Strawberry Nut Bread

My newly married daughter decided to try out a recipe in her new cookbook given to her by a friend, Analisa Glenn and their family cookbook called 4RetroSisters, and I got to taste it and it was really good!

Strawberry Nut Bread
1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup strawberry jam
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped nuts
Cream together margarine, sugar, and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each.  Mix and add flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda.  Mix and add strawberry jam, sour cream, and chopped nuts.  Place in two greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 min.

It is yummy!

For the nourishing of our souls:

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Our Heavenly Father loves us so much, and we have no idea
all the blessings he has in store for us!  We need to trust him, love Him, and return to live with him!

Dessert Crepes

These are called Jana's crepes, she was my neighbor and best friend and she took the best care of me!  She still does!  We like to serve these for after dinner dessert or breakfast!  Because of the sugar content they are very sweet and very yummy! Divine!

Jana's crepes:

(the secret ingredient was that she substituted the water with sugar, no wonder these are to die for!)

3 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup sugar (original recipe called for ½ cup water here, but Jana did sugar instead)

3 TBLSP butter, melted

¾ cup flour

½ tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in blender container; blend about 1 minute. Scrape down sides with spatula and blend about 30 seconds more.  Refrigerate for one hour.  To cook, heat omelet, crepe, or regular frying pan on medium-high heat just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water.  Brush lightly with melted butter.  For each crepe, pour in just enough butter to cover bottom of pan, tipping and tilting pan to move batter quickly over bottom.  If crepe has holes, add a drop

or two of batter to patch.  Cook til light brown on bottom and dry on top.  Remove from pan and stack on plate.  Makes 12 crepes (mine only made 9 crepes)

I am not always patient and do not wait for the hour in the fridge, and I cook them right away (maybe stick in freezer for a few minutes) and they still turn out fine! 
And I turn my crepes over and cook both sides.

One of our favorite fruit fillings for the crepes is a strawberry filling

that I got from my daughter in law Krista marshall harrah! thanks for sharing this fun cream filling: (she uses it for a fruit dip)

1 small tub strawberry cream cheese

1 small container cool whip

1 jar marshmallow cream

Mix cream cheese with marshmallow cream with electric mixer.  Fold in cool whip  Serve with favorite fruit.

Here is another version to the crepes my landlord upstairs had in her family recipe book I am going  to try this week, yummy!

Banana Brule’ Crepes From Lauren Scott

Crepes

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ Tblsp sugar

¾  tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

3 cups milk

3 eggs

3 Tblsp butter (melted)

¾ tsp vanilla extract

Bananas

4 bananas sliced

3 Tblsp butter

4 Tblsp brown sugar

Cream

1 pkg cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cream (whipped)

Melt 3 Tblsp butter in sauce pan.  Add sliced bananas and brown sugar.  Sauté for 1 min.  Whip cream and set aside.  Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar.  Fold the two together.  Mix crepe batter and cook crepes.  Spread middle with cream mixture and add bananas.  Fold in half and top with chocolate sauce drizzled on top with sprinkled powdered sugar

And now for the nourishing of our souls:

Here is a saying I saw on Facebook:

Don't regret knowing the people who came into your life.  Good people give you happiness.  Bad ones give you experience.  The worst ones give you lessons and the best people give you memories.

Yay for good memories!

Have a wonderful day, my day today is filled with thunder, dark sky, wind blowing through my window and yet beauty that makes me smile!  happy day

Ham Fried Rice with Peas and Scrambled Eggs

I was babysitting for my daughter Amy and she had leftovers in her fridge for dinner, I ate this and loved it!  She kindly gave me the recipe so I will share it with you

Ham Fried Rice with Peas and Scrambled Eggs
1 1/2 Tbslp canola oil (divided)
2 eggs (whisked) (Amy used 3)
1/4 tsp salt   1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic minced
8 slices ham (diced ham approximately 1 1/2 cups)
3 cups white rice, cooked (white or brown, I used brown minute rice)
1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium soy sauce)
2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tblsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (thawed under warm water)

Directions:
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1/2 Tblsp oil, add whisked eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Scramble eggs until cooked.  Remove eggs from pan and set aside.
Heat 1 Tblsp of oil in same pan. Add onion and garlic.   Saute for 5 minutes.  Add ham and heat until it starts to brown and crisp up (keep the heat medium high)  Once ham is browning, add the cooked rice and fry it until it starts to brown.
Add soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar.  Stir . Add thawed peas and reserved scrambled eggs. Heat thoroughly and serve immediately!

enjoy! I sure did! Use good ham, it makes it more tasty!

For the nourishing of our souls:
Here are some sayings I just saw:

when you try to control everything, you enjoy nothing.  Sometimes you just need to relax, breathe, let go, and just live in the moment!

Trust is a fragile thing, easy to break easy to lose, and one of the hardest things to ever get back!

Stop thinking too much, it's alright not to know the answers. They will come to you when you least expect it.

Easy Beef Enchiladas

These are my quick go to enchiladas I can make and they always taste good!  They are great to take to others when you need to take in a meal.  I like to add a can of refried beans to my enchiladas so I will include them in this recipe:

Easy Beef and Bean Enchiladas

1 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked, drained, and seasoned

1 large can tomato soup

1 large can Rosarita (red) mild enchilada sauce

1 can Refried Beans

1 can black olives, sliced

Shredded cheese

Corn tortillas

Lettuce, Tomato Salsa, and sour cream for topping

Mix in big bowl one can of tomato soup and one can Rosarita mild enchilada sauce. (I don't like too spicy , that is why I add the tomato soup), mix together well.  In a 9 x 13 pan, pour a little sauce in the bottom.  Dip corn tortilla in soup mixture and then place in pan.  Add seasoned ground beef, a spoon of refried beans, shredded cheese, and sliced olives.  Roll up in a tortilla, continue with each tortilla.  I usually get 12 rolled corn tortillas in a 9 x 13 pan.  Cover top of enchiladas with the rest of the red sauce and cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 min.  Serve with lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream and chopped olives!

