25 November, 2007

the HERO....




We returned from Arizona on November 13th, and barely blinked when it was time for a Guitar Hero contest...

Christian has honed (nearly perfected?) his guitar hero skills, so we drove the 58 miles to a hotel to watch him beat out EVERY ONE OF THE OTHER 20 ENTRANTS...of all ages, and they were blown away! He won a Guitar Hero III game, a couple of Tshirts, and some other misc. (And of course, a little ego boost, but he is a pretty humble boy aside from this event, so it was okay!) See the one shot of a final score....his 99% accuracy compared to the opponent's 78%? crazy. sorry for the unedited photos....here he is with his new loot!




THEN....Ben's parents came on the 20th - I will be adding pictures from that later, as we are still in the midst of lots of fun!





November 24th was Christian's 15th birthday...where does the time go??? wow, what a cutie!~!

Oh, we had a hard time taking away that bottle!

Here, he is about 5, buddy-buddy with Gabe in his ever-present super hero getup.


And this is from his 7th birthday....can you say "never changes"??? We were so busy making a ton of pizza this year, that the poor boy never got a cake..instead, a candle in a home made peanut butter cup.


we had quite a party here on saturday night...with "Rock Band"...the newest musical game to sweep the world of video consoles...they all had a LOT of fun, with the guitars, drums, and microphone... woohoo!

wedding smiles....

Anndrea dancing with our Papa....

Papa, Annie, Luke, myself, cousin Kurt, and great Aunt Mimi holding Victoria in the front.

Victoria and Emme dancing with Aunt Tessa ~

More to come soon!!!

more wedding fun...

The day before the wedding, the GIRLS all went out for manicures and pedicures. Here is Anne, our MOM, Anndrea, and her best friend Julie.
Erin enjoying a magazine....

Anne, Jordan's fiancee, and Jessica, Jacob's girlfriend. she fit RIGHT into our family, and we all had a blast!
This is Erin, myself, and Anne...soaking our piggies. Such fun!!

and then....

Visiting with Grandma....this is Luke, Emme, and Micah's 4-month-old son, Mason! Next is Uncle Jacob....thanks, Emme, for snapping this one.

And Uncle Josh...always good for a laugh!

THEN.....the following day, we met Ben's cousin, Jenna for lunch, along with her 2 little ones, Leslie and Drew. (They were so sweet! thanks again, Jenna!) We dines at Red Robin, and the Robin himself was a little too overwhelming to Leslie, who had recently survived Halloween. It is so nice to make connections again - even if it isn't very often!

holycow...









i am sure i have used that title before, but what a whirlwind of a month! I have not yet done a stitch of Christmas shopping, which is very unlike me! all that aside.....where do I begin?? well, in early november, we took a trip to Arizona, where my younger sister got married. It was wonderful to connect with my family, whom I have missed very much, and even planning an extra day off of work and school did not make it feel like "enough" time. The trip down was pleasant, as well, despite tha fact that we realized at the last minute we did not have the proper cables to our van's DVD player. they were misplaced in the confusion of a car accident a year ago, and who was thinking about traveling then?? so - the kids loaded up their toys and books, and we played several rounds of the alphabet game. not too bad of a 13-hour drive with 5 children! woohoo!!








first major stop was a sweet picnic area in southern utah. we had yummy sandwiches and cookies...and caught sight of 4 beautiful "Stellar's Jay" bluejays....unfortunately, i have no pictures of the kids there...just several attempts at a busy bird. the kids WERE there, but I photograph them all the time!








then....we stopped at Glen Canyon Dam...in the neighborhood of the Grand Canyon, and it was a wonderful thing to see. we did get one fun pic of the kids, but again...the scenery stole the stage!


Always need posers!
And the breathtaking sunset over the Utah/Arizona desert....

17 November, 2007

TURKEY TIME!!!!


I LOVE making the Thanksgiving meal! The whole day is about eating good food, and anyone who loves to cook also loves to be appreciated!! For years now, I have done our turkey an "unconventional" way, but no one is ever disappointed, and I honestly have very few leftovers! What follows is a recipe similar to the technique I have used, and once you stuff your bird this way, you will never go back! It is an extraordinary way to roast turkey that produces a bird of incomparable moistness, with skin as crackly as a potato chip.

