The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory seems like it is a must visit for most here in Salt Lake ever since it opened up. I have been to one in Chicago, Houston, and Seattle. We went to celebrate Heather's birthday and they did a cute little thing with the cheesecake we ordered for dessert. Although the company was fabulous my final opinion is...

Jack of all trades (the menu is seriously a novel, we were making jokes like, "how about the one on page 13, third paragraph down?") master of none.

Granatto's , Oneity, and Luna's Italian Ice

We started the afternoon with a short dance class for Eva then walked over to Caputo's Deli. I asked for a recommendation and he said that, surprisingly, the turkey is their most popular. I told him I am daring and like a lot of flavor so he recommended the Muffaletta or the Godfather. I got the Muffaletta and loved it. It was perfect for me, flavorful, moist, and filling. The kids shared a spaghetti with meatballs and both seemed to like it.

After that we walked over to Oneity, one of my favorite places to buy clothes for Eva and Samuel. It is very... whatever Walmart is not. I love that about this place. They have cute stuff, good sales, and then they actually help people out along the way. They have some really cute summer dresses in right now.

This summer, they are selling Luna's Italian Ice outside their store so we gave it a try. It totally reminded me of those Grandma's Frozen Lemonades that you can buy at football games from the vendors that walk around. It was like a sorbet but a little creamier. I liked it at first, my lime and mango were super tasty, but as with many frozen fruity desserts, I putter out at the end. Seriously, the first few bites are so amazing and then towards the end I fall out of love.

You know how some people are good at ordering? Eva for some reason is just not one of those people. She orders, and then ends up wanting whatever somebody else has. No one wants to trade because she ordered something lame, so sometimes I just order knowing I am going to have to give some of it up. This is her and her "this is too sour" lemon Italian Ice.

I have gone into Samuel's primary class to see his teacher try and convince him to use a crayon other than blue. So, it goes with his food, too. "I want blue," he says. The name was Blue Moonberry.

So, even though all three of us couldn't finish (me, because I am weird with frozen fruity stuff. Eva because it was too sour. Samuel, because how much blue can one person handle?). I would still recommend it because I love Oneity and the first few bites were really that good.

Bellisimo Gelato

This is a photo of Karl "teaching" Samuel to share his gelato.

It seems like gelato places are popping up right and left. Either that or I haven't noticed them so much in Salt Lake before. Well, it seems like this is the year of the gelato for me (I know, I have high aspirations, don't I?).

Even though I love the idea of someone having a great idea, working hard, and making a living off of it, seems like it doesn't always work out. Businesses need that certain oomph (along with my high aspirations, I also have a lot of business know how. Do you like that technical description... oomph?) I am afraid this one does not have it. My lack of experience with gelato doesn't make me a fair judge of the place but I do know I have had better and the atmosphere is, well, boring. They did have coupons in a community calendar but I didn't bring them with me, sad.

Good enough to eat there... with a coupon.

Cards

I haven't been able to get started on scrapbooking even though everything about me wants to. I just get paralyzed by all the choices and I usually don't like my work a few days later. That is why I like to make cards and calanders. I get to make them and then give them away. I made these for our Relief Society service auction. The funny thing is that my friend Paula won them, I would have made them for her anyway.

Girly onesies

Here are some more onesies that I just made. Onesies are great for people like me that want results fast.

The first one I sewed a ruffle on the waist and then sewed a 1 inch grosgrain over the raw edges.

The second one I emroidered three lazy daisies and then made the stems extra long. I also put a tiny scallop around the neck.

The last one I scanned a scrapbook paper that I liked, printed it out on iron on transfer paper, cut it out and then ironed it on. I also emroidered French knots around the neck and the sleeves.

Self inflicted pain called a cleanse

Karl knows better than anyone that I am a sucker for advertising. Someone was very convincing and got me to do this 9 day cleanse about a year ago. Karl's friend was a distributer and gave me his price on the stuff. Otherwise it is a huge MLM thing and you end up signing up for big commitments just to get a discount.

