Finding Purpose

A young friend saw me make a comment on Facebook late Saturday night and took the chance that I would answer my phone. The strain in his voice revealed his mental struggle as much or more than his words did. He said he wanted an objective opinion from an experienced parent, someone unrelated to himself. To protect his privacy, all I can say is that this person expressed fears about his future and some big decisions he gets to make and some of the challenges that are making those decisions complicated.

I felt impressed to ask him "If you were promised that [in making a particular decision] you could not fail, would you be more inclined to go with that choice?" I was trying to find out if fear of failure was really the only thing holding him back from making his decision. He told me he doesn't want to start something and not be able to see it through to the end. He doesn't want to disappoint his family or friends. But I think most of all, like all the rest of humanity, he doesn't want to feel like a failure.

Fast forward to today: I woke up this morning feeling the same way I ended the day before -- out of sorts, disconnected, annoyed and feeling stuck in that glass box again. But I made myself get out of bed. Actually, I thought I heard the trash truck and leaped out of bed and hollered "Doug, the trash truck!" Then I stumbled, bleary-eyed, back to the bed and threw myself across it as Doug stepped into the room and whispered, "It's only Monday. The trash guys come on Tuesday. That was a construction truck." Ugh.

Of course, now I was wide awake. I buried my head under the pillow. I heard Doug whistling a hymn in the shower. I fell out of bed to my knees and thought a quick prayer. Doug had already fixed himself breakfast, but he still needed a lunch for work so I headed down the stairs to the kitchen. As I prepared his bagel and threw a brownie and some fruit in a brown paper bag, I made a mental list of to-do stuff. The number of tasks grew long enough that I decided to write things down. As I pondered my priorities, I thought about my young friend. I offered a more sincere prayer and I remembered something important. I remembered who I am. I remembered that Heavenly Father placed me here at this time and in this place for a specific purpose.

Whoa! Just like that, my glass box exploded into a gazillion sparkling particles. As light filled my heart, I felt hope and peace and joy. It took  the desire to do the right thing. It took faith to get out of bed and pray and ask for strength and clarity of thought. That desire and those acts of faith invited the Spirit, which enlightened my mind and eliminated Satan's chatter of negativity.

I wrote my friend a new message. I told him how amazing he is and how grateful I am for his example and friendship to our family. I thanked him for helping me remember who I am and for bringing light back into my life! I told him that as he remembers who he is, he will know what path to take. And as he recognizes his purpose, he will succeed in all of his endeavors. It won't be easy. But it will be worth every ounce of effort he can give.

As I  continue fine tuning this blog, I hope to fulfill a purpose of strengthening home and family and sharing the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What helps you discover or remember your purpose? What topics would you like to see discussed on this blog? I'm sure my passion for all good things - family, chocolate, baking, nature, music and books and food will all find a place here. Most of all, I hope that after you read my blog you'll feel hope and joy and know that you are loved!

 Looking at this picture of our daughter makes me smile! We have a big beautiful world at our feet!

hugs~
 

The Laundry's Done- Now What?

I smacked my head against the  wall for hours today trying to come up with a clever name for a new blog. I can't believe I neglected this one for over a year - a year and one week exactly!

I considered scrapping this blog and starting over, but I think I'll just pick up the pieces and move on, filling in back story when and where I feel like it. A lot has happened in the last year. Levi grew almost 5 inches taller and several shoe sizes. We gained a daughter-in-law, and another grandbaby. Micaela left for BYU and Doug's work responsibilities grew from construction management to CEO of Edkey, Inc. My mom stepped into the cancer ring for the fourth time and my best friend survived acute myelogenous leukemia. I developed an extreme aversion to scorpions after getting stung and discovering I am allergic to scorpion venom. We moved into our own home in November and just last week I sent in the final papers to complete my capstone course for my Bachelor's degree from BYU. Yes, after 13 long years, I am finally going to graduate. Ammon and his sweet wife Cambrai will also graduate in April and we are going to celebrate.

So now what? What does a stay-at-home mom, with only one independent, dependent child left at home do with all her free time? The same thing she has always done. Make choices. Hopefully the best ones. I've come to realize that we all have the same amount of hours allotted to us each day and we all decide differently what we do with those hours. Quite honestly, I don't see much more "free time." When you are a mom, there is always something that needs or wants doing. It's tempting to say that now I get to choose more of the things I want to do instead of what I have to do. But the truth is, I have always been doing what I wanted to do. I chose to  be a mom and tried to be the best mom I could be for my kids. I'm still trying to get it right. Because being a mom is a forever job. Mothering doesn't stop just because a child turns 18 or leaves home for college or career or gets married or all of the above.

To quote a friend, I am a perfectly imperfect mom. I wish for "do-overs" all the time. I did way too much spanking during the first half of my parenting years. And too much yelling. I feel sad when I think about those mistakes. Then one of my children will call or text or send me a Facebook message and thank me for teaching them how to clean a bathroom or ask for a recipe so that they can eat some "Mom" food. Then I feel like maybe, just maybe, I didn't do so bad after all. Of course, I didn't raise my children alone. I have the best husband and father for my children. They text him more than they text me. He is still their adviser and confidante. Plus, he speaks math. My children are all geeks, each unique in their own geekiness, and I couldn't be more proud.

Back to the new blog thing. I'm going to stick around here and see what happens. I still have a passion for food and books and families. I'm ready to step out of my comfort zone and share some of that passion. Maybe review more books. I know lots of authors. Authors make the best friends. They let me read their books. Especially if I review them. Plus, they answer questions about things like how to write horses into your book so that you can deduct riding lessons off on your taxes as "research." (A girl can dream!)

