The Killer's.....

Joe and I went to the Killer's concert Saturday night. It was AWESOME!!! Loved it!

This picture looks crazy because the entire background was filled with white paper confetti.

It looked just like thick snow falling from the sky.

 I held my hair up the entire night because it was sooooooo darn HOT! 

We scored with front row seats..... it was so cool!

The Killer's put on a great show. They definitely know how to entertain and please a crowd!

We took a bunch of pictures, but the lighting wasn't great. These were the only decent shots.

Good times....

Look who got his Driver's permit today.......

S.C.A.R.Y.

Brighton 21 Alta ZERO!

Whoo-whoo!

We did it!!!

Chandler has played FoOtBaLl for 8 years now and this is the first time they've ever beat ALTA!!!

---Not only did they beat em'...... they CRUSHED em'---

We have the BEST team this year. Our players are one big happy family with top notch  parents and coaches. 

GO BENGALS!

Thanks to Will and Madi for being so supportive... we love you!

Bryn trying to buy a treat at the "snack shack". She wanted to be a big girl and get a treat ALL BY HERSELF, but she's so little, they can't see her!

Way to go Brighton..... 

until next week!

Nummy treat....

Little Brynner's is the biggest poser. She cracks me up when she starts demanding I take pictures of her. She can hardly hold still while I'm snapping shots.

The other day she told my mom she was packing up her pet shops and dolls because they were going on TREK. Where does she come up with this stuff?

Campus treat

1 C. sugar

1 C. corn syrup

3/4 C. butter (not margarine)

1/2 (16 oz.) box Golden Grahams

1/2 (16 oz.) box Rice Chex

1 (8 oz.) bag coconut

1/2 bag sliced almonds

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour syrup over the cereal, coconut and almond mixture and mix well. Spread out on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet until cool. Break into chunks. 

**Note: I ALWAYS double the recipe because we never seem to have enough with one batch!

I like to store it in a large Zip-lock bag. 

ENJOY!!

What's for dinner?

Do you want a super yummy recipe? My kids get all giddy when I make this meal.

Drum roll please.......

Killer Sticky Chicken

Are you excited? You should be.

This is a reasonably easy recipe, but needs a little TLC at times.

You'll need a bottle of Kinkoman's Teriyaki Baste and Glaze and a bottle of Yoshido's Original Gourmet sauce. (I buy mine at Costco)

Killer Sticky Chicken 

1C. Honey

1 (8oz.) Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce

1 (12 oz.) Kinkoman's Teriyaki Baste and Glaze

1/2 t. black pepper

8-16 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (I use 6 large breasts instead)

**Note: thighs taste better, but breasts are less fattening..... you be the judge

Bake chicken in oven for about 20 minutes until done. (I like to pound out the breasts so they are really thin. Thanks to my neighbor Robyn for recommending I use the back of a glass..... it worked great) Mix all other ingredients together for a basting sauce. Put cooked chicken into sauce and turn to coat well. (I like to save some sauce to drizzle over chicken and rice at the end)

Put on a hot BBQ or George Forman Grill until chicken is crusty. Continue to brush sauce on while grilling to coat well. About 10 minutes grilling time.

Serve with sticky white rice and roasted asparagus. 

hmmmm...... so good!

I prefer this brand.....

Set oven to 400 degrees. Place cut, clean asparagus on jelly roll pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on thickness of asparagus

. ***Don't over bake. Better to be under done than over done.

I like to sprinkle sesame seeds on finished product.

Definitely a crowd pleaser

You know it's good when your 4 year old asks for seconds

caught with chipmunk cheeks. I love it!

Bon Appetite!

The wait is finally over.....

Bryn has been anticipating this day for sooooooo long. All summer long she's been talking about school and how her teachers miss her so much. 

I thought I would be super excited as well, but my emotions have kicked in to high gear and I've been a bit weepy this morning. 

Bryn decided she'd had enough of my whimpering and said, "Mom, I'll make you a deal. If you are brave today and you don't cry while I'm gone, I won't miss you. okay?"

She's one tough cookie and seriously put a huge smile on my face. 

Here are a few pictures I took this morning. 

She starts with dance, lunch and then school follows. 

My baby is so big..... it's CRAZY!

She's such a little goof and one of the LOVE'S of my life.....

HAPPY DAY!

A family favorite.....

I am so grateful for fall and for the endless varieties of soup recipes available to us. 

Honestly, my kids would eat a bowl of soup every day for every meal.

 This is definitely one of our family favorites. 

Serve with fruit & crusty bread and you'll have all six food groups in one easy to prepare meal!

Broccoli Cheese soup

1-1/2 lbs. broccoli, fresh or frozen

6 T. margarine

1/2 C. chopped onion

6 T. flour

2 C. chicken broth ~1 can

2 C. milk

4 C. half & half ~1 quart, I use fat free

2 tsp. salt

dash of nutmeg

2 C. grated cheddar cheese, or combine cheddar, jack or mozzarella 

Cook broccoli in small amount of salted water till tender. Drain. Melt margarine in heavy saucepan. Add onion and cook till clear. Stir in flour to make a roux; slowly add chicken broth, stirring constantly. Slowly add in milk and half and half. Stir and cook till thickened. Add cooked broccoli. Makes 12 servings.

~note: I like to add a couple tablespoons of chicken base. 

That way I can omit most of the salt.

Needing a quick break....

Labor Day weekend was a great excuse to get away and spend some ever-so needed quality time with Joe. I think it's easy to get side tracked and forget about the one you love. Sometimes I need to take a step back and refocus my energy. 

~Picture taken from Stephmodo.blogspot.com~

Joe and I decided to take a quick break and spend the night in Park City. Honestly, I can't think of a more romantic, peaceful setting. We spent our time eating, walking around, browsing through art galleries,  and our favorite of all...... hiking! 
This is such a great way to clear the ole' head. 

Joe loves Aspen's, so I had to snap a few shots from the lift. 

It sure feels good to make it to the top, but the most important part of the journey is the climb. I know that may sound silly, but it's so true. It took us about 4 1/2 hours round trip. I think we may have solved a few of our world's problems in that amount of time. 

Needless to say, I feel revived, energized and ready to tackle my every day problems. 

Back to school....

I can't believe how fast summer went this year. I'm still trying to process the fact that I didn't water-ski one time this season. What happened? Where did summer go? It's already feeling like fall in the morning. 

Well, even though I love summer, I love fall MORE! So, I guess I'm not too sad because I get to enjoy all the loveliness fall brings.

Another thing I'm excited about is the fact that I can now use my kids real names because I know all of you. Isn't life grand? Let me introduce my kids.....

Bryn Hazel 

Chandler Joseph 

Mason Spence

Berkley Marie

Ahhh.... that felt good! 

Here is a yummy recipe I made for my kids last night. It's from my moms collection.....

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 C. light sour cream

1 (4 oz.) can green chiles

2 C. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded

2 C. grated cheddar cheese

1 can black beans

1 C. spanish rice

10 flour or corn tortilla, torn into pieces

Mix first three ingredients until smooth, set aside. Spread 1/2 cup of creamy mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer 1/2 tortillas, then layer everything else in order. Repeat layering process and spread cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and pico de gallo or salsa.

**note: I used canned chiles on the "adult" side ONLY

Enjoy!

Happy fall to ya'll!