The family that eats together...eats more together!!

Do you have a person in your life that just makes you laugh so hard that you literally can't breath some times?  I am lucky enough to have 6 incredible women in my life that leave me in stitches every time I am around them and this past weekend was no exception. My crazy sisters, awesome Mom and I lived, laughed, and of course ATE it up for our "Sneak Attack" getaway.  I'm usually not one for glutenous behavior, but man, it was fun this weekend to enjoy a wide array of culinary tastes that Utah had to offer.

Siegfried's
My sister, who just happens to be 8 months pregnant with her first girl (she already has 3 boys!) and who was had no idea we were coming to visit her (we are sneaky like that) just so happened to meet us all at Siegfried's of Salt Lake City.  Siegfried's is an fantastic German restaurant that offers a huge menu of traditional German entrees, sides and a great "build your own sandwich" option.  It is also has terrific grocery selection that makes you want to hop on the next plane to Berlin.   Between all us gals, who had only eaten a handful of stale airplane pretzels and a swig of flat Diet Coke, ended up ordering a few Reubens, Bratwurst, Knockwurst, warm German potato salad, spaetzle, and rotkhol.  Oh and did I mention that we also piled on a German chocolate cake, cheesecake, and a chocolate hazelnut cake?  We know how to party!  The Reuben was the best I have ever had.  Flavorful, juicy and very filling.  Perfect meat to sauerkraut ratio and was grilled up right before my eyes.  Dee-lish!  The Brats had a great snap to them and seriously were bursting with Germany goodness.  I loved their rotkhol, which is a sweet and sour red cabbage.  It had wonderful texture and fantastic bold zing to it.  Great German food and even more amazing was the company in which it was enjoyed with.

 The Garden
The next day of our visit, we collectively decided to skip breakfast.  Usually I advise against this, but considering we spent the entire night prior polishing off 3 bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs, coconut M&M's, and Reese's peanut butter eggs (dang Easter candy!!) it was a necessary action so we could thoroughly enjoy our lunch/baby shower at the Garden Restaurant.  Located in the Joseph Smith Memorial building in Temple Square, this restaurant had an awe-inspiring view of downtown Salt Lake City.  The environment is was so refreshing and light.  Beautiful, vibrant flowers decorated the dining area while a retractable glass roof opened to reveal a brilliant blue sky.  A perfect setting for a group of crazy sisters and their mom to gaggle and laugh the afternoon away.  Oh yes, and the food was divine as well.  I have to admit, after everything was ordered and eaten, I've decided that the BEST thing I had that afternoon was the fried pickle appetizer.  I don't know, maybe it's because it was a freakin' baby shower, but I must have been having sympathy cravings from my sister!  Regardless, these babies were so yummy!  Breaded in panko bread crumbs and deep fried to perfection, this appetizer was a pleasant surprise to my taste buds.  Mmm...

Here are a few of the entrees that were ordered.  A cool and crisp raspberry salad, which had a beautiful presentation with a crunchy fried plantain crisp.  The dressing was a vividly eye catching color, but was overly sweet for my liking .  Also a classic grilled cheese with tomato soup.  The tomato soup was warm, comforting and had a great depth to it's flavor and the sandwich was buttery and delicious, oozing cheesy goodness.  We also had the Philly cheese steak sandwich, which was good, but needed about twice as much meat for the roll it was served on.  Another deliciously spicy sandwich that graced our plates was the Cajun chicken sandwich.  It had a perfect blend of heat that was balanced with a cool guacamole.  We were provided with a wonderful meal and great service.  Our waiter even brought us a huge bowl of mints after my sister told him they were her favorite! Good man giving the pregnant woman what she wants!

I truly can not fathom how much food we ingested, and also what an absurd amount of fun we had in such a short amount of time. I also can't believe how hard I am working out this week to pay it off! Every bit worth it! I love my crazy, beautiful, jaw dropping, abundant, joyous, daring, inspiring, big hearted family! Here's to the next party! Until then, eat well my friends.

The Spaetzle, The Asiago, The Target, The German,
The Sugar High, Genghis Mom, and The Ruffle