Since I seem to not know how to explain things briefly, here is the long explanation:

-2 "pre cleanse" days if it is your first time ever- eat gross shakes and 500 calories.

-Official cleanse starts. Day 1-2. Drink this gross juice and 8 oz water. You are supposed to mix it in the water but I found that just prolonged the disgusting taste so I just guzzled the juice and then washed it down with the water. I forgot to drink enough water on the first day and woke up super dehydrated. Whoops.

-Day 3-7. Drink 2 disgusting shakes or the new soups. Both were unbearable. I found that a banana blended with the shake helped and the soup I got a huge straw and by the last day I could down that thing in a few seconds no joke. You can also eat 500 calories worth of healthy foods. It was my personal challenge to eat as much volume as I possibly could within the 500 calories.

-Day 8-9. Only have that gross juice again.

-Everyday you take two pills and if you are hungry you can eat these chalky "snacks" that I couldn't ever learn to stomach so I just did without. One time Courtney got me to envision a stale brownie and I could eat one but after that I couldn't focus hard enough and I could only envision chalk. Gross.

So you may wonder, "Why all that suffering?" I love the results. The first time I saw huge difference. The second time a saw a small difference. This last time I was just getting rid of my leftovers and didn't take it really serious. On days 8-9 I ate bacon wrapped pork, a hydrogenated oil dipped ice cream cone, french fries, gross amusement park food, and tub of movie popcorn. Not kidding. I did lose a few so it was still worth it. I also feel pretty good, a little kick off for the summer.

I do worry about messing with my metabolism and stuff like that but I have not patience to get results the good fashioned way. This isn't as drastic as some cleanses like Karl's lemonade diet or anything like that. I think it works because the gross shakes and juices have tons of vitamins that make your body think you aren't starving. It is hard for me because I love to eat so much. I also go in to it realizing that the weight and "toxins" can come back just as easily as they left.

Asparagus, Green Bean, and Hearts of Palm Salad Recipe

I ussually have a few restaurant reviews by now but I am doing this stupid stupid stupid 9 day cleanse. I complain the whole time but I love the results so I am doing it for the third time. I had leftover stuff from the first and second times and so once this stuff is gone, so hopefully this is the last. So instead, I am posting a salad that I love that has totally saved me. I get the munchies at night and usually reach from something chocolatey and delicious but tonight I grabbed a bowl of this and don't feel totally deprived.

Paula, my fellow food adventurist, introduced me to this recipe.

The salad is from Martha Stewart so you can just click on the (longest I have ever seen in my life) link:
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.aced15a43a1d10e593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=1944b4317ff33110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=2ac60eb74ce5f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=print&rsc=communitytools_tv&lnc=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM

I made it once following the recipe exact. I made it another time substituting a can of artichoke hearts for the hearts of palm and it was good too. For the cleanse I cut the oil in half and used two Stevia packets instead of sugar. Stevia is a natural calorie free sweetener.

El Toro Tacos Review

My parents frequent this taco stand on State Street by the Sears parking lot. My biggest dilemma when I would pull up to this place was which one to go to since there were two stand. One night Karl and I even got a couple of tacos from each stand to compare and be fair. Well, come to find out they are owned by the same people.

The good:
-Mega authentic Mexican food
-My steak and chicken tacos were so flavorful and delicious
-If you are an authentic food junkie you can try the crazy stuff like tongue
-My mom's quesadilla was perfectly comforting
-Nice workers that are very good at hand signals and facial expressions when you don't understand Spanish
-Some college age English speaking girls that are obsessed with the place that answered all my silly questions (that is how I know that the same owners run both stands and that lengua means tongue- they said it is delicious. Um, maybe next time, right?). Granted they may not be eating there when you to but, hey, you never know.
-The price! Two tacos for $1.50. The (big) quesadilla was $3.
-All the great fixin's to make your tacos, crunchy, spicy, limey, tastey...

The okays:
-I was kind of nervous to walk up to the stand until college girl made me feel not so out of place. You have to be kind of daring... This ain't no Taco Bell (although some may argue that you have to be pretty daring to go to Taco Bell).
-You have to eat it outside or in your car or I guess if you have self control (which I don't) you could take it home to eat it.

