Concern over Lemuel's eternal salvation

We read the scriptures with the girls at night. We use the children's version with the pictures which almost keeps the attention of a three-year-old and a one-year-old. Abbie has become obsesed with the bad guys, killing, and dying. In every panel she wants to know who is bad and who isn't. (Never mind that if she just listens she would catch on, but what do I know?) Whenever some one dies she wants to know who killed them and when they will be resurrected? She knows that the Lamanites are generally the bad guys and follows very closely when Laman and Lemuel vacillate between being nice and acting out in violent fits of murderous rage. 

Abbie is a very sensitive girl. And while sometimes I just plead for her to toughen up because life is hard and you can't allow ev -ery -thing to become a drama, I am grateful for her concern for others. I believe that the reason that she becomes so obsessed with all of the violence is because she genuinely cares for the people being harmed in the story. She wants to make sure that they will get resurrected.

For awhile I skirted over this issue. No one died they were just hurt. I wanted so much for my little girl's world to be sunshine, butterflies, rainbows and unicorns and cars, she loves cars. I am grateful she lives with me in the real world but the scriptures tend to deal with some gristly sides of that real world. Thankfully though I have realized I need to talk about hard things with my kids (even though they are young). I know there are plenty more difficult conversations to come and I want my girls to come to me for them. I don't think they will do that if they can tell it makes me uncomfortable. So as we explain Abinadi was killed or King Benjamin died (and that they will be resurrected) I hope I am making a home where my daughter can come to me with her concerns throughout her life.

Aloha Pork

There are a lot of good reasons to love a crock-pot meal. They are easy. You just throw everything into a pot, wait and you are done. They make your house smell divine. All. day. long. This is especially helpful on the last day of a bronchiolitis confinement. I speak from experience here. Finally, I think it is impossible to have a bad meal from a crockpot. Slow cooked tender meat with the flavors that have been combining for hours, I mean really.

I got this recipe from my neighbor Jenny, who I believe got it from her grandmother. Unfortunately when I went shopping for the items I was stationed at my mom's house trying to recover from three nights of three hours a piece sleep, and I didn't have the recipe with me. So I bought pork roast instead of pork chops. I had double the meat I needed, so I just doubled the other ingredients. I don't know how it would turn out with pork chops but I'm sure that would be good too. My family - including Abbie - declared this a delicious meal - which is huge considering Abbie doesn't like most things I make. Finally, it was also nice to eat the other white meat - because we eat chicken a lot around these parts.

Aloha Pork - Jenny Steed

4 pork chops (boneless)

2 t. oil

1-8 oz. can crushed pineapple

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1/2 c. water

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 T. quick Tapioca

2 T. ketchup

2 t. soy sauce

1/2 t. dry mustard

Brown chops in oil.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Place chops in crock-pot adding other ingredients on top.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

Finally Russ sent me this link and I laughed so hard. I love to cook, and I love Brian Regan so this was perfect. Truly this man understands my life.

Bronciolistis

Thursday afternoon my girls got coughs.

Friday morning Savannah's breathing rate was twice what it should be and she was wheezing.

Three visits to the doctor's, three visits to the Respiratory Outpatient Clinic (Known as the Suction Shack, but I always want to say Snot Shack) to get suctioned out, and one visit to the ER later, I think we are through the worst.

Of course two nights in a row of going up to the hospital (one at 11:00pm one at 3:00am) to watch them stick a tube down the nose of my daughter while she gags away in hopes of improving her ability to breathe is bad. Especially when during the second of those nighttime visits the respiratory therapist thinks that she is going to have to be admitted. So you pay the exorbitant ER fees only to sit in a room for three hours and have all the scary symptoms disappear by the time the doctors see you. And then they think you are an idiot.

Nirvana

I am convinced that the reason Hindu's believe in reincarnation is so they can keep eating food like this. This is some of the best food I have ever eaten, much less made. Russ was raving. "The girls....ate the rice.Okay but my kids are picky eaters their vote doesn't count at a time like this. If you don't like Indian food you really need to rethink it. This recipe doesn't have curry and maybe you just don't like curry. Please try it, you will thank me.  Your spouse/boyfriend/roommate/office buddy/neighbor will thank me. I got this recipe from my brother's girlfriend. I will bless her name forever for sharing it with me.


