Yeah! Lake Powell!

Yeah! The weather is finally warmer. But the wind is still horrible! So now it is a hot horrible wind. It is really taking a toll on my garden and all of my poor plants are struggling to survive. I almost wonder why I bothered to even plant anything because it looks like everything is dying.

Last spring, the wind blew this hard for three weeks straight and now all but two of the thirty five pine trees we transplanted from one of our properties where we had grown them from seedlings, are dead.

I'm sad it is the last day of school because I like having my days to myself. But I love having my boys around and we have a fun summer planned so I can't complain.

I found out today that we are going to have a daughter for a few weeks! Our friends the Walton's are moving back to Price and one of their daughters, Kelsy, called and asked if she could stay with us for a few weeks so she could still work before she has to go back to college in Price. We won't know what to do with a girl in the house. Hopefully the boys will be on their best behavior. It will be nice to have someone staying here when we go out of town to help with the watering and to take care of the animals.

I am so excited because we are going to take the boys and a bunch of their friends to Lake Powell for the first time this summer. We have usually been down there by now, but the weather has been so cold we haven't had any desire to go.

I am going to make this recipe I found for French Toast Kebabs. When the weather is really hot on the lake, we try not to use the oven and mainly use the barbecue to cook, so this recipe will be perfect!

Soak 12 wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes. Cut day old bread into 1 inch chunks. In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4C. milk, 4 large eggs and 1t. vanilla. Mix in the bread until it is lightly coated then tread the pieces onto the skewers. Grill, covered over medium heat until browned, turning once after about 3 or 4 minutes. Serve with buttermilk syrup or dust with powdered sugar.

For Once Happy To See The Police

My husband and I drove out to Salt Lake together yesterday because we both had a couple of appointments we needed to go to. After our last trip together, I was a little leery of riding with him.

We are both so busy that when we do have a chance to be alone together, we have alot to talk about. We were excitedly talking about how we could make my trip to Africa happen that neither of us noticed that we were getting low on gas until the warning bell starting dinging. I asked him if he knew we were low on gas. His reply was, "It's your car." "Yes," I said, "but you're driving!" "It's okay," my husband assured me, "we can make it to Currant Creek to get some gas." Now Current Creek is a little spot between Daniels Summit and Fruitland that you will miss if you blink while you are driving along Highway 40. When we pulled into the only little gas station in Fruitland, we were both speechless as we saw the plastic bags taped over the gas pump handles. They no longer sell gas there. We stopped and said a little prayer and started on our way again.

Sure enough, about ten miles before Daniels Summit we ran out of gas. We pushed the On Star button and the helpful person told us to sit and wait and someone would bring us some gas for $5.00 a gallon hopefully within an hour. My sister happened to call and I was laughing hysterically. When I told her what happened she said, "And you are laughing about this?" What else can you do but laugh?

Dar got out of the car and just then a Highway Patrol man pulled over. I haven't been too happy about the police this week because my seventeen year old got pulled over and was issued a ticket for driving with a transporter plate while he was transporting a car from the office back to the house. But that's another story. So for once I was soooo... happy to see Mr. Highway Patrol man. Dar hopped into his car and they sped off with the lights flashing. Now that is service! I definitely got my taxes worth that day! They borrowed a gas can from the store at Daniels Summit and paid something ridiculous like $20 a gallon for five gallons and rushed back with the lights still flashing.(Evidently the police man was going to a funeral and since he was in a hurry, that justified using the lights.)

The even funnier thing was, this police man remembered my husband from a few years ago when he lost a wheel off of his goose neck trailer that was loaded with rock crawlers going to Moab which flew off and hit and totaled a Parks and Recreation boat. OOOPPPS! But he was very nice and it really couldn't have worked out any better.

So we were on our way talking and not paying attention to much else. As we drove through Heber, we were both on our phones and didn't remember to stop and fill up with gas. As we were going down Parley's Summit, again the gas warning bell dinged.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I said. My husbands response was, "Why didn't you remind me to stop in Heber?" We coasted into Salt Lake on fumes and made it to the gas station just in time.

From now on whenever I get in the car to go somewhere with him, I always check the gas gauge!

I got to spend a few minutes with my Mom. She is always so happy to get even a few minutes with me and I love to see her.

This is her recipe for Poppy Seed Bread.

