I decided to call this ice cream cake Evil. It's way easy and pretty dang cheap compared to the DQ or Baskin ones. I'd post it on my blog, but I'm afraid I lure off my own healthy foodie fans!

Oreo Ice Cream Cake (Nicknamed "Evil")

24 ice cream sandwiches
2 extra large 16 oz containers of whipped frosting- one chocolate, one white or vanilla
1 package Oreo cookies

You have to work fast so that things don't melt before you get them back in the freezer, so I'm doing this in order...
in food processor or blender, pulse half the package of Oreo cookies into fine crumbs. In a largish bowl, combine cookie crumbs and entire tub of chocolate frosting. Mix well. Unwrap 8 ice cream sandwiches and lay them side by side (2x4 layout) to create a base layer on a small cookie sheet or platter (make it something that fits in your freezer!). Spread half of the chocolate and cookie mixture over base layer, cover with another 8 ice cream sandwiches. Spread remaining half of chocolate mixture, followed by remaining 8 sandwiches. Frost top and sides with white frosting. Line sides with whole Oreo cookies and decorate top with larger Oreo crumbles.

As I've said before- A girl's gotta be bad sometimes!

The one time this week we had meat- I started making stuff up and ...WOW.

Savory Garlic Coconut Shrimp Risotto
approx 2 to 2 1/2 cups frozen shrimp (pre-cooked, de-veined, tail off- as easy as it comes)
6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups water
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups pre-cooked brown rice
1 13 oz can coconut milk (you'll use 3/4 of it)
3/4 cup frozen corn
approx 1 tsp chili powder
salt

1. Defrost shrimp in warm water.
2.Place garlic cloves, water and 1/2 tsp salt in blender (I used my magic bullet) and pulse until garlic is in fairly small chunks.
3.Drain shrimp, place in bowl and cover with garlic water mixture. Marinate for 10 minutes.
4. Heat coconut oil in large skillet, add diced red pepper and saute for approx 1 minute.
5. Strain water from shrimp and garlic. Add lime juice and a little extra salt and toss to coat.
6. Add shrimp mixture to skillet and stir to coat with oil. Cook for approx 2 minutes
7. Add about 1/2 can coconut milk to skillet and bring to boil, then turn down to simmer. Add chili powder and a little salt. Mix well.
8. Add brown rice and mix in well. Let cook for 2 minutes or so and then add corn.
9. As the rice soaks up the milk, gradually add about 1/4 more can of coconut milk while stirring.
10. Let simmer on medium low until most of moisture is soaked up and it's at about a risotto consistency.
Serve with a colorful green salad and enjoy!

Some people are brought into our lives for some small purpose, a fleeting moment in the eternities that guides us ever so subtly on our path. Others effect us awesomely. They boldly help to mold our very beings, to fill chasms and coax us to expand ourselves. They wash in like a tidal wave, turning us on our ear and morphing moments of fear into the thrill ride of a lifetime. They sand smooth the rough spots and build beautiful monuments on our souls. These are those that add fulfillment, that nourish and sate in the far reaches of our spirits. That settle themselves like puzzle pieces into the definition of who we are as if they belong permanently- because they do.

Another recipe that turned out delicious just by chance:

about a pound of penne
about 1/2 pound to 1 lb of ground beef, browned
frozen whole green beans
frozen corn
4 cloves of garlic
3/4 to 1 c butter
salt and pepper
garlic powder
dried basil
dried oregano
dried parsley
ground nutmeg

Cook the penne as directed. Melt the butter in a large skillet add minced or crushed garlic and saute. Add cooked ground beef, green beans, corn and seasonings to taste. toss in cooked penne.
enjoy!
The boys practically licked their plates.

*sorry about earlier typos.. I was rushing through as I had a baby crying at me for her dinner.

As we are sitting together reading Talon's homework book together, Saia has his head on side of my chest...

