Momming

Did you know that there

are college degrees

in family science?

I never got it when I was younger.

Why would anyone

go to all that school

just to learn how to

be married and have a family?

Can't anyone do that?

Doesn't everyone do that?

I felt that those who majored

in family studies

were just doing so

because they wanted

an easy Bachelor's Degree.

Or they were looking

to build a resume

for their future spouse.

"Look at me,

I want to

spend eternity

in your kitchen."

The older I get,

and the more I attend

marriage counseling,

I am grateful for

the other suckers who

went through all the work

to help me to figure

out the complicated

parts that I never

understood back then.

And honestly: still don't.

But,

just like everyone else,

sometimes,

I get it right,

without any studying at all.

Sometimes I get it right

out of sure dedication

and practice.

In the kitchen,

I need no therapy.

I am the boss.

In one small area

I've got the momming down

to a science.

I'm a PHDmf.

People Hone Down

(my food)

Here is a photo

for evidence.

Tuesday afternoon

this is what my kitchen counter looked like

right before I headed

out to my real job.

(ha ha - we all know

momming is my real job)

white chicken chili, homemade bread,

and after-school cookies

Let me brag for a moment.

Just the other day,

while we were on our way to soccer

Abigail received a text

from a charming young man

with whom we attend church.

We had taken his family

some cookies the day before.

He said,

and I quote,

"I would marry you

just so I could get your mom

in the deal."

Fist pumps were had

all around.

This little exchange

made my day.

Add to the fact

that Abigail's boy buddy

at school

(who has learned to cook

out of sheer desperation

because his mom doesn't)

calls me

"the regular Rachel Ray."

And

The neighborhood

adolescents' each have

their own

favorites of mine

whether it be

pumpkin bread,

rolls,

cinnamon rolls,

chocolate chip cookies,

cake pops,

homemade bread,

pizelles,

or pizza.

Yeah I screw up

in the momming

category

often.

But today I just want to take

 a moment to scream from my laptop:

"Guess what?

When it comes to

momming,

all it takes

is some skill in the kitchen!"

Momming comes naturally.

It comes best

while wearing an apron.

You can't learn it at college.

The reason any food is good

is because

the cooking of it has been

practices and practiced

and mixed,

and spooned,

and baked,

with LOVE

til it reaches

the status of

perfection.

God had it all figured out.

He gave us plenty of time

to get it right while they are young

and didn't know any different.

By the time

they just want to hang out with their friends

the moms who have put

in the most

hours

WIN!

They can't resist bringing

their friends home

for some down home food.

They don't know it

but they are all getting 

some good old momming

all of the time.

Every bite

includes a

subliminal message

"drugs are bad"

"believe in yourself"

"I love you"

"I'm always here for you"

I might still have a bunch

of stuff to figure out, 

but when I think of

my success in the kitchen,

I know

that even

without a college degree

I'm doing pretty good.

It's not that complicated.

It's called I love my kids

enough to cook for them.

No matter how else I screw up,

I know one thing.

As long as I feed everyone

til I die

I'll always

keep them coming

back for more.

Did I mention

that my girls

have all been fighting

over who gets

which  recipes of mine when they

get married?

I told them I would

make them each their own

recipe box.

Maybe I won't have to cook til I die

after all.

Thank goodness.

Utah style Sugar Cookies

Here is my Valentine's gift

to the rest of you

that I don't sleep with.

I wish I could send you a warm cookie

through my Ethernet cable,

but since we haven't figured that one out yet,

I'll give you my recipe.

I call these 

Loralee's Sugar Cookies

(I got the recipe from my boss

twenty years ago

Her name was Loralee.

Go figure.)

This recipe makes about 60 medium size cookies

so be sure you have some plates ready to share

with neighbors

or make them on the day you are running a marathon.

1 1/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

5 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

6 tsp. baking powder

Cream together the shortening and sugar.

Add eggs, milk, and vanilla.

Sift in the flour, salt, and baking powder at the same time

Mix.

The real trick with these is to let them be a little sticky.

Don't think you need to add more flour.

