Delicious Ham & Potato Soup

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 c. diced celery
1/3 c. finely chopped onion
2 c. diced cooked ham
3 1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp. ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 Tbsp. butter
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk

Directions:

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Spring Already

We finally got our garden in, and none of the starts have died yet. The little onions are actually still standing straight up! Hooray! Hopefully we will be seeing little sproutlings from our seeds in the next week or so.
I am grateful today to live in a community where so many people do what they say they will do. Of course, it's not perfect, but all around me are people who serve my kids and serve me just because they've volunteered to do so. So many teachers and leaders who go the extra mile. I am grateful for people who talk to my kids, who really listen to them and help to boost their confidence. Because of these people, my children feel that much more valued. I'm so grateful for these examples of people who fulfill duties instead of shirk and disappoint.
I have moaned about the "safety" here--that it isn't real and won't prepare my kids for what they may find as they venture out into the world. But I've rethought things, and I'm so grateful that my kids will have an idea of how things can be. I don't know the purposes for my being here; it's been painful to be separated from my family and the beauty of my home state. Nature here is less inspiring to me, which has been kind of sad. But I have often felt that one of many reasons I could be here is to provide my children with the incubator they need for their futures. I hope they will follow the good examples they see around them, and learn to serve in their future communities, wards, vocations, and respective families. I know Troy and I will not be their only role models, and as they mature, those outside our family may have louder voices than ours. For this reason I am grateful to have so many loud voices which are building, uplifting, and light-bringing.

No-fail Chocolate Chip Cookies

How can Chocolate Chip Cookies fail, anyway? They have for me--too flat, too crunchy, too much butter (yes, that IS possible!) I got this recipe from my great friend Shona. I think they're a winner.

2 sticks butter
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar, overflowing
1/2 c. granulated sugar, overflowing
Blend together until smooth, then add:
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
Blend together. Add:
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 1/2 - 4 c. flour (add one cup at a time until consistency is right)
Stir in:
1 - 12 oz. pkg. of any kind of chips you like (we do 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 butterscotch). Add nuts if you like as well.
Preheat oven to 375; preheat the cookie sheets as well. Place cookies in 2" rounded balls on preheated cookie sheet. Return to oven and bake for 9 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool.

February 10, 2010

Today I am grateful to be celebrating 9 years of Gabrielle in our family. The sun is shining and the heavy rains we've had this past several days have cleaned the air and freshened the view. The almond tree in the yard is beginning to bud, and the apricot trees are showing signs of life as well. Almond blossoms smell so good--they are right up there with cherry blossoms for me.
I'm grateful that each member of my family can get up and move and go and do as we please without physical impairment. I'm grateful for clarity of mind (when I have it) and the blessing of agency. I've often felt that my discretionary time was a burden--that I could be or feel more "important" if I had a set schedule by way of a career or great responsibilities. I am learning that more than being a burden, the way I use my time is a challenge and a test for me--an opportunity to learn to choose wisely. I am grateful for the time I have to pursue my goals, but I know too that I must choose between those things that are "good, better, or best" (Elder Oaks).

Lou's Addiction Cookies

This recipe came from BHG.com, but I've modified it (May). It is my favorite cookie recipe, hands down. The dough is marvelous--I like it better than the cookies.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. peanut butter (I use chunky)
1-1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1-1/4 c. granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1-1/3 c. regular rolled oats, measured and then ground into flour (use a food processor or blender for this)
1-1/3 c. regular rolled oats, whole
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. mini M & Ms

Directions:

1. Beat butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugars, baking powder and baking soda; beat until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in flours. Stir in oats on low speed. Stir in chips and M & Ms by hand or on low speed.
2. Drop dough using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly w/ back of spoon. Bake @ 375 for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie centers have begun to set. Allow cookies to rest on cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks.

This makes a big batch of dough, but it freezes well if you want to save some for later.

Pioneer Market Potato Salad

I learned to make this potato salad while I worked at Dad's "Pioneer Market" in LaConner. We never used any measurements, so make it to your liking, using the following ingredients:

6 large russet baking potatoes, boiled in their jackets, then peeled and diced
6 eggs, hard boiled, then peeled and sliced
3 large or 6 small dill pickles, diced small
4-6 green onions, chopped

Prepare above ingredients (let potatoes and eggs cool thoroughly) and set aside. To a large mixing bowl, add (remember, all measurements are approximate!):

2 c. mayonnaise (use light if you like)
1/3 c. yellow mustard
1 handful granulated sugar

Stir until well mixed. Add the first four ingredients to mayonnaise mixture, folding them in carefully with a rubber scraper until the salad looks uniform. Add garlic salt and/or pepper to taste, again carefully stirring it in so that the potatoes and eggs don't get mushy. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with paprika, cover and refrigerate. This recipe will make 10-12 regular-sized servings.

