Don't forget about tomorrow!

Gift wrapping/bow making

Just an fyi...

We are set on alligator clips!

You do not need to get any if you haven't already.

See you tomorrow!

Gift Wrapping / Hair Bow Making Day!

All day Tuesday, Dec. 22nd from 9am 'till 9 or 10 pm (or whenever we are done)

@Emily Bardin's

Come & Go

Come and learn how to make a beautiful gift or

just come and get all your Christmas wrapping done!

If you have any spare boxes, please bring them. I have quite a few, but I don't think enough. I also have LOTS of wrapping paper, tape and ribbon, but if you want to use your own, you are more than welcome to bring it.

We will also be making hair bows / hair flowers. Leslie is bringing alligator clips but if you plan on making a lot you might want to bring your own. (the best place to get them is Ribbons and Lace on the S/W corner of Lindsay/Main) (or online but it might not come in time) If you just want to make a few, you can pay Leslie for the ones she gets. I believe they are 25 cents a piece. Also you will want to bring your own ribbon or fabric so you have what you want.

If you have any questions, please call Emily Bardin

RS Dinner

Don't forget! The RS Dinner will be on December 15th at 6:30 at the church.

It will be a little different this year as it is not progressive. So we won't be traveling around from house to house. But it will be equally fun and enjoyable! You don't want to miss this one, trust me!

-Sis. Bardin

A Christmas Tradition (starting tomorrow!! (Tue.))

Here's a Christmas tradition I've done the past two years. There are 24 chapters in Luke in the bible. Read one chapter a day starting on December 1st and finishing on Christmas Eve. It's a wonderful way to keep focused on the true meaning of Christmas - by reading an account of our Savior's mortal life. I'm excited to start this again on Tuesday!

Rachel

Differences Between a cold, H1N1, and seasonal flu

SYMPTOM	COLD	SWINE FLU	SEASONAL FLU
FEVER	Fever is rare with a cold.	Fever is usually present with H1N1 in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 101°	Fever is common with the seasonal flu.
COUGHING	A hacking, productive (mucus-producing) cough is often present with a cold.	A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with H1N1 (sometimes referred to as dry cough).	A dry and hacking cough is often present with the seasonal flu.
ACHES	Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.	Severe aches and pains are common with H1N1.	Moderate body aches are common with the seasonal flu.
STUFFY NOSE	Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.	Stuffy nose is not commonly present with H1N1.	A runny nose is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
CHILLS	Chills are uncommon with a cold.	60% of people who have H1N1 experience chills.	Chills are mild to moderate with the seasonal flu.
TIREDNESS	Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.	Tiredness is moderate to severe with H1N1.	Tiredness is moderate and more likely referred to as a lack of energy with the seasonal flu.
SNEEZING	Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.	Sneezing is not common with H1N1.	Sneezing is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
SUDDEN SYMPTOMS	Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.	H1N1 has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. H1N1 hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains. Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual. Diarrhea is common.	Symptoms tend to develop over a few days and include flushed face, loss of appetite, dizziness and/or vomiting/nausea. Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual. Diarrhea is common.
HEADACHE	A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.	A headache is very common with H1N1 and present in 80% of cases.	A headache is fairly common with the seasonal flu.
SORE THROAT	Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.	Sore throat is not commonly present with H1N1.	Sore throat is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
CHEST DISCOMFORT	Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.	Chest discomfort is often severe with H1N1.	Chest discomfort is moderate with the seasonal flu. If it turns severe seek medical attention immediately!

PREVENTION TIPS:

• cough & sneeze into your elbow


• wash hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 15 -20
  seconds. Sing your abc's
  or happy birthday to you


• use hand sanitizer when soap & water are not available


• avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth without washing or using
  hand sanitizer first


• stay home if you are sick to avoid contaminating your
  co-workers

Yummy Turkey Recipe

Below is the turkey recipe I used for Thanksgiving last year. My sister used it at Christmas. It was hands down the best turkey we've ever had - so flavorful and moist! If you don't already have a favorite recipe, I recommend giving this one a try. One item to note, though, the turkey was NOT completely cooked for me nor for my sister after the time specified in the recipe. The breast was fully cooked but the rest of the turkey wasn't ready. So you might need to cook the turkey longer than specified, depending on your oven.

Rachel

1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey

Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water. Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary

To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan, and rub on all sides with 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper.