I have a passion for strengthening families. I'll probably blog about that too. Guest bloggers are fun. I can bring in "experts" on teaching our children more about faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

That reminds me: Did you know that while the U.S. and the U.K. are scurrying around trying to lengthen school days and reduce holidays and playtime for our children in an attempt to increase test scores to compete with Asian countries, China has announced that they are reducing hours in school and giving children more play time, because childhood mental illness has become rampant? In the U.S. childhood mental illness has increased as much as 8 times what it was in the 1950s. I don't think it's just time in school that's the problem here. I think this problem has more to do with the need for more and better parenting.

Well, it's after midnight and I've rambled enough. It's time to stretch and grow and share the joy that I've discovered as a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter and friend. I may do it through books, or share recipes. I have a renewed love for hiking and I want to repurpose some furniture. I'll let you know how that goes. I'm sure I'll rant now and then, but my goal is to bring light into my corner of the world. I hope you'll stop by and say hi!
hugs~

Pike Family Recipe for a Memorable 2012

Please ignore the formatting (or lack thereof). I'm tired of fighting that battle! I figured since I hadn't posted in a long time, I would catch the world up on what's happening! Life is good and 2013 is buzzing by.

The Pike Family Recipe For A Memorable 2012

Ingredients: Douglas, Kari, Amy (Sean), Kenny (Aprilynne), Kati (Chris), Jared (Christin), Elizabeth (Daryn), Ammon (and soon-to-be, Cambrai), Brittany, Micaela, Levi, the dog (Gentry), the cat (Jules), and the birds (Stevie, and Sky) and 18 (as of January 23, 2013) grandchildren.

1.      Begin the year by seasoning Doug with a rub of unemployment. Leave in Highland,Utah the rest of winter and let marinate. Check frequently for signs of a job.

2.      Pour Kari, Micaela, Levi, the two birds, the cat and the dog into a house. Stir in school, work, laundry, cello lessons, soccer, friends, Gilmore Girls’ marathons, church activities, Scouts, gardening, baking, reading, writing, and packing boxes.  

3.      Sprinkle with visits from Amy, Kenny, Kati, Jared, Elizabeth,,, (and their spouses and children), Ammon (so he can do his laundry), and Brittany. Oh…add a pinch of Grandma Pike, Grandpa and Grandma Collamer, and Grandpa and Grandma Newcomb and various other Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. 

4.      As the temperatures rise, remove from Highland, Utah house and stuff Douglas, Kari, Brittany, Micaela, Levi, Sky, Jules, and Gentry into a tent trailer in David and Becky Brooke’s driveway in Alpine (well, Levi, and Gentry slept in the house).  Baste with summer rain showers. Smoke with nearby forest fire. Let stew for 8 weeks.

5.      Fold in job offers from California, Idaho, and Oregon. Sprinkle on some magnificent chaos.

6.      Dunk Doug into Coos Bay, Oregon for three days. Quickly remove and set in Arizona’s July heat and leave to dry.  Baste with a new job in Mesa, Arizona and set to rise.

7.      Pour Doug, Kari, Micaela, Levi, and Brittany into Kenny’s house in Glendale, Arizona. Set oven to bake.

8.      Remove Brittany to Northern Arizona University and then to Brigham Young University.

9.      Increase temperatures with a couple of car accidents, and scares with Grandma and Grandpa Collamer’s health.

    As temperatures cool, frost with more soccer, piano lessons, choir, church activities and grandchildren (We have three new ones in that past 13 months – MaesonAnne Rose Anderson – January 12^th, Emali Anne Carbonneau – April 4^th, and Franklin Jerome Wright – January 23^rd, 2013), and Ammon’s engagement to Cambrai Loftus. 

    Top with generous amounts of good health, daily miracles and tender mercies, heaps of friendship and hugs, and buckets of love.

   Serve over best wishes for your 2013 and a solid layer of hope in Christ and His Atoning sacrifice.

We hope you know how much we love and care about you. As crazy as this recipe has been, we think of you often and hope that life is treating you well. We would love to hear about what you’ve been up to!  Come visit, call, write, text, or… come visit!

Pear Heaven

The concept of time intrigues me. So much of what we do is based on how much or how little time we perceive we have. In elementary school, I used to watch the second hand of the clock quiver as it ticked off each moment until the final bell to freedom rang. An invitation to a birthday party meant an entire week of watching seconds, minutes and hours drag by. And a year -- what child doesn't feel like a birthday or Christmas is a lifetime away and is never going to arrive?

Every year however, those moments have grown closer and closer together. At first, the change was imperceptible. Now time flies by so quickly that I catch myself missing hours and days and wondering what in the world I did with all that time.

Take this blog, for instance. I could have sworn I posted just a couple of weeks ago, well, a month ago anyway. But no...three months have come and gone. Obviously I survived the invasion of the apples, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and the birth of a new grandchild (# 16!). Last week Doug was laid off from his job and now new adventures lie ahead. Just like when I was a child, time slows down as I anticipate Doug hearing from potential employers. (Don't they know we are waiting?) On the other hand, time also seems to slip through my fingers as we struggle to find enough hours in the day to find other ways to meet our financial obligations.  I started thinking about eternity and wondering why, if in the next life I get to experience unlimited time, I feel so constrained by time in this one. (Does that make any sense at all?) I have more thoughts about that...but since you are probably already bored, I'll switch to what got me back on the blogging horse.

Pears.

