Nov - Recipes - Turkey Tetrazzini and Dill Weed French Bread

Here's another recipe. This one would be especially good for November.

We always look forward to Thanksgiving, not so much for the turkey on Thursday, but for the Turkey Tetrazzini on Friday night after Thanksgiving with the leftover turkey. It goes very well with Dill Weed French Bread, and they can be baked in the oven at the same time.

TURKEY TETRAZZINI

6 ounces spaghetti or linguine, broken in half

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 3/4 cup turkey or chicken broth

1 cup light cream (half and half)

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms (fresh or canned)

1/4 cup green pepper, diced

2 tablespoons canned pimiento (1 small jar)

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti in boiling, salted water until just barely tender. Do not overcook. Drain. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Blend in flour. Slowly stir broth into flour mixture. Add cream. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Add salt, pepper, drained spaghetti, mushrooms, green pepper, pimiento and cooked turkey or chicken. Turn into a 12x7 1/2x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.

DILL WEED FRENCH BREAD

1 loaf french bread or baguette

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon dry dill weed

Mix butter and dill weed in a small bowl. Spread dill butter between slices of French bread. Wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven 20 to 30 minutes.

Thanks,

Randy C - Rocky Mountain Ward

Oct - Recipe - Apple Turnovers

Another recipe from Randy C of the Rocky Mountain Ward

EASY APPLE TURNOVERS

MAKES 12 TURNOVERS

TIME: 60 MINUTES (INCLUDES 40 MINUTES OF BAKING AND COOLING TME)

This recipe makes 12 turnovers, or 6 to each sheet of puff pastry. We used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, which come 2 sheets to a box. You can make these apple turnovers up to a day before baking. Store them in the refrigerator; brush them with water and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking. 

APPLE FILLING

1½ pounds Granny Smith apples (3 large or 4 medium)

1½ cups (10½ ounces) sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

¼ teaspoon salt

PUFF PASTRY

2 sheets (9 by 9½ inches) frozen commercial puff pastry, thawed on the counter for 10 minutes

CINNAMON SUGAR

½ cup (3½ ounces) sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Peel the apples and grate them on the large holes of a box grater. Combine the grated apples, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. FOR THE PASTRY: Unwrap the puff pastry and, using a rolling pin, roll each sheet on a floured surface to an 11 by 9-inch rectangle, about ⅛ inch thick. Using the back of a paring knife, gently make a vertical line down the center of the dough (you want to mark the dough without cutting through it). In the same way, mark each dough half into 3 horizontal sections, cutting all the way through the dough and forming 6 rectangles per sheet. Place 2 tablespoons grated apple filling (squeezed of excess liquid) in the center of each dough rectangle.
4. Fold one edge of the dough over to meet the original dividing line in the center of the dough; repeat with the other side. Press the edges to seal, and using your finger, make indentations between the rectangles. Use a paring knife to cut down the center of the dough (dividing the dough into 2 long halves with 3 filled rectangles on each half) and then cut the filled rectangles away from one another. Press the edges to seal and then crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate the turnovers for 10 minutes (or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours).
5. FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush or mist the turnovers with water and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the turnovers to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Randy C

printable recipe

Oct - Recipe - Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

This yummy looking recipe is a family favorite from Randy C of the Rocky Mountain ward, I noticed it comes from one of my favorite bloggers so I'll share a link to her detailed instructions too.

The Pioneer Woman

I'm not sure you can go wrong with recipes from the Pioneer Woman

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour Difficulty: Easy Servings: 12

3 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Washed Thoroughly

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced

3 cups Diced Ham

1-1/2 cup Half-and-half

1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup Flour

Black Pepper To Taste

1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Chopped Parsley (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large casserole dish.

Heat butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they start to turn translucent. Add ham and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine half-and-half and cream in a microwave-safe container and nuke for a minute or so, until no longer cold. Whisk in flour and black pepper until totally combined. Set aside. (You may add salt, but cheese and ham are salty, so add sparingly.)

