The Reason...

Tonight we visited a woman in our ward (church) whose only daughter and her 9-year-old granddaughter were killed in a car accident a few weeks ago.  We cried with her and we laughed with her.  We gave her this picture .

It's entitled "The Good Shepherd" and was painted by Simon Dewey.

During the Christmas season we talk about hope and peace.  Our friend has hope this season.  Hope that she will see her daughter and granddaughter again.  With that hope brings peace.  That's not to say she doesn't mourn.  She told us that there's a big hole in her heart.  She misses them both dearly.

painting by Liz Lemon Swindle

The reason for Christmas starts with the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It doesn't end there.  He suffered for our sins and died that we may live again!  That knowledge gives us solace during mourning and reason to rejoice!
While we're stressing out over the preparations and activities of the holiday season, let's take a moment to give thanks for the precious babe born in Bethlehem who is our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I'm SO Excited!

This Thursday I'm going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert!  This event is truly a phenomenal feast for the ears, eyes and emotions! 

Guests this year are:

Natalie Cole - she's unforgettable -

and David McCullough - history in the making!

I CAN'T WAIT!!

Fighting the cold in style!

It's cold here in Utah!  I mean, really cold!  Temperatures are 15 to 20 degrees below normal.  Dressing in layers and wearing warm clothes is a must!  The stores are packed with sweaters, long sleeved shirts, vests, coats, hoodies, and any thing else you need to fight the winter chill.
Jordan went shopping the other day in hopes of finding something warm to wear.  In his search for the perfect layered look, he found something at Savers that reminded him of his younger brother, Jacob.  With a glad heart and a deep, abiding love for this brother, he purchased the item of clothing for $2.00.  He hurried home with his new found treasure and presented it to Jacob.  With a tear in his eye and a cry of joy, Jake proudly wore his new vest...all evening, with his friends.

(Sorry to say, this is NOT a google image)

Click on the picture to see all the glorious detail.  The cats are knit with mohair, bells and bows adorn each picture.  No wonder Jacob looks ecstatic! How do you feel about Christmas sweaters and vests?  Do you have several in your closet that you bring out each year or do you avoid them?  I don't know about you, but, the more I look at this vest, the more I'm falling in love with it!  I can feel a giveaway coming up soon...if I can wrestle it away from Jake!

From Hawaii to Mexico in one short post!

What could be better than receiving a special Maui mail surprise in December?  OK, you're right, going to Hawaii would be better but this is the next best thing!  I got this wonderful surprise from Linda!  She spent 2 weeks in Maui and shared her trip through pictures and through the mail!  The calendar has the most breath-taking pictures I've ever seen!  Thank you Linda for the taste of Maui!

Now we're off to Mexico! (sort of)

One of my favorite childhood meals is Open-faced Enchiladas.  My mom made them several times a month for us and that might be the reason why I like Mexican food so much!  This is one of the easiest meals to make.

I have discovered a bit of a twist on this recipe and I'll pass it along to you. 

Open Faced Enchiladas

1 lb. browned ground beef ( I used my bottled hamburger)

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can tomato sauce

corn tortillas

Here's the twist to the recipe.  I make my own enchilada sauce.  It's super easy and costs only pennies to make.  So, if you want it super, super simple, buy the enchilada sauce.  If you want it delicious and economical and still easy, try this recipe:

Enchilada Sauce

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons chili powder (if you want it more mild, use 1 1/2 T.)

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Heat oil in large 2-quart sauce pan; stir in flour and chili powder cook for 1 minute

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Makes 3 cups.

See, I told you it was simple!

Add the ground beef from the top recipe (forget about the tomato sauce)

Place 1 or 2 corn tortillas in bubbling sauce.  Cover the tortillas with the sauce and leave for about 30 seconds.  If you leave too long, they'll break apart while removing from the pan - but that's OK if they do. With a spatula remove the tortillas and place on plate.  We like to put 2 tortillas at a time on our plate. Spoon a little more sauce on top.

Top with cheese,  lettuce,  tomatoes, sour cream, onions, cilantro, olives or anything else you'd like.

(Just a little disclaimer, I created this plate to look nice for the picture.  Yours is going to be covered with sauce - I guarantee it!)

Enjoy!

Christmas Lights Events

Here in Utah there are many places where you can see Christmas lights. 

The most famous is Temple Square in Salt Lake City. 

google image

Farther South is the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork

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Salem Pond is a sight to behold!

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Thanksgiving Point has some beautiful lights you can see from your car as you drive through the Christmas wonderland!

But everyone agrees

that the very best

event 

is the yearly

lighting of

the walnut tree!

I bet you thought that tree was only good for walnuts!