I know...weird. It's not pear season here. Obviously it is somewhere, because last Saturday I came home from running errands with Doug to discover that we had been gifted with an entire box of over ripe Bosc pears. They smelled heavenly. They were very ripe...too ripe to can, but I knew there had to be something I could do with them. I searched the internet for ideas and inventoried my pantry and food storage to see what I had on hand, since no job means no money to run out for extras! I found jars and new lids, sugar, cinnamon, half a box of oranges that needed attention, flour, eggs, oil...and a few other mainstays in the house. (Hooray for food storage and being prepared!) On the internet I found dozens of yummy ideas for pear upside-down cake, puddings, sauces, flan...all incredibly tempting. Two recipes stood out because 1) they were simple and 2) because I had everything on hand to make them! I mentioned them on Face Book and several people requested I share...so here they are! I forgot to write down the sources...yikes!...but I also tweaked the recipes to fit my family's tastes. Here are my versions of:

Pear Butter

2 quarts pear pulp (20 - 25 pears)
4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Quarter and core about 20 - 25 pears. Place them in a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, place a lid on the pot and cook the pears until they are soft -- stirring every few minutes to prevent scorching. When the pears are soft, let cool for a little bit, then press through a food mill or sieve. Measure the pulp into a large pot and add the remaining ingredients. Cook this mixture, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until it thickens. Pour into hot, sterilized jars, place lids and rings, and process in a hot water bath. (about 10 minutes/pint or 1/2 pint.) Super yummy on toast, waffles, crepes, oatmeal, pork chops....MMMMMM!

Pear Bread - okay...I have to admit I was a little skeptical about this one. But my bathroom scale will tell you just how much I can't resist nibbling (okay...snarfing) this bread!

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup pear sauce (just peel, core and "blenderize" a couple of pears)
3 eggs
2 cups of sugar (yeah, if you are diabetic, I would stay far away from this recipe!)
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
zest of one lemon (actually, I forgot to put this in..and never noticed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
-------------------------
1 3/4 cups finely chopped up pears.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare 2 loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat your wet ingredients together. In a medium bowl sift the flour with the other dry ingredients and  mix with a wire whisk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently fold together. Add the chopped pears and and gently fold those in. (oh..and you can add a cup of chopped nuts if you like.)
Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. You can sprinkle the top of the batter with cinnamon and sugar if you like, but it is already super sweet. Either way...it will be great!
Bake for 60 - 70 minutes. Test at the 60 minute mark. Touch the top of the loaf. If it is firm and springs back a little, it is done. You don't want it too dry, but you don't want to under bake it either. You can also do the tooth pick trick. If the toothpick comes out clean after inserting into the middle of the bread, the bread is done. (I find this sometimes results in over cooking as the bread is quite moist.) Remove from pans and let cool.

So...do you know why Bosc pears are wrapped in paper? I had no idea! The skin of the Bosc pear is very sensitive to skin oils and bruises easily. Keep them wrapped in the paper and they last longer! 

Just in case you are so enchanted by my writing that you can't stand the thought of leaving, I have another story about "time."

My friend and mentor Stephanie Fleming expressed her frustrations the other day about balancing career and family and asked me how I dealt with it when my children were little. I shared my experience and pointed out that I was very young and had several children in quick succession, so I didn't have time to focus on my "career." That night, when I told my husband about our discussion, he asked - too sincerely--

"Well, did you tell her we didn't have computers back then?" 

I almost choked.

sigh.

I feel so old now.

 Enjoy your pears!!!

hugs~

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Where did October go? Halloween is in three days and I'm still working on September birthdays...sorry Chris! (I'm not such a good mother-in-law.) Not to mention Elizabeth turned 25 on the 7th and tomorrow Brittany turns 19. Levi turns 14 next week. I don't feel old enough to have children who are in their 30s, but I've noticed lately that my skin on my arms (sorry...tmi) is getting that loose, crepe-like appearance. That could be the weight loss though. As of today...I am finally down 35 pounds. (no thanks to my Wednesday night writing class!) Just 15 more to go (pounds, not writing classes...I need a life time of those!) and I'll reach my goal weight!

Oh...and Wednesday's class wasn't as over-the-top as last week. I did take a writing sample to be critiqued. And I took fresh chocolate chip cookies. Caleb told me to rewrite about a third of the essay, but also added that he liked more of it than he didn't like. Woohoo! I can see where his critique is spot on. He pointed out how many words I use to say so little. I've always had that problem, but he showed me why! At least two people cried this time, but one was tears of happiness because she earned Caleb's praises. Then there was a discussion about how women feel this huge pressure to be the perfect mom, housekeeper, cook, and look model gorgeous all at the same time. Caleb wasn't getting it. I declared that the day I realized that I wasn't going to burn in Hades because I buy frozen bread dough was one of the most liberating days of my life. We all had a good laugh and went back to our writing.  My favorite Caleb quote from Wednesday:

"It's a good thing you didn't write the Bible. We'd all be Muslims." ( yeah...you had to be there...but it really was funny!)

With Halloween just around the corner, here is a super fun way to use your pumpkins...so don't carve them! Paint them with nontoxic paints instead  and then eat them. (After you bake them of course!) It's really yummy! and super easy!!! The kids will get a kick out of it...and will at least give it a try. You can even "dress it up" for a grown up party. So far everyone in my family has enjoyed this meal.

