Pretty Pleeeeease, with sugar on top...?

hello, friends and faithful followers of my seemingly abandoned blog. I haven't forgotten about this personal blog, I just have been putting more of my energy and time into developing my new and improved blog Don't Mind if I Do. I would kindly ask...if you could....please come and "follow" me at this new blog location [scroll down and click on the blue "join this site" button]...you won't be disappointed ;) I'll keep you updated with my newest and latest diy projects, yummy recipes, snippets of real life (of course, with my boys)...anything and everything you want - I will do my best to DO! I am hoping to develop this blog into something more exciting, fresh, and filled with very lovely things.  I appreciate all your love and support! Looking forward to seeing you all there! XOXO

Happy Mother's Day!

I am so unbelievably blessed to have these three boys in my life. Life would be meaningless without them. Hm, how was life without kids...?? ....but seriously... It's not easy and I don't imagine it ever will be easy, but I feel a sense of belonging and worth that I have never felt doing anything else. Having them call me "mommy!" and how they can make any problem go away with their sweet smiles and endless amounts of hugs and kisses, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Also, I am so thankful for an amazing mother who showed me how precious this gift of motherhood and family can be. The best example that I turn to whenever I'm in need of guidance. The best mom in the world! I love you tons. I strive everyday to be just a little more patient and a little more caring like you.

To all you moms, grandmas, and moms-to-be, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

(click photo for my DMiID mother's day post)

Repurposing your old sweater.

Head on over to Don't Mind if I Do blog for a little tutorial for repurposing that old sweater into a more useful cardigan!

A BIG reveal.

..............................drum roll please...........................................

our new blog is up and running! Christal and I have been planning this for months, and since she is leaving soon :( we thought that this would be the perfect time to get it started. This way we can still keep in touch, do all of our cooking "together" and share it with all of YOU.

Don't mind if i do is a blog where we will be posting our favorite food and recipes, fashion/style tips, diy projects, and of course, our photography. I will still update this (my family) blog regularly, but mainly for personal use - updates of the kids and my random ramblings.

 If you have liked my recipes and DIY project posts, Please, please, PLEASE follow us HERE!!  

(click on the "follow" at the top left corner of the navigation bar) 

 There are already yummy recipes posted - you don't want to miss them!! Start following now! ;)

Thanks for your support! 

Summer Chicken Salad and Homemade Bread.

Christal and I have been on a roll with our cooking days. She is leaving the island soon, so we are using every chance we get to spend time together to cook, play and photograph. We are also working on something very special, which we will be revealing really soon. but for now, enjoy these healthy, summery recipes!

Zupas Summer Chicken Salad:

 Summer Chicken Salad
4 ounces mixed greens
2 fresh sliced strawberries
10 dried cranberries
5 red grapes
1 ounce diced cooked chicken breast
1/2 ounce chopped cashews (we used almonds instead)


Zupas Strawberry Vinaigrette
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup canola oil
4 strawberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar


1.  In a medium sized bowl toss the mixed greens, dressing, and chicken. Transfer into serving bowl.
2.  Top salad with dried cranberries, red grapes, and sliced strawberries.
3.  Sprinkle chopped cashews on top to finish.
4.  Dressing:.
5.  In a medium sized container mix the strawberries, salt, sugar and vinegar.  Blend well in a blender.

6.  While blending slowly add in all the oil, blending until smooth.  

Homemade Bread:

Quick and Homemade Bread (Recipe from FOOD.COM).

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

3 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons butte

1 1/2 cups warm water

5 cups all purpose flour

1.  Heat milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan until butter melts and sugar dissolves.

2.  Cool to lukewarm.

3.  Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl.

4.  Add milk mixture and slowly add flour.

5.  Mix for 1-2 minutes on speed 2.  

6.  Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.

7.  Cover and let rise next to warm over for 10 minutes.

8.  Put dough in greased loaf pan and leftover dough in greased muffin pans.  

9.  Let both pans rise in over (170 degrees) for 10 minutes.

10.  Bake at 425 degrees (12 minutes for biscuits and 25-30 minutes for bread).

story of my life.

I seriously have so many things on my plate right now its not even funny...really, not laughing here. There are so many things I want to post about, so many projects that keep getting pushed back, numerous endless photo shoots to prepare for AND edit...all on top of being a full time cook, maid, MOM - and all that joys that come with it.

But...

Despite it all, I feel pretty good, especially after hearing all the uplifting things during Conference. I feel like I can take on the world right about now....haha...well, its just a figure of speech, really...   I just have to remind myself :::: I don't have to be perfect, I just have to aspire and work towards it. I don't have to get 100% of my to-do list checked off. Not even 50%. there is always tomorrow....most of those things probably shouldn't have even made it on to the list anyway... Life is a journey and everyday is a learning experience. Try to learn something new everyday and work to improve something that I couldn't accomplish the day before. BREATHE. just stop. and take a deep breath, trust me, it works. And always, always put God and family first. Because at the end of the day, they matter most and will always be there for you, no matter what. I need a good reminder every now and then...I think everyone does. Today definitely was that...a good reminder.

 see.

 everything is OK.

 because. I Love you.

 and I will be there.

every step of the way.

laughing, smiling, and loving...

to the end of time.

Anniversary.

We got to get away. Kids-free, just the two of us. Even if it was just for a few hours, it was everything I could have ever asked for! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family that made it possible for us to have this time together.  You know who you are, Thank you! ♡ The day was perfect in every way.
 

4 years ago...

I married my best friend,

the love of my life....

How did I get so lucky?

 

I am as much in love with him today as I was then...maybe even more...

