Shirley's Bakery & Cafe

Earlier this week I decided to take a day off of school to spend time with Daryn. With our busy school and work schedules, we usually don't get to spend more than a few hours before going to bed together. I had a sudden craving for something sweet - something baked. We'd been wanting to try a local bakery and cafe, Shirley's, since we moved to Provo, and so we headed off!

The cafe was pretty empty when we got there, so we had a chance to really look around without feeling like we were getting in anyone's way. It reminded us of another local cafe, Kneaders. They had baked goods displayed out front and a menu of the cafe items posted. Daryn had already started dinner in the crockpot, so we stuck with an early dessert. After much deliberation we ended up each getting a small eclair (my absolute favorite) and splitting a cinnamon roll. Apparently they're orange rolls are to die for, so we might have to try those next time. It was all so yummy and satisfying! We plan on going back to get some rolls to use for pulled pork sandwiches. We had the rolls at our wedding luncheon, and oh my goodness gracious, they are so good!

Atmosphere: Shirley's was clean and set up well. They had a lot of empty shelves where I'm assuming more delicious baked goods go, but what they did have displayed all looked scrumptious. We give Shirley's atmosphere a 2.

Customer Service: We were immediately greeted and assisted as soon as we were ready to make our purchases. The two girls working were very helpful helping me decide what to get by giving they're own advice as well as what most customers purchase. We give Shirley's customer service a 3.

Food: Since we didn't actually try any of the cafe food, this rating will only be based on their baked goods. I'm biased when it comes to cinnamon rolls, because my mom makes the best ones in the entire world. Shirley's sweet rolls were still yummy (and big!), but the eclairs were ecstasy. A chocolate covered pastry bursting with whipped cream goodness inside. We give Shirley's food a 3.

We're really excited to go back and try their other foods! We'll make sure to report back when we do :) Thanks for reading!

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

This week has been long and exhausting for both Daryn and I. By the time Thursday rolled around, we were our brains were fried, and the last thing we wanted to do was make dinner, so when Daryn picked me up from school we decided to make it date night and went out for dinner. After way too much deliberation (you know those days when you just want to eat something really, really good, but you're not really sure what that is?), we headed to the mall food court. Since we couldn't decide on anything, we figured a variety would be our best bet. Luckily, Daryn realized that we were right by our favorite burger joint: Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Five Guys started in Washington D.C. in 1986. Jerry and Janie Murrell told their sons that they needed to either go to college or start a business. I wonder if they knew what a success taking the second choice would be. They started franchising in 2003 and now have over 1,000 restaurants with 1,500 under development.

Some interesting facts about Five Guys:

• There are over 250,000 ways to order your burger
• They only use fresh ground beef
• There aren't any freezers, only coolers, so nothing is ever frozen
• They use peanut oil (And you can eat as many peanuts as your little heart desires while you wait for your order)

The menu at Five Guys is pretty simple

1. Burgers
1. Cheese
2. Bacon
3. Regular
4. Little (I get the little, because the regular is a pretty good size)
2. Fries
1. Five Guys Style
2. Cajun (We get the Cajun, because it's deliciously seasoned fried goodness)

They also have hotdogs and sandwiches, but we've never tried either, so I can't really say much about them. Maybe we'll branch out and try them sometime... but we're pretty content with our burgers.

They have tons of toppings: ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq sauce, mushrooms, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. And if you order extra bacon, you won't get charged more. No matter how much you want. So you could order 30 pieces of bacon to go on top of your burger and it wouldn't cost you another cent. You can take that to the bank. 

