Holiday Recipes I

Here are three more recipes I tried in the last week or so. The first one has actually become a family favorite (and now a family tradition) at our Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinners. I made it a couple of years ago and it was the first thing gone and everyone wanted me to make it again thus a new family tradition was started.



This is the first time that I think the actual recipe comes out looking better then the picture. Here is the recipe courtesy of Kraft Foods...

Chocolate Passion Bowl
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
Makes: 16 servings, about 2/3 cup each
3 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each)
JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP French Vanilla Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 baked 9-inch square brownie layer, cooled, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5-1/2 cups)
1 pt. (2 cups) raspberries

BEAT milk and dry pudding mixes in large bowl with wire whisk 2 min. or until blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping.

PLACE half of the brownies in 2-qt. serving bowl; top with layers of half each of the pudding mixture, remaining whipped topping and raspberries. Repeat all layers.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Holiday Recipe #2 (courtesy of Kraft Foods, again)
This was good and it turned out similar to the picture...I was a little scared about that. This is not as hard as it looks...


Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr 42 min
Makes: 16 servings, one slice each

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup of the pumpkin, the milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. of the pumpkin pie spice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour evenly into prepared pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and remaining 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Stir in the whipped topping.

CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife. Stack layers on serving plate, spreading the cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top of cake.) Drizzle cake with caramel topping just before serving; sprinkle with the pecans. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.

Holiday Recipe #3 (courtesy of verybestbaking.com)
This recipe I didn't actually make for Thanksgiving but I had some extra cans of Pumpkin Pie Mix and decided I would make some muffins for an after school snack. I made some changes so that they would be healthier too.


Cumble-Top Pumpkin Muffins
Prep. Time: 25 min.
Cooking Time: 16 min.
Yields - 24 Muffins

4 cups all-purpose baking mix
1 cup raisins, (optional)
2/3 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (30 oz.) LIBBY'S Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
2 large eggs (I used 1 tbsp. flax and 3 tbsp. water in place of one egg)
Streusel topping (recipe follows)

PREHEAT oven to 400° F. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups.

COMBINE baking mix, raisins, oats, sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Combine pumpkin pie mix and eggs in medium bowl; mix well. Stir into oat mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping.

BAKE for 14 to 16 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire rack; cool slightly. Serve warm.

FOR STREUSEL TOPPING:
COMBINE 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (I used brown sugar) and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.

I hope these recipes are helpful you...even though I didn't come up with the recipes I would still love to know what you think of them if you try any. HAVE A GREAT DAY!

My Little Boy is growing up!

Today my little boy got his first report card. I feel so sad...not over the report card (he actually got as perfect as a Kindergarten can get, even in behavior...WOW!) but because this is just another milestone he is passing. Who knew a report card could generate so many feelings. It just makes me want to cherish every moment I have as his mother (when he actually will sit down and still talk to me) even more. I feel like these moments are just flying by and I am not fully appreciateing any of it. I hope that I will look back at these years and have very little regrets. I am sure I will have some but I never want to look back and say that I wish I would have spent less time blogging and more time with my babies. So on that note I think I will go and play with my kids.

Austin's Kindergarten picture...isn't he so handsome!

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! I love this season, don't you! Weather is beautiful! The yards are dancing in color and we have three awesome holidays one right after the other. Not just awesome because they just are but also because of what they represent. Thanksgiving - although should be celebrated throughout the year - is an amazing reminder to us of all that we truly are blessed with especially living in this amazing country which allows us freely to say, do and even think what we want despite of any other problems it has. I read this quote recently by Joseph F. Smith.

"The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man"

I pray that I can be a more "grateful and loving soul."

Austin and Allie also wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

This was a project we made during Family Home Evening. We talked about all the things we were thankful for and these are some of the things the kids said...

Austin said "scriptures, missionaries, Heavenly Father and Jesus" (without any prompting from his parents. :) He is so awesome!
Allie said "light sabers and Jesus" probably to try and impress her brother. She loves her big brother so much.

Family History

I have to admit - I have not always been that interested in my family history or heritage. I guess I had heard some bad things and figured I didn't want to know much about them anyway. I also thought it seemed overwhelming to trace back so many people and could never keep track of who's who. Then I was called to be an extraction worker (for those of you who aren't familiar with extraction work - it is the process of taking old records that are hard to read and inaccessible to most people and extracting them to a format that everyone can read and access easily). I started to become really intrigued with who these people really were as I typed their names and families names. Sometimes they didn't have any family listed and I questioned if there were people out there that thought about them. It made me start to study my own family history. I have since been doing family history work sporadically here and there when I get time between dirty diapers, driving kids around and preparing meals. So I recently found out that one of my Great Uncles was the first president of Brigham Young University. (I didn't really have a preference of Universities before this, maybe I do now:)) He was instrumental in converting the school from just an academy to an actual University. His name was Benjamin Cluff Jr. and he was the brother of my Great, Great, Great Grandpa. You can read his contributions to the university at this web address.

http://unicomm.byu.edu/president/cluff.aspx

Picture of Benjamin Cluff Jr.


