Those Were The Days...

Apologies to the Pumpkin Walk for stealing your theme. Feel free to add more captions in the comments.

...when Rob wore BYU t-shirts.
...when Cheryl could hold me on her back.

Hummus Among Us

I made hummus for the first time last week as a Thanksgiving appetizer. The bowl got scraped clean, so it seemed to be a hit, although Kristen was a chicken (or chick pea?) and wouldn't try any. Here is the recipe:

• 2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 pinch paprika

Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add drained bean juice as needed to achieve desired consistency. Add cumin and cayenne pepper according to taste. Sprinkle paprika over the top. Chill overnight to allow the flavors to properly mingle. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or fresh veggies.

Dinosaur Tracks

Here's another lovely photo from our Kolob hike. This is Dax, the culprit who turned the one mile hike into a one hour hike. He liked stopping to sit on rocks and finding "walking sticks" along the way. He also claimed that he saw dinosaur tracks on the trail. Unfortunately, the closest thing that we saw to a dinosaur was a very small lizard.

In other news, I am happy to report that there will be fewer pregnancy rants now... at least for a while. I am feeling much better and can actually eat other types of food besides just tater tots!

If You Could Hike To Kolob

This is a photo from a hike we went on to Kolob Canyon in Zion's National Park last month. It was the longest short hike we have ever been on. The trail was only about a mile long, but our 2 year old nephew Dax explored every inch of that mile. I guess we had better get used to that.

Chicken Wraps With Spanish Rice

This is a slighty modified recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens Grilling Cookbook. We have made these a lot over the last several months Hopefully it's not too late in the year for grilling. I sure don't think so.

• 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2/3 cup long grain wild rice
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 4 8-inch tortillas
• Guacamole
• Fresh Cilantro
• Lime Wedges

In a small bowl, combine oil, lime juice, cumin, and oregano. Pour over chicken in a self-sealing bag or shallow dish. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare spanish rice. In a saucepan combine chicken broth, salsa, and long grain wild rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Cook chicken over heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once. Once cooked, chop chicken into slices. Warm tortillas and spread with guacamole and spanish rice. Top with chicken and additional salsa. If desired, serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Fold in sides of tortilla and roll up.

Thinking Outside the Box

Reed Diffusers are all the rage in the fragrance market these days. Salt City just launched a collection, and here is the packaging I designed. It was a fun project to work on, experimenting with non-traditional box shapes. They are selling like hot cakes right now, we can't keep them in stock. Surely it is all because of the lovely packaging.

Updated: Things I Love/Hate About Pregnancy

You decide which fit in the "love" category and which in the "hate" category...

• Throwing up every Monday (or Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday... you get the idea).
• Soft, comfy bathroom rugs and clean toilets (thanks to Dave).
• Going to Famous Dave's and eating only fries (The waitress had a hard time believing that there was nothing wrong with my food... but really, all I wanted was fries)!
• Unisom.
• Having a legitimate excuse to go to bed at 9:00 PM (because the Unisom kicked in).
• Having ridiculous dreams at night (of course, that might also be the Unisom...)
• Incredible sensitivity to cold.
• Even more incredible sensitivity to any motion at all (it's like a sixth sense).
• A one-hour morning/motion sickness-filled commute (twice a day).
• People telling me, "oh, you just wait..." (sorry, I'm too busy vomiting to have time to think about what is in store next week/month/year!)
• A husband who appreciates sassiness (when taken out on others instead of him, as is generally the case).

Halloween Chic

What a fine looking couple: Glen, a blue collar elevator repair man, and Krissy, um, the girl with the funny pants.

What can I say, when you got it, you got it.

Now that Halloween is over, we are thinking of using these pants as a seasonal table cloth.

I have so much experience with elevators in fact, I even have my own theme song.