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~

Got Apples? This soup will please your palate!

Today started out pretty well. A gorgeous full moon slipped to the west just as the sun lit up a cloudless blue sky to the east. We got the kids off to school after family prayer and scriptures and a warm breakfast of eggs and toast (made out of that delightful maple apple oatmeal bread). I played catch up on folding yesterday's laundry and had just finished tidying up the kitchen and drinking my spinach smoothie when the phone rang. 


"Kari, are you okay? Rachel just called and said she was worried because you haven't picked her up to take her to work yet."

Oh no!  I totally spaced that today is Wednesday -- my morning to take our sweet neighbor to her job in Lindon. I stammered an apology and told Rachel's mom I would leave immediately. Rachel graciously reassured me that I was not the only person to forget. That almost made me feel worse. But I got her to work and tonight I will write this obligation down on all of the Wednesdays in my planner instead of just a week at a time.

I use the dining table as my office space. I can see out the windows to the back and the front and watch the world while I work. I thought the police officer walking up to the front door wanted to talk to Natasha. I cringed when I heard him tell her he needed to talk to me. He handed me a subpoena to appear in court tomorrow to testify against the guy that assaulted Natasha back in July. Ugh. Thank goodness I saved a bowl of the yummy chowder that Sandy Vernon served at the luncheon yesterday because I needed some serious comfort food. A piece of Cadbury dark chocolate helped a lot too.

too many apples!

That scrumptious chowder got me to thinking about using apples in a soup. Did you know that the crab apple is the only variety of apple that is native to North America? I had no idea! Here's a picture of the crab apple tree in my back yard.
 
 As you can see, I haven't even started harvesting those apples yet.

A few more facts about apples (according to the University of Illinois Extension website):
   * Apple blossom is the state flower of  Michigan.
   * Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free and a medium apple has about 80 calories.
   * Charred apples have been found in prehistoric dwellings in Switzerland.

Okay...back to the soup. Another friend served a Butternut Squash and Apple soup yesterday. I Googled a recipe and found this one from Emeril. I sampled the result just before writing this. You know how when you rub a dog's belly and you hit just the right spot and the dog starts kicking his leg back and forth as fast as he can? Oh. My. Deliciousness. I sliced some apples to go with the soup and got out a loaf of French Bread. Here's the recipe: I doubled this btw...so don't get confused by the pictures.

Squash from my sister-in-law's garden and apples from our trees.

Emeril's Butternut Squash and Apple Soup   

4 slices of bacon
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 large leek
1 large clove garlic ( I always add a little extra...but I love, love, love fresh garlic!)
1/2 bay leaf
salt, pepper to taste

1 1/4 lbs butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and cubed

Can't you just smell the bacon!

1 medium Granny Smith apple - peeled and chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup water
2 Tbls. sour cream, plus more for garnish                    
Apples, unpeeled and sliced for garnish

here's one of those peeler/corer/slicer thingamabobs!

Chop up and cook the bacon. Set it aside for garnish. Use 1 1/3 Tbls of the rendered grease to saute your onions, leeks, bay leaf, and garlic until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add your squash, apple, broth and water.

Ready to cook.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 - 25 minutes -- until the squash is tender. Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup in a blender. Put in a clean saucepan. Whisk in the sour cream. Heat over a med.-low heat until hot, but DO NOT BOIL. Serve with a garnish of crumbled bacon, a dollop of sour cream and chopped or sliced apple.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups. (Recipe from abcnews.com/recipe)

Be careful! It is hot!

   

Warm hugs!

An Apple (or Two) A Day

According to Wikipedia, there are more than 7,500 varieties of apples throughout the world. That's a lot of apples! China is the number one producer of apples, with the United States coming in second -- just in case you get picked to be on Jeopardy and need to know that kind of thing.

Okay, so I have a confession. This is day two of my apple project and I already have to cheat a little. I forgot that today was a "A" day for the schools and that Levi had early morning seminary this morning, so I overslept a little. It was my yoga day, and the neighborhood lunch bunch, and I expected a client to call around 10 am. I needed something to take to the luncheon and I wanted to try a new apple recipe. I made a batch of maple-apple-oatmeal bread last week and I found a loaf hiding in the freezer. I thawed it out, took a picture, sliced it up and served it with apple butter. I know it's not a new recipe for me...but it most likely is for you, so I decided that since I haven't blogged about it before it's legal. I'll try for a new one tomorrow. Maybe. Hopefully.

