The Platts

KATRINA WALL

2011-07-10T22:37:00.001-07:00

BABY CLAIRE SORENSEN

2011-07-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

As of lately...

2011-07-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

My passion recently has been photography! My husband bought me a camera for my "quarter century birthday" and it's been the only thing I've been absolutely obsessed with! I was able to take some pictures and play with photoshop a little bit. To my surprise, they all turned out looking amazing!

WHITNEY AND BRAKSTON'S ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Recipes --->

2011-03-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are looking through my recipes, I am slowly trying to gather them up so I can post all of them for you. :)

Recipes...nom nom NOM

2011-02-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

For the next month, I am going to try very hard to blog all my favorite recipes! stay tuned...

My amazing and wonderful Grandmother!

2011-02-03T16:20:00.001-08:00

Just this past Summer, BYU interviewed my grandmother to get her story about her life struggles while living in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took over in the 70's. This story shows how much of a courageous woman she is! I'm glad that BYU was able to take a little part of her story to share with the world! (she was featured on BYU TV) We love you Grandma! She turns 81 years old tomorrow! Click on the link below to see her interview:

http://www.byutv.org/watch/2151-205

Insanity...123

2011-02-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

It's about that time! 2 weeks ago, i decided to eat healthy...sort of. LOL. Well, it kind of paid off! I lost 3 pounds! ok, i guess eating healthy alone wasn't going to help me get to where I wanted to be so I started insanity today!! LET ME TELL YOU! Insanity is on a whole different level. For those of you who don't know what Insanity is, it's a 60 day work out program. I would have to say it's a version of P90x on steroids! lol...Daniel and I will be working on this together so we can both help each other motivate the other person! Let's see how things turn out after the first week of April. WISH US LUCK!

???

2011-01-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

What can I say?!?! I'm a slacker when it comes to blogging...maybe because there isn't anything interesting going on for us right now. Daniel is still going to school and I....well, I am still in search for ANOTHER job. OH we do have some good news!! Daniel finishes school in July!! That means I'll be updating more often with more interesting facts :) We did however, get to spend our time with family during the Holidays...we LOVE spending time with our family whenever we get the chance. Since I don't have much to tell about me and Daniel, I'll talk about my family...

WELP, my sister Sopha is about 37 weeks along and will be having her second baby pretty soon. I am VERY excited! I've already started on projects...shhhh don't tell daniel :) AND my sister-in-law Laura is pregnant with her fourth and is due in July...i love me some babies!!! nieces and nephews of course! and for those of you who are wondering when daniel and I are planning on having a little munchkin of our own, i'd hate to break it to ya....it won't be for awhile. i know i know...it's just something that we both decided can wait a little while we pick up on our lives AFTER Rexburg. Don't worry, when it happens you'll be the first to know! This past year has been great! Learned a lot, grown a BUNCH! and yet there's much more learning to do. We can't wait to see what this year has to offer! XoXo

about TIME!

2010-09-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

I know it's been long since i've last posted something. We have had a crazy summer! From vacationing to California to a Wedding in Texas. We got the opportunity to witness the sealing of Erin (Daniel's sister) and her now husband, John. We spent our one year anniversary vacationing with family and friends. IT was awesome! Now that we are back in Rexburg, it's time to get back to reality. Daniel just started another semester of school and only has one year left!!! waaahoooooo! I start my new job this week and is ready to roll in some dough! :) Great things are also happening in the family...My sister Soksopha is pregnant with her second child and is having another boy. Grandma had the opportunity to share her story of her life in Cambodia with BYU. AND my aunt was finally able to reunite with the family and come to the States after 30 years! What a year of great blessings..the Lord has blessed us in so many ways...

Weekend in Monterey Bay

2010-08-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

Daniel and I had a blast in Monterey Bay!! My sister and her family invited us to come with and we ended up staying for the whole weekend! It was so relaxing and was exactly what we needed. We had an awesome time doing fun outdoor things such as biking Cannery Row and kayaking in the bay with sea otters..not to mention, daniel went swimming with them! :D We had Ghiradelli 2 days in a row for dessert..not to mention, daniel has had it 3 times since we've been to California...I think someone is getting spoiled *ahem*...hehe. We also enjoyed our time playing in the sand on the beach and building sand castles with jacob...actually, we built them and he knocked it over! lol. We ended the perfect trip by daniel tumbling in the water and couldn't get himself up...so he tried to play it off by laying in the water. hahahaha! thanks pa, jeremy, and jacob!

