  The kids were incredibly patient through the move in process.  Not only did we not have a home, but we spent many hours sitting in Denver traffic.  We just didn't know any better.  We have played more car games than you can imagine.  Seriously, I should write a book entitled, "Car Games for Families who are Super Naive about Big Cities and Rush Hour".

Thursday, July 17th we moved into our new home.  The moving truck had not arrived yet, but our cousins had!  We spent the next few days playing with our family and waiting for the truck, which arrived on Saturday.  The family was incredibly helpful, and things were unpacked quickly.  We spent our free time running the river, eating pizza, Celebrating A-hizzle's birthday, and playing with that same crazy phone app.

Love you cousins.  Thanks for everything.  The river near our home is a blast.  It is not always full enough to run, but we caught it just before it became to shallow.  Chubbs sat on my lap while we floated.  She told me later she wasn't sure she liked the "slantage" (she meant rapids).

The next week was spent meeting our neighbors, ward, and making friends with the bunnies and the snakes.  Colorado is unbelievably beautiful.  I have always been a city girl though, so our wilderness neighborhood has taken a little getting use to.  I run the trail near our home with a pocket knife in my running pouch.  I am sure that if some beaver latches on to my leg I can pry it off with my dull weapon.  There are these bugs that hang out in the trees at night. Forget crickets man, these things buzz like a light bulb that needs to be changed.  The squirrels run along the back of the fence all day long, just looking at me like they know my kind.  They are probably talking about me right now saying, "That crazy lady is sitting at her kitchen table eating cookies again.  Poor lady, she could seriously use a shower."

It isn't it amazing how much we grow when we are out of our comfort zone?  I obviously have much more to learn, but I am truly grateful that I get to do it in this beautiful new place.  Heavenly Father knows what I need, and he is taking good care of us.  I just pray He will keep the beavers away.

Ladies Tea Party! (minus the tea!)

I hosted a book club recently and we got to discuss Anne of Green Gables... my favorite!!!  So of course, we needed to have a ladies tea.  I don't drink tea, but we didn't miss it a bit!  White linens with floral table runners, white china dishes, fresh flowers in the middle, and feminine serving platters make for a fun ladies tea!  A few of us even dressed with "puffed sleeves" or lovely ladies hats and beads.  Such a fun night with some sweet ladies. Many selections and small portions make a ladies tea menu just right.  Most of these recipes are make ahead, so I did most of the desserts a couple days before and put them in the freezer, the sandwich fillings the day before, so the day of, you don't have much to do except dress the table. 
I would like to share with you our menu...
Drink:
Peach Citrus Punch
Ice water with lemon slices
Main:
Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Croissants
Cucumber Salad Sandwiches on Rye
Fruit and Salad:
Strawberries Romanov
Fruity Poppy Seed Salad
Dessert:
Mini Lemon Cupcakes
Mint Brownies
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

I will share all of these recipes, but will make them separate posts so that I can find them again!  Click on each menu item and it will link you to each of the recipes.
I hope you will host a ladies, or little girls, tea party sometime.  It was so much fun!

Fresh Fruit Bruschetta with Orange-Honey Cream

Recipe by Our Best Bites...to see picture, click here

1 baguette or similar-sized French bread loaf

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1-1/2 C diced strawberries (about 10 medium strawberries)

1 C finely diced mango (about 1 medium mango)

1 C finely diced kiwi (about 3 kiwi)…or use whatever pretty combination of fruit that is in season 1/2 C Breakstone’s Sour Cream (or other very nice brand, not light or fat free for this recipe!)

3 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bread into 1/2 inch slices. Place in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush each piece with melted butter. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle evenly over bread slices. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are toasted. Set aside to cool.

While bread is toasting, combine Breakstone’s Sour Cream, honey, and orange zest. Stir to combine and place in the fridge. Combine strawberries, mango, and kiwi and stir gently to combine.

When bread is cooled, place about 1 Tbsp. of fruit mixture on top of each toasted bread slice and drizzle with sweet sour cream mixture. If needed, thin sour cream sauce with 1/2-1 tsp orange juice. You can pre-mix sauce and pre-chop fruit and store in separate containers in fridge until ready to serve. Garnish with mint leaves if desired. Serve immediately.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

My husband LOVES anything lemon.  He had a meeting at the church the evening of his birthday this year, so I decided to surprise the men-folk with some cookies (he's not a huge cake fan).  These cookies were a hit!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (or reduce other salt measurement and use salted butter)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven it 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl, whisk and set aside.  In another small bowl, mix granulated sugar and lemon zest with fingers or spoon.  Beat butter and sugar/lemon mixture together until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla extract, mixing well.  Slowly beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended.  Drop dough by small tablespoon balls onto prepared baking sheet and gently flatten with the palm of your hand or bottom of a glass.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are just set and slightly golden brown.  Cool cookies on baking sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.  In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk (adding just enough milk for right frosting consistency, slightly thinner than most frosting).  Dip each cookie top into the lemon icing or spoon small amount on cookie and swirl with back of spoon.  Can sprinkle a tiny amount of lemon zest on top.  Allow icing to set and serve!  Make about 3 dozen cookies.

