Just one Lollipop...

Well, a blowpop.

I figure if you only lick it, you don't gain the calories...

I also have one that makes your tongue turn red, but, I mean, what's the point.

What to post about this week?

So, sometimes we think our life is kindof boring... I think part of the problem is that we can't find the camera, and we hate to post without pictures, but for now, this is some of what we've been up to:

1. Of course, Gabriel keeps us busy. He figured out he is big enough to get over the fence into the neighbor's yard... Haven't quite solved that problem, although he stopped doing it for now at least.

2. I have beautiful mystery color tulips popping up all over the yard. Some open up to reveal ruby red, some orange, and the newest one is different stripes of brilliant yellow. The poor ones in the back yard are pretty beat up by the Gabe traffic, but they are surviving so far. At least he doesn't eat them.

(Side note--things Gabe has eaten: water hose, PVC pipe, firewood, water pump for the backyard waterfall, his name tags, dad's bicycle electronic flashing light (with batteries), the foot-cushion for our inversion table, cardboard boxes, comic books, a screen from the basement window including the frame, several plastic bins, a frisbee, the cat's scratching pad, and recently my black flats--his first ingested shoe. Yes, we do feed him, and he now has at least 5 surviving doggie chew toys available to him at all times.)  

3. Also in the gardening venue, we were lucky enough to buy a house with an apple tree (see The TMM blog about thier newly planted fruit trees to really appreciate this.) We also have 'choke cherries' in the back yard, and our first fall, we figured the puny little green apples looked about as appetizing as "choke cherries" sound. Very late last fall, I decided to try one. Brent yelled "EW!! That's been on the GROUND!!!" When I picked it up, wiped it off and took my first bite of the most sugary, delicious apples I have ever tasted. Since then I had aspirations to prune the tree and 'dig about it' (we'll let Gabe do the dunging), and hopefully have a healthier harvest this year. Dad finally helped me trim it down to size several weeks ago, and I'm hopeful that it will be much healthier this year.  

4. Brent is now on facebook, and he LOVES it! I never figured him for a facebook junkie. He takes quizzes all the time and made up his own the other day, "The Ontology Quiz." Wow. Soooo Brent! He is also fairly addicted to "Bejeweled Blitz." Apparently all his buddies in the Master's Program compete on facebook. He was the champ until the semester ended, but now he has some competition. 

5. Nicole's internet game of choice is sudoku. Actually it's the only internet game I've ever been really into. I started out with a book--a gift from my in-laws, but now I will hardly play it except online. I like being able to check and see if I've messed up anything. My favorite website has all kinds of great features, including pages that teach you expert sudoku moves, and if you get stuck in a puzzle, it will offer you hints to help you solve the next number. I can solve most puzzles in 10 minutes, plus 10 more if I enter the initial options myself (I usually have the site do it automatically). It really gets my mind off of anything I'm worried about, and helps me relax.

We will post pictures soon! 

Susan Boyle, Britain's Got Talent

WOW!!! She is an inspiration to all of us that need to just stand up and go for our dreams! 

Go Susan, GO!!! (Click here to see the video that shocked the world.)

Thanks for Voting!!

As many of you know, my incredible mother-in-law won an opportunity to compete on a filmed cook-off in New York, thanks to votes from viewers like you. :)
Here is the link to the video of the competition.

Check out this bit of sunshine :)

It's about Love

Brent and I are searching for a miracle, the miracle of adoption. 

Visit www.itsaboutlove.org to learn more about adoption & lds adoption services.

A Tribute to Mother-in-Laws

Mother-in-laws generally get a bad rap, especially when the husband is a momma's boy. Brent is a Momma's boy. He and his mom are VERY tight. Before we got married I'm pretty sure they spoke on the phone at least daily, which is, let's just say, a little more frequent than I call my family.

At first, I didn't quite know what to make of it. It seemed that Brent's mom had a lot of sway in his decisions, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that... mostly because I'm headstrong and independent and just naturally expected everyone else to be the same way. But, Brent is different. He listens and considers. He seeks advice from people who are wise. He surrounds himself with people who are good and allows them to influence him.

Alas, not only did I find my mother-in-law gave good advice, but she practically always gave MY advice. More than once when Brent and I were together and he was on the phone with her, she and I would say the same thing at the same time, then he would respond, then we would respond... I mean for a whole conversation! Sometimes it was just a little creepy just HOW on the same wavelength we were.

She does have more experience and wisdom to offer than I do on many subjects. She is frank and unabashed and like I am, opinionated but open and not easily offended. To have her as my mother has been one of the most (there are many) wonderful things about my marriage. My Dad always said, choose your inlaws, then choose your spouse (He has great respect for my maternal grandparents). I did not know Lori when I fell in love with Brent, but I feel like I've known her as long as I've known myself.

AND there is more! My husband came from a house full of mothers. Auntie Karen and Meme (Grandma) were also like mothers to him, and then there is Auntie Lisa, who supported Brent by letting him live with her all through college, and Tammy. Tammy especially has been a wonderful friend and mom to us. She is so generous to us in every way, sometimes I don't know how to take it. Most of the furniture in our home came from Dad and Tammy. She is absolutely talented at picking out just the right gift for someone. She has opened up thier home to us, so we feel like we can go home for a break whenever we can get away.