Quick Turkey Chili

2010-06-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
¼ lb ground turkey breast
1 can (14.5 oz) diced Mexican-style tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added black beans and kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ tsp cumin
⅛ tsp chili powder
crushed red pepper flakes/cayenne pepper, to taste

In a pot, heat the oil on medium-low. add the onion and sauté until soft, about
3 to 5 minutes. add the turkey and cook for another 5 minutes. add the tomatoes
with juice, beans, broth, and spices. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat
and simmer for 20 minutes. this will make about 4 cups of chili.

Per serving (about 2
cups): 436 calories,
35 g protein, 58 g
carbs, 7.5 g fat (1 g
saturated), 22 g fiber,
756 mg sodium, 23 mg
cholesterol

Steak Fajitas-Best I've Ever Had!

2010-06-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

We are working on eating healthy. Daniel found a few more recipes that we wanted to try out. Honestly, these are the BEST fajitas I have EVER had! you have to try them! Even though you are not looking for eating healthy, these recipes are the BOMB and we highly recommend it! We were able to buy all the ingredients needed for a week worth of food and found out that we saved a lot more this way. We are looking forward to the different meals throughout the week. I will post the recipe's of all the yummy food! :)

8 oz top sirloin steak
1 small onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut length-wise into strips
1 small jalapeno pepper, cut into rings
½ tsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
⅛ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 soft whole-wheat tortilla
Salsa
1 lime, (4 slices)
1 can black beans; rinsed, drained, and heated

Cut the meat diagonally and across the grain into thin strips. place the steak, onions,
and the next six ingredients in a Zip-lock bag and shake well to combine. dump the
mixture into a skillet that’s been preheated over medium-high heat. cook, turning
frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the meat reaches the desired doneness. Season
to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with beans, a soft whole-wheat tortilla, salsa, and lime to taste.

Serves 2

Per serving: 451 calories,
38 g protein, 59 g carbs,
8.5 g fat (2 g saturated),
13 g fiber, 757 mg sodium,
53 mg cholesterol

Cream Cheese and Blueberry-Stuffed French Toast

2010-06-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 ounces cream cheese (half of an 8-ounce package)
8-12 slices of white bread
1 cup fresh blueberries (or any other fruit desired i.e. strawberries)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar (for blueberries)
1 teaspoon all purpose flour
Butter, for cooking
Maple syrup or confectioners' sugar, for serving

Makes 4-6 sandwiches, serves 4-6

Directions: In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ground cinnamon, and granulated sugar. Spread the cream cheese on 4-6 slices of the bread. In a pan on low-medium heat, combine the fresh blueberries, sugar, and flour (until thicken but don't break the blueberries). Divide the blueberries among the 4-6 bread slices. Top with the remaining bread slices.

Melt butter on a griddle over medium-low heat. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side. Cook the sandwiches until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Top with a tablespoon of blueberries and serve with maple syrup or confectioners' sugar. (Daniel and I didn't use maple syrup or confectioners' sugar. We used the syrup from the blueberries and that was sweet enough!) ENJOY

Blueberry Mango Mahi Mahi

2010-06-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

Daniel found this really amazing recipe and we decided to make this dish! it was very simple and OH SO DELISH! we recommend you try it...it is only 160 calories!

1/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup diced mango
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste
4 mahi mahi, red snapper, sea bass or halibut fillets (4 ounces each)

1. Mix the blueberries, mango, onion, pepper, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, sugar and sea salt in a bowl. Don’t worry about crushing the blueberries; you want to release the juice. Set aside.

2. Lightly oil grill pan or fry pan and preheat it on medium high. Lightly season the flesh side of the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place them, skin side down, on the hot grill. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the skins are lightly charged and crispy. Turn over and sear for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Avoid overcooking. When done, the fish should flake easily with a gentle touch of a fork.

3. Top each piece of fish with the salsa.

Serve with roasted red potatoes and steamed broccoli. (optional)

Makes 4 servings.

hmmmm....what to do?

2010-06-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Daniel's birthday is in 3 weeks.. i don't know what to get or do for him...we didn't do much last year because it was so hectic with it being my last semester and graduation n all...any suggestions anyone? I want to make it fun and memorable for him!! :)

DISNEYWORLD!

2010-06-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last month in early May, Daniel and I joined his family in Florida at the Happiest Place on Earth!! LITERALLY, it is! the weather was great, HOT!! we ate a ton of yummy food and it was oh soo good! here are some pictures from our trip! Thanks mom and dad!

A year ago...

2010-03-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today I was thinking about the time Daniel and I first met. I can't believe its been a year already! looking back at pictures, i found this! this is our first picture together. I GUESS you can say this describes our relationship perfectly! lol...boy does the time fly but we're still the same ol' silly couple! ;)

READY FOR SUMMER!

