St. Patty's Day Spuds

I don't care much for traditions mostly because it means I have to commit to something and I just don't like that. But because we've been cruising around Houston this weekend while Cameron's dad has been in town, we didn't have time to even think about acknowledging the day, let alone participate in St. Patrick's day celebration. But today, I did get around to making some green mashed potatoes for dinner. Nope- it's not food coloring. It's pureed peas, mashed into the potatoes. Read it in a magazine, I think. And they were delicious! Cameron might say that that's a stretch, but I thought they were great and knowing there was some veggie goodness in them made them go down even better. Cook some frozen peas, throw them in the blender with a little chicken broth and mash 'em up with your regular mashed potatoes.

Last year I posted a picture of a peach crepe that appeared, well, less than appetizing. Then I proceeded to describe it's deliciousness in great detail. Well, this morning was my lucky day and we got to partake in this heavenly food once again. This time, I attempted to take a better picture, hopefully depicting more accurately, what this divine dish has to offer. In other words, I tried to redeem myself.

P.S. Even though it looks like cottage cheese atop the peaches, it is whipped cream. I just whipped it too long. Again, not the most appetizing picture either, but I think it's an improvement.

I have a favorite food...

and it is this

Swedish Pancakes (or crepes) with fresh peaches and whipped cream

***

I know it's not pretty (due mostly to the fact that I don't have a fancy camera and seem to be the last person on the earth who doesn't...poor me). Do not be fooled by it's common place appearance, for it is not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside that counts. This is no ordinary food! (The first person to name that movie is invited to my house next Saturday for this very meal- Stef, if it's not you, I'll be very very ashamed).

And by how good it tastes, it should be eaten on fine china, instead of the paper plates in which we have become very good friends with since having children. Sorry eco-friendly people, it's just the way we operate around here. And yes, you can see the remains of the 3 swedish pancakes eaten previous to the one pictured.

The answer to "what is your favorite food" is always a tough one to answer. Of course it depends on my mood, whether I'm pregnant or not, etc., and usually cycles between mashed potatoes and gravy (mom's homemade of course), spare ribs, peaches, thanksgiving dinner, or italian. But after eating today's breakfast-for-dinner delight, I'm going to have to name this one #1 of all time. A few tips. The peaches MUST be fresh (these ones are Glow Haven peaches from Manning Orchards in Fruit Heights), freshly whipped cream is very strongly recommended (cool whip will work, but really makes the difference between a first place ribbon and honorary mention), and my secret ingredient is just a tiny drizzle of syrup over the peaches before loading on the whip cream for just the right amount of sweetness.

The only thing better than this meal is waking up on conference morning to my mother who has completely prepared it. Things always taste better when someone else makes it, right?

Tea Party

Today was our 2nd annual Tea Party put on by my incredibly creative and amazing mother. It's a girls only party and every girl in our entire family was there! My mom slaved to cook all kinds of delicious tea party foods that tasted just as good as they looked. We played bingo, did pedicures and had just plain good fun. Thanks mom for such a fun party and for all your hours, days and even months of hard work! I can't wait to continue this tradition with my own girls. Here's pics of the magnificent food and fun.

Allie and Emma

Kara in her not-so-English hat

fruit kabobs

cream puffs

cucumber sandwiches on homemade wheat bread

ribbon sandwiches

pinwheel cookies

Our place settings. My mom gave all the grand daughters journals.

Karly, Katie, Mia, Anna and Kara

Just a picture of Kara I thought was cute, messy face and all

Elisha doing Jen's toes- you're a good woman Elisha (no offence Jen)

Kara's painted toes, also painted by Elisha

To Die For

What kinds of things and how many, could you label, "to die for?" Because I'm a little over-dramatic sometimes, maybe I use this label too loosely, but I thought I'd share a dish that absolutely deserves it. It's my grandmother's potatoes and peas. Every year, I plant half my garden in peas and anxiously await their harvest, solely for the purpose of making this dish. This year I planted in February and barely got peas last week! There were times I wondered if this spring would be potatoes and peas-less. What a sad spring that would be. Anyway, it can only be made with fresh peas (alright, I suppose you could put frozen in, therefore completely stripping it of any appeal) and really, it is something else. Pair it with some grilled salmon and oh, man, there are no words to describe. I do wonder, however, does it really taste that delicious or have I been conditioned to feel the nostalgia and comfort I felt when at my grandmas and eating just one of her many country, made-from-scratch dishes? I don't really care, all I know is, it's to die for.

Alexander 2008

Every year we have a reunion with my mom's side of the family. It's usually at Alexander Reservoir in Soda Springs, Idaho. My mom grew up waterskiing on this reservoir and I used to think my cousins owned it since their house was next to it. It's the best little body of water tucked behind some mountains and perfectly shielded from the wind, resulting in ideal waterski water. It used to be the best kept secret until it was discovered, and now this tiny reservoir is pretty popular, usually dotted with several boats every Saturday. Nevertheless, we still LOVE to have our family reunion there...we just have to reserve it January 1st, early in the morning. Aside from the pleasures of boating and playing in the sand, our reunion has more than just the obvious draws. My mom's side of the family are the BEST cooks around. My immediate family all share the same passion for food and most of us are also crazy about waterskiing, so it takes something big to miss this event. Here's a run down of the food we enjoyed last week:

fruit pizza

cake with fruit and whipped cream topping

snickerdoodles

brownies
rhubarb pie

runaways

chicken salad sandwiches with croissants

layered green salad

pasta salad

chinese chicken salad

multiple fruit salads

all kinds of chips

I know I'm missing a ton, but this is all I can remember. Not bad huh? Baby blessings and farewells? Just as good. I love my family!

Colby and Mia on the paddle boat with Katrina and Rich

Kara couldn't get enough of the water and sand. Well, that's not entirely true. The water and sand came in a close second behind eating dessert after dessert.

Colby was brave and rode on the tube behind the boat! He loved it!

The four-year-old cousins bragging that they're gonna jump in the water. They were all talk because it never happened.

Sadly, waterskiing didn't take place this year (for me anyway) because the water was ice cold. Really, it was pure ice- I swear I saw glacier chunks floating around. And I guess it's fair to say that I've officially lost my "die hard" reputation for skiiing in any kind of water. I relinquish my title to my crazy sister who was the only one who got in. She really is crazy because not only was she skiing amongst ice chunks without a wetsuit, but the water was really rough! Cold water+rough water= insanity. And yes, I'll give my brother Mark some credit as well. I'm sure he would have been right there with Stef, just to say he did, if he had been there. I'm just glad I didn't have to endure his crap about me being wimpy this time.