Sunday, October 27, 2013

Berry Summer Salad

This fresh salad recipe comes from The Primitive Foodie. I love the bursts of flavor and color from all the ingredients. I added nuts and vinaigrette to mine. I made this a couple of weeks ago. I'm trying to hold onto summer as long as I can because I don't like the cold!


Berry Summer Salad
 1 c. rasperries
1 c. blackberries
Avocado
Several sliced mushrooms (optional)
6 c. fresh spring mix or spinach
1/2 c. goat cheese or Feta cheese
3 T. olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinaigrette
Dash of salt

Toss greens in a bowl. Toss on top the rinsed fruit and diced avocado. Add cheese. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, and balsamic, and salt. Add to salad.
 

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Raspberry Cream Cookies

I love berries! And this recipe uses frozen raspberries so I can enjoy them year-round. These stayed soft even two days after making and are really good! This recipe is from Monet at Anecdotes and Applecores.


Raspberry Cream Cookies
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
12 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. frozen raspberries
1/2 c. chopped white chocolate

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and melted butter (about 2 minutes). Add eggs and stir until combined. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until a cookie dough begins to form. Fold in frozen raspberries and white chocolate. Allow batter to chill for 15-30 minutes in freezer.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°. Remove batter from freezer and firm into large, 2-3 tablespoon sized balls of dough. Arrange on prepared cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes (cookies should look slightly undercooked). Allow to cool completely on cookie sheets before removing.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Grilled Peach Salad

I love peaches, but grilled peaches are divine! They are addicting. And this salad is simple, but so good. The recipe came from Feasting at Home, but the recipe had a much longer name. Since I didn't use most of the ingredients in the name, I just shortened it here. I didn't find purple basil or nasturtiums, and used feta cheese instead of goat cheese. You can throw in whatever delicious ingredients you like. I wish I had more peaches so I could make this again.
 
Grilled Peach Salad
3 Ripe, delicious smelling peaches, halved
6 o.z arugula (or other favorite green)
Slightly firm, mild sheep’s milk cheese, chèvre, or fresh goat cheese, or even queso fresco or fresh mozzarella (nothing too salty like feta)
1/8 c. Toasted slivered almonds
Purple basil leaves
Nasturtiums

White Balsamic Vinaigrette:
2 1/2 T. white balsamic vinegar
1 T. honey or agave
4 T. olive oil
Pinch salt
Cracked pepper
1. T fresh orange juice

Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl or jar.
 
Half the peaches, scooping out pit. Brush with a little of the vinaigrette and place on a grill preheated to medium. Let grill for 4-6 minutes uncovered until they have noticeable grill marks. Using a metal spatula gently turn over and grill one more minute. Try to keep peach in tact. Cut peaches into wedges.

Toss greens and purple basil leaves and slivered almonds with some of the vinaigrette. You will have some left over. Make a bed of greens, and place grilled peaches on top and bits of cheese. Sprinkle witih purple basil and nasturtium petals

Sunday, October 13, 2013

The World Wants Me to Forget

I was sitting in the hair salon, waiting for a long time for my daughter’s cut and color, and I made the mistake of picking up a magazine.  I had been reading through some of the pages about which brand of lip gloss lasts longest and how to copy the hairstyles of several stars, when I came across an article that made me very sad. Actually, it made it a little sick to my stomach.

The page had tips of how to cover up your affair so your spouse wouldn’t know. “Put his number in your contacts under one of your friend’s names so if your husband sees when he calls, he won’t know.” Blah, blah, blah. (I won’t pass on the rest of the tips.)

Adultery has become so common place that editors and writers not only see this type of “advice” as normal, but as helpful and acceptable. It is so sad to me to know that this really is normal for so many people. Adultery has ruined so many families and hurt so many people and it just seems to be increasing. I know so many people who have been affected by it.

It has also saddened me to hear friends describe a favorite movie or book and when I mention that adultery is a major part of it, they say something like, “Well, yeah. But it’s so romantic.” Or “Yes, but his wife didn’t treat him well, so he was just finding love.” We’ll see (well, hopefully we won’t)  if you think it’s so romantic when your husband tells you about the true love he has found in someone else, or your best friend tells you she’s getting a divorce because she found out her husband has been having an affair. It’s not romantic. It’s wrong.

And there is no excuse for it. People who do it will rationalize it many different ways, but it doesn’t matter what they tell themselves. It is wrong.

Along with adultery, single people not keeping the law of chastity is sadly too common also. A few years ago, I joined a Facebook group of LDS singles, thinking it would be a good to connect to people like me. Some people were like me, but as in any group, some people weren’t. Some people were talking about how it is better to sleep with someone and find out if they are sexually compatible before marriage so they don’t have to get another divorce and then they just repent. There were people who didn’t agree with that thinking, but some who did. I wanted a group that would help me stand for truth in a difficult time and instead, I just got the same message that the world is quick to repeat.
The world wants me to forget the covenants I have made with my Heavenly Father. Those covenants are not conditional or temporary. The world wants me to forget the peace that comes only from following the commandments, all of them. They want me to forget the true and lasting happiness that comes when a loving family is together and when you think of the blessing of being an eternal family because of your love, covenants and obedience. The world wants me to forget the peace you have if you aren’t hiding things you’ve done, hoping no one finds out.

I will not forget what I have promised my Heavenly Father. I will not forget that blessings and power come from His grace when I am obedient. I will not forget how Satan wants to drag each of us down, and how he can ruin eternal families under the disguise of having “fun” now and not worrying about tomorrow, let alone eternity. I can keep my priorities right as I keep my eyes fixed on eternity and enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost, listen to His promptings and remain worthy of this blessing.  

I wrote this post and almost posted it on Saturday night, the first day of conference, but I didn’t have a photo to go with it. Then in the Sunday morning session Elder Oaks gave a talk that spoke about chastity and even mentioned the word “forget” so I’m including some of his words here.

“The importance we attach to the law of chastity explains our commitment to the pattern of marriage that originated with Adam and Eve and has continued through the ages as God’s pattern for the procreative relationship between His sons and daughters and for the nurturing of His children…

“I pray that we will not let the temporary challenges of mortality cause us to forget the great commandments and priorities we have been given by our Creator and our Savior. We must not set our hearts so much on the things of the world and aspire to the honors of men (see D&C 121:35) that we stop trying to achieve our eternal destiny. We who know God’s plan for His children—we who have made covenants to participate in it—have a clear responsibility. We must never deviate from our paramount desire, which is to achieve eternal life.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, No Other Gods  Sunday morning session, LDS General Conference, Oct. 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cookies

 Inside BruCrew Life has this recipe for this soft, fudgy cookies that are perfect for fall. I didn't find the Pumpkin Spice M&M's when I was at the store, so I just used regular ones. Sooooo chocolatey an pumpkiny and good. They were still soft and good the next day and the day after, then they were gone. Love the kind of cookies that are just as delish for a few days.


 Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 c.  pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 T. vanilla extract
2 c.  flour
1/2 c. cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1 c.  mini chocolate chips
Pumpkin Spice M&M's
 
Preheat oven to 350°. In a mixing bowl cream the brown sugar and oil. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and cream again.
 
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Slowly mix into the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
 
Drop by teaspoon onto a nonstick baking sheet. Press 5-6 M&M's onto the top of the dough close together. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 40 cookies. Store in a sealed container on the counter for 4-5 days.