Kids Race Down Main Street in Snowshoes

The 91st annual American Dog Derby race was held this weekend. We got to see just the Snowshoe races, but it is an activity well worth seeing. In the real musher team race, the big news was that one team was trampled by a moose, but are all okay. Two other teams stopped to scare off the moose. While this was happening, kids were racing downtown on Snowshoes. Lots of snow and good weather. For race details go to www.americandogderby.org.

Sweet "Good and Plenty" and Salted "Planters" Peanuts Combine

My good friend came to visit and I realized I didn't cook anything for her, but instead we ate cold cereal, pizza, went out for our traditional Mexican lunch, etc. and thoroughly enjoyed our time spent not cooking!! When I mentioned to her that I hadn't made her anything special, she said, "Yes, you have! You introduced me to "Good and Plenty and Peanuts". Good and Plenty is the candy coated black licorice pieces and they taste great mixed with salted planters peanuts. 

I used to eat this sweet and salty combination while "at the movies" in Finland, since I couldn't get popcorn to eat at the Movie Theaters. While she and I were out looking for shoelace black licorice for the eyelashes for a Sponge Bob Cake for her son, we found these, so I introduced her to them. We bought them at KMart and they were stale. We'd found a generic Western Family brand of them which were fresh at my local grocer's and they tasted much better.  Any salted peanut will do. 

My brother likes to eat raw peanuts and raisins together, something he learned to eat in Finland. I prefer my combination better. I also like to eat plain M&Ms mixed together with peanut M&Ms.

Merry Christmas Tree!

We'd never taken our kids to cut down our own Christmas tree before, so on the advice of another family, who'd done it, we decided it would be fun. Later we found a few others in our neighborhood who have had this tradition, or have now started it as well. I think we've started a Christmas tradition as you can see and read about below:

Merry Christmas Tree!

Dashing through the snow
In a Ford 150 sleigh
O'er the steep hill we go
Sliding all the way
Through the forest we sing
Making kids spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and bring
A Christmas tree home tonight
Oh!
Jingle Bells,
Christmas tree smells!
It's snowing all the way
What fun it is our 12 footer fits
In our Ford 150 sleigh, Hey!

Something's fishy

Do you like to eat fish or have you heard you should be consuming more Omega -3? I just heard a butcher share his 3 favorite suggestions for cooking fish. Since my Mother grew up eating fish daily, our family likes fish, so I'm going to try all 3. Please add your comment if you have more ideas or like these fishy suggestions.

Salmon Fillet: Put skin side down on grill, cover top with honey butter. Cook about 8 minutes. Gently flip over and the skin will peel off. Add honey butter to this side as well. You'll have a crispy honey butter side and a moist honey butter side.

Halibut Fillet: Spread mayonnaise on top of it as it grills.

Tilapia Fillet: Melt lemon yogurt in a frying pan and spread it over the tilapia as it cooks.

When I lived in Finland, I got to go fishing for Pike. It was so fun to fishing because you are constantly casting and reeling in. I like that better than sitting and waiting. Anyway, if you caught a fish, you were given a fillet knife. The superstition is you must pay for a knife or it brings bad luck, so you give a quarter or something to the gifter. I still have my fillet knife and enjoy filleting trout, etc.

Our sons went fishing for scouts and caught Bass in a local private pond, in exchange for clearing up some logs for the owner. One son's bass was large enough to eat and the others needed to be returned. Dad fried it in lemon pepper.

When I cook salmon it's in tin foil in the oven with lemon pepper and butter buds.
When I cook trout I fillet it and coat it with flour, salt and pepper and fry it in butter, as my Mother did.

Tiger Ears

It's time for "our state fair, is the best state fair, don't miss it, don't even be late!" One of the favorite treats there is Tiger Ears, scones made large and thin and served with honey butter, sponsored by the local Boy Scouts. We planned to go on Saturday, but changed to going the following Saturday. We could hardly wait for the Tiger Ears, so we decided to make these "scones" ourselves. Ours weren't as large and thin, but the kids liked them better.

