Turning 30

I have maintained for years that I do not want to celebrate my 30th birthday unless I could do it right.  I informed my sweet husband he could either go all out (something along the lines of kidnapping me and dragging me to Hawaii for a week) or completely forget the day even existed.  This is mostly due to the fact that I HATE benchmarks in life that make us look back and evaluate how far I've come and look ahead to how much less time I now have to do everything I was meant to do.  Basically, it makes me feel like a failure.  So this year as I was contemplating this philosophy I decided that rather than looking back at all the things I didn't accomplish (my own human failings), I would instead look at all the blessings I have been given.  And that is a lot, 30 years of a lot.  The list just keeps getting bigger and bigger.  Naturally my next thought was, how can I celebrate those blessings as my birthday?  And I think I have  come up with a great plan.
Recently many of my friends have taken to making birthday goals, such as "run 33 miles on my 33rd birthday" or "go on 30 dates during my 30th year."  Using that as a template, I have applied my new birthday philosophy and decided I would like to do 30 temple ordinances for my 30th birthday.
Doing this alone sounds like a daunting task, so here is where all my dear friends and family come it.

I would LOVE to have you join me in the temple on my birthday, July 26th, for ordinance work.  

My hope is to find 30 names that need to be done (I'll need help with this if anyone knows where to start) and then have a couple friends join me for baptisms in the morning, initiary before breakfast, endowments during nap time, and cap it off with a round of sealings in the evening. Afterwards anyway that helped me accomplish this goal is invited to my house for cake and ice cream at 8:30.  Do I have any takers?  I don't intend to do all the ordinances for all 30 people, I just want to make sure 30 ordinances get done.  I think this is a great way to celebrate my birthday, since who makes me me more that my family that has gone before?  And it highlights the blessings I have been given.  As someone very smart once said, "If I stand tall, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants."  My family tree is riddled with giants that I have immense gratitude for, to happy birthday us!

Easiest Bean and Cheese Burritos
1 1/2 tsp oil
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced green chilis
1 tsp taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese
8 flour tortillas

In a sauce pot heat oil, then add beans, green chilis, and seasoning.  Heat through and mash with a potato masher.
Heat tortillas on both sides, then spoon beans into the center and top with cheese.  Roll in ends, then sides and place seam-down on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

Best Pork Chops Ever!

Or at least that I have ever tried.   This is the simplest but most flavorful recipe!  I made them the other night just because I didn't know what else to make...but I was floored.  Give them a go and let me know what you think

Sage Pork Chops

2 t salt
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp black pepper
porkchops
2 T butter
1 cup beef broth Or 1 c water +2 t beef boullion granuals

Combine the salt, sage and pepper and rub into porkchops.
In a large skillet on med-hi heat melt butter, then add pork chops.  Cook for 5 minutes on each side.
If using water and boullion, combine in a small saucepan until warm and the granuals dissolve.  Poor beef broth/boullion mixture over pork chops, cover and simmer.  The original recipe said 45 minutes for bone in but I did boneless so it only simmered about 20 minutes.  Enjoy!
PS you could also make a gravy out of the extra sauce at the end or just serve it as au jus.  So yummy and simple, no?

Crock Pot Yogurt

I've been talking to a lot of people who want to know how I make my own yogurt.  It all started because Mikayla needed a soft food, high in protein, and with full fat milk which can be hard to find, not to mention expen$ive.  So I hit the internet and did a lot of research and tried several different things.  I didn't want to buy a yogurt maker and the other methods seemed like a lot of work.  But we were going through 2+ quarts of yogurt a week and I was getting desperate.  So I decided to try a method I found for the crock pot and was I surprised!  It worked great!  So for practically no work and mere pennies I can make organic, all natural, full fat (or half fat) yogurt as thick (greek style) or thin (australian style)  as I want it.  Try it,  you'll love it.

1/2 (8 cups) gallon milk
1/2 cup - 1 cup powdered milk
4 oz yogurt with live cultures
your choice of flavorings and sweeteners

Put 8 cups of milk (2% or whole, I've never tried lower fat but I'm sure it would work) in a crock pot on low for 2 1/2 hours.  Depending on how thick you want the yogurt to be you can add powdered milk (1/2 cup for medium consistency, 1 cup for thicker consistency) or for a more jell-o like consistency use 2 pkts unflavored gelatin (although if you used flavored I'm thinking it would make flavored yogurt...but I've never tried that).
After 2 1/2 hrs unplug the crockpot and leave it  be for 3 hrs.
Add 1 cup of the warm milk to 1/2 cup yogurt with live cultures (any brand works as long as it has live cultures.  I like Dannon all natural or Oinkos).  Once again you want to use plain instead of flavored unless you want to flavor the entire batch.  The stir the yogurt-milk mixture back into the milk in the crock pot, leaving the crock pot off and wrap the whole thing in a bath towel.  Leave it to culture overnight.
In the morning put it in the fridge.  I like to add 3 TBLS of agave or 1/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla to mine and then divide it into 1/2 cup tupperwares that my kids can just grab out of the fridge.  You can also add fruit puree to flavor it,  or fresh fruit as you serve it.
Good luck!  Happy yogurt-ing!