You should never rub a turkey's skin with anything but salt. The salt seals the pores and keeps the juices in the flesh. People make a mistake in rubbing turkey with fat, in basting it with drippings, and in roasting it at a low temperature, all of which make the juices run out.

What also distinguishes this method is where the stuffing goes -- a savory sausage paste — directly underneath the skin and leaves the body cavity empty. Roasting the turkey for 2-1/2 hours at 400°F produces a fine, juicy, most flavorful bird. The fatty meat cooks atop the turkey flesh, dripping down and moistening the skin throughout the baking time. What follows is my own adaptation of a timeless Portuguese recipe from Maria Eugénia Cerqueira da Mota.

Ingredients:
A fresh turkey weighing about 15 pounds
2 pounds salt (that's right, 2 pounds)

For the Stuffing:
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 small loaves crusty French or Italian bread, diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3-1/2 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 lbs. italian sausage
3 T minced onion
1 t. cayenne pepper powder
1 T lemon pepper
2 bags Pepperidge Farm seasoned croutons

Instructions:
Remove the giblets from the turkey and chop them finely to add to your stufing, or discard if you just can't bear the thought of cooking them. Fill the neck and body cavities of the turkey with salt, then rub the skin well all over with salt. Place the turkey and remaining salt in a very large deep kettle, add enough cold water just to cover the bird, and set in a very cool spot for 3 to 4 hours. (Maria Eugénia soaks her turkey a full 24 hours, but in America's superheated houses, that would be unwise.)
Toward the end of the soaking period, prepare the stuffing: In a large heavy kettle set over moderate heat, sauté the garlic in the butter and olive oil about 5 minutes until limp. Add the bread, salt, and pepper, and toss well; now add the chicken broth and beat hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture is pastelike; turn the heat to its lowest point, cover the kettle, and steam 15 to 20 minutes, until the bread has absorbed all the liquid. Add the egg yolks and beat hard until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the onion and sausage. Set all aside. Preheat the oven to hot (400°F; 205°C). Drain the turkey and rinse very well, removing every bit of salt from the neck and body cavities. It's important to rinse the bird several times in cool water, so that all traces of salt are gone. Place the bird on the counter with the neck cavity facing you. With your hands, begin working the skin free from the breast. Proceed gently, taking care not to tear the skin. It's slow going at first, but once you begin to free the skin, the job goes quickly. Loosen it all the way down the bird to within about 1 inch of the tail end, down both sides. Now, with your hands, push the stuffing bit by bit far down under the skin and continue, packing it in lightly, until the breast is covered with about a 1-inch layer. Now fill the neck cavity, skewer the neck skin flat against the back to enclose, and truss the bird.

Place the turkey breast-side up in a large shallow roasting pan (no rack needed) and roast uncovered for about 2-1/2 hours or until the bird is richly browned and a leg moves easily in the hip joint; do not baste. Remove from the oven and let stand 20 minutes.

Remove as much of the stuffing from the bird as possible, and put into a large stock pot. Ladle in 1/2 - 1 cup of the juices and bits from your roasting pan, breaking up the cooked stuffing, blend well. Add in the croutons, continue stirring and adding more of the turkey juices until your stuffing is the moistness you prefer.

Slice the turkey, make a smooth gravy from the remaining juices, and serve it all hot.

This should easily serve 20 guests, with a bit of left over meat, but don't count on much!

16 November, 2007

Self-ism.

Do you know that the literal meaning of autism is self-ism? This is an interesting link, with a view from an adult autism sufferer....and she details how oftentimes she is into herself, and therefore not noticing the needs or words of others.

Do you think we would have less autism if we trained members of our society to be less selfish? There are seemingly hopeless situations, but most people can think of a quality example of a very polite 3 year old. If a 3-year old can polite, then the same expectations of a 14-year-old-with-the-mentality-of-a-6-year-old should exist. Teach them to notice others. Hold their face and have them look you in the eye, to see that eye contact is respectful of others. Tell them to say hello, even if it is uncomfortable. I had a 2-1/2 year old diagnosed with asperger's, and now you would have to spend a great deal of time with her for anyone to know. She is sweet, quiet, has control, obeys, does not throw tantrums...all things that were once HOURLY issues in her little life. Believe me, the effort will pay off in the enjoyment you receive from those in your life who are worth your time.