2010-03-27T23:44:00.001-07:00

The weather has been so weird this year...one day its snowing and one day its beautiful...i am ready for shorts! no more snowflakes and icicles please!! we are just READY FOR SUMMER!! we have already gone on hikes and went to several bonfires (the thing to do here in the summer)...we are just about ready to jump in the lake! COOOOOME ON SUMMER!

Hmmmmm...getting some goodies for the bonfire! (bonfire #1 at the Crack)

Can ya smell what the Platt is cookin!! haha

Lol..Brittney missing a tooth...? (rooster's girlfriend)

The smoke from the bonfire were getting in my eyes!

Beautiful Tuesday...decided to go on a hike. :)

Daniel decided to go to Idaho Falls with Derick this day...I came home from work and wanted to make myself something delish! soooo, i made Garlic jalapeno burger stuffed with Pepper jack cheese, topped with over medium egg, sauteed mushrooms and onions (was getting sauteed on the skillet), a bed of lettuce, dressed with a little mayo and ketchup...too bad daniel was gone and couldn't enjoy it with me... :) it was a toe tapping burger... :D

Megan, looks like you got something to tell me? :)

Taking Meg (my bestest) out for her birthday dinner...

At the basketball championship game on campus...can you tell someone is excited?

Bonfire #2 at Beavers

It's gettin hot in here!!!!

Mango Frozen yogurt topped with strawberries...yummmm...

i love my husband!

2010-03-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

I don't think I could have been any luckier!! Like my brother-inlaw Kyle said before daniel and I got married, "You hit the jackpot"! Everyday I wake up and wonder why I was so lucky to get such an amazing guy...minus the dirty socks, jacket of the floor, the smell (ya'll know what i mean), oh and the video games! lol. Not to mention pushing me into a pile of snow before walking into our apartment...haha. He gives me kisses every morning before getting out of bed and kisses before i fall asleep. ;) Words can't explain how much i love this man! *sigh*....still falling in love.........

CHINA..TAIWAN...CHINA!!

2010-02-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, so eversince Daniel and I started talking about moving to China, I have always been a little iffy about it..more cause i'm scared! well today, i got news from my good friend from middle/high school Alicia Garcia, that she is moving to TAIWAN this July/August!!! She is half taiwanese and is super excited to have finally get the opportunity to get to know that side of her family! although alicia and I won't be in the same walking or driving distance, i am more content about knowing someone else from home! I am almost positive that we will be in and out of Taiwan. (daniel served his mission there and loves the people)...that means i get to see Ally and go on shopping sprees!!! lol...i can speak english to someone else other than my husband now! ;) however, the benefits from learning mandarin............daniel said to me today.."stop it woman! you're learning too fast!"..lol..i guess i have Shen Lao Shi to thank! (Teacher Shen)

How to cheat-cookies recipe!

2010-02-20T10:54:00.000-08:00

ok, so i haven't been so honest about my baking when daniel want cookies at the last minute!...so i cheat... ;/ My relief society president from 2 years ago gave me the recipe.. i'm sure all you ladies that don't want to spend all that time measuring all the ingredients would LOVE this! Your kids would love making them too. Daniel enjoys eating them! ;)

-1 box of cake mix (any kind you like, i usually use devils chocolate)
-1 stick of melted butter
-2 large eggs (make sure you add the butter with the cake mix and mix it well before you add the egg or you'll have scramble eggs in your cookie dough! lol)

THATS IT! you can add as much chocolate chips or your favs into the mix. i usually put 1 cup-1 1/2 of vanilla chocolate morsels to the devils chocolate cookies. i top it with macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, or whatever you like!! you can even use yellow or white cake mix for chocolate chip cookies.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 8 minutes. (no need to grease the pan because there is enough butter in the cookie dough) when you take it out of the oven, let it sit on the cookie sheet for 30-40 seconds before transferring it to a cooling rack (place a sheet of wax paper on top of rack). ENJOY!!

6 months...

2010-02-18T15:29:00.001-08:00

Daniel and I will be married for 6 months this weekend! Even though its not quite a year, we are very close! We just can't believe how much time flies...a lot of things happened in the last 6 months..most of it has to do with eating and gaining A LOT of weight! lol. but don't worry....we are gettinig on it! we'd like to thank all of our family and friends who have been very supportive. We love each other more and more each day! ps i'm excited to eat yummy food this weekend.....haha. ;D

Valentine Weekend!

