Tin Foil Dinner Cooking Tips

Tin Foil Dinners are a fun and delicious way to cook when camping and after doing a lot of research on the internet, I learned a few things:

Tin Foil Dinner Cooking Tips:

* Use heavy duty foil. That way you don't have to worry about your packet ripping open before it is finished cooking. I like to double layer mine, even with heavy duty foil

*Use cooking spray (like Pam) on the foil before you put the food in. It helps your food to not stick to the packet.

*Add a little fat to the packet-oil or butter. Really adds to the flavor. Toss raw veggies (like potato slices) in a little oil to help them not stick together and brown.

*Place meat on the bottom, as it takes the longest to cook. You can add some high-moisture vegetables like onion or tomato to the meat to keep the meat from drying out and add some more flavor. Mix slices of onion right into your meat.

*Be sure to use a thin slice of raw meat (like hamburger) to ensure doneness and not having to cook it too long. Ham slices and stew meat are a nice change too.

*You can use canned vegetables if you want to speed up your cook time. Just beware: they can sometimes be a little overcooked and tend to be mushier than fresh, raw veggies.

*Onion soup mix is a great flavor additive!

*Don't be afraid to experiment. Sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, etc. are wonderful cooked this way!

Sisters' Weekend and 2nd 5K Race

I have the most adorable husband in the world! He just kept the kids for me for 3 whole days, while I went off to play with some of my favorite people...my little sisters. We have been holing up in a hotel room (not too far away from home!) for the past couple of days. We attended our church's "Women's Conference" at BYU where we went to classes on how to be less critical, how to evaluate our lives and re-set our priorities, how to have more meaningful prayers, improve our marriages and be better parents. I have been going every spring for the past 5 years and I come home re-charged and motivated to improve my life! Wish me luck!! I could use some improvement!

Wednesday was my sister Nancy's birthday and so we celebrated with dinner and a movie. Thursday night we attended a concert, Friday we ate out again (seems to be a favorite past time) and hung out in the hot tub. We also ATE and ATE and ATE....stuff like BYU's famous mint brownies with walnuts, and chocolate covered cinnamon bears (my favorite!).

This morning, however, there was no junk food in sight! We got up at 6:30 AM to get ready to run in the Provo City Half Marathon and 5K. It was so cold! About 41 degrees...and part way (I'm guessing about 3/4 of a mile into the 5K) it began to rain/snow/hail on us. When we got to the finish line we were soaking wet and pretty chilly. Magelby's had a french toast breakfast that they provided for all the runners and as we stood in the park, in the rain and the cold, waiting for the results to be announced....it started to snow/rain a little bit harder.

This was a first race for 2 of my sisters and 1 in particular was excited to find out her time and to see if she may have placed in her age group. Some of us (ok, mostly me) didn't really care to hang out in the rain to find out how I had done (there were hundreds of people who ran the 5K and what are the odds???)...and just wanted to head back to the hotel and that delicious hot tub. Since she wasn't ready to leave for the hotel without knowing the results...we decided to wait it out in the car where at least we could get out of the rain/snow and turn a heater on. About half an hour later, she came back to the car with a big smile and a medal around her neck!! She won 3rd place in her age group. Wahoo!

End of story? NO! She had a medal in her pocket for me! I also placed 3rd in my age group! I guess I don't deserve the medal, for not sticking it out in the rain to claim it...but it made being cold ALMOST worth it. And ultimately after about an hour in the hot tub, our body temperatures returned to normal and we feel like real people again! Maybe next time we ought to try a 10K!

Trip to Disney World and Cruise to W. Carribean

This December was my parents 50th wedding anniversary! So we talked them into taking a two week vacation with us and my sister Sue and her hubby. We stayed in a condo in Florida and did the whole Disney World thing for a week, then left for a week long cruise to the Western Carribean. It was sooooooo much fun! I love cruising. I am ready to go again!

St. George Trip and Tuacahn

I was lucky enough to be able to travel south with 3 of my sisters and my parents to St. George, Utah to attend the play "Footloose" at an outdoor ampitheatre recently. We had a great time. It was nice to be somewhere a little warmer than 60 degrees for a day or two. We even spent a lazy afternoon by the pool one day! Our good husbands took care of the house and kids for 4 whole days! It was heavenly! I guess I owe you, dear! Left to right: Susan, Kellie, Nancy and me. Just look at the red rock backdrop! It is so beautiful there. Mom and Dad! I'm not sure they knew what they were in for when they agreed to go on a trip with their wild and crazy daughters. Dad thought we were going to see "Any Which Way but Loose"you know, the movie with Clint Eastwood and the ape! I'm not sure they knew what "Footloose" was before this!

This is a picture of all of us standing in front of the St. George, Utah temple..

