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Weekly Menu for the Week of June 4th

June 3, 2018 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I can't believe June is finally here! Summer is right around the corner, though on certain sunny days it feels like it's already here. Ruby will be turning nine months old this month, Grace will be leaving on her Mexico missions trip towards the end of the month, and all of the farmers will hopefully be haying their fields and giving us some allergy relief!

On Saturday, after a very early dentist appointment, we stopped by the Farmer's Market in town and picked up some fresh pastries from our favorite little booth and grabbed some fresh spices from a new booth (well, new to me), The Spice Pilgrim. Everything smelled amazing and they even make their own tea blends! We ended up purchasing some beautiful curry, garam masala, and Himaylan pink salt. I usually buy my spices in bulk from my local grocery store or from Costco, but I love the idea of supporting this local small shop, too.

This is one of the great things about Farmer's Markets. You can find these really cute small shops and help grow their business! [Read more...]

What We're Loving this May!

May 30, 2018 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

Hey everyone! It feels as if the month of May has literally passed us by (and...I guess...it just about has!). But, that doesn't mean that we haven't found a few things that we're loving, because we definitely have. If you missed last month's post, go ahead and check it out - there are some fun finds in that post as well.

This is the season for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, graduations, and birthdays, of course, so maybe one or two of these finds will inspire a gift to someone you love. [Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of May 28th

May 29, 2018 By Chelsia Rief 3 Comments

I hope you all had an enjoyable Memorial Day with the people you love. After having French toast for breakfast, we set off to the zoo and spent a good portion of the day there. We decided that after a few weeks of working on our outdoor space, we needed to just not do any chores and instead do something fun with the kids. The kids had a blast and while Ruby is still a little too young to get too big a kick out of the animals, she did enjoy spending the day outside and watching the birds, elephants, and giraffes.

You may have seen that our outdoor living space is finally done! Last summer was spent creating the patio space. These past few weeks was about building our new table and decorating the space, including planting some new flowers to bring more color to the backyard. We have a small backyard, but we're trying to create a cozy, farmhouse-style atmosphere to enjoy. We're so happy with it!!

The weather forecast is saying that we should have temps in the 60's - 70's this week, so we're planning on grilling, at least for a few nights. [Read more...]

Memorial Day Grilling Roundup 2018

May 26, 2018 By Joshua Rief Leave a Comment

The purpose of Memorial Day, of course, is to reflect on and remember those who gave what Lincoln called "the last full measure of devotion" in service of our country, our freedom, and our way of life. Over the years, due to its placement at the end of spring and the beginning of summer, it's also become a time to celebrate the changing of seasons, the sunshine, and, for many of us, the opportunity to start grilling again! In a way, this seems appropriate - Memorial Day get-togethers with burgers, ribs, hotdogs, chicken and who knows what else on the grill have become as associated with Americana as, well...apple pie, I guess. I imagine that our fallen heroes would prefer we joyously enjoy the freedom they fought for, and a barbecue seems like a great way to do just that.

To that end, we've rounded up a bunch of our favorite summer grilling recipes for you (and a few sides)! There are around 40 grilling recipes altogether on the blog, I think, but these are some of our favorites. So, this Memorial Day, find yourself some great food to grill up, spend some time with your families, and take a few moments to honor the memories of those who gave it all so we could continue to live this way!

And just in case your weather isn't spectacular, we'll start with one that works just as well indoors... [Read more...]

Magnolia Table "After School" Banana Bread

May 22, 2018 By Chelsia Rief 69 Comments

We had a hard time picking a first recipe to try out of the new Magnolia Table cookbook, but this recipe for banana bread ended up being a great choice! It's simple and easy, but a little creativity takes this classic to new heights!

If you've seen our DIY Library built-in post, then you know that one of the things that I was most excited about was finally having a really nice designated space for all of my cookbooks. I have a lot of cookbooks, including several of some of my favorite cookbook authors.

(Hmm...there's a blog post idea!)

It's also not a surprise that Josh and I (well, and our kids, too) are big fans of Chip and Joanna Gaines. Last April we went to Texas to visit the Silos, I'm a subscriber to the Magnolia Journal, we own both of their books, a larger number of Magnolia t-shirts than I'd like to admit, and every season of Fixer Upper. So, yeah, groupies a bit, I guess...

