The Hungry Bookworm

Tanooki Parker

2012-02-13T16:52:00.002-08:00

Parker IS Mario in his mind...he wears his Mario suit most of every day (and Kody wears the Luigi costume)....but last week Parker decided he wanted to be Tanooki Mario....(in the game Mario gets the special Tanooki suit- which looks like a little raccoon - when he finds a Tanooki leaf...it gives him special powers and allows him to break blocks with his tail)

...so Kendra got a brown sweatshirt (after we looked all over ebay, amazon, etc for ready made tanooki costumes) and I made him his own Tanooki suit....he was so delighted!!!!! But now I have to make another for Kody....

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

These were developed for those with egg allergies...but they're yummy (and if you were inclined to worry about eating raw cookie dough...these would be safe!)

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

3/4 C butter, melted and cooled

1 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

2 t vanilla

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 C plus 3 T flour

1 1/2 C chocolate chips

chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix dough, roll into balls or cookie scoop...flatten slightly. Bake at 325 about 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet a few minutes.

Happy Birthday (again), Kendra...

2012-01-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

Just a few more old pictures remembering how happy we were to have Kendra join our family!

January 1977...Karl was so happy to be a big brother!

Kendra and Dad with Grampa Nieman in Santa Cruz.

From my (practically nonexistent) journal...July 18, 1977... Kendra started sitting up and creeping forward on her arms...She got her first tooth last week...Today she has started getting up on her knees and rocking.

...Sept 21...Kendra is trying to walk....Oct 24...Kendra is really walking now! (9 1/2 months)...

Kendra's early love of piano...

December 4...Kendra is cutting her two top teeth...and CLIMBING up everything...on Karl's desk...and up the back of the rocking chair.

Kendra (age 1) with Karl and Peanut

Kendra got a little orange plastic slide for Christmas...she spends hours climbing up the two steps, sliding down and clapping her hands when she gets to the bottom...

..December 27, 1978...Kendra is trying to undress herself... I hear her saying, "Off clothes, off shirt, off plastic pants!" (She sounds a bit like Harry Potter)

Kendra calls the Busch's "Mommy Busch" and "Daddy Busch"... Karl was friends with Michael Busch and Marcy Busch loved playing with Kendra.

...with Grandpa Gil, reading Harry the Dirty Dog...

Jan 9, 1978 (Kendra's 1st birthday)...Kendra has a really strong spirit...she doesn't give in easily...will only sleep when she wants, eat what she wants, wear what she wants...

Hmmm....guess we shouldn't wonder at the strong spirits of Brady, Carson, Parker and Kody!!

Jan 18, 1978...Kendra gets my finger and pulls me to what she wants...the cupboard for a graham cracker, the sink for a drink of water, the refrigerator for a popsicle, the light switch so she can practice turning it on and off...she says "dah" for dog, "baba" for bottle and sometimes manages a "daddy" or "mama"...

Jan 27, 1978...Kendra likes to brush her teeth with me - she even leans over the sink and gives a little "spit" sound when appropriate...she likes to play pick-a-boo, ring around the rosy, pat-a-cake and go down her slide.

Jun 4, 1978

....Kendra(17 months) says a lot now..."horse, hot, house, dog, ball, cat, clock, cake, cookie, shoe, bye-bye, hat, hi, bike, outside, mama, daddy, rock, water, fish, ice, cow, airplane"...she does sounds for a lot of animals, knows all the parts of her body, all her colors and most of the alphabet! She smacks her lips for strawberries or anything yummy!

Did I ever worry about Kendra falling into the big concrete hole in our backyard..the pool was like this for three years before it was finished!

Dec 30...Kendra was riding her bike on the sidewalk when she saw Mr. Johnson's garbage can sitting on the curb (this was in the days when we still used metal cans)...she got off her bike and ran excitedly towards the can shouting, "Oscar, Oscar"....

Jan 6, 1979...Kendra eating ice cream..."Um...Dee..ish..us"...I thought it was pretty good vocabulary for a two year old...

Jan 17, 1979...

Kendra(age 2) heard me talking to mom (Grandma Janiece) on the phone and started saying "I go to San Ta A (San Jose) see Niecie??" I thought it was amazing she knew where Grandma lived...early signs of that good sense of geography that her boys have inherited!

dance career...

An Adventure with Brady and Carson....(and Parker)

2012-01-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Brady and Carson and I went to see The Adventures of Tintin...it was great (and the first 3D movie I had seen much to the boys amazement!)

This was a great movie...the dog was the star....and named "Snowy" like Lindi and Sadie's dog.

The boys felt quite indulged as I let them get ice cream ...(Yes, Carson, you can both get "large"...)...and after the show we went to 5 Guys...Dustin met us with Parker who, I suppose after finally discovering that we had gone without him, (although Parker has yet to sit through an entire movie...many scary things, etc.) was having a melt down...he was still pretty sad (Parker really cherishes perceived injuries and slights, both physical and emotional...)when they arrived, even though we had gotten him a cheeseburger with just catsup...but cheered up when I told him I had my 3DS out in the car and he could play it when we got home...everyone ended up happy! ( Always a plus for the Grandma!)

2012...a good beginning

2012-01-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1, p.2

…this is where the Book of Mormon comes in. It's like nothing else. It's the only answer you are ever going to get to that question in this dispensations(What am I doing here? How did I possibly get into this mess, What should I be doing?) In reading the Book of Mormon no one is ever doing something he shouldn't be doing. Most of the time he would be doing probably the best thing he could possibly be doing. If it is not itself the best thing to be doing, it will quickly put you onto the best thing to be doing because it will have a direct effect on you. It will change you; it will work on you.It is a personal intimate document. It will hit you. You can't just read the Book of Mormon and nothing else. It immediately puts you on the high road to what you should be doing, like no other book. And it will lead you directly into a course of thought or a course of action of the greatest significance to yourself and to the world you live in. In other words, it will enable you to break loose as nothing else can. Only the Book of Mormon breaks loose because it does break loose. It's like nothing else. Now we have the direct revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, etc., but the Book of Mormon was brought by an angel, a tangible thing. …...

I was going to ask the question, how many have read the Book of Mormon? It's an utterly absurd question. It's like asking, have you seen the moon? Or have you been to North America? The answer is "yes," I suppose, but you haven't told me a thing. How much did you learn from that? With the Book of Mormon, it can mean anything. You can say, "I read the Book of Mormon." I remember when I would say that, and it didn't mean anything of course. It meant I had piled up so many pages and got my gold star; that was it. That's not what we are reading it for now.

(So I've got a lot more posting to make to 2011 that I haven't gotten around to yet...but rather than wait to start on 2012 until they are done, I'm just jumping in...I'll catch up on last year later...I hope!!!!)

Grandpa Roger's Treasure Chest

2011-12-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

When Grampa Roger was about 8 years old, Grandma Clara and Grandpa Jesse gave him a "treasure chest" ....

.....that we inherited many years ago... Here is the story he told about the Christmas he received it:

The Pirate's Chest

A true story by: Roger W. Dean
(I'm copying this exactly and Grandpa Roger wrote it...you can so feel the love he had for his Grandparents and family)

The year was 1930. Our family tradition was to always spend Christmas Eve with my very special Grandparents, Jesse and clara Dean. I am telling you their names so you may better know who they were, but I always called them Grandma and Grandpa Dean. I loved them with all my heart and even though they are not with us I still love them and remember the wonderful childhood I had with them.. Christmas was a very special time in our family life. My Great Grandmother Browning would always make "Tarts" which were served on a wicker tray about four feet in diameter. Oh, they were Luscious and so good to eat. There were vinegar tarts, apple tarts, strawberry tarts, blackberry tarts and so many more. At this time in my life I lived with my parents in a duplex (two houses joined together) and my cousin Patricia with her parents, Uncle Bill and my wonderful Aunt Thelma lived in the adjoining duplex. I always called her Pat or Patti and that is why your Mom's name is Patti (Patricia Darlene Dean). Patti (my cousin) was the age of a very famous child movie star (Shirley Temple) and her mother (cousin Pat's mother, my Aunt Thelma) always like to curl Patti's long hair just the way Shirley Temple's was curled. She (Aunt Thelma) would also every Christmas sew a beautiful dress for Patti. Perhaps with yellow organdy and lace trim. They were beautiful but the problem was that my Aunt Thelma would not get them finished until late Christmas Eve. This made us late in getting to Grandma's for our presents and party. You can just imagine a little boy (me) being so frustrated in waiting until the dress was finished and being able to go to Grandma's house. A question: "why is it always going to Grandma's house? Don't Grandpa's have a house too?" Yes they doo!!! This is just a little background of my family and the way we celebrated Christmas.

So one Christmas (1930), one of my presents was my Pirates Chest. Today if you look at it you may just see some dark boards and with my initials on top, but to me it was a very special present. My Grandfather had made the chest and if you look inside you will see a sliding drawer. Underneath the top drawer was another secret drawer in which treasure maps for buried gold, jewels, and Pirates money was hidden. These are probably long gone by now but for an eight year old who was into reading about "Long John Silver" and the lore of the Spanish Pirates it was pretty exciting.

My Grandmother was a very artistic woman. The cast iron initials on the top of the chest were made in the following way: My Grandmother found a piece of pine wood (perhaps from an apple or orange crate) and with a paring knife made the mold for the letters RWD. She then took the pine mold to a metal caster, and they cast what you now see on the top of the chest. Please remember that this was in 1930. No computers, no TV, none of the things we take for granted today.. Also the great depression was going on. Money was a major problem. My father cleaned used brick sitting next to a railcar in Oakland to help support his family. But you know what, there was a bright side to all of this. We had a family and we had love, and that is what it is all about.

