Last of Fall

This week began with Chemistry Week! We have always wanted to go to the Chemistry show since Kim started working in that department and this year we made it. It was a room full of kids screaming and laughing and oohing and awwing. It was great and reminded me of some of the things my dad would do. For a sixth grade project I made a volcano and my dad brought home chemicals from work to put in it. When you dropped a beaker of water into the mixture, it would burn and sputter like a volcano. I loved it.

On Friday we went to Octubafest. Kim played the tuba in Jr. High and high school. It was great to listen to the Utah Brass Band and hear the Cougar Band played those tubas! The next morning we got up and hiked Stewart Falls to see the last of the fall leaves. It was beautiful and felt so good to be out and hiking!

Today marks three years ago that Bryce and Dallin spoke in our ward for returning and going out on their missions.  It brought back memories as our good friends spoke the same day and time three years later  as they prepare to leave to serve in Africa as Welfare Directors in Mozambique. We are going to miss them and have wondered aloud what our lives are going to be like when they are gone.

Here is the Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle that we took to their house and a picture of  Willy
( Bryce's best friend) with his nieces at their home. It was a big hit. Here is the recipe: 1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes 1 large box (5-ounce) of instant chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled (this will most likely call for 3 cups of milk, nothing else) 1 bag of peanut butter cups, chopped (I used Dove chocolate peanut butter Promises) 2 cups heavy cream 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on your desired level of sweetness 1 cup of creamy peanut butter 1 cup of powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk 8 ounces of whipped cream cheese, at room temperature In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to an separate bowl and stick in the fridge until ready to use. I did not even clean the bowl of my electric mixer and just began mixing the peanut butter mixture. Add the peanut butter and cream cheese to the bowl and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides a few times until mixture is creamy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined, then mix in 2 tablespoons of milk. Remove the whipped cream from the fridge and add 1 cup of it to the peanut butter, folding it in until the mixture turns lighter in color and is mostly combined. Grab your trifle dish and begin to layer your ingredients however you’d like. I did a layer of brownies, then peanut butter, then a handful of chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and so on. I repeated it until I got to the top, then piped the remaining whipped cream on top and sprinkled the candy on. You really can’t go wrong with layering – just use a long spoon to serve!