Saturday, April 30, 2011

Thoughts on The Royal Wedding


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

As we watched our recordings of the Royal Wedding 
and then 
the procession back to Buckingham Palace,

We noticed that William would salute at a certain time and 
Kate would bow her head in respect. 

It was so touching but I didn't know what it meant. 

After Googling for the answer I found out that there 
are monuments in London
—such as the Cenotaph—
that are saluted by those in uniform as a 
sign of respect.

(A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honor of a 
person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere.)


Since William was in uniform, he saluted when required, and 
Kate bowed her head in respect. 

It is a lovely tradition. 

With all of the horrors going on in the nation and world, 
it was a breath of fresh air to watch such a 
sweet and lovely wedding. 

It reminded me a little of 


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Who'll Take The Son?

I love this story and I have heard it before. 

I got it again in my email this morning from my dear friend Marla. 
She got it from Kim who I use to work with when 
I was a Real Estate Agent. 

It is called : 

WHO'LL TAKE THE SON? (Author Unknown)

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. 

The father was notified and grieved 
deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, 
and your love for art.

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of 
his son in the painting. 

The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 

"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. 

The man died a few months later.

There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 

"We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. 
Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted.

"Will someone bid for this painting?"

"Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" 

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting.. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" 

But still the auctioneer continued. 

"The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. 

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." 

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" 

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. 

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 

"Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 

"I'm sorry, the auction is over." 

"What about the paintings?" 

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. 

Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. 

The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave His Son, 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 


"The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" 

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets 
everything.

Love,
Granny T.

Monday, April 25, 2011

What Are Your Shoes Doing In The Garbage Can?

My Little Red Shoes didn't have sparkle like Dorthy's, 
but that would have been OK too.


When I was in the first grade at Tahoe Elementary School
I threw my shoes away in the garbage can.

They were so ugly!
They were brown with crepe souls.
Yes, crepe souls.

My mother thought they were just the thing I should get. 

Her shoes had crepe soles.

I saw the most darling pair of red Mary Jane's at the store
and they were the one's that I wanted.

I even tried them on and they fit just fine.
And they were sturdy too.

Well, probably not as sturdy as crepe soles
but they would have been so
much fun to have.

 On the playground my teacher saw me without shoes.

"Where are your shoes?" She asked.

"In the garbage can." I said. 

"What Are Your Shoes Doing In The Garbage Can?"

I had to stand in the dark corner of
the coat room
for hours.

Love,
Grammy T.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

What's For Dinner?

Poppy Seed Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
Recipe:
2 envelopes of quick-rising dry yeast 
1/3 cup plus ¼ teaspoon sugar, divided
1 cup warm water
2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature 
¼ cup oil 
1 egg
1 tbs poppy seed
5 1/3 cup all purpose flour, divided 
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled 
3 tbs unsalted butter, melted
Non-Stick spray  
Extra Poppy Seeds for garnish

Instructions:
1. In a mixer bowl dissolve quick-rising dry yeast and sugar in warm water and let it stand 
until the mixture is slightly foamy.
2. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and turn to speed 2, add milk, oil, 
egg, sugar, poppy seeds and salt.
3. Mix well until everything is combined - 
about 30 seconds.
4. Gradually add flour to the batter and mix it until its 
smooth for about 1 minute
5. Combine flour and chilled butter in a food processor or you can use a 
pastry cutter until the mixture resembles a coarse 
meal add this to the batter in the mixing bowl.
6. Turn to speed 2 and mix until the dry ingredients 
are incorporated.
7. Knead on speed 2 until smooth, 
about 2 minutes longer.
8. Add up to 1/3 of a cup of flour more if the dough remains sticky.
9. Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with a towel and 
let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes 
or until the dough nearly doubles 
in size.
10. Now coat 2 12-cup muffin tins with non stick 
cooking spray or butter.
11. On a floured surface knead dough for about 4 minutes until the 
dough is smooth and elastic.
12. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and place one portion 
on a floured surface and refrigerate 
the remaining portions.
13. Roll out the dough to a 12x12x1/8-inch rectangle.
14. Cut the dough lengthwise into 6 2-inch strips and stack the 
strips to form 6 layers.
15. Cut the stacks into 6 equal portions, each about 2 inch squares.
16. Place each stack on their edge, cut side down in the prepared
 muffin cups. Repeat with the
 remaining dough sections.
17. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 
30 minutes or until nearly doubles in size.
18. After it has risen preheat your oven to 350 F.
19. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter 
and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
20. Pop in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

You can go here to watch the video. Very fun!! 