Go for the experience. I dare you.

Fish Tacos kind of Recipe

I took my car into the Toyota Dealership to get my 45,000 mile check up. They told me it would take 90 minutes. Since my kids were home with Karl, I loaded my bag with 2 books, a magazine, snacks and what not and decided to take advantage of my hour and a half of alone time. Ever since I became a mom, as long as I know my kids are in good hands, things like waiting rooms, dentist visits, grocery store visits, etc. have become mini vacations for me. So, there I was in the waiting room, setting up camp and I notice that the TV is set really loud to cartoons. Out of the 7 people in there, non of them were kids so I mustered up all my courage and asked if anyone minded if I changed the channel. They all seemed relieved for the change. No one would suggest any channels so I went straight to my favorite... Food Network. No shame, I bet those men wish they would have spoken up. They had a free popcorn and hot chocolate (I love free stuff, almost no matter what it is) so I was chowing, reading my cupcake cookbook, and watching Tyler Florence make fish tacos. That is where my dinner was inspired...

Simple (Ghetto Style) Fish Tacos

I say ghetto because instead of frying up beautiful fish like Tyler, I dipped into the Costco Sized bag of fish sticks that my friend dropped off on my door step when she was purging her house of non Weight Watcher friendly foods.

Ingredients:

• Tortillas- corn or flour (I made mine with half whole wheat, the recipe wasn't good enough to share so I will keep working on it and share a good one when I find one. If you have one, please share.)
• Fish sticks
• Shredded cabbage
• Salsa (fresh is best)
• Cilantro
• Sour Cream
• Creamy dressing from Cafe Rio (yes, I went there for lunch, it was a very good day) or something similiar. The cilantro lime dressing is also good on them.

Prepare the fish sticks according to directions. Warm or cook the tortillas. Assemble the tacos with the ingredients that you like.

I served them the Mexican Rice and cucumber slices.

Samuel ate three tacos! He cracked us up. After we finished the meal Karl said, "This marks the first time you have ever made fish sticks." And after how fast and easy that meal was, probably not the last.

Mexican Rice Recipe

When I taught school in Chicago it was in a mostly Mexican community. Karl used to tease me that I would come home with a Mexican accent. Every Friday the faculty would have breakfast and different teachers would sign up to bring a dish. I think that is where I developed my love for authentic Mexican food. Elisa, my mentor teacher, and great friend, taught me how to make a few Mexican dishes. This rice is one of the things she taught me. My recipe has changed over time and I mostly blame it on my bad memory, but I always think of her when I make it.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain white rice (I recently used brown. If you do, add more water and more time)
• 2 T. canola oil (or whatever oil your arteries prefer)
• 2 large tomatoes (or three medium, or 4 Roma, or... you get the point)
• Enough chicken bullion powder or cubes to make 4 cups liquid (it depends on what brand you use)
• 2 cloves garlic- crushed (I use the diced stuff in a bottle. I apologize to the garlic purists out there)
• 1 t. Adobo (A seasoning that is in the spice aisle with a yellow label and blue lid, I use it for anything I want to taste Mexican)

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about 3 minutes (I seriously don't know why but I made this step easier by sticking the in my Pyrex measuring cup, adding water up to 4 cups and putting it in the microwave for 3 minutes). Add the tomatoes and the water your boiled them in to a blender or food processor. The total amount should measure 4 cups. Add the bullion, garlic and Adobo. Blend until the tomato is no longer chunky. Follow all the blending hot stuff in a blender precautions please.

Heat the oil in a frying pan that has fitted lid. Heat the rice in the oil on medium high until it starts to brown but not burn. Carefully add the tomato liquid. It may spatter (is that a word?). Bring to boil, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low or medium low. Wait about 10-15 minutes until the liquid is gone. Check. If rice is still hard, pile it into a mountain type shape and cover again. Add more water if necessary.