2010-02-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

Valentine was great!! Daniel and I started a little early and gave the other person their present early! thursday that is...daniel couldn't wait...hehe...or should i say "I" couldn't wait... :) On saturday morning, I surprised him with snowshoeing! he wanted to do this for a while now but we never got the chance. little to my knowledge, i didn't know how exhausting and tough it would be! My body is sore. some more than the others! lol. We did a 6 mile snowshoeing up Mesa Falls. However, we only hiked up to the lower falls because it was starting to get dark and another 2 miles to the upper falls was not what I had planned! haha. Halfway up there, daniel told me he had a secret to tell me. and i was just SO excited i pushed myself even harder. he told me he'd tell me when we were done. After a looooong afternoon of snowshoeing, he finally told me the secret...DAniel: you want to know my secret? me: yes! Daniel: WOW! that was hard!!--haha....and to think, I complained for the first 30 minutes cause it took all my energy!!! lol..when it seemed like daniel couldn't take it anymore of my complaints, i shut myself up for the next 3 hours!! and here he was, secretively thinking it was hard! lol...gotta love him!!

Whew!! WE WERE FINALLY DONE!

As soon as we got back into town, we took a very short nap and went to the Valentine's Ball! For a moment, it felt like prom because everyone dressed up in their formal dresses. We saw some of our friends there also. We stood in line for pictures for about an hour and a half...but we didn't waste anytime dancing! Daniel was showing me what he got as we waited in line! lol. Overall, it was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

My last surprise for daniel on Valentine's day, a plate of cookies and a bunch of his favorite goodies! He went straight for the chocolate cookies! ;D That evening, Daniel made me a rib eye steak dinner..hmmm SO DELICIOUS! I love my husband!

L.O.V.E.

2010-02-09T22:27:00.000-08:00

I know its been awhile since i'veposted something...it just seems like we've been busy busy busy! all i know now is that im excited for this weekend! its our first VALENTINES together and our first valentines being married! being as sneaky as i am, i found what he got me for valentines day... ;) yup! very sneaky me! about a couple of weeks ago, i was in the kitchen and daniel was sitting at the dinner table. he looks at me and says, "monica" and i said "yes sweetie"....he paused a bit, looking as nervous as ever like when he asked me to marry him and said "will you go to the valentines ball with me"? i said YES OF COURSE! isnt he the cutest thing ever? im super excited about that! just wait til what i have in store for daniel...its something he's wanted to do for awhile now! ahhh gotta love him...will soon post pictures from the adventure of Valentines day!

Let me hear you say "Monica beat Daniel in Canasta!!" ;D

2010-01-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

Daniel and I spent Christmas in Texas this year. It was the best Christmas I've had for as long as I could remember! I felt like a little girl again on Christmas morning waiting for Santa Claus! To our surprise, it snowed Christmas eve and Christmas day...WHITE CHRISTMAS IN TEXAS? i guess i really am good luck... ;) We spent our first week shopping like crazy!! I think I satisfied my need to shop...for the time being that is.... :) The next few days consisted of eating yummy food, swimming, playing games, games, and more games! to all of you out there, you don't understand the meaning of competitiveness until you are playing with the PLATTS!! but let me tell ya, monica brought her game face! yup beat daniel in EVERYTHING..hah! I've posted most of our pictures on facebook, but i would like to just add a little something to the blogger! here are some of our family photos that were taken when we were there! Thanks Mama and Papa Platt for a wonderful Christmas! we <3 you! Enjoy!

THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

This year was a very eventful one! We got married, moved into our apartment, spent Thanksgiving in California, and is spending Christmas in TEXAS! Every time this time of year comes around, we tend to forget what the real meaning of christmas is about...its not about presents and who gets the most...its about spending time with family and celebrating the birth of Christ. It's about quality time spent with one another and being grateful for the many blessings we've been blessed with. Here is a little something to remind us what the "real meaning of christmas" is all about! We are grateful for our friends and family and love that we can share with all of you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND!

2009-12-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

Winter is finally here!!! For me, it means brrrrrrrrr! For Daniel, it means snowboarding!! :/ We decided to have some fun in the snow before it gets too cold for pictures. Daniel has had a tough semester but is doing well in his classes and can't wait for the semester to be over in 2 weeks! Although it's only been 3 months, we were in need of a break! We spent thanksgiving in warm California weather and will be spending Christmas in Texas. Gotta practice my Texas lingo before I go back. So "ya'll" remember to come back and visit us! ;)

The blessings we all share..