In Provo there is a bakery that we love, Shirley's and they have the best pull-aparts.  
I am not going to make sweet rolls for 
dinner tomorrow but will 
make these Poppy Seed Pull-Aparts  
instead.  

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Love,
Grammy T.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Baked Lemon Cheesecake

Baked Lemon Cheesecake

Baked Lemon Cheesecake


I know that I promised the trip to The Bean Museum 
with Beck and The Twins 
to my family. 

But this recipe is so gorgeous 
I had to share. 

Nami-Nami says to use Digestive Biscuits. 

I wrote and asked her if that was Tums 
or Graham Crackers. 

Love,
Grammy T.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Fun and Yummy Sourdough Bread


I am having so much fun with this No-Knead Bread recipe that I decided to share some pictures and updates since my post a couple of days ago.

I decided to make a sourdough start and use it instead of yeast in my recipe. I used whole wheat flour, a few raisins and water for my sourdough start. The raisins help to get a natural yeast going in the start.  

As you can see I have been using whole wheat flour that I ground and keep in the freezer. I use cold water not hot because I want it to warm up on its own.  I am using the Country Bread Recipe from Kathy at Eating the Rainbow:

Try it I think you will really like it. I really do love playing with different cultures and this is the easiest bread and prettiest that I have ever made. 

Here are two more videos for you to see to help you get a bunch of pretty and yummy bread: 


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

What Were You Afraid Of?


I don't know what you were afraid of when you were little but I was afraid of wasps. And I know why I was afraid of wasps. 

When I was very little I stayed with my Nana and Papa King in a rental apartment just off of Alhambra Blvd. in Sacramento. It was over a restaurant and at night the owners would play the accordion and sing. Very fun. One day Nana was coming in the back door from off of the back porch like thing where she had hung some clothes and a wasp stung her on the arm. Yikes!! She had been stung about ten times she said. I took a look at those wasps and they were crazy funny looking things and I decided that they were from Hell, not that I knew what hell was at that age but they were very phobically frightening to me and I decided that one would never, never, ever touch me. 

A few years later I was the little girl that caught honey bees in my bare hands without a quiver. But wasps... say the word and I would freakkkkk Outtttttttt!!! In fact one day my little brother and I were coming home from somewhere. I was driving and just as I turned the corner from Fair Oaks Blvd. onto New York Avenue in Fair Oaks, CA Kenny said "there is a wasp on your leg." I screamed and let go of the steering wheel and jumped to the passenger side of the car. Well the car didn't know what to do on it's own so it hit a telephone pole but the good news is that I didn't get stung by that WASP!

One good thing about these creatures is that they eat the maggot larvae in cow and horse poop so the fly problem is taken care of if you live in the country. 

I got stung a couple of years ago about five times under my arm and it hurt like heck. By then I had grown up and out of my phobia and I handled it very calmly. I Googled "wasp sting remedy" and found a great cure. The article said to take the inside of a banana peel, the sticky part and put it on the sting. I did and wahlaaaa, the sting immediately went away. HONEST, it worked. So next time you or yours gets stung by a wasp from Hell get out the banana peel and band aid the wet side onto the sting and see for yourself. 

So, tell me what were you afraid of when you were little?

Love,
Grammy T. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

But For Today I Weep


Mistie

My heart cried all day 
yesterday. 

My eyes also cried 
at the funeral and last night 
when I was asked to say 
the family prayer. 

I put my hands over my face and said 
”Heavenly Father this has been such a sad day.” 
And I cried and cried.  

Finally Danny said 
”Do you want me to say it?” 
Yes, I nodded. 

After the prayer he told me all of the 
wonderful news of the Gospel, 
that Mistie was in a wonderful place 
and her family would be 
with her again.