Combine the two grated cheeses. Set aside.

Using a mandoline or slicer, slice potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (very thin.) Layer 1/3 of the potato slices in the buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the ham/onion mixture, then 1/3 of the cheese, then pour on 1/3 of the cream mixture.

Repeat this twice more, ending with a sprinkling of cheese and a pouring on of the rest of the cream mixture. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes at least, or until bubbly and hot.

Cut into squares and serve. Sprinkle on chopped parsley if you'd like!

(Note: To speed along the process a bit, you may boil sliced potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes before assembling the casserole. Just drain and slightly cool before assembling.)

Randy C - Rocky Mountain Ward

Jun 2014 - Sisterhood - The passage from trials to hope

June:  Sisterhood Post

My name is Shelly.  I’m a wife, mother (1 daughter and 3 sons), friend, substitute teacher, runner, healthy eater, battler of Multiple Sclerosis, Missionary Mom J, and I am a Mormon! 

I was raised in the Catholic Church in Roy, Utah.  Although I honestly have no memory of being baptized in the LDS church, it did happen when I was eight years old.  My parents are deaf, and said they didn’t quite understand what the missionaries were telling them when they would come visit.  So my parents asked me, an eight year old, if I wanted to be baptized!  I imagine that I didn’t even know what that was, and so I said yes!  We went to the Catholic church the next Sunday and that continued for me until college. 

When I was 19, I was working for a dental office in Roy.  I was cleaning one of the rooms one day, and a very loud and distinct voice said to me, “You need to take the missionary discussions!”  I remember looking for someone in the room because I didn’t understand where this voice had come from.  Being the pretty obedient person I was, I walked straight into the dentist’s office that I worked for and told him I need to take the missionary discussions!  Ha!  You can imagine the shock on his face.  Because I had never been active in the LDS church, I had to take the missionary discussions completely and be active in the church for a year before I could go through the temple.  I took the discussions, met my husband, got married in the temple, and the rest is history!  Although I may not be a convert by some standards; I believe and tell people that I am.

The real purpose of this post is about our daughter who is on a mission in Mexico City!  She is the first missionary on my side of the family and the first girl on my husband’s side to serve.  I cannot describe the utter joy and contentment I feel in having a daughter on a mission.  When we dropped her off at the MTC, one thought kept coming into my mind: I have changed the course of my posterity by joining this church and teaching them the ways of Christ!  Here is one of my favorite excerpts from an email she sent us:

“Something really inspiring that I came across in the bible, was in chapter 5 of Romans, and talks about how with trials, we gain patience, with patience we gain experience, and with experience, we gain hope. I love this. Because at times the plan the Lord has for us doesn’t make sense, but this helped me realize, that his plan has an order and there is always a process for us to learn things and become refined. So I know there is a reason for all things. It was frustrating at times that we couldn’t find anyone to teach, but this helped me realized that this is for our experience. It will only help us become more refined servants of the lord :).”  

These words bring tears to my eyes!  This gospel changes lives!  It has changed mine and I am so thankful for that every day.  I know that all our trials are for our good.  I know that this gospel is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer and that Heavenly Father loves me.  I know that I have changed the course of my posterity’s lives…and thank God for that miracle every day J.

Shelly- Rocky Mountain Ward

Feb 2014 - Thought - "Thought" is the beginning of all things

Hello, my name is Avis C (pronounced with a short 'a'). We recently moved here from South Central Texas, but are "native" Utahans. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, my husband in Boise, ID, but we have family here and have lived in St. George area previously. I was asked by the Stake Relief Society President to write this for the blog, after she heard my comment in Sunday School a couple weeks ago.

I am by NO means an orator, so I keep things simple and to the point. If you want an ear-full you'll have to search me out and talk one on one.

