Our great little escape

A few months ago, there was a deal on Living Social for a 2 night stay at Zion Ponderosa Resort. It was 50% off, so I didn't waste any time to get it. We went down there for the weekend at the end of April. It was so much fun, especially since it was our first time visiting Zion National Park in Utah. We totally fell in love with everything down there. The sight-seeing was breathtakingly amazing. I can't believe there are so much things to see and learn about this place. We don't have to worry that there's nothing to do in Utah anymore. The fact is there is too much to see; I worry I might not live long enough to see everything. (Editor's note:  Chummy isn't dying, merely being dramatic.-Brett)


It took us about 5 hours to drive from/to our home in South Jordan. Although I must point out the 80 mph speed limit was pretty awesome. It cut down our time quite a bit :) The view was very nice as well even when it was stormy. During this time of year, it didn't get way too hot yet so we could hike during the day.

The terrain


These pictures really can't do it justice because the view is so much more magnificent in person.




In just a few million years, this will become a great arch



The drive through the canyon was so much fun, some people probably get seriously car sick though.



The view of Bryce canyon

 

 Waterfall at Emerald Pool hike

I was so sad to leave our little cabin suite, such a nice place to stay. I couldn't wait to go back another time.



Ok, so Brett and I both thought this was pretty funny :) Who would actually name a road 'End of the' haha

Cilantro lime rice and taco seasoned chicken

I'm so happy the weather has been feeling so much like it's supposed to be. It was so cold the last few weeks here. Last year it snowed at the end of May. I'm hoping it's not going to repeat this year. I'm so ready for hiking and camping.

This is my first attempt making cilantro lime rice. It was kinda easy--I was worried that it might not work, but it did. It tastes pretty decent and similar to the one they served at Cafe Rio, I suppose.



My way of cooking usually focuses on how to make the most of it from the kind of ingredients I already have without having to go to the store.


Pretty much everything I needed to make the cilantro lime rice:
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (which i left out from this picture, oops)
- 1 cup of chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup of water

Since I eat rice all the time, I usually have rice left over from the previous day. You could make it by just making the rice first. When it's done, I would go ahead to make the seasoning in a sauce pan.




I put everything except lime juice, salt, cilantro in a sauce pan and brought it to a boil. Then I just poured it over the rice and mixed really well while having the pan on medium  heat. Then I added lime juice, salt, and cilantro. You can adjust to however you want by doing that because some people prefer it with more lime juice, cilantro, or salt. But that was just right for my taste.

I used about 2 cup of uncooked rice






Then, I cooked 2lbs of chopped chicken breast with 1/4 of taco seasoning. The package suggests to use one package of seasoning with 1 lbs of meat, but I like my meat to be a little mild so I only used a little bit of it.
 

Dinner was served with pineapple salsa from the previous day :) Pretty quick and easy recipe that fits perfect with my busy work schedule.