Blend 3C. flour, 2 3/4C. sugar, 1 1/2t. baking powder, 1 1/2t. salt, 3 eggs, 1 1/2C. milk, 1 1/2C. oil, 3t. poppy seeds, 1T. vanilla, 1T. almond flavoring and 1T. butter flavoring in a large bowl. Beat for 2 minutes then put into two greased loaf pans.
Bake for 1 hour at 350*.

While it is baking, blend 1/4C. thawed orange juice concentrate, 3/4C. sugar, 1/2t. vanilla, 1/2t. almond flavoring and 1/2t. butter in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil; then simmer for 5 minutes.

After the bread cools for about ten minutes, turn out of the pans and set on a wire rack with waxed paper underneath. Brush with the glaze.

Doughnuts with a fancy name

This weather is insane! It was 39 degrees last night - and it is still freezing outside! I wish we could just have spring showers and bag the cold wind. There is a positive side to everything though, our irrigation lines have been down for about three weeks now. Every time they think they fix a leak, another one shows up. So I'm glad it hasn't been blazing hot or we would have lost all of our alfalfa.

I'm thinking about running away to Las Vegas to enjoy the warmer weather. It is supposed to be 86 degrees there on Wednesday. One of my favorite places to stay in Vegas is at the Signature at the MGM Grand. I stayed there once when I went with my sister and our good friend, Kim Hansen. I have been friends with Kim since kindergarten and I still adore her as much now as I did then. She has this contagious laugh and she is the QUEEN of shopping!

One of the reasons I loved the Signature was they had the best lemon blueberry beignets in the little coffee shop in the lobby. Beignets are french doughnuts.

I have to admit I LOVE doughnuts. When I was a little girl, I would walk to Winchells Doughnuts in Holladay to buy my favorite treat. My older sister still teases me because I always said I was going to own a doughnut store one day. (Why didn't I jump on the Krispy Kream band wagon when it first started?)

I found this recipe to make the beignets - I usually don't have great success when I try to make doughnuts, but these seem a little easier.

Lemon Blueberry Beignets

In a bowl, dissolve one package of yeast in 1/4C. warm water (110*) for about 12 minutes or until the yeast starts bubbling and doubles in size.
In a bowl, combine 1/4C. sugar, 2T. shortening (I like to use butter,) 1/2t. salt and 2t. grated lemon zest. Add 1 pint fresh blueberries and using a fork, lightly mash the blueberries against the side of the bowl. Stir in 1/2C. boiling water (110degrees), and add in 3T. lemon juice, 1/2C. heavy cream, yeast mixture and 1 beaten egg. Add 2C. flour - blend well, then add in 2 1/2C. flour - 1/4C. at a time. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it into a rectangle. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife or doughnut hole cutter, cut out round circles and deep fry for about 3-5 minutes until they are golden brown on all sides. Drain on a paper towel and lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Massage or Not To Massage?

The boys went to Hanksville for a whirlwind motorcycle trip yesterday while Ken and I stayed home. I worked on planting more of my garden and obviously I over did it because this morning I could hardly move because I had a huge knot under my left shoulder blade and the pain went up my neck to the base of my head. I think I need a good massage - which is very hard to find these days. On one of our buying trips to California, my sister booked us each a massage with a place she found on Spa Finder. We should have turned and ran when we saw the place - but for some reason we didn't. When my massage therapist came out and called my name I almost didn't answer because I was so scared! He looked to be about 17, with braces, thick glasses, pimples all over his face and he talked with a lisp. I looked at my sister and she just laughed and said, "Be brave." It was the worst massage of my life! Why did I waste the $60 on such misery? I guess it could have been worse, he could have burned me with hot rocks like the therapist in the next room did to my sister. She seriously had burn marks on her back where the therapist had put the rocks. What was even worse was in the midst of trying to relax she dropped one of the rocks scaring my sister and me in the next room! So much for feeling better! I think I will just stick to a hot bath this time.

In all of my planting yesterday, I planted a lot of potatoes. We haven't ever grown them before, but I love potatoes and could eat them for every meal! I especially love this recipe for loaded potato skins.

Scrub 5 large potatoes then pierce with a fork. Place on paper towels and microwave on high for 15 minutes.
Cook 10 slices of bacon and save the grease.
Position the rack on the top shelf and turn on the broiler.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch edge. Save the flesh in a bowl for another use. Place the skins, cut-side down on the baking sheet - rub with bacon grease. Broil for 4 minutes.
Remove the potato skins from the oven and flip over. Season with salt and pepper then sprinkle each with 2T. cheese and 1 slice of crumbled bacon. Top bacon with additional cheese.
Return to broiler for 3 minutes until the cheese melts.Top with scallions and serve with sour cream.

Tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes

Yesterday when I started planting all of the veggies my husband had acquired over the past few months, I was absolutely speechless when I counted how many tomato plants we have. I'm not exaggerating when I say I counted twenty two tomato plants. We started out with four plants from Costco about a month ago, then IFA was giving out one free plant to everyone that came in - so we took all of the kids and employees to get a few more. Then there are a few new varieties that we had to try. One plant probably would have been ample because he is the only one who really eats tomatoes in our family. I only like them if they are fresh on a pizza, made into soup or maybe in salsa, but that is it. So the average tomato plant produces about 80 tomatoes during a season if they are cared for properly. That means we are going to have over 1700 tomatoes this summer. What am I going to do with that many tomatoes?!!! I ended up calling one of my friends and begging to please take some of the plants because I didn't have room for them in my garden.

In a few months I will be frantically searching for recipes to use up all of these little vegetables - so if you have any great ones, send them my way!
I got this recipe for Fire Roasted Tomato Soup from my cute friend Sissy Hooper when I lived in Salt Lake. Sis is an amazing cook and the best thing she taught me is that, "It's all about the bows!" Everything she does is always wrapped beautifully in the prettiest bows.

Today it is freezing cold outside. It seriously feels like winter in May! So a big bowl of this warm soup sounds so good right now!

Sissy's Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

In a 3 quart sauce pan, melt 1T. butter over medium heat. Cook one large chopped onion and two cloves of finely chopped garlic in 1T. oil for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until the onion is crisp-tender. Stir in two -14.5 ounce cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes (undrained) or six fresh tomatoes chopped, one - 14 ounce can of chicken broth, 1T. chopped basil, 1t. sugar and 1/4t. crushed red pepper flakes. Heat to boiling then reduce heat and cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover and cool slightly about 5 minutes.
In a blender, place half of the mixture and blend until pureed. Add remaining mixture and blend until pureed. Return to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2C. whipping cream and 1T. basil.

I like to eat this soup sprinkled with cheese.

Now I'm A Farmer Too!

I haven't ever had much of a green thumb, in fact my thumb is pretty much a very dark brown. I couldn't figure out why several of the perennials I planted were struggling. Then my mother-in-law came out a couple of days ago and told me it was because our soil is too sandy. She went and bought a couple of bags of soil pep and my little plants are already perking up! Amazing!

The boys helped me get the garden started yesterday and then we put up a big fence to try to keep the deer, rabbits, skunks and other critters out of it. Beans, peas, onions, pumpkins, zucchini, radishes, cilantro ..... those are just a few of the things that I got planted yesterday. Today I hope to plant the rest of the veggies so I can make this salad which is appropriately called, "The Mother of All Salads."

Marinate six chicken breasts in terriyaki sauce over night. Season them with lemon pepper and garlic salt, then grill. Cut into strips and set aside.
Combine one bag of each of the following - or my case with the fresh stuff, one head of each of the following:
romaine, mixed lettuce and ice berg with one bag of slivered carrots.
Add 2C. grated Parmesan cheese, 2C. grated mozzarella and 1 lb. cooked bacon crumbled.
Lay the chicken strips on top of the lettuce.

For the dressing:
In a blender mix:
1C. sugar, 1/2C. red wine vinegar, 1t. dry mustard, 1 1/2t. salt, 1/4C. chopped red onion, then add 1C. vegetable oil. Toss the salad with the dressing then add craisens and sliced apples.

The true test of my farming skills is if anything grows long enough for us to be able to eat! By the way, anyone know how to grow craisens? (he,he,he)

Never Try To Kiss A Porcupine

Yeah! Renegade is home! She has been at the trainers for a month getting a "tune up." When we brought her home, Dar was turning the truck around with the big goose neck trailer and he turned too sharp so the corner of the trailer hit the back window of the truck and broke it. I thought someone was shooting at us! All I can say is I am sooooo..... glad it wasn't me that did it. Every time I go to take the trailer anywhere, I get THE lecture about watching the trailer when I turn or go over a dip etc. so I won't hit the truck window.

