Culinary Inspirations

I often tell my mom that I need a wife. She usually laughs, especially now that I am one. I try to explain to her that with working full-time, teaching dance, and every other thing Matt and I seem to be busy with that there is no time to cook a decent meal on a regular basis. There are so many nights that one or both of us gets home way past dinner time and so we just scrape up whatever is quick and easy. I tell myself I will do much better on the weekend, but lack of planning ahead usually results in a less than perfect meal. This is one of the main reasons I hate grocery shopping. I write a list for a few regular purchases, but usually end up wondering, "What am I going to make?" as I wander up and down the aisles. I have great aspirations of being one of those wives and moms that plans my menu out for 1 or 2 weeks at a time and then shopping for the needed supplies. Baby steps are imperative though. I came across a great website and hopefully it will help out some. I know planning is key, but there will still be nights where that may not be possible. Enter Supercook. I still need to try it out, but the idea is to make a list of ingredients you already have in your kitchen and Supercook does the rest. It compiles recipes, from various websites, that can be made with your ingredient list. Why didn't I think of this? It's genius. And I'm sharing it with all of you. And if you check my sidebar you will also see a couple of other links for cooking websites/blogs that have inspired me or been recommended by others. Any others I should know about?

My parents are both wonderful cooks and I would like to think that someday my future children will say the same about me. As it stands right now, all they have to go on is chocolate chip cookies, a great recipe I found for homemade macaroni and cheese, and great tastes in restaurants. It's a start.

Pomp and Circumstance

It's official, Matt is a college graduate! Working hard and doing 4 years of school in only 3, Matt received his Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from the University of Utah. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. He now has his eyes on an even bigger goal of getting his Masters degree, but one step at a time.

Matt's mom was able to come visit from California and spend the weekend with us. It was a busy few days but we enjoyed the visit and she had fun seeing the sights of Salt Lake City. As well as a few of our favorite restaurants. Luckily I had a chance to cook on Sunday so she knows we don't eat out ALL the time. But special occasions call for a meal prepared by someone else. Also thanks to my mom and dad, and Jack and Patty for traveling to share in Matt's great achievement.

In addition to graduation last week, check out my personal blog to read about an exciting announcement about our growing family.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

For the last 3 years, Matt has been growing his hair out. Partly because he could, but the eventual plan was to always donate it to Locks of Love. Matt's friend, April, who is a stylist in San Diego happened to be in town this weekend so it was off with his hair.

So now with 4 fresh ponytails to send off to the charity...
I introduce the new Matt. I like what I see. Meow!

As for the pornstache he is sporting. That's temporary. He just likes to find new ways to provoke me. It usually works but I love him anyway.