The Week of Scott and Shelby

 It's been a super fun and very busy couple of weeks, as per usual when Scott and Shelby come into town. We always make fun when they say that they could never live here because of all the familial obligations but really it's them coming that brings us together an abnormal amount. But either way it's been fun. 

We postponed the Great Brimley Bake-Off from the holiday season to last week so they could participate and I think it was actually our best year yet. The theme was fancy items served at Brunch and the spread was shockingly good. My parents were the judges (though they say it was their last year and next year we will need to find someone impartial). 

• Nicole made an African egg and pepper sort of dish that you scooped up using a toasted baguette. Apparently recreating a breakfast dish that she had in Boston.  Delicious. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Derek and Ali made two kinds of sweet bread - one was a sort of a Nutella breaded bread and the other was a raspberry, pistachio, white chocolate bread. I feel that they were snubbed and should have gotten the W. 
  
• Shelby and Scott made a Naan egg sandwich with a honey drizzle. It was amazing and won my mom's favorite. 
  
  
  
• Kell and I made kolaches. We did a savory kind with egg, sausage, cheese, and jalapeño and then we did a sweet kind with homemade Nutella and strawberries. Both delicious and I'd go as far as to say the child favorite.

• Nate and Ali made bread pudding which may have taken the win except halfway through my mom find out they used whiskey to soak the raisins and I'm not sure she could get past it. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Anna and Ethan made a homemade focaccia bread and did pesto, mozzarella, and Proscuitto sandwiches. They ended up being my dad's favorite and I'd have to go with him on that because they were amazing. 
  

So in the end everyone really showed up and it was our most delicious spread. It's becoming harder to come up with good ideas every year though so I don't know what we will come up with for next time, but this will be hard to beat. 

After the bake-off we had a lovely day of sledding at mutual dell and my mom was able to rent part of the lodge to have hot chocolate which was lovely, especially for us pregnant people that can't risk the dangers of the snow. The missionaries in charge of the lodge were only a tiny bit crazy about the cleaning, so overall it was great. 

The week was a lot of pickleball, Mario, tasty food, and maybe the highlight was going to Jack and Lizzie's school play where they both had pretty major parts. The play was the Aristocats, so I was kind of dreading having to go but it was honestly amazing. Lizzie was a goose and Jack was Thomas O'Malley. We were cracking up the whole time. Very impressive. 

This weekend Kell was able to let us stay in his firm's Eden property so we had an adults (+Jack) night getaway which was super fun. Eden/Huntsville just never cease to amaze me. They are the prettiest part of Utah, IMO. Unfortunately, everyone has now discovered how incredible it is so we are going to have to make it big to ever live/own a property there. Or hopefully no one will ever want to buy this refurbished barn and we can use it forever. There were a lot of flies and beetles this time so I'm hoping that's enough to deter the rich from buying it. 

A group went up and did night skiing at Powder Mountain which apparently was amazing and I was only a little jealous. Kelly said that on their first time down it was "some of the most amazing snow I've ever seen" so that hurts. 

Luckily, we were able to play several games of Rumikub so I don't have any room to complain. My dad smoked a brisket and I made Rosemary sourdough bread (!) and we just had a great time. In the morning we had muffins went on a nice walk and then packed up and headed out. 

So that was that. It's been just a lovely week.