Sisters Squared

The Relief Society and Young Women had a delicious square dinner of sandwiches on square rolls, with squares of watermelon and pasta salad . . .

. . .followed by an entertaining evening of Sisters Squared (aka Hollywood Squares).

With our lovely hostess, Burnt Sparks.

Thank you to Laura, Marianne, Jamie and everyone on the meeting committee for the delicious dinner and lots of great fun.

And a special thanks to Ashlee for letting us have the event in her backyard!

Spring Swing

Ice Box Cookies

by Stephanie S.

1/2 lb butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 lb chopped nut
3 eggs
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

Cream butter, add sugars, nuts, eggs and flour.  Add salt, cinnamon and soda.  Form into 3 or 4 rolls and wrap in wax paper then chill in refrigerator overnight.  Slice and bake.  350 degrees about 5 to 8 minutes.

(Very stiff dough - best if made in bread mixer)

These are called "Ice Box Cookies" because they need to be chilled (I freeze the rolls of dough) before you can slice them.  My grandmother had a big Ice box where a man would deliver ice each week - twice in the summer, and it would keep the entire "box" cold.  There were several compartments with heavy doors and sturdy handles that locked air tight when closed to keep the cold in.

Revnicha (Croation Nut Bread)

Recipe from Laurie P.
Yield: 4 loaves

Yeast Bread:
1 Tblsp yeast or 1 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup melted butter
2 eggs at room temperature
1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes
6 1/2 to 7 cups whole wheat flour or all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in sugar, salt, butter, eggs, potatoes and 4 cups of the flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.  (The dough will be soft.)  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl; turn greased side up.  Cover tightly; refrigerate at least 8 hours.  (Dough can be kept up to 5 days in refrigerator at 45 degrees or below.)  Keep covered.

Filling:

(I like to make 4 individual bowls of filling rather than make one big bowl so each loaf has the same amount of filling.  The filling recipe is for ONE loaf of bread.  Make 4 bowls or 4x the recipe and ivied into fourths.)


Filling for ONE loaf:
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon extract

Mix walnuts, sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and lemon extract.

Punch down dough and divide into 4 equal pieces.

Roll 1 piece of dough into a rectangle, 15 x 10 inches, on a lightly floured surface.  Spread 1 bowl of filling over rectangle to within 1 inch of the edges.

Roll up gently, beginning at one of the long sides.  Moisten the ends with water; pinch edges of dough into roll to seal.  Bend roll in half and place in a greased or parchment paper lined 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  Cover; let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until bread is browned.  Remove from pan and place bread on a towel lined cooling rack.  Cover with a towel.  When cool, the bread may be wrapped in foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze for best storage.

Christmas in Zarahemla

Thank you to Maryanne and her committee for the wonderful Christmas party this evening.

The decorations were colorful and spectacular.

 The company was exceptional.

 The children adorable.

Why didn't I get more pictures of the babies?!

And the Primary's Program was fabulous!

 Thank you Stephanie and Markae!

I regret that I didn't photograph the wonderful food, Will (our entertaining host) or the rooms that the children went through for their Posadas activity, but I did get a little video of the children singing one of their songs before I ran out of room on my camera card:

Sacrament Meeting Ideas

Val gave lots of great ideas during our Tuesday night activity on things to help our children be reverent during Sacrament Meeting:

- the distribution center has picture cards that my kids look at

- the website friend.lds.org has church related printable activities and coloring pages the kids can do

- I have the 'scripture readers'  The New Testament, Old Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants that they look at

- I have lots of religious kids books.  Picture books and board books. 

- Some people have 'quiet books'.

- My kids each have notebooks and colored pencils

- I bring the monthly Friend magazine

- I try to keep my kids quiet without any of these, but if they are restless, then I pull something out.

Simple Sunday Fruit Salad

Simple Sunday Fruit Salad

     32 oz of strawberry yogurt (I like the Mountain High brand-- not too sweet)

     Pint of whipping cream

     Small pkg of instant vanilla pudding

     Fresh fruit

Beat your whipping cream-- sweetening it with a little sugar or vanilla. In a separate bowl, add the yogurt and whisk in the instant vanilla pudding. Once that's done, fold in your whipped cream. Then you add whatever fresh fruit you like: strawberries, rasberries, blackberries, blueberries and bananas work well. You can even use frozen fruit! Mix gently. I like to save some of the fruit to decorate the top. This recipe makes A LOT. For a single family, you can cut the recipe in half.