I just have to give a little extra shout out here to AK (Auntie Karen). She put a TON of work into helping make our wedding reception the most incredible I have ever attended. She sent us home after Christmas with a huge box of toys for our kids (which, most of you know, we are still waiting for). And, my favorite AK story, she planned weeks ahead to take me shopping one day, for the whole day, so I got off work, and was ready at 7 AM when she picked me up so we could drive up to this "new dollar store west of Salt Lake." She drove right to the airport and announced that we were flying to Las Angeles for the day to go shopping and Disney Pin trading! It was one of the biggest surprises of my life! It was awesome! These are just a few examples...

Basically, I am totally sold on the idea of mother-in-laws. I am tremendously grateful for mine!

Creative Cookin'

Now that my Mom's Meatballs won her a trip to NYC (and a thanks to all who voted!) I thought I was entitled to show that the food magic does not skip a generation:

(We made the meatballs, but I didn't get to take a picture before they were all eaten

Here's a very yummy 5 layer dip that I don't remember how I made:

But more importantly, last week I made, for the very first time, Mulligatawny!

A bit of history: The British conquered the world. India didn't have soup. On of the ruling British Rajs though that this was too bad and made them add one to the menu. The result was Mulligatawny, an Anglization of the Indian words for "Pepper Water" - sounds good already! I'm not sure if this makes it a UK dish or an Indian dish, but I've seen it from both. (I think it's similar to chop suey in this regard)

Anyway, never having made it, I scoured the internet for recipes. There's not much consistency, although almost all of them had potatoes and cumin. So here's what I did:

Ingredients:

A Large Mixing Bowl Filled with Potatoes (peeled, and cut up)An Apple, prepared the same way as the potatoes

3 Small Onions and One big one

A few Green Onions

A few short stocks of celery sliced finely

3 thingies of garlic (you know the big things with all the little pod things on them) finely chopped)

Half a stick of butter, melted

Some Sesame Oil

Can of tomato soup

Bunch of cumin

Bunch of curry powder
Lots and Lots of Pepper (I used freshly ground black, white, pink and green as well as not-so-fresh crushed red pepper)

Some chicken bullion

2 cans evaporated milk

Most of the spices in your cupboard (see photo)

Nuts (crushed)

Diced green peppers

Some carrots

Directions:

Take the chopped oninons, chopped white parts of the green onions, diced green peppers, chopped garlic and finely sliced celery and sautate in some pans using the melted butter and/or sesame see oil. Throw some of the spices in as you sautate, like the cloves. I recommend watching youtube videoes while chopping, it can take a while...

In a big pot, boil the apple and potatoes that are already cubed and diced up in just enough water to cover them. Add some carrots also sliced and diced finely. Add a few more of the spices at this time (good time for chili powder and some cumin). Combine with the sautated mixture from the last step and continue to simmer. Add most of the rest of the spices (most especially the pepper and curry). Get a potato masher and use it to stir. When the potatoes are soft enough, start mashing them a little bit as you stir. (Most online recipies called for blening or pureeing but that sounded a lot harder...). The mixture should be kinda green at this point. Go ahead and add the tomato soup now and continue the simmer and mash...

OK, the hard part is crushing some peanuts. I used a garlic smasher and my fists, but I hear there's an easier way. By now the mixture should be mashed enough that you don't have any definative chunks that can be identified (i.e. a piece of potato). Add the milk which turns the green mixture into a much prettier, whiter green/yellow (see picture). Add the nuts, probably a little more cumin and the chicken bullion cubes. Continue to stir/mash, becasue this is such a thick soup, be careful that the bottom isn't burning...

Add anything else that was on the ingrediant list or that you think would be good... a little parsley, some Italian seasonings or oregeno, but not too much. Oh and cinnamon. That's important, a good bit of cinnamon.

If you've reduced it too much, you can add some more water too. The end result should be one of the thickest soups you've ever had, but still more running then really running mashed potatoes.

Finally, serve in some nice oriental bowls your mom got you and sprikle the green part of the chopped green onions on top. It goes well with fragrent yellow rice. I also cut up a grinder (sub) into a circle as back up (see picture below).

Viola! It was so good that Randy (torso, left) said "I don't like curry or potato soups, but this is great, I want the recipe!" (and then he had seconds). And so, here it is. Bon Apetite.

My best desktop ever

This is a thumbnail of my new desktop background. I love it to death (that's me in the bottom right and Nicole in the tower).

It was specially made by the incomperable Heather Dixon, shown in the picture below on the left (the person, not the cat). Nicole (on the right) comissioned it for a present and it's the bestest ever!

MMMM Mother's Meatballs

Really, who wouldn't want someone as nice as my mother to win a trip to NYC to show off her mad cullinary skills.

http://quickfire.bravotv.com/quickfire/viewall.php

Hers are the cranberry meatballs. Pass it on (especially those of you with big email lists).

To quote Al Capone, "Vote Early, Vote Often"

(you can vote once per day, per email address and browser cookie)