Thanksgiving and Abraham Lincoln

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was the President that started it all??

In 1863 he set aside the last Thursday in November as a National Day of Thanksgiving.

Abraham Lincoln had this to say about giving thanks...

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth, and power as no other Nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us.

“It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our … sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.” (John Wesley Hill, Abraham Lincoln, Man of God, 4th ed., New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, p. 391.)

WOW!!

Las Vegas with Kids!!

I really was't sure if Vegas was a trip I wanted to take with the kids.... and there were a few uncomfortable moments ... but overall it was a blast!! We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Resort which was on the strip... but in the older area down by Circus Circus (although the Hilton is new .... and still has 1 tower under construction...)

We thought this particular "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign was the best choice with the kiddos!! Who doesn't love 5 stories of M&M's!!

We explored our favorite hotels - The Bellagio, The Venetian, Caesar's Palace, etc and went to all the free shows. The Fountain show at the Bellagio and the erupting volcano at the Mirage were both huge hits!! All the free shows that run every 1/2 hour to hour all were great... except one.... Treasure Island!! The pirate show has changed a LOT since the last time I saw it years ago!! I miss the fighting pirates!! "Sirens" (aka Strippers) and stripping pirates? ......well... I guess it is Vegas.....

The kids LOVED the gardens at the Bellagio. They were all decorated for Fall.... complete with Lord of the Ring type talking trees!!

You can just glimpse at one of the talking trees right over the girls' heads!

Sophie especially LOVED the talking trees!!

The older girls really enjoyed the Grand Canal Shops in the Venetian....

We just HAD to find our cheap Vegas prime rib dinner ... and we did!! $4.99 for a 12 oz with veggies and baked potato at the Gold Spike in downtown Vegas... and it was GOOD!! The girls all skipped the huge slab of meat and ordered the breakfast plate for their dinner.... and it was really good too!

I am loving my new phone more and more....It kept Sophie totally entertained while we waited for our meals!

The kids' favorite part was probably Caesar's Palace. We had a lot of fun identifying all the statues!! (Our family LOVES the Lightning Thief series!!!)

And Away We Go!!

2 days and counting until we leave for Salt Lake for my niece, Becca's wedding!! All 4 of my girls have matching blue and brown dresses to match the wedding colors that I got at a boutique in Mesa a few months ago.... they just happened to match! Yay!!

Finally today I found a GREAT dress for me too! Chocolate brown with a gathered princess bodice and cap sleeves... form fitting.... all the way to the floor! A slit on the side to the waist with cream fabric underneath (no... not leg!)

It was a little more dress than I was looking for.... but I couldn't pass up the price!! It was 75% off!! So... it was only $28!! Aahhh!! (But it makes me feel like a million!!) I don't know when I will ever wear it again.... John will have to take me to a black tie event!!

Now to get fancy matching bling-e flowers from Marci!! (for the girls... not me!!)

Blue Banana Breakfast Boost Smoothie

OK..... I made this up this morning.... catchy name huh??!!

3 very ripe bananas

5 baby carrots

1 cup Trader Joe's Vanana yogurt (Vanilla-Banana)

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1-2 Tbsp. flax seed

8-10 ice cubes

orange juice - enough to cover all in the blender....

Blend for 2 minutes on high. ENJOY!!

**DYN** (Did You Know...) Almost all yogurt has high fructose corn syrup in it? Check your labels!! It is even in the specialty yogurt that is supposed to help your digestive tract!! Trader Joe's uses natural cane juice to sweeten its yogurt.... HFCS is BAD!!!

Back in the Saddle Again...

I have had so many thoughts whirring around in my head lately that I have decided the time has come to re-enter the blogging world.... if for no other reason than to get them out of my head!!

Now... with the GFAA play coming up, dog shows and puppies coming... we will see how long I last this time!!

Blogging World... Here we go Again!!

Children and Pride

This morning during scripture study we talked to the children about pride. John looked up an amazing article from 1986 by Ezra Taft Benson about pride that he remembered from his mission.

I couldn't believe how amazing this article was....and IS!!.... and how right on.....especially given the political climate now....

May I now discuss a subject of grave concern that deserves deeper development than we have time. It is the subject of pride.

In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride. It is always considered as a sin. We are not speaking of a wholesome view of self-worth, which is best established by a close relationship with God. But we are speaking of pride as the universal sin, as someone has described it.

Mormon writes that “the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction.” (Moro. 8:27.) The Lord says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old.” (D&C 38:39.)

Essentially, pride is a “my will” rather than “thy will” approach to life. The opposite of pride is humbleness, meekness, submissiveness (see Alma 13:28), or teachableness.

In the early days of the restored church, the Lord warned two of its prominent members about pride. To Oliver Cowdery, He said, “Beware of pride, lest thou shouldst enter into temptation.” (D&C 23:1.) To Emma Smith, He said, “Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride.” (D&C 25:14.)