Renegade always makes me laugh. One time when my twin sister came out to see me, we went out to the pasture to see Renny when she a year and a half old. I couldn't believe what I saw as we got closer to her. She had porcupine quills stuck all over her nose. OUCH! Being the friendly girl that she is, she must have tried to kiss the porcupine. I was in a pickle because Dar was gone on one of his adventures with the truck so I couldn't take her to the vet. When I called to see if any of the local vets could come up to help me, none of them were around because they were all out inoculating cows. I ran up to Doctor Woodward's house and asked if he could help me. He said it would be easy, we could just get a tranquilizer shot from the vet clinic and then he could just pull the quills out. HAH! Since Renny didn't have a halter on, we couldn't get her to stand still to give her a shot. After trying to give her three different shots, we finally had to just wait for the vet to come help us. Hopefully Renny learned her lesson because Dar goes on a lot of adventures and I don't want to have to deal with that again!

It was quite the bonding experience for me and Doctor Woodward - that was really the first time I had met him. Now I am really good friends with his wife. She gave me this recipe for Hawaiian Haystacks because my kids love to eat them at school. Plus it reminds me of our trip to Kaui that we went on.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Combine 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 2 cans chicken broth and 2C. cooked cubed chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve this gravy over white rice with whatever your favorite toppings are:
chow mein noodles
chopped green onions
chopped tomatoes
chopped celery
crushed pineapple
shredded cheddar cheese

"Stressed" Is Just Desserts Spelled Backwards

Run, run, run, run, run and then run some more! That has how my life has seemed lately and it doesn't look like it is going to slow down one bit. It's nice to be busy, but it sure does stress me out and I want to pull my hair out sometimes!

I love desserts. I think dessert should be served first and then the rest of dinner because it is the best part! So when we have had dinner with our friends the Labrums for the last few nights and Lisa brought the dessert each time, it has been the best cure for my stressful days! The first night she brought a birthday cake topped with frosting that tasted like marshmallow cream. It was to die for! Then a couple nights later, she brought over a chocolate cake with a caramel like frosting. Mmm, Mmm,Mmm,Mmm,Mmmmmmm! - everyone was fighting over the last piece - but Kennedy won out on that one.

Here are the recipes for these frostings:

Lisa's Marshmallow Frosting

In a sauce pan, combine 2C. sugar, 1C. water and 1/4t. cream of tartar and bring to a boil. In a mixing bowl, beat 2 egg whites and 1t. vanilla. Then, with the beaters on low, slowly add in the sugar mixture. Beat until soft peaks form. Then frost!

Lisa's Caramel Frosting

In a sauce pan, combine 3/4C. butter, 3/4C. canned milk and 1/2C. brown sugar. Cook 10-15 minutes over medium heat while stirring continuously. Let it cool slightly then stir in enough powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency. Then frost.

Add A Little Vinegar

The last couple of days have been a little stressful because I have been trying to help plan girls camp this week. Everyone seems to have a different opinion about how things should be done and the decisions all end up back to me somehow. I told one of my friends yesterday that it's good that everyone has different views because they add a different taste to the recipe. Her reply was, "I must be the vinegar." (Which I don't agree with!) But even vinegar can give certain recipes the finishing touch!

Like in this recipe for a Volcano Salad. I first tasted this salad when we stayed at the Grand Wailea hotel on Maui several years ago. Not only were the pools amazing, they had the best salad at the snack bar by the pools called a Volcano Salad and the vinegar was what made the whole recipe! I can't find the recipe on line but if I remember right this is what it was:

Volcano Salad

Fry some wontons squares, then let them drain and cool on paper towels while you make the following: Combine some vegetable oil, vinegar, carrot slivers, black beans (drained)and corn(drained), shredded lettuce (coleslaw lettuce works great), salt and pepper. Then serve this on top of the wontons.

When we got home from that trip we were craving that yummy treat and we kind of experimented with the amounts of oil and vinegar according to taste. Just talking about this salad makes me want to go back to Maui and float on the lazy river with a fruity drink with an umbrella in it! Between the weather and the hard things in life lately, I need a vacation.

I Spoke Too Soon

Ten minutes after I posted my last blog, I had to chase down my cows. Guess I spoke too soon! I looked out my back window and thought, "Someone's cows are in the alfalfa field." Then I realized it was Ruby and Rosie! All of the boys had gone to see a movie so I was home alone and I knew I couldn't drive out into the field to get them because that would ruin the alfalfa. So I hurried and saddled up my trusty 29 year old steed and went on a round up! It was lighting and thundering and the wind was blowing really hard, but old Bear just put her head down and went to work. She knew exactly what she was supposed to do. If the cows went one way, she went the other and guided them along the fence line. I was basically just sitting back enjoying the ride on auto piolet because she was doing her job so well. When we almost reached the round pen, it started to rain and then hail, we made it back just in time! I was so proud of my old girl! She was absolutely amazing! Before I went to bed I took her out an apple to say thanks for her hard work.

