More Yummy Recipes

OK, for those who requested these, here they are:

Chocolate Caramel Bars for the Bishop
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 (14 oz.) bag caramels (48)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 (12 oz.) pkg. milk or semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine first 6 ingredients to form a crumbly mixture. Unwrap caramels (let kids help). Melt caramels and whipping cream in a saucepan over low heat. Sprinkle half of crumbly mixture into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle chocoalte chips over baked mixture and top with melted caramel mixture. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Make a day or several hours ahead to allow time for caramel to set. Makes at least 2 dozen bars (very rich).

Cafe Rio Salads (thanks, Stacy J!)
We had these for our W. family Christmas party. We all stuffed ourselves silly. They are to die for! They are listed in random order, but you basically build a salad or burrito with them.

1. Pork
5-6 lb. pork roast
1/2-1 Tbsp. cumin
1 cup brown sugar
12 oz. bottle La Victoria taco sauce
20 oz. Coke (can use caffeine-free)

Cook roast on low for 12 hours (overnight) in crockpot with water added halfway up roast. After 12 hours, drain water off roast, add remaining ingredients and continue cooking for 4 more hours. Then shred the meat and cook 2 more hours.

2. Beef
4-5 lbs. rump or sirloin roast
1/4-1/2 cup Yoshida's sauce (or other sweet sauce)
1 can mexican (or Italian) stewed tomatoes
Montreal steak seasoning to taste
a little water

Brown roast first in large pot, then add other ingredients and cook all day. Trim fat, shred meat, and add back to sauce. Add cumin, oregano, garlic salt, pepper, and taco sauce to taste.

3. Rice
1 cup rice (uncooked, not instant)
1 tsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. lime zest
1 15 oz. can chicken broth
1/4 cup water

Boil above mixture for 15-20 minutes. Then toss the following with cooked rice:

2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped (I used less so it would be less spicy)

I tripled this recipe for a large group.

4. Black Beans
Saute 2 cloves garlic and 1 tsp. cumin in 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Then add:

1 can black beans, drained
1/3 cup tomato juice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (or less)

I doubled this recipe.

5. Salsa: use your favorite brand or recipe.

6. Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkg. dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped Cilantro (or less)
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos (peel off paper)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

7. Tortillas
Buy uncooked tortillas (pkg. of 36 at Sam's Club). Use a pancake griddle on high heat that is dry (no oil). Cook tortillas on one side until bubbly. Turn over, sprinkle with colby jack cheese and cook until cheese is melted. Then remove to plate. These can go on the bottom of the salad or be folded into a burrito.

8. Romaine Lettuce

9. Extra Cheese

10. Other toppings: sour cream, chopped tomatoes, tortilla chips, avocado, etc.

A week in California

The Saturday after Christmas, we finally left the cold and snow behind to go visit the Aaron clan in California. Rather than waiting and hoping the I-80 route would be clear and dry, we drove all the way down to Barstow in southern California, then headed across to Bakersfield and up the 5 to reach our destination in Clayton. It was a long day with 17 hours of driving, but we were so thankful to not have to stress about black ice or putting on chains. Once we got there, the weather was beautiful and mild; it felt like entering a world of spring! I loved to see green and flowers blooming again, and to take several walks on the trail. The climate there is nourishing to my soul! We all had a great time visiting with Brent's parents, John & Nikki, and Natalie & Aaron. We even got to see Bill & Aftin for a quick hello before they headed home. The kids loved playing with their cousins, going to see the sights in San Francisco, playing at Heather Farms, seeing the lights at the Oakland Temple, and going to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. Going home, we carefully timed our choice of day so we could take the shorter I-80 route. All was clear through the Sierra Nevadas; the only icy patches were around Wells, Nevada. Once home, it was back to streaming our kitchen faucet 24 hours a day so it didn't freeze...ah, the joys of Utah winters.

Projects

Emma's hair for church one Sunday. I was finally brave enough to attempt this style, and she actually was patient enough to sit still for it!

The kids made "caterpillars" as a family home evening activity we'd shared with friends. They are just egg cartons cut into rows that the kids decorated with all sorts of random craft odds and ends. Matthew's ended up as a Link caterpillar (think Zelda) with all sorts of green stuff on it. It was amazing how long this activity held their attention!

One of Matthew's many original Lego creations

For a school project, Matthew was assigned to "dress" a paper doll in native costume from a country of his choice. He decided to go with Mexico.

