Prepared Meal at Costco: Braised Beef and Mashed Potatoes

 Okay.  This is the best one so far:  Braised Beef and Mashed Potatoes.  Over the past couple of years we have tried prepared meals at Costco from time to time.  I have reviewed them on here.This one is really, really good.  But it's also very expensive.  But for us, a couple, it served us four good meals.  We'll keep trying these, but I think this is our favorite so far. For other meals that we've tried and reviewed click on the tab on the side that says "Prepared Meals at Costco."

Hinton Family Reunion Favorites- 2026

After we parted ways and we were driving home, everyone shared their favorites from the reunion.  Here is the list.
 


Blake: Park Day and playing the "Oven light game" with Grandpa(* see below)

Shonna; Square dancing, temple, and refit

Hannah: Park day, temple, Gaga ball, the cup game and square dancing

Caleb: Food, water park, Gaga ball (playing with Jared), and park day

Lily: Square dancing and water park

Gabe: Playing monkey game with Sam and Kenny, Gaga ball, Playing dragons with Lisi, William, Sammy and Kenny, doing Pokeman with Sammy and Jacob, Talent show, Square dancing, water park, Fireworks, Food and Park Day

William: Square dancing, Water park

Kenny: Fireworks, Water park, Gaga Ball

Jaron: Fireworks, the food, Gaga Ball

Gabbi: Fireworks, late night walk with cousins, Park day

Michelle; Devotionals, Refit, Games, Park Day

Brian: Meals together

Lisi; Playing dragons with Gabe, William Sam and Kenny, swimming with Gabe and cousins, Square Dancing with Grandpa, Park day

Sam; Monkey game with Kenny and Gabe, Gaga ball, and park day

Audrey; Park day, all things at the church on Saturday, spending time with Brielle.

Jake: Park day with all the cousins

Brielle: Lazy river, Park day, talent show

Kristen: devotionals, Dancing (introducing my family to my Refit community, and Square dancing, all the activities at the church on Saturday

Grandma:  Everything!  It was a perfect reunion.  But that's a copout.  I loved being in the temple with my grandkids, sons-in-law, Shonna and husband for baptisms, then with all the couples plus Brielle for sealings.  So wonderful. I loved playing a game called the 5 second rule I think.  All the adults played.  It was so fun!  We laughed so hard! (What three things not to do at a funeral: bury the dead in their intramural BYU championship t-shirt, turn the dead body on a rotisserie  so everyone can see the back of the t-shirt, too, laugh.- good answer Brian!- You would have to have been there.)  I too loved the activities at the church on Saturday (games, square dancing, talent show, Grandma and Grandpa stories.  Everything was so fun.)  I also loved going to Refit and seeing what Kristen has created there.  I LOVED watching our three girls up there dancing together.  It was SO fun.  I loved all four devotional  They were all SO good.

Grandpa: Also said everything.  But I think he would agree with what I said.

* Blake was making yogurt during the reunion.  He would leave the oven light on which gave just enough heat to grow the culture.  He would come back and the light would be off.  So he would turn it back on.  Then it would happen again.  It happened several times before he asked, "Who keeps turning the oven light off?" It was Grandpa.  It is SO Grandpa!!

Hinton Family Reunion 2026- Sunday

 We got up Sunday morning and went to church.  We then went to a park near Kristen's house and had our family pictures taken.  A cute neighbor of Kristen's came and took them.  I love the potato field behind us.

 

We then took indiviual pictures with grandkids back at home. But I don't think we got them all. Things were crazy making lunches and packing up cars to leave.

William

Gabbi

Gabbi

Oh this is William at breakfast.

Brian taught an excellent closing devotional.  Our sons-in-law are excellent teachers.

Lisi

Brielle

el

Samuel

Jake

Kristen

Jake

Brielle

Audrey

Samuel

Lisi

Kristen

We all then went our separate ways.
This was what I would call a perfect reunion.  Every detail was perfect and thought-out.  It was spiritual, uplifting, bonding, and so fun.  We love our family!!  Thank you, Kristen and Jared, for the perfect reunion.

HInton Family Reunion 2026- Saturday

 Saturday, the 4th of July, was such a great day!  Ken and I are were in charge of breakfast (Blake ALWAYS helps.)  We made a million pancakes, served with red, white and blue: strawberries, bananas, and blueberries on top.  Blake did a big bunch of sausages out in the smoker.  It was delicious!

Lisi skipped the pancake.

Faces decorated for the holiday!

We went to the church for a fabulous day.  Blake started it off by doing a great devotional on conflict vs. contention.  He has really studied this topic and did such a great presentation.

We then played old games that we used to play as kids.  This was Run, Sheepy, Run! 

Then we played Charlie, Charlie, Butcher Boy- a really old game that my dad taught us that he used to play.

I think I got this out of order.  We had the talent show before the games, but anyway the talent show was so good.  It is always a highlight of our reunion.

Ken and I each wrote books containing stories from our lives.  We gave each of our posterity a copy for Christmas a couple of years ago. From those books, each grandchild chose a story and told or acted it out.  I videoed all of them, but blogger won't let me post videos.  But they were SO good!  Lisi even did a puppet show (with the help of her brother)  It was such a highlight of the reunion.

Each child and grandchild wrote a tribute to each of us.  Kristen had them all printed in a book for each of us and included pictures. Each told memories and special experiences.  We will treasure these beautiful books.

We did country dancing.  It was so fun!  Go Johnny, go Johnny, Go!

After a yummy traditional barbecue dinner, was the fireworks.  Idaho Falls puts on the biggest and best fireworks show west of the Mississippi.  Thousands flock to attend.

Twinners

Love this girl!