Aren't these cute!!! Just right for generous single servings.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 medium pumpkin or 4 small sugar pumpkins
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbls. vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 Tbls soy sauce
2 Tbls brown sugar
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (or use a 4 oz can)
1 15 oz can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken or cream of celery)
2 cups cooked rice (brown is best, but white is great...whatever your family will eat!)
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts ( or 1/2 - 1 cup chopped celery...again, whatever your family prefers)

1. Cut the tops out of the pumpkin(s) and clean out pulp and seeds. (save the seeds for roasting!)
2. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
3. Saute onions and garlic in the oil.
4. Add the hamburger and brown. Drain.
5. Add soy sauce, mushrooms, brown sugar and soup.

This really looks better in person...not a great picture...sorry!

6. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.
7. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts.
8. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin(s) and put tops in place. Set on a baking sheet and place in oven.
9. Bake about 1 hour -- until the pumpkin flesh is tender
10. Remove from the oven, and place on a plate. Remove the lid and scoop out pumpkin with the rice and meat for a yummy casserole dish!

I double the recipe...and got this...plus leftover filling.

I like the versatility of this recipe. You can season it anyway you like and trade out the celery or mushrooms, etc. Play with it and have fun! I think this is a great way to enjoy the harvest season get our families to try new things. Traditions are a great way to bring our families closer together.

Yummy!

What traditions do you share with your family in the Fall?
Warm hugs~

Country Apple Dumplings

Wow. I am not very good at keeping up with this blogging business! But I do have an excuse...the fall weather has been absolutely gorgeous. And, knowing that it could change at a moments notice, I have been picking more apples, gathering walnuts and almonds, fighting off cowardly gophers and discovering this:

Anybody care to guess what it is? Something or someone had a party on the trampoline. They feasted on these...yep, walnuts. And the tracks were left by those ring tailed varmint raccoons that come around knowing that our yard is the equivalent of raccoon heaven. If only they wouldn't invite all their friends and have all those raccoon babies...


So yesterday, the weather turned cold and I got back busy in the kitchen. Actually, we've enjoyed some fun seasonal recipes, but I just haven't had time to tell you about them! I got a produce basket Saturday that provided us with all the fixings for a hearty veggie soup. Sunday we had dinner in a pumpkin. I bought these perfect little sugar pumpkins...just right for one per person. But I can't find where I put the recipe, so I'll save that one for another day. Besides, it's always more fun to have dessert first, don't you think? Someone pointed out to me once that "stressed" backwards spells "desserts." That's all the excuse I need! (hee hee!)

I've been wanting to try this apple dessert for a couple of weeks, but it just never seemed the right time. My sister-in-law's husband just took a job in North Dakota and was leaving this past Monday, so we invited them over for dessert the night before.

Do any of you remember that old cartoon where the dog is given a treat and he hugs himself and hums and jumps into the air and then gently drifts back to the ground? yeah, well, that's how I felt after eating this dessert -- even without the whipped cream on top because said brother-in-law came over and borrowed the cream while I was at choir practice! Ha! ha!

I followed the recipe on line as it was written (well, except I doubled it)...since I had not made it before. I think I will tweak it next time and try to lower the fat content. (I don't even want to know how many hours of Pilates I need to do to make up for this one.) I wasn't sure how it would turn out. David (bil) pronounced them restaurant quality. (his ultimate compliment, btw!) Anyway, here is the version I found online for :

 (super easy)
Country Apple Dumplings

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla (well, maybe I did add a little extra...I usually do!)
1 cup butter (sigh...yep. that would be 2 full sticks)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 12 oz can ginger ale (or Sprite or 7-up or Mountain Dew...)
2 large Granny Smith apples - peeled and cored and cut into 8 wedges
2 tubes of Pillsbury crescent roll dough

Preheat your oven to 350 deg. F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.
Open the crescent roll dough and separated the triangles of dough. Roll each apple wedge in a triangle of dough by beginning at the skinny end. Pinch and seal the edges of the dough together around the apple wedge.Place the dumplings in the baking pan.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in both sugars and the cinnamon. Stir and cook until the mixture is smooth and starts to thicken. Removed from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Be careful! It will spit at you! Pour the sauce evenly over the dumplings. Pour half of the soda over everything. Place in oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until golden brown. (Drink the other half of the soda while you wait for the dumplings to bake.)

Serve warm with whipped cream or with a scoop
of ice cream. We ate ours alone...and loved them. be warned! They go down fast!

Warm (and slightly sticky) hugs~

How Chocolate Chip Cookies are Going to Help Me Learn to Write

I didn't get to post anything yesterday because I went somewhere last night. I don't know if it was purgatory or heaven. I'm still shaking in my woolly socks. I am either scared out of my writer's mind, or I just became the newest Caleb Warnock groupie. It could be that my blood sugar is too low. I just realized I haven't eaten anything since I walked through the doors of the Historic American Fork City Hall into the jaws of -- what? I don't know what to call it. I think my muse is still curled up in a fetal position in some secret passageway of that old building.

Sorry. I don't mean to sound like such a drama queen, but I've never seen a teacher make students cry like that before. At the same time, I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants. Too cliche. But it's true! Next time, I am definitely visiting the ladies room before class AND during the break.

Do you remember the movie "The Paper Chase?"  John Houseman portrays a much feared law professor by the name of Charles Kingsfield. (If you haven't seen this movie or the series on TV from a few decades back...you should watch it. The characters are fascinating...or you could read the book...by Jay Osborn, Jr.) Okay -- put Professor Kingsfield's mannerisms into a big, burly, blond English professor/farmer. Put that guy in jeans and Tevas (and navy blue, gold-toe socks). Now put him in a room with 8 female writers ranging in age from their mid-twenties to somewhere in their 70s. One woman is pregnant with her fifth child. I should have known there was a significance to the food offerings some of the women brought to the class. (Now I can't help imagining natives throwing food into a volcano to appease their fire gods.) 