Refrigerate the dough for about an hour.

Then the next trick is to roll them out thin.

No more than 1/4" thick,

like pie dough.

They will puff up a bit

in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees

on the middle rack.

for 8-10 minutes.

In my current oven 9 minutes 

was the magic number.

Let cool.

Frost with 

Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter - partially melted

4 - 5 cups powdered sugar

2.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2-3 Tablespoons of milk or cream

(for you cheapos out there

like my mom,

you have to buy the real vanilla

and the real butter

it makes all the difference

I get mine at Costco)

Enjoy.

We're so Utah, just ask the Cafe Rio Pork

I didn't want to do it.

I didn't want to turn into one of them.

But I have to admit

it ain't half that bad.

I'm a Utah Mormon blogger.

Well, if you can still call me a blogger.

Since I don't really blog anymore.

I took the following photo yesterday.

It pretty much tells the story.

I set up the photo myself

on MANUAL settings

because I have just loved my photography class.

You can't be a good Utah Mormon lady

unless you are are enrolled in some kind of class,

right?

And you definitely can't be a good 

Utah Mormon mommy blogger

unless you know how to photograph.

I took the photo after running into the shot.

My camera was supported by a boulder

on the opposite side of the trail.

And look at us.

We are so cute.

Notice my Utah fashionable hat.

And my frame 35 pounds lighter

because I run every other day.

My kids are perfection.

Even my dog is perfection.

My husband is the bomb.

I love him so much,

and he's perfection too.

Just for me.

Now, I wonder how many people

I've managed to annoy?

What I don't want to tell you is

I set up the picture to hide my fat butt.

We went to the canyon

on a Sunday

NOT in our Sunday clothes

just to get a picture of the leaves.

Notice the photo

is lack of any oranges or reds.

My kids have rebelled against

family bike rides in the same canyon because

I made them ride all the way

to Bridal Veil from our house once.

Apparently 20 miles round trip is a bit much.

O.k. I don't think its that far,

but still,

I can't get them to want to go.

I threw the hat on because I took a photo

earlier that day at church

and my hair was atrocious.

Is that the right spelling of 

atrocious?

I guess I have a ways to go

to be the perceived perfect Utah Mormon.

I think they all probably have a ways to go too.

I will however share with you a recipe

that screams Utah.

It's Cafe Rio Pork

and it's so delicious.

I made up the recipe

because I couldn't find one that was good enough.

Yeah, I'm an awesome cook.

What can I say?

I lived in the South for 10 years.

It gives me the advantage.

I also like to keep it simple in the kitchen.

Throw the following ingredients into a crock pot.

3 pounds pork roast

2 cups diet Pepsi

About 1 cup and a handful of brown sugar (just go with it)

1 cup water

2 cubes Chicken Boullion

3 Tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup dried onion

1/3 cup taco seasoning.

Cook for 6 hours.

Shred the pork into the liquids right inside the crockpot.

Cook another 2 hours.

Serve over hot fresh tortillas from Costco.

Try the recipe.

And come back and tell me how amazingly Utah I've become.

Beer for Mormons

At the beginning of this year,
I bought this stuff at Wal-Mart.

I was glad the kids helped me down it
or I would have drank the whole 2 liter by myself.

In Utah we call this stuff Apple Beer.
It is served at many fine dining establishments.

Shortly after consuming a good portion of this bottle
(I am estimating about 500 calories worth)
I started counting calories
towards better health.

But I just can't stop thinking about this refresco.
(as it refers to itself on the bottle
- See photo above)

I think I am a Mormon applehoholic.
Help!

Holly Wreath Cookies

Thanks to Donna for doing a virtual cookie swap. How much fun is that?
Anyone can join including you, so go check it out.

I am honored to be her first feature
with a long-standing family tradition cookie called
Holly Wreath Cookies.

Oh the memories of buttered up hands and brothers grabbing all the red hots first.
I don't know how my mom put up with all of us.

Before I give you the recipe, let me direct you to Donna's funniest recent blog post about what not to ask black people. Donna is black just in case you were wondering what makes her the expert.