2009-10-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

After a loooooong month of job searching, I finally landed with one! They called me late last week to schedule an interview for Monday. Daniel and I both had a good feeling about this. After my interview, they scheduled me to come in for training that same week. It's a job involved in Marketing research and the hours are VERY flexible...I make my own schedule weekly. Which means we can plan our date nights, holiday trips home, ad family vacations without having to worry about the conflict with work. Overall, we feel a huge relief! Daniel is even more excited than I am because now he "thinks" he'll be getting all of his new snowboarding gear! lol... Some other great news, we have a new member in the family. My sister in-law, Laura (Daniel's sister) had her baby on Friday, October 9th. They named her Annelyse Krista Mammen. We can't wait to meet her over the holidays! Also, we have a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My niece, Erin Kay Horn Pascual was baptized and confirmed a member of the church on Saturday, October 10th. We were also able to celebrate her 8th birthday with her! What a great blessing it is to see the progress in our family and the love we all have for one another!

Utah-The Pascual's-BYU Football-Ikea

2009-10-13T13:09:00.001-07:00

About a month ago this time, Daniel and I drove down to utah to get some furniture from Ikea. As you know, our trip consists of visiting Erin Platt and the Pascual's. AND if you know Rico, the BYU football game on campus! We always have fun when we go down to utah, especially when we get to see our families! ps. Sokee, I had to put up that ugly picture of us!!! haha. forgive me. i lub you (cambodian accent) lol

BYU vs. OU

2009-10-08T15:22:00.001-07:00

On September 5, 2009 we went to a BYU vs OU football game in Dallas. The day before, we had our open house at the Platt's and it was just beautiful! My mother inlaw Christa did an amazing job with the house with all the family members who came to help! It was my first time going to a BYU game and they won 14-13! OU was rated 3rd and BYU 20th. This game pushed them up to 7th! whoooohooo!

Rewind << First Trip to TEXAS! (July 09)

2009-10-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

At the end of the Summer semester in July, I made my first trip down to Texas to meet my inlaws for the first time! Before that, I had already met my mother inlaw Christa, and sister inlaw Erin. After meeting them, I knew I hit the "jackpot"! Words also inspired by my brother inlaw Kyle...

This was Daniel's baby blanket. His mom (now my mother-inlaw) showed me a picture just like this one when he was a baby! I had to get this shot!

This is how it goes when you play the Mexican train with the Platt's. All sorts of weird faces ;)

Emily and Janelle

So, on this day, the family decided to take me to the lake. It was a beautiful, sunny, and HOT day. It was fun getting to know the family!

Little Celeste

Isn't that pretty?

Rachel and Celeste are about done with the lake

So, I married a mexican. I knew something was up... :)

Emily and her friend Lucy Scholl. Lucy's brother is also a friend of ours.

UPDATE!

2009-10-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

We have been sooooo busy for the past few months with the wedding, traveling, new apartment, school, and job searching!! With a computer that didn't have access to the internet all the time, it made it difficult to update our crazy life! Stay posted! We will update you on our "very interesting" cambodian wedding and temple wedding very soon! I'm even excited for you! ;) Just to start where we left off, below are some of our engagement photos taken about 4 months ago...

Aloha from California!

2009-06-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Daniel and I went to California this past weekend and enjoyed our time with family and friends! We were happy to have spent an evening with them at our engagement party which my best friends Cheo (maid of honor) and Katie (bridesmaid) threw for us Saturday evening. There were tons of food, laughter, and not to mention "stories" ;)...we had coconut, pineapple and all the fun tropical things you can think of...THANK YOU CHEO AND KATIE! WE LOVE YOU!

The two girls that made it happen!

Back in the STATES!

2009-05-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Daniel has been studying abroad in Asia for a month and is finally back in the states! It's good to have him home and now he can do all the fun stuff for the wedding! ;P We will be taking our engagement pictures late this afternoon and we're excited about that...oh wait, "I" am excited about that (for all of those who know Daniel :D)...We'll be posting up some pictures soon. Stay posted!

A few weeks ago...

2009-05-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, my friends and family came up from California for my brother-in-law, Rico's graduation. We enjoyed having them up here and our time with them! here are some pictures to prove it!! :)

Ridin around the Burg..

Quickstop at Sonic...hmmmm...

i like this a lot.. :D

The "oreo"...backwards...lol..get it?

Just the fellas!

HAHA...we all tried to fit on top of the platform! it was a success!

Can anyone do it like us? ;)

Our wedding favors!

2009-05-08T22:26:00.001-07:00

We are making these ourselves. They will coordinate with our wedding colors! Do you like it?

Our story...

2009-05-08T21:33:00.000-07:00