Empty Sea Poem

So, this isn't a recipe. I just need someplace to store this so I don't lose it again. It was on our old computer, but it crashed and now it's gone. Luckily, Dallin had a copy.

When Josh was in the MTC, he wrote us a letter about the irony of being at the MTC (empty sea) learning to be a fisher of men. I don't know if he came up with the idea or if it was something someone told him.

A few years later, when Charis had friends that were going on missions, she decided that it would be fun to send them packages of different kinds of fish: Swedish fish, gummy fish, gummy whales, Goldfish crackers and of course Sardines, along with a poem about the Empty Sea they were currently fishing at. She asked if I could write a poem for her. This is what I came up with. We often send it to the missionaries we know (along with a small box of goodies).

MTC Poem

You have been called as a fisher of man.

The Lord expects you to give all that you can.

Now as you serve in the vast "Empty Sea" (MTC)

With 4000 fishermen, not one fish will there be.

You'll work very hard, many things you will learn,

And then at the end, your fishing license you'll earn.

Then out in the world souls are waiting for you

To bring them the Gospel, To teach them what's true.

So, while at the vast "Empty Sea" you are found,

Establish yourself on good, solid ground.

Work hard, learn a lot, with patience prepare.

So you will be ready, The Gospel to share.

(Copyright Christine Strong 2001)

Orange Cranberry Bread

This year has been a very long, strange year.  It started out with the Corona Virus Pandemic. Because of the pandemic, everyone has been advised to stay home as much as possible. We all wear masks when we have to go out, hoping to reduce the spread of this disease.  For several months, Allan worked from home. He had a lot of Zoom meetings and functioned quite well. He returned to the office in September. Church was canceled and we were told that we could hold our own meetings at home. Later in the year, they started having meetings again, allowing  only groups of under 100 to gather. Others are allowed to join the meetings through Zoom.  In June, I was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer and had a Hysterectomy. I didn't require any further treatment, but my doctor said I have a compromised immune system, so we are opting to attend Church through Zoom. Having Allan working from home was a huge blessing when I had my surgery. In November, there was a huge spike in cases and deaths from the pandemic, and government leaders suggested that all holiday celebrations be limited to only household members. We have tried to comply with those recommendations, however, we did visit with each of our local kids' families for Christmas and deliver gifts to them. It was a welcome change to visit with each of them.

Normally, sometime during the holidays, we have a big breakfast, with whatever family can come. We serve quiche, hash browns, various types of bread (including orange rolls, poppyseed bread, banana bread, and cinnamon rolls). This year I found this recipe for Orange Cranberry Bread. It is moist and delicious. Allan says it reminds him of Orange Rolls, but it is more dense and crumbly. Because of the pandemic, we didn’t have it this year. It will definitely be added to any future holiday breakfast menu.

ORANGE CRANBERRY BREAD

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

zest of 3 large oranges

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. orange juice fresh

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup fresh cranberries chopped or halved

Flour to coat cranberries (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment or grease it well.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
   In a large bowl, whisk together orange zest, buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla. 
3. Lightly shake cranberries in 2 tablespoons of flour. This is optional. But cranberries will naturally float to the top of the bread batter. Dredging them in flour will help keep them evenly dispersed throughout the bread.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and gently fold together. Just before it's combined, add in cranberries and stir JUST until combined. 
5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about an hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. 
   

Orange Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

 

-Slowly add in orange juice to powdered sugar and whisk.  Only add as much juice as needed to get a thick but pourable consistency. 

-Let glaze dry before wrapping the bread.

Carrot Cake

For as long as I can remember, Carrot Cake has been my favorite. I want to have it for our wedding cake, but we had Kaye's mom make our cake and she didn't make carrot cake.This is the best Carrot Cake recipe I have found.

DR. FREDERICK'S CARROT CAKE:

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil (or 3/4 oil and 1/2 c. applesauce)

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar

3 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg (fresh ground is best)

3 c. grated carrots - (coarse grate, not fine grate)

1 c. chopped pecans

8 oz. drained crushed pineapple (I drained the pineapple and measured 8 oz. - or 1 c.)

FROSTING:

1/2 c. butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. chopped pecans

heavy whipping cream

pinch of salt  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13" pan or two round cake pans.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce (optional), sugars, and vanilla.  Mix in flour mixture.  Slowly stir in carrots, pineapple, and nuts.

Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  (baking times may vary)  Let cake cool in pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  

For the frosting:

Beat everything together except the nuts until it's smooth and creamy.  Only add a splash of the whipping cream at a time until the frosting is creamy but stiff.  You don't want it too thin.  Fold in pecans.  Make sure your cake is completely cooled before you frost it.

Mr. Potato Head

Cuyler decided that he wanted Mr. Potato Head for dinner on his birthday this year. Not just a baked potato bar. No, that wasn't good enough. He wanted everyone to make their own Mr. Potato Head and then eat him. We had all the fixings for a baked potato bar. The only catch was that you had to put it on the outside of the baked potato. I put a lot of the condiments out, whole, so people could make them the shapes they wanted. It ended up being a lot of fun. We decorated the house with my 18 real Mr. Potato Heads. Charis even made a Mr. Potato Head cake.