Here is the recipe for those of you who like your cookies made from dirty little fingers.

Holly Wreath Cookies

1 Cube Real Butter
1 Bag Large Marshmallows
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
6 cups corn flakes
Lots of green food coloring
Red Hots if desired

First make sure you grease a few large pieces of wax paper prior to preparing cookies. We use Pam to spray the wax paper but mom always used butter or margarine.

In a large stock pot melt the butter. Add marshmallows, vanilla and almond extracts and stir until all marshmallows are melted. Be careful to not burn the mixture. Remove from heat and add green food coloring to bring mixture to a forest green color. It takes quite a bit but it definately looks better than avacado green when you use just a little.

When mixture is a good shade of green add the corn flakes. Fold the flakes into the mixture to avoid crushing the flakes. When flakes are sufficiently green scoop out approxiamtely 1 1/2 cups of flakes onto wax paper. Have kids rub their hands with butter and form the flakes into wreath shapes. Add red hots and let cool.

Squashed Dinner Plans

Experts say that eating meals together as families have all kinds of benefits for everyone.
This article on CNN recently sited some of the best reason to eat dinner together.

1- Supper can be a stress reliever.
2- Kids might learn to love their veggies.
3- It's the perfect settings for new foods.
4- You control the portions.
5- Healthy meals mean healthy kids.
6- Family dinners help kids "just say no"
7- Better food, better report card.
8- Put a little cash in your pocket.

Recently, I tried out a new recipe for butternut squash soup. Shannon had served it at lunch and I enjoyed it so much I decided to make some for the family. You can find a close recipe here.

It was delicious. I slaved over it for hours. We sat down to dinner and everyone was instantly opposed to eating orange soup. Even my hubby wasn't too keen on the idea. He spooned it away and tried to pretend he loved it, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

So much for dinner being the perfect setting for trying new foods. CNN, you lie! My kids weren't learning to love their veggies that night. Everyone was more stressed. I hope it won't cause the girls to come home with bad report cards too.

I sat and enjoyed the soup while everyone else helped themselves to cereal. I gave a good sized take-home portion to our handyman who just happened to stop in at dinner to come to look at the furnace. He's a healthy kind of guy and was gracious. So gracious I thought about trading my family in for a second.

CNN, I would like to take this moment to give you a true benefit of butternut squash soup.
It's called "mom's gourmet lunch all to herself the next day."

And that my friends is how you make
lemonade out of lemons
or
soup out of squash.
Whichever you prefer.

Adieu Nutella Cookies

So the other day, while I am making myself some Nutella cookies, Caroline walks into the kitchen. She is stark naked and holds a diaper in her hand. She is repeating, "poopy, mommy, poopy" and "I get in shower with Bella."

I put down the cookie-scooper and run over to discover that the girl is a genius. Yes, there is poopy in her diaper and yes she had somehow taken it off and carried it to me. I hurry and discard the diaper while simultaneously grabbing a hold of Caroline so she doesn't sit anywhere or touch anything.

4 Ingredient Nutella Cookies

I think that this is a great follow up post to my LunchWars book review. Jennifer is a health-nut and even she makes yummy cookies from time to time.

You have to try these cookies.
I didn't even like nutella until I tried these cookies.

Four ingredients.
C'mon, even your kids can make them.
These cookies will be the perfect addition
to your lovely crisp Fall weekend.

Book Review - Lunch Wars

This was a paid review for BlogHer BookClub but the opinions expressed are my own.


Read to the bottom for a chance to win this book.


Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children’s Health by Amy Kalafa

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I went into the book LunchWars with a bad attitude. I was flogging myself for my stupidity in willingly volunteering to review a book on nutrition. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that nutrition is not at the high end of my priority list. I grudgingly slogged through the first two thirds of the book and then something inside me changed. It's not that I am on the same page as the self-proclaimed granola-head author Amy Kafala, but somewhere in the pages of the book I realized that I had been taught some important morsels of nutrition principles that I should be using with my own family. I don't want to go on all day and I also don't want to worry my hubby with the idea of going all-organic (would never do that to my grocery budget) but let's just say there are three things that I am going to try and do better: avoid corn syrup and lessen sugar intake, introduce even more whole grains, and try to incorporate more locally grown fruit and veggies.