'Tis the season! (Ho, ho ho...)

2011-12-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season! (Ho, Ho Ho...) What a merry little elf! We're looking forward to seeing her next week (along with Dave and Jess)

Thanksgiving Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad

2011-11-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

This is one of Grandma Evelyn's recipes..but it used "cran-raspberry" sauce, which is no longer made....this is close, and pretty and yummy! (Although calling it a salad lends it an aura of nutrition that is probably lacking).

Cran-Raspberry Salad

1 lg (6 oz) pkg Raspberry jello

1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

12 oz frozen raspberries

12 oz 7-Up or Sprite

1 1/2 C boiling water

Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over 1/2 C of the 7 up and let set to soften.

Dissolve the raspberry Jello in the boiling water.

Stir the unflavored gelatin mixture into the hot jello.

Mush up the cranberry sauce (use a potato masher or ricer) and stir into the hot jello.

Add 1 more C of 7-Up and the frozen raspberries. Mash the berries a bit with the potato masher.

2011-11-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

Kaity's recent ventures into yarn arts and wooly things...

made me think of the story about Julia Ann Dillabaugh Zufelt (my 3rd great grandmother) and how they pulled the wool from dead sheep carcasses to make into yarn. You can read the story here...

Later, her daughter, Julia Ann (Grandma Pearson's mother)told of her life growing up in Cedar Fort (just east of today's Eagle Mountain)...she says..."When I was only a girl of 9 I had to wash all of the dishes and I never liked it. At twelve years of age I began spinning yarn. We washed the wool and father took it 15 miles to Lehi and had it carded into rolls. We spun it into fine thread to make cloth, then we dyed the yearn. Logwood made black dye; oak bark, brown; rabbit brush, yellow; madder and alum made a dull red; and indigo made blue. It required three or four days to dye a fast color with indigo. When green was the desired color the yarn was first dyed yellow, then put in the blue dye. Mother would wind the yarn on a stick the way she wanted the cloth striped, then send it to the weaver. When we got the woven cloth back we had to cut our clothes and sew them all by hand, even the mens' suits. We had to spin the thread for all of our clothes and all of our blankets. Our blankets were usually gray.

A far cry from a trip to Target!

Crock Pot Rice Pudding with Dried Apricots

2011-10-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 C milk (1% is fine)

1 can (13.5) light coconut milk

1/2 C sugar

1 C arborio rice

1 cinnamon stick

1 C dried apricots, chopped (I think I only used about 1/2 C, snipped with scissors...alternately you could use raisins.)

Whisk milk, coconut milk and sugar in crock pot. Stir in rice and drop in cinnamon stick.

Cook, covered, until the rice is tender and milk mostly absorbed, about 2-2 1/2 hours on high. Discard the cinnamon stick and stir in the chopped apricots. This is best while still warm....refrigerated, it get pretty solid...rewarm in the microwave, top with a little squirt of whipped cream.

Recently Read....Theodore Rex

2011-10-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

I listened to this on Audible and it was fascinating....such a window on this period of American History...the Panama Canal, Sherman Antitrust Act, Teddy Bears, Booker T Washington, "Speak softly and carry a big stick", Yellowstone Park, "a square deal", Chinese Japanese War, Edward Arlington Robinson, The Jungle, William Randolph Hurst, spelling reform(!), Cuba, the Supreme Court, the "yellow peril", National Parks, child labor, William Jennings Bryant, Conservation,...I love "reading" these big books on Audible because I would never have enough "sit down time" to get through them...this is the second of Edmund Morris's trilogy on Theodore Roosevelt. The first is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and the last is Colonel Roosevelt.

Scott's Krazy Kornbread Kake

2011-10-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Scott's Krazy Kornbread Kake

Let them eat cake! or cornbread??? With this recipe you can have it both ways....either a lighter,yummier cornbread to go with your chili or whatever...or a not too sweet cake... perfect for a light snack after school or dinner....

1 box yellow cake mix

(plus whatever you add: eggs, water, oil)
3 C Marie Callender corn bread mix
1 1/2 C water

Mix everything together and pour into 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350....a little longer than for the cake since there's more stuff in the pan. Make sure it's done in the middle....if it starts to get too brown, cover with a piece of foil.

Serve with honey butter (or just butter) or give it a light coating of canned frosting (or homemade if you are so inclined).

These Were Good....Ginger Molasses Cookies

2011-10-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

These cookies stay soft!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

2 sticks unsalted buttered, softened

2 C brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 C molasses
3 C bread flour
1 T baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
3/4 t cloves
3/4 t nutmeg
1 1/2 t ginger

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses and mix until just combined - 20 to 30 seconds. Add all dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated (don't overmix).

Use cookie scoop and drop onto parchment lined sheets or use a Silmat. Bake 11-13 minutes until slightly crackled. The center will be soft. Let cool on trays. These stayed soft and chewy!

Happy Birthday, Kaity...Raspberry Scones

2011-09-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get this on the blog before I got to October...September is a happy month for many reasons...but chief among them is it's the month Kaity was born!

In honor of Kaity reaching her quarter century birthday and actually eating two raspberries I thought we might make Raspberry Scones...

Raspberry (or Cranberry) Scones

1 3/4 C flour

1/4 C cornstarch

2/3 C sugar

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

4 T butter

1 C frozen raspberries

(or chopped cranberries)

2 t orange rind

3/4 C plain or vanilla yogurt

sugar for top

glaze

Cut butter into dry ingredients with pastry cutter or twoknives. Add orange rind and yogurt. Stir until a sticky ball forms. Add berries and gently fold in. Pat onto buttered cookie sheet in a large circle. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake about 20 minutes. Drizzle with glaze (1/2 C powdered sugar thinned with a little milk).

R2D2 - Pretty spiffy!!!

2011-09-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last year Karl, Christian and Alec's project was painting Karl's old Toyota truck...they did an amazing job...

....so this year they painted R2D2 (my old 95 Honda Accord)....looking good, guys!!!!
(Does the Toyota truck have a Star Wars name???)

Lovely Low Fat Pumpkin Cupcakes

2011-09-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

1 yellow or white cake mix
1 C Libby's pumpkin

2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 C water

Mix for two minutes; fill lined cupcake pans; bake about 18 minutes at 350. These are great even unfrosted! Or add a little cream cheese frosting for super deliciousness...

Pizza Monkey Bread

2011-09-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

The original recipe had you make your own bread dough....I made it way easier by using frozen Parkerhouse roll dough!

1 pkg frozen Parkerhouse Rolls (24 in pkg)
1/2 C melted butter (you could probably use less in the interest of good health!)
1 C parmesan or asiago cheese, finely grated
1/2 C pepperoni slices, cut into small pieces
1 t dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Serve with pizza or marinara sauce.

Preheat oven to 400.
Cut semi thawed rolls into quarters. (They are too sticky if you let them totally thaw out)
Spray a bundt pan with Pam
Melt butter; then combine with cheese, pepperoni, oregano and garlic. Roll a few of the dough pieces at a time into this mixture, generously coating; place in bundt pan. Let rise to top of pan. Bake 25-30 minutes. Serve with pizza or marinara sauce for dipping.

Where's Mario??? (Kody as Luigi)

2011-09-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Classy kids...

2011-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Amber had the kids dress up for their annual photo this year....don't they look great!
Christian and Alec had tuxes for Jazz Band and Sadie dresses up for the orchestra she's in....

Cool Cars in Clayton...

2011-09-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

Labor day festivities in Clayton included a "soap box" derby (I didn't see any cars made of of soap boxes!) and a car show...very fun!

I'm really bad at taking pictures on my phone! Or at least getting everyone's attention before pushing the button!

Lots of cool cars....new and old.

Kids could register to race cars provided by local businesses...next year Brady and Carson!(I think you have to be seven)

Such a fun experience...old time music and cars, perfect weather!

A happy ending to the adventure...

Tropical Banana Bread

2011-09-04T16:18:00.002-07:00

Banana bread is a totally awesome way to use up overripe bananas...but add some crushed pineapple, coconut and spice and a tiny bit of orange glaze and you're in Paradise!

Tropical Banana Bread

3 C flour*

2 C sugar*

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

3 eggs

1 C oil*

2 t vanilla

1 15 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

3-4 smashed ripe bananas

3/4 C coconut

Mix oil and sugar; add eggs; stir in pineapple, bananas and vanilla; add dry ingredients and coconut. This makes two small loaves (4 1/2 x 8) or 5 mini loaf pans (3 x 5)

For extra deliciousness glaze with a little powdered sugar/orange juice glaze.

***You can substitute 1 C wheat flour for part of the white; you could also replace half the oil with applesause and reduce the sugar by half...but I just gave up on being healthy and went for yummy! It's so good no one will get more that one or two pieces...

Rolo Cookies....

2011-09-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone can have homemade cookies with this yummy recipe from Six Sisters Stuff....a great recipe for kids to cook too...only four ingredients....but you might have to monitor the unwrapping of the Rolo candy!

The cookie 'staches are hiding the smiles as they bite into the gooey caramel centers!