06 November, 2007

Tortellini Cordon Bleu

The combining of French and Italian cuisine resulted in a nice pasta dish at our house last night...

Cordon Bleu is Francais for "blue ribbon"...and the original chicken Plat principal, or main course is yummy with its corn meal breading, enveloping chicken breast, ham and gooey swiss cheese.

Wanting the flavor without all the fuss (it has to be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for some time before the cooking process), I blended all of this:

4 chicken breasts, cooked in a small amount of water and chopped into generous chunks.
1 pound 5-cheese blend tortellini (boil al dente)
1/3 # swiss cheese, sliced thickly (add to cooked, strained pasta returned to its boiling pot on med heat to melt)
1/2 - 1 c coarsely chopped smoked turkey "ham", or simply ham - we don't do much pork
1 c. heavy cream (pour over pasta & cheese)
3-4 T italian seasoning (grind in palm and add to pasta mixture)
1 T garlic granules (fresh would be better - I was in a hurry)
1 cup organic chicken broth
1 c cream - pour these into pasta pot, heat on med/med-hi to low boil
4 T corn starch - stir into 2 T cream to make thick paste. pour over bubbling sauce, cook until sauce is the thickness you like.

THEN TOSS IN:
1/4 c. dried cranberries, chopped randomly
2 tsp salt
4 T Marsala

Add chicken, stir well, serve hot with crusty bread and a yummy spinach salad. (Which, i should warn you, a 1-cup serving may take the average 11 year old a fair amount of time to eat. Ours did it in just under 2 hours)

Spinach salad

3 c. fresh spinach, de-stemmed, and chopped coarsely
1/4 c fresh grated parmesan or romano cheese
1/4 c dried cranberries
1/4 c pomegranate arils
1/8 c your favorite granola blend
1/2 c frozen, thawed petite peas

combine and drizzle over all:
1/4 c ranch dressing
1 1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp garlic granules or powder

enjoy!!

05 November, 2007

the Turkey Bowl!!

Jordan and Ben warming up....

The Young Adults group from our church participated in the Turkey Bowl on Saturday, to raise funds for the "Dream Center" - a local homeless shelter which provides an annual Thanksgiving feast, and feeds and shelters needy people in salt lake city throughout the year.
Jordan, Anne, and Ben all played...I had to control the camera!! If you click on the picture you can see an enlarged picture with details pointing out our family members!

It was a gorgeous November day, and hot chocolate and chili were just right to warm up the spectators when a chilly breeze came!

01 November, 2007

HAPPY

day after Halloween!! Phew, so glad it is over. Did you know Utah celebrates as big (or bigger than) Christmas! I took the older 2 boys, and went to the younger kids' school to watch their "Halloween Parade"...all the kids wove in and out of all of the parents in the gym, and.... HOLY COW, SIR! Little kids, dressed in the most scary, blood-dripping costumes, making the younger siblings that were there all out SCREAM! I contemplated putting this into the blog, but I hope it serves to remind me that next year, i will keep my kids home from school that day! All they did was play games, and be scared. The silly/scary music being piped through the school's loudspeaker system was enough, but the posters plastered throughout the school with frightening images and the large coffin and ghost-filled pumpkin in the cafeteria were over the top.

...on a lighter note, our kids did dress up, and did a little bit of trick-or-treating, and some "trunk-or-treating"...at the school parking lot, all the parents come with their trunks filled with candy, and the kids can go around in a "safe" environment.

Here are some photos to show you how things were fun inside of our house....can you guess what they were? Victoria couldn't help but pose for every picture!







Then there was Luke - he did not dress up for school...too "mature" for that I guess, but upon realizing trick-or-treating would not be too fruitful in normal clothes, he opted to be a rough-and-tough hockey player. Hence, the Karo syrup-and-corn meal wounds on his face. GO, mom!