Whoopie Pies

That's what they call them
in the South anyway.

Whoopie pies.
What a fun name.

What do whoopie pies, whoopie cushions, and Whoopie Goldberg have in common? They may all be responsible for this.

(he he. My good friend Christine said I am a walking advertisement for Pampered Chef with this photo. If you want to buy anything, go over and give her a holler. She is amazing and so is that mini spatula and the cookie scoops...couldn't make the cookies without them.)

Game Night Treats

August is almost over.

We've had some boggle fun this month.

Thanks to all you smarties.

If you think you've got brains,

make sure you've checked it out.

The game is over on the 31st.

I'm making these treats for game night tonight.

I hope two peas and their pod

won't mind me using their photo

if I share with you the link.

Easiest treats ever.

And how cute!

What are your favorite easy treats for game night?

Please share your links.

Cafe Rio Pork

Being back in Utah has reunited us

with a lot of our most loved foods.

Fry Sauce for one.

mmm mmm.

Cafe Rio for two.

I thought I would help those of you out that aren't close to a Cafe Rio.

Here is a recipe that I recently tried and loved.

Homemade Cafe Rio Pork.

It is made in a crockpot, so it's perfect for Sundays.

Deep-fried Kool-Aid

Sometimes, you can find the perfect reason to smile.
Today it was in the form of a culinary delicacy.
From California of all places.
I love it when all three of my universes collide.

Blogging 101

These events

actually happened

on the very same day

at my place of residence.

Do not try this at home.

Leave it to the professional.

Fried Rice

Whenever I make a meal that requires rice, I double the amount of rice.

I refrigerate the leftover rice.

In the following few days, I either use the rice to make

rice pudding or fried rice.

I will save my rice puddin (said with my best Southern accent)

for another day.

Here is my fried rice recipe.

It makes a good cheap whole meal 

and is a great way to use up leftovers.

The best thing about my fried rice is

that my whole family will eat it

and I don't even think they realize that 

they actually get their veggie quota for the day.

I don't always refer to recipes. Sometimes I just like to wing it.

My fried rice is never the same twice.

I get my wok and heat canola oil. I start with about 1/4 cup and add more in if I need it along the way.

I then take any veggies that would be better sauteed and throw them in the hot oil first.

I always use some type of onion (green being the preference)

and I love mushrooms.

I then add in any cooked meat that I want to use up. The ideas are limitless: chicken, beef, pork, hotdogs, shrimp, or lunch meat (I probably use sliced lunch ham more than anything else).

I then move all of that to the side of the pan and crack two eggs and scramble them into the rest of the ingredients already in the pan.

Next, I toss in any other veggie in bitesize pieces that I need to get rid of:

carrots, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, corn, celery, peppers, etc.

Lastly I throw in the rice from the tupperware straight out of the fridge. (add more oil if needed). I usually use anywhere between 2 - 4 cups of cooked rice.

I season with soy sauce and whatever else I feel like. I like using the fried rice seasoning packets (kikkoman) but sometimes I use leftover shrimp sauce or teriyaki. Or all three.

If you are more of a recipe kind of person, go to allrecipes to find a recipe that you can follow for fried rice. As long as you pick something with a good amount of ratings that is 4 or 5 stars, you can't go wrong. Unless you burn it. Which I have also done many times in the past. Burning isn't always a bad thing, sometimes you can go out to dinner as your last resort and you can then celebrate the burned food at home in the garbage as you saved yourself some dishes to do. It's a good thing because you are going to be scrubbing the burn ouf of the pan when you get back home.

I looked on my two favorite recipe blogs and didn't find either of them listing fried rice. I am sure Donna or Jennifer could make something even tastier, but you will have to wait for them to post it.

Birthdays by Lindsey

My friend Lindsey is crazy about birthdays. 

She remembers EVERYONE's birthday.

