Missing Good Food...

Today, as I planned my grocery list and menu for the next couple of weeks, I couldn't help but think about all of the good food I had while I was in Utah. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. If you're ever in the neighborhood, hit up a place or two. You won't be disappointed...

In 'n Out - Locations now residing up and down the Wasatch Front
(and in AZ, Vegas, and CA, if you're into that kind of thing)


Idle Isle - Brigham City, UT
The best place to find these:


These are what dreams are made of.


Maddox - Perry, UT
Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The homemade rolls and homemade raspberry butter are to die for.


Pepperbelly's - Kaysville, UT
I come here for one thing, and one thing only: the nachos. Mmmmm...


Mandarin - Bountiful, UT
The best. Chinese food. Ever. Try the sizzling rice soup. I could eat that for every meal for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.


Milt's - Cedar City, UT
Amazing steaks! The filet mignon is my particular favorite.

Others not pictured:

Osaka - Provo, UT
Delicious Japanese food. Their donburi bowls are a staple in my family. The owners know my family so well, we could say "we'll have the usual" and they'd know exactly what we want.

Cafe Rio - all over Utah
I've been known to crave their sweet pork burritos or salads. Best thing about the burritos is they reheat a lot better than the salads. It's hard to eat the whole thing in one sitting!

Burger, Fries, and a Shake...

and now it's in my hometown...

Mmm... I love Utah.

Summery Supper

I love all the fresh fruits and veggies that are available this time of year. One of my favorite go-to meals is sauteed veggies over egg noodles. I don't even really have a recipe for it, but if you would like to try it, here's what you'll need:

Tomatoes (1-2)
Zucchini (2-3)
Yellow/Summer Squash (2-3)
Butter and/or Olive Oil (1-2 tbsp)
Salt
Pepper
Mrs. Dash (optional, but that's what I always grew up using, so I still use it)
Egg Noodles
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Chop and saute the squash and zucchini in butter/oil until tender. Dice tomatoes and add them to the squash mixture. I like the squash and zucchini to break down quite a bit, but still have the tomatoes fairly in-tact. Season to taste. Once the veggies are done, pile on top of egg noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Devour.

Baskin Robbins...

When you were a child, did you ever feel limited by your state in life? I had an experience the other night that made me feel like I have finally arrived in the grown-up world. It's pretty silly, actually. Let me explain...

When I was little, my family would take rare trips to Baskin Robbins for ice cream cones. The four of us kids were only allowed 1-scoop cones, or on the VERY rare occasion, a 2-scooper. Mom and Dad were the only ones privileged to glory of the full-on ice cream sundae - extra toppings, whipped cream, nuts, cherry - the whole shebang.

So, the other night, as my little family of four took a trip to our local Baskin Robbins, I peered through the glass, trying to decide which flavor I wanted. I realized, "I can get TWO scoops if I want, AND I can get them in a sundae if I so desire!" And that's exactly what I did. I chose Jamocha Almond Fudge and Black Walnut topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry.



I savored every bite as I watched my two little boys eat their 1-scoop cones. I guess it has come full circle. :-)

I am an adult, after all.

Blackberries

Our yard is literally bursting with blackberries! Brady has been dying to pick them, but it hasn't been until now that they're finally ready. We've got so many! I'm trying to decide what we can do with them. I'm hoping that I can find enough good ones to make a blackberry cobbler of some sort. Mmmmm!

This is a mound of flowers and greenery where a lot of the berries reside.








We also found this lovely thing while picking the berries. Thankfully there weren't any ripe ones near him. My hand was going nowhere near that web!

In the baking mood...

I have this cookbook and I have used it for a small handful of things here and there. I enjoy baking, and am never really nervous about trying a new recipe. I think it gives me a sense of structure and control. I was never one to bend or break the rules, so maybe that's why baking and I get along so well. I really want to delve deep and try things that I have never done before. For some reason, I am in the mood to try my hand at making croissants from scratch, particularly the "Pain au Chocolat," or chocolate-filled croissants. Baguettes are big on the list, too. The book is chock full of so many other things I want to try, as well.