My horses love apples! In fact Lakota once foundered because she ate too many apples when I kept her in an apple orchard in Salt Lake. I love them too. We planted several apple trees and I can't wait until they are loaded with fresh juicy apples so I eat a warm apple crisp with vanilla icecream on top.

Easy Apple Crisp

Slice 4 medium apples and place them in the bottom of a microwave safe casserole dish. Sprinkle 2/3C. oats over the top and sprinkle with 2/3C. brown sugar, 1/2C. Bisquick, 3/4t. cinnamon, 3/4t. nutmeg and 3T. butter chopped into small squares.

Microwave for 7 to 10 minutes and serve with vanilla icecream.

How to bond the neighborhood together

Nothing like getting a call from the Bishop at 11:30 PM asking if the horses he is trying to round up on the road by his house are mine. Thank goodness they weren't mine, but we helped him corral them anyway.

I always panic when I hear my horses are out because I am afraid they are going to head to the Alexander's houses with the perfectly manicured lawns, and rows and rows of yummy looking flowers that would be candy to my ponies! I used to have a little Arabian horse that could unlock the gate and was always letting her friends out to play. I thought it was funny, my husband didn't. I think rounding up runaway horses bonds the neighborhood. One of the funniest times we had to round up some animals was when Doc Woodward's three horses and two long horn cows got out. The one cow was a real bugger. It actually came after one of my workers who was trying to catch it! It had a ring in it's nose and somehow this worker got a lead rope hooked on to it and sat in the back of our little ranch truck dragging the cow home by the nose while my son drove the truck.
That cow escaped one too many times and it now shows up on the Woodward's table for Sunday dinner!

One of my favorite friends when I lived in Salt Lake, Michele Fitt, gave me this recipe which I love to make on Sunday's for our family dinner. Michele gave is an amazing cook and gave a ton of great recipe's but this is one of my favorites!

Frozen Roast
Mix together 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 2 shakes worchestershire sauce, 1 shake garlic powder, 2t. Bouquet sauce (I found this on the steak sauce isle,) 1T. mustard and 1 envelope Lipton dry onion soup. Spread this over the top of a frozen roast. Cover with foil and then a lid. Bake for 4 hours at 300*.

No More Poop!

The starlings (little black birds) have invaded my house! I spent a good half hour trying to get bird poop off of my driveway, under the portico, off of windows, and my car.I love that they have built a nest under my portico and I love the sound of all of the baby birds chirping - but I hate the poop! My son suggested I get out the gun and take care of the problem, but after my last experience with shooting, I can't do it.

Last spring, one Sunday, a million sparrows - (okay maybe not a million) but a ton of the mud daubers just showed up in my neighborhood. They were making their mud nests everywhere! I would squirt off the mud nests they were building on the front of the house and they would move to the back of the house. Then they I found them under the hay port building their nests and they were pooping all over the tractors. I wasn't the only one fighting this war, my neighbors were as well. For two weeks, I was continually trying to cover up the mud puddles left from the sprinklers so these birds wouldn't have any mud to build their nests with. One day, I had finally had enough and I decided to use my son's pellet gun to fight the battle. I have never killed anything with a gun before and I was surprised at two things - first how good of a shot I was and second how sad I felt after I took one of their lives away. When I killed the first one, I started to cry and told the dead bird I was sorry. The worst though was when I knicked one and it lay flopping around on the ground, wounded but not dead. I couldn't bring myself to kill it and had to get my son to come finish off the deed. After that I couldn't shoot anymore of them and I gave up my hunting.

It is still freezing here. It is pretty sad when you want to wear your long underwear and drink hot chocolate in May!

For Mother's day, my son, Brayden, sold Ghiradelli chocolates and roses to raise money for his trip to Africa. We ended up with an opened bag of these chocolates that Bray took around for the men to have a sample of what they would be getting. By the time I got home Saturday night, all of the milk chocolate ones - which obviously was everyone elses favorite were gone. So we have a bag full of dark chocolate candies. So instead of letting them just sit in the pantry and get old, I think I will make some homemade hot chocolate with them.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Melt 20 oz. of the dark chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Stirring after each minute until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Place 2C. heavy cream and 6C. milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the pan - (about 4 minutes.) Do not boil.