From Coco 

Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce

3 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Butter
1 Can Evaporated Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla

In a saucepan melt butter and brown sugar and cook to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and evaporated milk - stir constantly until smooth.

* Tasty on waffles, pancakes or french toast or even on your favorite dessert!
From Ann S.

Simple Sunday Recipes

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

A bag meal by Belinda Craft, shared by Maria T.

8 oz. Penne Pasta
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian diced tomatoes
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (13 oz) can chicken meat
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 1/2 T dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Cook pasta until desired tenderness.  Drain pasta and return to saucepan.  Add remaining ingredients to pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Toss gently and serve.  Top with cheese if desired.

Chicken in a Crock

Chicken in a Crock from Sue N.

1/2 onion - chopped and saute.

5 stalks of celery - sliced

5 large mushrooms - sliced

3 slices bacon - precooked & sliced into pieces

4 chicken breasts - seasoned with herbs, cumin, salt and pepper:  Bake 40 min. and slice in strips or cube.

Place in Crock Pot.

Pour over ingredients:

1/4 c. sour cream mixed with 1/4 cup flour

1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup - stir into sour cream and flour mixture

Serve over rice or pasta

Cooks Note:

Baking chicken or searing meat imporves flavor before placing in Crock.  I don't use boiled chicken.  Baked is easier to cut in pieces and holds together better.

The advantage of Crock cooking is you do all the prep and clean up on Saturday.

Just turn the Crock on LOW before you leave for church.

Add a salad, jello, veggies and dessert of your choice.

Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken

Boneless chicken pieces to serve 4 to 6 (you can use chicken breasts or tenderloins)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried basil (or 2T fresh basil, chopped fine)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can evaporated milk, scalded (empty the can into a microwavable container, heat for 1 minute)
1 can chicken broth (or 2 cups chicken bouillon)
2/3 cup lemon juice
Lemon peel (optional)
1 cup sour cream

Brown the chicken pieces in a large skillet.  Remove the chicken and place in a large casserole dish.  In the skillet, melt the butter.  Mix the flour, dry mustard, basil, salt, and pepper in a cup then add slowly to the melted butter, mixing carefully to make a roux (paste).  Slowly add the chicken broth, being careful to keep it smooth.  Then slowly add the scalded milk, stirring contantly until smooth and thickened.  Turn off the heat; slowly stir in the lemon juice and lemon peel (optional).  Pour the mixture over the chicken in the casserole dish.  Cover and bake.
Cook for 3 hours at 250 degrees or 1 hour at 350 degrees.
When chicken is cooked, remove the pieces and place them on a serving platter.  Then add the sour cream to the sauce, stirring until smooth and well blended.  Serve the sauce over mashed potatoes or rice and over the chicken as well.

This can be prepared the night before, refrigerated and then placed in the oven when you are ready.

Laundry Stains 101

Last week we had a wonderful activity where we tied quilts and learned about making our Sunday's Simpler.  One of the mini-classes was taught by Sister Jill from the Wilford 2nd Ward on getting our laundry clean (before Sunday of course!).  Here are her hints:

The Golden Rules:

• Act Quickly
• For a liquid:  
• gently blot up any excess with a white cloth or cotton swab
• work from the outside in so that you don't spread the stain further
• do NOT press hard or rub
• Sprinkle oily stains with an absorbent
• If it is a dollop of something (like ketchup or salsa):
• scoop off any excess, again from the outside in to avoid spreading the stain further
• dab the area with cold water, which will lighten most spots and remove some altogether

Disclaimer:
There is no single technique or product that takes care of every spot and spill.  If a garment isn't washable, the safest thing is to take it to a dry clean; Show them the stain and tell them what it is (if you know).  If you want to make sure these treatments don't do more harm than good, test the technique in a hidden area (such as the inseam) before you attempt to slay the dragon.

Your Basic Tool Kit Consists of:

• Your instruments:
• cotton swabs (ideal for dabbing)
• an eyedropper
• a plastic ice cream sample spoon
• Combination solvents (such as Shout or Spray N' Wash) particularly good on greasy stains on washables.
• Oil solvents a.k.a. dry cleaning fluid (such as K2R or Afta) are for greasy stains on nonwashables.  Use only on dry fabric, in a well-ventilated area.  Air clothes after treatment.
• Salt when mixed with water works as a pre-soak treatment for blood stains.
• Digestants (my personal favorite is Wisk, but you can use Biz, Era Plus and the like).  These are enzyme cleaners that eat protein stains like grass, blood and egg yolk.  Apply directly to damp fabric, or dilute in water and then soak clothes.  ALWAYS use cold water when treating blood stains.  Wool and silk are proteins, so digestants should never be used on these fibers.
• Absorbents (e.g. cornstartch, talcum powder, Gold Bond powder)  When faced with a grease stain, gently heap the absorbent onto the stain, wait about a half hour, then invert the fabric so that the heap falls off without spreading.  Then you treat the stain.
• Detergent (e.g. any mild, clear liquid dishwashing detergent - the key word here being CLEAR)  This is an effective all-purpose cleaner.  Apply it straight, wait 5 to 10 minutes, then flush or dab with water.
• Denatured Alcohol (from the hardware store) Breaks down many stains and evaporates without leaving a residue.
• Mineral Spirits (from the hardware store) Use for exceptionally greasy stains like tar.  Air clothes after using.
• Glycerin (from the drug store) is particularly good for ballpoint ink.
• Bleaches - Lots of people gasp when I say "bleach."  But actually, bleaches come in a variety of commonly accepted forms.  Use the following mild bleaches wisely to remove the color left behind by stains:
• lemon juice
• white vinegar (mixed 1:1 with water
• 2% or 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
• Ammonia (2 parts water to 1 part ammonia) Note:  Do not use on wool or silk.
• Chlorine bleach (e.g. Clorox) diluted with water should only be used as a last resort because it almost always alters the dye of the fabric as well as the stain.
• Method:  Use a cotton swab to dab the bleach, or place a paper towel under the fabric.  Use an eyedropper to flush the area with the proper bleach.
• One last note about chlorine bleach:  Bleach is bleach is bleach regardless of the branding.  Fragrance is the only difference between bleaches on the shelf at the supermarket.

Fabric First Aid Cheat Sheet

Click on the image and it should enlarge for better viewing

A Night in Bethlehem

Just a small sampling of the fun we had at the wonderful ward activity night.

I must apologize for the photos, I believe my camera must have had smudge on the lens. If anyone has better photos PLEASE email them to me and I will happily post them!

Patriotic Fireside

Grandview 1st Ward

Annual Patriotic Fireside

Sunday, July 11th

7 pm

Pugsley's backyard

Please invite your friends and neighbors for a wonderful fireside and homemade ice cream!

On The Patio Making Salmon

 

We were all anxious to learn something new.

We learned that the cedar board must soak for one hour before grilling begins.

Olive Oil is rubbed on the clean salmon before salting and peppering.

We also learned how to make Broiled Salmon with Citrus Glaze.

Once the Salmon is on the grill and in the broiler the cook tells a few stories.

We also learned to make a delicious Garden Sauce to serve with the Salmon.

The company and food was wonderful!

Broiled Salmon with Citrus Glaze

1 side, skin on, sockeye salmon, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs.

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Position a rack in the oven 3 inches from broiler.  Line half sheet pan with aluminum foil and place salmon on pan.

Place sugar, zest, salt and pepper into small food processor and process for 1 minute until combined.  Evenly spread mixture on salmon.  Allow to sit 45 min.

Broil salmon on high broil for 6 to 8 minutes or until thickest part of fish reaches 131 degrees internally.  Remove salmon and allow to rest uncovered for 8-10 minutes.  Serve Immediately.

4 -6 servings

1 cedar plank (about 7 x 16 inches)

1 Salmon fillet, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

Olive Oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lemon sliced

Soak cedar plank in water for 1 hour, then drain.  Remove any remaining bones from Salmon.  Rinse the salmon under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.  Generously rub the salmon with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Lay the salmon the cedar plank.  Arrange lemon slices around salmon.

Set grill for indirect grilling ahd heat to medium-high.  Place the cedar plank in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat.  Cover the grill and cook until cooked through, around 20 to 30 minutes.  The internal temperature should read 135 degrees F.  Transfer the salmon and plank to a platter and serve right off the plank.  Serve immediately.  4-6 servings.

We Want YOUR Finger Food Recipes!

Tuesday evening many of you brought your favorite finger foods to share at our Relief Society Activity.  They were FABULOUS!  Please send in the recipes, bring them to Relief Society, or give them to a member of the presidency or to Lisa so we can post them for everyone to enjoy.

~ hungrily yours ~

The R.S. Presidency

In The Kitchen with Charlotte

 

Making the dough

 

Nice soft dough.

 

Rolling out the dough and spreading the filling

Roll dough up like a jelly roll

 

Cut dough into small pieces and place into muffin tin.

Once they have risen and baked, hurry and eat them

before anyone else can!

Meg patiently waited for some too!