Barbecue Meatballs

I tried this new meatball recipe from the Pioneer Woman this week and they were a big hit! Seriously delicious, and super easy to make! We ate them with some peas and sweet potato fries, Yum. Also, Chad turned his into a meatball sandwich with a couple of slices of leftover French bread.
BBQ Meatballs

Ingredients

• FOR MEATBALLS
• 1-½ pound Ground Beef
• ¾ cups Oats
• 1 cup Milk
• 3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
• 1-½ teaspoon Salt
• Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste

• FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour (coating For Frozen Meatballs)
• Canola Oil

• FOR SAUCE
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
• 4 Tablespoons (to 6 Tablespoons) Onion
• 1 dash Tabasco

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread. Or in our case we ate our with some peas and sweet potato fries. Yum.

Nearing the End

My college career is rapidly coming to a close. It still doesn't feel real yet. Last Thursday was my last day of class with all of the wonderful people I've gotten so close to during my nursing school experience. I am definitely glad to be done with 10 hour days in the SWKT and all of the tests/projects/papers/assignments that come with getting an education. But I will very much miss all of these people.

When you have all of the same classes with 40 people for 3 years you just might become best friends with them. Especially when you kind of have to pull together and simply 'survive' some parts of it, you tend to get a little close. Can anyone say pharmacology?

I have, however, started to go through and clean out all of the "stuff" associated with nursing school. All of the textbooks, stacks & stacks of powerpoint slides complete with notes, old papers, far out-dated clinical preassessments, and everything in between. I couldn't believe how much stuff I have.

In a few days I will be able to welcome back the old bookshelves I once had... hello bookshelves and welcome!

Nursing school has probably been the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was worth it to finally be here. I'm finally to the point where the end is in sight and being a nurse is almost a reality. I can do hard things.

Weekend Recap

I had too much fun taking pictures on my phone this weekend. Its so handy to just be able to pull out my phone and snap a few pics of anything- especially while skiing.

On Saturday we headed up to Park City for what will probably be our last time this season.
It was amazing! There had been over a foot in the last 24 hours, and that combined with an empty ski resort meant we had fresh powder til almost noon. It was wonderful. We skied the main runs for the first hour or two and then when those started to get carved up, we found a fabulous little tree run that had knee-deep powder. In fact, in some places it was almost up to our waists. Awesome.

I even wiped out one time and got totally buried. It was a tad bit chilly.

Riley, Chad, and Jen. As you can see in this pic, Chad tried to help Riley along (she had stopped in the middle of a flat part), but she jacked his pole instead.

Riley- falling with grace.

Alyse

Chad

After skiing on Saturday, our good friends the Hugos came over for a visit. They used to be in our married student ward, however they've been living in Kaysville since the end of December so we don't get to see them very often. They brought their handsome little boy, Chase, and he was definitely the focus almost the entire time. He's adorable.

Chad got a turn holding Chase...

... until he started to get a little fussy. Even that was cute!

So Ben had to calm him down again.

Riley and co. even stopped by for a visit.

On Sunday night, we got to babysit our cute little niece Kenzie. She showed us her sweet shark moves,

how to eat a banana on a picnic,

a little bit of bum while "working in the garden",

and how to decorate sugar cookies properly. Apparently you put on as many sprinkles as possible to get a truly beautiful cookie.

It was a great weekend.... relaxing, kick-back, and rejuvenating before another week of school. Although even those days are numbered. I graduate next week! Party!

Peanut Butter Inventory

We love peanut butter at our house. I just never fully realized how much. This afternoon I was getting a snack together and it dawned on me that we have 4 jars of peanut butter. Yes, you heard me right, 4 jars of peanut butter!

What person has 4 open, functioning jars of peanut butter? Could we really need that much peanut butter? Apparently the answer is yes.

Chad has 2 jars for his exclusive use... one creamy and one crunchy. A peanut butter to fit every occasion.

I have a jar of baking peanut butter for those times when I need to bust out a batch of no bake cookies, thai peanut noodles, or peanut butter bon bons. I even had to label it "baking" and put it in my spice cupboard so Chad doesn't "accidentally" eat it if his is gone. We used to have all of the peanut butter in one cupboard, but after I had almost all of my baking jar of peanut butter eaten by the man of the house, I had to change things up a bit. You would have thought it was the ultimate betrayal when he found out. I believe his direct quote was, "How am I ever going to remember where my peanut butter is?" I told him he would learn to live with it.

Then we have a jar of peanut butter in the fridge. The real stuff. The kind you have to stir and then refrigerate. Its the best. Especially when spread on a banana first thing in the morning. It just hits the spot.

Apparently we need some kind of peanut butter intervention...

A delightful conference weekend.

I always love when conference weekend comes around. I love hearing the words of the general authorities. I also love that this is truly a weekend of rest and relaxation. In between Saturday sessions, we did run some errands, but most of the day was spent at home just enjoying the day.

On Sunday we woke up to a good 4-6 inches of snow. To say we were shocked would be a bit of an understatement. Especially because it had been so delightfully warm and 68 degrees the day before. I guess it all turned out well because it was a perfect day to cuddle up on the couch in a warm blanket and watch conference.
On Saturday, Chad requested cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning conference, so I busted out my trusty Pioneer Woman cookbook and made her famous cinnamon roll recipe. They were absolutely to die for. Especially right out of the oven, all gooey and warm. I got a little carried away and took a ton of pictures. They were just so beautiful to photograph!

Pre-rising

whipping up some maple frosting

right out of the oven

... and then covered with the delicious maple frosting. It seeped down into all the crevices and really made these cinnamon rolls.

Yum! One more thing I love about conference is the chance that it gives you to spend time with family. Riley brought a posse of family-less freshman over to watch the Sunday afternoon session, and it was fun just to spend a little time with her. The girls came equipped with friendship bracelet making supplies and took over the couch for the session.

Only 6 more months until conference comes again!