Monday, February 28, 2011

Yummy Recipes

Recipes for Cream of Anything Soup (See "I Understandeth Me Not"):
Prepare 3 cups medium white sauce:
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. chicken bullion granules
½ tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups milk

Cream Soup Base (cook in largest saucepan):
1. Melt butter or margarine in large saucepan over low heat.
2. Blend in flour, bullion, salt and pepper.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in milk.
5. Return to heat and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
6. Let sit on warm heat in pan until vegetables are ready to add.

Vegetables (cook in medium saucepan):
7. Place cut vegetables in a medium sauce pan, add enough water to barely cover the vegetables. If the vegetables float (zucchini), mark the side of the pan before adding water so that you can see the correct amount of water to add.
8. Bring the vegetables to a boil on high heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the vegetables in the saucepan until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful all the water does not boil out.
9. Prior to mixing vegetables and white sauce, puree part of the vegetables in a blender. Use a large spoon to place the vegetables in the blender and then pour some of the vegetable cooking water over them and puree.

Combining the Cream Soup Base and Vegetables:
10. Mix the remaining vegetables, the vegetable puree, and the cream soup base together. Add enough of the vegetable water to make the soup the desired consistency. Serve in your medium-sized ceramic mixing bowl.

NOTE: The following recipes call for additional ingredients. When dry herbs/spices are needed, add with bullion, salt and pepper in white sauce preparation.

***Cream of Potato***
4 diced potatoes, washed and peeled
2 stalk diced celery, washed
¼ cup onion, chopped fine

***Cream of Asparagus***
4 cups asparagus
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Dash of ground nutmeg or mace

***Cream of Green Bean***
3 cups green beans
1 teaspoon crushed savory

***Cream of Broccoli***
4 cups broccoli
1/2 teaspoon dry leaf thyme
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 bay leaf (added to white sauce and removed before serving)

***Cream of Carrot***
2 cup carrots (about 6 large)
1 tablespoon dry parsley (add with salt, pepper and bullion)
½ teaspoon dry basil (add with salt, pepper and bullion)

***Cream of Cauliflower***
4 cups cauliflower (about 1 head)
1 teaspoon curry powder (add with salt, pepper and bullion)
¼ cup onion, chopped fine (cooked with cauliflower)
2 green onions for garnish

***Cream of Zucchini***
3 cups zucchini (about 4 medium)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg (add with salt, pepper and bullion)

***Cream of Mushroom***
3 cups mushrooms
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Mountain Gear Tip #7

Before you get your gear going, you have to get to the mountain.  When 27 inches of new white delight falls and Little Cottonwood is closed, the powder hounds will flock to Big Cottonwood.  The roads people will close Big Cottonwood and you will sit in place for 45 agonizing minutes. 

 Solution:  Arrive at the parking lot at 8 a.m. BEFORE they close the road.
Highlight:  Enter Navarone gate just as the ski patrol removes the rope, UNTRACKED BLISS...

Friday, February 25, 2011

Detoxification

The goodies begin at Thanksgiving and officially run through Valentine's Day.  After that, it's time to get down to the business of healthy eating.  So in the name of detoxification, I have held off the junk until at least 1 p.m. each afternoon.  Those of you who do not start the day with a Snickers bar and a diet coke may close this post immediately and read no further.  I'm proud to say that things have gone remarkably well and I'll tell you that a pound of chocolate covered cinnamon bears goes down pretty smoothly at 4 p.m.
Bring on the broccoli!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

BYU

Enjoy this video....

Balloon Fight

Monday, February 21, 2011

Bryce Canyon

Almost 2 feet of new snow overnight....Who doesn't love winter???


Amazing snowshoe experience!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

What a Line Up

Ahhh, just coming down from a spectacular evening in a vegitative TV-viewing coma.  Some of my favorite programs....all....in....a....row.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I Understandeth Me Not

Excerpts from the Book of Holysmokes


CHAPTER 15

Sistersmith recalls the goingsons of the son of Obrainlessone and daughters of Ofeeblethinker in the day of the Feast of the Cookinglab.


1  Yea verily it came to pass that the  son of Obrainlessone and the daughters of Ofeeblethinker dideth putteth their heads together to create sustenance for the Feast of the Cookinglab.
2  Upon much perplexification and pondering they did jointly decide that the heating and cooking of bounteous plants of the earth needeth not to be completed.
3  Whoa be unto them for the wayward paths that took them away from the directions of their mighty leader, the great Sistersmith.
4  For the words of her cherished wisdom were unheeded although she did counsel with them for exceeding long hours before the day of their preparation.
5  Now after the hours and teachings of the son of Obrainlessone and daughters of Ofeeblethinker, they did taketh the uncooked bounty of the earth and fling it upon the blades of that great and devilish one, ye the most powerful and vengeful Osterizeriah.
6  And when the raw sludgeness appeared before them, verily they were astonished at the ugliness of the mixture thereof and exclaimed that the words written and taught by the great Sistersmith were an abomination before them that they did cast them aside and proclaim that there should be no cooking of the mixture thereof in preparation of the Feast of the Cookinglab.
7  Yea and in that day there appeared no manifestation of soup before them.
8  And thus did the laughter and mocking commence among all the land when they proclaimed, Should we not now cook the mixture therein?
9  Verily, verily the great Sistersmith did wringeth her feeble hands, for the transgression of her ways was not revealed unto her.
10  And she did wander off into the wilderness exclaiming, I understandeth me not, I understandeth me not.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Mountain Gear Tip #6

