Ballard Business: February 2009

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

2 weeks to live...

I have watched over the last year as my courageous Aunt Mary has battled breast cancer with an enormous fight. What a powerful example of strength and dignity she has displayed. Imagine my own mother - beautiful, confident and fun - but with blonde hair and just a few years younger. I remember one time she emailed me and said "We are in fighting mode, just loving each day and all it has to offer. Off to get my daily “zapping…” Love, Mary"

What a wonderful attitude! She has constantly amazed me with her ability to see life in a new way - loving each moment she has left. We had hoped that someday she would be free and clear from this struggle with cancer. And now she will be, just not it all the ways we had yearned for. Yet the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away...He is all knowing and in control and we put our faith in Him.

So now as the cancer has spread to almost every aspect of her body, she has been given 2 weeks to live. What do you do with that? What would I do with that? I have thought about it all day and its too hard for me to wrap my finger around, yet we do what we have to do. We all must try and live each moment to the fullest degree, free from sin - anger - pride, full of love - charity - goodness, so no matter the day, we can stand ready to meet our Maker...

Sunday, February 22, 2009

BYU Vacation!

Each time our kids are off track (we have year round school so they have small vacations all year) we try and do something fun...this time we went on a "BYU Vacation!" The boys were so pumped as we got ready to go. We stayed in a hotel near the University for 4 days and ate out, swam in the hotel pool, and of course...played at the Y! We took them all over the place to see our old stomping grounds, went bowling in their fun alley, played the Science Center and met up with Uncle Rex before a class, and shopped for BYU basketball clothes (which Joey has worn his for 12 days straight - I am so serious! I make him change for church and insist on washing them while he waits in his boxers!)

But one of our most memorable moments was meeting up with Mikes old high school buddy who happens to work for the BYU Athletics department. He took us on a tour of the new sport building, and it was so amazing! Each floor takes you down memory lane and the Missionary Wall was our favorite. It shows you where all the BYU football players have served missions and I even saw one of my old 7th grade students on the wall! Someday we hope our little guys pictures are on there...

Such a fun vacation, can't wait to do it again!

Some new things I have learned...

To NEVER leave a yummy chocolate cake for your son's birthday party that starts in 3 hours cooling on the counter with a little girl loose while you are upstairs...all this can equal is disaster! Luckily, I tried to keep my cool and grabbed the camera instead of pulling my hair out - hey, I still had 3 hours to make another one right?!

That Senior Citizens make GREAT bowling league coaches! The big boys joined a league while they were off track and all the coaches were volunteer senior citizens. My boys had a blast and learned so much from these great seasoned players...

That little girls LOVE gymnastics and big brothers LOVE teaching them how to do it. We have a great gym near us that lets kids have "open play" and she thought she was the queen of america once she figured out how to swing on the bars. hmmm...maybe I will have to post pone my dreams for her as a soccer star?

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Fun times in January!!

Mike and I got to travel to Miami while my mom took our kidlets - such a fun AND WARM trip! We went on an air boat ride and saw tons of alligators...YIKES! They let us hold baby ones at the end, but only Mike had the guts for it.

We also got to meet a missionary heading to Italy while we were in the airport. His was the first family ever baptized in Albania, seemed like such a great kid.

The rest are just some fun random times that happened in our month - love this new year already!

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From My Kitchen

I got this from my Aunt Steph and served it at my little brother's wedding. Since then I can't even count how many times people have asked me for the recipe. I could probably eat it for a week straight and still LOVE it! Combine: 1/2 c. red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp. fresh basil 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning 3 cloves of minced garlic 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 T. sugar 1 T. parsley or chives Mix well then add 1/2 c. olive oil, 5 to 6 Roma tomatoes (diced) and 1/2 red onion sliced very thinly. Marinate for several hours or overnight. When ready to serve mix 3/4 c. mayonnaise & 3/4 c. Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Cut 1 loaf baguette bread into thin slices. Spread with mayo-cheese mix. Top with one tablespoon of tomato mixture then sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Broil about 5 minutes till crusted and serve promptly.

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

Quick Cooking

Add into bread machine:
1 c. warm milk *
¼ c. water *
¼ c. butter *
1 egg *
1 tsp. salt *
4 c. flour *
¼ c. instant vanilla pudding mix *
1 T. sugar *
1 T. active dry yeast *

Cook on dough setting until finished. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to 17 in. x 10 in. Spread with ¼ c. melted/softened butter. Sprinkle with 1-2 c. brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.

Roll up into jelly roll and pinch sides to seal. Cut into 21 slices and place in 9 x 13 pan and 9 x 9 pan greased pan. Let rise in warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool on racks for 5 minutes and frost with the following:

4 oz. softened cream cheese *
¼ c. softened butter *
1 ½ c. confectioners sugar *
1 ½ tsp. milk *
½ tsp. vanilla extract *

Beat together and frost warm rolls.

