Hola from the Republica Dominicana mi familia de Cook'n!

When our baby left home and Kathy & I became empty nesters, the house was so quiet and sad that it felt like we were living in a funeral home. Family and raising kids was our focus for so many years that we didn't know what to do with ourselves.

I have my work and I love Cook'n; it's kind of my hobby as well as my work. So, I had that to fall back on. And, Kathy has her resin projects and other fun things that she does. But, nothing compares to raising kids and without any kids in the house, the silence was overwhelming. I had to get Kathy out of there!

So, we left the country!

My brother and I are "share holders" in a resort in the Dominican Republic. Essentially, it's like a time-share that we have here. We get a $5,000 credit here every year. And, it's a use-it-or-lose-it type of deal. So, we alternate; he goes one year and I go the next. This is our year.

We have frequent flyer miles so the flight to the D.R. was free and, with that credit, our stay here is free too. So, I planned to leave town with Kathy one week after our baby, Andan, left home.

And, to make the trip even funner, our good friends, Cannon & Kristen Holbrook joined us!

Kristen was Kathy's roommate at BYU and they have remained close ever since (they go to lunch and shopping about once per week). Kristen's daughter and our daughter were actually second generation roommates at BYU as well. The Holbrook's youngest boy left home to serve a mission in the Phillipines not long ago. And, just like me, Kristen also served a mission in the Dominican Republic 33 years ago! So, this was a super fun trip for all of us...and a great distraction for Kathy and me.

Needless to say, the trip to paradise with our good friends has been AMAZING! After serving here as missionaries, we especially loved going to church on Sunday. It is great to see so many people embrace the gospel. The growth of the church is miraculous! My heart is truly with the people here. I love them so much!! Esta es mi pais!! Estas son mi gente!

I love the people here and I think they can sense that; so they love me too!

Swimming at the beach, touring with Kirsten & Cannon, and going to church here has been great. But one of the most enjoyable things that we've done here was the parilla (BBQ) at Jose's house.

Jose is a taxi driver that we became close friends with. In fact, his daughter came to the states and stayed at my brother's house for a month one time. We have become really close friends over the years.

Jose invited us to his house for a BBQ. He actually made his own BBQ grill by welding every bar and every piece of metal. Can you imagine?

In this video, he is grilling the steaks. But, he also grilled chicken and pork too. He rolled out the red carpet for us!!

The flavor from the charcoal was delicious. But, the marinade that he used was AMAZING!! This was literally the best tasting meat I've ever had

It was so delicious that we had to have the recipe. Jose claimed that having the recipe is only part of the magic. He said the key is to have the right seasonings and he claims that the seasonings he uses are not available in the States. And, he's right! We looked on Amazon but couldn't find them.

So, we went to the grocery store with him the next day and bought a suitcase full of the seasonings he recommended!

Well, I figured...why keep this hidden any longer? So, right there in the grocery store, after we purchased all of the items he said we needed, I asked Jose to explain to all of us how to do this.

Here you go. YOU'RE WELCOME!!

Enjoy!!