Cauliflower Mac n' Cheese- a healthy alternative

I got this recipe from Jamie Oliver.  I love it.  Its healthy, kids love it, and it freezes great.  Plus it makes a large amount of food in a small amount of time so if you're having last minute dinner guests or taking dinner to another family, its a great go to.

1/2 head cauliflower
8 oz cheddar cheese
4 oz parmesan
small bunch of italian parsley
1 lbs macaroni
1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream (I like plain greek yogurt)

1. To prepare your pasta: Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and discard. Slice the end off the cauliflower stalk and cut the head into small florets. Halve the thick stalk lengthways, then slice thinly. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl. Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.
2. To cook your pasta: Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and all your cauliflower and cook according to the macaroni-package instructions. Place the bowl of cheese over the saucepan and add the crème fraîche. Carefully stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. If the water boils up beneath the bowl, just turn the heat down slightly. Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Carefully remove the bowl of cheese using a towel or oven gloves and put aside. Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese, and stir. It should have a lovely, silky consistency, but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out a bit.
4. At this point you can either serve the macaroni as is, or finish it under the broiler to make it crispy and golden on top. To do this, preheat your broiler to a medium to high heat. Add ⅔ cup of the reserved cooking water to the macaroni, stir in, then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbling.
5. To serve your pasta: Divide the pasta between plates or bowls, or place the baking dish in the middle of the table next to a nice green salad and let everyone help themselves

A St Patrick's Day FHE idea

St Patrick’s Day-Where your treasure is... (i.e. Pot o’gold)

Song: Choose the Right #239

Scripture: Matthew 6:21

Lesson: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Have a small bowl full of pretend or chocolate coins; label it “Celestial Kingdom”. Also have a piece of ribbon that looks like a rainbow (to be your rainbow.) Use either other pots or simple paper pots and label them “Terrestrial Kingdom” and “Telestial Kingdom.” Have a piece of ribbon for each pot. Get a stack of papers (sticky notes work well) and write different good or bad choices on them, such as: go to church, marry in the temple, read scriptures, drink alcohol, skip school, bully others, tell the truth, cheat, steal, etc...
Talk about the choices we make leading us to our treasure. As you talk about different choices, good or bad we will make in our lives, let the children place the choices on the rainbow leading to the appropriate pot of gold. Explain that in the end if we want to be in the Celestial Kingdom we will make the choices that will lead us there. Label each of the coins with blessing we will recieve in the celestial kingdom such as: forever family, eternal marriage, eternal increase (children), live with Heavenly Father, create worlds without end, etc...

Activity: Using a pot, bean bags, and a target in rainbow colors have a bean bag toss competition. If you have time, make "gold coin" bean bags using circles of yellow felt and beans or rice as filling, a black pot/cauldron for the center of your target and color the rest of the target in rainbow rings. Take turns throwing the bag different ways or aiming for different rings of the rainbow for older kids.

Dessert: Mint Chocolate chip ice cream (get the green kind) with a gold coin in it (use the chocolate ones from the lesson)

Pass Around Story

For Family Night tonight Alyssa was in charge of the activity. She wanted everyone to write a story. Since we have 3 little kids, 2 of which don't read, I suggested that we all write one story together. This is what came of it.

A-Once there was a little penguin. His name was Pecker and he was a prince.

D- One day Pecker was outside looking at the stars. he was a shooting star. He made a wish.

M-Then Pecker went home to see if his wish would come true. He walked into his castle and everything looked the same. But Pecker kept walking for find his wish.

A- He had wished for his sister's tiara to come back because it had been stolen by a vampire in the night time.

D- When he got to his sister's room he didn't see the tiara. Instead he found a map to the vampire's lair.

M- "I guess this isn't going to be as easy as I thought." said Pecker. So he got his sword of faith and shield of courage and he set out for the vampire's lair.

A- On his way to the lair he got tangled up in some vines! His hands were all tangled so he couldn't use his sword. Instead he used his sharp beak to break free!

D- Then he found the vampire. The vampire penguin attacked! Just then, Pecker's shield reflected the sun at the vampire and the vampire turned dust!

M- Prince Pecker quickly searched the lair and found his sister's tiara. He rushed back to the castle and put it under her pillow. When she woke up she was surprised to find it there. At breakfast she old her family about the surprise. When she asked her brother if he kew where it came from, all he replied was, "I wished for it on a falling star" and smiled to himself.

The End

Isn't that the best story you've ever read? When we were done Alyssa drew pictures, but told us we had told the story wrong and tried to explain all the ideas she had in her head. We're going to have to teach her about this concept a little more I think.