Garlicky Cilantro Roasted Potato Salad

Summer is the time for picnics and barbecues. Potato salad is a common side dish, but I only like two potato salad recipes so far. One is my mother's, which I never can make quite the same, and the other is this one, which is from Emeril. It's different than most with the lemon juice and cilantro. I don't process anything, just throw it together in a bowl and mix with a spoon. You could add peas, green chilies, bacon or just about anything. Tastes like summer to me!

Garlicky Cilantro Roasted Potato Salad

2 lb. new potatoes, quartered

10 cloves fresh garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1 T. creole mustard
Juice of fresh lemon
1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves, washed and dried
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

    Preheat the oven to 400°.  In a mixing bowl, toss the potatoes and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil.  Toss well.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, or until fork tender.  Remove from the oven and cool completely.

    Using a mini food processor, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice.  Process until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the cilantro and continue to process until incorporated.  In a mixing bowl, toss the roasted potatoes and garlic, cilantro mayonnaise, sliced eggs, and red onions.  Mix well.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Remove from the refrigerator and mix the salad.  Re-season with salt and pepper if needed.

Grandma's Crazy Bread

I don't know when I first ate this bread, but I know it was a long time ago. I call it Grandma's Crazy Bread because my Grandma Fannie used to make it (probably still does, but I don't live close enough to her to know). My grandma calls it Mike's Crazy Bread because my Uncle Mike loves it, but it's a favorite for many people in my family. It's a really moist bread with so many goodies.

Tonight for the first time, I left out the raisins and the walnuts and threw in blueberries and raspberries. So good for dessert, snack or a sweet breakfast.

Grandma's Crazy Bread

3 very ripe bananas
2 c. brown sugar
3 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
3 eggs
1 c. oil
6 oz. chocolate chips
2 c. walnuts, chopped
2 c. zucchini, shredded
1 c. coconut
1/3 c. raisins, optional

Glaze:
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 T. milk
Walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans. Mash bananas with brown sugar. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Beat in eggs well. Beat in oil, chocoalte chips, walnuts, zucchini, coconut and rasins. Add bananas; mix well. Turn into loaf pans. Bake for 60 - 65 minutes. Take out of pans and cool completely before adding glaze. For glaze, mix powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth. Pour over cooled bread. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Celestial Therapy

I recently listened to a book on CD by Wendy Watson Nelson that really makes me think and then I checked my blog to see what all I have posted by her.  I couldn’t believe that the only thing I have posted is a quote (but it’s great) on this post So I’m gonna be posting several about her. I have listened to so many great talks that I haven’t yet blogged about, but wanna share.

Have you heard of Wendy Watson Nelson? She has a PhD in family therapy and gerontology and was a professor of marriage and family therapy for 25 years before she married Elder Russell M. Nelson in 2006. She is the author of several books, including Rock Solid Relationships, and several talks on CD, including Things Are Not Always As They Appear. She is Sheri Dew’s friend and they even look a bit alike and sound similar. Both very strong, powerful women who encourage us to be better.

After listening to the talk on CD, I searched for her talks online and found this beautiful one from 2000 BYU Women’s Conference (so she spoke to the audience of women, but it is just as applicable to men). I can’t remember if I’ve heard it before or not, but it left quite an impression at this time in my life. It’s called "That Thy Outgoings May Be in the Name of the Lord": Solving Our Marriage and Family Problems through Celestial Therapy. 

You’ve heard of going in to talk to a therapist to help you through a difficult time or to overcome a certain negative behavior. Psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral…, but what is Celestial Therapy?

“Celestial Therapy involves regularly participating in temple worship and temple service. It involves keeping our sacred temple covenants with increasing precision and depth. Celestial Therapy is the only therapy that will make a difference—not only to how we live in this world but how and where we live in the next. And while Celestial Therapy is truly out of this world, it is available at a temple near you.”

I am not recommending that people give up their therapy or any medications if they are benefiting from anything like that. But this is a holy assistance that we all need and can strengthen our ability to see ourselves as the Lord sees us and to do so much more in our lives. And who could be better therapist than the Lord?

