Ballard Business: We miss you Seth...

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

We miss you Seth...

One of my little brothers best buddies passed away last week, and we had the blessing of going to his funeral in California. Dallin, Rex, and Seth have been buddies ever since they were little boys. We lived right next store to his family and he lived at our home. My parents adore him and he was staple at our house for breakfast. Seth was such a blessing in our lives. They great thing about him is that he defied all odds. He was born with the inability to great Red Blood Cells and was not supposed to live past age 2, yet he made it to 27! Every three weeks for his entire life he had to go in and get a full blood tranfusion. Dallin used to go and drive him there and play games with him all day while they waited for the transfusion to be complete. This condition also added to disformaties in his body which inhibited growth among so many other things. Now, living with God, Seth's body is whole and compete. We miss this sweet inspiration that made our whole family better people...

All of us here were in our church youth group together (missing a few buddies) and Seth's brother, Josh (in glasses) was my buddy. He was so amazing at the funeral.

Rex and Dallin had many tender moments...This one was my favorite.

I will have to say that I have never seen anything more closure to my heart when it comes to brotherly love than to watch two young men who diligently watched over and cared constantly for a sick friend for many years, then observe them as they willingly took shovels and helped bury his body into the earth. They never stopped serving our sweet Seth, yet they feel like he was the one who changed their lives completely.

"BE KIND.

EVERYONE YOU MEET IS FIGHTING A HARD BATTLE."

~marjorie pay hinckley

6 comments:

Dianne said...: Sweet post, sorry for the loss. Your right, he is whole and in a better place. You are always so positive.; July 29, 2009 at 8:28 PM
Buzybugs pixie.blogspot.com said...: Ok! I have been trying to be tough and stay SO strong since the death of my youngest brother Trent. He was the greatest join in our lives. He would have been 27 in September. Trent was disabled he used to love to sit out on 7th east in sandy and watch the cars go by. Its So hard not seeing him in his wheelchair I know he is perfect now but to us he was perfect here. Your post touched my heart. Your family seemed SO amazing to Seth I admire you and know how blessed your family has been to have him in your life. What a guy- my heart aches for you. I know how hard it is to want 2 be in his his life daily. Its weird my brothers casket looked the same. I have not had time to blog because of jury duty- done w/that so I will be back on it.
You have a wonderful family!; July 31, 2009 at 9:24 PM
Chelle said...: So tough to lose a special friend. Sounds like he will leave quite a legacy behind. How nice that you could fly out to be at his funeral. Fun to see pictures of your cute brother, Dallin.; August 2, 2009 at 7:19 PM
claire said...: I was touched by this post...appreciate you sharing it. Now I understand better why you were so quick to open your hearts to us and Monte, I really feel that those who grow up with "special" kids are forever changed. Thanks for the great example and all the love, what a lucky guy to have such special friends.; August 6, 2009 at 8:08 PM
Kimi said...: I'm so sorry to hear about your friend Kelly. What a lucky person you are to have been surrounded by someone so amazing. Your family is so cute! Glad to see you are well.; August 13, 2009 at 12:22 PM
carlyd said...: This made me cry. So beautiful. I love your family. Such amazing people. xoxo; September 8, 2009 at 12:08 PM

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.