Of course, the client never called. But he did send me an email that he would call later. What does that mean anyway? What do you mean when you say later? When my parents said "Later" they usually meant "not in this life time." Too bad he lives out of state. I could take him some of this maple-apple-oatmeal bread and tell him that I write copy that's even better than this yummy bread. It could work!

I got this recipe from Shar of Shar's Kitchen and Bosch store when she still had the store in Phoenix. What an amazing lady! The store had a full kitchen where she demonstrated how to cook all kinds of yummy healthy foods using Bosch appliances, Kun Rikon pressure cookers, and every kitchen gadget you can possibly think of. Let's just say that after attending Shar's classes for a couple of years, (oh, and 6 months of being a Pampered Chef consultant) I literally had to remodel the kitchen so that I could store all of my tools! Well, it helped that I started storing them in the garage with my husband's tools and even started using some of his tools in the kitchen. Did you know that an oil filter wrench makes the best jar opener ever? I swiped that one. It's still in my kitchen drawer. Wow...I really digressed from the apple thing, didn't I!

okay..here's Shar's recipe for Maple Apple Oatmeal Bread (oh, and if you use a KitchenAid...just cut the recipe in half.)

Place in the Bosch mixer with the dough hook:
4 cups warm water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. maple extract
2 beaten eggs
3 Tbsp Saf instant yeast
2 Tbsp. sea salt ( I never use table salt anymore...too many impurities and chemicals)
3 Tbsp. dough enhancer ( I actually leave this out.)
3 cups bread flour or 1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)
2 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour

Use the moment switch ( or mix briefly).

Mix thoroughly. Continue to add fresh ground whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and add:
4 cups fresh, grated apples ( I used Granny Smith's)...or diced...or chopped, depending on how big you want the fruity bites to be.
1 Tbsp sweet spice blend or cinnamon or apple pie spice...

Knead on speed one (Bosch) to thoroughly mix in the apples and spices into the dough and keep kneading for about another 2 or 3 minutes. Form into loaves. This made 5 - 1 1/2 pound loaves. (I use a scale to weigh my dough so that I get my loaves all the same size. OCD?) Place the loaves into well-greased bread bread pans and let rise until the dough is about 2 inches above the edge of the pans. Bake at 350 deg. F or until the internal temperature of the bread is 210 deg. F.

If you dab a little water on the loaf before you place it in the pan, you can roll it in a little oatmeal for a fun look. you can also roll the dough flat and sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on it...just a little and then roll the dough into a loaf shape. I also slash the tops of the loaves with a baker's blade so they bake more evenly.

This bread is really yummy toasted and makes the best French Toast -- especially if you add a little vanilla to the eggs and milk you dip the bread in. Mmmm...vanilla. My dad gets it in Mexico for me, but my sister-in-law makes her own. Maybe that's another blog down the road.

hugs~

An Apple A Day

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I wish chocolate could activate a button in my brain that would make me more computer savvy (sigh). I do have apples though. Lots and lots of apples. I've sauced them, dried them, juiced them, and pied them. (I suppose "pied" is not a real word, but since this is my blog...;o). Now what do I do? Back to that in a moment. Here's how this post came about.

My Internet service crashed today when some well meaning construction worker sliced through Comcast's fiber optics. All. The. Way. Through. That left me without any more excuses like work and school and laundry (because I like to watch Hulu while I fold clothes, in case you were wondering what laundry has to do with the Internet). Time to face the apples. I already processed about 100 pounds and threw away at least another 100 pounds of apples that fell off the trees and got smooshed. I picked Granny Smith's, Galas, Red Delicious (although just a few as I don't think those are quite ready), and Golden Delicious. I had to pick up the ground falls first. That's when I realized that the lawn needed mowing. Badly.

