Monday, June 10, 2013

Memorial Day

Matheson Family Reunion
Memorial Day weekend means that it is time for the
annual Matheson family reunion in Cedar City!
I couldn't be happier to officially be a Matheson this year.
I came with Colton last year as his girlfriend and 
I returned this year as his WIFE! 
Every year the Matheson family fills all the rooms at 
It is the cutest little bed and breakfast run by the sweetest family.
The Matheson's have come every Memorial Day for over 20 years.
I love family traditions.
I love all the Mathesons.
I love Memorial Day.
This weekend was incredible!
Big Yellow Inn

SittingDining
Colton's family is seriously the best!
I LOVE spending time with them.
His grandparents even got Colton and I our own room! 
The Stitch in Time Room

The drive was long but so fun because we were together.
Carter even drove us home! He is growing up so fast!
{He did an excellent job}

Family Softball Game
Every year we play softball on the USU field.
My amazing husband hit a GRAND SLAM!
Because of him, I got to run across home plate.
It was such a fun game and a beautiful day!

{cute little Harris was our bat boy}

Charades
Every year we play "In-Laws" vs. the "Out-Laws"
It was a night full of laughs and witty comments.
This year the "Out-laws" won for the first time in history!

Parowan Petroglyphs
We took a trip out to the "Parowan Gap"
with Grandpa and Grandma Matheson, Norma, and Ed.
It was such a fun little day trip and I was amazed
 how well these carvings have been preserved.

Star Trek
Colton and I went to see the new Star Trek one night.
We liked to get out for some time together at night.
We went for a walk across campus earlier and stumbled upon
a rehearsal of a play for the famous Shakespeare Festival coming up!

Xavier's 15th Birthday!

Hiking the Kanaraville Slot Canyon

This is such a cool canyon.
We hiked it last year and loved it so much we had to come back!








Memorial Day
remembering our loved ones

I loved walking around the beautiful Parowan cemetery and
listening to all the stories of our ancestors.
I am so lucky to be part of such an incredible family.

"Christmas Carol" - born on Christmas 1908 - so cute!


Governor Matheson - I wish I could have met this great man.


This weekend was also our 5 Month Anniversary!
May 27, 2013

{I made a sign and brought a wedding picture to surprise Colton on our vacation!}

It's hard to believe it has already been 5 months!
I love being married to my best friend.
Each day is better than the last!
I am so happy we will be together forever.
I could never adequately express how much I love him.
I am so excited to see what our future holds!


This was such a great weekend & I can't wait for next year!

XOXO





Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Sweet Summertime

Colton and I had the best weekend! 
We started out Thursday night by making our favorite macaroons
some delicious pizza and watching the Psych season finale.

Friday
We cooked a stir fry dinner and went shopping for new shirts for Colton.
Next, we discovered our new favorite ice cream cones and fresh squeezed lemonade.
{Chick-fil-a}

Saturday
We were both off work which was a special occasion!
We woke up and went to the gym together.
After, we made the BEST pancakes.

{I found the recipe on my friend Emi's blog -- See below}
Next, we hopped on our bikes and rode to the park
I haven't been on a bike in YEARS.
Colton was laughing at how excited I was!
At the park we laid on a blanket in the soft grass and read our books together.



We had lunch and went back for ice cream cones again, of course!!

Then we went to the Salt Lake Temple.
It was such a great reminder of our marriage there just 5 months ago...

We even ran into one of my relatives there! Such a great day.
To top off the night we went to dinner at Mandarin Garden with
Colton's family because his grandparents
 were in town for Sarah's high school graduation.

Sunday
Church was incredible like always!
Colton and I love the Kenwood 1st ward.
We spent the afternoon in our beautiful backyard
relaxing in the sun and reading our books.

Then we went over to the Mathesons for
Colton's grandma's 80th birthday party!
Milicent Matheson is one of the sweetest ladies on this earth.
We loved celebrating this special day with her!


Colton's mom is incredible.
She cooks the best meals and always makes
everything look so cute and coordinated!

Birthday cakes!

The amazing flour-less chocolate cake made by Colton's Aunt Jan


Lemonade Cake - our favorite!
It was so dense and the perfect amount of sweetness
{click here for recipe}


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Luscious Lemonade Layer Cake



Luscious Lemonade Layer Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Place sugar, butter, zest, lemonade and vanilla in a mixer and mix until well blended.
Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beading well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to batter, alternating with buttermilk, until well blended.
Pour into two well greased 9" round pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Mix together all the ingredients except powdered sugar and blend well.
Gradually add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until blended. Don't over beat.
Frost cake!

*This cake is pretty with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint on top!


Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Pancakes


Colton and I made these this weekend after our workout and they were incredible!
Try these one Saturday morning...
you won't be sorry!

Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Pancakes
    
INGREDIENTS
2 ripe bananas
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract {i always add a bit more}
2 tablespoons peanut butter/ almond butter
1 tablespoon canola oil {or coconut oil}
3/4 cup milk
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour (you can substitute wheat flour)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
{we use butterscotch chips--AMAZING}

pre-heat skillet to medium heat
mash bananas with baking powder first
then add eggs, oil, salt, vanilla, peanut butter, milk and stir
stir in oats and flour until just combined
sprinkle in butterscotch chips {we love to add these to each pancake individually}
drop small scoops onto skillet, let cook for about 2 minutes on each side {until golden brown}.
Enjoy!!


