Introducing... THE OAT GRAIN ;)

I want to talk about oats today. Yes, as in oatmeal oats.

Boring subject? NOPE. Not if if you know how to cook and eat them right.

Tell you something you didn't know before?
Well, how about... quick oats or rolled oats (the flat ones) are the equivalent of processed food in the world of grains? They have slightly less nutritional value but more fat (seriously... it's strange) and higher glycemic level. Don't even get me started on instant oats- instant oats only fill you up but have no other benefits what so ever. Kinda like iceberg lettuce. *Shudder*

If you want to eat oatmeal, make sure you cook the oat grain in its pure form, or what is termed the "oat groat." If not, try for the second best version, which is steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats, as the name implies, are oat groats cut into smaller pieces (probably using a steel-blade knife) for faster cooking. These two types of oats cook longer but they taste soooooo much better and provide the real nutrition that oats are famous for. Plus, steel cut oats are not expensive at all.

Steel-cut oats

Notice how they are SO NOT FLAT!

I used Alton Brown's recipe, and I have to say, Alton Brown does not disappoint. I wish there was a way transport the fragrance and taste of the "toasted" oats to my readers- unbelievably aromatic nutty flavors!

I cooked up about 2/3 C oats, and that fed me 3 delicious breakfast meals. They keep in the fridge for up to a week, and in the freezer even longer. How convenient is that to simply take it out every morning and microwave before seasoning?

Two ways I "flavor" my cooked oats
1) Coconut oil. Sounds disgusting, but you would not believe how DIVINE it tastes. Btw, coconut oil is actually one of the healthiest oils on the face of the planet. It is also one of the best oils used for frying at high heat.
Start with one teaspoon to every one cup of oatmeal, and add more according to taste.

2) Cream and fruit

Oatmeal, fresh raspberries and peaches, and chocolate shavings
Mmm... 

Don't be stingy when adding cream - at least 2 tablespoons for every one cup of oatmeal. Cream is a very healthy fat, so don't be afraid! I also add in cinnamon for a nice "kick."

Enjoy!

Cascade Springs... Part 2!

I initially wanted to take my sisters to Stewart Falls, because it was a relatively easy hike with a nice waterfall at  the end of it. Who knew that Abish had hiked there before?

Change of plans.

Remember Cascade Springs, the place Vickie and I had previously tried to get to but got lost and drove for almost 2 hours to get there? This time, since I knew how to get there, it took us way lesser time to get there.

That was the good news. The bad news was because we went at the time when Summer was transitioning to Autumn, the flowers and leaves that were present in my previous trip were gone, but hadn't been replaced by the stunning Fall colors. We saw lots of brown, instead of golden yellows and oranges. WAHHHHHH! A wasted trip.

*sigh*

Well, at least I enjoyed the company.

Some of my favorite pictures-

Scenery while driving through the mountains to Cascade Springs.
Takes your breath away, huh

More pictures here.

Oh and btw... I am a new member of Costco... finally! HOORAY!

Timpanogos caves

WARNING: This is NOT a hike for the fainthearted. No really. I've been in Utah for over 2 years, and I still had to hard time hiking up.

But it was SO WORTH IT.

My sisters, Vickie (past roommate) and I went to the Timpanogos Caves the Saturday before school started.

They (as in... the park rangers) gave us "plenty of time" (hour and a half) to hike from the base of the mountain to the caves. They lied. I think an hour and a half wouldn't be enough.

Okay, it was partly our fault. We arrived there late and as a result, only had an hour to hike up the 1.5 miles. We barely made it on time. As a result, we didn't have much time to admire the scenery although we still managed to take some cool pictures along the way, such as

The climb is really steep though, so I bet we would still have been tired out even if we had taken the full hour and a half.

The hard climb was worth every drop of sweat once we went into the caves however. Did I mention how freaking awesome it was? Who knew that Utah was so cool?! Wish I'd known about this earlier because we got to see loads of cool geological formations such as

Stalactites everywhere!
We also saw lots of stalagmites (the ones that "grow" from the ground)

The GIGANTIC HUMONGOUS stalactite I term "The Beast"
It's really named "The Heart of Timpanogos Caves"... for obvious reasons

Called "Slabs" as in "slabs of ice"
Not the most creative name but hey, it fits!

I learned also learned that caves also have other cool features such as "beacon strips." 

Click here for more pictures.

Temple Square in the Summer

Isn't it weird that I've visited Temple Square many times to see the Christmas Lights, yet I've never visited Temple Square in the summer nor toured the Conference Center? No kidding. Long time coming, but I finally did it, and I'm so glad I was able to do it with my sisters.

We started by taking a tour of the Conference Center. No matter how many times I've been in that building, I am always awed by the size of the building. This time, the tour guide pointed out to us the intricate details of the building.

 Then  we went into the Conference Hall...

Unbelievable.