I also just happened to run across a Cluff family website with some old contact information from 2005. I went ahead and contacted them with little hope of a response. Sure enough someone did respond, and in less then 24 hrs. even WOW! He has already sent me information on my Great x5 grandpa David Cluff who was the first to join the church in my line. What a legacy Grandpa David started! How excited I will be to read more about it! If any of you other Cluffs want more information please let me know. I will be happy to share what I have.

More New Recipes to try!

I made a new crockpot recipe last night that was probably a 7 on a scale of 1-10. The best part about it was that it was sooo easy. I love crockpot recipes for this reason. I made it after I gave the kids lunch and came back at dinner time. Perfect! Plus the recipe made so much that it fed us for two meals. If you don't like "left-overs" you can freeze them and use them later. We served the first meal with rice and the second in tortillas. Both good! Here is the recipe (courtesy of Kraft Foods).



Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 8 hr 15 min
Makes: 4 servings, 1-1/2 cups each

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
2 Tbsp. (1/2 of 1-1/4-oz. pkg.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix 2 Tbsp. flour
1 each: green and red pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
(I also added a half of onion)
1 cup frozen corn
1-1/2 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese (any will do)
(I added a can of black beans, rinsed, and some Hot Sauce)

TOSS chicken with seasoning and flour in slow cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients except the shredded cheese; cover with lid.

COOK on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours).
(I found the cooking time to be too long so you can probably shorten it to Low for 4-6 hours or High for 2-3 hours)

STIR just before serving. Top with the shredded cheese and green onions.




I also made this dessert for our family dinner this weekend. It was Yum-O! Everyone loved it. Chris, who really doesn't like peanut butter, even liked it a lot. It is the perfect balance of peanut butter flavor without the peanut butter mouth. Here is the recipe (also courtesy of Kraft Foods).



Peanut Butter Striped Delight
Total Time: 4 hr 40 min
Makes: 24 servings

35 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. cold milk, divided
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1/3 cup peanut butter

PLACE cookies in food processor; cover. Process to form fine crumbs. Transfer to medium bowl. Add butter; mix well. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish. Refrigerate 10 min. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk in separate bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add 1-1/4 cups of the whipped topping; mix well. Spread over crust.

POUR remaining 3 cups milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Add peanut butter; mix well. Spread evenly over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 min. or until thickened. Top with remaining whipped topping; cover.

REFRIGERATE at least 4 hours before cutting into pieces to serve. Store any leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Aviation Nation

We attended Aviation Nation this weekend. It was an exhausting experience but it was also a good reminder of how much we need to support our current troops and our veterans. They had some awesome displays and "Air battles" including pyrotechnics to help portray actual bombing and shooting. That was the kids favorite part but I actually found it to be kind of gruesome and morbid. Nonetheless, it did give me a new appreication for all that continues to be at stake in Iraq and an increased gratitude for those who serve in the Military, past and present. The flying was so precise that it could even be described as beautiful and artistic. Here are the pics...they don't really do the expereince justice.

Finally...some pictures!

OK...so I haven't posted any pics on my blog yet because I thought there was a problem downloading pics from my camera...(long story). My husband sweetly pointed out that it works fine and so here I am finally posting pics of Halloween.

I have to tell you this cool little story about Allison. She has this amazing little personality...full of spunk, courage, passion, laughter and compassion. She is not afraid of anything. Anyway, we went to Chris's work party for Halloween and they had this animal lady there that had a tarantula she was letting everyone hold...if they wanted. None of the other kids, including the boys (all older then Allie) would go near the thing. Allie just walked right up to her and said, "I will." Now, for those of you who know me...you know that I HATE spiders. Can't stand them! I have bug spray in two very convenient places in my house so that I don't ever have to deal with them. Even posting this pic gives me the eebbie-jeebies but I just thought she was the koolest little girl around. Every time I look at it I just think about what a good example she is to me in all aspects of life.

Here are some more pics of the kids from Halloween.