Oat Berry Muffins

I love the oat berry muffins at Great Harvest. 
They are incredible.
I have been trying to find a recipe for these for months.
This is what I found!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used chunky applesauce)
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 cup blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries, etc {fresh or frozen}
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a muffin pan with paper/silicon muffin cups or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg, and extracts.
Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist.
Fold in berries.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
I was able to make 16 regular muffins.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Cool on rack.
Enjoy! They freeze beautifully too!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Bread Bread Bread


So I love bread.
Especially homemade bread.
or Great Harvest.
here are some of my favorite recipes!

Epicurious Multi grain bread
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsweetened multi-grain cereal (such as 7-grain)
2 cups boiling water
1 envelope dry yeast
4 1/3 cups (about) bread flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons flax seeds
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 cups water

Place cereal in large bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over.
 Let stand until mixture cools to between 105°F. and 115°F., about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle yeast over cereal.
Add 1 cup bread flour, oil, sugar and salt and stir until smooth.
Gradually mix in enough remaining bread flour to form dough.
Cover dough; let rest 15 minutes.
Turn out dough onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic,
adding more flour if sticky, about 10 minutes.
 Oil large bowl. Add dough to bowl; turn to coat.
Cover bowl with clean kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.
Mix all seeds in bowl. Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly oiled surface. Knead briefly.
Shape into 12x4-inch loaf.Sprinkle baking sheet with 2 teaspoons seeds.
Place loaf atop seeds. Cover with towel. Let rise in warm area until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
Position 1 oven rack in center and 1 just below center in oven.
Place baking pan on lower rack and preheat oven to 425°F.
Brush loaf with water. Sprinkle with remaining seed mixture.
Using sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal slashes in surface of loaf.
Place baking sheet with loaf in oven.
Immediately pour 2 cups water into hot pan on lower rack in oven (water will steam).
Bake loaf until golden and crusty and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.
{Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic; store at room temperature.}


No Knead Peasant Bread
{my husband loves this bread!}
 In my opinion, there is nothing better than a fresh loaf of bread hot out of the oven. 
It is pretty much the best thing ever. 
And for those that have never attempted homemade bread, this is the recipe to try.
 My mouth waters just thinking about the aroma of this homemade bread wafting through my home.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups of warm tap water
1 1/2 tablespoons (2 packets) active dry yeast (not instant)
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Use a very large mixing bowl.
Mix the water, yeast and salt in the bowl.
I let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Then dump the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon or your hands. 
You don’t need to knead this, and you’re not looking to make it come together into a dough ball. 
You just want everything mixed well, with no streaks of flour left, and you’re done. 
Leave it in your container, covered with a kitchen towel for a few hours. 
When it has risen and then deflated a bit, your dough is done.
 It’s ready to be used or stored in the refrigerator.

To bake the bread, just grab a chunk of dough, about the size of a grapefruit. 
Dust your hands with flour to help prevent sticking, and gently pull the sides of the dough toward the bottom, rotating the dough, until you get a roundish shape with a smooth surface. It should only take you about a minute or less to do this.
Put it on a cutting board that’s been dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking, and let it rest for at least 40 minutes. 
If the dough has been refrigerated, it helps to let it rest a little more, until it’s no longer chilled (so maybe for about an hour or so)
Twenty minutes before you are ready to bake, put a pizza stone in the middle rack of your oven, 
and put a cookie sheet in the bottom rack. 
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. 
Dust some flour on the top of your loaf, and slash the top, about 1/4-inch deep.
After twenty minutes of preheating, it’s time to bake. 
Slide the loaf onto the baking stone, and then quickly pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the cookie sheet.
QUICKLY shut the oven door to keep the steam inside.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until you get a nice brown crust. 
Remove and let cool completely, if you can wait that long.

Popovers
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

place eggs, milk, butter, flour, and salt in mixer bowl. 
turn to speed 4 and beat for 15 seconds. 
stop and scrape sides, 
then beat again at speed 4 for 15 seconds.
fill heavily greased & floured tins* half full with batter.
 place in oven and then set heat to 450 degrees. 
after 15 minutes of oven warming up to 450, reduce heat to 350 degrees 
and bake 20-25 minutes more.
 remove from oven when they are puffed up and golden brown. 
serve warm!

*it says to use custard baking cups or popover tins, but use my regular muffin tins. the 
only difference with the popover tins is that the base of the roll will be taller!


Mini Cheddar Popovers
makes 24
(recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine)
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup shredded white cheddar
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Whisk together milk, eggs, flour, 1 tablespoon butter, salt, and pepper until smooth, 
then stir in cheeses and herbs. 
Chill 1 hour to allow batter to rest.

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in upper third.

Butter muffin pan with remaining tablespoon butter, then heat in oven until butter sizzles, about 2 minutes.

Gently stir batter, then divide among muffin cups (they will be about two-thirds full). 
Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.



Simple Whole Wheat Bread

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
 1/3 cup honey
 5 cups bread flour
 3 tablespoons butter, melted
 1/3 cup honey
 1 tablespoon salt
 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. 
Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. 
Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. 
Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. 
Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky 
- just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch.
 This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. 
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel.
 Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. 
Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. 
Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Crepe Night!

We love crepes! 
We even had them at our wedding...
Since we have been married, 
we have planned two "crepe nights" at our home.
We invite all our friends,
They bring their favorite topping...and we make all the crepes!
here is our favorite recipe!
*taken from my friend Emi, the well traveled wife

homemade crepes
1 cup flour
1/3 cup water
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

--set the butter aside and mix all ingredients together using a blender. 
--once everything is well blended, add in butter and mix. 
--heat crepe pan until hot and spray it
--pour a thin layer of batter until it spreads over the pan, 
--cook for 30-50 seconds and flip over. 
--serve warm with nutella, pb, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, jam, bananas, whipped cream, strawberries, etc.
Yum!