Rolo Cookies

1 pkg(12 oz) Rolo candies, unwrapped
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 C oil

Mix the cake mix, eggs and oil. Pinch off a small ball and wrap around a Rolo. (Just use enough to envelope the Rolo)

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 360 about 7-8 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired....Makes about 3 dozen...depending on how many Rolos get eaten while being unwrapped!

Almost Pumpkin Pie (Crock Pot)

2011-08-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow is September, school has started, and a "fallish" dessert sounds really appealing....this was from that Facebook Page...Crock Pot Girls...

This might even be a good breakfast....

Crockpot Pumpkin Custard

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. I used a 3 quart crock pot.

Mix in a bowl:

16 oz can pumpkin

12 oz can evaporated milk (I used 1%)

2 eggs

1/2 C Bisquick

3/4 C sugar

1 t pumpkin pie spice

2 t vanilla

2 T melted butter (optional)

Pour into crockpot; cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours. I put mine on High about 3:15 today and by 6:15 it was perfect.

Thanks for the cute birthday present, Kendra!

2011-08-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I got a nice surprise today...Kendra had ordered this for my birthday and it came today...isn't this darling... a bracelet with classic Golden Books framed....when I think of all the hours spent with these books...both in my own childhood and with my kids and grandkids...it will bring me a happy feeling every time I look at it!

She got it on Etsy from Southern Heidi Belle ...she makes a lot of other cute bracelets with various themes...

Babysitting Posey....

2011-08-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

While Kendra and Dustin were in Utah this week, we took care of Posey....we only lost a couple of pairs of shoes (sorry about the Puma's, Mark)...and a wallet....Link was a good sport about her stealing his bones...most of the time

Pioneer Day in Utah

2011-08-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

I always though it would be great to be in Utah on my birthday...(Pioneer Day)...so this year I was! We didn't actually go to any parades...but we saw a lot of fireworks, some of which were really exciting as they started a fire on the hill behind Karl's house...and Alec made me his famous Tres Leche cake!

Happy Day! Kaity and Alan's Wedding!

2011-08-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd put up a few wedding pictures...summer has been busy...not much blogging going on!

The Nieman-Broadbent families (and friends)

Sweet memories!

A bevy of beauties...

Fun at our Fenton's lunch!

Beautiful flowers....like that "antique" blue mason jar???....it's really a clear one with a drop of food coloring in the water (teal from the McKormick Neon food coloring set)

The most fun....we had a Photobooth!

The Gardner's beautiful yard! Thanks so much....

Wedding pies....I ordered 30 from Marie Callendar's...then the next week they went out of business! So we had to scramble a bit.

Key Lime, Strawberry Rhubarb, Chocolate Creme, Lemon Creme, Apple, Bing Cherry...

Off to a beautiful life together!

Recently Read: Moonwalking with Einstein & Born to Run

2011-07-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

So in addition to wedding planning...here are some books I read during May and June(mostly listened to on Audible while driving around or doing boring office work)....

Born to Run
An epic adventure that began with a simple question: Why does my foot hurt?

A Short History of Nearly Everything
A really fascinating book! Basically the history of science. After listening to it on Audible I bought the illustrated version.

The Double Comfort Safari Club
Another in the Ladies #1 Detective series...always enjoyable if you've been reading the series.

State of Wonder

Ann Pachett is a joy to read...this is a fascinating book with a captivating story line.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

I've always enjoyed Kate Atkinson mysteries ...Behind the Scenes is her first book...not a mystery other the the mystery of family relationships...she's kind of a quirky British author.

Started Early, Took My Dog

This is the 4th book following the "sort of" detective...Jackson Brodie. Kate Atkinson's books usually start about 3 story lines and by the end of the book they all intersect in some way.

Case Histories
This is the first Jackson Brodie "mystery"....

One Good Turn
This is the second Jackson Brodie book...

When Will There Be Good News
and this is the third...

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
This reminded me of Practical Magic...both with subject and writing style...it's good once you deal with the fact that these women are living in today's moral world!

Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark

I read this because it is the debut novel from Marcia Clark, the head OJ prosecutor...

Moonwalking With Einstein
This book explores the task of memory...and is pretty fascinating...Joshua Foer, a science journalist actually became a participant in the US Memory Championship...this details how he acquired the skills...and goes into the history of memory training and some pretty good strategies for improving our own memories.

Congratulations, Christian!

2011-07-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Another event I haven't blogged due to wedding prep...Christian's graduation on May 31!

Christian and Alec...weird picture...but sometimes that's all I get with my iphone!

Karl and Amber with their graduate...hard to believe...

Christian's awards...

The giant pizza we got to celebrate graduation...

One of Christian's many talents....Ironing!

This is one of Alec's paper cutting projects...awesome isn't it? Double click on it so you can see all the detail....

Recently Read...Shanghai Girls

2011-07-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

I didn't read this when it was first published, and it's probably a good thing since most of the reviews I've read are really critical of the abrupt ending. I saw the sequal, Dreams of Joy, and wanted to read it, so decided to read Shanghai Girls first...
And even though Val told me she threw it in the garbage when she finished...I quite enjoyed it...first as a very compelling story of the two sisters, Pearl and May. Second as a great way to learn about a period of history I knew little about..pre WW2 China and the US. Third as a look into a very different culture...and the Chinese/American experience in California. Learning about the anti-Communist movement of the 50's and the "Confession Program" was both appalling and fascinating.
Another criticism of the book is that it is unrealistically dramatic towards the end(although it's pretty dramatic in the middle too!). But I think Lisa See was trying to share a lot of the experiences she knew from her own Chinese American family and combined them all in the characters of Pearl and May...
I would definitly recommend reading it if you are interested in historical fiction. She also has some sweet insights into the bond of sisterhood.
So now I'm reading Dreams of Joy...

Dave Graduates! Congratulations....

2011-07-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

I never got my trip to Boston (in May!) blogged...so here are a few (late) highlights

The big event....Dave receives MBA from Brandais University! Congratulations, Dave(and Jessica)....

While walking through Boston we saw this poster in the American Express window....it's a poster of Dave and Jess on their recent free trip to Barcelona/Venice...they are in the gondola...

In the "back yard" of The Breakers...the mansion Cornelius Vanderbult Jr. built in Newport RI 1893. This was fascinating...and sad that he only spent one summer here before he died. The tour was very fascinating

Riding back on the ferry....(my feet were glad!)

One of the many historic sites in Boston...

A famous donkey in Boston...in 1827 Andrew Jackson established the Democratic Party and ran for President with the slogan "Let the people rule." His opponants thought him silly and labeled him "Jack**s Jackson"...however Jackson turned the tables by using the donkey on his campaign posters. It became the Party symbol.

Penny being cute...

We were intrigued by the title of the sermon.

I'm eating Boston Cream Pie in Boston!

Penny and Gma Pat at the "Rock"....you know the one.

4th of July Ice Cream (from Gladys Cecil Austin)

2011-07-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is the ice cream recipe Grandma Janiece used to make. She got the recipe from Gma Dorothy's sister, Gladys Cecil Austin back in the 50's. We used to get "raw" milk delivered that had 5 inches of cream so thick on the top you could stand a knife up in it...it made great ice cream. But these days we try to use something a little less rich...usually I use a qt. of half and half and a pint of whipping cream instead of the can of evaporated milk...you could use all whipping cream, part whole milk whatever you want! (skip this recipe if raw eggs are an issue with you)

Ice Cream

6 eggs, separated

3 C sugar

1 qt half & half(or whipping cream)

1 can evaporated milk (or more cream)

2 T vanilla

Beat egg whites until stiff; add sugar slowly to make a meringue. add cream & vanilla; process in ice cream freezer..Flavor with Nestles Quik, toasted almonds, strawberries, etc. It's also great made with brown sugar.

Wedding Food! Yummmm.....

2011-06-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been blogging much the last month since my every waking(and many of the sleeping ones too) moment has been devoted to prep for Kaity and Alan's wedding/reception on June 25!

It was a wonderful day, and part of the wonder was that we could pull off serving great food...with the help of SO MANY dear friends!!!

Our wedding menu was a takeoff on the Cafe Rio Pulled Pork Salad...I took most of the recipes from Favorite Family Recipes....a blogger who recreates some favorite restaurant recipes. I'll post the adapted recipes here with a few notes and comments.

I cooked about 50 lbs of boneless pork roast, but the recipes below will serve about 12-15.
This was the lineup....

Romaine lettuce, pulled pork, cilantro lime rice, corn/bean salsa, avocados, cilantro ranch dressing, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla strips..

Sweet Pulled Pork

4 lb boneless pork loin roast (or boned equivalent)

...I used the boneless pork loins from Sam's that weigh about 8-9 lbs. You can cut them in half and freeze or make a double batch and freeze the cooked pork.

5 cans Coke, Dr. Pepper or root beer (not diet)

2 1/2 C brown sugar

garlic salt

1/2 C water

1 8oz. can diced green chilies (mild)

1 1/2 -2 C Pace Picante Sauce(mild/medium)

1. Put pork in ziploc bag with 2-3 cans soda and 1/2 C brown sugar. Let marinate a few hours or overnight, turning bag a couple of times.

2. Drain and discard marinade; Put pork, 1 can soda, 1/2 C water, a couple of shakes of garlic salt or powder in crock pot and cook on high 3-4 hours. Drain meat and shred when it cools a bit.

3. Mix (or blend) 1 can soda, green chilis, Pace Picante and remaining brown sugar(about 2 Cups....you can use less); pour over shredded meat in crock pot and cook on low about 2 hours.