S: Mom! Your brain is working again!
Me: What?
S: I can hear it! Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump.
Me: Oh! You mean my heart?
S: Oh yeah. Your heart is working really good! *listens again* Yeah, that's good. *Lays his head against my chest, closes his eyes and smiles*

In tribute to my mama, my favorite of her late summer zucchini recipes:

ZUCCHINI PIZZA
Tortillas- whole wheat or regular
pizza sauce (i use a can of tomato sauce with garlic powder and dried basil to taste)
shredded zucchini
shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Place tortilla on cookie sheet or baking sheet, spread with thin layer of pizza sauce. Add shredded zucchini and mozzarella spread evenly over pizza sauce. Cover with additional tortilla. Spread thin layer of sauce on top and top with sprinkling of mozzarella or Parmesan. Bake at 400 for approx. 15 minutes or until edges are crispy. Slice into triangles (like a pizza), let cool a bit and enjoy!

My kids LOVE this. I love it too and have since I was tiny.

Tip: Any leftover zucchini from the fall season, shred, drain and freeze for use in zucchini pizzas, zucchini bread, soups etc.

This morning betty25_boop called to inform me that our accompanist had called at 8:30 this morning to tell her that she'd decided the song was too hard for her. She wanted to know if we could just sing the plain old hymn! Well I just wouldn't have that and I put in a call to my favorite elle_cosette to see if she could rescue us. Like a glimmering goddess she rode in on her shiny black piano bench and saved the day. Both betty and I had some slightly nervous moments in the beginning, and my high notes weren't the strongest due to the clinging ends of a beastly cold, but we got stronger throughout the song and it turned out beautifully. I'm so glad we got to sing together and I always love any excuse to see cosette and dArt.

It's been a long time since I really got to sing. I mean, not primary talk/teach-singing, and not every other line of hymns whilst telling a toddler the words in between so he can sing along, and not singing while doing dishes and having my kids tell me to be quiet so they can hear their movie.
So when Betty called this morning and asked me to sing a duet of 'Oh My Father' with her in her ward this Sunday, I jumped to figure out primary substitutes so I could do it. I'm excited. I just hope I can get rid of this lingering cold and get through the song without crying. I'm so excited to sing with Betty and her ever-gorgeous voice... I hope I can hold up my end of things adequately!

In my current prego state, there is very little that sounds yummy to me right now... and even less that settles well. We have very little food in the house- consequence of not going grocery shopping since before the family reunion weeks ago. Anyway, to stop the rambling- I made big soft pretzels- like you get at the mall. They were actually really easy and they are delicious. I'm having a hard time protecting the cinnamon sugar coated ones from the boys so that A can have some when he gets home. I should have done more sweet and less salty. *shrugs* They are both so yummy.

Yesterday after church (where my ward seems to think the world of me no matter how crappily I screw up or don't prepare), we went to Brady and Susie's house for what is becoming our annual 'boys' get together. A's best friends from school days are Justin, Brady and Kraig. I was 'inducted' into the group the moment I became Aaron's and been close with all the guys and their wives ever since. With all of us moving on in life, we all get together about once a year with random chance meetings with one couple or another here and there. Justin and Bridget are going to Law school in Minnesota and live there with their 2 kids, so it's rare that we get to see them (though J's parents live in our ward so if they come to visit we at least see them at church). Kraig and Jackie and their 2 boys have lived in Heber, (so though we see them rarely, it is known to happen) but they are moving to Denver this month, so we'll probably see them when we visit A's parents once or twice a year. Brady and Susie have stayed and will stay in Layton for quite some time. They are the ones we see most often and our kids are the closest, but who knows where we'll be headed in the next year. We may be the ones that no one ever sees!
It's always funny to me how little we all see each other and yet how much fun we have when we get together and how easy it is to catch up. I love watching everyone and their families grow up. I feel lucky to be a part of this awesome group friendship.
The barbecue last night was a blast. The kids got along great and we played games and laughed a lot. It'll definitely be a day I'll look back on in nostalgia.