Note: Troy doesn't do egg whites, so when I make this for him, I double the eggs and use only the yolks for the salad.

Poppy Seed Loaf

Okay, this is not really a bread, but if we call it "bread", instead of "cake", then we feel fine about eating it for breakfast, right? This recipe came from Troy's mom, and it is my Gabrielle's absolute favorite.

3 eggs
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. + 1 Tbsp. oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Cream all together. Pour into 3 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
Let cool 5-10 minutes.

Glaze:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 tsp. butter flavoring
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Blend thoroughly with a fork or small whisk.

Loosen cooked loaves with knife and cover with glaze while still warm.

Chastening

Today I'm grateful that the Lord loves me enough to chasten me when I need correction. I've realized, from the reading I've been doing ("Spiritual Survival for the Last Days" by Brent and Blaine Yorgason--Read it!), that I've allowed myself to slip slowly but surely into worldliness and greed. Not that I haven't always been somewhat worldly and greedy, but now I know I am, and I want to change. I know that my constant desires for the praise of the world are a bottomless black hole that can never be filled, no matter what I might achieve. That's why I was so bummed after I ran Boston (one reason, anyway). I worked hard and achieved what I wanted, but in the end I was still me. That's why getting into this house is not what I thought I needed; I'm still me. And losing 10 lbs. or running one more race or getting my degree will never change who I am.
But serving the Lord by serving others, striving to be humble and loving and giving and prayerful--these things will change me, and then that "black hole" can and will finally be filled, because I can become who the Lord wants me to be. And because of Him, I don't have to be what I've always been. Mosiah 3:19 reads: "The natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
I know the Lord can make so much more out of me than I can ever make of myself, but I have to let Him do it. I am grateful for my children, who show me their meekness and submission, their love and their patience when I am such an imperfect parent. If they can submit to me, in all my weaknesses and faults, why do I find it so hard to submit to my Heavenly Father, in His perfection?
I am grateful for His constant love and care. I am grateful that I can go to Him anytime, anywhere, for anything, and He always has time for me--as much as I need.

Grateful

I've been a little hesitant to journal lately because I'm not sure who might end up reading all this. But I've decided I can't worry about it or I'll never write. The rain over the past week has cleaned the air and removed the haze from the mountains around us. It's been beautiful outside. Crisp, I'd say, if that's a descriptive term one can use in the deserts of southern Nevada. And here I sit, inside, pecking away on my laptop. Go figure.
Anyway--I want to catalog some things I enjoy; partially so I will remember, and partially so someday my children will know that their mother is/was a real person.
I enjoy reading aloud to people--my kids and Troy, in particular. I like to write. I like fitting words together in ways that blend and flow. I like to do hair--to braid, style, "fix" it. I like to follow a pattern and sew something. I love to build things--to follow a pattern exactly and to have something come out the way it is intended to come out. I used to love "paint-by-number" paintings when I was a little girl. I think I am creative, to an extent, but as I get older I see more and more the conventional side of me. Maybe I would be a good accountant? I like to do math in my head. Baking has always been a great release for me. That's part of my pattern-following nature, although I do tend to make minor changes whenever I am feeling brave. To me there is great reward in crossing my t's and dotting my i's and ending up with a finished product that I (and hopefully many others) can enjoy. I like to ditty around on the piano, although I'm not very good. I like to have a clean environment because then I can finally relax. I like to sit on my porch swing, but usually not when I'm alone. I like to play board games, I like to laugh, I like to eat homemade popcorn (none of that microwave junk for me). I like farmer's markets--with fresh produce and bread and kettle corn (Yum!). I love eating garden-fresh anything. (I need to be done for today, but the more I type, the more I'm thinking of. I will have to make this "Part 1".)

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

This recipe came from "Family Fun" magazine. It has sour cream in it, one of my very favorite ingredients for baked goods. LOVE IT!!! (But don't ask me to eat it on my taco salad. YUK!!) I added milk chocolate chips to this recipe, because you can never have too much chocolate.

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Sift dry ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. (I use a whisk for this entire recipe.) Set aside.

1 c. butter
1 c. water
1/4 c. baking cocoa
1/2 c. sour cream
2 eggs
1 c. chocolate chips (any variety--butterscotch or peanut butter would be good also!)

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine butter, water, and cocoa; bring to a low boil. Add to flour mixture in bowl and mix thoroughly. Let cool a few minutes, then stir in sour cream and eggs. After mixture has cooled completely, stir in chips.