Attending the temple regularly was once a weakness of mine and I don’t know why. It took me a while to really feel the blessings of it and to have a testimony of attending. I had a special experience long ago while praying for a testimony of it that helped me. I’m grateful that I have overcome that weakness (plenty of others to work on). The Spirit and clear promptings I’ve had in the temple over many years will always stay with me. The temple has been where I have run to for solace, peace and comfort over the past few years of emotional roller coasters.

I will include a bit of her talk here (taken from different parts), but reading the whole thing is worth every minute! It will make you re-think the way and reason you worship in the temple. It has helped me to see more clearly the blessings I receive from it. I love the part below which outlines the priesthood blessings that the scriptures promise us from true and consistent temple worship.

“The best location of any temple is not a matter of geography. It is a matter of our faith and focus. And our faith and focus are a matter of life and death—if we want eternal relationships.

“These are days that require us to wake up to the realities of an ever-darkening world. An apostle of the Lord recently warned, ‘As the forces around us increase in intensity, whatever spiritual strength was once sufficient will not be enough.’ I’m grateful for Elder Henry B. Eyring’s words. They have haunted me ever since I first heard them.

“The forces around us are wreaking havoc with our marriages and families—and we as women are typically the first to identify the problems. But what then? What do we do about the problems in our lives, once we discover them?

“As we look for solutions to our problems, I’m afraid that far too many of us are far too content to live beneath our privileges as women of covenant. Arise is a holy and familiar word for covenant-making women. Sisters, as we seek to heal our hearts and homes, it’s time to arise and benefit from the privileges of the temple. In fact, I believe it’s time for each of us to make sure we are engaged in what could be called ‘Celestial Therapy.’

Celestial Therapy is the only kind of therapy we want never to have end.

"Why would we ever want it to end when it brings us priesthood blessings, blessings we can neither quite fully comprehend nor deny? In Doctrine and Covenants 109:22, the Lord tells us of four priesthood blessings that accompany faithful keeping of temple covenants. He promises that when we go forth from His house we can leave

1. armed with His power,

2. with His name upon us,

3. with His glory round about us, and

4. with His angels having charge over us.

"Through these blessings, we can do the otherwise impossible in our lives, so that we can build marriages and families that will build Zion. That’s the power of Celestial Therapy.

I offer three ways Celestial Therapy heals our hearts and homes:

1. It frees us,

2. It comforts us.

3. It reveals to us things we have never before considered about ourselves and others."

Can't Stop the Music

I coulda/shoulda named this one “The Long Post of a Thousand Links” so get ready!

Wednesday night I went with my friend Tamara to an awesome concert in Orem where 9 talented bands competed to be the top 2 to play at The Stadium of Fire in July, where the winner of that battle will win $10,000. After the 9 bands played their sets, while the judges were deliberating, Dave Barnes played and sang. I seriously don’t know where to start to share all this music with you. I hope you find a few that you like.

Before I share the music, let me tell you about Topblip.com, the world's entertainment radar. Never heard of them? Well, they have 113,000 likes on Faceook, so lots of people have. Maybe you remember that I have posted about Reverbnation.com before cuz I love it. Topblip is similar in some ways. I just created an account today, so I’m sure there’s lots I don’t know about it yet. Just like on Reverbnation, artists worldwide can post videos and listeners can watch them and rate them. Members can follow each other and post status updates.

If you are an artist, it’s great to know that there are prizes every week to the top videos and there are tournaments to compete to open for big names at their concerts. Topblip.com created this competition to sing at Stadium of Fire, starting with almost 3000 singers submitting videos online to participate. Viewers voted online and whittled it down to the “Elite 8”, but then there were 9 at the concert. I don’t know why. I cannot imagine how many submissions they will have next year for this competition with 3000 on their second year.

Since the artists post videos, but not just audio files, there are no playlists that you can create and listen to, as far as I have found so far, which disappointed me since it is one of my favorite things about Reverb. Still, it’s a really cool resource to find great indie music.

