Mid-February through April 2023: Easter, food, and more spring events

Okay, this was sort of a photo dump but there's a lot of good stuff in here. If I were more consistent, I would have an easier time remembering important dates!

Love this beautiful photo of Elise in her lovely spring dress

Sofia being silly on her porch swing

February 17th: We invited Zita and Dave Pitcher over for dinner and games and had a really great visit with them. We even taught them how to play Canasta! It would be fun to take them on the river with us next time.

April 9th: Easter morning at the Dunlap house

April 11th: We enjoyed the best short rib tacos with all the fixin's at Jacob and Shauna's house and played games afterwards. Shauna always works hard to make us meals that are new and delicious to us!

What's a blog without food photos to make your mouth water? This is a huge wok full of my yummy fried rice.

A new item from Costco worth trying

Lovely flowers from Jacquie Babbitt and Kim Breinholt

Precious girls and their Grandpa Hobbs read stories together

These are some of the books I read this year

Stir-fry beef and vegetables with sweet roasted corn and steamed rice

The youth and youth leaders in our ward planned, prepared, and entertained the senior folks in the ward to a 5-course meal and dancing. They greeted us outside, seated us, and waited on us. It was a fun evening with Mike and ward friends!

The youth did a great job in their dance routines, which everyone loved

Another new Costco item worth buying

Rinse in cold water; add chicken broth and dry mushrooms, herbs, and seasonings; and cook in a rice cooker. A great side dish with poultry.

I added cream of mushroom soup, milk, and a little butter to the cooked rice to make a chicken and wild rice casserole. 

Sometimes you gotta have sweet potatoes when it's not a holiday

Cook them in boiling water; drain them; add butter and brown sugar; mash till smooth; add glazed pecans on top and bake till golden--yum

This is how I cook bacon for any occasion. Bake strips on parchment paper in a 400 degree oven till crisp and browned, about 30 minutes.

This is how I start to make chicken Tonkatsu

Pound out the chicken; dip in beaten egg; roll in Panko bread crumbs; then fry in hot oil. Serve with rice and cabbage or other veggies and Tonkatsu sauce--really good!

A delicious chef salad for lunch at an old cafe in my mom's neighborhood

One of my favorite new main dishes is baked spaghetti

Takes better than it looks!

Oreo crusted triple pudding dessert, a real hit

Lemon triple dessert with homemade crust, also a big hit

Green chili chicken and cheese enchiladas, also a favorite

Our clubhouse blueprints, by our architect Jim Oschwald

Chile con carne with cheese and homemade fries--yum

Making the dough for my no bake cheesecake crusts

April 17th: Easter dinner and coloring contest with our ABQ kids

Our meal: Marinated tri-tip roast, roasted carrots, green beans, scalloped potatoes, roasted hotdogs (for the non-meat lovers), a cherry jello salad, and rolls that Jess brought. So delicious.

Another favorite for large crowds: Pork roast with sliced onions cooked in a slow cooker. I brown the meat first; season it generously with Kinder's The Blend (sea salt, course pepper, and coarse garlic); add hot water to cover the meat halfway up; then let it cook for 8-10 hours on High. Slice the meat and make gravy from the juices; or shred the meat for pulled pork sandwiches or baked potatoes. Don't forget to add heated up Kinder's BBQ sauce to the meat. So good.

Plates of triple chocolate walnut cookies for our ministering families
Should have made this a food blog!