We also walked around Temple Square- I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. Whoever does the landscaping for Temple Square is a genius!
Here were some of my highlights:

• Dinner at the Nauvoo Cafe and view from the Joseph Smith Building
• The Salt Lake Temple- now that I've moved to Salt Lake, it's officially "my" temple now :)
• The "Dollhouse" of the Salt Lake Temple
• The Christus
• Seeing Sister Sarah Woo! She looked radiant and happy
• The Tabernacle. We requested that the sister missionaries conduct the acoustic demonstration, and 

we

were

blown

away

The acoustics... wow! There is no way Brigham Young could have known about such physics without pure revelation. 

We came back the next day to watch a rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for their weekly "Music and the Spoken Word" episode. 

Need I say it was AWESOME?!

For more pictures, please click on this link.

Summer Flowers are in Bloom!

Summer is HOT HOT HOT. But dang, the flowers are gorgeous! And the perfect place to find one of the most gorgeous flower landscapes now is at the temple. The paths are lined with stunning rose bushes, with pockets of yellow flowers.

Here are some pictures I took of the temple grounds, and a few more can be found at
http://myzestylittlelife.shutterfly.com.

My Best Friend's Wedding

SO MUCH FUN BUT SO TIRING TOO. When my wedding comes along, I'm giving my husband an ultimatum: Either cater or no reception in America. I have a feeling that my future husband will actually choose the "no reception" option... base on what my guy friends say.

The Wedding in a Nutshell (version according to Keshia)

Jay got out of the car, and we had to "shoo" him back in (it's bad luck Jay!). Ray (Su's youngest brother) made him answer 12 questions before he would open the door for the poor groom to get out.

Then he had to overcome the Bridesmaids/ 阿姨s Challenge 

The *cough* demure *cough* posse of Bridesmaids

Starting Price: $88,888.

For every challenge he and his groomsmen won, we would knock down one digit.

I have to say I was impressed with Jay's stamina. Here is the long list of challenges he had to overcome. Note that most of the challenges were designed by the bride herself, so don't blame me for all the "torture":

• Catchphrase- Jay and his groomsmen lost
• Riddle- After being merciful and giving them a hint, they "solved" it. One digit down.
• D.D.R.- The groomsmen trounced us! Or at least, Jay's best man trounced me by  80,000 points. And I practiced for an entire week!  Another digit down
• Pineapple Cutting Contest- Jay lost to Fan
• Recited Shouted a sign pledging to take care of Su for the rest of eternity (it was more embarrassing than that) through the door. One more digit down
• Bargaining with the Bridesmaids/阿姨s. It was really funny because the price was $88, but Jay said, "Be merciful, how about $XX?" and named a price higher than $88! *tiong* Sure. Thought that since they are newlyweds shouldn't demand too much, but hey! 
• Surprise challenge from bride- he and his men had to find her shoes

Tea Ceremony for Su's family. It was very touching, and it was so cute when he youngest brother started tearing up! 

Off to the temple. HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY- the guests were in for a treat because none other than Elder D. Todd Christofferson performed the sealing! It was very special, and the Spirit was very strong during the ceremony. 

Picture taking after the sealing. 

The newlyweds- after a 9 month long engagement, HOORAY!

How cute is that?!

It always awes me

Her gorgeous bouquet consisting of her favorite flowers

 Ashlynn with her Mom. She is adorable! And the other is Lincoln, her brother with his grandfather. Isn't his chubby cheeks just so darn CUUUUUTE?! 

"One day Ashlynn, you too..."

After picking up my license plate from the dealership (my car is official-official now!), we drove back down to  Orem for the reception at the chapel of the Liu's. The caterers did a great job with the decoration and the food. Su's brother, Han, composed a music piece called "Journey" and performed it along with her other brothers and cousin for the wedding. Good job Han!  

Come to think of it, they remind of the jellyfish in Finding Nemo... 

The Wedding Cake!

Then the reception. While the bride and groom entertained at the receiving line, the rest of the wedding party "re-stocked" food and some of us decorated the car. 

Once over, the bride and groom drove off but not before the bridesmaids, ok, I had another "bargaining" with the groom for his car keys. Didn't want to bankrupt them and they were really tired, so it didn't take long. Only a few more dollars each. 

Then...

Most original idea for party favors, and a great hit with the guest. 

Phew! What a day. But so happy for them. HOORAY!

On the Way To the Temple and Back

My dad remarked that there are hardly any pictures on my blog, and I said that's because there are no pictures to take here. I was wrong. There are not as many novel experiences to record, but there are still moments to be captured.

Spring is turning into Summer, and the flowers are in bloom. Yipee!
These pictures were taken during my walks to the Provo Temple. I love walking there and back, and am glad it's pleasant enough to do so now without the freezing Winter or blazing hot Summer. Wish the weather would stay as such.

I've uploaded plenty more pictures on a Shutterfly photo album- http://myzestylittlelife.shutterfly.com/!