Remove from the heat and whisk in 1t. vanilla. Continue whisking until a light foam forms.
Serve immediately!

Can I Send A Fax To Africa?

Yesterday was our work on scout crap night - I mean work on scout stuff that helps my boys learn to be well rounded young men. Before my middle son can go to Kenya to work on his Eagle Scout project, he has to fill out eight pages of paper work and get signatures from all kinds of people. After spending 2 hours writing all this up, I took Brayden to the house of the person who is supposed to approve his project. The man wouldn't pass it off until Brayden filled out more information and faxed the paperwork off to get a signature from the community representative where we are going. When Brayden came back to the car and told me this, I said, "Are you kidding me? The village where we are going doesn't have electricity, let alone a fax machine." Hopefully they will settle for a signature of the U.S. representative from the organization that we are going with because other wise we have a big problem on our hands. I don't understand all this paperwork etc. If a boy wants to spend two and a half weeks of his summer vacation to go to Africa and help build one hundred desks so school children don't have to sit in the dirt, help finish two more school buildings and help build water cisterns so the villagers can have clean drinking water - I say, "Outstanding - sign him off!"

Last night I also helped my youngest work on his rifle shooting merit badge worksheet. After spending all day at school doing school work, this is no small feat! Last Saturday we spent all day in Salt Lake at a Hunter Education class for the boys so they can get their hunting permits. My youngest has no interest in this, but his dad insisted that it would be good for him (guess who got to do all the work though.) Anyway, the only real reason I agreed to have him go through with three days of working on an Internet class and to spend a Saturday from 8 AM to 5 PM in a class room was so he could get his rifle shooting merit badge. In order to get that merit badge though, he has to pass the stupid hunter safety class and fill out a worksheet. He passed the written test and sat through all kinds of video's etc. but then it came time for the shooting test, which he failed miserably. When the teacher tried to talk Ken into retaking the shooting test, he refused - he was absolutely done from having to sit through a class all day and I don't blame him. You don't just ask a developmentally delayed kid to set himself up to keep failing. So the teacher told us to come back when he has his next class in June and Ken can retry the shooting test. I tried to explain to the man that we had a six hour round trip and that we had done all the work, including passing the written test. Ken isn't going to go out shooting - he just needs the merit badge,but all the instructor could say was, "Have him practice." If the scouting program is to help boys get confidence and succeed - shouldn't they adjust the requirements for developmentally delayed kids? At this point, I want to say bag it - I'm tired of having to jump through their hoops!

On a positive note, I am becoming a very well rounded mother learning how to shoot rifles, fish and other things so WE can get our Eagles. Why couldn't they just sell cookies like the girl scouts and call it good?

Like so many other people, my favorite girl scout cookies are the thin mints. I found this recipe for a similar cookie and I can't wait to try them!

Thin Mint Cookies

In a bowl, mix 2 eggs, 2T. water, 2T. cooking oil, 1 box of Devil's food cake mix and 1/2c. cocoa powder. Cover and let side for 20 minutes.
On an ungreased cookie sheet, place 1/2 inch small balls of the mixture. Place them about 2 inches apart then flatten with a large spoon.
Bake for 8 minutes at 400*. Let them cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, melt 1 package of chocolate chips in the microwave. Drop 2 to 3 drops of Wilton's Candy Mint flavoring into the melted chocolate. Spread the chocolate over the top of the cooled cookies.

Spring! Spring? Spring?!!!

Yesterday, for the first time this season, out of every window I looked out, the irrigation sprinklers are running in the fields. That gives me hope that spring might finally be around the corner. Yesterday when I was out cleaning the horse pens with my tractor, it was hailing on me. This weekend the forecast is for 70 to 80 degree's. I wish mother nature would make up her mind and decide if it is really spring time or not!

I love to hear the sprinklers clicking. At night sometimes we leave our screen door open on our balcony just so they can lull us to sleep.

I am going to plant some more pasture grass seed today. There is nothing prettier than a lush, green pasture with a couple of horses grazing in it. The best part is I have automatic lawnmowers AND they fertilize it at the same time!

My poor husband has one of those wonderful spring time colds. My mom always told me that chicken noodle soup is the best remedy for a cold, so I think I will make him some for dinner.

