Author: jennced15

Weekend Parties

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It is Friday again and that is wonderful!! I am going to share some random things this week but all of them are things that were my favorites about this week!!
1. I made pizza last night and had to use my friend Sariah’s recipe for the crust because it is the best EVER. Here is the recipe and the way my pizza looked. I am sure some of you are going to be having pizza tonight. 🙂
Quick & Easy Pizza Crust
Makes one 12-inch pizza
1 (.25 oz) package dry yeast
1 tsp. white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 ½ cups flour (I use a mixture of white with something(s) else like wheat, oat, buckwheat, etc.)
2 Tbl. Olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 450. Dissolve yeast, sugar and warm water until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in remaining ingredients, knead into ball and let rest 15-20 minutes. Turn out onto floured surface and make into desired item.
One pizza crust: 15-20 minutes
Individual pizza crust (4-6): 10-12 minutes
Breadsticks: 7-15 minutes depending on size
**If any of you know me, I only top my pizza with a few items: olive oil/fresh herbs/garlic, cheese, chicken if in the mood, and then after cooking top with tomatoes and spinach. No joke . . . BEST THING EVER!! IMG_4735
2. I made this for breakfast and it was wonderful on a warm summer morning. Picture included.
Raspberry Peach Smoothie
(redbookmag.com)
1 ½ cups fresh peaches
1 ½ cups frozen raspberries
¼ cup Medjool dates (3-4)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbls. Chia seeds
½ tsp. vanilla
Sweetener to taste
Blend all ingredients together, once smooth, add 2 cups of ice and serve. This feeds 2 or more people. I serve it two ways: as drink or as a smoothie bowl and add additional fruit to it. It is pretty hardy. IMG_4719

3. This morning I have the kids and it was so fun to watch Ezekiel try to interact with the cat on the other side of the door and then it turned into a photo shoot so here is the roll.

4. Planning a BBQ birthday dinner on Sunday for my sister-in-law (Happy Birthday Brook!!) so of course I am thinking that I need to have the party look like one of these.
5. Of course we have to have a summer hit playing as well! Thank you to The Beach Boys.

My Friends Abroad

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November & December 513
My post today has everything to do with my friends and my family. Do you know how awesome you all are and everyone else that I know in my life? If you don’t, let me tell you . . .
YOU ARE FABULOUSLY AWESOME!!!!!
So now that you have had your cheer-leading session of the day I will tell you what I think is important. You might want to right this down because it could be earth-shattering.
What is important is each and every one of you and how important you are to me in my life. So I have decided to showcase 5 of my friends that live in different countries and where I am going to take all of my US friends to visit (of course when I am rich and famous).
1. Rebecca T was my first college roommate and she is from Japan. I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to visit Japan. It is beautiful!
2. Victoria B.K. was a mission companion of mine and probably the only person on the planet that I would dress up as a Spice Girl for. She is from Darlington, UK
3. Marcelo L. is also from my mission and one of my best guy friends. He is from Belo Horizonte, Brazil
4. Nicklas L. is a new friend of mine from Goteborg, Sweden who is an amazing photographer and has the cutest little family ever!
5. Francoise K. actually lives in my neighborhood but she is helping me right now find a job in Europe since she herself is from France.

Music of the Road

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November & December 449
So in keeping with last week’s theme of road trips and since this is Memorial Day weekend; the favorite list this week is some of my favorite road trip songs!
I hope everyone has something planned for the three day weekend even if it is staying home and getting stuff done. That is what is on my docket for the weekend. I get to organize all the food in the house. That might sound like an easy task or at least a funny task but we do have food storage and things have been shoved into the pantry for months now and I can’t find anything I need . . . hence the big clean out of 2015.
Enjoy the list and have a wonderful weekend!!
1. I love songs that I can groove to while driving in the car. This is the kind of song that makes me want to give the peace sign to every car as I drive by (because we all know that I will be passing and not the other way around). Thank you Wilson Pickett.
2. Last week when I drove down to Cedar City for the afternoon, all I could do was sing this song in my head over and over.  So just listen to Roy Rogers so we can all move on.
3. I just love funky groovy music while travelling so of course you have to have one from the The Staple Singers.
4. You have to have at least one song that screams, “I need to get the hell outta dodge”. This song from Whitesnake does that for me.
5. You also have to have at least one song that is going to have you dancing in your seat so that all the cars you pass will catch a glimpse of you and leave them wondering what has made you so happy. We should spread happiness right? So here is to the Rolling Stones.
HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!

Slow Driving

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2014-08-07 14.01.53
Don’t think I am weird but when it is lightly drizzling rain outside I somehow feel the need to take a slow drive somewhere. There is something about the quietness that the rain brings to me that calms me and a drive by myself gives me the opportunity to just think.
With that being said, it is also summer and I don’t know about any of you but my whole life has been filled with summer road trips. I have some great memories that come from car trips and it never involved speaking on the phone or watching a movie to pass the time. I always loved the conversations I had with the people in the car and I loved the scenery as it passed by. I would stare out the window and imagine what the lives were like of the people that I passed by.
So today, I decided to share some of my favorite drives. As I thought about this, I realized that I have WAY more than 5 to share. I am not necessarily sharing my top 5 but I am sharing the first 5 that came to mind.
What is your favorite drive? Please share with everyone! Who knows, we might all end up on it some day. 🙂
1.This first drive is between my current house and Portland, OR. I love this drive for two reasons: first, it reminds me of serving a mission for my church. This was the area tha t served in and as I drive through it, I think about all of the people that I met. I think about the lives I was able to help change and I think about my own changed life. The second reason is watching the changing landscape. I love the desert and grew up in it. It can be so beautiful watching the dusty landscape share some flowers every now and then. I love watching that change as I get closer to the coast and see water renew the ground and bring a different kind of life to it with the ferns and evergreens that dot the landscape. I sit and wonder about how beautiful our earth is and what a blessing it is to share in it.
2. I spent my formative years always near a portion of this drive and many times we found ourselves vacationing along it as well. I love PCH or for those of you who don’t know, Pacific Coast Highway. This drive is where I really developed my love of being close to the ocean.
3. I spent my whole life making this drive two different ways then was shown a new one once my brother and sister-in-law were married and it now ranks high on my list. I love the drive from Idaho Falls, ID to Jackson Hole, WY via Victor, ID. I get the opportunity to pass through a couple of valleys, up and down a couple of mountains and follow the Snake River for a time. It is beautiful and full of wildlife. Just be very careful not to hit a moose when travelling around 10pm on Christmas Eve. 🙂
4. This drive was more of a meandering through upstate New York and it was well worth the meander. I highly suggest that everyone spend time in upstate NY.
5. My last drive is through the backside of highway 5 in Oregon through the Willamette Valley. It goes through a lot of vineyards but mostly, it is just quiet and it feels slightly off the grid.