Pour into greased 9" x 13" x 2" cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-38 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes while you make the frosting:

Frosting:

1/4 c. butter
3 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In saucepan, combine butter, milk, and cocoa; bring to a low boil. Remove from heat, stir in sugar (one cup at a time) and vanilla with whisk. Pour over warm cake.

Baking Powder Biscuits

I got this recipe from a college roommate at BYU. I recently dug it out and started making them for my kids--they have quickly become a favorite.

2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small handful sugar
1 stick butter or 1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2-3/4 c. milk

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter, then stir in milk until dough clings together. Add only enough milk to thoroughly moisten, but not so much that the dough gets sticky. Roll about 1/2" thick and cut into 2" round biscuits. Bake @ 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.
Tip:
If the dough ends up being too sticky, just roll it out on a lightly floured surface and dust the rolling pin with flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Simple Answers

I'm grateful today for simple answers to simple prayers. I'm learning (although sometimes I feel like I'm not learning) that the Holy Ghost speaks calmly, softly, simply. He's not in the rush and anxiety to which I often subject myself.
Yesterday I got to go to the temple. I started out by doing some initiatories, then on to an endowment session, and then rounded it out with sealings. Troy and I have decided that rather than making 2 trips in to the temple per month, I will do one longer day, once per month.
When I went in to the Celestial Room, I picked up a triple combination off the table. I thought maybe I could look up "mothers" or "woman" for some ideas on a three-minute talk I'm scheduled to give in sacrament meeting in a few weeks. Before I started to read, I said a little prayer that I would be able to have the ideas come to my mind for the talk I am to give; that the Lord would help me know what He would have me say in the meeting. I looked over "Mother" for a few moments in the Index, and then "Woman", and then quietly, simply, into my mind came the words, "Use the Family Proclamation". That simply. So I closed the book, said a little prayer of thanks (I think I did--I hope I did!), and left to go do sealings.
As I consider this episode today, so simple and quite undramatic, I marvel at the blessing of being able to go to the temple to find answers. The Spirit there, the peace and the unrushed atmosphere lend themselves to inspiration from the Lord. I am grateful that all I have to do is ask, and listen (often the hard part for me), and He will give me what I need.

Stromboli

Okay, so here is the extension of the French Bread recipe I promised. This is so good.

Let the French bread dough rise once, for about 10 minutes. Then, roll the dough out into about a 12" x 18" rectangle on a large, greased cookie sheet. It should almost fill the pan. If it is easier to work with, turn the cookie sheet over and bake it on the inverted pan. Just remember to spray it w/ Pam, or it will stick!

Now, spread 3/4 to 1 c. prepared spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce down the center of the dough, longways, about 4" wide, leaving about 1/2" at the ends for sealing. (This is a good way to use up some leftover spaghetti sauce, plus you can pour the rest of the sauce over the bread when serving.) Over the sauce, lay about 25-30 slices of pepperoni--enough to cover the sauce. Next, sprinkle w/ 1 c. grated mozzarella cheese. Then, sprinkle 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese over all. Next, slice each side of the dough at 1 1/2" intervals, top to bottom, keeping the slices even, and at about a 20-degree angle. Layer the slices alternately over one another, from side to side, creating a faux "braid" on top. Pinch the layers and ends to seal.

Bake at 355 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Brush w/ melted butter or melted butter mixed w/ garlic powder, to taste.

Serve plain or with remainder of spaghetti sauce, heated through.

Constancy & Hope

Over the past several days I've been pondering the constancy of God. The organization of nature and of this universe. The fact that night inevitably follows day and Spring follows Winter. That apple seeds produce apple trees, and rosebushes produce roses. Even down to the fact that if I eat too much my stomach will hurt. The order of His creations gives me peace, comfort, and abiding faith. So much of what I see in the earth--birth, renewal, even death--can bring hope to me, if I let it.
Look at the beauty and variety of His creations. I marvel at not only the tastes and smells of different fruits and vegetables, but also their characteristics of color, size, shape,and texture. It's amazing to me, not only at the beauty of these foods that He has provided for our enjoyment and nourishment, but also at the particular poetry of each plant or tree or bush on which they grow, or the flowers these plants produce! It's no wonder I've gotten distracted into forgetting about the outside world--when I absorb it, how can I not remember the Lord?
Most of all I am grateful for His constancy in remembering me. In giving me chance after chance--loving me, helping me, giving me only what I need, when I need it. I'm so grateful for His perfect and loving ways, His desires for good, the light He brings. I'm grateful for what He teaches me and for what He allows me to experience. He is my perfect parent, and I'm grateful to be one of His children.