If you decide to make this and live anywhere close to me, call me. I went to the ethnic food store for the spices and got tons and am happy to share. The Masala itself is good for a weeknight meal, just remember most of the preparation is the night before. It would take about 30-40 minutes the night of - but most of that is simmer time. I know it looks like a lot of ingredients but most of them are spices. It really is easier than it looks.  I added naan bread, and rice pilaf which honestly was pushing it time wise. All together it took about an hour and a half and I was tired by the end. If you want to go all out, I would recommend a weekend or a special dinner otherwise I would just cook up some rice to serve with it.

Warning: I am not responsible for what happens as a result of eating this dish. Blissful shouts of joy, wild dancing on the table, and serious over-eating are all common side effects. Let me know if you end up making it. I feel like I just read the best book in the world and need to talk to someone about it -- it is that good.

Tikki Masala                                          Melissa Falleroni

For the chicken you will need:

• 1 cup of yogurt
• 1/2 TB of ground cumin
• 1/2 TB of ground coriander
• 1/2 TB of chili powder
• 1/2 TB of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cloves of garlic diced
• 1 TB of diced ginger (I just used one tsp of ground ginger.)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper ( I didn't add this because I don't like things that are very spicy.)
• 4 chicken thighs with the skin removed and cut into 1 inch dice. ( I used chicken breasts because that is what I had in the house and it was fine, although the thought of dark meat in this meal is very appealing. Hmmmmm.)
  

Steps for the chicken:

• Combine everything together but the chicken.
• Taste and if you are happy add in the chicken.
• Put in the fridge and let it relax overnight.

For the sauce you will need:

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic diced
• 1 TB of tomato paste
• 1/2 TB chili powder
• 1/2 TB garam masala
• 1 28 ounce can of tomatoes
• 1 cup of cream

What to do with the chicken after it has been marinated:

• Turn broiler to low
• Put chicken on broiler pan
• Throw broiler pan under broiler and broil until cooked through. (About 5-10 minutes.)
  

Steps for finishing up the dish including what to do with the sauce ingredients:

• In a large skillet (I used a  wok) over medium melt the 2 TB of butter and add in the onions.  Let this cook until the onions are softened and then add in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, and garam masala until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
• Add in the can of tomatoes and simmer for 20 or so minutes or until the mixture is thickened.
• Add in the cup of cream along with the broiled chicken and cook until heated through.
• Taste and adjust (add in some more cayenne if you want a little spicier or maybe some more salt and pepper if needed).

Serve and enjoy!

Snow Fun

This weekend we took a much needed vacation to my grandparent's cabin up at Bear Lake with my family to go snowmobiling. It was just nice to get away. We spent Friday sledding with the girls in the front yard. Savannah had a surprisingly good time and giggled every time she went down the hill for a good hour. Abbie had fun but then got distracted with the shovel and never returned.

Saturday we went snowmobiling in at least four feet of fresh powder. I am proud to say that Russ and I were the only ones not to get stuck in the snow. While the powder did making things a little slower it was so soft that the rides were smooth. Storms continued throughout the day and we ended the excursion a bit early when visibility dropped to nothing (of course it cleared up just as we were returning the snowmobiles.)

Unfortunately the storm that gave us white out conditions made it so my mom couldn't get down the mountain to join us with the girls so they stayed back at the cabin with grandma. Rough life.

What's a guy to do?

On Tuesday I made homemade tomato soup. I took whole canned tomatoes, seeded them put them on baking sheets covered with foil, sprinkled brown sugar on them and roasted them. The smell that filled my home was heavenly. Afterward I added some sauteed onions flour chicken broth and let the flavors mix and blend together. Then I strained and pureed the solids - and put them onto the stove for heavy cream and apple juice (It was supposed to be brandy but no such luck.). It was the best tomato soup I have ever tasted. It could put Campell's out of business in an instant - an hour well spent for a good family dinner. I hurried and made some cranberry turkey panini's (cranberry sauce, turkey, and sprouts - grill. Five minutes tops) and dinner was on!