Layered Oreo Dessert

This dessert has been in the family for years and we have enjoyed it on many a family gathering nights.  My friend made it as well for a Book Club years ago but she "adultified" and "beautified" it so I have used her version many times as well.  Not a lot of work, but the freezing between layers needs some time.  Make it a day before, or make the faster version for an equally yummy, just not quite as fancy version.  Great for summer BBQ's but also a fun dessert for December using pink peppermint ice cream and adding chopped up candy canes to the top!  The most memorable time I served it was when we had the local LDS missionaries over for dinner and when I got the dessert out, one of the Elders said, "Oh, your kidding!  We had this all the time at home and I haven't had it for 15 months."  He needed a little TLC that night, so I was glad I could provide it in the way of dessert!

Bottom Layer:

2 cups (about 2 rows in the package) finely crushed Oreos mixed with 6 Tbsp. melted butter, (can do this step in the food processor really fast) pressed firmly in bottom of 9x13 pan.

2nd Layer:

1/2 gallon peppermint, green mint, vanilla, or other ice cream or frozen yogurt, softened enough to spread on Oreo layer.  Freeze.

3rd Layer:

12 oz. Cool Whip spread of top of ice cream layer.  Freeze.

4th Layer:

Drizzle chocolate sauce to form a thin layer of chocolate on Cool Whip.  Freeze.

5th Layer:

Sprinkle crushed Oreos (chunks) on top of chocolate layer. Freeze. 

Keep in freezer, removing about 10-15 minutes before serving to soften. 

Faster version:

Bottom Layer:

2 cups finely crushed Oreos mixed with 6 Tbsp. melted butter, pressed firmly in bottom of 9x13 pan.

2nd Layer:

1/2 gallon ice cream mixed with 12 oz. Cool Whip gently folded.  Fold in crushed Oreo chunks and spread over Oreo layer.  Sprinkle top with more Oreo chunks and freeze until ready to serve.

Note:  The trick is to get the ice cream and the Cool Whip at the right softness to spread.  I generally find that on a hot summer day, right when I get home from the grocery store and unpack everything, they are generally softened enough, but NOT melted and it is when they are ready to go!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

One of my favorite birthday treats is a cookie cake from Mrs. Fields, but these can get a little pricey, so I usually make them now.  This has been a favorite at many Ludlow birthday parties.  It can be decorated with frosting or covered in hot fudge next to some ice cream.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

6 T. granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 cups chocolate chips (I always use semi-sweet)

Sift flour, soda and salt…set aside.

Using electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugars for 1 minute.  Add egg and vanilla and mix for 1 minute.  On low speed add flour.  Mixing until just incorporated.  Add chocolate chips, mixing in by hand.

Use fingers to spread dough evenly over the bottom of prepared pan (10 inch spring form, buttered and lined with parchment). Bake at 350° until top turns golden, but center is still soft. Cool on rack.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few years ago we started a family tradition we call "Cookie Sunday."  Each week we make a batch of cookies and deliver any leftovers to family and friends.  Some weeks we are left with only one plate to pass out.  My little ones love it, my thighs do not.  This is a recipe I came up with after a little trial and error.  It is simply a combination of a few staple recipes I have been using for years.  Please use good quality chocolate and parchment paper to line your cookie sheets.  Finally, for the love of all that is holy, do not overbake them. Happy Sunday!

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I use unbleached)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1-1 1/2 cup oatmeal (measured and then ground fine in a blender or food processor)

1 cup butter (softened to room temperature)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs (at room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 12oz. bag good quality chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and ground oatmeal.  Beat butter and sugars until well combined (2-3 minutes).  Add eggs and vanilla, and mix only until

incorporated.  Add dry ingredients and mix just until no flour can be seen.  Stir in chips and nuts by hand to avoid breaking them into pieces with the mixer.  Using a small ice cream scoop drop onto parchment lined baking sheets. 

Bake at 375° for 8-11 minutes.  I like to take them out when the tops almost look raw and the edges are just turning golden.  The cookie continues to bake while cooling on the pan. 

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

So these little babies are making their appearance in the blog world, so I thought I would introduce you to them if you haven't met them yet. You REALLY need to meet them. I don't know what it is about Nutella, but it was definitely a love at first sight relationship. Have you tried it on pretzels, toast, licked off your index finger? You need to at least try it in these cookies. You can find Nutella at any grocery store in the jams and jellies section or at Costco now which makes it actually pretty affordable. I of course added MORE chocolate to the recipe in the form of chocolate chips. You can always use more chocolate, don't you think?

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
2/3 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract (you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla if you can’t find or don’t like hazelnut extract)
1/3 cup Nutella
1/3 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips (I like to mix semi-sweet and milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 325°
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Set the mixture aside. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add the extracts (I just used 2 tsp vanilla, I didn't have hazelnut extract and they were still awesome) and beat for another 30 seconds or so. Add the Nutella and beat until smooth.

With the mixer running, add half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the milk, mixing until combined completely, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix completely. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes (and as long as 2-3 days).

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat (this is important so they don't get too flat). Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place them on the lined cookie sheet, allowing about 2″ between the dough balls. Don't let the dough get to warm or it gets way too sticky to work with. If this happens, just stick it back in the fridge for a while (or freezer if you're impatient like me!)
Lightly press the dough balls with the bottom of a drinking glass and then bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are crackly on top and soft, but starting to set. Remove from the oven and allow them to stand for about 5 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Original recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.