Thank you for the best four years of my life.

It just keeps getting better and better everyday!

I love you so much.

♡

Stunning Couple. Dreamy Light. And a TeePee.

Check out photos from the entire shoot HERE!!

Sunday Lunch {Part II}

so now, onto our delightful dessert - Crêpes!

It's my absolute absolute favorite dessert ever! The best part is, you can choose different toppings and create a custom dessert perfect for you! This time we used fresh strawberries, cheesecake filling, whipped cream, nutella, bananas, and chocolate syrup. We mixed and matched the toppings to make our perfect crêpes.

Crêpe recipe:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (omit when making savory crêpes)

Pour the flour and salt in a bowl and break the eggs in the middle. Mix into a thick batter. Add the melted butter, and while whisking, pour the milk gradually, little at a time. Mix until you get the perfect texture: neither too thick nor too liquid. It must be thinner than pancake batter with no lumps**. Leave the batter to sit in the fridge for a while if you can, or else start making the crêpes.

To make the crêpes, heat a little butter on a medium size, flat, NON-STICK pan and pour on a thin layer of the batter. The trick here is to lift the pan off of the heat, ladle the batter onto the pan and swirl it around until it forms a thin, even layer, then put it back on the heat. When the one side is lightly browned, flip it to the other side.
**{helpful HINT: the consistency of the batter should be thin enough to easily spread smooth across the pan, but thick enough that it doesn't break when you flip it over.}
Repeat until all the batter is gone, then top with your favorite toppings [strawberries, bananas, blueberries, peaches, whipped cream...etc...or the classic combo - lemon juice and powdered sugar, YUM!] and Enjoy!!

PS. By omitting the vanilla extract, this recipe can be used for savory crepes as well! Just add some shredded chicken with white sauce and melt some cheese on it, or add spinach and mushrooms for a healthy twist. The possibilities really are endless.

Sunday Lunch {Part I}

What was for lunch at our house yesterday, you may ask?

Well, even if you wouldn't ask that, I will still tell you....

Wisconsin cauliflower soup and bacon avocado grilled cheese sandwiches!

My mouth is watering just typing those words (and looking at these photos). 

It was absolutely fabulous! If any of you have been to Cafe Zupas, you may have had this velvety, creamy goodness, but where there is no Zupas, you can make it right in your own kitchen! I found a similar recipe here, and tweaked it just a tad. So, here you go!

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can evaporated milk*
1/2 cup regular milk*

2 cups water*
2~2.5 cups chicken broth* (to desired thickness)
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Bacon, cooked and crumbled*

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape, but cover with papertowel/cloth to avoid splashing of hot liquids), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and slowly add 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese and crumbled bacon and serve.

For the grilled cheese we crisped up some bacon, cut up fresh avocado and tomato, stacked on some pepper jack cheese, and grilled it with a little bit of butter.

Perfection! It definitely hit 'the spot,' and seriously the most comforting food for a rainy cold day.

....and to think that this was just {Part I}!!

coming up next....dessert crepes to wrap up this delicious Sunday lunch.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche.

This is a recipe I adapted from several different quiche recipes I have seen. It has a little bit of  everything, and is sooooo good! I hope you like it too.


Quiche

1 (9in) uncooked pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 cup milk
1 med onion, minced
1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms
6 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled
3 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (Swiss is good too)
1 Tbsp flour
Garlic salt and nutmeg, for seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line the 9 inch pie or cake pan with rolled out pie crust and bake for 5 min. Then lower oven temp to 375.
Saute onion and mushrooms in a little bit of oil, then add the spinach; season with garlic salt and a dash of nutmeg.  Mix together egg, milk, bacon, onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Add a little salt, pepper and nutmeg. Toss cheese in 1 Tbsp flour and add into egg mixture. Pour into partially baked pie crust, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until set. Let it sit for 15-20 min before serving.

and Enjoy!

My Birthday Adventure.

Yesterday was the perfect day! It started at 5 o'clock in the morning, driving down to Kualoa Beach Park for the sunrise. Despite it being windy and cold, having breakfast and watching the sunrise with my sweetheart was the best beginning to the day. I debated going through with this hike until the very last second...obviously, I went through with it....and I am SO glad that I did! It was a good 15-20 minute paddle out on the longboard (Chad pushed me the whole entire way - thanks Love). We hiked to the top of the island, rock-climbing and hard-core hiking all the way up. At the top, we could see 360 degrees around the whole island, and the view was absolutely breathtaking. We finished our hike and took a slow walk around the entire island. It was so fun just being able to do this together, by ourselves ;)
It was the absolute best way to celebrate with the most important person in my life. Chad, thank you for making this day so special (and for making this cute movie)! I love you sweetie ♥

Griffin.

The cutest baby on the block....up on the blog!

Heart Confetti.

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day was as fun and full of LOVE as ours!!

now Im off to Haleiwa for a little Valentine's dinner with my boys.

The Twins.

If you haven't seen them yet....head over to my photography blog now!

Photography Update.

First photoblog post of the year 2012. Go check out this awesome couple!
This is going to be a fabulous year!

those eyes.

 ...melt my heart everyday.

Go Pro.

Chad and I have been playing and experimenting with his Christmas present, the GoPro HERO2 camera.

It is completely wonderful. other than being 100% waterproof and shock proof, the image/video quality is fantastic. I was completely amazed when we first used it at the beach in the sunny, bright conditions. sky, beach, and water colors were so vibrant! Here are a few images taken by this fabulous new camera.

{fiy: these were not touched up/processed in any way.}

and our latest GoPro project: a time lapse movie of the beautiful Laie sunset. Enjoy.