Levi took care of the lawn most of the summer. But since school started, he has been swamped with homework. Then soccer season started and with two kids playing and reffing...and with Doug reffing...yeah...our Saturday's have been shot. (How did we survive the year we had 7 kids playing soccer??? in Phoenix. In the summer.) So. I picked apples off the ground and then off the trees. I pulled out the lawn mower. (The almond tree really does lean like that. Guess which way the wind blows around here!)

Then I realized that the walnuts have been dropping. Had to pick those up too. About halfway through the mowing, Doug came home from work. When raindrops began to pitterpat on my head I prayed for time to finish mowing. I feel like God's pet because the rain stopped long enough for me to finish mowing and pick some more apples with Doug's help. It goes so much faster with two people. Now I didn't have to run up and down the ladder for every three apples I picked!

After dinner we loaded up a few of the boxes and took them to friends. The smiles on their faces made me feel like the sun had been shining all day. Now I have three boxes of apples left on the porch. And the trees are still loaded.



So here's the part about writing this post! I had a thought or two while I mowed the lawn. I've been trying to come up with a theme to blog about. (Cause it's only been how many months since I wrote?) Why not apples? What if I try a new apple recipe every day and blog about it? I could post anecdotes about apples or apple jokes. Jokes are good. I can't think of any right now though, so here is the first apple recipe I tried. Well, after I made cider and dried apple slices and pie filling and apple sauce and salsa...??? If you want me to post instructions on any of those, I would be more than happy to share.

I found this recipe on www.midwestliving.com/recipes/

Danish Pastry Apple Bars

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 egg yolk
milk
1 cup cornflakes ( I left this part out....oops!)
8 - 10 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (8 cups) (I used Granny Smith apples)
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ( I think I used 2 teaspoons)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup powdered sugar
3 - 4 teaspoons milk

1. In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a liquid measuring cup, beat egg yolk lightly. Add enough milk to make 2/3 cup liquid. Stir well to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture with a fork until combined (dough will be slightly sticky). Divide mixture in half.

2. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough into a 17 x 12-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Transfer to a 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan (I used the Pampered Chef stoneware bar pan) and unfold dough, pressing to fit into the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle with cornflakes. (or not) Top evenly with apples. (This is where one of those corer/peeler/slicer thingamabobs comes in really handy!) In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over apples. (I placed a layer of apples, sprinkled some of the sugar mixture over it and did another layer of apples, then sugar, etc.) Roll remaining dough to a 15 x 10 inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Place atop apples and unfold dough. Crimp edges or use the tines of a fork to seal. cut slits in the top. Brush top with beaten egg white.

3. Bake in a 375 degree F oven to 50 minutes or until golden and apples are tender, covering with foil after the first 25 minutes of baking time to prevent over browning.

4. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and 2 -3 teaspoons milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm bars. Let cool completely (say what? We couldn't wait that long!) on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.

Even though I left out the cornflakes and I used leftover icing from the fridge...this dessert rocked. Can you say comfort food? I didn't think about taking a picture until after we started eating...I'll try to remember to take a picture of the finished products before we dig in next time!


Granny Smith apples from our tree...and my favorite plate! (Thanks Becky!)

If I run out of recipes to try, maybe I can post a craft or two. Or perhaps my readers would like to share their favorite apple creations. (Do I have any readers?)...hmmm...perhaps I can round some up on Facebook. Then that would mean I have to be committed to writing on this blog. Obviously I have plenty to say, or this post wouldn't be so rambling and long. Eventually, I'll write about my new adventures writing copy. But that's an entirely new box of apples!

My New Friend...Chia!

Hooray! Week four has flown by. I am now half way through this detox eating program. I never thought I would be able to go 4 weeks without chocolate or cheese or chips. The most difficult night occurred when we had dinner at Provo's Brick Oven Pizza. My niece ordered the most scrumptious looking garlic chicken pizza. It smelled heavenly. The baskets of buttery, crispy garlic bread made my mouth water. Mmmmmm...Fortunately, there was a marvelous salad and soup bar. Unfortunatley, I forgot to take our own salad dressing. All they had available was creamy dressings and all the soups were either milk/cheese based or had lots of noodles. Becky and I decided to try the homemade chicken noodle soup and just pick out the noodles. It was mediocre. I can honestly say that I make a far superior chicken soup. My one downfall was the tablespoon of ranch-style dressing I put on my salad. I had already eaten a "dry" salad for lunch and I just couldn't face another one. I put egg and olives and other moist ingredients on the salad (protein day), but they didn't have any salsa or vinegar/oil dressings. So sad! Oh well. It turned out well, and we had a great time visiting with family.