Stuff the turkey with:
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
1 large orange, cut into 8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme

Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn over, and baste with 1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

================== Notes from the woman from whom I got the recipe ==================
If you are cooking for a large crowd I would recommend 2 smaller turkeys rather than one large one. I have found that they actually fit in one of those large rectangular disposable roasting pans side by side quite well. The reason with going with two smaller ones is that for one they cook faster. So, as a result, it stays more moist. You can cook two small ones in about half the time it takes to cook 1 large one. A large turkey can tend to be a little more tough. But, I have cooked just one large turkey before and it does work fine. My 14 lb turkey took about 3 1/2 hrs to cook, just to give you an idea of how much longer it took for a bigger bird.

September Already?

Not that we are sorry to see the summer go, but wow, it went fast. Time for all things autumn, school and yes - Christmas. This event coming up in September will be fun and a great way to get some of the gifts on your list taken care of. 

Make these fun “I've Been Good” baskets to encourage and reward! A great way to inspire incentive for positive behavior.



Beautiful “Chicken Scratch” handstitched Bookmarks. A simple, lovely way to remind someone you love them every time they pick up a book to read.



Blanket or Buttonhole Stitch around a piece of fleece for a pro finish on everyone's “blankie”.



Fun Four Corners Apron for Holidays or Everydays. The pattern comes in “me” and “mini me sizes”. Easy and fast, but you will learn a thing or two. You would need to bring your own fabric for this project. You will be notified ahead of time for the yardage requirement. A great gift for the tall and small cooks on your list.



What does your sign say? The next few pics are the different Sign Boards available for your projects. Paint the colors you want with the saying of your choice for you or someone you love enough to make one for. The money for these projects is due on the 1st of September, so don't delay.









There will also be quilts for the Humanitarian center set up for anyone wanting to come and do some service. There's nothing better than sitting around a quilt gabbing with a few friends…unless it's quilting and taking a break to munch on something once in a while.

There will of course be food. Chips, Dips, Crackers, Cheese, Veggies, etc. to satisfy even the healthiest (or not) munchies. There will be a sign up passed around for the fare, so get out your delicious dip recipes, your chips of choice, the veggies you love and the cheeses that make you smile. We will also have something a little more substantial since we are going through the dinner hour.

It's going to be a fun afternoon and evening and we will accomplish much. Please come and have fun with us - Mark your calendars today.

Keeping up with Blogs...

Are you having trouble keeping up with blogs?  Try using Google Reader. "New content posted to your subscriptions will appear in Google Reader, the same way that new emails addressed to you show up in your email account. This way, you can keep up with all your favorites sites in one place, without having to visit each one individually."

If you want to use Google Reader, here are the steps to get set up. Note that this works only for public blogs, so you won't be able to subscribe to private blogs this way.
1. Go to http://www.google.com/reader
2. Sign in with your Google account (if you don't have an account, you can create one for free)
3. Click on the Add Subscription link on the left-hand side of the page
4. Enter the URL for the blog you want to subscribe to (ex. http://myblog.blogspot.com)

 

You can also subscribe to non-blogs using Google Reader.  For example, I subscribe to some news web sites and travel web sites.  Also, many of the Church's web sites are accessible via Google Reader. 

-From Rachel Tyler

Game Night tonight!!!

Don't forget we have game night tonight at Hillary Stapley's.  Starts at 6:30 until whenever!  You can come late if you want and stay until as late as you want!  We're going to have so much fun so come and enjoy.  Bring a snack or treat to share if you want and games if you have any.  Call Emily Bardin for directions.

Emergency Preparedness Website - Check it out!

The Higley Stake has a FANTASTIC web site for emergency preparedness at
http://iwillprepare.com/.  It has a ton of information and resources.   Be
sure to check out the Workshops page - it appears they have workshops the
4th Thursday of each month.

Thanks to Rachel T. for the info!

Have leftovers from Sunday's dinner from the YW?

This recipe might be good if people have pulled pork, sauce, and lettuce leftover from the YW fundraiser. I took it from AllRecipes.com but have tweaked it for our family.

Leslie Woolf

Barbecue Chicken Salad

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or cooked popcorn chicken) or leftover pulled pork 1 head leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn 1/4  head cabbage, shredded 1 fresh tomato, chopped 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 3 green onions, chopped

1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained 1/2 cup shredded cheese 1/2 cup Ranch dressing 1/2 cup barbeque sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the grill for high heat.
2.	Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and cook 6 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool, and slice.
3.	In a large bowl, mix the red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, tomato, cilantro, corn, black beans, green onions, and cheese. Top with the grilled chicken slices.
4.	In a small bowl, mix the Ranch dressing and barbeque sauce. Serve on the side as a dipping sauce. Thanks Leslie!

KFC dinner compliments of Oprah! Hurry! Don't wait!

