Angie's must-have Utah County food

Cafe Rio. At first I wasn't that excited to go since I've had it a million times, but when I tasted it I remembered how truly amazing it is. I'd forgotten how good it is. Long live the sweet pork salad with cilantro ranch! And those homemade tortillas? And the salmon tacos? It's all so yummy.

The Chocolate dessert cafe. Cupcakes were okay (we thought the cupcakes we made for the shower were better), but the shop was adorable. A very fun place to sit and chat with girlfriends over cupcakes. And they have much more than just chocolate.






Spread the word: Farr's has officially replaced Hello Yogurt as my new favorite self-serve yogurt place. (Dear Sara: Go there. Immediately.) More flavors, more toppings, more YUM!


Lunch at Pizza Factory in Lindon with my mom and mom-in-law. Nothing better than discussing womanhood over a tower of those fantastic breadtwists. Ahhh, the breadtwists.


Lunch with the girls from work at Smoking Apple BBQ in Lindon. Possibly Lindon's best-kept secret. That place rocks. And even though they've raised their prices, they're still way inexpensive.

Kneaders. Twice. Once with Mike and Sar, once with mom on the way out of town. How could I forget this place? It is really truly amazing. Their wide variety of breads are all so good, their sweets are decadent, and their sandwiches and soups are delicious. I love that place. Favorites include Classic Turkey on Focaccia (love that Kneaders sauce) and the creamy Artichoke Portobello soup. I am salivating.


Sushi at Shoga in Orem. Yyyyyyum.

Sunday Brunch at the Foundry

My family's best friends (who aren't relatives) are the Markhams. (I've mentioned them here and here and here.) One of the big events I was looking forward to over the break was going to Foundry Grill at Sundance with the Markhams for the famous brunch. They've been telling us for years how amazing it is and we finally scheduled a time to experience it together!

It was, in fact, incredible. But even better than the food was the great company. It was so fun catching up with Lindsay, Kevin and Lisa. These people just make you feel love. And they are dang funny and fun to be around too. I just wish their other kids could've made it up.

Sundance is absolutely beautiful. I really love that resort. I have lots of good memories there and I just like how it's smaller yet so beautiful. It was breathtaking with all the snow.

The little "general store" at Sundance is so quaint and rustic. I love it.






Hi Lindsay!


Kevin and Dad


















Even the walk to the car was beautiful!

Thanksgiving at Grandma's

We've had a whirlwind week and I'm finally taking a second to blog it. Our trip to Utah was so wonderfully perfect and filled to the brim with fun activities and people we love dearly. I only wish it could've lasted longer. I can't fully express how great it was to be home and see all our family who we've missed so much! I loved seeing all of you! We're really looking forward to Christmas.

We were so happy we got to share Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's side of the family, and had almost everyone there! I loved being at grandma and grandpa's house in Cedar, the house I grew up visiting them in. I'm so happy we were able to fit everyone in and celebrate Thanksgiving there. So many memories have been shared there with so many of the people sitting at the table with us. We feel so thankful for our wonderful family.

And of course, with the Heap family's culinary powers combined, we had one big, amazing, home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone pitched in and it came together perfectly! I've got a lot of great cooks in my family. Enjoy some photos of the day.

Kyle and Michelle provided a beautiful turkey.

Helping hands.

My beautiful Gram.

Michelle and her amazing creamy delicious mashed potatoes.


Cute place cards and favors by aunt SheraLyn and cousin Sheralee.

My Grandpa, counting his blessings before dinner :)

I love my grandparents. They gave a little speech at dinner.

i love my birthday.

I shamelessly admit that I LOVE being celebrated and loved and remembered for a day (or a few days). Whoever invented birthdays was a GENIUS. I loved hearing from so many of my close family and friends on my birthday. Thank you so much for all your well-wishes you sent my way all day. I love you all! You made it such a great day!

My only regret is the shameful lack of photos I took. All on the iPhone, none with important people in them.

At work they got me a cake (and another girl whose birthday is Friday), and sang to me and everyone wrote in a card and the doc gave me a birthday check! I love my job!

My aunt Barbara and cousin Heidi were in town and came to my office to see me! That was so fun and I was happy to get to see them, even if it was just for a few minutes.

After work Klane took me to dinner at a secret location. I had no idea where he was leading me. It was so exciting. We were walking down a quiet street when suddenly Klane turns us down this little alley. Seriously?! (Yes.) Tucked away at the end was this cosy little romantic restaurant with twinkle lights, candles, rustic decor, and amazing food. It was amazing!

We decided to wander around to find a place for dessert. Luckily we were near some of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. It was a perfect night. The weather was gorgeous and the streets weren't too busy, so we got to roam around enjoying each other's company and admiring the cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture of SoHo and the West Village. I loved every minute.




Magnolia Bakery ended up being our dessert place of choice. I've been there once for cupcakes and wasn't impressed, so I always thought the bakery was overrated. But oh my heavens. Their other desserts are fantastic. We tried the banana pudding and the icebox cake. Both desserts were amazing. We sat on a park bench across the street eating and making "mmmm" sounds the whole time. I am now a believer of Magnolia. So good!

So overall I think it was the best birthday ever. I say that every year but it's always true. They just keep getting better. I think that's the way it should be.