Eye on the Peacock!

"Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart.  Love life and look for it's opportunities." --Gordon B Hinckley.



     My husband and I took a scenic drive yesterday.  We traveled up Immigration Canyon to Big Mountain and on to East Canyon and up to the reservoir there.  We made it eventually up to Morgan County.  We passed a rock formation called Devil's Slide.  We had lunch at a place called Taggert's Grill.  My sister-in-law had recommended it.  It's a quaint place nestled in the mouth of the canyon.

 

      Peacocks roamed around on the premises and there was a goldfish pond in the back of the restaurant.  I love peacocks with their bright blue and teal and purple plumage.  Taggerts had peacock stained glass pictures and metal sculptures (even in the restroom) and feather bouquets throughout the establishment.  It almost inspired me to want to make a peacock quilt.  Much like the one displayed in the March/April 2012 edition of  McCall's Quilting Magazine called Peacock Pizzazz.

 

 

 

 

 

Peacock Pizzazz by Nancy Mahoney!

 

Check out this decadent cheesecake we shared!





 

     I finished reading a nice little book --Little Britches-Father and I were Ranchers by Ralph Moody.  I loved this book about an eight year old boy who worked as hard as a man to help his family on a ranch in Colorado.  His father was a wise man who gave him some great advice.  I love the advice he gave about the two kinds of men in the world-honest men and dishonest men.


 

 

 

 

 

 

It's still very warm here.  A nice summer treat that we enjoy is our own version of Orange Julius.  I got this recipe from a college roommate.  We use less sugar-maybe 2 tablespoons.

 

Orange Julius

1 8 oz. frozen orange juice

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

12-18 ice cubes

          Blend all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!



     Here's another summer favorite recipe.  Use up those leftover hot dogs in a casserole. 

Hot Dog Casserole

6 to 8 potatoes, sliced or cubed                                    1 pkg. hot dogs, sliced

1 onion, sliced or chopped                                            ½ to 1 C. milk

1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated                                         salt and pepper to taste

            Put a layer of half of the potatoes in a greased casserole dish.  Follow with a layer of half of the onions and a layer of half of the hot dogs and cheese.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Repeat layering process.  Pour milk over the casserole and cover with foil.  Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

                               

The Magic of a River!

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.  ~John Muir

I finally did it!  I finished my watermelon quilt.   It has been a UFO (unfinished object)  for a while now and I'm so proud of myself for getting it done.  It was the #1 project on my to do list for the summer.  The pattern is called Watermelon Picnic by Black Mountain Quilts.  All the log cabin blocks were fun to put together; just took some time.  I did add two borders--the small black stop border and the larger outer border that looks like watermelon rind.  Thanks to Michelle for machine quilting it in record time.









 



     I read a good book this summer- The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen.  It takes place in England in the 1800's.  I learned some interesting facts about the art of the apothecary.  After some twists and turns in the plot it had a happy ending.




     Each August we try to take a family camping trip to somewhere in Utah.  This last weekend we found a camping site near Flaming Gorge and had a blast river rafting down the Green River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to my husband and his dutch ovens , we ate like kings on Friday night.  We had Chicken Cordon Bleu with rice and cracked wheat rolls.  Everything tastes so much better when it's cooked outdoors and someone else does all the work.