THE FOURTH

Over fourth of july weekend we made the 5 hour drive to spend some (short) time with my family. 

Even though we were there for a little over 2 days it was so worth it.

And four of Scott's friends came along so it was a blast. 

We drove down with Jonny and Blake on Thursday afternoon. 

It was fun to actually get to sit with Scott on road trips since he is usually the one driving. 

Mostly becasue I had a very nice foot rest.

The time was largely dominated by a game of guessing what year songs came out. 

Fun Facts we learned:

(Actually I should say fun facts everyone else learned since I already knew them)

- The Beach Boys got together in the late 50s and many of their popular songs came out in the 60s

- Snow White was released in 1937

-Baha Men's Best Days of Our Lives came out in the EIGHTIES (ok I didn't know that one... Scott was freaking out because the band who was still coming out with songs in the 2000s... yet they still looked so young. Who knew they were around that long?)

We were greeted with a wonderful spaghetti dinner.

The next day we woke up, headed down to my home ward's pancake breakfast and then hit the beach.

WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER WANT TO LEAVE THIS???

Why are we living in Arizona.

Why do we have to return to Provo.

Oh well. At least we can come back and visit.

After the beach we were forbidden to eat in order to save room for the delicious country club feast we would have that night.

My dad thought it was good idea to watch a marathon of Diner's Drive in's and Dives.... we were all dying.

FEED US.

Finally it was time to get ready,

Matt easily won most patriotic.

werk it

Finally we got to the club and went straight for the food.

I didn't get a picture of all of it (what was I thinking?!) But my plate will have to do it justice.

SO BOMB.

After going back for seconds, thirds, fourths... we went putt putting.

what a babe

Scott won and I got a hole in one and stopped caring.

Then we ventured out to the carnival.

We rode the ferris wheel which provided some wonderful views of the club.

The blow up obstacle course where Scott and his friends battled.

Scott won obviously.

Cheesy kissing pic whoops...

We then had time to snap a couple pics before the fireworks started.

Our cute niece and her boyfriend.

Creeping on our nephew and his beautiful girlfriend. 

The first time we have all been dating someone at the same time. Or had a significant other at the same time.... Since Scott and I aren't really dating...

The crew minus Jonny

We then watched the fireworks, went home, and had a little late night jacuzzi sesh.

We woke up and went to the Cottage for breakfast. My faaaaaav breakfast spot.

And then somehow my dad got everyone to work out in the backyard with him...

It was pretty hilarious. 

We then went down to the Cove... one of the most beautiful spots in La Jolla for a little walk. 

We can't wait to go back in a month!

LAZY CINNAMON ROLL BITES

I LOVE Cinnamon Rolls. They are definitely on my list of favorite sweet things to eat along with ice cream and doughnuts.

But since we are away from home with limited cooking equipment this summer,  I needed to find a modified recipe.  

It isn't just modified. It is so simple. And so delicious. 

Here is what you will need:

A dozen frozen dinner rolls (softened), 8oz cream cheese, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1tsp cinnamon, and flour.

And some sort of icing (not pictured) but I will mention that later.

Preheat the oven to 350.

First get the cream cheese, sugars, and cinnamon and mix them together.

It helps to have the cream cheese a little melted.

Mix it together until it is well combined.

Set that aside for a bit.

Grab a roll and cover it in flour.

Then roll it out.

Then get a spoonful of your filling and spread it out over the dough.

Then roll it up.

The dough will start to contract a little so it helps to pull outwards to elongate the dough as you roll it up.

Cut into fourths and place in a greased baking dish.

Repeat for each roll.

(12 rolls will not fit in one dish- since 12 rolls will make 48 rolls!)

Set them somewhere warm to rise. When they double in size put them in the oven for 15 minutes.

But make sure to watch them- they might cook faster!

While they are cooking deal with the frosting.

So you could make your own frosting but since we are being lazy with this recipe let's just be lazy with the frosting.

I used cream cheese frosting and just melted it down a little in a sauce pan.

Keep it on warm until the cinnamon bites are done.

Take the bites out of the oven and transfer them to a plate.

Then dump your frosting on. Put as much or as little to your liking.

And dig in

Enjoy!!

MAPLE GLAZE SALMON

Another quick and easy recipe!

Seriously this one is so easy and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen slaving away. 

You can also substitute the salmon for chicken if you aren't a fishy person.

Here is what you will need:

One pound of salmon, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1 clove garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.

I actually used garlic powder and salt to make my own garlic salt. Cooking on a budget. you just combine 3/4 teaspoon of salt with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Super easy.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Get your syrup, soy sauce, garlic salt, garlic clove, and pepper.

Basically everything but the salmon.

Chop up your garlic, then mix everything together in a bowl.

Place your salmon in a baking dish, and then coat with the syrup mixture.

Cover with foil and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Turning it once.

Then bake for 20 minutes. You will know it is done when it is easily flaked with a fork.

After a couple of bites we realized that the sauce wasn't very strong. A lot of it comes off in the dish, so we went an poured the excess on top. Makes it so much better.

Enjoy!