My weight has plateaued, but that's okay too. I didn't start this focused on my weight as much as an attempt to gain better health. I do feel much better. Saturday, I steam cleaned the tile floors, base boards and kitchen appliances. A couple of months ago, I would have retreated to to a chair or even to bed and spent the rest of the day reading or watching a movie or sleeping because of pain. Instead, I had energy left over and went right to work on another project. Feeling better makes this whole idea totally worth the effort.

The newest food I am using is chia. So far I just put a couple of tablespoons in my green smoothie every day. The more I read about chia, though, the more fascinated I am with its nutritional properties. I think I will make some chia gel and try using it as a thickener. One article I read claims that you can use chia gel in place of fats in many recipes and cut the calories by almost 90%. Sounds too good to be true, but I will experiment and see. Chia does have calories, although not many, and it is the highest of land plants in omega-3 oils. It is high in fiber, iron, magnesium and potassium. oh, and then there's the protein and fiber and...yeah. lots of stuff! Chia lowers bad cholesterol and triglycerides and slows down the conversion of carbohydrates into sugars...thus stabilizing blood sugar levels.

We'll see how this week turns out. I want to add exercise to my routine now. Not sure how to make that work. It is difficult to justify spending the time on me for some reason. I think I will try going back to yoga twice/week now that the car is repaired. and maybe walk three times/week? I'll figure it out!

In the mean time...I have a huge research paper and two exams I need to take before the first week in April. Yikes!

On the Path to Better Health

I keep thinking I am going to use this blog more effectively...and then life happens. The other day I realized that I really do need to write about these life experiences. I always feel like life is pretty mundane and not anything anyone would really care to read about, but since several of my children have taken the time to comment and ask for more, I will try harder.

A few weeks ago, a friend in the neighborhood told me that she wanted to get a group of people together to try out a weight management/healthy lifestyle program. I had been doing some research and trying to get motivated to improve my health so I told her to count me in. Becky expressed interest as well. I'm glad. It really does help to have someone else in the house on board with something like this. My main motivation came from being tired of feeling ill every single day. Feeling like you have been hit by a truck day in and day out gets old really fast. I also wanted to wean myself off of the sleeping aids I have been using for several months.

Fast forward three and half weeks. No sugar, no preservatives, no white flour, no dairy. Fruits and vegetables everyday -- as much as I care to eat -- with the addition of either a meat protein, a starch, or legumes, depending on the day. A green smoothie, usually in the a.m., and every now and then popcorn with ghee and sea salt for a snack. The week before I started this detox program I also started using a nutritional supplement with L-arginine as the main ingredient. I have cut my medication at night by 75%. My thinking is more clear, and I have a lot more energy. The pain of inflammation is almost completely gone. I still crave sweets. I'm hoping that will diminish. On top of feeling better, I am down nearly 20 pounds. Yahoo!

I am going to post recipes that I have been trying, including several that I am very pleased to have come up with. Of course, none of them are as amazing as the chocolate mousse recipe I came up with for Thanksgiving. I had intended to make it again for Valentine's Day, but I knew I would not be able to make it and then not eat some. This program lasts for eight weeks. I want to continue healthy eating, so I intend to follow it pretty closely, even after the eight weeks. (although, I may have to make some of that mousse to celebrate our 33rd anniversary in April) Hopefully by then I will be able to use self control and enjoy a little bit of chocolate now and then. Right now though, I don't dare. Sugar really is an addiction for me and taking even a bite right now would be my undoing. I have been an emotional eater for a very long time. Eat to keep awake. Eat to soothe tender feelings. Chew something yummy to keep from chewing someone out, etc. Now when I get stressed, I try yoga or go for a walk or immerse myself in a good book. I write out the things I am feeling and acknowledge the lessons I am learning. Rather than live to eat, I now I choose to eat to live.