So, let's break it down! We will rate three things: atmosphere, customer service, and, of course, the food on a scale of 1-3 (1 being worse than mediocre, 3 being perfection)

• Atmosphere: Five Guys is a super relaxed, casual environment. It's bright, white, and red all over. There are peanut shells all over the floor and boxes of Idaho potatoes in the center of the restaurant. Although it's not really "clean", the atmosphere fits the restaurant perfectly. Besides, your face ends up messier than the floor by the time you're done eating your burger anyways. We give Five Guys' Atmosphere a 2 (only because it isn't really that clean - but let me be clear, it isn't a problem, so no need to call the health department)

• Customer Service: We haven't ever had a problem with being greeted, having someone take our order, or our food coming out in a reasonable time. The employees are friendly and cheerful. Daryn mentioned that they might get charged with child labor, because some of the employees look like they're 12 and can't yell the order numbers loud enough, but they're all really nice! We give Five Guys' Customer Service a 3

• Food: Let's see, it's beefy, cheesy, saucy goodness on a bun. How could you possibly go wrong? I love hamburgers, but I don't love fast food burgers. When we were trying to decide were to eat, Daryn suggested In N Out, but I wasn't feeling it. Why, then, would I agree to a burger from Five Guys? The burgers are fresh and not any greasier than a burger needs to be. Not only that, but the Cajun fries are to die for. I'm a die-hard Idaho potato fan, and they make all their fries from these perfect spuds. We give Five Guys' a big ole' 3!

Mexican Night: Carne Asada Fries

Last night, Daryn made a yummy dinner: Carne Asada Fries. He looked up a few recipes for inspiration but basically came up with his own twist. It worked out, because I ate a heaping plate of the stuff. Not only that, but we grabbed a packet of horchata mix for our beverage. For those of you who don't know, horchata is a delicious drink made of rice, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Ours didn't have rice, but it was still the perfect companion to our cheesy steak covered french fries.

Daryn's Carne Asada Fries

frozen french fries

*marinated flank steak

guacamole

sour cream

shredded cheese

salsa

cilantro

salt and pepper to flavor fries

lime slices

*steak marinade

olive oil

worcestershire sauce

clove of garlic

lemon zest

lemon juice

**Once again, we haven't provided any measurements, because we don't really measure... but I fully believe that you all will be able to pull it off! Just make as much as you think you need. This meal is easy enough that you don't really have to do any measuring.

1. Marinate steak for at least 1 hour prior

2. Follow baking directions for frozen french fries and put them in the oven

3. After fries are done baking, season them with salt and pepper

4. Take marinated steak and cut into thin strips. Cook strips in a heated pan on the stove. This should only take a few minutes

5. Once fries and steak are done, you can begin compiling! First, layer a plate with a decent serving of fries and sprinkle with shredded cheese. If your fries have cooled and don't melt your cheese (and you want your cheese melted), you can stick your plate in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Next, layer steak on top of cheese covered fries. Now you can smother your fries with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and cilantro. Unfortunately, we didn't have any cilantro... so next time it will be a must! Finally, you can flavor with your lime slice if you'd like a little extra zing.

6. Stuff your face

We LOVED this dish (especially me). I told Daryn this will definitely a regular meal. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did! Happy Weekend! (Go Cougars!)

Just Add Water BBQ Chicken Pizza

Daryn and I went on a fun little camping get away this weekend. Unfortunately, we got rained out and headed home earlier than planned. We spent Saturday watching The Big Bang Theory, reading, and playing video games. It was a much needed break. It took awhile to figure out what we wanted to eat for dinner, because we are two of the most indecisive people on the planet (we make a great couple). After the 50th stomach growl, I grabbed my keys and ran to the grocery store to pick up just a couple ingredients to make pizza. We already had a packet of Betty Crocker Simply Add Water Pizza Crust which made this meal incredibly easy. It doesn't make the yummiest crust, but it gets the job done!

Just Add Water BBQ Chicken Pizza
15-20 min prep and cook time
serves 2
1 packet Betty Crocker Simply Add Water Pizza Crust
1 can pineapple tidbits
shredded mozzarella
chopped onions
1 large chicken breast
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (the BEST BBQ sauce in the entire world)
1 leaf basil, sliced in strips

*measurements of ingredients are flexible, hence the reason I wasn't very specific

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Follow directions for the pizza crust. Just like the package states, you simply add 1/2 cup warm water, mix, and cover for 5 minutes

2. Cube the chicken breast and sear in a frying pan until cooked through. Put chicken cubes in a mixing bowl and add in as much Sweet Baby Ray's as you like (not too much, because you'll be using it on the crust)!

