Pillow Movie

We had some friends from the ward over to watch a movie in the back yard. It felt so nice outside and was a lot of fun. Even better, we watched the 1987 movie "Can't Buy Me Love", a childhood favorite of mine. Yes, that is a young Patrick Dempsey you see.

Look what Andy has been up to

This is the gorgeous railing Andy built for Amber and Nate's "Heirloom Lodge" which is in the Bear Lake Parade of Homes and won many awards! You can view a virtual tour of the entire home at www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/Default.aspx?ID=492984. Andy is so talented and I love that he can make just about anything out of metal!

Eggplant Parmesan

We made Eggplant Parmesan for dinner last night. It was really good. I love eggplant and so I appreciated how this recipe makes eggplant the main course.

The Weekend

We went to the Demolition Derby Saturday night. It was a first for me and it was a lot of fun. Andy says he wants to drive one of the mini cars in the Demolition Derby next summer. I'm not thrilled about that.


We had guests for Sunday dinner and tried some new recipes: Tuxedo Sesame-Crusted Chicken with Herb Potatoes au Gratin and green beans. The chicken was a big hit, but I don't think I would do the potatoes again.

Tuxedo Sesame Crusted Chicken:
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection™ Sesame Seed
3 tablespoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection™ Sesame Seed, Black
1 egg
1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection™ Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection™ Red Pepper, Ground Cayenne
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Directions:
1. For the Chicken, mix bread crumbs and sesame seeds in shallow dish. Beat egg, garlic powder, salt and red pepper in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg mixture. Coat evenly on both sides in bread crumb mixture, pressing firmly so mixture adheres to chicken. Discard any remaining egg and bread crumb mixtures. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; several pieces at a time; cook 5 minutes per side or until chicken is browned and cooked through. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding remaining oil if needed.

Happy Birthday Dad!

This is a birthday shout out to my dad!

My father has been so incredible to help Andy install lots of railing in bear lake over the past several months where Andy's welding company's has had a lot of business! It has been fun to watch them work together and see my dad get so excited to work with his favorite son-in-law (just kidding Kevin & Nate).

My dad is such an example to me of a hard worker. Growing up, I always knew his intensity was all for his family. I will never forget how my Great Grandma Irene was my dad's biggest fan - she always saw the best in him.

Happy Birthday Bishop Bingham! We love you.

1-Year Anniversary

Andy and I celebrated our first anniversary on Sunday August 17. While on the road and busy fitting in some "us time", we were visiting about how 1 year ago our wedding, dinner, reception, and honeymoon were all so perfect and we couldn't have asked for anything more. However, the real treat has been the past year and being able to spend all of our time together. I love Andy more than anything in the world and I feel so fortunate every day to have him as my companion.

1. I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU CAN COOK. LIKE A PRO.

2. I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU MAKE THE SIMPLEST MOMENTS SO HAPPY.

3. I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU LIKE TO WATCH HGTV WITH ME AND THEN BE MY OWN PERSONAL HANDY MAN.

4. I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE SO PATIENT WITH ME. LIKE WHEN I GET FRUSTRATED GETTING DRESSED AND THROW FITS.

5. I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU SOMETIMES GET CHOKED UP - SO I KNOW THAT YOU CARE. YOUR HEART IS SO BIG.

6. I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU MAKE ME LAUGH EVERY DAY AND THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT YOU.

7. I LOVE YOU FOR THESE AND SO MANY OTHER REASONS.

Happy Birthday BrieAnna!

Today is my little sister BrieAnna's birthday. She'll always be BrieAnna to me - I think it is such a beautiful name! We are so glad we got to spend some time with Brie this weekend. Hope you have a very happy birthday. We love you. This picture is of Brie at my wedding 1 year ago yesterday. She is a great little mother to all the grandkids.

Warm Spinach Salad with Grilled Sausage

I found this recipe in Real Simple magazine and we LOVED it so I had to share. You can link to it on their website here. It's a really light and delicous summer meal. After we made it, we just scarfed it down before I could get a picture. So, the photo is a photo of the photo in the magazine.