Russ came home and sat down and ate.

"How do you like the soup?"

"Oh, its good. But these sandwiches are incredible I love the cranberries."

(Note: The cranberries went from jar to sandwich in less then a minute. The tomatoes roasted with brown sugar to caramelize for a half- hour.)

Now guys are asked a lot of difficult questions that they have to both, be 100% honest with and always say, "You are the most beautiful women in the world," "No those jeans don't make you look fat." and "This tomato soup is the best thing I've ever eaten in my life!" That is very difficult to do when they are not good liers.


Russ is a very truthful person.


Now, we've had talks about this. I really do want him to be honest. If he doesn't like something I've made I want to know.Yet it is hard not to be disappointed. I certainly am not going to spend an hour making tomato soup if it only gets a "Good" rating. He says that his opinion should only be part of the equation and if I like something I should make it for myself. Fair enough, but half of the fun of cooking for me is cooking for someone I love.

So I swallow my disappointment (and some more soup) and try to be grateful for his honesty, because that really is what I want in the end.

Early Valentines

Several factors need to be taken into consideration for this story to make sense.

1. I am in charge of Valentine's Day this year.
2. This weekend we are going snowmobiling with my family, and are busy for the rest of this week.
3. I like to cook.

Last night we celebrated Valentine's Day with a surprise (to Russ) candle light dinner of some new recipes I've had stewing around in my brain. I am a big believer in food bringing people together so it worked out perfectly. At it was YUMMY! I got most of the menu from a friend of mine so I will share it here with you.

Artichoke Chicken (The name right there is a winner! Artichokes are heavenly.)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - fat trimmed and tenderized to even thickness
1 (14 oz) can Artichoke hearts - drained
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Pinch garlic salt
1 pinch black pepper

Preheat oven 375 degrees. In medium bowl mix together the artichoke, Parmesan, mayo, sour cream garlic salt and pepper. Season chicken with salt, pepper and seasonal. Place chicken in greased 8 x 8" baking dish and cover evenly with artichoke mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Several notes:

1 - Artichoke hearts can be bought in a can like other vegetables for about $1.00 or they can be bought in a jar (same size) for about $3.00. I did not know this before fixing this meal. Curses!
2 - The recipe says 375 degrees, not 350. If you set the oven for 350 it will take an additional half hour to cook while you panic and hope it takes your husband extra long to get the kids in bed. For better or worse the girls had a little attitude and it did take them longer to go to bed.

Broiled Asparagus

This was the dish that stole the show and made me swoon. I got this recipe form the New Best Book and altered it slightly. Here is the alteration.

1. Put about a cup of balsamic vinegar in a frying pan and bring to a boil. Once it gets to a boil reduce the heat until it simmers. Let simmer for about 18 minutes or until the vinegar reduces to a syrup consistency.
2.  Put asparagus on baking sheet and season with salt pepper and olive oil.
3.  Put oven rake on the top shelf in the oven.
4.  Broil asparagus for 8-10 minutes.
5. Put asparagus on platter and drizzle reduced vinegar. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Note - If you think you don't like asparagus, trust me you do. You just haven't tried this recipe yet. 

Finally Dessert!

Roasted Pears

2 (10 oz) cans of pears in syrup
1 lemon
3 pieces crystallized ginger (Thanks Brenda)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons softened butter
Vanilla Ice Cream

In baking dish put small cut pieces of butter evenly on the bottom of the dish. Pour out 3/4th of the juice from the pears and add in baking dish (pears should be wet, but not swimming in juice). Chop up crystallized ginger into small pieces. Evenly sprinkle lemon zest, crystallized ginger and nutmeg over the pears. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve over ice cream.

Note - I was worried about this dish because the nutmeg smelled too strong putting it in the oven but it was divine. Thanks to Russ who bought the ice cream while the chicken finished cooking we had high quality ice cream which also makes a difference.

I don't know if you will be making food for someone you love anytime soon, but I would highly recommend it. It is so fun to see them in awe with your creations!

