Reno/Tahoe Thanksgiving Visit

Another whirlwind trip to Reno for Thanksgiving and we did our best to cram everything in.  The first day we made a trip up to Lake Tahoe and swung by our favorite eatery T's for some tasty tacos.

Thanksgiving day my mom made a delicious assortment of the usual fair.  All the ladies stepped in to help with the cooking, and the boys did what manly things were available.

Z carves up the bird.

Mariah & Ali make cooking look cute.

Ben puts the dishes away like a man.

Gigi distracts Dax so mommy can eat a yummy meal.

Thanks to Gigi's offer to babysit the next day, Zach and I managed a backcountry ski.  It was a beautiful warm Tahoe day.  The snow was lacking and crusty but it didn't stop us from having a good time.

Destination Castle Peak.

Sarah looking out towards the Peak.

Zach with Castle Peak in the background.

Didn't get a picture in with Papa Bob and our dinner/football watching but it was great to see him and catch up!  Looking forward to our next visit with him. 

Eating Thanksgiving Dinner

It was another wonderful Thanksgiving and we are so grateful for our loving family and friends for all that they do.  

Thanksgiving

Thankful for

our healthy baby boy,

For my loving husband,

Our dearest families,

Amazing friends,

Our little home in the mountains,

The blue ski and snow,

A beautiful life.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!  

Gobble gobble :)

Winter is Back

...And I'm ready to use it to my full capabilities this season!  We took advantage of the pre-season conditions this past Saturday to hike up Mt. Baldy.  Despite 10 degree starting weather our day was an easy skin to the top.  Thanks to Zach I had new skis, bindings, and skins to test out.  Thanks to Papa Nick and Grandmother Jean, Dax had somewhere to occupy his time while mom & dad earned some turns.

I remember this.

Looking up College run to the top.  About 3/4 of the way there.

David de-layers after a big climb.

Looking back at the 3400 ft. that we climbed.

Ian gets his game face on.

Time to ski.

David, Travis, Zach, and Ian pose at the top.

Lemon Meringue

We had a fabulous fall dinner at Nick & Jean's home over the past weekend.  Jean made a scrumptious Lemon Meringue pie.  I never knew I was such a fan until having a taste of this treat.  Well, I had a few tastes :)

The chef and her masterpiece.

Thank you Jean for the delicious meal and new found love of lemon meringue!   I found this recipe online appropriately titled:   Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 8

"Fresh lemon juice and lemon rind make this pie's filling tart and lovely. And when it's poured into a waiting crust, topped with billows of meringue, and baked, it's downright dreamy."

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups water 2 lemons, juiced and zested

2 tablespoons butter 4 egg yolks, beaten 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked 4 egg whites 6 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
3.	To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.