Thanksgiving

It's thanksgiving weekend. We ate turkey. Travelled to see family. Gained 5 lbs (not really but it feels like it). Watched football. and thought about all the Things we are thankful for.

1. The safe travelling of our family.
My parents both travel large distances to and from work. We are thankful that they have been able to do that safely. Dusty's dad also travels daily and has been blessed with safety.
2. Our families are healthy.
3. We have a warm house.
4. We are thankful for the work that has kept all our family busy.
5. We are grateful for our full freezer and pantry. AND for a MIL who planted enough garden to help fill our pantry and freezer.
6. I am thankful I live in a country where all I have to "complain" about is a government who spends more time bickering than solving problems. I don't have to worry about bombs or having to send my young children to work so that our family can eat or, as a woman, I can walk around where I please and say whatever the heck I want to.
7. I am thankful for working vehicles
8. Electricity and running water
9. Our friends
10. All Our family

There are so very many things to be thankful for. I love thanksgiving. I love the fall. I love that it means that we are that much closer to CHRISTMAS....

the 2 bowls

Well I'm finally done celebrating Ellie's birthday. After 1 week and 4 parties I am exhausted. I took oodles of pictures but alas none of them with my camera so I have nothing to upload (which I'm kinda glad about).
Ellie and I spent the afternoon watching General Conference addresses. A friend gave lent me her brilliant idea for getting her three boys to listen to all the talks and it worked like a charm. I got a two bowls of candy and in one bowl I put a picture of Jesus Christ and in the other I put a picture of our family. Every time a speaker would say either of those words she got to take a candy from the bowl. It was fun to see how excited she was about every candy she got.

I am really thankful that I listened to the messages of general conference.

strawberry shortcake

Our little girl has a birthday and she requested strawberry shortcake.
I found a really great cream biscuit recipe. It turned out well.

Cream Biscuit

This biscuit is tender and just a bit sweet.

It can be worked/mixed as hard and as long as you want without toughening, and in fact, it should be kneaded to make a biscuit that rises well.

This recipe will make about 15-20 biscuits 3" in diameter.

Preheat oven to 400.

In a mixing bowl, combine:

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

In a second bowl, mix well with a fork or whisk:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

(1/2 tsp almond extract is optional)

1 egg yolk

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients.

With a spatula, combine well, then knead for about 1-2 minutes.

Unlike most biscuits, cream biscuits are improved by kneading.

If the dough is too sticky, add a spoonful of flour; if too dry, add a couple spoonfuls of cream.

Knead the dough until it is smooth.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll or pat to about 1/2" thick.

Cut into desired shapes.

Scraps can be re-kneaded, re-rolled and cut without toughening.

Lightly press 2 fingers into the center of each biscuit to make the centers thinner--this will ensure your biscuits bake to an even height, and don't have humps in the center.

If you like, brush the biscuits with more milk or cream, and sprinkle with (cinnamon) sugar.

Place biscuits on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

Cool before splitting and filling.

I cut the strawberries the night before and sprinkled them liberally with sugar. I then let them sit in the fridge overnight to juice. About 2 hours before I served the shortcake I put most of it together, except the top spoonful of whipping cream.

They were really good. I'm glad she requested them.

Birthday

This little girl had a birthday.

She's incredible.

We love her lots.

Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Icing.

This icing is THE best icing I have EVER eaten. EVER!

Chocolate Butter Cream
(Kristin's Version)

1/2 cup of margarine (I had imperial margarine in my fridge. I didn't have butter I would have normally used butter but I didn't have it so I used marg.)(oh and you want it soft I let it sit out for the afternoon)
a splash of extract ( I used almond and it was Divine)
2 or so cups of sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa (also sifted)
2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of corn syrup (white)

Beat your fat and extract together till fluffed.
add sugar and cocoa. Mix.
Add milk and syrup and mix till fluffy again.

This was the EASIEST icing I've ever made. It was also the only icing I've ever had the desire to just sit down and eat. It was lovely.

Chocolae Zucchini Brownies

I got the recipe from my friend Shauna. It is good. Really good. Try it.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 & 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups grated zucchini

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until nice and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions.

Beat in sour cream and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Add to the creamed mixture.

Mix it up.

Fold in zucchini.

Spread into a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Cool.

Smooth frosting over top.

Cut into bars.

Original Frosting Idea

:2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips + 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

(Stir together in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.

Spread over warm brownies.)

Batter minus zucchini

Batter with zucchini

In the pan

Frosted and ready to eat.

Zoo

Lucy and her Tiger.

She LOVED the tiger.

The tiger may have loved her.

It looked like love at first sight.

Who am I to judge?

Every time the tiger walked by it would lick the glass in front of her.

I wish I could Have gotten a picture.

BUT

It was amazing and I was stunned.

Lucy and her Dad watching the Elephant.

Mesmerizing.


Picture perfect.
I had to bribe the elephant.
She was much more expensive than the kid.
Give the kid an ice cream and she's happy.
The elephant on the other hand.... well lets just say it cost more than peanuts.


Giraffe



Hip- hip hop anonymous.
You could of riden it.
Thank goodness for the glass.
I'm sure it would of been a rodeo.

friday

It's Friday. Fairly obvious, I know BUT don't you love Fridays? I do. I don't have a job that ends Friday (although sometimes I wish I did), my husbands job doesn't end on Friday, my wee children aren't in school (yet... soon though), I usually have no where to go, and yet I am always thrilled it's Friday. Maybe it goes back to a time when I did have fun things to do on the weekend and it was my last day of school for the week. Anyways, Friday is here and I am HAPPY.

Oh and on a side note. I have a new dedication to my wii fit. I'm actually going to figure out if it works. I've been on it 3 days in a row so we'll see. I still have my hypothesis that it's a lazy form of exercise and won't do much BUT since I don't really feel like REALLY exercising (on account I am not fond of the idea of being eaten by bear) then lazy-man exercising experiment is what I'm left with.

I bet your glad you checked the blog, huh?? wouldn't want to miss out on this beaut of a post.

bear Jam

I have only one word to say.... Waterton.

All that stink for a bear!

Apricots

I haven't turned my oven on much this summer. I've been gone and usually it's just too dang hot but I came home from the lake this week with a bag of perfectly ripe apricots. I didn't buy them. I'm not particularly fond of them. I enjoy apricot jam BUT that's where my love stops. So they have just been sitting, ripening, and beckoning for me to use them.

Apricot Tart in purest form

Cut up apricots and fill bottom of tart shells

Sprinkle with corn starch and toss.

Sprinkle liberally with sugar.

Add a few nuts.

Bake at 350 for 15- 20 minutes until crust is golden and syrup is thick.

Eat and enjoy.

These tarts are sweet and tangy. They are delicious and simple.

Apricot Crumble Tart

Ingredients:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup of butter

1/3 cup of flour

1 egg

1. Cut apricots and fill bottom of tart
2. spoon mixture on top
3. sprinkle with nuts
4. bake @ 350 for 25 minutes

Eat.

This is the best tart I've ever made.

It's perfect.