Reflecting

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  We had only  9 people for dinner.  Everyone else had other places to go.  Do you think it was the cranberries?
It's quiet here at the house tonight and I have time to reflect.   I have a wonderful husband with a great sense of humor and an abundance of patience.  I have children and grandchildren who light up my life.  My parents are in relatively good health and they have been great examples to me.  I have good friends.  I have the gospel of Jesus Christ.  My life is full.  I have trials.  I have weaknesses.  I am blessed beyond measure.

This truly is a day of Thanksgiving.

Who Likes Cranberries?

Not me!! 

I have learned to like them a little better than I used to.   I got this recipe for cranbery sauce from my aunt and it is super good!  Cranberries aren't that bad after all!  I thought I'd share it with you just in case you want this on your Thanksgiving turkey!

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of fresh cranberries. 

 1 orange - washed, cut into eighths (Do not peel)

2 apples peeled, cored and sliced

Place in a food processor and chop until the desired consistency.

Place fruit in a large pan and add 1 cup sugar for every cup of fruit.  I got 5 cups of fruit so I added 5 cups of sugar.  (No wonder I like it so much AND I was making this while watching Biggest Loser!)  Heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.

This made more cranberry sauce than I'll use for Thanksgiving but it will store in the refrigerator for a month!

This has a citrusy, tangy, and sweet taste!  It can also be used in a Jello salad.  Add it to the cranberry or orange flavored jello.  Put it on a turkey sandwich or run some over to your neighbors!.  They'll love it!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Twist on an Old Favorite and Dumpster Diving

It' has been said that "necessity is the mother of invention".  This isn't an invention but this is what I did when I didn't have all the ingredients necessary for the 7 layer bars I wanted to make.  Here is the recipe:

1 stick melted butter

1 1/2 cups graham crackers, crushed

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 1/3 cups coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix butter and crackers together and press in bottom of 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle choc chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and walnuts on top of crackers.  Drizzle milk on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I had all the ingredients except the graham crackers!  However, I DID have Club Crackers.

So I used them instead of graham.  The results were delicious!  It was still very sweet but had just a little bit of salty too.

While I was preparing this fresh, delicious dessert, my sons had to run an errand.  On their way home, they stopped at the local Hostess dumpster.  Wearing slacks, shirt and tie, they dove in to score their OWN version of dessert.

(google image)

They arrived home, laden with these expired, dry, treasures and excited that the earliest expiration date was only November 15th!

The finer things in life ARE free!

Addiction!

I've known many people who are addicted to one thing or another;  tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs and even caffeine.  (I thought that I might have an addiction to chocolate, but I can go several hours without it..so...I must be OK, right?)  I would look at these people with a feeling of deep sorrow for their bondage and maybe, just maybe, a self-righteous feeling that I didn't have their problem.

I discovered this drink at Costco that reminds me of Crystal Light. It has no sugar, 3 grams of fiber and 15 calories a serving.  I thought it would be good to take to work.  Every morning I get a large plastic water bottle, fill it with ice and water and add a packet of the powder.

I didn't realize how much I depended on this drink until the morning I got up, made it, then forgot to grab it.

A few blocks from work, I glanced lovingly down at the cup holder in my car and THAT'S when I realized I had forgotten it on the kitchen counter!  My mouth got dry, my throat closed off, my heart raced and I started to sweat!  What was I going to do?  I thought of turning around, going back home to get it, and being a half hour late for work - but with tears running down my face, (a slight exaggeration) I forged ahead, knowing that I wouldn't survive the day without it! 

Is it possible to be addicted to fiber?  Maybe it's time to read the fine print on the box!

Do you have an addiction you want to confess?  I hear it's good for the soul!

Parable of the Walnuts or How many times can you say "walnut" in the same post?

When we moved into our home, 7 years ago, we inherited this HUGE walnut tree filled with walnuts. We had never experienced walnuts in any other way than to buy them in the store, so this was a new experience.  Andy improved his juggling skills, the kids found a great climbing tree, we and the neighbors have shade all day.

Something we noticed about those hardy nuts is, they're triple protected as they grow.   The leaves on the walnut tree are large and plentiful.  Not only are WE shaded but so are the walnuts as they nestle under those leaves. There is a green husk around the walnut that splits when it's time to harvest. We also found out that if you remove the husk with your bare hands, you have walnut colored hands for weeks! Then, after allowing the walnuts to dry for a week, the shell needs to be cracked to get to the meat.  

Andy patiently gathers, shucks and cracks all the walnuts.  It helps to have a good movie playing while cracking. 

We like to vacuum seal the nuts to keep them fresh for a longer period of time.  And besides, a walnut brick, with 5 cups of walnut halves, is kind of fun!  So far, we have 23 bricks!

There you have the parable of the walnuts at OUR house.

So...if my neighbors don't want apricot jam, popcorn, OR grape jelly, maybe a walnut brick would be welcomed!  
Have a wonderful, nutty day!