grandparents.

 My sister sent me these photos today of my grandparents.

I fell in love. 

I see so much of my dad in both of them.

Aren't they gorgeous?  

My grandpa passed away when I was only 2 years old.

My grandma passed away a couple of years ago.

From what I hear, my grandpa was a remarkable man.

I can gladly say the same for my grandma.
I hear countless stories of the undeniable love that they had for each other.

My sister found letters that my grandpa had written to my grandma during WWII.

I cannot wait to read them.

The best realization that I had was that they get spend eternity together.

I'm so very grateful for eternal families.

I cannot wait to do the temple work for my family and to meet my amazing grandpa one day.

God is good.

Pinterest delights.

As we all know, Pinterest is amazing.  I have loved it to store my favorite recipes and, of course, to try some new ones!  I thought i'd post some of the recipes that I have made so far. They are tasty, easy, and HEALTHY! 

Pineapple Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup cold water

2 tbsp. plus ½ tsp. soy sauce

1/3 cup raw cashew pieces (unsalted)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup cooked edamame

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and grated or finely diced

½ of a medium pineapple, cored, peeled and diced

½ cup loosely packed basil, finely chopped

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

Combine the quinoa, pineapple juice, ½ teaspoon of soy sauce and water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from the heat, let stand covered for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

Toast the cashews in a large skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to the stove and increase the heat to medium-high.  Heat the vegetable oil.  Stir in the bell pepper and edamame and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until the bell pepper is slightly softened.  Stir in the scallions, garlic, ginger, and serrano and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in the pineapple, quinoa and basil.  Mix well to combine.  Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and continue to cook for a few minutes more until everything is well blended and heated through.  Serve garnished with lime wedges, if desired.

Autumn Chopped Salad

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Instructions
*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

Crockpot Baked potato soup

(okay, not the healthiest but SO tasty and easy on a cold winter day :)

Ingredients:
- 5lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves of garlic, whole
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 16 oz cream cheese (I used 8oz regular and 8oz lowfat)
- 1 TBS seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions

Directions:
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves along with 1/2 to 1/3rd of the soup, and then reintroduce to the remainder in the crock pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!

Yields about 10-12 servings.

Zuccini, black bean, and rice skillet

Find this one HERE!

I made this one last night.  I already had all the ingrdients on hand so it was perfect.  I actually used brown rice instead of white and olive oil instead of canola.  Much healthier.  

I'm actually eating the leftovers right now for lunch and it is mighty good.  Mmm Mmm....

Enjoy my friends.