Presently

The Salt Lake Valley.

The teardrop has lights now!

I'm really liking these afterwork bouldering sessions.

The hatch!!

Who knew this was right above the dorms at the University of Utah? I definitely didn't when I was a student there.

On Friday, I got to go climbing for work, so I'm basically a professional climber. ;)  (Then, Austin crashed the ladies sending party.)

Happy Hour: The Guilty O.J. Cocktail

I don't really like the name of this drink.  I don't feel guilty for putting a little Malibu in my OJ from time to time and I don't like the implication that I should feel guilty.  But that's what it's called, so oh well.

Normally, I'm not much of a rum person, but Malibu falls more into the juice category than the liquor category in taste, so I can make an exception when it's mixed with more juice.

In less than 2 months, Austin and I will be heading off on our honeymoon and we'll hopefully be making our way to the beach at least once.  This drink, warm sand, a floppy sun hat and the crashing waves?  Yeah, that sounds perfect.

I guess we'll have to find some more room for Malibu in the teardrop!

Lemon Meringue Pie

There are some things in life that are worth taking your time with.  Other things may be fine to rush through and 'just get it done,' but others require a little more care and thought put into them.

For me, it's the difference between dinner and dessert.

When I make dinner, it had better be fast and easy and taste good.  It doesn't have to look perfect.  It doesn't have to be photographed (usually) and posted on Instagram.  It just has to give me energy to get through the rest of the night and into the morning.

Dessert, on the other hand, takes some more time.  I like dessert to look good and taste good and have the love worked right into the crust.  I like it to be presented in a pretty dish or on a nice plate and I like to look forward to it all day.

Dessert's not really practical.  You don't technically need dessert - not like you need dinner.  But dessert is what you look forward to.  So maybe you do need it after all.

Making your own lemon meringue pie is exactly the type of exercise in indulgence, patience and meticulousness needed to lift your spirits.  Waiting for the pie crust to cool, stirring the lemon custard until it's thick and glossy, watching the meringues brown through the oven window - it's what makes it special.

Next time you're looking for a special dessert for a special occasion or a special person or a totally un-special weeknight, I think this might just be the thing you're looking for.

Applesauce Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Have you ever gotten those plastic tubs full of caramel that they sell in the grocery story by the apples?  The "Caramel Apple Dip."

That's the type of thing that I would pick up and I would eat the entire container of caramel spread out over a single apple.  Every teeny tiny bite of apple was literally dripping with caramel.  In my mind, it was a pretty healthy little snack.  It has an apple in it!  What's healthier than an apple?

These cupcakes are basically that after school snack in an even less healthy form.

Plus, the caramel is salted so you won't get that itchy tooth thing from it being so sweet.  (Oh, is that just something that happens to my family?  Must be genetic.)

Caramel and apple and spices and sweet and salty.  It's all good stuff.

Presently

First and last day out snowboarding this season.

She's not technically allowed in the bed, but she gets away with front feet.

Future home?

Made the skeleton for the hatch on our teardrop.

Austin's cousin cut us these really nice doors for our interior cabinet.

Cool to hear Margaret Atwood speak at the University of Utah with my mom and sister.

Rainy, spring days.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

One night, Austin was making bacon for some reason (as if you need a reason) and I was eating an apple with peanut butter when I had the genius (if I do say so myself) idea of dipping a strip of bacon into the peanut butter.

It was as good as it sounds.

We tend to make our cookies with a little extra sea salt on top to balance out the sweetness, so adding the salty bacon to these peanut butter cookies made all the sense in the world.

If you're thinking that maybe it doesn't actually make sense to combine the two, first of all, you're wrong, and secondly just give it a shot.  You may just be pleasantly surprised by how well the two flavors meld.

Because of the meat product, I would recommend storing them in the fridge and eating within about a week...if they last that long.  Otherwise, freeze them for later.

Browned Butter and Lemon Popcorn

There's a group in Park City that shows independent films almost every weekend at a local theater.  They're usually a little bit old and a little bit weird, but they're fun nonetheless.  And even if not, they're a lot cheaper than the regular theater.  So, there's that.

The best part of it is the butter though.

They pop their own fresh popcorn right there in the lobby (of the library usually) and next to it, they have a crockpot full of real butter!  It's about 1 trillion times better than the oil that you find at your regular old AMC or Cinemark (I know because I used to work at one of those).

I really can't ask for more.

Well, I could asked for browned butter, but that seems a little demanding on my part.

When I'm at home, I'll keep browning my butter and topping with fresh lemon zest, but when I go to the theater, I'm just going to be overjoyed with real butter made from real cream which came from real cows!