I love these pumpkins because they fit my kids personalities so well. I didn't realize it until after we had carved them. And yes! I realize Allison's wings are on upside down...she took them off anyway :)

Today I am grateful for my health...

So, I said I wouldn't post everyday and here I am posting everyday. Two reasons: 1. This is kind of addiciting. and 2. Well this is kind of addicting.

I have actually been pretty sick since Friday. (Maybe that is why I have been posting everyday...too sick to do anything else.) I finally feel good enough today to feed my kids something besides cold cereal (for every meal...they thought that was pretty kool). So after all the aches and pains are starting to subside I just have to say how grateful I am for my health. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to go through life in pain or even discomfort. I am grateful that my feet, hands, legs work the way they should. I also know that I need to take better care of the body God blessed me with. I guess maybe that could be a reason we get sick in the first place...to help us realize how precious and amazing and miraculous, yet fragile, our bodies really are. Maybe today I will eat more fruits and veggies and skip the leftover Halloween candy...

101 Things About Me...

OK, so here is a common theme among my friends blogs..."101 things about me" list. I am not sure how they do it as I can only come up with about 10 off-hand. But I thought I would give it a try. This blogging thing has really helped me to reflect...(I kind of like that).

1. I love being a SAHM.
2. I would love to be able to cook everything from scratch every day but it seems in the world we live in it is almost impossible.
3. I am frugal.
4. I hate to ski (any kind - water or snow). When I water skied I couldn't get up and when I snow skied I couldn't stay up. :)
5. I have never had a broken bone.
6. I love to hear myself type.
7. I love taking walks.
8. I have never dyed my hair.
9. I have donated over 50 inches of hair to Locks of Love.
10. I love and am inspired by music but can't play an instrument or sing.
11. I love Disneyland (probably more then my kids but probably not more then my husband).
12. I have always had complete and sincere faith in my religion.
13. I am completely lost when it comes to house decorating...
14. and crafts...
15. or anything creative for that matter.
16. I actually love cleaning - it is a destresser for me especially if I can listen to music at the same time.
17. I am very organized.
18. I am pretty good at multitasking.
19. I love to dance.
20. The Play Station in our house actually belongs to me so that I can DDR.
21. I have danced on the streets of Paris.
22. I love working out.
23. I love hiking and camping.
24. I actually don't love swimming that much.
25. I believe in love at first site.
26. I have had the same best friend for 21 years and we haven't even lived in the same city for about 13 of those years.
27. I love rich desserts.
28. I love to read religious books of all kinds.
29. I check my e-mail about 100 times a day.
30. I don't know how you could live without the Internet.
31. I don't know how people could live without a computer.
32. I can't stand being pregnant, the birth or the first few weeks home but I love having children and so I will probably do it again.
33. I don't like soda.
34. I love WATER but still don't drink enough of it.
35. I DO NOT like laundry. (I think that is why I don't buy a lot of clothes...less to wash)
36. I do not like to talk on the phone...I am terrible about making or returning phone calls. I think e-mail was created FOR ME.
37. I think I used 23 min from my cell phone last month.
38. I was born in Henderson, NV, and lived in San Diego, CA; San Bernardino, CA; Highland, CA; Newcastle, UT; Cedar City, UT; Parowan, UT; Logan, UT and am now in Las Vegas, NV.
39. I have a Bachelors Degree from Southern Utah University.
40. I am a Public Educator by trade and a SAHM by choice.
41. I think life is a big adventure so make the best of it and enjoy it!
42. My cup is usually "overflowing."
43. I believe that God has a plan for each of us.
44. Although moving a lot has been difficult it has allowed me to meet many different people from different cultures/backgrounds and has given me a better appreciation and love for all of God's children.
45. I love HOLIDAYS! YEAH for HOLIDAYS! ALL of them!
46. I actually really like digi-scrapping.
47. I used to collect stuffed animals and had over 200.
48. I still sleep with my baby blanket and get mad if Chris hides it from me. :}
49. I think if you are negative you attract even more negativity and vica-versa.
50. My motto is "fake it till you make it"
51. I don't really enjoy going to the movies.
52. If I watch a movie at home I have to do something else like Sudoku or I will fall asleep or just get up and clean or eat.
53. I love cooking for my friends and family. I feel like cooking is an expression of love.
54. I hate shaving my legs and don't do it as often as I should. Thankfully my husband is OK with that.
55. Purple was my favorite color for a long time but now I think I love all colors I could not really tell you which one is my favorite...red, no blue, no brown....maybe, pink!
56. I would love to travel the world but not as a tourist as someone who actually lives in the culture.
57. My husband has taught me a lot about "selflessness."
58. I DON'T require a lot of sleep. I usually get about 7 hours but if I got less it would not automatically mean that I would be grouchy.
59. I am a morning person.
60. I believe in miracles.
61. I have had miracles in my life.
62. I am a passionate person.
63. However, I don't like confrontation (these two really don't go well together so I find myself in a lot of sticky predicaments).
64. I love my life.
65. I believe my children were meant for me so they would teach me how to be a better person. I think that goes for pretty much everyone and that is why we are commanded to have children.
66. I am pretty good at a lot of things but master of none. I am trying to be positive about this.
67. I am indecisive.
68. I don't really have a favorite food either (hence the indecisiveness). I like a lot of foods...chocolate, potatoes made any way, home-made mac-n-cheese, pizza (preferably home-made), caramel, etc.
69. I would rather give blood then speak in public (which is why I can't give blood and have been asked to speak in sacrament about a dozen times.)
70. I love reading magazines. (I have about 4 magazine subscriptions to cover all of the bases...parenting, family, church, life)
71. I love being busy (most of the time).
72. I love when my kids come and wake me up in the morning...even if it is at 5:30am.
73. I have gone bungee jumping. (The only good part about it is that now I can say that I did it.)
74. I like budgeting and doing finanaces and am pretty good at it.
75. I love eating healthy but my crazy sweettooth says otherwise. I love home-baked goods and love to bake...bad combo.
76. I am addicted to Oprah. I recite from "The Book of Oprah" (as my husband calls it) almost everyday. It is kind of sick.
77. I have an irrational fear of spiders.
78. Everytime I think about how much I love my children, I cry.
79. If I could pick one place to travel it would have to be Jerusalem.
80. I want more kids...how many more is yet to be determined.
81. I could spend hours in a bookstore.
82. I could not spend hours shopping for clothes however...hate it!
83. I actually don't like shopping in general. Book shopping is relaxing though.
84. I love playing games (board and card games, that is).
85. I actually love going to church on Sundays and am sad when I have to miss.
86. My husband and I are attached at the hip...we don't do much without each other. It can kind of cause problems.
87. I have seen my ovaries, falopian tubes and uterus outside my body.
88. I don't like change...I like my schedule just the way it is.
89. I have always enjoyed writing but am not very good at it.
90. I strongly believe that God knows each of us indivitually and that He speaks to us in many ways if we are watching and listening.
91. I think I am pretty optimistic about life. However I have had times in my life where that wasn't the case and have had to practice at being optimisitc. I am getting better.
92. My husband and I have an amazing marriage and friendship.
93. I try to always look for the best in people.
94. My mom is a great example of a woman and mother to me. She raised 5 children by herself and she doesn't complain.
95. One of my goals in life is to run a half-marathon...a whole marathon would be even better.
96. I would love to start a Charity organization. (Does that sound weird?...I am still looking for a cause that is close to my heart.)
97. I can't whislte.
98. I am excited about what the future holds.
99. I actually enjoy listening to politics.
100. Balance and Simplify is my motto...too much of a good thing can be bad.
101. Did I say...I LOVE MY LIFE!