"Families Can Be Together Forever"

 “I know, I know” 

The first time I hugged Mistie we seemed to know each other heart to heart. And so we hugged a very long time. I had cancer twice and I told her that. There is something about being a Cancer Sister that I can’t explain. I told her that my best friend Carol also had breast cancer that was in her lymph’s too and then later in her bones and liver but that she was able to live for 15 years when they had only given her a few months.

And I told her of a dear friend in California that had brain cancer and the doctors had suggested two months but that a year and a half or so later he is still here and had given a talk in church last month, and it was a miracle.

I told her she must have hope and never give up that she could have a miracle too. Russ told me last week that the cancer was in her spine and on each vertebrae and was causing the most excruciating pain.

After the funeral yesterday I realized that 
her life was the miracle. 

She was the age of my seventh baby 
and youngest daughter 
Jessie 
but she was very much 
like my sixth baby, 
Amy. 

 “Why Mistie?" 

There is a reason, 
I know there is. 

And I know my heart will grasp 
it one of these days but 
'For today I weep.' 

Saturday, April 9, 2011

No-Knead Bread


Bread1
Picture and recipe from
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/The-Science-Behind-Dutch-Oven-Bread.aspx

Watch the Video is here.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Easy-No-Knead-Bread-Video.aspx

I found this bread that
I know your 4 year old could make.

I am making some now to go
with dinner tomorrow. 
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt

Flour, cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.  Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Let me know how you like it. :)

Love,
Grammy T.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Sweet 'n Spicy Veggie Couscous ~ Yummmm

This is seriously delicious and so easy to make.



This is an easy quick recipe.


INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 large carrot, shredded

2 1/2 cups Progresso® Chicken Broth (from 32-oz. carton)

1 (11-oz.) can Green Giant® Mexicorn® Whole Kernel Corn, Red and Green 
Peppers, drained

1 (9-oz.) pkg. Green Giant® frozen baby sweet peas

2 tablespoons golden raisins

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous

2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted*

Fresh basil leaves, if desired

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add onion and carrot; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.

  • 2. Increase heat to medium-high. Add all remaining ingredients except couscous, almonds and basil; mix well. Bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 to 7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
  • 3. To serve, fluff couscous with fork. Garnish with slivered almonds and basil.


* To toast almonds, spread on cookie sheet; bake at 350°F. for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Or, spread almonds in thin layer in microwave-safe pie pan. Microwave on HIGH for 4 to 7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

“And if we die before our journey’s through.. all is well”


That is surely a depressing title and I know I owe you an explanation.

I have loved reading The Hole In The Ceiling Blog  this last little while. In fact I printed the whole story out so that I could read it at night before I went to bed. Jane's husband died of Cancer and left her with two young boys. She talks of what a horrible experience it was and her feelings have given me a better insight into saying the proper things to someone who has lost something so important to them whether the death of a spouse or a job and a home.

I have been praying for a sweet young mother that I go to church with that has battled Cancer for a while now. She also has an adorable young husband that cherishes her and two young boys. What a coincidence...well maybe not.

I thought that hope was one of the best things that I could give her besides prayer. But the hope turned into reality for us all this week and she is dying. I still pray for her, her boys and her husband that the angels will be with them to buoy them up in the times of their sorrow. Her pain is in her back because the Cancer has attacked her spine. The medicine has taken most or some of the pain away.

Last evening I took dinner to an older lady that I go to church with that is honestly one of the cutest little things I have ever met. She leads the music and what a treat that has been to watch her. She has been down with horrible pain in her back. Her spine is very disjointed. Thankfully she has been rescued from most of the fierce pain with medication. We all have been praying for her that her pain could be alleviated.

Today after I had been up awhile my back starting killing me. It has hurt me the last few days but today it was horrible. I have had seven babies and I can tell you that this pain was as bad if not worse than I've ever had.  I don't know why but I do know that tonight I have true empathy for my sweet friends that have had pain so much worse than mine.

The Lord hold you in the hallow of His Hands, my dear friends. xoxoxo

Love,
Grammy T.