Catz in the Kitchen

Weekly Menu for the Week of Aug 19

August 19, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Happy Sunday, friends, I am coming to you this morning from my bed with a cup of coffee and clouds out my window. *sigh* Our summer weather has been less than…summery. Josh and I were remarking last night that we’ve only had one night where it was warm enough to sit outside on our back deck and chat after the kids went to sleep. It’s either been too windy or cold.

Despite the weather, we did have a fun week! We took Eden to The Piano Guys on Thursday – which was amazing (and, actually, the weather was great). I usually don’t enjoy concerts because I always leave with a headache, but this one was so relaxed, beautiful, and funny! If you ever have the opportunity to see them live, I highly recommend it. It’s a concert worth seeing. On Friday, we took our kids to the county fair – we go every summer and we always get corn dogs, ice cream, and funnel cake – I opted for Kettle Corn instead of funnel cake as it’s not my fave. The kids went on a few rides (so expensive!) and Ruby LOVED looking at all the animals. On Saturday, we took the kids to our local farmer’s market, and then we wandered through the Street of Dreams – which is a small collection of higher-end homes that have been decorated and upgraded with all the latest energy efficient tricks. Later that evening, Josh and I had our date night – we go out every other week and this time we went to the movies! We rarely go to the movies, so it honestly felt a little like being teenagers again!…

Weekly Menu for the Week of Aug 12

August 13, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

You may have noticed (or maybe not!) that I was a little MIA last week. I was going to send an email out and explain to subscribers who don’t follow me on Facebook or Instagram that I was taking a social media break for the whole week. In the end, just decided a silent sneak out the front door was best. Josh and I flew to Maui for a few days last week for our 16th wedding anniversary, and it was amazing! It was a perfect getaway to reconnect, reminisce, and relax. The funny thing is, Josh and I are not really lay-by-the-beach people – but we completely fell in love with Maui (it was our first time). The sounds, sights, and of course the food – a dreamy place, as I’m sure many of you already know!

But now I’m back and it’s back to business, which is not such a bad thing because there’s a lot to love in everyday life. Josh and I always say how nice it is to still love coming back to your life and home after vacation. I think it is an important aspect of gratitude, but you have to choose to see it that way!…

Smoky Grilled Potato Wedges

July 23, 2019 By Joshua Rief 4 Comments

This recipe for smoky grilled potato wedges is a fun and flavorful alternative to French fries that compliments any grilled meal! This recipe originally appeared on Catz in June 2014. Since then, we’ve remade and rephotographed it, and it’s simply too good and too easy not to share again! I will sheepishly admit that I forgot to season these…

I've always loved the idea of macaroni salad, but never found one that excited me. This easy, preppable recipe does - for me it is the best macaroni salad!

The Best Macaroni Salad

July 18, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I’ve always loved the idea of macaroni salad, but never found one that excited me. This easy, preppable recipe does – for me it is the best macaroni salad! Anytime somebody makes a claim that something is “the best” I’m sure we all just shake our heads a little and think, “The best. Really? What makes…

Devil’s Food Cupcakes

July 10, 2019 By Eden Rief 1 Comment

Kids can bake, too! 10-year-old Eden shares her experience baking and decorating these indulgently delightful Devil’s Food Cupcakes from scratch! Hi! I’m Eden, and I am so excited to share a post with you! I am ten years old, and second oldest of my three siblings. Ever since I started reading Cupcake Diaries (my new…

These tangy, tasty buffalo chicken burgers are a serious taste explosion – just make sure you’ve got enough mayo to go around!

Buffalo Chicken Burgers with Blue Cheese Mayo

July 1, 2019 By Joshua Rief Leave a Comment

These tangy, tasty buffalo chicken burgers are a serious taste explosion – just make sure you’ve got enough mayo to go around! This post originally appeared on Catz in October of 2014. To be honest, we made it in the fall, which meant that by the time the spring came around, we’d kind of forgotten about…

Busy family? This One Pan Spanish Rice Bake is for you. Other than the produce, it's a pantry meal, and it also comes together in a single pot!

“Pantry to the Rescue” One Pan Spanish Rice Bake

June 27, 2019 By Chelsia Rief 4 Comments

Busy family? This One Pan Spanish Rice Bake is for you. Other than the produce, it’s a pantry meal, and it also comes together in a single pot! Isn’t it funny how you think when school is finally over for the year, you’re going to have so much more time on your hands? Not true….

Blueberry Coffee Cake

June 20, 2019 By Chelsia Rief 4 Comments

Make it with fresh berries or frozen – either way, this blueberry coffee cake is an easy, slightly indulgent way to start any morning! Josh’s job has recently had a shift which is requiring him to travel at least once a week and for how long he’s gone for varies depending on the needs of…

Weekly Menu for the Week of July 29

July 29, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Did I just read that right? Is it really July 29th?? Um, can someone please tell me where summer went? We haven’t even begun to get our super hot days yet and we’re already hitting the first week of August this week! Anyone else just floored by this?

While I sit over here shaking my head, let me recap our weekend. I used to do a little weekend recap in the past, but stopped because I thought you all might get bored, but so many of you have commented on FB and IG saying you enjoy watching our family and seeing what we’re up too, so I’m going to share a bit!

We had an awesome weekend. Friday was busy. Eden had a birthday party she went to in the afternoon and while she was there, the kids and I grabbed lunch at Panera Bread – I had the Green Goddess Cobb salad (so good) and tried their new Summer Corn Chowder which was delish! If you haven’t tried it yet, do!!! After we ran errands and picked up groceries, we relaxed the rest of the day. The kids played in the pool while I read, we had pizza for dinner – if every Friday afternoon could be this way!

On Saturday, we took the kids down to Cannon Beach for the day and the weather was beautiful and warm, which is a bit of a unicorn on the Oregon Coast!

…