It has been a challenge to plan meals that the family will eat and still meet the eating plan Becky and I chose to follow. I don't have the time or desire to cook two different meals 3 times/day. So I plan a main dish that I can add to or take away from to please everybody! If it is bean day, I try to make a vegetarian chili or black bean soup or white bean and carrot soup...or who knows...for the rest of the family, I just add rolls or crackers, etc. For a stir fry on veggie day, I add chicken and rice for the family or if it is a protein day, Becky and I can have the chicken. It works! It's not as difficult as I thought it would be. I love that I am trying new recipes and eating veggies that I never thought to try before because I thought they would be a pain to prepare. I have fallen in love with asparagus and even enjoy pickled carrots. who knew? Oh, and pickles and olives have become very good friends. Along with kimchee. Becky and I have eaten almost a gallon of it these past couple of weeks! It is a great food for introducing healthy bacteria into the gut. You have to get the good kind from a Korean market though. American grocery store kimchee is nasty. I think our Korean daughters spoiled me.

So here is the first recipe. I'll try to get Micaela to post the picture she took of this meal before I served it. It was really pretty!

Veggie - Chicken Stir Fry (Kari style)

Chicken tenders or cut boneless chicken breasts into strips (enough for 8 servings) and place in a pressure cooker, crock pot, or deep dish.

1/2 - 1 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 cup water
1 kiwi, grated
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed (or more if you like)
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion - I use green onions or white or yellow depending on what I have

Mix ingredients together and pour over chicken strips. Marinate about 30 minutes. Pressure cook for about 5 minutes at 15# or place in a crock pot for a couple of hours or put on the grill. (Just cook the chicken...!)

Prepare veggies:
3 stalks of broccoli, cut into florets
1 onion, sliced
3 - 4 large carrots, or several baby carrots, chunked or sliced
2 - 3 zucchini, sliced
6 - 8 white mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips

2 -3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Mix together:
1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Better Than Chicken stock ( I get this at Costco and it is organic)
dash of cayenne (red pepper)
dash of black pepper
2 tablespoons corn starch

Stir fry the veggies until just barely tender. Add the sauce and stir quickly to mix. This will thicken quickly.

Serve with the chicken strips and brown rice or quinoa. Becky and ate just the veggies. This is really good with a side of roasted asparagus. I know it looks complicated, but the time is just prepping the veggies. David declared it a restaurant quality meal. Everyone gobbled it up. I was a happy mama! In the next couple of days I will share a yummy fat free trick that works to thicken dishes without using cream soups.

Time to go climb in bed under the warm covers and read a good book, so that I don't cave to that dark chocolate bar calling me from the kitchen!!! The wind is howling, it is starting to snow, and I would love a cup of hot chocolate. But you know what? I want to improve my health first. I want to have the energy to play with my kids and grandkids. Oh...and by the way. I was asked the ages of my 9 children today. I told them my youngest is 13 and my oldest is....older than me!

hee hee...

Wrote this post last night, just before we lost Internet service to the raging wind. The sun is shining today!

Sing, Gloria!

Sometime last week, a friend in the ward mentioned on Facebook that he is a member of the Millennium Concert Choir and that they were participating in a performance of Lex de Azevedo's "Gloria: The Life of Christ, Part I - The Nativity." The production was scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday in the historic Provo Tabernacle in Provo, Utah. K-BYU was filming this free concert for a special television program.

We had been unable to get tickets for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert performing at the same time in Salt Lake City, so I was thrilled at the idea of attending "Gloria" and listening to music bearing witness of the Savior's birth. Not only was the performance free, but Lex de Azevedo was playing the piano, and George Dyer and Gregory Pearson were among the featured soloists. I love listening to those men sing! Lex de Azevedo has been one of my favorite composers for many years. Besides that, I wanted to support Randy and all the hard work the choirs had put into preparing the music.