Warm Spinach Salad with Grilled Sausage

4 Italian sausages (about 1 pound)

8 plum tomatoes, cut in half crosswise

1 onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

3 bunches spinach, thick stems removed (about 8 cups)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

Heat grill to medium-high. With a fork, prick the sausages in several places. Grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.Meanwhile, brush the tomatoes and onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill until tender, 5 to 6 minutes per side for the onion and 2 to 3 minutes per side for the tomatoes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl as they are done, add the spinach, and toss.In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, the remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Slice the sausages and serve with the vegetables and dressing.

Tip: Tossing the spinach with warm vegetables wilts the leaves slightly and makes them more tender. Delicious on its own, this salad is also great mixed into pasta. Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Chicken & Artichoke Pizza with Grilled Avocados

I was inspired by a recipe in Real Simple for artichoke pizza on pita so I ran with it. We used Greek-style pitas and spread a little pesto on them, toasted them and then loaded them with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and cheese. Yum. And we scooped grilled avocados on them as we ate each bite. I can't take the credit for the grilled avocados either - I got the idea here. But I thought grilled avocados were sooo good. Andy thought they just tasted like avocados.

Our Chicago Trip

For the past couple of years I have been dreaming about a trip to Chicago. Why? I think it had something to do with Chicago being home to great food, great shopping, and great design (all of my favorite things). When there was an opportunity for me to attend a conference for work, I jumped at the chance (and drug Andy along for the ride)!

1. We arrived Friday night and started Saturday morning by shopping along Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile shops. And for some reason, unknown to me, I just could not get into the shopping. I made out okay (see the goods below), but there was too much awaiting us in Chicago!


2. We tried the famous Chicago Dog and Italian Beef at Al's Beef. I loved the hot dogs because I too am ANTI KETCHUP on hot dogs.





3. Next we went to the Art Institute of Chicago and meandered to Millenium Park, Pitzker Pavillion, and acted like children in front of "The Bean". I knew Andy would love Chicago because of the metal architecture and design.






4. That night we got all shnazzed up and had the famous stuffed pizza at Giordanos. We loved it because it seemed like there was like a pound of mozzerella cheese in each slice.

We tried the deep dish pizza at Gino's East Pizzeria on another night and liked it as well.

5. From there we went to the Ford Theater for the Performing Arts and watched WICKED. Wow, "Galinda" was brilliant in her role and Elphaba had the most incredible voice I have ever heard.

6. We started out our Sunday morning with an architectural boat tour (and agreed that both of our fathers would enjoy it). It was lovely and very interesting. What a charming city.


7. Next we made our way to Navy Pier, rode the giant ferris wheel, and strolled through the Museum of Stained Glass Windows.


8. We traveled via subway to the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District and saw some beautiful homes and wrought iron. Andy took so many pictures of metal fences and gates and got some great inspiration.


One of my personal favorites:

9. We had a fancy dinner on the town at The Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. Incredible view and even more amazing food.

10. The next day it was back to work for me - I hit up my conference and Andy went to the Museum of Science and Industry where he saw a hand-blown glass demonstration:

and the inner workings of a submarine:

11. Our last evening in Chicago was wild - a tornado hit Navy Pier and Wrigley Stadium was evacuated (you may have seen this on the news). We made it 30 yards from our hotel before the rain started coming down in sheets and we had to hang out in this store for 15 minutes. All night the sound of the thunder would echo through all the downtown skyscrapers; it was pretty trippy.

12. Our trip was so wonderful and sort of served as our anniversary celebration which is just around the corner!

Happy Birthday Gary!

Today is Andy’s dad’s birthday. Gary is such a neat father. Andy has so many great childhood memories about his father that he always talks about. Gary has many talents and even more funny stories! I love how handy he is since that’s where Andy got it!



And, he’s got style! We wish we could see him more often. Happy Birthday Gary, we love you!