The comment I gave in church was about our attitudes toward 'preparedness'. The lesson was on Noah and I pointed out that verse 22 of Moses 8 tells us exactly what the people's problem was...thoughts. "Every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually." We can learn, not only from what the prophets and good people in the scriptures did, but also, how to avoid and be sure to check ourselves, to see if we are anything like those that were wicked in the scriptures. Being raised in the gospel, a lot of us forget that ALL our actions (or lack of actions) start with our thoughts. Are we putting off obeying the commandment from the prophets to be prepared for ANY reason? Think about what thoughts entered your mind when you first read the intro, that this entry to the blog was going to be on preparedness. Were they negative? That is where we begin to change. Find out how you can think positive about preparedness, and watch the change in your heart and actions start. Watch how the Spirit, then, can guide you to accomplish things you never thought possible.

By the way, Thought is the beginning of all things. Plans, creation, actions, choices all stem from thoughts.  One of my many favorite scriptures is D&C 121:45 "...and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly...and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews of heaven."

Sent from my Rotary phone duct-taped to an Etch-a-Sketch

How To Cook Beans From Scratch

How to Cook Beans from Scratch

1. Sort through the dry beans Remove any stones and shriveled, broken or off-colored beans. Rinse well.

2. Presoak All dry beans (except for lentils, black-eyed peas and split peas) need to presoak before cooking.

Presoaking Options

Overnight method: Cover beans with 3 cups of water per cup of beans (or just plenty of water!) and soak overnight. Drain and rinse.

Quick method: Cover beans in pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, turn off heat and then let set 1-2 hours. Drain and rinse.

Sprouted method: Allow beans to soak for 24 hours (refrigerate after 8 hours). Drain and rinse.

Cooking Options Following Presoaking

Stove top: Add 3 cups of water per cup of dry beans to a pot. Bring to a boil then simmer gently, adding more water as needed.

Pressure cooker: A 4-quart pressure cooker can cook up to 3 cups of dry beans. Add enough water to cover the beans by 1-2 inches. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil to reduce foaming.

Slow cooker: Add 2 cups of water per cup of beans. Cook on low for indicated amount of time. Ideally, soak beans overnight, then put in crock on low in the morning. Reduce cooking time by beginning with boiling water. You can also cook on high for half the indicated amount of time.

Does this just look like too much work?

You can certainly opt to use canned beans for the sake of convenience.

You might be pleasantly surprised, however, once you begin preparing beans from dry (particularly in a pressure cooker or slow cooker) at just how easy it is. Again, it’s just a matter of starting things early- set the beans to soak the night before and then set them to cook in time for being done for meal time. When I go to the effort of making beans from dry, I make double the amount that I need and put the rest in a freezer bag and freeze for next time.

What’s the advantage of cooking beans from dry?

* More economical

* You’re in control of everything that goes into them (canned beans often contain a lot of sodium and sometimes have added preservatives as well as questionable materials in the can and lining itself).

Cooking Times for Preparing Beans from Scratch

Experiment with these times because many factors affect the cooking time

-age of beans, type of cooker, humidity, elevation, etc.

Stove top Pressure Cooker Slow Cooker

Chickpeas 1 1/2 - 2 hr. 22 min. 10 hr.

Kidney 1 1/2 - 2 hr. 15 min. 10 hr.

Pinto 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8 1/2 hr.

Black beans 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8 1/2 hr.

Soldier 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8 1/2 hr.

Azuki/Aduki 1- 1 1/2 hr. 12 min. 8-10 hr.

Navy 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 6 1/2 hr.

Black-eyed peas 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 6 1/2 hr.

Lima beans 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 6 1/2 hr.

Split peas 1- 1 1/2 hr. 10 min. 4 hr.

Lentils 1- 1 1/2 hr. 8-10 min. 4 hr.

Bean Equivalents

1 can of beans = 1 1/2 - 2 cups of beans

1 lb. dry beans = 2 cups dry beans

1 cup dry beans= about 2 1/2 cups cooked beans

1 lb. dry beans = about 5 cups cooked beans

1 lb. dry beans = about 3 cans of beans

Do not add salt, lemon or vinegar to cooking beans.

It will lengthen their cooking time and make them tough.

Only add after they are fully cooked.