I am told that by Thursday evening everything was ready at the Provo Tabernacle. K-BYU had stage settings in place for the soloists. The intricate stained-glass windows were back lit, and plants and flowers, sound equipment, and cameras all stood in place for the big event. The million-dollar organ and a brand new grand piano were tuned with the woodwinds, harp, and tympani.

About 3:00am Friday, December 17, 2010, disaster struck. A call to the Provo police and fire departments reported a fire burning in the tabernacle. By the time firemen arrived, the tabernacle roof was engulfed in flames. Firefighters battled the blaze inside the building as long as they could, but the heat soon became far too intense and they had to evacuate. A short time later, the architecturally distinct roof entirely collapsed. Everything was lost.

Choir members who heard the news early in the morning tried desperately to contact Brother de Azevedo. When they finally got in touch, like everyone else, Lex was devastated. He threw his hands in the air and declared a total loss. There would be no performance. This time, there would be no show to go on. The loss was too great, too insurmountable.

This wasn't the first time productions of "Gloria" faced challenges. Knowing this, Choir members refused to give up. Could there be any better time to share Christ's message of hope and peace and love? They broadcast frantic, hopeful phone calls, Facebook status's and text messages trying to find another venue where they could produce "Gloria." Lex remained unconvinced, but as he told the audience Friday night, his wife, Peggy asked him to consider that maybe Satan didn't want the show to go on. Maybe Lex just needed to fight a little harder. With a smile on her face, his daughter humored Lex by stating that she thought it was really all a conspiracy. When asked what she meant, she said,

"You know. It's a conspiracy by Kurt Bestor and Michael McLean!" The audience roared with laughter.

At the last moment, the Alpine Tabernacle was made available for the concert. More Facebook and text messages were sent. Street side banners went up. Television stations donated sound equipment and a harp and woodwind instruments were found. There was no time for decorations or special lighting. There would be no "Hollywood" magic. The concert would go on in its most pure and simple form.

Friday night, after a quick sound check, Lex de Azevedo stood at the podium and bore his testimony about the miracle of writing the music for "Gloria: The Life of Christ, Part I - The Nativity." After decades of writing music for the secular world, Lex determined that he wanted to set the story of the Savior's life, as written in the King James Bible, to music. He wanted to answer President Spencer W. Kimball's proclamation that the best music had yet to be written. He spent several months wrestling with his project. In trying to create a masterpiece, Lex described his efforts as turning out to sound like Mozart and Handel, but very bad Mozart and very bad Handel. Feeling his discouragement, Peggy lovingly told him he needed to stop competing with Handel and Mozart and just be the best Lex de Azevedo he could be. Lex described his epiphany as he recognized that while his gift differed from Handel and Mozart, he did have a gift. Then Lex said,

"When the competing ended, the music began to flow."

He taught us all that if we will be the best "us" we can be, angels will make up the difference. He also reminded us that all that was lost in the fire was bricks and mortar, temporal manifestations of something bigger that had first been created spiritually. Everything is created spiritually first. His music was created spiritually, before he put it on paper, and before the temporal representation in the performance. Unlike the loss of the temporal things, nothing can destroy the music. It will always be with us. It was when he realized these things, he agreed to do the performance in the Alpine Tabernacle.

I will never forget that night. The music in its pure and simple form did not need the glitz and glamour of special effects. As I sat in the Alpine Tabernacle with Doug and Levi, the Spirit witnessed to me the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ as the music carried the message of Christ's divinity deep into my heart.

For the first time, I stopped to seriously consider how the shepherds and prophets and wise men, and yes, Joseph and Mary felt as they witnessed prophecy being fulfilled. I remembered my personal experience when I first heard that the priesthood was finally being restored to all mankind, of every heritage. I don't know how to describe my feelings that day, except that I heard and felt the rushing wind as it carried the message around the world. I know exactly why the angels sang. I felt joy then -- and I felt it again Friday night as I witnessed God's word being spread, even through the challenge of loss and destruction. Nothing can destroy pure and simple truth.

[As a side note: An amazing story is now being circulated about a painting portraying the Second Coming surviving the fire. Initially, it survived undamaged, but the intense heat of the residual fire scorched all of the painting except for the Savior's portrait. Miracles never cease.]