Boil 3 large chicken breasts in a large pan with 8c. water. Save the broth after you remove the chicken and dice it.
In another large pot of lightly salted water, boil 2 1/2c. egg noodles and 1t. oil for 8 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water.

In the pan with the chicken broth, combine the diced chicken and 6 chicken bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Stir in 1c. chopped celery, 1c. baby carrots and 1c. chopped onion. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 1/3c. cornstarch with 1/4c. water. Mix until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Gradually add this to the soup - stirring constantly. Stir in the noodles and heat thoroughly before serving.

Tea Party In An Old Grain Silo?

This morning when we went out to move the animals around, Ruby (the cow) was mooing her head off because she was stuck between the gate and the fence trying to get a drink. Who knows how long she had been there but it must have been pretty traumatic for her because she is still having a cow (he, he, he) even though Dar got her out and she has had her fill of oats. Poor thing - next maybe she will go around the gate to get a drink.

It has been a great week so far. On Monday, I found out one of my friends doesn't have breast cancer. Yeah Becky! Also, my good friend Dave Bain, who I have known since Jr. High said he would buy my little convertible Mercedes so I could take Brayden to Africa. He even said I could buy it back if I wanted to when I had enough money. Thanks for helping the cause Dave!

Yesterday was an amazing day. We went and did baptisms for the dead at the Vernal temple with the young men and young women of in our ward. The best part about it was it was my youngest just turned 12 so this was the first time he could go and participate. I was so happy because my whole family was inside the temple for the first time. WOW! Is all I can say - it was an amazing experience.

About a month ago, my cute neighbor Carrie, asked if she could have one of our old grain silo's to decorate her yard and to make a fun playhouse for her kids. We have three and only one is filled with oats for the cows and horses so we told her she could take one. Her husband hired a crane and that was her mother's day present. She was thrilled! It was quite the feat for the poor crane operator to maneuver between my tree's, the fence and the barn to even get the silo out to the road. I'm sure he was sweating bullets!

I can't wait to go to the new playhouse and have a tea party with Lexi Lou!

A few years ago, I took a couple of my friends to a tea house in Salt Lake for their birthdays. Since I don't drink tea, I had lemonade. We ate cucumber sandwiches, scones and petit fours. It brought back memories of my trips to England.

To make the English Cucumber Sandwiches:

Peel a medium cucumber and slice it thinly.
In a bowl, combine 1/4c. mayonnaise, 8 oz. package of cream cheese, 1/4t. of garlic powder and 1/4t. onion salt.
Cut off the crusts of two slices of fresh white bread and spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture across it and add a few cucumbers. Then slice the sandwich into two pieces on the diagonal.

The best part about these little sandwiches is they are so easy to make! I haven't found an easy scone recipe I like yet, and the last time I tried to make petit fours, the frosting kicked my butt! Maybe one day I will learn how to follow the directions on recipes so they turn out - until then I am going to stick with the beginners recipes that are easy to make!

Queen For A Day!

On Thursday I went to Salt Lake and I got to stay with my mom. She was a trooper and helped me run around to deliver flowers and chocolates that my son sold as a fundraiser to earn enough money to go to Kenya to do his Eagle Scout project.

I love to be with my mom, she always tells me how proud she is of me and encourages me to keep trying to fulfill my dreams. My mom loves to do all kinds of different things, but cooking isn't one of them. Because she never liked to cook, she never taught me,(thank goodness my husband could cook and taught me how!) I don't what inspired her this last week, because she started taking a cooking class with one of her friends. She gave me a few new recipes that I can't wait to try!

This one is for a Spanish Tortilla.

Heat 1/4c. extra-virgin olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 1/4 pounds of red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced and 1 medium onion thinly sliced. Season with salt and pepper, reduced the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally adjusting the heat if necessary so the vegetables don't brown, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, (15 -20 minutes.)

Beat 8 large eggs, add 1/4c. cream, cheese, ham or bacon and some salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the potatoes and onions then pour into the skillet, spreading the potatoes evenly in the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, just to set the bottom of the egg mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Carefully flip the tortilla over and cook for 5 more minutes until set. Flip onto a clean plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Thanks Mom!

I love Mother's Day because I get treated like a queen! (My family really does treat me like a queen other days, but today I didn't have to do dishes etc. so it is extra special!) I slept in, woke up to my favorite breakfast on the porch (a chocolate donut) and roses. After church we went for a horse ride and then the boys made me steak for dinner. It was a perfect day!