“Thou shalt not be proud in thy heart,” the Lord warns us. (D&C 42:40.) “Humble yourselves before God,” says the Book of Mormon. (Mosiah 4:10.)

When the earth is cleansed by burning in the last days, the proud shall be as stubble. (See 3 Ne. 25:1; D&C 29:9; D&C 64:24.)

The great and spacious building which Lehi saw was the pride of the world where the multitude of the earth was gathered. (See 1 Ne. 11:35–36.) Those who walked the straight and narrow path and held onto the word of God and partook of the love of God were mocked and scorned by those in the building. (See 1 Ne. 8:20, 27, 33; 1 Ne. 11:25.)

“The humble followers of Christ” are few. (2 Ne. 28:14.)

Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right. It looks sideways to man and argues who is right. Pride is manifest in the spirit of contention.

Was it not through pride that the devil became the devil? Christ wanted to serve. The devil wanted to rule. Christ wanted to bring men to where He was. The devil wanted to be above men.

Christ removed self as the force in His perfect life. It was not my will, but thine be done.

Pride is characterized by “What do I want out of life?” rather than by “What would God have me do with my life?” It is self-will as opposed to God’s will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

Humility responds to God’s will—to the fear of His judgments and the needs of those around us. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts.

Someone has said, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” Of one brother, the Lord said, “I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me.” (D&C 58:41.)

The two groups in the Book of Mormon that seemed to have the greatest difficulty with pride are the “learned, and the rich.” (2 Ne. 28:15.) But the word of God can pull down pride. (See Alma 4:19.)

With pride, there are many curses. With humility, there come many blessings. For example, “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.” (D&C 112:10.) The humble will “be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge.” (D&C 1:28.) The Lord is “merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts.” (D&C 61:2.) Humility can turn away God’s anger. (See Hel. 11:11.)

My beloved brethren and sisters, as we cleanse the inner vessel, there will have to be changes made in our own personal lives, in our families, and in the Church. The proud do not change to improve, but defend their position by rationalizing. Repentance means change, and it takes a humble person to change. But we can do it.

We have made some wonderful strides in the past. We will be lengthening our stride in the future. To do so, we must first cleanse the inner vessel by awaking and arising, being morally clean, using the Book of Mormon in a manner so that God will lift the condemnation, and finally conquering pride by humbling ourselves.

As a parent it is very important to me that my children have a strong sense of self worth.... that they are PROUD of who they are. BUT... I never want that to translate into them thinking they are BETTER than anyone else. If they win an award after a competition, I want them to be proud of their hard work.... but NOT to be prideful in thinking how they were BETTER than everyone else in the competition.

There is nothing wrong with winning.... but what kind of winner will you be?

As an example... It is important to me that my kids try as hard as they can to get straight A's... but certainly not because I want them to have higher grades than anyone else. I want them to believe in themselves... to believe in their abilities enough to KNOW that they can achieve that goal.

What an important value to have.... what an important knowledge to have as they grow up!

I have told my kids time and time again.... worry about yourself... not "the other guy". Do things to make yourself better.... don't worry about being "the best". There will always be someone smarter, faster, prettier, etc. etc. Just be happy and proud of who you are!

Sauce Basics

There are 5 "Leading" sauces - Bechamel (commonly known as white sauce), veloute, espagnole (known as brown sauce), tomato and hollandaise. All of these can be seasoned and garnished to create a wide varety of all other "small" or "compound" sauces.

The 5 Leading sauces are distinguished by the liquids and thickeners used to prepare them:

Milk + white Roux = bechamel (white sauce)

Chicken stock + blonde roux = veloute sauces

Beef stock + brown roux = espagnole (brown suce)

Tomato sauce

Butter + ehh yolk = hollandaise

A "Roux" is how you thicken your sauce. It is a combination of flour and fats (usually butter) to form a paste. There are 3 types of roux:

White Roux - cooked only briefly and removed from heat as soon as it starts to bubble. Used in white sauces or in dishes where little or no color is desired
Blonde Roux - cooked slightly longer than the white roux. It should start to take on a little color as the flour carmelizes. It is used in ivory colored sauces such as veloute, or whe a richer flavor is desired.
Brown Roux - tis cooked until it is a darker color and has developed a nutty aroma and flavor. Brown roux is used in making brown sauces.

TIPS:
1.) Use a heavy saucepan when making a roux
2.) Cook over medium heat - do not BURN!! Burned roux will not thicken anything and just taste realy bad!
3.) Use cake or pastry flour instead of all purpose flour - cake and pastry flour has a higher percentage of starch.

Bechamel Sauce (White sauce)

Bechamel (white) sauce is the easiest of all the leading sauces to prepare. Although at one time a bechamel sauce would be made with veal stock, today the sauce is almost always prepared by thickening milk with a white roux and adding seasonings. A properly made bechamel sauce is rich and creamy and absolutely smooth. The sauce should be the color of heavy cream and should be thick enough to coat food lightly. A basic bechamel or white sauce is the foundation for may other sauces and recipes!