This makes a lot, so you can freeze it, share it, or just eat it all week like we do. Brown rice works but I didn't like it as much. I just do it so I can feel better about all the other crap I eat.

Embroidered Onesies

I started embroidering onesies and selling them at a childrens store in Chicago where people would actually pay for handmade stuff. Here, in UT, I just make it for friends and family since no one really pays for this stuff because they all make it themselves. I like to personalize them when I can. The hardest thing is to come up with cute but not too cute stuff for boys. Any suggestions?

Can You Tell the Difference Between These Two?

I went to the movies with some friends to see a chick flick (Made of Honor) that we all thought our husbands would never want to see. Usually when I go to the movies I like to do the whole popcorn and M&M thing. But, I had just had a huge cheesy lasagna meal, followed by brownie pudding cake, followed by brownies, fruit salad, and spinach dip at a jewelry party. I was all filled up. I also felt guilty spending so much on treats if my whole family wasn't there to enjoy it. So, I got just a Vitamin Water. It was $4.25! I understand the whole movie theater mark up thing but it kind of hurt when I stopped by the nearby Macey's after the movie was over and the same stuff was $1. I got a bottle and am drinking it right now. I seriously think it doesn't taste as good. It is missing that certain flavor that I loved at the movie theater... perhaps the name of the flavor is, "atmoshphere."

I commited a foodie sin

I took Trax with the kids (5 and under are free!) down to Karl's work, he hopped on and we went down to Gateway. We were super hungry and were getting desperate. So we ended up eating at... Costa Vida. I said, "That is lame that we came all the way downtown and ate at Costa Vida." He agreed. We will plan better next time.
No offense to the Costa Vida fans. It is just that I am a Cafe Rio person myself and how about the number of Costa Vidas we probably passed to get down town.

So, can you help me out? Where do you like to go when you are down town? Kids or no kids suggestions are welcome.

Hagermann's Bakehouse Cafe Review

Hagermann's Bakehouse Cafe
684 East 11400 South
Draper


So, I texted Paula, and said, "I feel like a delicious lunch, do you want to meet me somewhere?" and accidently sent it to Karl. This is the second time I have accidently invited Karl to lunch when I meant to meet up with Paula. Whoops! Karl said, "So, did you get a delicious lunch?"

After looking at our choices and we chose Hagermann's Bakehouse Cafe.
The Goods:
-While trying to figure out what to order, Samuel climbs up on a chair and peers over the counter to the sandwich maker guy. The guy gives Samuel a chocolate chip cookie. I love places that realize that being nice to your customers is way better than being stingy and stupid.
-My Turkey Pomodoro sandwich was so so so delicious.
-My Tomato Bisque was as fabulous as Citta (I will do a mega positive review on that someday). I loved loved loved it.
-Cool people, like the above mentioned sanwich making cookie giver, and cool atmosphere. Not too fru fru, not too sterile.
The Okays:
-I got some soup to go (yes, I loved it that much) because when I was eating it I thought, this would be so yummy over pasta. I paid for the "bowl" size and I got the "cup" size. I didn't realize until I got home. Believe me, I really missed those four ounces. It was so good over pasta. Eva, my spice phobe, even loved it.
-Samuel ate, mostly Sun Chips (he was so proud of his chips he wanted me to take a picture. I just liked the way his eyes and lips looked in this photo, a cookie and a tiny bit of soup for lunch. Not so healthy, but I made up for at dinner.

I totally recommend this place. I noticed after I went that there is a buy one get one free coupon in the happenings book.

My mom's cupcakes

My mom made these cupcakes for Mothers Day. She put these little purple and white flowers on them and dusted them with powdered sugar. I don't know if she is so hip that she made totally "in" cupcakes or if she is even hipper and doesn't know she is being hip. Anyways, pretty, huh?

Orchid review

Saturday night the family ventured out to a new place, Orchid.

The goods:
-Karl and I were able to have a quiet dinner.
-The cool dishes the food came in.
-Samuel and Eva liked it.
-The mango smoothie with the tapioca things that we took home.