The Ants Go Marching On

Unfortunately my kids have been collecting another new pet at my house.... ants! They are everywhere! I asked who was collecting them, but no one fessed up. I have tried to explain to them that when you walk around as you eat a cookie or poptart, you are feeding the pesky little buggers and they will tell all their friends and family about the abundance of treats at our house.

Tonight I am helping with a fundraiser for the young women in my ward to earn enough money to go to girls camp. We are having a spaghetti dinner and silent auction. I love spaghetti. Especially the Old Spaghetti Factory spaghetti. We are going to take the grandma's there this weekend to celebrate mother's day and I can't wait to have my favorite dish - the managers favorite with meat sauce and mizithra cheese. I have been making this recipe for mizithra cheese at home for a few years. Some how it doesn't taste as good as when someone else makes it.

Mizithra Cheese in browned butter

Melt two sticks of butter over medium heat. Stir to keep it from foaming. When it has turned a golden brown color, remove it from the heat. Put 1/4c. of crumbled mizithra cheese into the butter and stir then serve with your favorite pasta and meat sauce.

My Amigo

We have the nicest man working for us. His name is Sabino and he is a sixty year old man from Peru. He worked as a sheep herder before he came to work for us so he loves being around all of my animals. When I took him for a horse ride, he couldn't quit smiling.

He doesn't speak much English and we don't speak much Spanish so sometimes our conversations are hilarious! We found out he came to the U.S. to work so he could earn money to send his children to college so they could have a better life. He has three boys and one girl and one granddaughter. He has been away from his family for twelve years. I can't even imagine how hard that would be! Sabino's wife has been sick lately and he has been a little teary. He says he is going to go home in October. I hope his wife is okay until he can make it home.

I wish I could communicate with him better so I could find out what I could do to help his family and the people in his home town.

Every time Sabino sees my youngest son, he hugs him and just beams. My husband thinks it is because Ken reminds him of someone from home.

I found this recipe I want to make for him to hopefully cheer him up. It is for a Peruvian salad called: Ensalada de Choclo

Whisk the juice from one lime into 3T. vegetable oil or olive oil then add some salt and pepper. Add 3c. cooked corn, 1 red pepper, finely chopped, 1 red onion, finely chopped, 2T. minced cilantro and 8 ounces of queso fresco (farmers cheese or any other fresh, unaged white cheese.)

Serve chilled

Got Milk?

Last night I went over to Misty's and she taught me how to milk her goat. We have been trying to decide if we should get a goat because our two youngest boys are allergic to cows milk plus they love the goats milk because it taste like whole milk, but better. By the time I was done milking, about half of the milk went into the bucket and the rest went on me and Misty's little boy who was standing next to me. It was hilarious! Misty made the milking look so easy but it would definitely take some time to learn. So sometime in the near future we hope to find a goat.

What's next? A milk cow?

Yesterday I made some yummy banana bread. My friend Becky asked me to post the recipe so she could make it.

Banana Bread

Sift together the following ingredients:

3c. flour, 1t. soda, 1t. each of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, 2c. sugar and 1t. salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine then add 3 eggs, 1 1/2c. oil, 1c. sour cream, 1 1/2t. vanilla and 2c. mashed bananas.

Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350* for 1 hour.

What happened to the other eight lives?

Yesterday, Lilly the baby cat died. My son found her almost dead yesterday morning. He said the day before she had climbed up the cement wall of the stall where I had her locked in and fell off of it. She probably got hurt and I didn't know it. Anyway, we ran her back over to Misty's to see if the momma cat would nurse her. We left her there during church and later, when the Taylor's came over for dinner, they broke the bad news to me. If I would have known we were going to be having a funeral, I would have made funeral potatoes. I thought cats were supposed to have nine lives - so what happened to the other eight?

Darren's Grandma Lucy gave me this recipe for funeral potatoes, but I added the bacon and extra cheese.

Unthaw one bag of shredded hash browns and put in a large bowl. Saute 1/2 of a chopped onion in butter and add these to the hash browns. Then, add one can of cream of chicken soup, 1c. sour cream, 1 cube of melted butter, some salt and pepper then stir until it is all combined well. Add four or five pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon and 3c. cheddar cheese and stir. Put this mixture into a casserole dish and top with more shredded cheese. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until it is bubbling and the cheese is melted on top.