3. Press the pizza crust out on a pizza pan. If your pan is as big as ours, the crust won't cover the whole pan (not even close). Evenly spread some BBQ sauce over the entire crust.

3. Sprinkle mozzarella, pineapple tidbits (we didn't use the whole can), chopped onions, and sliced basil evenly over the entire crust. Top with BBQ chicken.

4. Place pizza in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

And there ya go! Grab a couple cans of Dr. Pepper 10, and you have a quick, simple pizza dinner! Be forewarned, the pizza crust is small. This fed the two of us, but if you're feeding a large crowd, you'll want more crust.

You Are What You Eat

Hello! Welcome to our blog You Are What You Eat. First things first, let me introduce myself. My name is Haley Stanley. I've been married to my cutie patootie of a husband, Daryn, for a whole month now! Both native Utahns, we love our home and all it has to offer. From the lakes to the mountains and the red rocks to the snowy hills, we love it all - including all the delicious food it has to offer, which is why we decided to start this blog. I have to give credit where credit is due, however, because it was Daryn who came up with the idea. I believe it was on our honeymoon when he first brought it up.

Our honeymoon was spent in Park City doing our three favorite things: sleeping, watching TV, and eating delicious food. One of the most notable meals was at the West Gate resort's steak house, Edge. Daryn, with his smooth skills (or was it because I told him to mention the fact that we were on our honeymoon at the front dresk...?), got us a $75 credit to either the spa, market, or steakhouse. The choice was simple - you'll soon fully comprehend our love for food - so we made a reservation for the following evening.

Edge Steakhouse is an award winning restaurant (Best of State 2013, TripAdvisor Award, and OpenTable Diner's Choice), and its high-class atmosphere clues you in on what the price range of a meal might be. For newlyweds and students, the price would have held us back from experiencing a tastefully enjoyable experience. Thankfully, my clever husband fixed that problem for us! As we were looking through the menu, our waiter surprised us with a chef's taster (a small portion of a meal): a corn chip with fetta and corn. There was a lot of fetta, so I was afraid it would be too overpowering, but it was simply delicious. We began our meal with a Caesar salad, which our waiter prepared for us at our table, and then our minds were blown by a pastry that we had been dying to try: popovers. These are puffy, hollow rolls made with an egg batter that gives it the same taste and texture of German pancakes, and let me tell you, they are to die for (we have our own popover pan and make them frequently). Our main courses arrived at a timely rate and were delicious. I had a prime aged 6 ounce petit filet, and Daryn had a Snake Rivers Farm Wagyu Beef 10 ounce zabuton. We also ordered two sides: black & white truffle mac & cheese and brussels sprouts infused with julienne bacon (aka a normally healthy vegetable with chunks of pork belly). The pictures may not look like much, but Oh. My. Gosh. It was so yummy! Now, I'm not much of a steak person, but Daryn enjoyed every bit of his meat and the leftovers of mine, so he can attest to the quality of the beef. Finally, the manager offered us a free dessert in celebration of our marriage: a chocolate souffle with homemade blueberry icecream. Overall, Edge Steakhouse was a one of a kind experience that was highly enjoyable. 

So, now that I've given you a rundown of our meal at the most expensive restaurant we've ever been to, I probably should get back to explaining why we've decided to start this blog and what it will be about. I've actually already given you an example - maybe you caught on. Our friends and families are well aware of our obsession with food; we thoroughly enjoy trying local cuisine as well as cooking for ourselves (Daryn's the chef in our house), and we love talking about it almost as much as we love eating it. We even find ourselves critiquing each of our meals. Daryn caught onto this faster than I did, which is why he thought it would be fun to start a blog where we can talk about all of our favorite restaurants as well as our own delicious concoctions. So, if you're ever curious about a restaurant, wondering if it's worth a try, or bored and looking for a new meal to cook at home, our blog is the place to start! We're definitely open to any suggestions - if you don't want to waste time or money trying somewhere new, and we haven't been there, let us know, and we'll go check it out! We'll give you a run down on price, the good eats, and the quality of service. We might be young and naive, but we know food! 

Bon Appetit!

Haley & Daryn

The Food Snobs