Cilantro Lime Rice

2 C white rice (I used medium grain Hinode which is a little stickier...long grain would be drier and fluffier, so whatever you like)

2 t butter

4 cloves minced garlic (I used jarred)

2 t fresh lime juice (add more lime juice later)

4 t "Better than Bouillon" or Tone chicken bouillon past
4 C water

Cook rice(I used a rice cooker, but you can cook on stove); mix 2 T lime juice, 4 t sugar, 1/2 bunch (about 1 C) chopped fresh cilantro and stir into cooked rice.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 pkg original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

1 C mayonnaise

1 C buttermilk

2 tomatillos, husked and diced

1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 C)

1 clove minced garlic (I used jarred)

1 lime, juiced (about 1/3 C)

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

(Safeway carries chopped chilis in a tube in the produce section - I used about 1 t...we don't like it too hot)

Mix in a blender; best made the day before.

Cafe Rio serves black beans on their salad, but I made Kendra's Corn/Tomato/Bean salsa, added a can of cannelloni beans, and served the avocados on the side.

Then we added sour cream, grated cheese, and Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strips.

Alec's Tres Leches Cake...

2011-06-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

I often (well, not too often) get a piece of Tres Leches Cake at Safeway....so I was really glad to see Alec making one for Christian's graduation...he made a DOUBLE one...yummmm!

Tres Leches Cake

Bake a white cake in a 9x13 pan (the one Alec's working on in the picture is a double one)

Let cool 15 minutes; then poke holes in it with the dowel end of a wooden spoon.

Pour this mixture over the cake:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 C cream or whole milk

Frost with whipped whipping cream and serve with fresh strawberries or peaches.

Pineapple coleslaw

2011-05-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Easy, low cal, low fat and delicious...
(I have a feeling I've alread posted this, but I can't find it...)

Mix: 3/4 C mayonnaise, 3 T vinegar, 3 T sugar (or 3 pkg Splenda)

Pour over:
1 pkg shredded cabbage (or cut your own)
1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained

2011-05-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

We BECOME what we want to BE

...by consistently BEING what we want to BECOME each day.

(Elder Scott - October 2010)

2011-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

A cartoonist contributer to Meridian Magazine....whimsically amusing...

Barnyard of the Tragically Hip..

Arthur was not a trained meteorologist but he gave an accurate forecast for the night: It would be dark!

That was good for a chuckle...

Easter Joy...

2011-05-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to add this picture of this cute thing Kendra did for easter....

Dave, Penny and Jess....A Happy Easter!

Like mother, like daughter....no wonder Penny is such a delight!

Things were a big wilder at the Wirig's...but the more frolic, the more fun....although here we see Carson's reaction to putting away the Easter Candy to go to Church!....

Carson's tendency to grumpiness led to Kendra's inspiration to give him an "Angry Birds" birthday party....it is perfect!!!

Carson...we LOVE you!

One More Book...recently read...A Murderous Procession

2011-05-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

The 4th book in the Mistress of the Art of Death Series....A Murderous Procession.

If you like history and mystery and medicine...you might like this series...unfortunately, this will be the last in the series....Ariana Franklin passed away in January...

Recently Read: The Goose Girl & I Capture the Castle

2011-05-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

This is our book club's selection for this month...I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would...Ani is a much better role model for young woment than Bella (Twilight)...When reading LDS authors I always thinks it's interesting to look for LDS themes...Ani's knowledge that she started out as a Princess (I am a Child of God) even though in her present life she is "only" a Goose Girl gives her the strength to continue acting like a Princess who may one day be a Queen...

I Capture the Castle

This book, published in 1948, was written by Dodie Smith...the author of 101 Dalmations...it's a charming book...I'm amazed I had missed this one. Dodie Smith was a well known playwright in the late 30's....I loved this thought....

...When I read a book, I put in all the imagination I can, so that it is almost like writing the book as well as reading it -- or rather, it is like living it. It makes reading so much more exciting, but I don't suppose many people try to do it. (p.26)

It's Official! Kaity and Alan...

2011-05-04T10:22:00.001-07:00

Alan popped the "official" question last week...complete with roses and V-8 juice...they will be married in the Oakland Temple on June 25....prepare for a couple of months of craziness!

Cheesy Potatoes (Funeral Potatoes)

2011-04-23T10:35:00.001-07:00

32 oz pkg hash brown potatoes

1/2 C butter (or 1/2 C milk)

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

1/2 t salt

3/4 C chopped onions sauted in 1 T butter

(or 1/3 C dry onions)

2 C grated cheese

crushed soda crackers or corn flakes mixed with 3-4 T melted butter

Mix all except crumbs and put in 9x13 pan

Sprinkle with crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until heated and bubbly.

***Unfortunately, this is incredibly high in fat! I eliminate most butter, use low fat soups and sour cream. You can also use low fat cheese.

The end of the rainbow....Clayton

2011-04-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

The end of the rainbow...Clayton!

Kody is Two!

2011-04-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

Kody is scrumptious! Don't you just want to eat him up?

Read more on Kendra's blog....

This makes me think of that scripture: "And great shall be the peace of thy children..."(3 Nephi 22:13)

Sky High Sports (Tooth Trip, continued)

2011-04-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

One more fun thing we did while the Providence Niemans visited...we went to Sky High Sports...the best place to go when the kids want to bounce off the walls!

A little hard to see since this wasn't freeze frame....above, Sadie and Brady...

Kody was in heaven! Parker and Lindi were jumping in the foam pit.

Here's the Dodge Ball area....that's Karl and Alec in the back...Mark and Brady were on the other side...

Apple Syrup

2011-04-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

1/2 of a 12 oz can of Apple Juice Concentrate(6 oz)

(they used to sell 6 oz cans...but no more)

6 oz water

2 T corn starch

1/4 t cinnamon

Mix and cook in microwave until thickend...yummy over French Toast or Pancakes!

If you've got a big group you can use the whole can of concentrate (doubling everything)...but this "syrup" doesn't save very well, so don't make more than you can use at one meal.

Tooth Trip....more fun in San Francisco!

2011-04-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

So Tuesday we went to the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park...

It's been totally redone since the days when we used to go when you were kids...here is the roof (with Lindi and Alec)... looks a bit like Teletubby land!

Lindi was enthralled with the aquarium...

This big snake made me feel like I was in the Harry Potter movie...I'm glad no one was around to speak parsletongue...(???)

A new friend for Lindi!

Then just as we were getting ready to leave, the fire alarms went off the the whole building was evacuated...we had to go sit in the meadow for about 20 minutes...fortunately the weather was lovely...Lindi and I made daisy chain crowns!

The tooth trip....

2011-04-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Karl, Amber and their kids drove out from Providence last Saturday...the object: to have Christian's wisdom teeth out and a little "dad dentistry"...

It was fun having a big group here to watch conference....even Link seems to be paying attention!

Here's Christian...looking just a bit like a chipmunk after Dustin took out his wisdom teeth...he doesn't look too bad!

Aunt Val's Dinosaur book...

2011-04-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Aunt Val makes the most wonderful books....this one has a poem about a dinosaur embedded in it.

Fun and Fanciful!

Your Trial Is Your Greatest Treasure....

2011-03-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

This latest interview of Barbara Barrington Jones on Mormon Women was so good!

She was a ballet dancer and coached many young women aimed for the Miss America contest. She often speaks at EFY and Especially for Women...we had actually contacted her about doing a program for our stake RS....her conversion story is an inspiration...

....check out the other interviews on the Mormon Women site! Last weeks story about Liz Shropshire was wonderful too...a composer....she went from working in the film industry to running music programs for former child soldiers in Ireland, Kosovo, and Uganda...just amazing!

This is such a great site to blow away that stereotype of the "typical" Mormon Woman...

Skinny Sloppy Joes....

2011-03-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is skinniest if you use ground turkey...but I usually get Costco's 12% ground beef, cook it and rinse it with hot water...still pretty skinny! And it's great to double or triple so you have some for the freezer or to share...

Skinny Sloppy Joes

3 T wine vinegar

2 T brown sugar

3/4 C catsup

1/4 C chopped onion (or dried)

3 T Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t mustard

1/2 C chopped celery

1 lb. ground turkey breast

Brown meat; cook with onions and celery for a bit; add remaining ingredients and simmer about 30 minutes....or cook in crock pot (after browning meat) 4-5 hours. Good with chips or tater tots and coleslaw.

Grandma Janiece's Banana Bread

2011-03-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

Banana Bread

1/2 C shortening (Crisco or butter)

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 C squished banana

1 t lemon extract

2 C flour

3 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 C chopped walnuts (if you like nuts)

Cream shortening with sugar; add eggs; beat until fluffy. Add banana and extract. Mix dry ingredients together and mix in. Add walnuts.

Bake at 350 about 40 minutes. Cover with foil if necessary to keep from overbrowning. It's extra yummy if you glaze it with: 1 C powdered sugar mixed with enough lemon juice to thin.

Tater Tot Casserole

2011-03-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here's another recipe from the past...

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb hamburger, cooked and crumbled (or even just 1/2 lb.)
32 oz. pkg tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can chicken rice soup
1 soup can milk
1/3 C dried onions (or chop a real onion and cook it with the hamburger)
grated cheese if you want...