If you go to oprah.com/kfc you can download a coupon for a free two piece dinner plus two sides and a bisquit! Hurry fast before you can't get the coupon anymore. I believe sometime tomorrow morning is the deadline (wed). The coupon is good until the 19th!
Thanks Diane E. for the info!

Coughing Lessons

Something else to post to the blog.  Thanks!

 

Rachel

Although this is a very funny video, the lesson they are trying to teach is real.  My co-worker's son's entire school was made to watch this and students are encouraged to start coughing that way.  Many of you may have noticed my brother sneeze this way at church and thought it was a little odd (I think it's kind of gross), but it appears that he's been pretty smart all along.  Click below to watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jDpMLCve6iE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0

Culture Pass: Local Museums for Free!

Using what is called a "Culture Pass", given by your public library--you can get a group of 4 into the following places for FREE:

AZ Museum for Youth
AZ Museum of Natural History
AZ Science Center
The Bead Museum 
Cave Creek Museum
Children's Museum of Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden
Heard Museum
Mesa Contemporary Arts
Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Zoo
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

Taliesin West

All you need is a library card in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe or Glendale. Go to any one of these libraries and ask to check out a pass for the particular place you would like to go. You will be given a pass for 4 that basically just expires after 7 days so you don't have to return it or anything!!

 

Check out http://www.showup.com/culturepass for more information and fun activities!!

Thanks Rachel T.!!!

Real Families

Thanks Rachel T. for this info!

Real Families

“Although not an official Church program, KBYU has produced a series looking into Real Families and the real answers they found to the issues families face today.”  I’ve watched a handful of episodes and think it’s a solid, interesting program with some helpful tips.  Given that I have no husband and no kids, I can only imagine that it would be even more useful for the sisters who do!  More info at http://realfamiliesrealanswers.org/ or if you have BYU-TV, set your DVR to record “Real Families, Real Answers”.

Have a good week!

Rachel

Great sale on Strawberries and Grapes!

At Superstition Ranch Market there is a sale going on right now on strawberries and green seedless grapes for 3 lbs for $1.

Diane Ethington is going to make a run over there tomorrow (Tues.) and would like to know if anyone wants her to pick some up for them.  This is a great deal and you can get a lot and freeze them!  

So if you would like her to pick some up for you, please comment and leave how many pounds of which fruit, or email Emily Bardin at bardinaz@gmail.com, or you can call Diane and let her know.  Please call, leave comments or emails by 3 pm tomorrow (4/21) please.  Thank you!

Bounce-U deal (thanks Diane!)

I have a deal to pass on.  If people go to this website, they can purchase a "Bounce U" $50 certificate for $25.  Bounce U has "Open Bounce"  sessions where the whole family can go (parents are free) for $5-$8 per child.  The only catch is that you have to use the entire certificate at once.   I hope that makes sense.  Here's that link, it should take you right to the Bounce U deal.  If it doesn't, it will have a link on the left-hand side of the page that will take you to the deal. 

http://kzzp.halfoffdeals.com/index.php?index_type=promo-detail&pid=69149

Temple Bracelets

Thurs. March 26th

Making Temple Bracelets (see post below)

7pm @ Sherry Harmon's house

Those who signed up will be getting a reminder flier on their door! 

See you there!

Tonight @ 7 - RS Birthday Party!

I know I'm a little late posting this... 

Tonight is our annual Relief Society Birthday Party!  7:00 at the church.  Refreshments will be served.

We are going to be doing a little humanitarian work for Newborns in Need and we will be there to chat and socialize and have a good time!  

Hope you can make it!

Butter!

Don't forget tomorrow night (Thurs) at 7pm we will be canning butter at Sherry's. Remember to bring a cube of butter (no marjarine).

A Little Sparkle and Shine…

All white and crystal, reminiscent of the beautiful chandeliers in the Temple. That would be the Temple Bracelets we will be crafting on Thursday, March 26th. What a nice way to remember to go to the Temple and serve at least once a month, or as you prepare to go to the Temple to inspire you. Every time you wear it, or see it in your jewelry box you will think of the Temple. With Mother's Day coming up soon, what a thoughtful gift it would make. 

There will be 2 or 3 choices, one of which is shown here. We don't have a firm cost yet as we are still trying to locate the least expensive sources for the pretty beads we'll need. We hope to keep it right at about $5.00 or below. If you can't make it to this class for some reason, just indicate that on the sign-up sheet and we will come up with an alternate date. If you have experience making jewelry, and or jewelry tools, please come and lend us your expertise while you enjoy the class. 