Wow! That was kind of hard but interesting. You should try it!

Recipes....

So I decided to use my blog to share one of my current addictions. Yes, I know this sounds weird but I am addicted to recipes. I probably cook about 5-10 new recipes a month. I usually never make the same dessert twice...why would I when there are sooo many good ones out there.



I have also been trying to make my dear husband eat less meat as a preventative measure to help lower cholesterol. So at least once a month (which is way less then we probably should...but it is a start) I make a meatless meal. This month I made "Chili Potato Burritos" from allrecipes.com. I liked it. Chris thought it was, "ok, considering it didn't have meat." He was actually wondering why it was better for you then regular burritos because it was "high carb." I said it probably wasn't...here is the recipe anyway.

Chili Potato Burritos
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 (6 inch) flour tortillas 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon evenly into tortillas, and roll up. Place rolled tortillas side by side in a 8x8 inch baking pan. Spread enchilada sauce evenly over the top, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Why I started this...

Well, for several reasons. 1.) Because I was feeling a little jealous that everyone else and their dog has a blog except me; but probably more importantly 2.) So that my family and friends can keep up on our lives. Hopefully this proves to be worth it. Although some people post everyday on their blogs I probably won't be doing that. I will post pictures and comments when fun, interesting, or crazy things happen to us. (A lot of times that is everyday but I don't find it that productive to post everyday) So...hope you all will enjoy...