Grateful

I've been remiss in my gratitude feelings and journaling lately. I have felt melancholy tonight, and I don't want to feel this way. So in my prayers tonight I asked for help, and was reminded that I haven't read from the Book of Mormon at all today, not yet. So I will, after I post this. But I want to express my gratitude for the Book of Mormon; any time I feel hopeless or down, I know I can read this inspired book, and it will help me feel better. It helps me to think better, to keep things in perspective, to have hope. I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon and for my access to it anytime at all.

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 small - med. head of green cabbage, shredded
1-2 pkgs. ramen noodles, uncooked, crushed
4-6 green onions, chopped
4 c. cooked, diced chicken breast
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted
2-3 cans mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:

3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 tsp. garlic salt
1-2 seasoning packet(s) from ramen noodles

Directions:

Toss salad ingredients together. Mix dressing ingredients together. I usually add just a few teaspoons of the juice from the mandarins to the dressing to thin it out a bit.

Note: You can toss the salad and dressing all together at once if it will all be eaten in one sitting. We like to pour the dressing on the salad as we eat it, to keep the cabbage from wilting and the ramen from getting too soggy.

Peanut Chicken

A Shiozawa family favorite, this recipe was given to me by Troy’s grandma, May Shiozawa, when I was a young bride. She told me, “Oh, this is a good one, and it’s so easy!” Well, Grandma, it is a good one, and not hard to understand, but I wasn’t prepared for the hours on my feet while chopping, dipping, and frying. But it’s worth it to put a beautiful dish of red-sauce covered chicken on the table for my salivating children.

Peanut Chicken
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size cubes
1/3 to ½ c. corn starch
½ tsp. garlic salt or seasoning salt
2-3 eggs, beaten and thinned w/ a little water

Mix corn starch w/ salt in a medium-size bowl w/ a lid, or in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add chicken cubes and toss to coat. Beat the eggs w/ water in another medium-size bowl. Dip chicken cubes in egg mixture, then drop pieces into hot oil (abt. 375 ). Let cook until light brown, abt. 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from oil w/ a slotted spoon and let drain on several layers of paper toweling. When chicken is all cooked, pour it into a large serving dish and place it in a warm oven while you prepare the sauce.

Sauce:
Pinch salt
1 clove garlic, crushed (I use crushed garlic from a jar)
1 c. sugar
2 c. cold water, mixed w/ 2-3 Tbsp. corn starch to thicken
¾ c. ketchup

Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let cook for 2-3 minutes to thicken. The sauce will clarify as it thickens. Pour sauce over warm chicken. Garnish w/ chopped peanuts and chopped green onions.
Serve over hot rice.

Snickerdoodles

Taylor and Gabrielle love snickerdoodles. Here is the latest recipe approved by them:

Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar, divided
1 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 Tbsp. water
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 c. of the sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and remaining 1 1/4 c. sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and water and beat until fluffy. Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix in short bursts until flour is nearly blended in, then continue mixing at medium speed until well mixed. Shape dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture, then place on cookie sheets. Flatten slightly w/ the bottom of a glass. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen 3" cookies.

First Week of the New Year 2010

Today I am grateful, once again, for a new year, a fresh start; I'm grateful for the chance to begin again. Troy and I both went to bed on time and got up early; the kids were on the ball (esp. Taylor) getting ready and were early to school. The best part was that we followed through with our plan to drop everything and pray at 8:15 and then each read silently from the Book of Mormon until 8:30. It was so great--such a peaceful feeling. The kids were compliant and willing--it felt so good. And it was reaffirmed to me that if I make a plan, ask for the Lord's help in executing it, and then do all I can to make it happen, He will help it happen. It will take focus and diligence to make these actions habits, but I believe it will be worth it. I was also made aware of how much easier it is/will be to achieve goals if we set them as a family, and then encourage one another to follow through with the changes we've put in place.
I also signed up for a BYU class on-line today: "Changing Self-defeating Behaviors and Emotions through Rational Self-counseling". It is two credits, and is part of the curriculum for the "Family Life" emphasis in the Bachelor of General Studies Program. I wanted to start with a class this week, to get moving forward on my degree again; I think this will be a good class to start with. I read "As A Man Thinketh" this morning, by James Allen (it is the text for the course). I am just grateful that education is so accessible to me. I am grateful that I have the time and energy and health to pursue this goal, and any goal I desire, really. I am aware of the fact that I need/want to be better at managing my time effectively so that I can be more task-oriented and less distracted. I am progressing, for which I am also grateful! I used to look at all my weaknesses and get discouraged; now it is easier for me to observe those weaknesses with more patience and compassion for myself. When a shortcoming presents itself, I am more likely now to acknowledge it, look for ways to overcome it, and ask the Lord's help in doing so. Any degree of progress, no matter how incremental, is a blessing.