The Relief Society retreat was exactly what I needed this weekend. One night, not much prep needed (on my part at least), great lessons, great food, great friendship and a break from my adorable children so that I can adore them again. We stayed up until about 4 am watching 'Return To Me' on a projector screen. Then we slept in sleeping bags on the hard wood floor. The sleeping arrangements were definitely a down side, but not enough to put a damper on anything else. It is amazing how less than 24 hours of learning to simplify, feeling the spirit and being uplifted by friends can make a world of difference. I was happy to see my 3 boys when I got home, though my messy house was not a welcome sight. A and I conked out for 3 glorious hours after feeding the boys lunch, taking turns (A more than I) getting up to take care of the boys needs. I woke up having skipped lunch and feeling horribly nauseous and hungry- and so grouchy. I got some food in my tum and A stepped up and got the boys to help clean up the house. Then some of A's family came by and we ordered pizza so I wouldn't have to scrounge up dinner. Poor Saia had an awful diaper rash from diarrhea and had screamed through diaper changes and screamed through his bath and finally fallen asleep in my arms wrapped in only a towel. He slept for maybe 45 minutes until we woke him up to eat. Poor baby.
It was mostly a good day I think. I don't know that I'm ready to jump back into my calling after 2 weeks absence, but we'll see how it goes.

Yesterday I got more done than I ever intended to. I love those days. I didn't feel overwhelmingly busy, but I got tons done. Did laundry, did dishes, made an online family reunion album with 700+ pictures, thoroughly cleaned and organized my fridge and spice cabinet, and probably read at least an hour worth of books to my kids. I also made fresh basil and roasted garlic french bread. Yum.

Today I am getting ready to go to a Relief Society retreat overnighter. I've heard they are awesome (which would make sense since the RS in our ward is so awesome). I'm excited to go I think. A lot of times I just don't do stuff like this simply because I like to stay home with Aaron. I'm sure he'll be fine with the kids at home for less than 24 hours. We will survive.

It's hard to want to do anything productive when I feel so tired, I'm fighting prego nausea and still fighting off congestion. But I am finding that if I just tell myself I'm taking it easy, I end up getting more things done just because I feel like doing them. Will I ever feel like folding laundry? Unlikely.

Last night after A got home from work, we dropped the boys off at Betty's house and drove out to The Gateway. We had a yummy sushi dinner and then wandered around the shops before heading to the theater. We saw The Bourne Ultimatum. Good show- though the cinematography leaves much to be desired in my opinion. We got ice cream on the way home and stopped to get the kids. We arrived at Betty and Q's house to find Q, K and Tal in the midst of a dance party. They tired Tal out well- He slept until 10:15 this morning! Saia had been conked out on their bed. They are so good to watch our littles for us.
It was a brilliantly low key evening. I loved having time for just the two of us.

This morning my dad (Happy Birthday Dad!) sent out his documentation/journal entries on the family reunion, Tyler's accident and the funeral. I got in a good cry reading it, but I feel like I'm doing much better with it in general. There's a feeling of peace about the whole ordeal.

Saia(2): Talon, where is the Signing Time DVD?
Talon(5): I have it right here!
Me: Sai, Tal has it.
Saia: *takes the DVD from Talon* Ah...Si, aqui esta!
Me: What did you say?
Saia: Aqui esta- it's right here... see?


Aaron says prayers with him in Russian, and they watch Dora sometimes, but man... this kid...

6 years! I'm more madly in love with him today than I was the day i married him. And I liked him a lot then too! I'm not only willing to follow him all over the world, I'm willing to sit still in a mediocre job with menial pay while my gypsy tendencies tug away. I adore him.

Today is employee convention at Usana, so I only get him this evening, but I'm grateful to get him at all.

Today is the funeral for Tyler in California. I want to be there so badly it hurts. I have always found the 'mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort' commandment easy. I've only just realized how hard it is to mourn alone. It doesn't help that illness and pregnancy make me super emotional on top of everything. I think my Aunt Melissa and I are the only ones who were there that fateful night that won't be at the funeral. I want to call them, to be a part of it all, to experience the closure and peace that funerals bring. I feel like funerals are sort of the permission to try to go on with normal life. I'm going to have to find that closure on my own, with the Lord's help, and from those who were there when they get back. So while I sit here in my house feeling useless and not sure what to do with myself, my heart is in Simi Valley, California today.

Yay! My friend Cason just joined LJ! WEEE!!
He is one of my very favorite people. He is the daddy of those darling twins in the Christmas card I posted way back when. We've been friendy since highschool.
kingcason (Cason is still setting up his profile.. be patient)
Hi Cason! Welcome to LJ!