Professor Caleb began the class by announcing that he needed to raise $1000 by Thanksgiving for the American Fork Fine Arts Council Press. His plan: to get 50 people to commit to asking 20 friends for $1 each. Then he started writing all our names down and asking for suggestions for other names. After about 20 minutes of "bullying", one of the other first time attendees said,


"I'll write you a check for $100 right now, if you'll just start the class."


He nodded. She wrote the check. Class started.

I don't think it's possible to describe what happened after that. You kind of have to be there. After making a couple of students write their sentences on the white board, and everyone getting a bit frustrated, Caleb felt the need for a visual to make his point. He climbed up and laid his body across the tables and acted out a woman giving birth. Yeah, like I said, you kind of had to be there. Later in class, one lady started talking about reading a negative review of the movie "Abduction." She said, "But, I liked that movie." Her friend said, Yeah, but you like Caleb, too." ahahaha! Writers can be so snarky! I love it.

In all fairness, I want to share this great comment from Loraine Scott (a member of Wasatch Writers and the gal who told me about this class). "The class always has the 'take no prisoners' kinda attitude. You are expected to bring work and share... he says his comments are filled with "buckets of love" but they can be pretty difficult to take even filled with love. But... he says he would rather be honest and help you then to deceive you into thinking "your crap is good". We already think we've written the great American novel and then Caleb looks at it and we see it for what it is. Only the great survive C's classes. Many of his students have gone on to publish and that's really what its all about for him. He wants to see people succeed and now that he has had his first book published, I'm sure he's gotten even worse. If you feed him chocolate, he behaves himself."

Caleb did cut me some slack when he asked me if I brought anything with me and I said no, that I thought I would listen and learn the first time around. He didn't let me get away with not participating, however. And guess what! I got a snorty laugh...and a round of applause for my first sentence! One class member said that he is always nice the first time, and beguiles you to come again, and then gets really mean. Then I got another laugh and applause for the second sentence. Whew. After class, Caleb asked if I was going to bring anything next week. I hesitated, and he said, "Without being fearful." I said I would bring something, but that I would be full of fear and trepidation. He accepted that. 

And you can bet your first book that I will be going back. I feel like I could write a best seller just by being a fly on the wall and writing about all the writers in the class and how their life stories play out during the class. Besides, I have something to say, and I think I found the help I need to learn how to say it.

I'll take some fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies with me...just in case.
Here's the recipe we like best...(sorry, no pictures today...too many other things on my plate!)
In a large mixing bowl, cream together:
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
2 cups butter


Add:
4 eggs

Mix well and stir in:
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda 
1 teaspoon salt


Add 6 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix in carefully. Don't overmix. Stir in 2 cups (or more) of chocolate chips.


Drop by spoonfuls (I use a scoop!) onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 deg. for about 10 minutes..or until light golden brown. Don't overbake...unless you prefer a crunchy cookie. I like mine crisp on the outside, but still gooey inside. Is there anything more comforting than a really good, fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookie? Maybe...but not many!
hugs~

Pumpkin Seeds and Gopher Hills

I thought I would take a break from all things apple today. I got the kids off to school and hubby off to work and ran out the door for a yoga class. I have a love/hate relationship with yoga. If you've ever tried it, you understand. I love that since I began attending a regular yoga class, I haven't needed to see a chiropractor! I don't love the sore shoulders muscles so much. But that's actually improving.

After yoga and personal scripture study, I tackled my latest copy project. I made a lot of progress! Kati called just as I was taking a break, so I stepped outside to feel the sunshine on my face. I walked around the yard as we chatted, (all four of her children tested positive for strep...boo! but feeling much better already...yeah!) marveling at the convenience of cordless phones. Remember the days when we had to stand in one place to talk on the phone -unless you had one of those really long, stretchy cords? Remember twisting them around your finger, or stretching it as far away as you could so everyone at the table couldn't hear your conversation? LOL...You may be too young for that one. Wow.

Anyway...I wandered up the hill in the yard, enjoying the vibrant colors of fall while I talked to Kati and discovered this:

Holy Gopher Invasion , Batman! Where did that come from? (I put my foot in the picture as a sizer...yep...that mound is almost 6 feet across!) It wasn't there the other day! Hubby dear is not going to be pleased. This is war!

After saying goodbye to Kati, I decided to ignore the gopher challenge and tackle cleaning the refrigerator on the porch so that I could have another place to stash apples. My three-year-old granddaughter Rebekah called to talk. She prattered on and on about going to the splash pad at the park and "showed" me that she had new ice cream in the freezer, but that it is only for after dinner and how she really didn't want to wait until after dinner. Then she told me about her new baby and her Rapunzel doll and then said, "I love you Grandma. Bye!" and handed the phone to her mom (Elizabeth).

While cleaning out the fridge, and discovering I had another batch of applesauce waiting to be canned, I gave up trying to ignore apples and set up the canner. May as well, right? btw...have you ever tried spicing up your applesauce with cinnamon red hots? I didn't do it this batch...but it is super yummy!!! I use red hots in my pears, too. Makes everything a pretty pink!


I felt a little guilty about not opening my textbook while the bottles processed, but I opened up FaceBook anyway. I'm glad I did. I found this comment from our daughter, Brittany - a freshman and Northern Arizona University.