Class is at Sherry Harmon's home on Thursday, March 26th, 7:00 p.m.  There will be no nursery. Please look for sign-up sheets in Relief Society, Primary and Young Women. Of course you can always call Emily or Sherry to put your name on the list. 

Please Pass The Butter…

Thinking of learning to put up some butter in the pantry? If you are interested in learning how to do just that, come and spend a fun evening at Sherry Harmon's home on Thursday, March 12th. All you need to bring is a stick of butter, the salted kind is best, and we will have a jar for you. You will go home with a jar of butter for your pantry shelf, and the information to do more.

We will also be demonstrating how to vacuum seal in Kerr/Mason or Ball jars for things like brown sugar, chocolate chips, nuts, and lots of other items that you would like to keep longer on your shelf. If you have a jar, a lid and band, and something you would like to vacuum seal, just bring it with you and we can show you how. Come on March 12th and learn more about how to “Be Prepared”. Class will start at 7:00 p.m., there will be no nursery. 

Look for sign-ups in Relief Society, Primary and Y.W. or call Sherry or Emily to put your name on the list.

Are We Too B.U.S.Y.?

I received this little story in an email from my daughter, and thought it was a good thing to consider. I just keep thinking the word Balance. Our stewardship is tough these days, and finding balance seems impossible. After I read this, I decided that at least for myself and my family, I will work harder to find a way to balance the worthy things of the world with the gospel. Hard choices sometimes when there is so much good to choose from. But at what cost? Time is more precious than money, I need to be better about what I spend mine on.

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,
"We can't keep Christians from going to church."
"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."
"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their saviour."
"Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."
"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.."

"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:
"Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."
"Keep them from spending time with their children."

"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."
"Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."
"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."
"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
"Invade their driving moments with billboards."
"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.."
"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. "

"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."
"Give them headaches too! "
"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."
"That will fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."
"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."
"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."
"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead."
"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. "
"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus."
"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!"
"It will work!"
It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?
You be the judge!!!!!
Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

Chicken Into Jars…

This was pretty fun. Leigh came over yesterday for a personal canning class and we had a blast. Well, okay, we had the most fun you can have while you wait 90 minutes for your chicken to process in a pressure canner. Here are some pictures of Leigh getting her chicken into jars and then the processed jars (still boiling) after coming out of the canner. We also did some pinto beans as the processing time is the same for chicken, and I wanted to fill the canner. Wide mouth jars are the easiest to pack meat in. I like regular mouth jars for small stuff like beans. You don't have to get your hand in the jar to pack stuff like that. It takes about 2 pounds of chicken for a quart jar and the canner will hold 7 quarts at a time. Pints hold about a pound, and again the wide mouth is best. The canner holds 8 pints at a time. If you watch the sales, you can save a lot on your meat purchase, even freeze it to do another day if you are busy with other things that week. I bought 55 pounds of chicken to do before Christmas, and I just barely got it all into jars. I saved over $100.00, so feel pretty good about that. If you just want to do a little at a time, that's fine too. It all works. The directions for doing chicken are in the post after this. I would love to do this for anyone interested, so don't be intimidated by canning food and come on over to learn. I can all the time, and even though some of my kids think I'm sick, I really enjoy it. They like to eat the food well enough. I have canned applesauce, pie apples, pinto beans, white (northern) beans, chicken, top sirloin, green chile, ground beef, tomato mix, tomatoes, peaches, pears, BBQ sauce, vegetable beef soup, and salsa. I am getting ready to do carrots, ham and maybe some green beans. If I haven't done what you want to can, I'll find out how to so you can do it.

After the chicken is in the canner, we had time to visit, play solitaire, and we had fun. I enjoyed getting to know Leigh better. She is the bomb!

Bottling Chicken

If you have a chance to attend a canning class at Shar’s Kitchen, you should go and learn some of the tips and tricks. She charges a ten dollar fee, but you will sample lots of amazing food. It’s always good to attend with questions about the things you want to do. Even if the teacher may not know, someone in the class will have an answer or a source. Classes are always fun.

I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts to get the most meat into the jar. Everyone likes white meat, so I don’t bother canning anything but breast meat, but you can bottle the whole chicken if you want.

Prepare jars.
I like to rinse off the chicken in cool water and I cut the breasts into long strips, maybe 3 strips per breast. Fit raw chicken into jars leaving 1 inch headspace.
DO NOT PRECOOK • DO NOT ADD LIQUID
Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart, 1/2 teaspoon to pints.
Salt is optional, but I strongly recommend it.

Close jars with prepared lids and bands according to manufacturer's directions.