Christmas 2008

Sorry these pictures uploaded in reverse order. This is our family seeing the Christmas lights at the Oakland Temple (we drove to California two days after Christmas). They were gorgeous!

Jordan, Bryce, and Matthew enjoying a magical Star Wars action figure moment Christmas morning.

Rachel wasn't quite sure what to think, but quickly caught on to the excitement of her first Cabbage Patch Doll.

Notice the sheer elation in Matthew's eyes-- Santa brought him a GameCube with Zelda Windwaker and Lego Star Wars games!

Elizabeth received a (finally) completed wooden dollhouse from her parents, plus furniture and accessories from Santa. Brent had been working on building the dollhouse off and on since her birthday in February! Sarah modge-podged on cute scrapbook papers that Elizabeth picked out. It's adorable!

Emma finally told Santa she wanted a train for Christmas. This is right up her alley.

The kids anxiously awaiting the moment they are allowed to come downstairs for their first peek Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve nativity play

Inside the stable at the living nativity

A list of some of our favorite family Christmas traditions:

* Putting up the tree and decorations while Manheim Steamroller Christmas music plays in the background

* Seeing the lights on Temple Square

*Christmas parties with family and friends

*Christmas concerts

* Singing with the ward choir

* Ward Christmas parties

* Christmas service projects

* Making plenty of hot wassail

* Making and sharing lots of Christmas goodies. This year, Matthew and Elizabeth each selected a new recipe to try together, and they turned out great! Matthew's was Candy Cane Coffee Cake, and Elizabeth's was Fudge-Topped Shortbread (both from Taste of Home).

* Driving around to see beautiful Christmas lights in the surrounding area, especially the Spanish Fork Festival of Lights and Salem Pond Town. This is especially appealing to Mom and Dad since we can entertain our kids without having to get them out of the car!

* Going to the Living Nativity in Alpine (it's called A Step Back in Time Living Nativity). This is probably the most meaningful Christmas tradition we have. It may be nice for our children to visit Santa each year, but much more important for them to visit a "real" baby Jesus in a stable!

* Acting out the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas Eve, and watching the church's short film, The Nativity.

Halloween 2008

The yellow "pumpkin" was the only pumpkin that actually grew in our garden, even with two giant pumpkin plants! We were finally forced to pick it green once the garden froze, and it eventually turned yellow.

Sweet little Rachel was our ladybug. I didn't get around to making antennae.

Elizabeth wore her ballet costume from dance.

Emma, forever dressing up, looked natural as Snow White. She also had a red cape.

Matthew wearing his $2 Lego costume. We used leftover Pinewood Derby car spray paint, a Costco diaper box, deli salad tubs (the only cost), and lost of duct tape. Actually, this was really Brent's masterpiece. He has quite the knack for creative projects like this.

Matthew's Baptism (finally)

OK, so I realize I'm slipping further and further behind in my blog posts. But I still thought this would be great to share, especially with those of you who couldn't attend Matthew's baptism. It was the perfect day (other than my being deathly ill with bronchitis and pleurisy). Both sets of grandparents were there-- G&G Aaron came all the way from California-- as well as lots of other family and friends. Thanks to those of you who made the effort to come support Matthew on his special day! Grandpa Wilson gave a talk on baptism, and Grandma Aaron spoke on the Holy Ghost. All the Primary-age cousins sang a special musical number with Matthew-- "If the Savior Stood Beside Me". I first heard this song about 15 years ago (I don't remember where), and it was one of those songs that touched me so deeply that it never completely left me. Then I found it again about 6 years ago, and was delighted when it was selected as one of the songs for the 2008 Primary theme. I knew this was the perfect song to be sung at Matthew's baptism. As a bonus, the kids already knew it from singing it in Primary! It was absolutely amazing to listen to. You had to be there!

Afterwards, we had a brunch at our house with everyone, which was great. Later that afternoon, we went bowling and for dinner at Brick Oven. I am so pleased with Matthew and how his faith and testimony have grown.

Rachel turns 1

Well, actually Rachel is now 14 months, but better late then never. She was too cute on her birthday to not share the photos with everyone. Her cake is supposed to be a beehive, with bumblebee cupcakes.

All the Wilson cousins were able to be there-- amazing!

Rachel was a little timid about "diving in" to the piece of cake we gave her. The damage wasn't too bad, but she still got to get a bath afterwards.