"This morning while studying in 3 Nephi, the answer to a math problem i had been getting frustrated about just popped into my head! I love the clarity the gospel can bring me :)"

Clarity indeed. My mother's heart filled with joy as I recognized the wonderful gifts I have been handed today. The worries and concerns that plagued me earlier in the day (like gopher mounds and looming projects) don't seem so important any more -- because they are all temporary things. Family is forever -- and that is how I make it through the day.

It's almost bed time. Levi is practicing his cello and I am munching on the pumpkin seeds that Micaela and I roasted yesterday. What? Did you think I would forget a recipe? No way! Sorry it's not about apples...but the whole "seeds and planting and harvest" thing put me in the mood for these:

Savory Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

4 - 5 cups of fresh pumpkin seeds, washed
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, (or a little more if you like, right Micaela?...inside joke!)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 275 deg. Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into baking pans in a thin layer. Bake for about an hour, (we actually needed almost 90 minutes, but I used one pan so the layer was really thick.) stirring every 10 - 15 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight container or bag. WARNING: These are addicting...just sayin'.

toasty hugs~

Apple (Shhh...Don't tell my husband I hid zucchini in it) Cinnamon Bread

One of my adorable daughters-in-law sent me a sweet message today:

"I’m so glad you are posting on your blog again! I can’t wait to try out the apple cider recipe. Yum!

As I was reading through your last couple of posts, a thought occurred to me concerning the focus of your blog. I have a suggestion for you, which of course, you are free take or leave. I’ll read and be happy either way!

I’ve noticed sometimes you apologize for getting “off topic” in your posts--when you’re talking about family, or spiritual things, or anything not directly apple related. Those are the things that I LOVE to hear you talk about, though! I know you have a testimony of families, and building people up, and the strength that the gospel provides. While the Table Talk book is the only project that I know you’ve been working on, I’m not sure that focusing on apples alone is building a platform that truly represents your unique view of life, especially concerning the gospel and our families.

What if, instead of focusing just on apples, you expand your blog’s focus to the topics of “growing” and “harvesting?” That way, you can certainly draw inspiration from Nature’s bounty, but you won’t have to feel so guilty about talking about the other things we grow and harvest. You’ve planted a lot of seeds in your life (especially in mine!) that I think people need to hear/read about. Your words about the gospel and Heavenly Father are so reverent and full of awe--I can’t help it if I want to read more about that!



She's wise as well as adorable! I will run out of apples...eventually. I will never run out of family. And I will never run out of wonder and awe for the abundance with which God has blessed us. Besides, Micaela is already expressing how her enthusiasm is waning for anything "apple."

The wind came up last night. The moaning and howling kept me awake long past midnight. This afternoon, however, I discovered the wind brought me a gift. I stepped outside to glean the last couple of zucchini and whatever tomatoes and peppers I could rescue. To my surprise, the ground was covered with walnuts. I apologized to the wind!

Of course, I knew we had walnuts. The tree blesses us with glorious shade all summer long. Last year we had a late, heavy freeze and the tree didn't produce more than a handful of nuts. The year before we had quite a few, but it was far too labor intensive to remove the husks off of the shells. Today, I found most of the nuts on the ground clean and dry, already separated from their slimy husks. In about 15 minutes I gathered almost 10 pounds of walnuts (that's in the shell, of course)! I'm pretty sure some of this bounty will make its way into an apple recipe!

I can see this blog changing with the seasons, just like me. Most of my children are grown and on their own. My husband and I have been reaping a bounteous harvest for awhile now as we watch them become responsible adults who know who they are and with firm testimonies of Jesus Christ. (I'll save the joys of being a grandparent for another post.) The son and daughter still left at home are not quite ready to leave our nurturing and protection. I'm glad. I'm not ready to be an empty nester just yet.

I read over this and think, gosh, but I'm old! haha! I don't feel old! I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.  I do know that first and foremost, I am and always will be, a mother. That is inherent in that I am a daughter of God.There are just so many fascinating things to do and learn! It's hard to choose! I do know that the subject I choose to write about is not as important as knowing that somehow, somewhere, the words I write make a difference. If those words gladden just one heart, then they will have fulfilled their purpose.

Okay, at least I chose a recipe to share -- I declare that any recipe that uses apples AND zucchini is useful! My kids are always warning guests about how I hide vegetables in everything anyway. Here is a sweet bread recipe I have been playing around with for a couple of months.

Zucchini Apple Cinnamon Bread (boring name, I know! But I promise this bread will make you feel loved!)

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, optional (I left this out.)

okay...you need to know that I doubled this recipe, and made 4 loaves, so don't get confused when you look at the pictures! This recipe as written will make two nice sized loaves. So, prepare two loaf pans by greasing them and coating them with flour. (or use a cooking spray...I was out.) Grate your zucchini and apple and set aside. (If you want, you can peel them first, but why go to all the extra work?) Preheat the oven to 325 deg.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy and light yellow. Add the oil and the applesauce and mix well. Sift the dry ingredients together in another bowl and add to the egg mixture. Mix well. Squeeze the extra moisture from the grated zucchini and apple and fold the pulp into the batter. Stir in the vanilla and nuts. Divide the batter between the loaf pans. Bake at 325 deg for about one hour.

I dare you to leave this bread alone until it cools off. On second thought -- Don't wait. Hot out of the oven, this bread rocks! (If you're really brave, add a little butter or caramel sauce...if your heart can stand it, that is!)