Cook hamburger; drain and crumble; mix soups with milk and onions (if you didn't cook the onion with the hamburger)

Dump half the tater tots in the bottom of a 2 qt. casserole dish. Add cooked hamburger next;
Cover with the soup mixture; Sprinkle with some grated cheese if you like...cover with remaining tater tots. Cover and bake at 350 about 30 minutes. You can make this fairly healthy (ie - lower in fat and calories)...by using only 1/2 lb. ground turkey, fat free soups and milk and not too much cheese...

The Creek is FULL!!!

2011-03-24T13:23:00.001-07:00

Maybe being forced to pay for flood insurance will end up being a good thing!

Deliciousness! Chocolate Chip Cookie Frosting

2011-03-23T13:51:00.001-07:00

This is based on a recipe from Cookies and Cups...

It would probably be best on a chocolate or red velvet cupcake...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting

First make butter cream frosting....your own recipe or this one:

3 cubes butter

1/2 C white Crisco

Beat these together for 3 minutes until creamy....then add:

8 C powdered sugar

1/2 C milk

Now to change it into cookie dough frosting add:

1 C flour

1/2 C brown sugar

1 t vanilla

pinch of salt

You could add mini chocolate chips, but I just sprinkled them on after piping it on the cupcakes...then the chips show up better and don't clog up the flow of the frosting from the tip(or from a plastic bag you've cut the corner from)

This makes a bunch...more than enough for two dozen generously frosted cupcakes, so you might want to halve the recipe...but it can be refrigerated to use (or eat!) later....

A rainy weekend in Clayton!

2011-03-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

Mega Danish Pastry

2011-03-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

This is Mega Danish because this recipe makes three good sized pastries....enough to share and still have some for the home team (Do you feel bad when you cook something yummy and your family asks, "Who's that for?")

First make this easy dough:

2 cubes butter, softened
2 pkg (or 2 T) yeast...I use SAF yeast
2 C warm milk
2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp salt
6 C flour
Mix and knead about 5 minutes. Don't add much additional flour...you want a soft dough. Let rise while you make the fillings.

Custard:
(I usually make about 1 1/2 times this amount because I love lots of filling)

1 C milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
3 T flour (I use Wondra)
1 tsp vanilla
Stir together and cook in microwave...let cool...I actually put this in the freezer to really cool it down. If it's warm you'll melt the almond/oat filling

Next...make the Almond/Oat filling:
(again, I usually make 1 1/2 times this amount)

Almond Filling:
3/4 C sugar
1 cube butter
1/3 C oats
2 tsp almond flavoring
Mix until crumbly.

When dough has risen, divide into three pieces and pat each into a large rectangle on a baking sheet.

Slice along each side at about 1 inch intervals. Then spread 1/3 of the custard down the center. Next crumble 1/3 the almond mixture on top of the custard.

Finally, braid the strips over the fillings, tucking the ends in so the fillings doesn't leak out while baking.

Let rise again; bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until slightly browned.

Frost with a powdered sugar glaze or thin cream cheese frosting.

These also freeze well and are great to make during the holidays when you want a nice breakfast treat that doesn't have to be made at the last minute.

Four Stories...

2011-03-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a RS meeting where the topic was maintaining a positive attitude while dealing with adversity...one of the sisters told these four stories very quickly, repeating the moral like a little mantra at the end of each...all except the Plimsoll story are from the scriptures...

1. The story of The Ten Virgins....keep oil in your lamp

2. The story of The Widow's Mites...keep oil in your lamp...give your mites.

3. The Plimsoll Line....Samuel Plimsoll, A british MP in the mid 1800's was outraged by the number of sailors deaths caused by overloaded vessels...he got a Bill passed to include provision for a marking on the sides of ships which would disappear below the water line when the ship was overloaded(ships have different buoyancy depending on the temperature and the salinity of the water).......

...keep oil in your lamp, give your mites, don't load past your Plimsoll line

4.And the last scripture is the one in Mosiah 4 that says you shouldn't run faster than your strength...

So: keep oil in your lamp, give your mites, don't overload, don't run faster than your strength...in other words, take care of your own needs, spiritual, emotional and physical so you have the strength to deal with the trials of life.

Snag these kids books if you run across them...

2011-03-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

I was looking for copies of a few kids books that were favorites in our family years ago and was shocked at the cost of some of these out of print titles: The Hungry Thing...a USED paperback copy is about $40...a LIKE NEW copy is $165!

A used Gunniwolf is $46 and a LIKE NEW copy is $276!

Another favorite that I was able to get reasonably used is Where Did My Mother Go?

Christmas Presents....

2011-03-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

So I've been meaning to post about a couple of really fun Christmas presents...these were from Kendra....sorry it's taken me until March!

My blog book! Complete with a recipe index.

And these are custom made paper dolls...meant to look like me as a child! Kendra, you were really kind...this is a whole lot cuter than I was after about the age of 8 (when I got glasses and my mom permed my hair...in the days before the "fro" look was popular)

These dolls come with magnetic strips so you don't have to use the tabs...and a CD is included so you can print off more copies...

I was looking for a picture of me in my "cuter" days...and found this one which reminded me of this cute picture of Penny with a similar expression...I am about 3...I'm wearing a navy blue sweater and jumper knit by Grandma Dorothy..

Here I'm on the porch of our Kenwood Ave. house in San Jose...I'm about 5 1/2...Grandma Janiece made me that dress when I was 3 1/2...it orginally came below my knees...It was my Christmas dress...dark green taffeta with lace trimmed tarten plaid ruffles.

Recently Read: Operation Mincemeat

2011-03-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

Operation Mincemeat (How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis)...was a successful deception plan of the British in WW2. This book reads like a spy novel...not surprisingly, since several British "spys" became famous authors...Ian Fleming, Graham Green, John le Carre...but this plan to divert Nazi attention from the D-Day invasion in Sicily, reads like something out of the "Keystone Kops"!!!...dress a dead guy in military garb, transport him to the coast of Spain in a submarine, float him ashore where he is "discovered" by the pro Nazi Spaniards who forward his "secret"papers to Hitler before returning the body to the British...

Amazingly...it worked! Scary to think how the outcome of WWII might have been very different without this crazy scheme.

Asian Noodle Salad

2011-03-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

This is the salad we made for our Woman's Conference...it's a little hard to determine how many it serves...it depends on how big your veggies are...but this serves 15-20! It's a LOT of chopping!

Asian Noodle Salad

1 lb. linguine pasta, cooked, rinsed, cooled

1/2 head sliced Napa cabbage

1/2 head sliced purple cabbage

1/2 bag baby spinach

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 orange bell pepper, sliced

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 jicama (about 1 C julienned)

cilantro (optional, up to 1 bunch if you like it)

cashews - 10 oz

Dressing:

1 whole lime, juiced

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 C soy sauce (I used "light")

2 T sesame oil

1/3 C brown sugar

3 T fresh ginger, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

(Safeway has herbs, minced, in plastic tubes...saved a lot of chopping when I was making this x 10!)

This is Fun....The Day You Were Born

2011-03-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

The Day You Were Born....

Click here to see what was being read on the day you were born....
http://www.biblioz.com/best_sellers.php

What famous people were born on your birthday?

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/welcome.html

What happened on the day your were born?

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/on-this-day/#july

What was the world like the day your were born?

http://www.dmarie.com/timecap/

On 24 July 1945....bread was .09 a loaf; gas was .21 a gallon; average income was $2807 a year; a new car cost$1250...the minimum wage was .40 and the DOW Average was 193. The "hot new toy" was the Slinky

What I've Been Doing Lately...WC Stake Women's Conference

2011-02-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

Thursday was our annual Stake Women's Conference...We had six great classes; each was offered twice, so sisters could attend three of them...about 200 attended.

We served and Asian Salad...yummm....rolls and sliced oranges...

And a variety of Cupcakes!(a lot of calories were consumed by my family as they helped me research this project!)

More Cupcakes...

Yet MORE Cupcakes!!!

Classes included:

I Do, I Did, Now What?? (Gospel Centered Marriage)...Bishop Anthony and Marcia Damiano

Family Reunions (Easy, Fun Addictive)...Lisa Hansen

Ready, Set, Write! (Bring Sparkle to Your Life's Story) ...Marianne Hilburn

Quilts of Love (Life's Lessons Learned from Quilting)...Julie Shafer

If There Is Anything Yummy (Nutritious & Delicious Food)...Marisa Michael

Entering the Fitness M.T.C.(Making Fitness a Lifestyle)...Lindsay Bradburn

Lisa's Family Reunion Class.

A quilt from Julie Shafer's class..

Some of our favorite people attended...

A great event....we're really glad to have it be over!

A Healthy "Hippie" Breakfast...Muesli

2011-02-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

Here's an easy healthy breakfast I used to make...Dad used to eat it on his mission in Austria.....it's actually best made the night before and refrigerated...

Muesli

1 C plain or vanilla yogurt

2 C uncooked oats (I like to use old fashioned)

1/2 almond or walnuts, chopped very fine

fresh fruit...always some kind of berries (strawberries, raspberries) chopped apple, bananas

1/2 C orange juice (2 oranges juiced if you have them)

sweetener....a few packets of Splenda if you use it, or a couple teaspoons of honey or sugar...if you're using vanilla yogurt you may want to skip the sugar.

Mix and let set several hours (if you can wait)...

Diamond Life...(Sweater Quest)

2011-02-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

I just finished Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously

This is sort of a "wooly"Julia & Julia book. The author, after a few years of standard knitting...scarves, hats, etc., decides to challenge herself to knit in a year a very complex Fair Isles sweater called the Tudor Rose...the pattern book was no longer in print and all the yarns needed had been discontinued...so accomplishing this was a bit of a task!