The recipe is from my cousin who says she uses this recipe for everything, but any bread recipe will do.

In mixing bowl:
Dissolve 3 cups warm water, 2 Tbs. dry yeast, 1 Tbs. sugar and let sit 5 minutes.
Add: 1/2 c sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 1/3 c. oil, 6-7 cups flour, knead 5 minutes with dough hook.

For SCONES: Increase sugar to 1 c. After turning onto floured board, pat 1/2" thick. Cut, stretch thin. Let rise 30 minutes. Fry in hot oil.  For the tiger ears, just fill your frying pan half full of canola or vegetable oil and bring it to a medium heat. As it browns on the bottom side, carefully turn it over in the oil, so the other side can lightly brown too. Then remove onto a plate with paper towels on it to drain the oil. Enjoy!

For LOAVES: Shape into 2 loaves. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

For ROLLS: Do not punch down the dough after rising. Just turn onto floured board. Pat to 1" thick. Cut, stretch thin. Let rise 30 minutes. Fry in hot oil.

For CINNAMON ROLLS: Increase the sugar to 1 cup. After turning onto floured board, roll to 3' x 3' square. Spread with 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, lots of cinnamon, nuts and raisins, optional. Roll up, cut 1" thick and cut. Bake at 375 degrees 15-20 minutes. Cool some, frost with 1 cube magarine, 4 cups powdered sugar, 4-5 Tbs. milk, 1 Tbs. vanilla

My mind is willing but my Body is "out of shape"

I love the fact that the LDS church offers sports for the Young Women. Well it's softball season and the Relief Society was invited to play on the same team as the Young Women. Last night our Ward Young Women and Relief Society played Softball, so my daughter and I played with them. She had just finished playing soccer and was very tired and I'd just finished taxi-ing her brothers from gynmastics to their respective soccer games. My body wasn't excited to play, but my mind was excited to play even though I really haven't played much since I was in YW. It's like I knew what to do but was uncertain if my body could do it anymore.

I've enjoyed watching our daughter learn to play and do well the last few years however. When she was part way through her season this year, we were talking and she was surprised to know I knew how to and had played softball. I was amazed she didn't know because to me, although I wasn't the best player on our team, I was one of the better ones and loved playing! Growing up with brothers, I played ALL sports with them including boxing and wrestling which they'd teach me when they babysat me :)

First inning she played 3rd and I was right behind her in the outfield. She batted just before me. When up at bat, she was walked and I doubled the first time off a shorter hit. As I started to run to 1st my body was yelling "what are you doing to me" as my mind was yelling "come on, faster or you're going to get out" and I would have except the 1st baseman didn't catch it, so I rounded the corner to 2nd. I then got to 3rd and kept going home. It surprised everyone including my body that I kept going, but like I said, my mind knew what to do and it was in charge. I guess that competitive spirit just stepped right up in me :) As I ran, it felt like I was running ahead of all of the rest of me that I've accumulated over the years and that the rest of me lagging behind was being pulled along unwillingly. It felt like I was running in place instead of forward, but both my daughter and I scored.

I played catcher the 2nd inning and after jumping up and down several times to retrieve the pitched ball and throw it back to the pitcher, I said out loud "my body isn't used to this anymore, but it was when I used to play softball", a Young Women on the other team batting said, "Yeah that's what I'll be saying in a few years." Our daughter singled and then I singled the second time at bat with bases loaded. Two runners scored and she got to 3rd. This same YW who'd heard my comment earlier was playing 2nd when I later slid in to 2nd to avoid getting out, she excitedly yelled to everyone who could hear, "She slid in to 2nd! She slid into 2nd!! I like her!" My mind knew what to do and my body did it surprisingly. My daughter missed seeing me slide, but could hear this girl's comments. Next batter got me to 3rd but I never made it back to home plate that time before the 3rd out and then our game was called because of thunder and lightning after the second inning. (We don't take any chances because a young girl was hit by lightning while she was batting 2 seasons ago during the youth league and barely survived it. )

By the time we got home my body was already stiffening up and this morning I'm even stiffer as I arise to start preparing for company later tonight, but my mind can hardly wait for next Thursday!