I mean EVERYONE.

She probably remembers the birthdays

of each of the

Presidents of the United States.

Seriously,

she's got them all memorized.

She also has the most amazing internal GPS.

You can never get lost when she is around.

When I lived in Knoxville, I called her often,

gave her the name of a street I was on, 

and begged her to help me find my way home.

She would talk me through it.

Every turn.

I miss her.

A LOT.

I feel kind of lost without her.

Even though I am sure I can call her from

my new hometown,

and she could still somehow find a way

to help me find my way home,

physically and spiritually.

Back to birthdays,

Lindsey gives gifts even when there is no party

obligating her to do so.

The gifts are always perfectly personal.

She makes her kids special meals for

breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

She also bakes cakes.

Lots of cakes.

And she decorates them.

Here are several of her wonderful creations.

Don't they get your creative juices flowing?

My Chicken Salad

One time I was at a baby shower and I stuck my foot in my mouth.

O.k. this has probably happened more than once.

In all honesty, it probably has happened at every baby shower I have ever attended.

I really need to learn to think things through before I say them.

But, I am only gonna share about one time today.

Me to the cook of the chicken salad:

"Wow, your chicken salad is great."

Cook:  Thanks.

Me: "I like mine better but this is a close second."

Sometimes I just need to slap myself to save other people the trouble.

I have been told by one not to be named Bishop that my chicken salad is his favorite ever.

He could have just been vying for some chicken salad and homemade rolls. 

I think my rolls might have been his favorite too.

I find it funny that in the land of the South where chicken salad was invented, my award winning recipe had been obtained and tweaked in Utah. Now that I am back in Utah, my chicken salad is no longer special.

2 cups cubed chicken (I boil and cool mine and then cut with chicken shears)

1.5 cup green grapes (cut in half)

1.5 cup red grapes (cut in half)

1 can of pineapple tidbits (drained)

16 oz. slivered or sliced almonds

1.5 cups Best Food Mayo (add a little soy sauce for flavor)

This lasts for several days in the fridge. In fact, it only seems to get better with time. I think it tastes best with crackers or on crescent rolls. 

Oh, and this post is reminding myself of something. Last week I took my kids to the mall to play on the fake tree. I sat next to a mom who was feeding her kids grapes. When they ran off to play she busted out the tupperware with a chicken salad crescent roll and a can of diet soda. She most vigilantly hid them when the kids came running back. Poor kids.

Ramen Noodles

My new across the street neighbor is great. She made us a homemade meal on our first night here. And it was delicious. I loved her homemade wheat bread. It was the perfect breakfast the next morning, toasted with jam. As soon as I get her recipe, I will be sharing.

For now, I am sharing with you a GREAT tip she gave me for a healthier lunch option.

After you cook Top Ramen, throw in a handful of frozen peas. It cools down the ramen and it adds some veggies to the usual carbohydrate overload with no nutritional value.

The bad news is that you will more than likely have a lot of leftover ramen when usually your kids scarf down every last drop.

The good news...more leftovers for mom!

Who knew that a random photo shoot could turn out such cute photos?

Caroline really is our doll baby. I gladly share her with her sisters and dad. None of us can get enough of her.

Grammy

Grammy is most definitely one of the things that we miss most about Tennessee.

I am glad we got this photo so that Caroline will be able to remember 

cooking with her grammy 

just like all of our other girls.

Fruit Pizza

It's that time of year again.

Fruit time.

Here is one of my favorite summer desserts. How about you make it and bring it to my new home in Orem?
I am sure right about now I am up to my elbows in cardboard boxes.

Fruit Pizza

I start by making this sugar cookie recipe. I flatten it all out in a jellyroll pan and cook it. Then let it cool.

I then add on top these ingredients mixed together.
1 container cool whip
1 brick of cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar.

Then I top it with whatever fruit I've got on hand. But, don't do bananas. They will just get mushy and brown.

My favorites are:
berries (of any variety)
pineapple (fresh is better than canned)
mandarin oranges (I always have these in my food storage)
kiwi
grapes (cut in half first)