 Justin and Sean Bingham are brothers and co-founders of Topblip.com.

The brothers both spoke briefly at the beginning of the concert and then they introduced the emcee, Trey Warner. He started making jokes and introducing the first band and I thought he looked a lot like Will Ferrell. Then I thought maybe it was just me, so I asked Tamara, and she agreed. Then later in the concert, between performers, he joked about how often he is told that he looks like a young version of Will. So it wasn’t just me. What do you think?

                                    That's Trey on the right next to Dave Barnes on the left.

Okay, on to the música. I guess it’s fair to start with the 2 winners. The first one is a local singer who I blogged about last year Here before I listened to him live, but have since seen several of his performances and he and his band are always A-MAZING. A definite star! Sometimes he plays with a whole band (trumpet, sax, drums, bass, guitar, back-up singers) and sometimes it’s just him and the keyboard. If you wanna have a chance to hear him, he’s playing at a free concert at the Central Utah Gardens in Orem, Utah on June 29^th at 7:00 or check him out on Reverbnation or Topblip. 

The other finalist chosen was Carl Dylan , a singer from South Africa who now lives in Atlanta and came out for the competition. I never heard him before the competition. He has lots of energy and had a big smile during his whole set. Nice sound and fun to watch.

Callie Moore came in from Los Angeles and has been writing music on the bass and guitar since she was 12. She performed this song Wednesday that is in the video below for her mother, who died of cancer. She says she plays pop, jazz or folk music, depending on the song.

Vanladylove is a group of three singers--Travis Van Hoff, Caleb Loveless, & Garret Williams. With a unique sound and an interesting mix of instruments, depending on the song. At the concert, they had 4 other guys in the band with them and they all sounded great and looked like they had fun. All of their videos are of covers, which is okay, but I really like to hear original material.

Joe Banua came out as the only solo artist, no back-up singers or band memebers—just him and his guitar. He’s from Montana and sings Christian pop. He auditioned for American Idol this last season and they even showed him on the show, but didn’t get to go on, but he hasn’t given up. During the online competition, he was singing with Ethan Jones, but competed alone. Not sure what happened with that, but he was great all on his own.

I posted about Spencer Glenn in this post last year. He and his band make fun, original music. He has lived in different states, but was singing here in Utah County and I heard him perform. In May, they had a farewell concert because the Spencer is moving. I guess this was their actual final concert though.

Ty Mayfield was the unexpected 9^th artist to compete in the Elite 8 and I'm glad he was included. He is a pop artist from Texas and after his debut album, his music was played in Hollister & Ecko stores.  His hat seems to be his thing. He wore it at the concert and on his album cover. We got to sing the “Hey, hey” part of this song at the concert. Fun!

I first saw The Neighbors last year, remember?  And have seen them perform several times since. They are a super-talented brother-sister team (Adam & Rachel) who can both play drums, guitar and keyboard and write quirky, original music. They are one of my favorite bands and so fun to watch. Apparently, they added a member named Ed who played with them at this concert. This video is of them performing at the Provo Rooftop Concert in October and my kids and I were there in that big crowd watching and cheering.

The final artist that was competing for a spot at Stadium of Fire was an impressive group of young guys, all under 20 years old, called  from Michigan. They are lots of fun to watch because they are so energetic, happy and talented. I posted this song since it’s an original and catchy, but if you are into covers, they have several on their YouTube channel like this One Direction mashup and Payphone which are pretty entertaining and you get to see them sing and play instead of just lyrics.

Like I said at the beginning of the post, while the judges were deliberating, Dave Barnes performed. Do you know who he is? You have probably heard him singing the song he wrote God Gave Me You on Pandora or maybe you have heard Blake Sherton's version on the radio. (Can you imagine getting a call from Blake Shelton wanting to sing your song???) I’ve had that one on my playlist for quite a while. I don’t know how many people know his other songs that have been used on tv shows and movies. They are beautifully written and his voice is so soothing. Many of his songs are romantic like Until You, I Have and I Always Will, and On a Night Like This (and lots more), and they will mellllllt your heart.  But the one I’m sharing on video is about lies, so not too lovey, but very catchy. He had the audience sing along with the “la la la la la la la” part, so sing sing along too while you watch.