Anyway, I chuckled my way through the book, resisting the urge to underline passages as is my wont since I had, in the interest of not further adding to my enormous book stash, checked it out of the library...(but I finally did cave in and order it on Amazon today since it was only $6...for some reason I just need the physical presence of books I like! And I can loan/share them out.)

She describes how knitting soothed her while in the throes of post partum depression,

"Now the whole event feels like it happened to someone else...time is a great balm, of course. So are high-grade pharmaceuticals. But what really helped turn the tide was knitting. Now most of the drugs are a distant memory. The yarn, however, is still with me. So are baskets of knitted hats, scarves, sweaters, and socks."(p. ix)

And"...knitting surprises are subtle and enduring. Making stuff with my very own hands has enriched my life in innumerable ways. Both kids and craft have taught me how to deal with frustration so acute that I'd want to bite the head off a kitten. Both are great courses in expectation management. Both have given more than they've taken--and introduced me to a community that I otherwise never would have know."(p. xi)

And she she writes about the joy of any hand work... Sewing, quilting, crafting, gardening, cooking, etc...the pleasure of touching and seeing beautiful colors, textures, etc.

As well as her commentary on all things "yarnish"...she wanders off on many tangents (which you can easily skim if you are so inclined) but also offers a few choice bits of philosophy...knitters tend to be philosophical...here was one thought that seemed a great image regarding Choice and Accountability....

from Sweater Quest (p147)
"I read somewhere - and one of the signs of getting older is that I can no longer remember where - that life is shaped like a diamond. At the start, your choices are few. They get greater and greater each year until forty or so, when the choices you've made start to limit the ones you can make - until you die, which is generally as much of a choice as being born is.
I don't find this bleak, actually. I'm fairly content with the choices I've made and the ones I'm not at ease with are minor. The knowledge that my diamond is getting narrower just makes me more careful about my time and likely to enjoy where I am more. Besides, I'm tired of deciding and, welcome having less big stuff to think about. Your mileage of course, may vary..."

Beware...you probably can't read this book without going out and buying more yarn(or supplies for whatever your craft obsession)...I did.
(Yarn and sock started while reading SQ)

Temple Pageant Song...Man Must Have a Holy, Sacred Place

2011-02-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Choir sang this in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday...It was in the original Oakland Temple Pageant...

Man Must Have a Holy, Sacred Place

by James Ira Young

Man must have a holy sacred place;

.....wherein he covenants again with God.

To keep path straight and more devoted be

....to home, to life, to service unto fellow man.

To keep path straight and more devoted be,

.....to home, to life, to sacred plan of eternity.

This is a VERY SIMPLE song...but often the simplest words are the most profound...

Happy Birthday, Jess!

2011-02-19T23:51:00.001-08:00

You've added a lot of joy to our family!

(Dave Nieman, Jessica McArthur Nieman and Penelope "Penny" Nieman)

Recently Read: Healthy At 100

2011-02-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

Healthy At 100

So, yes, this book is pretty interesting to those of us getting past "middle age"....but since so much of our health depends on how we live in the first half of our lives it has great info for every age.

This book describes the lifestyles of of four of the world's cultures that produce some of the healthiest old people...such as the Vilcabambans in the South American Andes...and he goes on to describe healthy exercise and nutrition styles that we've probably heard before...what's unique about this book is the last third of the book talks about how the biggest determiner of health as we age is the quality of our human relationships!

Interesting my link on Facebook this morning from lds.com was about Elder Ballard's talk on Strengthening Families...

Here are a few interesting ideas...

...four hugs a day are necessary for survival, eight are good for maintenance, and twelve for growth!

...the strongest predictor of which men would get cancer decades later turned out not to be smoking or obesity, but rather the lack of a close relationship with their fathers fifty years before.

...in a heart disease study it was found that men who used the first-person pronouns the most often had the highest risk of heart trouble...self-absorption leads to weak hearts...It seems that the less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers...Listen with regard when others talk. Give of your time and energy to others; let others have their way; do thing for reasons other than furthering your own needs.

...In the 4 healthiest cultures, "Instead of going shopping, they go visit one another. They have need of few belongings, for they belong to each other."

...the main determinant of bone strength in women is not calcium intake...it's the amount of exercise they got between the ages of 12-22!(Hurray for girls sports)

...lack of emotional support was a greater risk factor for disease than smoking.

...when his daughter-in-law expressed her gratitude for the author and his wife's many hours of help with their twins, his wife said...you're welcome...but do you have any idea what it would cost if we had to go out and rent grandchildren!

A Sweet Treat...Lindt Truffle Cupcakes

2011-02-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

Lindt Truffle Chocolate Cupcakes

This is from The Sisters' Cafe....

24 Lindt Milk Chocolate Truffles, unwrapped

1 box chocolate cake mix (they used devils food; I used milk chocolate)

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 C oil

1/2 C water

1 C sour cream

Mix up everything but the truffles and fill lined cupcake pans (24). Bake at 350 for 5 minutes; then lightly press a Lindt truffle into each partially baked cupcake...I'd press a little more firmly...you want most of the truffle sunk down in the batter, but not totally covered. Bake an additional 13-15 minutes. Cool completely, then frost with cream cheese frosting.

Having the Spirit....

2011-02-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

This is something that was in my Seminary Files...Julie D. just used it in a RS lesson, so thought I'd add it here....Remember...these aren't All or Nothing lists....but sometimes we don't recognize that just feeling calm is evidence of the Lord's Spirit filling our lives.

After reading the negative list, go back a read the first one again because just reading the second list can bring a dark feeling!

When You DO Have the Spirit:

1. You feel happy, calm, and clear-minded.

2. You feel generous.
3. Nobody can offend you.

4. You wouldn't mind everybody seeing what you're doing.

5. You are eager to be with people and want to make them happy.

6. You are glad when other succeed.

7. You are glad to attend your meetings and participate in church activities.

8. You feel like praying.

9. You wish you could keep all the Lord's commandments.

10. You feel "in control". You don't overeat or sleep too much, you don't feel uncontrollably drawn to sensational entertainment, lose your temper, or feel uncontrollable passions or desires.

11. You think about the Savior often and lovingly; you want to know Him better.

12. You feel confident and are glad to believe.

When You DON'T Have The Spirit

1. You feel unhappy, depressed confused and frustrated.

2. You feel possessive, self-centered, or resentful of demands made on you.

3. You are easily offended.

4.You become secretive and evasive.

5. You avoid people, especially members of your family; and you are critical of family members and Church authorities.

6. You envy or resent the successes of others.

7. You don't want to go to church, go home teaching, or take the sacrament. You wish you had another church job or no job at all.

8. You don't want to pray.

9. You find the commandments bothersome, restricting, or senseless.

10. You feel emotions and appetites so strongly that you fear you cannot control them; hate, jealousy, anger, lust, hunger, fatigue.

11. You hardly ever think of the Savior; he seem irrelevant to your life, or worse, part of a confusing system that seems to work against you.

12. You get discouraged easily and wonder if life is really worth it.

Now go back and read the first list.....

Happy Birthday, Val! (the cute Dean girl..)

2011-02-13T13:09:00.001-08:00

Happy birthday, Val....a great sister, "crafty" lady...and a pretty darn good bowler!

But growing up with a darling, golden haired cutie of a sister was a little hard on my very limited self esteem...note the frizzy haired big sister with the cat eye glasses!

In this photo...Patti, Val, Gpa Earle, Grandma Clara, Gpa Roger, Jesse...and of course our awesome orange naugahyde couch!

Healthy New Year! Breakfast Casserole

2011-02-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

Mark's been working on getting in shape in the new year so we've been trying some recipe's out of this cookbook....the author, Devin Alexander, wrote The Biggest Loser Cookbook too.

This is a low fat version of Breakfast Casserole...it's pretty good, especially with a little sour cream and taco sauce on it.

1 1/2 C chopped onion (red and or white)

1 C chopped red or green pepper or a combo

6 slices whole-wheat bread, cubed(from a fluffy loaf, not a dense one)

2 C shredded low fat cheddar cheese

1 1/4 C (5 1/2 oz) lean ham steak, cubed

2 1/2 C egg substitute

1/4 C milk

2 t dry mustard

1/2 t pepper

1/8 t salt

Saute onions a peppers in non stick pan until veggies are tender. Mist a casserole dish with Pam and spread half the bread cubes. Then layer half the cheese, half the veggies, halm the ham. Repeat layers. Mix egg substitute, milk, mustard, pepper, salt. Pour over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning preheat oven to 350. Bake about 45 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes, then cut and serve...6 servings (209 calories, 23 g protein, 4 g fat)

Recently Read ...The Demon Under the Microscipe

2011-02-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

A couple of interesting medical histories....

The Demon Under the Microscope

The subtitle says it all...from battlefield hospitals to Nazi labs....one doctor's heroic search for the world's first miracle drug....Sulfa...

The Knife Man Blood, Bodysnatching and the birth of modern surgery...

In an era when bloodletting was considered a cure for everything from colds to smallpox,surgeon John Hunter (1728-1793)was a medical innovator... and he crosses paths as friend or doctor with so many famous historical figures....he advised Benjamin Franklin about bladder stones, treated King George III, James Boswell, William Pitt, David Hume, Adam Smith, lived next door to Joshua Reynolds,Joseph Haydn, advised the infant Lord Byron's mother to fit her baby with a corrective shoe...his home in London was a combination home/natural history museum, and dissecting lab...with a backdoor specifically for bodysnatchers to bring him fresh corpses...Robert Louis Stevenson used it as a model for the home of Dr. Jeckle/Mr. Hyde.

After reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, I was interested in reading his first two novels....very different from Racing...but I enjoy his writing style...When I read the descriptions of them on Amazon, they didn't sound very interesting, but I was drawn into them from the first pages and read each in only a couple of days...

How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets

Raven Stole the Moon

Grandma Eck's Carrot Cake

2011-02-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

Grandma Eck's Carrot Cake

2 C + 2 T flour mixed with:
2 t cinnamon
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt

2 C sugar
1 1/2 C oil (substitute half applesauce for lower fat)
4 eggs
2 C grated carrots
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained, and mixed with 1/4 C sugar*

Beat sugar, oil, eggs; add dry ingredients, then nuts, carrots and pineapple. Bake in 9x13 pan at 350 about 50 minutes. You could also make in 2 9" rounds or about 28-30 cupcakes and adjust baking time.

* Sister Tobler often uses this recipe for wedding cakes and found that a few years ago the cake ended up darker than when she first made it...she figured out it was because crushed pineapple used to be canned in a sugar syrup, but now it's done in juice...healthier, but making for a darker cake...so she drains most of the juice and adds the sugar...I don't know that I would have ever noticed it being a little dark....

Frost with cream cheese frosting....

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 cube unsalted butter (or salted works ok)
3-4 C powdered sugar
1 t vanilla

Something I just learned about this frosting....I always used to have the cream cheese and butter quite soft...I left it out on the counter for several hours or all day ...but this frosting has a better texture if you have the cream cheese still quite firm ....maybe not right out of the refrigerator, but still a bit cold and firm....and don't overbeat the frosting. Cream cheese breaks down if too soft or beaten too much...which is how mine always turned out...

Family Favorites: Frozen Pea Salad

2011-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Frozen Pea Salad

All the ingredients are quite variable, depending on the size of container you're using and how many people you want to serve. Once mixed, the salad doesn't save overnight...this amount is what I usually make for a family dinner...

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

3 stalks celery, chopped

4-5 green onions, chopped

1 small can sliced water chestnuts

Layer the above ingredients in order (lettuce first) in a bowl or container. Then over the top dump 1 pkg frozen green peas (about 10 oz.) and spread out so everything is covered. Then "frost" with about 1 C mayonnaise (or enough to seal in the peas) I usually use low fat mayo.

Over the mayo, sprinkle 1 T sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or several hours if possible)

When ready to serve, toss with:

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

5-6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

How Will You Measure Your LIfe?

2011-01-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

Below is a link to an address given to last year's graduating class at the Harvard Business School by Clayton Christensen. (He is the author of The Innovator's Dilemma, a Harvard professor, served a mission to Korea, was a counselor in the Boston Mission Presidency, an Area Seventy...he's 6'10" and played on the Oxford University Varsity Basketball team)

He asks his students three questions:

1. How can I be sure that I'll be happy in my career?

2. How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness?

3. How can I be sure I'll stay out of jail? (Jess Skilling of Enron fame was a classmate of his!)

Here's the full speech:

http://arikjohnson.posterous.com/how-will-you-measure-your-life-by-clayton-m-c

Applying business strategies to happiness in life includes:

Create a Strategy for Your Life

Allocate Your Resources

Create a Culture

Avoid the "Marginal Costs" Mistake

Remember the Importance of Humility

Of course as you read this you will recognize the underlying gosple principals....the Plan of Happiness.

Happy Birthday, Parker! (4 years old)

2011-01-15T10:26:00.001-08:00

Parker....the sweetest boy alive!

His favorite iphone app is Stack the States...Parker is a whiz at geography...knows all the states and their capitals...he can read most of the questions in this game himself and almost always knows the answer!

Cute Cupcakes...Dustin's Chocolate Frosting!

2011-01-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

These cupcakes were just an excuse to eat the frosting! Dustin made a birthday cake for Kendra last year and this was the frosting...I've been thinking about it for a year! (There's no powdered sugar in it...but that doesn't mean low sugar!)

Dustin's Chocolate Frosting

2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 C water

1/2 t vanilla

1 (3.9) small box instant chocolate pudding

1-2 C whipping cream (I used 2)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave(1 t butter helps it melt smoothly) and cool slightly

Mix melted chocolate with the milk, vanilla and water.

Stir in the dry pudding mix.

Whip the cream and fold into the chocolate mixture.

You can put the frosting in a zip lock bag, cut off a corner and swirl on your cupcakes, or use a pastry bag and #1 star tip like I did....I found these cute white sprinkles at JoAnne's. Refrigerate leftovers.

Happy birthday, Kendra!

2011-01-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to a beautiful daughter!
Sorry I'm late getting it posted....

Not a real girly start! But this is why she's a great mom to her four boys (and wife to Dustin)...

Recently Read...Unbroken

2011-01-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Unbroken...

This is an amazing true story!!! And truly deserving of the title...the inspiring story of Louie Zamperini...a juvenile delinquent-turned Olympic runner-turned Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie's plane crashed into the ocean and what happened to him over the next three years of his life will keep you glued to the pages...just when you think things can't get worse....they DO!!! But he emerges from these horrific experiences with such nobility of character.

Chocolate Stuffed Sticky Bread

2011-01-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

1 pkg Rhodes Dinner Rolls(24 in pkg)

1 1/2 C chocolate chips

1/2 C sugar

1 T unsweetened cocoa

1 t cinnamon

1/2 C chopped pecans, walnuts or toffee bits

1/2 C melted butter

1/2 C packed brown sugar

Thaw rolls, cut each one in half, flatten a bit and wrap around about 1 t chocolate chips (5 or 6).

Mix sugar, cocoa and cinnamon in a small bowl, roll each roll in sugar mixture and drop into a Bundt pan that has been well sprayed with Pam.

Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture and nuts over the rolls.

Mix butter and brown sugar and pour over rolls.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to the top of the pan.

Bake at 350 about 35-40 minutes, covering with a piece of foil the last 10 minutes of baking.

Immediately turn out on plate.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-31T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a little catchup on various holiday happenings....I'll have to add pictures as I find them....
Dave and Jess and Penny spent Christmas in Irvine, then came up to Clayton....it was so fun to see them!

Mike left before his birthday on the 30th....but here's Mark having his birthday pie!
Happy birthday, Mark...

Just a few of our yummy Satsuma mandarins! Plant a tree if you want a wonderful treat

Here was Kaity's Gingerbread House....the ants didn't get it this year...

Parker's joy is contageous...

And the visit to Santa....

Carson is keeping his distance...but did tell Santa he wanted a microscope so he could look at "Quarks"...

Happy Anniversary

2010-12-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

December 16, 1967....cutting the cake and eating it....

Gil, Virginia, John, Patti, Janiece, Roger

This was a few years later....but we don't have many "couple" pictures, so thought I'd throw it in before the picture got totally faded...

Cranberry Chicken

2010-12-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

Another great family recipe...make in the crock pot or oven.
Cranberry Chicken

4-5 chicken breasts

1 can cranberry sauce (jellied or whole berry)

1 pkg onion soup mix

8 oz Catalina dressing(or about 1/2 bottle)

Mix the cranberry sauce, soup mix and salad dressing in a small bowl and pour over chicken in a casserole dish or crock pot. Serve over rice. This actually turns out better done in the oven. If you are going to be gone for awhile (like at church) you can cook it at 300 for 3 or 4 hours.

Happy Birthday, Alec

2010-12-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

Athlete(swimmer), musician(clarinet, piano), scholar, artist, Eagle Scout...and just a "fun" guy...we're proud of you, Alec. Happy 16th! Are you taking your driving test today?

I'll have to add some earlier pictures....pre digital camera days!

Holiday Happiness...Eggnog Bundt Cake (with Caramel Sauce?)

2010-12-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

I found this yummy dessert on The Sisters Cafe....she served it with a Caramel Sauce that I plan to make sometime, but I didn't dare make so much yumminess with only three of us to consume it....

Eggnog Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix(with pudding in it)
3 T flour
2 eggs
2 C eggnog
1/4 C soft butter
1/4 t rum flavoring
1/8 t nutmeg (or go crazy and add 1/4 t)

Mix well and pour into bundt pan that has been well sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Cool a bit and turn out on a plate. I just glazed this a bit with powdered suger mixed with a little milk and rum flavoring. Next time I'm going to try this:

Caramel Sauce
1/2 lb brown sugar(1 1/8 C)
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb powdered sugar(2 C)
1/2 T cinnamon
1/2 qt. rich vanilla ice cream(2 C)

Melt everything together and cook briefly. Serve over eggnog cake. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in the microwave.

2010-12-11T20:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry to steal again from Kendra's blog...but it is unusual to get all four boys in a row...Brady's crossed eyes are priceless, and Carson is almost smiling...and of course Parker and the Kody are darling as usual...Brady and Carson were in the Pleasant Hill School District's Spelling Bee today....props boys for being so brave!

Roger Williams

2010-12-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Roger was named for his famous ancestor, Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island...
Here's how we are related to Roger Williams.....

Grampa Roger's mother was..