Process in a Pressure Canner…
Exhaust air from canner following manufacturer’s directions.
Once weight is in place, bring to 15 lbs. pressure.
Maintain pressure for 75 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts.
When time has been reached, remove from heat and allow pressure to fall on it’s own. When there is zero pressure, remove weight. Carefully lift off canner lid and lift jars onto a towel on flat counter and allow to cool. Jars should “ping” and should not be disturbed for at least 12 hours. Remove bands to clean jars and replace if you want. Keep rotated as meat should not be kept much over a year.

Enjoy in many, many recipes.

Ace Hardware

Hey guys, thought I'd pass this on to you so you could save some money too.  They have a bunch of basic household stuff on sale with their "dollar days" sale this weekend, and with the coupon, it lowers their sale price another 40%.  Just print the email, and cut out the coupon.  Happy shopping!

 

Diane

If you're interested in the coupon, email Emily at bardinaz@gmail.com

Something to take the kids to...

---

FREE DAY AT THE CHILDREN MUSEUM OF PHOENIX

Families are invited to enjoy the Children's Museum of Phoenix for FREE on Saturday, Feb. 21, to celebrate Shamrock Farms Essentials Tmilk line, which combines convenience with nutrients DHA omega-3 and extra calcium to help families get more from their milk. DHA omega-3 is proven to help with brain development and cardiovascular health, while calcium gives you strong bones. Kids can engage in art projects and learning activities while parents join nutritional seminars. Milk samples and a special appearance by Roxie the Spokescow and Sesame Street characters are also in store for families at this event.

• Location: 7TH AND VAN BUREN

Stake Enrichment Tonight

Tuesday

7 pm. Sunday dress.  Hope to see you all there!

Good Deal

Hey ladies, at Fry's this week they have a 1 lb. bag of pistachios for 2.99.  Great price and they're good for you, too!  Hurry before they run out!

Temple Day

Don't forget about Relief Society Temple Day Thursday!

10:00 Session with lunch in the cafeteria afterward.

Hope to see you there!

Buttermilk Syrup

This recipe is from the ward Breakfast with Santa just before Christmas this year. Several people requested the recipe, so in case there are some you that still needed it, here it is:

Buttermilk Syrup
1 1/2 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Buttermilk
1/2 C. Butter (1 cube)
2 T. Karo (corn syrup)
1 t. baking soda
Bring these ingredients to a boil and add:
1 tsp vanilla

Serve hot or not.

Valentine Paper!

We had our Craft Mid-Week on Tuesday, January 20th. Emily Bardin and Natalia Carter did a wonderful job preparing everything for us to make some really cute stuff. So many of you came out and enjoyed the evening making Mint Tin Photo Albums, Bee Bags complete with treats in them and Valentine Fortune Cookies with or without the takee outee box to put them in. We had so much fun working on our items of choice, talking and laughing with each other. Even those who had not signed up to do anything sat and helped out or just visited.








We had some delicioso crepes for a treat and so will post the recipe for any who wants to do them at home.
Thanks to all you sisters who helped set up, engineered the craft kits and who came and enjoyed the evening. It was fun.

Crepes – Really Thin, Rich, Pancakes!

Basic Dessert Crepes

4 eggs (room temperature is best)

1 C. flour

1/2 C. milk

1/2 C. water

1/2 t. salt

2 T. melted butter

2 t. sugar

1 t. vanilla

Measure all ingredients except flour into mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed and gradually add the flour. Beat until smooth. If there are any small lumps, pour batter through a strainer into a 9 inch pie pan.

I am not a french chef, so I cheat and use a crepe maker to actually make them up. It takes all the hard work out of crepes, so follow the directions for your crepe maker amd have fun. This much batter will make about 12-14 crepes.

For a Chocolate Crepe add 2 T. chocolate sauce to this recipe.

The filling was 2 parts creme cheese to 1 part cottege cheese. Sweeten with powdered sugar to taste and put in a little vanilla too. I mixed mine in a food processor so it would be really smooth and I colored it pink.

The toppings were fresh cut strawberries on one crepe, roasted raspberry chipotle from costco on the other crepe and whipped cream in the middle of them finished off with a drizzle of chocolate. We enjoyed them and some of us enjoyed seconds because we have no will power. Oh well, we can walk another mile to compensate, right? You can top them with anything that sounds good. Fruit is always good - ice cream even.

You can make many variations of crepes including Entree crepes for chicken dishes, etc., Cornmeal crepes for mexican dishes, and even Whole Wheat crepes for a healthier dish. If anyone wants to know more about these variations, leave me a comment and your email address.

Enjoy them on Valentine's Day as a special dessert or make them for breakfast. Kids love them.