Unfortunately, my husband has resolved to eat healthier, so all of these carb-laden delights aren't high on his "I should eat this" list. I guess that would mean more for me, but I've kind of resolved to stop eating entire batches of things all by myself, as well. Cookies, brownies, and other baked goods were being consumed at an alarming rate by yours truly and my only rationalization was that I didn't want them going to waist - oops - I mean waste. They most certainly were going to my waist.

Health kick or not, I still think I'm going to try some of these things. Maybe I'll blog about the results if things don't turn out too disastrous. One thing I have found after reading through a lot of the recipes is that many of the doughs can be frozen for use at a later time. That might just give me an excuse to make them up and then whip them out when Brett is having a moment of weakness. Mwah ha ha ha ha!

Navajo Tacos

This is one of my favorite meals. Navajo Tacos were a staple while growing up. Everyone back home has their own version, but since I had a mom that grew up on the Navajo reservation, and a dad that served an LDS mission to the same reservation (long story, and their meeting is not what you might think), the one thing that we couldn't do without was homemade fry bread. I think it was just the purist in my mom. I know lots of people use the frozen roll dough, or even refer to the bread as a scone, but to each her own.

As I've been growing a family of my own, Navajo Tacos have become a staple in my house as well. It's one of the few things that not only will my kids eat, but they can't get enough of. Thank goodness for that! I've taken a few shortcuts, but I still never budge on the fry bread. It's so easy, it would be silly not to make it! :-)

I don't have step-by-step photos to go with the instructions, but this is the recipe I follow:

Chili mixture:
1 lb. ground beef
1 can Hormel chili w/out beans
2 cans pinto beans or small red beans, drained*
*(I had leftover pinto beans from this recipe and it gave the entire chili mixture a little somethin' extra.)

Cook beef, add cans of chili and beans; heat together on low until ready to serve. The longer it sits, the more the flavors have a chance to get to know each other. Season to taste.

Fry Bread Dough
3 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Warm water

Add dry ingredients and then gently mix as you add water. DON'T WORK THE DOUGH TOO MUCH! It will make for very tough bread. Add as much water as you need to get the dough to come together, but is not overly sticky. Let it rest for a bit.

Once it has rested, pull off handfuls of dough, then roll the dough out until it's about 1/4" thick, depending on what you like. I like my dough a little more "pillowy," so I don't roll the dough out any thinner than that.

Next comes the frying. I use a 1:1 ratio of vegetable oil and butter shortening. The shortening gives it more flavor. Add just enough to the pot to make it 1"-1 1/2" deep, and heat on medium-high. Drop the flattened dough into the oil and cook until it is cooked through and slightly golden. *Note: The whole fry bread thing has taken me a while to get the hang of, and I'm still not perfect. I hope you fare better than I have in the past! :-)

Toppings:
Cheddar cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Green chilies
Salsa

Let me know if you try this! I'd love to know how you liked it/how it turned out. Happy Eating!

Friday Favorite

One of my favorite meals is what I made for dinner tonight: Roast beef sandwiches with sauteed mushrooms and melted cheese. Mmmmm, it's so good! Not to mention the homemade onion strings on the side.

I'm by no means a food photographer, so don't judge me too harshly. Just trust me when I say this is delicious! :-)

For the sandwich, I saute mushrooms, warm the bread in the oven, heat the deli roast beef in the mushroom pan for about 30 seconds (just enough to warm it, but not get rid of the pinkiness of the meat), and layer it on the bread. I then place the cheese on the sandwich and throw it under the broiler until the cheese is all warm and melty. I usually use provolone, but I had a hankering for havarti and it was just as yummy as the provolone. Mmmm.... There's nothing better than melted cheese, right?

As for the onion strings, I use this recipe. They are wonderful! I absolutely loathe onions, but these onion "strings" have changed me for life. I still can't do the raw onion thing, but I will never balk at these tasty little morsels ever! I will probably cook up a batch to use for that one green bean casserole that everyone knows and loves, but that's another post for another time.