Mr. Potato Head Potato Bar 

Baked Potatoes 

Grated Cheese

Sour Cream 

Chili

Green onions

Boiled Eggs 

Avocados

Chives

Green Peppers

Red Peppers

Sunflower Seeds

Olives

Cherry Tomatoes 

Whole Mushrooms

Pretzel Sticks

Artichokes 

Green Peas

Asparagus 

Radishes 

Ham Slices

String Cheese

Bacon

Broccoli 

Mini Carrots 

Curried Honey Mustard Chicken

When Allan was the bishop we had a dinner for all the bishopric and clerks. We served this chicken. Everyone loved it. It is delicious and easy to make.

When I was taking it over to the church for the dinner, I spilled some of the sauce in the car. Curry powder, along with the butter and mustard really stain. I worked really hard to get the stain and the smell out of our brand new car, but failed. At least our car smelled delicious for week or two. I ended up having to have the car detailed to get the aroma out.

 Curried Honey Mustard Chicken

⅓ cup butter, melted 

⅓ cup honey

¼ cup Dijon-style prepared mustard

4 teaspoons curry powder

1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Diced mango

Cilantro sprigs

Lime wedges

Rice

Step 1 In a medium bowl combine the melted butter/margarine, honey, mustard, curry powder and cayenne powder. Mix well. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour honey/mustard mixture over chicken. Cover and place in refrigerator. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 2 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Step 3 Remove dish from refrigerator and bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake about 10 minutes more, or until done and juices run clear (baking time will depend a little on how thick your chicken breasts are).

Step 4. Serve overcooked rice. Garnish with mangos and cilantro with lime wedges on the side.

Soft Ginger Snaps

When I was a little girl, my grandmother would spend several months a year at our home.  most of the time she lived in Idaho with my Aunt Margaret.  But, every few months, she would come spend a month of two with us.  I loved to have her come visit.  She was deaf and only spoke sign language. I didn't know much sign language, other than the alphabet and "thank you" and "good night". But I was little enough, that I used to love to just sit with her on her bed and hold her hand.

Grandma's favorite cookies were Ginger Snaps. She loved them with her Postum.  They were hard and dry and I thought they were way to spicy.  I didn't like them, at all.

Now that I am old, I really like ginger cookies.  I like them soft and probably not as spicy as the old ginger Snaps. I especially like them at Christmas time.

Soft Ginger Snaps

• 1/2 cup Butter. melted and cooled. 
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 
• 1/3 cup Dark Molasses    
• 1 Egg    
• 2 cups Flour  
• 2 t. Baking Soda  
• 1 1/2 t. Ground Ginger  
• 1 t. Ground Cinnamon  
• 1/2 t. Ground Cloves         
• 1/4 t. Salt    
• 1/4 cup Granulated or Sanding Sugar                   

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

2.  Mix butter, brown sugar, and molasses.  Add egg and mix well.

3.  Add all other dry ingredients (except granulated sugar).  Mix until well combined. Dough will be soft.                                                                                                                                                         

 4.  Divide the dough into 36 pieces (about 1 T. or the size of a walnut). Roll into a ball and roll ball in sugar. Place balls about 2" apart on cookie sheet. Do not flatten.                                                        

5.  Bake cookies 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.   

6.  To keep cookies soft, remove cookies immediately from cookie sheets and place in air tight containers.  

Creme Brulee

I planned on making Creme Brulee for Christmas dinner this year.  It has been a favorite of our family for years.  I looked on my blog, because I was sure I had posted it long ago. But to my surprise it wasn't here. I decided I better post it. I like having my blog because it enables me to have access to my favorite recipes wherever I happen to be (as long as I have internet access).  
Several years ago, Emma invited me to attend a charity event with her and Clark at LeCaille Restaurant.  It is a very nice restaurant, in a very quaint, beautiful setting.  I had never been there, so I was very excited to go.  Allan was out of town, so Charis went with me.  It was a lot of fun and the food was delicious.  The one thing on the menu that was most memorable for me was the Creme Brulee.  I had never had it before that night.  It was so good.  I decided I really wanted to learn to make it.
That year, for Christmas, Allan bought me some ramekins and a kitchen torch.  Allan loves the kitchen torch.  Every time I make Creme Brulee, he insists on torching the tops.  It really isn't that hard to make.  Just don't over bake it or it will be kind of rubbery instead of melt in your mouth smooth and creamy.
At LeCaille, they put just a smidge of raspberry jam on the bottom of the ramekin before they poured in the Creme Brulee.  It was a delicious surprise.


Vanilla Creme Brulee
6 large egg yolks
6 Tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengwise or 1 t. real vanilla extract (the vanilla bean is better)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
6 teaspoons granulated sugar (or 8-12 teaspoons packed brown sugar).

Preheat oven to 325
Whisk yolks and 6 Tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend.  Scrape in the seeds from vanilla bean. Gradually whisk the cream into the sugar and eggs.  Divide mixture among 6 - 3/4 cup custard cups or ramekins.  Arrange dishes in 13x9x2 inch baking pan.  Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of dishes.
Bake custared approximately 35-40 minutes until the custard is set.  Do not overbake or your custard will be rubbery.  Remove the pan from the oven and remove custard cups from the water.  Allow custards to cool before placing in the refrigerator.  Chill overnight. 
Two hours before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspon sugar on top of each custard, spread the sugar evenly.  using a kitchen torch, carefully carmelize the sugar on top.   Or, Place dishes on small baking sheet. Broil unil sugar just start to caramelize, rotating sheet for even browning, about 2 minutes. Sugar should be a pretty golden brown, not black. Chill until caramelized sugar hardens, about 2 hours.