Friday

Pioneer Days Quilt Show

Every July 24th the state of Utah celebrates the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley.  There are parades, carnivals, fireworks, rodeos, and tons of food!  Our little local town of Spanish Fork goes all out for that week.  They call it Fiesta Days and we love being a part of it.  

One of my favorite parts of Fiesta Days is the Pioneer Days Quilt Show.  They host it at an old home on Main Street that has several old pioneer cabins and barns.  The quilts are made by local people and are displayed all over the grounds.  Each visitor is asked to pick their favorite quilt....and then a winner is chosen.  Here are just a few of the many quilts displayed this year.















My favorite quilt this year was the yo-yo quilt!  I loved the reproduction fabrics and those yo-yo flowers were amazing.  It inspired me.  I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Pioneer Quilt Show....and Happy Pioneer Day!

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Sunday

Summer's Eve One Pot Pasta Dish

I admit freely that I am a lover of pasta, all kinds of pasta.  But in the heat of summer, a heavy pasta dish is the last thing on my craving list....until I made a one pot simple pasta dish.  It took a few minutes to prepare, was perfectly light, and so easy to clean up, (since there were no leftovers)...and best of all I could raid my herb garden for an extra measure of freshness!


Summer's Eve One Pot Pasta Dish

One package of uncooked pasta
32 oz of beef broth
28 oz of diced tomatoes in liquid
3 cups of water
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon of crushed rad pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
3 cups of washed spinach leaves
2 cups of washed and sliced mushrooms
1 package of Italian sausage
3 sprigs fresh basil
2 sprigs fresh parsley
3 sprigs fresh oregano
1 spring fresh rosemary
2 cups of feta cheese

1.  Slice the Italian sausage and dice the onion.  Add to a couple of tablespoons of heated olive oil in a heavy deep pot.  Cook until slightly browned.  Add the minced garlic.

2.  Add the water, beef broth, canned tomatoes (with juice), spices, herbs, pasta, mushrooms, and top with fresh spinach.  Heat to a boil and then turn to low-medium and simmer.

3.  Stir a few times to mix the goodies around.


4.  When the pasta is almost done (still a little firm), turn off the heat and cover.  Let sit a few minutes to absorb the rest of the liquid.

5.  Place is a pasta bowl and toss with feta cheese and enjoy!


One of my favorite things about this dish is eating it with a hearty bread...picking out the perfect bite of tomato, mushroom, cheese and spinach and sandwiching it in the bread....it's soooo good!  We eat this dish outside in the evenings after the sun has gone down...even our boys will linger for this meal.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we have.


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Monday

Banana Caramel Bread Pudding

One of my absolute favorite comfort desserts is bread pudding.  Honestly,  I don't think there is anything better than it's warm sweetness...and how fun that there are so many different varieties of this delicious dessert!  I've previously posted two of our favorites, Raspberry Crème, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip...but this new one may just "take the cake"! Who can resist bananas and caramel...right?    

Banana Caramel Bread Pudding


2 1/2 Cups White Granulated Sugar
6 Large Eggs
2 1/2 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk
2 Teaspoons Real Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Rum Extract
1/4 Cup of Cinnamon
1 Cup of White Granulated Sugar
1 Loaf of Chulah Bread or a loaf of soft French Bread
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
2 Large Bananas, peeled and sliced
1/2 Stick of Butter

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9" x 13" baking dish.

2.  Mix together the 2 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, almond milk, vanilla, and rum extract until everything is mixed well.

3.  Break apart the Chulah bread in large chunks and place in a large mixing bowl.


4.  Slice the bananas and add to the bread as well as the chopped nuts.

5.  Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread and gently toss until the bread soaks up most of the mixture.  Be careful not to mash the bananas.  Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

6.  Mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon.  

7.  Gently scoop the bread mixture into the buttered baking pan. Crumble over the top the brown sugar, the cinnamon sugar mixture and pats of butter.



8.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

9.  While the bread pudding in baking, make the Caramel Butter Sauce.


Caramel Butter Sauce

1 Cup of White Granulated Sugar
1 Cup of Light Corn Syrup
1/2 Cup of Butter
1 Beaten Egg
2 Teaspoons of Real Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon of Rum Extract



1.  In a medium saucepan add the butter, beaten egg, sugar and corn syrup and heat at a medium temp until the butter is melted and the sugars are dissolved. 

2.  Add the vanilla and rum extracts and whisk together.

3.  Keep stirring occasionally on low heat for 15 minutes.

4.  Lightly drizzle over warm bread pudding!

I hope you enjoy this bread pudding as much as we did...it was all gone in about an hour with no leftovers.  It is like getting a hug from your grandma with every bite.
  

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Tuesday

A Double Hitchin on the Range


Last month our darling niece Lacie and her brother Chantz were married to their sweethearts Isaac and Karlee, and held a double wedding reception on their family ranch in Wyoming.   We went up a day early to help set up and had so much fun with them!  The brides were gorgeous and the grooms were both decked out in their boots and hats.  


This ranch has been in the family for generations and many personal touches were shared by their parents and grandparents.  One of my favorites was the outhouse photo booth built by Lacie and Chantz's grandfather and the wedding dresses of Karlee's mother and grandmother.  They served a whole roasted hog dinner, rootbeers and pies and danced to toe-tapping country music into the night....



































If you ever have the chance to attend a wedding in Wyoming...go!  Their wedding brought the entire community together to celebrate these two couples.  We love them and were so happy to be a part of their wedding.  Best wishes for a long and very happy life Chantz & Karlee and Lacie & Isaac!!!

Flowers - Karlee Potter and Roberta Hicks
Wedding Cakes - Amber Hicks
Photography for Lacy - Ginger Hewitt Photopgraphy
Photography for Karlee - Kierstin Jones Photography
Wedding Design & Lighting - Tweetle Dee Design Co.
Music - Maxation
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