June was a fun month. I know the rain got a little tiring but it kept things cool and I like cool weather. I'm almost a hermit if it gets too hot outside. Ask my neighbors. We attended dance reviews and All-Star soccer games, swim lessons and school programs, piano recitals and pre-school graduations, all of which we loved doing and know we are so blessed to be close to all our grandkids. We helped Brian and Mikol with the girls as they did the finishing touches on their gorgeous new home getting it ready for the Parade of Homes which started on June 26th and will be over July 12th. I must say, they have phenominal friends and neighbors who really helped Brian and Mikol make that house an outstanding show place. No wonder they wanted to build a house next door to themselves. Who would want to leave a wonderful neighborhood like that? Aren't we all so lucky to have friends and loved ones who all pull together in our times of stress and deadlines? They say it takes a whole village to raise a child and I'm sure grateful I live in the "village" I do. I love my neighbors! It will be fun helping them move in and actually enjoy living there. We generally keep busy, busy all the time. By the way, life doesn't slow down when you get old (wait, are we old yet?....I don't think so.)
As Mikol stated on her blog our whole little family of 14 attended the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house on July 2nd. It was beautiful and I couldn't help but think that this must be heaven on earth, being surrounded by all those we love so much and knowing they are ours forever and ever. The house of the Lord.....what a wonderful, peaceful place. Cameron, Kelton and Maili rode down with us. Cameron got in the car and immediately asked us if he was sealed to his parents, or not. It was a sweet question and I thought maybe the kids all thought we were headed to the open house to all be sealed together that very night. We all met at Lance and Christy's house for a short Family Home Evening where Lance presented a wonderful lesson on temples to help the kids have a little better understanding of the difference between an open house and actually attending the temple for marriages or other temple work where a recommend and worthiness are required. The temple was gorgeous with huge chandeliers that made the little girls comment that they had never seen anything that beautiful "in their whole entire lives" ! At the FHE we had a quick treat to tide us over until after seeing the temple. My boys called them fake pumpkin cookies (recipe below) Brian says it's no better than eating fake potatoes and Lance told me to stop messing with good family recipes, but they both ate several.....so if you dare try this recipe I think you'll enjoy it. It's super simple (making it fake, of course). We ate again later at a Brazilian restaurant at the Gateway in downtown Salt Lake. All the kids (expcept baby Kates) ate at a table of their own. I think we all had a wonderful, memorable time. So, thanks Lance and Christy for pulling off your first FHE with all of us in a most excellent way. We all love you so much!!
Fake Pumpkin Cookies (fast and easy) Yield: 3 dozen
1 box spice cake mix
1 egg
1 16oz can pumpkin
1/2 Pkg milk chocolate chips
Mix thoroughly and drop by spoonful on cookie sheets. I always place my oven rack in the second slot down so the cookies won't get too brown on the bottom. Bake at 375 for about 10 mins.
Real Pumpkin Cookies (not so easy but terribly delicious) Yield: A Bazillion
1 cup shortening (I always use Crisco Butter-flavored)
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
2 teaspoons EACH of the following (makes it easy to remember):
Salt, Baking powder, Baking soda, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Vanilla
5 cups flour
1 pkg milk chocolate chips (I always use Ghirardeli Milk Chocolate-Always)
375 degrees 8-10 mins
I'm adding these 2 recipes from the wedding. Thanks Christy! Did you know she made almost all of those little cheesecakes? All that delicious food was another example of a neighborhood pulling together just because we love each other and that's what we do, so thanks also to Christy's mom, Elaine, and all her amazing friends and neighbors:
PAVLOVA
3 egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ t. vanilla
1 ½ t. vinegar or lemon juice
¼ c. boiling water
1 c. whipping cream
½ t. vanilla
Sliced fresh fruit: peaches, strawberries,
Bananas, kiwi, pineapple
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring egg whites to room temperature. Line a baking sheet with foil.
In a large electric mixer bowl, beat together egg whites, sugar, 1 ½ t. vanilla, vinegar or lemon juice, and boiling water. Beat on high speed for about 12 minutes, scraping bowl constantly, until stiff peaks form and mixture holds its shape but is not dry. Spread the mixture onto the foil, by making small pies. Shape into a pie-shell form with a spoon, making the bottom ½ inch thick and the sides 2 ½ to 3 inches high. Form the edges into peaks or make a rim around the edge. Place baking sheet in center of preheated oven and turn oven off. Let stand 4 to 5 hours. Do not open oven door.
To serve: Remove meringue shell from foil and place on a serving plate. Whip cream with ½ tsp. vanilla until soft peaks form; spread in shell, reserving ½ c. for garnish. Arrange sliced fruit on top of whipped cream and add the 1/2 c. reserved whipped cream in the center of the fruit. Cut and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
Mini Plain Cheesecakes
2 8oz. cream cheese softened
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs (well beaten)
Mini vanilla wafers (Elaine told me she found these at Smith's)
Whip cream cheese until soft then add sugar and vanilla mixing well. Then add eggs and lemon juice. Whip till fluffy. Line mini cupcake pan with liners then add mini vanilla wafer to bottom of liner. Add Cheesecake filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes (until almost set) then cool completely. Top with fresh fruit or favorite pie filling. (These can be frozen and saved for a later time also.)
2 comments:
What a great night that must have been! Nothing is more special than being in the temple as a family. I love coming to your blog and seeing pictures of all the cute grandkids. I can't believe how big they are all getting!
We've had raspberries too. Not of our own but Laura's. She's had so many that she's been begging people to come pick. We picked a bunch a few weekends ago and made jam too. Roxie's first jam making experience and not her last, I'm sure.
Jill was hoping to catch you in time when raspberries were in bloom. We ended up buying half a case. We feel bad that you had so many raspberries and didn't talk to you. We'll catch you next time.
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