Happy harvest!
hugs~

Sunday Apples

Sunday is a day of rest from the things of the world for our family. I've been cooking all week, so today I have a quick recipe and ideas for using apples for quick, easy snacks. Cut up apple slices and serve them with peanut butter and chopped nuts and raisins and/or craisins. Let your kids play with their food and see what kind of pictures they can create on a paper plate using those items. Here's a quick fruit dip to add to the messy deliciousness:

1 pint marshmallow creme

1 Tlbs. juice concentrate (orange, lemon, lime, or whatever sounds good) or a little more if you like!

8 oz cream cheese, softened.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Beat in the marshmallow creme. Add the juice concentrate and stir until well blended. Chill and serve with all kinds of fruit...apples, bananas, strawberries, you name it.

I would post a picture, but I am out of marshmallow creme...sigh.

I gave a great deal of thought to what I wanted to blog about today. Sunday has always been a day of great significance to me -- a day of rest from weekly labors, yes, but it's more than that. It is a day to remember my Savior and give thanks to Him for everything He has done and continues to do for me. 

Are you wondering how I could possibly tie this in with apples? While I was cutting an apple up yesterday, I started wondering just how many seeds are in an apple, and how many apples grow on a tree, and how many trees can grow from all those seeds from all those apples on all those other trees...I thought about the parable of the sower in the New Testament and I wondered about the spiritual seeds I may or may not have planted throughout my life. Then I started pondering on the miracle of creation and how everything around me testifies that there is a God in Heaven. I thought about how much Heavenly Father loves us. The apple has a shape similar to a heart...and even the center of the apple has a bit of a heart shape.

I found a talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard, in an address given in conference in April 1988 where he shared the following:

"Astronauts viewing the earth from space have stated how incredibly beautiful it is and how alive it appears. United States Senator Jake Garn wrote of his experience in space: “It is impossible for me to describe the beauty of the earth. It is a breathtaking, awe-inspiring, spiritual experience to view the earth from space while traveling at twenty-five times the speed of sound. I could also look into the blackness of the vacuum of space and see billions of stars and galaxies millions of light-years away. The universe is so vast as to be impossible to comprehend. But I did comprehend the hand of God in all things. I felt his presence throughout my seven days in space. I know that God created this earth and the universe. I know that we are his children wherever we live on the earth, without regard to our nationality or the color of our skin. Most important, I know that God lives and is the Creator of us all” (letter to M. Russell Ballard, 3 March 1988).

"Again, the words of the hymn came to mind:

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy pow’r thruout the universe displayed;

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee,

How great thou art! How great thou art!"

"The psalmist wrote, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour" (Ps. 8:3–5).

The Lord gave an answer to the psalmist’s question; it is recorded in the book of Moses: “For mine own purpose have I made these things. …

“And by the word of my power, have I created them. …

“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:31–32, 39). "   (please forgive my misuse of quotation marks...)

At the dinner table this evening, I asked everyone to share with me something that testifies to them that there is a supreme creator. Levi said that he feels that testimony when he studies about cells and how everything is so complicated and organized. Natasha expressed similar thoughts and shared how the beauty of the world and the grandeur of the universe testifies to her.

I looked again at the apples I was slicing and sliced on apple in a different direction. Instead of a heart shape, there is a 5-pointed star. Reminds me of the star of Bethlehem. I think of the potential of those seeds to grow into an infinite number of apples, and I am reminded of the Savior's infinite sacrifice and His infinite love for us. I am humbled to feel that love and to know that He knows little, insignificant me...and He knows and loves each and every one of you, my brothers and my sisters in the Lord. You are never alone. God bless you my friends.
hugs and blessings~

Apples and Caramel and Cream. Oh My!

How does an apple a day keep the doctor away? When you take careful aim! (bada-bump)
Sorry, I looked everywhere for a cute joke with apples in it and that was the best I could do! If you have a good (clean) one, share! I did learn that it takes the energy from 50 leaves on an apple tree to produce one apple and that apples come in more flavors than just sweet or sour! Apples can even taste like pears, cinnamon, cloves, coconut, strawberries, grapes and even pineapple. I don't know how I feel about that. When I eat an apple, I kind of want it to taste like an apple. My brain gets confused enough as it is.

I worked writing copy all day yesterday and didn't get my apple post written. Today I got to attend a writing conference all about publishing eBooks. Wow! Now my head is stuffed with all kinds of information that will take time to sort through. I am definitely going to keep blogging. One, because I enjoy the challenge and two, because social media is crucial to a successful writing career. That doesn't have anything to do with apples, I suppose, but that's what's on my mind right (write) now!

My recipe for today is for Caramel Cream Cider. I served this to my writers group with the apple cake the other day. Several people requested the recipe so I thought it would be a good one. Besides, it's actually my own experiment! My mother-in-law gave us a Champion juicer years back and I thought I'd try putting some of these apple through it. Yummy! When the weather turned cold I really dreaded my regular morning smoothie. I wondered how the apple juice would taste heated up. Ahhhh! Then I remembered the caramel sauce in the fridge. While looking for  the caramel sauce, I spotted a carton of cream. ( Bwahahaha!) A dash of cinnamon kicked it up just a notch and voila! I call it Caramel Cream Cider...because I couldn't think of anything else. Okay, I realize it's not nearly as healthy as my green spinach smoothie (which has apples in it btw...) but it sure makes my taste buds do the happy dance. Definitely a comfort beverage and almost as good as hot chocolate...almost...cause nothing replaces chocolate, ever.

Caramel Cream Cider

fresh apple cider (or you can use bottled...but it's not quite the same)

a splash of heavy cream
1 tablespoon caramel sauce
cinnamon to taste

Heat the cider until it begins to steam. pour into a mug. Add the caramel sauce and stir. Add the splash of cream and sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.

