Dill Pasta Salad

This is one of my favorite summer recipes (thanks mom) and since we had a lot of dill in our garden I decided to make it.

• 1 lb. of your favorite pasta (I use penne)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 2 1/2 Cups Celery
• 1 Small Red Onion
• 1/4 Fresh Dill
• 2 TB Lemon Juice
• 1 bag Quorn Chik'n Tenders or 3-4 chicken breasts

Cook chicken, sprinkle with lemon juice, and set aside to cool. Cook pasta and rinse with cool water. Chop peppers, celery, onion, and dill--mix with pasta and chicken in a large bowl.

Dressing:

• 3 TB White Wine Vinegar
• 2 TB Mayonnaise
• 2 TB Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 2/3 Cups Olive Oil (I use Extra Light)

Whisk together vinegar, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper. Add oil slowly while whisking until dressing is thickened. Pour over salad and toss. Serve. (Make sure to check your teeth after for hiding dill!)

Shiny Happy People Holding Hands

Saturday I didn't have to work until 2:30 so Nate and I got up early and went to the farmer's market. It felt like a total utopia to me--farmers selling fresh fruits and vegetables, all sorts of humankind carrying reusable sacks full of produce, an assortment of interesting hand made goods, musicians, artists....I had a tear in my eye!

We munched on some fresh peas and stopped at Beverly Hill's Bakery Booth for some refreshing berry lemonade. Side note: Beverly Hill (that is her real name) is a customer at Abode who opened a small bakery and she makes awesome pastries, quiche, and my favorite--her raspberry bars.

Here are some pictures from when we went to the market in Hilo, Hawaii. It was amazing!

Simply Delicious!

I have been driving past Finn's for several months now and after seeing the long line of waiting people at Blue Plate Friday morning we decided to give Finn's a chance. We were seated right away at a darling little table on the patio with a chubby vase of fresh flowers and a crisp white tablecloth--I was impressed already! Then disaster struck. Nate had been craving blueberry pancakes--his out to breakfast favorite--and they didn't have any on the menu. I could see the panic in his eyes and quickly tried to reassure him that when the waitress came by we would ask if they could whip up a few for him. (Nate would have loved my grandma Eula's blueberry pancakes) Thankfully the waitress said yes and when breakfast was served I sighed with delight. It was clean and pretty and my ketchup was in a dainty little paper thimble! Nate's pancakes were divine, my vegetable omelet was very tasty, and I wanted to ask for 3 more servings of hash browns. We will be going there to try lunch and dinner soon!

Flashback Friday

BYU-Idaho Halloween Party

Valerie, Jess, Kensey, Haylee

Faith

I want this dog.

Feliz Cumpleanos...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Girl's Camp 2008

What an adventure! All of our girls had the opportunity to go on the overnight backpacking hike as part of their fourth year camp certification. It was my first time backpacking and I really enjoyed it! There is something very satisfying about setting up camp with only the items you can carry on your back. (Plus I have a greater understanding of what a pack mule must feel like.) We hiked to a lovely picturesque meadow and set up camp right next to a little stream. It was beautiful! I was a tinch paranoid about bears but after our food was safe up in a tree I felt a lot better and my face stopped twitching.

After the overnight trip we hiked out of the canyon and drove to our church property where we would spend the rest of the week. We had to set up camp all over again and by the end of the day I was ready to throw some cucumber slices over my eyes and call it quits. Camping is hard work! I was so grateful that the girls had such good attitudes and were so happy and helpful. We had zero drama this year and it was awesome!

The biffy (bathroom in the forest for you) was a hike away so we did a lot of pop, lock, and squat it-- and boy was I happy to come home to a flushing toilet. I give my overall camping experience a 9.5---I had to subtract .5 points when our deluxe queen size air mattress snagged on a tree stump and popped so we were forced to trade off using a inflatable pool raft to sleep on. Good times.

Flashback Friday

Freshman Cheerleaders

Heidi, Brooke, Haley, Aimee, Jess, Annie

I know, I know, Flashback Friday has been off to a rough start. I have been frolicking in the wilderness for the past week!