Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Here's a great recipe for a fun cinnamon-y quick bread. Easy to make and yummy!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

1/3 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon; set aside.
	In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add to flour mixture. Stir until just moistened.
	Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle with half the reserved cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon/sugar mixture. Draw a knife through batter to marble.
	Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in foil and let sit overnight before slicing.

Rose Ranch Show

Last weekend was the dirty, dusty, windy horse show at Rose Ranch. Luckily, it was cool which made things so much better! Here are a few photos from the show.

Happy Father's Day!

I saw this pose on Pinterest and tried it with my kids. It's not a perfectly taken picture, but it's a good representation of what my kids are like when they get together. I love it because I love them!

They still have permanent marker-ed letters on their feet.

Happy Father's Day!

113 Degrees

Earlier this week Bruce and I stayed here:

                                                                         (Not mine.)

Bruce went to meetings, but I spent some time here:

                                                                     (Also not mine.)
It was hot- 113 degrees- but I liked it. I got tired of air conditioning.

                                                                           (Mine.)
It was nice.

Mongolian Beef

It took me until I was an adult to appreciate the goodness of Asian food. Maybe it had something to do with Sweet and Sour Meatballs as a child, or the time I went to The Mandarin in Bountiful then threw up all night. I don't know. (BTW- I gave The Mandarin a second chance- amazingly yummy!) PF Changs? Sign me up!

In my quest to make yummy Asian food at home I came across this recipe for Mongolian Beef. So, so good! Add whatever vegetables you think sound good. I threw in some slivered carrots and snow peas. I made a pile of snow peas on the side of my plate, but the carrots were really good! This recipe is book-worthy!

(Bummer. This is not my photo.)

Mongolian Beef - 6 servings

2 lb of sirloin steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds

First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch.
Make the sauce:
Heat half of the oil in a large wok or flat pan at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water and brown sugar. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later. 
Cook the meat and assemble dish:
Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Add any vegetables. Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.
Serve it hot with rice.

Asian Grilled Salmon

 I must admit that I'm not a lover of salmon- but Bruce love it. I also admit that my fish cooking skills are somewhat lacking, but I've found a way that even I can manage. First, the recipe:

Asian Grilled Salmon
1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets
Lemon Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. water
1.4 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. minced garlic
In a Ziploc freezer bag, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water, vegetable oil and garlic. Place fish bag, turn to coat and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

Now. I have a grilling sheet- one of those heavy metal deals with holes in it. I think it might be for grilling vegetables. I use it like a cookie sheet, and I make a square of foil big enough for my fish to be in one layer. I fold up the sides of the foil so the juices don't run out. Then I turn on my grill to medium high and let it heat up.

Remove the salmon from the marinade and place on the foil. (Spray your foil with non-stick spray first.) Sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt, to taste. Place cookie sheet and fish on the grill and close the lid. Check every 3-4 minutes until the fish flakes with a fork. This is my go-to fish cooking technique! 

This salmon is slightly sweet and salty- yum! Even I like it!

Sunday Saying

This Is The Week!

This is the week when I keep my doors and windows open as much as possible. The mini lilacs are blooming! The smell totally fills my house. This year those bushes are covered with blooms.

I finally planted my front porch pots too. I've been so slow and unenthusiastic about planting this year. At least my porch is ready for visitors!

My pink chair!

Since my porch never gets sun, I planted hostas in my pots. The plan is to move them to the landscaping at the end of the year.

Now I feel like my summer can start!

Shannon Shoot

The luncheon for last Saturday's family wedding was held at Thanksgiving Pointe- what a great place to take some pictures! My menfolk had opted out of staying for the reception, so Shannon endured a mini photo session. at my insistence. I'm so glad she did!

A Family Wedding

My nephew married a darling girl last Saturday in the Draper Temple. It was such a fun family day! There was lots of family there, including cute little girls:

My mom stole the show in her stylish hat. Later, at the reception, she watched the hockey game on my iPad with big earphones on. I didn't get a picture of that- photo regrets!

 The new husband and wife were very happy!

 Heartwarming moment: When my sister's kids hammed it up for the camera. See? Others people's kids do it too! Have you noticed how many redheads are in this blog?

 Peter got a kick out of teasing his grandma.

 Followed by a stern talking-to by said grandma.

 Bruce looked stylin' in his shades:

 And Shannon's big sunglasses made for a reflective picture moment.

 It was a nice way to spend a Saturday!