I suggest you get in your jammies and grab a blanket and a book or your favorite movie before you sit down with this. Better yet, make enough for two and grab your sweetheart and cozy up with your Caramel Cream Cider and watch a romantic movie together. Just the two of you.

Any requests for a special type of apple recipe out there? I know one of my daughters sent me her muffin recipe she uses and a couple of friends sent another cake recipe...mmmmm...and I really plan on doing a caramel apple cinnamon roll recipe. I just need to think on that one a bit. I like the idea of experimenting a little instead of just copying recipes out there, so if you have your own and you would like me to highlight it, I would be happy to give it a try!

Okay...off to visit my grandma and a few aunts and uncles and cousins. Yep, My grandma is amazing. I sure hope I inherited her longevity genes. I still have lots of apples to deal with.

hugs~

Let Them Eat Cake!

I love it when I can solve two problems with one solution! I wanted to post a new apple recipe today, but I also knew that I had a ton of more pressing things on my to-do list. I host a writer's group in our home every second Thursday. I wanted an extra nice dessert because we had a special guest coming -- author Carla Kelly. Carla is "the author of more than 30 novels and novellas for Donald I. Fine Co., Signet, and Harlequin. Carla is the recipient of two Rita Awards (think Oscars for romance writing) from Romance Writers of America and two Spur Awards (think Oscars for western fiction) from Western Writers of America." (bio from her novel Marian's Christmas Wish). Carla gave us delightful presentation on the craft of writing. Her sweet husband accompanied her. I think we should have them come back and give him a turn to teach us a few things too! He is a playwright and fascinating to talk to. A huge hug and thank you to the Kelly's!

Anyway, I also spent a number of hours working on my latest copy job. I'm writing a free report for a guy about the e-coupon industry. Actually quite interesting. I wonder what the economy would be like if we all just stopped using coupons and the businesses lowered their prices for real, instead of inflating everything and then marking it down to make it look like they are giving us a deal. Is there really, truly a "regular" price for anything? Just a rhetorical question...but back to today:

Okay...long story cut short. The hearing in which I was supposed to testify this morning was continued for a later date.  Yeah! More time for apples!...and laundry...and copywriting. I found a promising recipe on the Martha Stewart website. Actually, I found lots of promising recipes there, but since I could only pick one, I chose John Baricelli's Three Layer Apple Cake. Only I decided to make it two layers and I decided to try a Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting instead of the Butter Cream frosting used in the recipe posted online. I also noticed that the gallon jar full of dried apple slices was almost empty! I filled it back up. Because I could! Yeah! I'm glad the family is enjoying them. I'll post the details on drying the apples in a couple of days.

Sorry, I keep getting off track. Today was so full of random stuff. Oh! My mom called and asked if I thought we could stand having her come up and stay for 10 days! I am so excited! Our grandson Ephraim is going to have his baptism here instead of in Idaho so that more family can attend. Gigi wants to come for that and for my cousin Austin's wedding. I'm putting in an order for some amazing Indian Summer weather so that Mom can see some color while she is here.

Have you ever thought about how the Bible never says that Adam ate an apple. It describes the "fruit of the Tree of Knowledge", but it doesn't say apple anywhere in the account.  I've often wondered how apples got involved. According to healthdiaries.com, " It was Hugo Van Der Goes who first implicated the apple as the forbidden fruit in his 1470 A.D. painting, The Fall of Man. After that, it became popular to depict the apple as the forbidden fruit."

Hmmm...I have 45 minutes before it's tomorrow. I guess I better give you the recipe for that cake. Levi is still up doing homework so I am staying up with him. LOL...the dog keeps coming up to Levi and licking his arm to get his attention and then walking over to the stairs. Gentry sleeps in Levi's room. He's telling us it is time for bed. I love animals!

oh yeah...the cake.
John Barricelli's Three Layer Cake  (With Two Layers and a Different Frosting)

1 stick melted butter                                        
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled - 2 coarsely grated and 2 diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Butter 3 - 8 inch round cake pans. (I used 2 9-inch). Line with parchment paper. Butter, then flour paper and sides of pans.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar and eggs until well combined; fold in grated and diced apples. Add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Divide batter among pans - smooth batter out.

3. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes ( use the tooth pick test). Cool cakes in the pans for about 20 minutes, then invert the pans onto wire racks, peel off the paper, and let the cakes completely cool.
 You can also bake this cake batter in a 9 x 13 pan and bake about the same amount of time.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup brown sugar
10 Tbls butter - divided into 4 tbls and 6 tbls.
1/3 cup heavy cream
8 oz package cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Melt the brown sugar and 4 tbls of the butter over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Whisk in the cream. Blend well and transfer to a bowl and let cool at room temperature. Stir this once in awhile to help the cooling process and to keep it from getting dried up on the surface.

2. Place the remaining 6 tbls. of butter and the cream cheese in a large bowl. beat together until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and beat some more. add the dash of salt, stir, and then very gradually, while the mixer is still going, add the brown sugar mixture. Then gradually add the powdered sugar a 1/2 cup at a time, beating well in between additions. Chill frosting slightly before frosting the cake.

Frost the cake! Yummy!  I double the frosting recipe and ended up with 2 quarts. To be perfectly honest, I think the cake is better with no frosting. It is very dense and moist and sweet. I think this frosting will be exquisite on some cinnamon rolls with grated apple in them. So watch for my Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls in the next few days. ...20 minutes til the witching hour...

I served this with hot cider (freshly squeezed from the Gala apples) with a shot of cream and caramel. I'll post the recipe later, too.  (I have ten minutes before I turn into an apple!)
hugs~