Always, always, always, bring an amazing lunch.  Notice those cookies.  They are happy cookies.  Even as their pretty little heads were chewed off, they recognized the blessing to be at Brighton on a 45 degree day. 
Sweet hubbie's cookie kind of reflected his mood.  Hubbie was sick, but that is no excuse for not going to the mountain for worship services.  At 1 o'clock, he announced, "I am going to the car to sleep."  GASP!!!  This transgression was allowed, only because child #4 faithfully continued with more runs on Great Western, Snake Creek Express, and Milly.

The view itself had healing powers for the sick.  Check out Timp and Sundance over his left shoulder.  To the far right of the photo is the top of the tram at Snowbird.  10 deep breaths....amazing!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Our Day

The pink lines are our tracks :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Occupational Weirdness

I'll admit it, the professorly lot is a strange one.  My building houses the English, Sociology, History, and Family Life bunch.  I try to be friendly and am amazed at some of the responses.  Perhaps it is because I am a lowly "Instructor," and not a true "Professor" that it somehow shows in my countenance. 


Anyway, I have gathered a few amusing stories over the past few years.  A recent encounter:

As I was walking down a very, very long hallway toward a tweed-clad male with, yes, leather elbow patches, I pondered the appropriate approaching-a-stranger body language and verbiage.  The "Where should my eyes focus?" "Do I give more than the simple nod?" "Would a verbal greeting with a mention of the weather be the way to go?" and "Is it noticeable that I have gleaned the necessary information to group this guy in the yes-for-sure-him-be-a-geek category?" questions all crossed my mind in the early dawn hours of this happentance of meeting.  We were totally alone in the massive expanse of space and obviously had seen each other, or so I thought.

As he approached, I'd made the decision to try the friendly technique once again.  But (this is not a lie) when I got to the point where it is customary to give the greeting, this guy pivoted at an immediate sharp right angle to face a bulletin board that apparently had information of huge interest to him giving him the necessary out so that he wouldn't need to speak.  I allowed the out and remained silent as I passed.

However........as I glanced over my shoulder to see the information that would cause such an amazing maneuver, I saw that the bulletin board was COMPLETELY BLANK!  He stood there, nose not 6 inches from the surface, staring with fixed amazement at NOTHINGNESS.  I actually got quite an inner giggle fest out of it at the moment, but later concluded that I go to work in the dark, spend my hours in the basement in an apron, and leave in the dark.  What might one expect in such a setting?

Monday, February 7, 2011

Weekend Party

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Hilary, Happy Birthday to you!
Skiing at Beaver Mountain, Burittos, Cakes, Laughs
Great Times


December 1977 - I thought I'd left Logan for the last time.  WRONG....

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Bambi

While peeling carrots at my kitchen sink, I looked up to see none other than Bambi himself!
Our ferocious dog Eddie wagged his tail at my side as I risked BEING CHARGED BY A WILD ANIMAL WITH REALLY BIG ANTLERS to get these shots.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Passage of Time

I distinctly remember getting Kid #4 all gussied up (where did that term come from?) for a family gathering.  She was all ruffled and bowed in all matching attire, complete with KY Jellied bow-in-the-hair.  At four months old, I had her sitting primly on my lap.

When all the fam had gathered and the eating began, Grandpa Mel leaned over to me and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, they get better lookin' with time."  Sorry, Kid #4.

Anyway, after looking back at Grandson #1's pics, I kinda see Mel's wisdom.
....then....


 

....and now....

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Words

After visiting with a courageous and successful co-worker, I pondered the depth of damage done by words uttered decades past, that when recalled, still smart with the sting of their deliverance.

In memories deep within our conciousness, the restatements, word-for-word, can be recalled with vivid realism and the emotional connection felt once again. 

In other memories, words surface  that have fallen from our own lips, and we yearn for the impossible, the ability to suck razor-sharp utterances back into our own mouths.

Perfection from either angle is impossible, but improvement can be measured not only in our ability to censor language that offends and hurts others, but also in our ability to dismiss words, intentional or unintentional, aimed in our direction with a sensitivity that separates syllable from soul.