My boyfriend and I decided to make a quick trip to Utah to visit my mom for her birthday, so here is a weekend recap of August 12 - 16: filled with Topgolf, delicious steak, and some of our favorite pizza!
Thursday, August 12th
Since we chose one of the hottest August weekends to visit Utah, my mom couldn't have made a better choice for dinner: fresh homemade spring rolls!
Not only is it incredibly refreshing to eat in hot weather, it's healthy and pretty easy to make, too! What's great is that you can prep a bunch of filling for the rolls, and then everyone can choose what they'd like to put in theirs. For our springs rolls, my mom prepped: sautéed chicken, cooked shrimp, avocado, bean sprouts, cilantro, shredded carrots, shredded lettuce, red onion, daikon radish, yellow bell pepper, and sliced cucumbers** fresh from her garden. To make these, take your Spring Roll Rice Paper Wrap and dip it in warm water for about five seconds, then put it on your plate and add your fillings in a line down the middle. Then wrap it up like a burrito, and enjoy! I like to take a little spoonful of peanut sauce and add it to each bite (most of the sauce drips out when I add it to the roll before I fold it, and the filling all falls out when I dip it, so I like to use a little spoon).
**I always love checking out my mom's garden every summer when I come home, the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes are my favorite! There's honestly nothing better than eating fresh, crisp veggies and fruits from a home garden, it's just the best.
Friday, August 13th
Friday was perhaps the day my boyfriend and I looked forward to the most, because this was the day we got to eat Papa Murphy's!! Papa Murphy's is the only pizza place I've been to that's "take 'n' bake." They make all their dough from scratch, prep their ingredients in-house, and all you've got to do is go in and order your pizza (or call ahead/order online to pick it up). They make it for you on the spot, and then you take it home and cook it when you're ready to eat! It's such a great idea, because you can pick up the pizza whenever it's convenient for you, and just keep it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it. And every time you pull it out of the oven at home, it's just mouthwatering how these pizzas turn out. There are no Papa Murphy's locations near us in California, so it's always a request of ours when we visit my family in Utah!
The Cowboy: Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, olives, mozzarella, cheddar, and an herb & cheese blend with red sauce on their original crust. (A classic red sauce pizza that always hits the spot!)
Chicken Bacon Stuffed: Grilled chicken, bacon, Roma tomatoes, and mixed onions stuffed inside two layers of their original crust with creamy garlic sauce & mozzarella, with more creamy garlic sauce, bacon, tomatoes, mozzarella and mild cheddar baked on top. (This one is BY FAR my favorite pizza of all time, just because it's so good every time and I've never once tried another pizza like it.)
The Outlaw: Smoked brisket, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, mixed onions, crunchy Fritos and a tangy BBQ sauce baked on their thin crust. (This was a new pizza that my dad was excited for us to try, and it was so good!! Only available until September 27th, so if you haven't tried it yet, be sure to order it soon!)
I also love their Gourmet Delite pizzas, which are not only delicious but great if you're trying to keep it on the lighter side for dinner (I like the Chicken Bacon Artichoke, Herb Chicken Mediterranean, and even the gourmet Vegetarian pizza - I usually like meat on my pizzas but the Gourmet Vegetarian is loaded with great toppings and probably the only veggie pizza I've ever enjoyed), and they even have keto options for those trying to cut back on carbs.
Saturday, August 14th
My boyfriend and I have been big fans of Topgolf ever since his dad first took us in Orlando last year, so we couldn't wait for the chance to take my parents! There are multiple Topgolf locations throughout the states, but since we don't have one near us yet, we love being able to go with family when we visit, like on this trip to Utah.
If you've never been to Topgolf yet, it's basically like an adult version of putt putt golf with a restaurant and bar. It's a lot of fun, you don't need to be a fan of golf to play (or have any real golf skills to have fun), and there's a server that comes around to make sure you're fed and your drinks are full. Just check in at the front when you get there (you can make reservations online ahead of time or put your name on the waiting list), then when your bay is ready, someone will take you to it and help all the players input their names & info onto the screen at your bay. Then once you're all set up, the first player will step up and try to hit the ball into any of the baskets surrounding the eight flags out on the course. The balls have digital trackers, so everyone in the bay can follow the ball by watching the screen, and if it makes it into a basket, you get points! At the end of the game, the players with the most points wins!
It's a fun game to play with friends and family, you don't have to go walking around or driving a golf cart all over a course, you get to stay in a shaded area while you play, and a server brings you food & cocktails - what's not to like? Sounds like a golf game I can get on board with!
Later that evening, we decided to catch a showing of Disney's Jungle Cruise since my boyfriend and I have an AMC Stubs A-List membership. If you don't know about that program and love to go to your local AMC to watch movies, you should definitely check it out. For only $23.95/month (plus tax), as an A-List member you get to watch up to three movies a WEEK (that's twelve movies a month, including movies in IMAX, Dolby Cinema and 3D), earn 100 points for ever $1 you spend, free size upgrades on popcorn & fountain drinks, waived online ticketing fees, and more. Considering that one AMC adult ticket in LA is $15.99 ($22.99 for Dolby Cinema), even going to the movies twice a month saves you money with this membership. Anyway, we were just looking for a fun family movie to watch together, and Jungle Cruise actually exceeded my expectations! I'm not sure what I was expecting (and not going to lie, my expectations were pretty low), since they made an entire movie based on a quick theme park ride, but it was actually pretty cute and a fun movie for us to go see!
Sunday, August 15th
My dad, boyfriend and I all thought it would be a fun idea to surprise my mom by decorating the house for her birthday on Sunday, so while my parents went to church, the two of us drove out to get some fun balloons and decorations!
My mom came home from church and was so surprised! Afterwards, she opened presents and then we got ready for our steak dinner at Flemings!!
I am such a huge fan of steak - filet mignon, rib-eye, strip, I love them all! A favorite go-to of mine is a steak dinner with old fashioned's, so it's no surprise that Fleming's Steakhouse is one of my favorite places to go for special occasions. I first took my parents to the Fleming's in Salt Lake as a surprise for their anniversary a few years back, and now that they're fans too, we choose Fleming's for dinner when we want to do a nice night out, like for my mom's birthday!
As an appetizer, the four of us shared the Ahi Tuna Poke Stack, and then for dinner, we each ordered a steak and split the Crispy Brussels Sprouts & Bacon, Creamed Spinach and the Fleming's Potatoes (potatoes au gratin with cheddar & Monterey jack cheese, leeks, and jalapeño). The sides are pretty big, so sharing them is definitely the way to go. Everyone can enjoy a little bit of everything and you still have enough leftover to take home and enjoy!
For dessert, we split the crème brûlée, which is always delicious! And before we left, in classic Fleming's fashion, the staff gave my mom a little box of truffles and a signed birthday card from everyone! It's such a nice touch when they do that, it makes your experience there feel personal & intimate, and I've never seen another establishment do that before. To make a reservation, you can book a table online through their website or call ahead, and if it's a special occasion, be sure to let them know!
It was a very quick trip home to Utah, but we made the most of our time there and had a great few days with my parents! Until next time!
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