The Topblip guys said that when they were considering who to get to sing at the concert, they were so excited about the possibility of Dave Barnes because of his music, but also because he has remained grounded and a real family man even with his fame and that he’s a really good, clean, humble guy. Several people talked about how funny he was and when he came out, he talked in between each song and proved he really is very funny and has a definite stage presence.

He grew up in Mississippi and plays lots of shows in Tennessee—hot and humid. Dave mentioned several times how beautiful the weather was here. It was dark by the time he performed in the outdoor theater and it was cool and breezy.  He is absolutely one of my favorites now and I hope you check out some of the links to his videos. (I walked right past him and didn’t even think to stop him and ask for his photo.) His music right before announcing the winners was a great way to end the girls’ night with Tamara! 

Sooooo, that was a really long post, and just like I warned you, had lots of links. If you got to watch any of the videos, do you like any? I’d love to know which ones.

Wounds to Heal

A couple of years ago during the beginning of an agonizing, dark time for me, I was taking an art class. Before the first day of class, I flipped through my textbook and this painting JUMPED out at me. If you are all familiar with her, you can tell this is a painting by Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter who painted many self portraits and is easily recogizable by her brow. Frida was in an accident when she was a teenager, which left her with lifelong health problems and pain.



All of us feel pain and anguish at some time as part of our mortal journey and many of us can relate to this painting. It is a natural and important part of this life to teach us and help us grow. It can come as health issues, either temporary or permanent on earth and can be physical or mental, natural disasters like tornadoes or fires, results of sin, trials with employment, or results of another person's use of their agency. Each of us has wounds, sometimes in stages of healing and sometimes fresh and gaping.

I recently talked to a church leader who told me that Heavenly Father would be cruel if he took away our trials, even those caused by another's choices. It is difficult to feel that it would be cruel to take away such intense pain, but it is part of His perfect plan. And I know that there is only one way for us to be healed of those wounds---the atonement.

“Healing blessings come in many ways, each suited to our individual needs, as known to Him who loves us best. Sometimes a ‘healing’ cures our illness or lifts our burden. But sometimes we are “healed” by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “He Heals the Heavy Laden“

I am an impatient woman who just wants the burdens lifted and I have to remind myself of all my wonderful blessings that I am given even during struggles because he does bless me abudantly. I am so grateful for the peace He gives when we are living according to his commandments and our coveants. We can know that we will be rewarded for our enduring well and faithful consistency.

Unfortunately, even with the divine help of the atonement, our pains are often not immediately healed. It helped me to read the following quote, which reassured me that we do not have to feel guilty or ashamed if our pain does not go away immediately or if we do not forgive and forget automactially, as long as we are going in the right direction.

“Most of us need time to work through pain and loss.”

James E. Faust, “The Healing Power of Forgiveness,” Ensign, May 2007, 67–69

I also found a beautiful talk which Elder Bednar gave at a BYU devotional which speaks of the enabling, healing power of the atonement, which all of us need and have the right to when we follow in our Savior's footsteps.

“I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs. …

“'And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord' (Mosiah 24:14–15).

"What was changed in this episode? It was not the burden that changed; the challenges and difficulties of persecution were not immediately removed from the people. But Alma and his followers were strengthened, and their increased capacity and strength made the burdens they bore lighter. These good people were empowered through the Atonement to act as agents and impact their circumstances. And 'in the strength of the Lord' Alma and his people were then directed to safety in the land of Zarahemla.

"…The enabling power of the Atonement of Christ strengthens us to do things we could never do on our own. Sometimes I wonder if in our latter-day world of ease—in our world of microwave ovens and cell phones and air-conditioned cars and comfortable homes—we ever learn to acknowledge our daily dependence upon the enabling power of the Atonement.

"…The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us. There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, 'No one understands. No one knows.' No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power." 

Elder David A. Bednar, The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality, Brigham Young University Devotional, October 23, 2001

“O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people”

Alma 31:31