[Read more...]

Weekly Menu for the Week of May 21st

May 20, 2018 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I feel like it's been so long since we've talked!!! And I guess it has been awhile. Let me recap really quickly what the last three weeks have looked like...

If you've been reading Catz for awhile then you know Josh's grandparents who live in Africa come visit Oregon once a year. They're in their 90's and so we make it a priority to spend time with them. They came to town a little earlier than usual this year to help celebrate three of Josh's siblings graduating from college, and so we had a lot of family in town to visit with.

Then...wait for it...we got what we thought was food poisoning and which turned out to be Norovirus. And then, this last week was not only our last week of school for the girls, but also Grace (our oldest) ended up having an unplanned surgery mid week...so I've been busy taking care of her, plus the other three kiddos!

It has been a very full and busy three weeks, and, frankly, has left us tired and a bit stressed, but mostly, we're thankful for God providing for our family in a hundred million ways. For the moment, it would appear the busy season is over and now we can relax a little (famous last words, I know). [Read more...]

Steak Street Tacos

May 4, 2018 By Joshua Rief 2 Comments

These steak street tacos are super tasty and incredibly easy to make! An inexpensive cut of steak works great, grilled alongside corn tortillas, with a fresh cabbage and salsa topping!

We love tacos. In fact, we have something like 19 different "taco" recipes on the blog these days (maybe 20, if you count this one). We may not quite be at the level of one of my colleagues, known colloquially as the "Chief Taco Inspector", but I'd like to think we're close. Five-year-old Christian sports his favorite t-shirt regularly on Taco Tuesday (it features a very cool taco wearing sunglasses), Chels carries a compact mirror in her purse adorned with "I ❤ Tacos" on the cover, and one of our favorite meals out is to the local taco truck down the street.

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Tres Leches Cake

May 2, 2018 By Chelsia Rief 6 Comments

This Tres Leches cake, while perfect for Cinco de Mayo (or just because), is one of those cakes that is easy to make and can also easily be made several days in advance. In fact, making it one day in advance even makes the cake taste better!

Isn't it funny that since Christmas I haven't really shared many "new" holiday recipes? I promise that this is not intentional. But life with a baby can hinder the recipe experimentation process a bit...and a lack of planning can get in the way, too!

But also, I don't really make a ton of "holiday" meals year round. After Ruby was born, I mentioned that some of our posts would be changing a bit. That has proven to be more true than I thought it would be. [Read more...]

What We're Loving this April!

April 28, 2018 By Chelsia Rief 1 Comment

We (I, Chels) share a lot of different things on Instagram stories (Josh, on the other hand...pretty much never shares anything on Instagram stories...). Sometimes I share about movies, clothes, makeup, books, etc. And I get questions asking about some of those things. Josh is also into his own set of stuff, so I thought it would be fun to share at the end of every month some of the things we've been using (like that clock you've heard me talk about so much) with links to make it easier for you to find them/and or purchase them for yourself. Or for someone else. Some of these items would make great gift ideas. [Read more...]

Homestyle Mini Meatloaves

April 24, 2018 By Chelsia Rief 5 Comments

These homestyle mini meatloaves finally won my husband over to meatloaf! What's the secret? Besides scrumptious flavors, broiling right at the end adds a yummy crusty texture to the outside!

Well, you guys, I did it! After years and years of making different versions of meatloaf, I've finally hit the jackpot. And by jackpot, I mean, I've finally found, tested, and successfully enticed my husband to dinner with the sweet and savory aroma of that comforting homestyle dish (you know, the one most normal people love and enjoy) commonly known as meatloaf.

When I say years and years, I really, truly mean that this took years and years to get Josh excited about meatloaf. Don't get me wrong, he always eats what is placed in front of him (unless somehow it's awful, which has happened on occasion) and will say polite things about it. But meatloaf for him has never been a meal he's enjoyed eating.

Like I mentioned in my post over at Club 31 Women last week, I consider this type of stubbornness a challenge. I like to tackle these types of meals slowly because I never want the person to feel like I'm forcing these foods on them. Rather, I space them out over a few months, trying a new recipe here, trying another one there. [Read more...]