Visit Idaho's Ididarod, the American Dog Derby

Our family attended the 90th Anniversary of the American Dog Derby this weekend. You may see what events are held and the winners at www.americandogderby.org. It's like Idaho's Ididarod and is held the Friday and Saturday of each President's Day Weekend. In the early 1900s it drew 10,000 people. For years it wasn't held, but was brought back by the Ambassador's Cup Sport Foundation a few years ago.

Snap, crackle, pop -- rice krispie (treats) save the day!

15 minutes before the rest of the family was leaving for a neighborhood skiing party I wasn't going to, (sore back) I remembered the flyer said, chili will be served, but bring a treat to share! No time to be creative, so I quickly grabbed my sister-in-law's Rice Krispie Treats recipe and made a batch.

Rice Krispie Treats
1/2 c. butter or margarine
5 c. marshmallows
7 c. rice krispies

Melt butter a little in microwave. Add marshmallows and micro about 2 minutes. Add rice krispies and stir. Pour into lightly greased 9x13 pan.

PHew! I handed them the pan as they walked out the door! No time to cut them, so I sent a knife along and knew that the 20 minute ride, would be enough for the rice krispie treats to set up. If I had gone along, I would have been balancing the pan on my lap as I cut them into squares just before arrival. It'll take longer to write and edit this blog than it did to make those treats last night!!

I did not grow up making or eating rice krispie treats. I did grow up eating rice rispies and listening quietly for snap, crackle and pop to speak to me at breakfast. Thanks to my brother's wife's recipe and my husband's family making/serving "rice berry chickies" as one of his brothers called them as a child often, we occasionally make them, like last night and for chocolate fondue.

Recently we were invited to another family's for a potluck and games. Santa brought our family a chocolate fountain fondue for Christmas, so we took it and brought various items like strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, pretzels, chunks of bite size pound cake, etc. to hold under the flowing chocolate (chocolate chips with a little bit of oil). The hostess was serving rice krispie treats and everyone ended up using them in our chocolate fondue. It was perfect! Rice Krispie Treats in chocolate fondue are much better than pound cake or marshmallows alone, so now we serve them instead or in addition. Strawberries are still hands down everyone's favorite with chocolate! One of our children can hardly wait to try white chocolate next. Do you have any ideas to share?

For those peanut butter lovers, who want a twist to Rice Krispie Treats, here it is. Since 1 family member doesn't like the site or smell, let alone taste of peanut butter, we don't make the recipe below very often. Funny thing, I love peanut butter, but while I was pregnant with this child, I didn't like peanut butter either! Don't count on making this one in under 15 minutes from start to finish and out the door!

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies with Chocolate
3/4 c peanut butter
1 c corn syrup
1/2 c brown sugar
Melt these together.
2 T margarine or butter (optional)
5-6 c rice krispies, add, stir.
Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

Top with:
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c butter scotch chips
melted together.

Enjoy!

FHE Roller Skating at BYUI

Tonight we went Roller Skating at BYUI http://www.byui.edu/ for our Family Home Evening http://www.lds.org/ . Since we were at the student center the previous Monday to see Christmas Tree Lane, the kids saw skating there too and wanted to try it out. We are rusty and the kids are beginners, as the photos show.

Always helpful even if she doesn't know how yet herself. He got discouraged, but words of encouragement bolstered him on. They said roller blading is easier than these training wheels.
I am relaxed. My legs are light. This is fun. I kept telling myself!
He went from going around one time without falling or holding on to anything to
going around 20 times without falling or holding on. Very determined.
He really got the hang of it too. At one point took his skates off when his heal hurt and he thought we were leaving but then quickly went back to get them as soon
as he found we weren't leaving yet.

I'm sure Dad would have liked to go around by himself more, but was often helping someone else. It was fun and they want to go every Monday in January to get better at it!