Aloha Oe

I spent my teenage years in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 It is where I learned about homekeeping and cooking, helping transform me into the domestic diva that I am. (the Big Man is laughing his rump off right now over that!) I can make awesome funeral potatoes, green jello salad and Hawaiian Haystacks.

Hawaiian what?

Hawaiian haystacks.

Its like a do it yourself meal. My husband has made a variation of this for years, calling it his goulash. It’s a super easy, filling meal that allows for everyone at the table to put their own personal touch on it. I love it because it cooks up quickly and is filling, nutritious and yummy.

 

4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped (can also use tuna-omit the broth)

½ c broth

1 small can cream of chicken soup

1 tsp Italian seasoning

4 c cooked rice, warm

 

Toppings:

Pineapple

Chow mein noodles

Diced tomatoes

Nuts

Diced green onions

Diced peppers

Whatever you can think of!

 

Add chicken and broth to a large skillet or sauté pan. Simmer until the broth is reduced. Add soup and seasoning until cooked through. To serve, put toppings in bowls on the table. Put a scoop of rice on a plate, top with the chicken mixture. Let your family decorate their haystacks

Going on a Picnic

One of my favorite places in Salt Lake City is Liberty Park. It's the Utah equivalent to Central Park, 

featuring playgrounds,

 an Aviary, fountains,

 lakes, rides, 

pools and plenty of green space. 

I was so excited to bring my family to a place that was special to me.

We had so much fun!

Even the puppy had a great time!

There's nothing better than a picnic in the park, and when we visited Liberty Park last week, it was the perfect day.

We stayed at Staybridge Suites in West Valley City, and it was great because we had a kitchen

This way we could pack healthier, delicious lunches rather than eating out all the time. There's plenty of space to prep and store food.

Plus it was great to pop up back to the room after swimming to have a quick snack.

My family was excited to go to the park for the day.

For our picnic, I made turkey and avocado sandwiches. I love the blend of flavors and textures. 

I started with a baguette from Vosen's in downtown SLC. I added some turkey and cheese we picked up at Tony Caputos, also downtown. Both are awesome, locally owned and operated businesses. 

To round it out, I added fresh produce (lettuce, tomato & avocado) and some cooked applewood bacon. So yummy and borderline decadent. We had sparkling fruit juice, grapes and chips we picked up at the Trolley Square Whole Foods.

Dirrrrty

I am a soda addict, through and through. I'm not a big diet fan (except for diet dr pepper), so I wind up with weight gain due to my, um habit. One of the reasons I don't like diet is the aftertaste. Yuck!

I found out about dirty Diet Cokes thanks to both my Utah vacation and Jen from Tater Tots & Jello. I was hooked. There are a couple of different recipes out there, which require coconut syrup. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any in my travels around Sioux Falls, so I improvised.

16 oz diet coke

1/8 c lime juice

1 tsp coconut extract

Crushed ice

Mix ingredients together & serve over crushed ice.

I dare you to drink just one!

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

I love to hike, as does my son and dog. 

I grew up hiking in the canyons surrounding Salt Lake City and its turned into a lifelong obsession. 

I never pass up a chance to hit the trail, no matter how damaging it could be to my ego. Visiting Utah, I decided it would be fun to take my boys up into the canyons surrounding the city.

We went into Big Cottonwood Canyon, which is one of my top 10 places to go. 

There are a variety of hiking opportunities from beginning to expert level challenges.

 My son is a Cub Scout, and he is quite motivated to get both his hiking belt loop and pin. 

We spent time in the canyon, exploring nature and learning new skills like compass and map reading. 

We saw some pretty amazing things

A fresh mountain streams

Clean air

Great trails

Pride at finishing the hike! 

Check out that view!

Beautiful wild flowers

I think even the Big Man had a legitimately good time!

It wouldn't be a hike without snacks, either. You need to stay well hydrated, which is most important. Also a high power snack helps! I love making my own trail mix to snack on while I'm hiking and it's super easy to whip up.

1 c granola 

1 c raisins

1 c mixed nuts

1 c dried fruit

1/2 c banana chips

Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. Hit the trail and munch!

The Great Salt Lake

Today we went to Antelope Island, which is in the Great Salt Lake. It's the biggest island in the lake, and features a variety of flora, fauna and landscapes. There are some pretty amazing hiking trails too! My first trip to the island came as a teen with a school group, many years ago. In that weird way of nature, not much has changed on the island. 

The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway in Syracuse, Utah-which is about a half hour north of Salt Lake City off I-15. One of the downsides of visiting the area is the smell you are greeted with as you start across the causeway (brine shrimp-yuck!) but after a bit you get used to it. As you come onto the island, there is both a marina and visitor's center you can check out. 

We started off on the Lady Finger Trail, 

which was a nice, easy hike. You had amazing views of the lake and tons of birds. We even encountered a lizard on the trail!

Our next stop was the beach. It was a trek out to the shoreline (I forgot how hard it is to walk on the sand!) my family stayed by the car, and took pictures of me on the salt flats. I look like a little dot!

We headed over to Buffalo Point where there is a viewing station of the valley below. 

We saw buffalo in the sun, 

along with a few other critters we couldn't see (gnats). The walk up the trail 

was a little more challenging, but after conquering sand dunes, it was ok! The view from the top was spectacular.

Further down the island, we stopped to hike the Lakeside Trail. 

From here, we saw buffalo closer to us, 

and some exquisite flowers!

 It's a flat trail leading to another beach, and was a great trek for our dog! 

We finished our day driving up to Frary's Peak. 

This was the best animal viewing of the time on the island. 

An antelope ran in front of the car 

and we saw herds of buffalo hanging out in the grass. 

It was so cool!

If you visit Salt Lake City, a day trip to Antelope Island is a must!