Yummy!

Since I don't like to eat too much red meat, you could substitute chicken and onions and peppers in place of meat and beans.

Quick and Easy and Yummy!  Winner!

For the nourishing of our souls:

Here is a saying I saw:

If you planted hope today in a heart that felt alone,

If you caused a laugh that chased some tears away,

If someone's burden was made lighter because of your kindness,

Then your day was well spent!

May we have well spent days!

Chex Treat

This is a family favorite, it is very addicting and always a favorite!

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light Karo Syrup
3/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 cups Rice Chex Cereal
6 cups Golden Grahams Cereal

Mix cereal together in large bowl.  Melt sugar, Karo syrup, and butter over stove top.  Bring to boil and boil 1 to 2 min.  Remove from heat, add vanilla, Pour over cereal and mix well.

Can add 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds and 1 cup coconut if desired!(just add it to the cereal)

You can also pour this stuff over 10 to 13 cups popped popcorn.

Very yummy stuff!  You can use only Rice Chex cereal if you dont have the others, or half Rice chex and half corn chex, or any mixture of cereals, I love the golden grahams mixed in.

For the nourishing of souls:
Here is a quote I saw on Facebook I loved it:

Marriage Box
Most people get married believing a myth that marriage is a beautiful box full of all the things they have longed for: companionship, intimacy, friendship, etc. The Truth is that marriage at the start is an empty box.  You must put something in before you can take anything out.  There is no love in marriage. Love is in people. And people put love in marriage. There is no romance in marriage.  You have to infuse it into your marriage.  A couple must learn the art and form the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising, keeping the box full .  IF you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty.

Heavenly Hamburger

Here is my favorite recipe from when I was first married, I have seen different versions of it on pinterest, and so I have adapted this as well, I no longer do it this old fashioned way, I now use spaghetti sauce, but here is my original, you will like it, and below it I will condense it down to easier version!

Heavenly Hamburger

2 Tblsp. Margarine

1 clove garlic (or use minced garlic, garlic salt, or garlic powder)

1 tsp salt, dash of pepper

1 tsp. sugar

½ cup grated cheese

1 8 oz pkg lasagna noodles

2 8 oz cans tomato sauce

6 spring onions (chopped with greens)

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 lb hamburger

Melt butter in skillet, add hamburger, brown with garlic, add salt and pepper, sugar, tomato sauce.  Lower heat and simmer for 15 min.  Cook noodles and drain.  In large casserole put layer of noodles then onion mixture (onions, cream cheese sour cream) then hamburger, repeat and put cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees in oven for 20 minutes.

Easier Version Heavenly Hamburger

1 large jar of spaghetti sauce

Browned hamburger to add to spaghetti sauce

Cooked Noodles of any kind you want to use

In skillet, add your spaghetti sauce and browned hamburger and seasonings (salt pepper and garlic ) and warm it up

In separate bowl mix together  8 oz Cream cheese, 1 cup sour cream, and chopped onions (about 6 spring onions).

Spray Pam on bottom of casserole dish

Layer noodles, then the spaghetti sauce mixture, then the cream cheese mixture, repeat layers until you run out.  Top with grated cheese (I ususally use cheddar but you could use mozarella) and Bake at 350 degrees in oven for 20 min

YUMMY

For the nourishing of our souls:

Tonight in our scripture reading we came across St Matthew 14:27:

"Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid"

Jesus is telling us to be of good cheer and be not afraid.

There have been HUNDREDS of times when I kneel to pray that I hear the Holy Ghost telling me to be of good cheer.  Even during times when I am struggling and want to be mad at the world for the unfairness of it all.  Jesus tells us over and over throughout the scriptures as well to be of good cheer, He is with us, He knows our pains, He knows how to give us strength to bear our burdens, He walks with us along our path, so be not afraid, we are not alone, He is with us always!

Best Banana Cake Ever!

I had a friend ask me for my banana cake recipe and I told her to find it on my blog, and it was not here, so I decided I better hurry and post it as I dont want any of you to miss out on this yummy cake.  We served this cake and texas sheet cake for my daughters wedding a while back, yes, it's that good!  I got it from my friend Lynette McKenzie while we served as VT's in Sandridge Ward!

Banana Sheet Cake     (My favorite one from Lynette)

2 cups sugar   

1 cup oil         

4 eggs

4 smashed bananas

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

  Mix first 6 ingredients together until well mixed.  Add rest of ingredients.  Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min  in jelly roll pan (the big long cookie sheets).  You can add nuts, raisins or chocolate chips.

Frost with either a buttercream icing or cream cheese frosting, whichever you prefer!

And for the nourishing of the souls: 

I just spent the past few weeks studying up for a class I got to teach on "We do not doubt our mothers knew it"(Alma 56:48)

If you read in Alma 53 to Alma 56, you will learn of the 2000 stripling warriors.  They were noble young men who fought for their fathers who could not.  They had never fought before.  They did not fear death.  When Helaman asked them why they did not fear, they said their mothers taught them that God would protect them, and they had faith that they would be preserved.  They did not doubt, because their mothers knew it!  It is a wonderful tribute to mothers, that we are powerful influences in our childrens lives.

They believed in the atonement.  If there was one thing we could teach our children, it should be the gift of the atonement. 

May each of you who are mothers realize how powerful you are.  Our children watch what we do more than listen to what we say! 

motherhood is awesome! enjoy your day with your children!