Homemade Orea Cookies

Our Favorite Sausage Gravy

1 lb. pork sausage

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 T garlic, minced

4 T unsalted butter

salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

2 cups milk, divided

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

In a skillet on medium heat cook pork, onion, green pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic until pork is crumbly. Drain off excess fat, but leave a small amount.

Combine butter, salt and pepper with the meat mixture and stir until butter melts. Slowly sift flour over the top. Mix gently and allow mixture to cook for 5 minutes. It will burn, so do not let it sit unguarded. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the sage and thyme (if you used Italian seasoned sausage, omit sage and thyme)

Slowly stir in milk, about a half a cup at a time, and incorporate it well. When the mixture thickens, add more milk. Do not let it boil vigorously, or it will burn. Add chicken bullion and let cook for five minutes. Again, if it thickens too much, add more milk. Adjust taste with more salt and pepper if needed.

Just before serving, add the parsley, and about a 1/4 cup more milk; the gravy will thicken quickly as it cools.

Chicken Rolls

Nola's Pizza Sauce

I have looked for a great homemade pizza sauce and this one has past the test so far....

Combine in sauce pan:

15 oz. can tomato sauce or blended diced tomatoes

¼ tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. lemon juice

1 ½ tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. dried basil

¼ tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. pepper

dash of onion powder

Heat until bubbly, then turn down to low and simmer for 30-60 minutes. When cooled store in fridge in tightly sealed container. Double the recipe and freeze some too. Use for pizza or dipping sauce for bread sticks.

Croissant French Toast

Great Cooking Magazine

Vanilla Sauce:

1 T. Flour 4 egg yolks

1 T. Vanilla extract ½ c. sugar

2 c. whipping cream

2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine flour, yolks, vanilla- set aside. In saucepan over medium heat, bring cream and sugar to boil. Remove from heat and add small amount of cream to egg mixture. Return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to gentle boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in ice cream until melted. Set aside.

Berry Sauce:

2 c. raspberries 2 T. Sugar

Combine in saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Beat 3 eggs and dip 8 slices of croissants in mixture. Brown both sides on griddle in butter. Serve with vanilla and berry sauces on the side.

Homemade Pretzels

Dissolve: 1 T. yeast

1 ½ c. warm water

Combine: 4 c. flour

1 ½ tsp. sugar

¾ tsp. salt

Add yeast water to flour mixture and mix well until blended. Knead until smooth and elastic. Shape (they grow twice the size, so make the pretzels thin- about ½ inch wide) and place on greased pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or on convection speed for 10-12 minutes.

After baking brush with butter, then sprinkle with kosher salt (this can be done before baking as well) OR cinnamon sugar. Great activity for groups of kids.

Apricot Chicken

My dear buddy Liza brought me lunch one day during a tough time in my life (Law School, 2 toddlers, & RS President among other things...) It was SO yummy and each time I eat it I remember her thoughtfullness that touched me that day.

1 pkg. Onion Seasoning Mix
1 jar Apricot Jam
1 bottle Russian Salad Dressing

Mix and pour over 4 chicken breasts in sauce pan. Simmer for 20 minutes until chicken cooked through (works great in crock pot too). Serve over rice and veggies or mashed potatoes. Such a great food storage recipe. Love you Liza!

ps-other weeks recipes are found below

Green Beans with warm Bacon Dressing

I love this with FRESH green beans from our local market!

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 large shallot, minced

½ c. chicken broth

1 Tbs. cider or red-wine vinegar

1 lb. green beans, trimmed

In skillet, cook chopped bacon till crisp. Remove and set aside. Add shallot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and vinegar, and bring to boil over high heat; cook for 2 minutes. Reduce to low and keep warm. Boil 4 quarts of salted water. Add beans and cook for 5 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender. Drain well. Whisk warm dressing and spoon evenly over green beans, then sprinkle with bacon. Makes 6 servings.

Kelly's Favorite Bruchetta

Combine:

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. fresh basil

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 T. sugar

1 T. parsley or chives

Mix well then add 1/2 c. olive oil, 5 to 6 Roma tomatoes (diced) and 1/2 red onion sliced very thinly. Marinate for several hours or overnight.

When ready to serve mix 3/4 c. mayonnaise & 3/4 c. Parmesan cheese in a bowl.

Cut 1 loaf baguette bread into thin slices. Spread with mayo-cheese mix. Top with one tablespoon of tomato mixture then sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Broil about 5 minutes till crusted and serve promptly.