Basic Bechamel Sauce
1/3 c. butter
3 Tbsp. Flour
2 cups Cold Milk
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Recipe with bechamel sauce:

Chicken Spinach Dinner Crepes
from Catherine Goold....my very best friend from high school!
(Her grandfather was a French Chef in FRANCE!)

For the Crepes:
3 cups Flour
4 cups water
8 eggs
1 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. lemon rind

Make the batter at least 4 hours ahead (up to one day) In a large bowl, beat the eggs slightly. Add the oil and water and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Slowly add the flour to the egg mixture; whisking until well combined. Stir in the vanilla, lemon extract and lemon rind. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When it is time to cook the crepes... don't panic!... the batter will have separated. Slowly stir until well combined and then check the consistency on the batter, you want it very thin. It may require up to another 1/2 cup of water to loosen it up. Wipe the crepe pan with a little vegetable oil on a paper towel before the first crepe. After that there is enough oil in the batter to keep them from sticking Pour a spoonful of batter onto a heated crepe pan swirl around to cover the bottom. Use just enough to cover the bottom so they will be thin. Watching carefully, cook each side for 1 - 2 minutes, adjusting the heat (usually medium to medium-high depending in your stove)

The first side is done when the edges start to curl up and crepe comes loose when you shake the pan. Carefully flip it over being careful not to tear the crepe...usually fingers work best! The crepe should be light golden/blonde in color. The first crepe always comes out looking a little strange but the rest should look normal. You will need to stir the batter often to prevent settling. This recipe will make about 30 crepes.

(These can be filled for savory dishes, desserts, breakfast or just a snack. Catherine's family enjoys just sprinkling them with sugar, fold and eating them warm!)

Chicken Spinach Filling:
2 recipes of Bechamel sauce (above)
3 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
10 oz box frozen spinach; thawed and drained well
1 1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c. green onion, finely chopped

After making one recipe of the Bechamel sauce, remove from heat. Add the Swiss cheese and stir until completely melted. Add the green onion, spinach and chicken, stirring after each addition until thoroughly combined. Heat on low until mixture is hot. Scoop about 1/2 c. of the chicken filling into each crepe and roll. This will fill 8-10 crepes depending in size.

Pour desired amount of additional 2nd recipe of the bechemel sauce over filled crepes and garnish with tasted almonds and parsley. Sauteed mushrooms are also very good as a garnish or even added in the filling.

Better Than Bouillon

Whenever a recipe calls for broth, stock or bouillon, I use a product called Better Than Bouillon by Superior Touch. You can find the chicken and beef bases in the soup and broth section of any grocery store - Walmart included. You will need to go to a specialty market like AJs to find the more unique flavors.

To make: simply add 1 tsp of base per cup of hot water to make 1 cup of broth or stock... just like a bouillon cube. This base has a great, rich taste that I like TONS better than traditional cubes and even more than canned broth.

The following recipe calls for 5 cups of chicken stock. I simply heated 5 cups of water and stirred in 5 tsp of the Better Than Bouillon chicken base and VOILA!! easy, YUMMY chicken stock that didn't take hours to make! (although it is a little salty to you may need to adjust the amount of salt in any recipe!)

Poulette Sauce

The Poulette Sauce is from the Veloute family of sauces. Veloute sauces are made by thickening a white stock (chicken or veal). A properly made veloute sauce should be rich, smooth and lump free. It should be ivory colored and should be thick enough to cling to foods without tasting like the roux used to thicken it!

The Poulette sauce is actually a 3rd level of sauce. You have to start by making a basic Veloute sauce, then make Allemande sauce from the original veloute sauce. The poulette sauce just adds ingredients to the Allemande sauce. I know it sounds complicated but it really isn't too bad! Any of the following 3 sauces are great on chicken, any white meats and vegetables.

Basic Veloute Sauce:

4 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp. Flour

5 cups Chicken stock

Salt and White Pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the butter and cook to make a blond roux.

Gradually add the stock to the roux, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add salt and white pepper to taste.

Melted butter may be carefully ladled over the service to prevent a skin from forming.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring to prevent burning on the bottom.

Allemande Sauce:

4 1/2 cups prepared veloute sauce

2 egg yolks

3/4 c. Heavy Cream

1 tsp. lemon juice

Bring the veloute to a simmer.

In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks with the cream. Slowly ladle about 1/3 of the hot veloute sauce into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, to temper.

When 1/3 of the veloute sauce has been incorporated into the now warmed yolk and cream mixture, slowly add back into the pan of remaining veloute sauce while whisking continuously.

Reheat the sauce. Do not let it boil!

Stir in lemon juice.

Poulette Sauce

4 cups prepared Allemande Sauce

1 Tbsp Butter

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 small shallot, diced

1/4 c. heavy cream

1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Saute the mushrooms and the shallot in the melted butter. Drain. Stir into the Allemande sauce. Stir in cream and chopped parsley.