Dorothy Vivian Cecil(1913)...her father was

Don Francis Cecil (1877)...his mother was

Bessie Ballou Brown(1855)...her mother was

Vienna Wilkinson Sheldon(1814)...her father was

James Manning Sheldon (1791)...his father was

David Sheldon(1769)...his father was

Roger Sheldon(1744)....his mother was

Rebecca Rhodes (1716)...her father was

Zachariah Rhodes(1687)...his mother was

Waite Waterman (1668)...her mother was

Mercy Williams (1640)...and her father was

ROGER WILLIAMS(1602)

A Stormy Day...and Clam Chowder

2010-12-08T20:17:00.001-08:00

I thought I had already posted this, but I guess not....I often make this in my pressure cooker...it only takes about 3 minutes to cook the potatoes....but a big soup pot works as well. Most of these ingredients are pretty "approximate"...

3-4 slices bacon
2 medium onions
3 stalks celery
3-4 potatoes (more if they are smallish)
2 cans minced clams(with liquid)
3 C milk***
4-5 T flour(I like Wondra)

Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and cook in your pot...you can drain off the grease if you want to lower the fat content of your chowder...but leave a little for sauteing the onions and celery.
After sauteing chopped onions and celery, add potatoes, diced (about 3/4 inch)
Add about 2 C water, cover and cook until potatoes are tender.
Add milk/flour mix; simmer until thickened and season with s & p or lemon pepper.

***Milk...originally when Grandma Janiece made this we just added 2 cans of evaporated milk; we didn't thicken it. But now I usually use some combination of (depending on how low fat I want it to be) milk and half & half...thickened with the Wondra flour. I have made it with all 1% milk too and it's still good.

Another cute Kody picture.....

2010-12-07T13:43:00.001-08:00

Stolen from Kendra's blog....

Kody was determined to join his brothers' Jr. Commando team!

Happy Birthday, Karl

2010-12-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I'm a little late getting this posted...
Here's baby Karl (inside the blanket) with Dad, Grampa Gil, and Grampa Walter...four generations of Niemans. Dec, 1969...in front of our (Dean) house in San Jose....2307 Kenwood Ave.

Just for comparison sake....here's Karl, holding Christian, with Dad and Grampa Gil...another 4 generations of Niemans.

Back to Karl... January 1970...his blessing day....Gma Dorothy knit his little white suit and booties.(Grandma Janiece made me the leopard pillows)...this was in our apartment on McAllister St. in San Francisco where we lived while Dad was in dental school (and I was teaching at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High in Oakland)

This is still 1970...in the fall. Karl is about 10 months old. We are inside the Kenwood Ave. house at Gpa Roger's and Gma Janiece's...

This is Karl's 2nd birthday...I made him an elephant cake...Dad and I both have lots more hair than we do now!This is in the kitchen of the McAllister St. apartment.

Here's Karl, about 31/2, in the cute German clothes Dad got in a box of stuff from a postal auction.

Karl's about 4 here...holding a fish caught up at Gpa and Gma Eck's house in Gasquet. Looks kind of like Parker here if you block out the curly hair...

Starting Little League...Kendra was about 3 months old when I started bringing him to practices at the old Loma Vista ball fields on Cowell Rd.

Our back yard before we put the pool in....we "watered" our almond trees...Karl and Mike Busch loved getting "down and dirty"...

Here's Karls first Pinewood Derby...I was the den leader...John was good at building the cars.

With Kendra and our first little dog, Peanuts...this is 1978.

1979...Halloween with Kendra...

Helping Dad and Gpa John build the fence around the pool...

Karl, Michael and Kendra...The kids got these shirts when Dad and I got back from our trip to Hawaii with Val and Dick...not the best picture of Karl!

1982...Now David has been added to the family...

Playing chess with Grampa Gil..

Being silly with Grampa Roger...Michael, Matthew and Kendra.

Karl's graduation from Clayton Valley High...

Karl with Gma and Gpa Eck and the "potato van"...this was a trip we took to LA to the temple before his mission. The Oakland temple was closed for renovation....

Missionary Karl and proud mom! Karl went to Paraguay.

Karl baptized Kaity...

Amber and Karl....

Their wedding day in the Salt Lake Temple.

Eagle Scouts, Karl and Mark.

The Nieman brothers....Mark, Dave, Mike and Karl..

Receiving his doctorate from Utah State...with his great family...Amber, Christian, Alec, Sadie and Lindie.

We love you, Karl!

R.I.P. Montana...a Good Dog (1995-2010)

2010-12-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Our little dog, Montana, went to doggie heaven today. We'll miss her.

Turkey Barley Soup (from Vicki R)

2010-11-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

This soup is reason enough to "make" a turkey...
This picture was taken after the soup had been reheated a couple of times and got a little less "soupy"....but still yummy. Served with that good cb sauce from Costco.

Put your turkey bones (I hate to say carcass)in a big pot and add about 1 gallon cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer an hour or so. Drain, saving broth and cooked turkey meat.

Put broth back in the pot and add:

2-3 T chicken bouillon concentrate(Tone's or Better than Bouillon)

2 medium brown onions, chopped

1 C pearl barley (or a little more if you like it thicker)

1 pkg frozen sliced carrots*

1 t sage

s & p

Cook about 40 minutes until barley is tender; add the saved turkey plus more leftover turkey.

Season with more s&p as desired...Can be frozen.

***we originally made this with Parisienne Carrots which came frozen. But I haven't been able to find them for several years...if you see them, grab a bunch...they are really cute..little round ball carrots that are delicious.

Next Day Turkey Curry...

2010-11-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

This is great even after the next day...usually we get through the leftover turkey breast with yummy sandwiches...and then progress to this recipe for the rest that doesn't get made into soup. It's sort of like Hawaiian Haystacks...

Next Day Turkey Curry

3/4 C raisins
2 T butter
2 medium chopped onions.

Mix in a small bowl:
1 1/2 T curry
2 t mustard seeds
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cinnamon
1 T cornstarch

1 C chicken broth
2-3 C leftover turkey, diced

Saute the raisins in the butter about 5 minutes. Drain
Saute the onions until soft.
Add the chicken broth and spices to the onions along with the turkey. Simmer 20 minutes.

Serve over rice with some of these condiments: the prepared raisins, frozen peas(cooked), plain yogurt, cranberry sauce, coconut, peanuts or cashews, green onions, bacon bits, shredded cheese.

Happy Birthday, Brady!

2010-11-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

Brady is 7 years old today! Hope you're having a great day (in Utah)...

We've got way too many great pictures of Brady to sort through!

Our first Dean in America,,,,Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Walter Deane, "a tanner," came from Chard, England, to America on the "Speedwell" in 1637 with his brother, John.

He became a freeman of Plymouth on December 4, 1638. After a year in Dorchester, he then became one of the founders of Taunton, MA.

In 1640 he was deputy(from Taunton) to the General Court at Plymouth.

For more than twenty years he served as selectman, a certain proof of the high estimation in which he was held by his fellow-townsmen, and was often appointed on special committees for apportioning lands and establishing boundaries, proving his great ability and trustworthiness in all difficult questions which came up for settlement.

His home was on Dean Street, next east of his brother, John.
To him and his wife Ellinor, sister of John Strong were born children as follows: Joseph, Ezra, Abigail, James, William, Mary, Lydia, Isaac, Benjamin...(Ellinor, nee Strong, certainly lived up to her name!)

William(1651) married Mehitable Wood...their son

Josiah(1685) married Mary Bethia Peck...their son

Josiah(1716) of Lebanon, Connecticut married Thankful Thomas...their son

Daniel(1738) of Pompey, New York, married Elizabeth Pease...their son

Daniel(1774) moved to French Creek, New York, married Elizabeth Crandall...their son

Harvey(1798) married Mariah Boswich...their son

Daniel Allen Dean (1822) married Mary Jane Holmes...their son

Jesse Lyons Dean(1878) of Corry, Pennsylvania, married Clara Browning...the family relocated to Colorado/New Mexico where their son...

Earle Holmes Dean(1900) was born...the Dean's then moved to

Oakland, California where Earle met and married Dorothy Vivian Cecil...their son

Roger William Dean(1923) was born. He married Janiece Opal Walters and had

ME....(and Aunt Val and Uncle Jesse)

Aunt Val's Apple-Raisin Stuffing...yum!

2010-11-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

Apple Raisin Stuffing

(quantities are variable, depending on what you have available)

2 pkg. cubed/seasoned stuffing mix

1 onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2-3 red apples, cored & diced
2 cubes butter, melted
1 cup (more or less) plumped raisins
apple cider or juice
a bit of cream

Place stuffing mix in large bowl.

Saute onion, celery, and apples in 1 cube butter until soft.

Add to bowl of bread cubes along with "plumped" raisins*.

Mix in the other cube of butter, melted along with the apple juice and cream until mixture is damp but not wet...you should be able to hold a tablespoon in your hand and have it form a ball that will stick together, but not be mushy.

Pack into greased casserole dish and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 (or whatever temp you're baking the turkey) for 45-60 minutes.

Plumped Raisins???

2010-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a recipe calls for "plumped" raisins (as in Val's stuffing recipe)...

Evidently raisins used to be "drier" than most we get today, so if you are using a fresh package you may be able to skip this step.

But it's easy to "plump" your raisins...just soak them in some warm liquid, water or the apple juice for the stuffing. You could heat in the microwave a bit, let them sit for 15 minutes or so, then drain them. They are more tender and yummy!

Not a pretty picture...

2010-11-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

So Dad got his staples out from his knee surgery ...Ouch! but he's able to start bending his leg a little and take a shower (thank heavens!) and sleep without the leg brace...