New Recipe

Amazingly enough I did get a new recipe in this week, and because it isn't copywrited I have no problem publishing it on the internet for all to see.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp oil
Food Coloring

Add food coloring to water and then mix all ingredients together. Stir over medium heat until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat and knead. Store in airtight container.

Yup! It is play dough for all of you who were wondering what in the world could have 1/2 cup of salt in it and still taste good. I am still counting this as my new recipe of the week because you use ingredients, and you use the stove, and I need a recipe to count for the week.

Making your own play dough is a great activity for kids to help (at least until it gets on the stove.) It takes about 10 minutes to make and then entertained the girls both for about an hour afterward. Clearly cooking something that you can't eat looses some of the innate joy of cooking. But stirring a pot of green goo  made me feel like I was mixing Polyjuice Potion or Eye of Newt or something equally bizarre and disgusting, and I got an insane juvenile kick from the whole thing.

Boring

I have turned into a boring adult. I go to bed early. I get up early. My idea of entertainment is a good book, good movie, or a date. (Note: All the date needs to be is away from my house, with my husband, without my kids. Food not necessary. Activity not necessary. Although they are both nice.) TV can even count as entertainment in a pinch, but I'm not into any shows lately so that decreases the fun quotient. It is not that an amazing get away to a beach, skiing across snowy hills, or an weekend of wining and dining and the theater don't sound fun, but to be honest, they aren't on my radar at the moment. I don't have that kind of time, which I am okay with.

I don't know if it is the drab gloom of the post-Christmas winter, the extra-busyness of work, children, and calling, or the lack of any new satisfying reading material coming my way but I am needing something fun. This year we have some lofty savings goals that we are really hoping to reach, which unfortunately means that most activities have to be on the free - to close to free side of the wallet. So here is my question. What is fun to you? What are your favorite dates? Books that you have LOVED? Hobbies that have excited you? (Okay cooking is a hobby that both excites me and is fun,but it also falls into the responsibility side of my life. It is great that it does both, I wish scrubbing toilets did that but alas no luck there, but I'm asking here for PURE fun.)

I like my life. I am in a good place in my life. I'm just....a little bored.

Random Thoughts and Cream Cheese Brownies

Okay lets start with the brownies because with a title like that we really just need to focus on one of the most beautiful creations known to man. Second only to the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is the combination of chocolate and cream cheese. The tanginess of the cheese mixed in with the rich sweetness of the chocolate O-Yeah!

Now in the interest of full discloser these brownies were actually made on Friday and don't meet the requirement for a new recipe this week. But as I already did a new recipe last week, and this week is crazy busy I am going to count it. Hey, this is my blog and I'm in charge here. (Insert tough voice if need be.)

The best part of these brownies is that the recipe makes them double thick. Not Betty Crocker double thick or Dunkin Hines double thick -- but double double thick with a cream cheese layer in the middle and again on top. I am speaking from memory here as the brownies did not last long. My only complaint is that the recipe makes them in a 8" x 8" pan. While this is better for my thighs, my taste buds are crying out in anger and frustration. It is cruel to give someone ambrosia and then take it away so quickly.

I will also say this. It is very soothing to stir melting chocolate and butter in a double broiler. It is the closest my life gets to peace, joy, and harmony.

Now on to the randomness....

Flashlights have proved to have great entertainment value for my children. I am grateful for this.

I think everyone needs a vacation to somewhere warm and sunny with sandy beaches in January of February. Too bad not all of us get them.

I found this great website that has hairstyle ideas for little girls. I have always been lazy with my own hair so this has been one of many skills that I have been severely under prepared in as a mother of two little girls. But thankfully in a matter of weeks I have learned how to french braid, do corn rows twist braid and spend very little time doing it. I think I'm developing my inner princess.

This weekend I am going on a sleepover with the Young Women. I am grateful I love them because looking at a weekend with that much sleep deprivation isn't pretty.


Abbie and I were playing with water washing dishes and looked over and saw Savannah doing this.

She had gotten everything out of the diaper bag herself. I am always amazed with how big and independent she is. I swear she was just a baby. Sigh.

 
Don't know if I love the self satisfaction more, the pretty pose or the fact that legos will entertain her for hours.