The okays:
-Samuel and Eva like it because it was so mega sweet. The Three Flavored Chicken and the Pad Thai were so sugared.
-The prices. It seemed like they were trying to go all fancy with small portions and high prices. I say you have to do quality or quantity or both but you have to have at least one of these.

I wouldn't really recommend this place. Not so great.

The Pie Review

After living in Chicago my pizza world was totally opened up. Instead of being totally disgusted by all the non-Chicago mediocre pizzas, I just put them all in different categories. Like, Chicago's stuffed pizza is under the, "This is the best grease and white flour I have ever tasted" category. Little Ceasars is under the, "This is the only thing to eat and waiting 7 hours until the next decent meal is out of the question" category. Pizza Hut is under the, "Oops, I ordered this again because I forgot that I didn't like it when I ordered it 10 years ago" category. So, I am quite happy with all pizzas. One of my latest favorites is the Greek pizza from the Pie. It has Gyro meat, Tomatos, Feta and other Greekish stuff on it. For a party their gigantic 23" pizza is a huge hit. Every time we order we are amazed at how big it is. I cut carrots and cauliflower so I wouldn't feel so guilty about eating so much grease. Have you seen these yellow carrots? I got them from Harmons and was more excited about them than anyone else in my family.

Fruit snacks made out of ... FRUIT!

Courtney and I have been best friends for a bijillion years. Topics we talk about have evolved from what we are going to wear to prom, to where we are going to live the next year in college, to where in the world we are going to travel the next fall, to where we are going to go on our missions, to where we are going to get married, to where we are going to buy our homes, to how to put our kids to bed, to well, um, dehydrating. I wanted to start dehydrating, researched which brand to buy (the Excalibur got the best reviews), and asked Courtney if she wanted to share. So, even though we live 25 minutes, it has worked out well.
I started out with strawberries and apples. I got the strawberries on mega sale and didn't want to do jam because of all the sugar (never mind that I eat enough sugar in one molten lava chocolate dessert to make an entire jar of jam). Granny smiths are my favorite because of the tang when they are dried.

Wash, dry and slice. I am a kitchen gadget nerd. The little scoopie thing takes the stems and any blemishes out the the strawberries without taking out any of the good stuff. The melon baller works well to takes the seed part out of the apple halves, and like the scoopie thing leaves the good stuff. The knife is a Miracle Blade III, one of my favorite, "as seen on TV" purchases. Jenn, one of my favorite people of all time, told me about this knife. It really works

.
Line them up. The kids can help with this.

The kids are "stealing" the fruit. It made me happy to have them so excited about something good for them.

This is what is looks like after several hours in the dehydrator. The instructions say "7 to 12 hours." Not a minute more, not a minute less.

This jars are on the counter and every once in a while the kids will grab some. It also helps for when I want to just eat something and this is ready to grab.

Flour Girls and Dough Boys

We heard about this place from Annie and decided to check it our for ourselves before we went to the Tulip Festival.

The Goods about this trip:
-Great company- You can see Lillie, Kristi, and Courtney.
-Super tasty bread- as you can see by their name that bread is their specialty. I brought home an asiago loaf and it was super chewy, cheesy and delicious.
-The play kitchen in the corner-Hooray

for being able to order while all 5 kids cram into a plastic play kitchen.
-My Chicken Pesto Sandwich- I kept saying, "This chicken is so good!" In a world of so much mediocre chicken breast it is nice to see a flavorful moist one.
-The bookshelf of books- some for sell and to Eva's

delight, some to read.

The Okays about this trip:
-My salad was good but not fantastic.
-Samuel ended up on top of the play kitchen several times. I wanted to pretend like he wasn't mine but he kept saying, "Mommy, look!" Oh, and we were in Utah county so the it kind of gets obvious as to who the little Asian kid belongs to. This was not the restaraunt's fault, though.
-I ordered a ham and cheese roll for the kids and Samuel didn't like it and stole my delicious sandwich. I still need to instill the fear of messing with my food in him.
-Kind of far for me, but yes, I do realize that people in American Fork need a yummy place of their own.