Studio 5 Card Group

I have posted several times about my monthly card group meetings...but this one was a little bit unusual. We did all the same things we normally do-eat, talk, laugh, exchange cards-the only difference was, this time we did it on camera! It will air in July (the 13 or 15 I think). Our group member and in-house paper crafting guru and celebrity (Sue Neal-third from the right on the top row) has a monthly segment she does on Studio Five about paper crafting, and "they" decided it would be a fun idea to talk about (and show) some of what our group does. It will be interesting to see what they end up actually putting on tv. This group has been meeting every month for 12 years! Isn't that crazy?? I think there are only 6 or 7 of the original members of the group (from 12 years ago), but it is incredible that it has been going that long, don't you think? No end in sight, either! It is a great creative outlet and social event all rolled into one.

Cutest Valentines Treat Ever!

I just happened across this darling idea from Family Fun. All you need is a box of conversation hearts, 2 reeses pb cups and this printout! Talk about cute. Don't tell...I'm making them for my kids for Valentines Day!

January Card Group

Here are the cute cards from our card group on Thursday night. Looks like the main theme for the night was valentines day!

By the way, if you have never had this fruit dip, you should really try it...delicious!

Fruit Dip

1-6 oz carton fruit flavored yogurt (I used 2-4 oz. strawberry)
1/2-1 container of coolwhip topping (8 oz.)
4 oz. softened cream cheese (optional)

Fold together and serve with cut up fruit: berries, oranges, pears, apples, etc.

Fun Find!

Just look at these cute receipt/gift card/coupon holders I found while surfing today! She sews them! Too cute. Check it out, it's called Swankadot.

Might be able to find stuff in my purse if I had one of these!

Happy 19th Lauren!

Last week we had yet another birthday!! Lauren turned 19 on Thursday. Happy Birthday, cutie! I am so proud of her. She just graduated from Evans School of Cosmetology yesterday, too! She has been plugging away now for just over a year. She gets up and gets herself off every morning, no complaints, no sleeping in, she just gets up and gets it done! She is a hard working gal, too. She has been working part-time for most of the time that she has been in school....and they love her, because she really knows how to work! She is a beautiful, fun loving, tender-hearted sweetheart and we are so happy to have her be a part of our family! Love you Lauren! Hope you had a good day. Good luck with the exams in the next couple of weeks. (Just when I thought we were finished with birthdays until after Christmas, I learned that Lauren's boyfriend, Chris (pictured above) has a birthday on Dec. 11.....I told him he couldn't marry Lauren as we already have too many pre-Christmas birthdays.) :)

Yearbook Yourself

Oh, my gosh....how funny. Some of these could be out of my real yearbook! Like the first picture is supposed to be 1984....I looked just like that!!! Too much fun! Of course, some of these were from before I was even born! The site is called Yearbook Yourself....check it out!

I've been tagged!

Susette Fisher tagged me...and I guess I am supposed to name 6 quirky things about myself! I don't think I'm quirky at all...LOL!

1. I have never slept very well...sort of an insomniac. I had trouble falling asleep and sometimes would wake up in the middle of the night.....until this job at Costco (where I start work at either 4 a.m. or 5 a.m.). Now, I have NO TROUBLE falling asleep, and nothing wakes me during the night, but if I wake up at all.....I very rarely am able to fall back asleep. I might as well get up and get something done!

2. I have never found a food that I didn't like....except maybe some bad sushi at a chinese buffet!

3. I LOVE to exercise. I mean it, I really LOVE it. And not just afterwards, you know, when you are proud of yourself for doing it. I mean before, during and after.....I LOVE IT! If I had no other responsibilities, I think I would exercise several hours every day!

4. I sing all the time. I bet you didn't realize there is a song for EVERY subject. Sometimes things that people say will remind me of a line in a song and I can't help myself, I belt it right out! Maybe not at that exact moment, I don't usually like to sing for an audience (unless it's my family....they are so used to me singing I'm not embarrassed any more). Too bad I don't have a better singing voice!

5. I am kind of a perfectionist....but only selectively! I like things neat and tidy (I organize my spices alphabetically in my kitchen cupboard, sort my stamp sets by size of box, socks by color, you get the picture) but I can go a week without mopping my kitchen and not have it bother me...? Hmmm.

6. I can't stay awake in a vehicle while it's moving....especially on trips longer than about 15 minutes! Even if I'm driving! Aaaah!

So there you have it, I'm really not quirky at all! I tag you! Gina, Ginay, Dana, Deena, Stacy, Kelli, Susan and Janelle.

Twilight Movie Tickets

I just found out about this site from a friend of mine (thanks, Susette!). It is called Gracious Rain and she is running a contest where you send her your favorite soup recipes and she enters your name into a drawing for 2 Twilight tickets at the Jordan Commons in SLC. Just thought I would pass along the news. Give it a try! http://www.graciousrain.com/ Can't wait for this movie!