Conference and Chicago

I loved loved loved all the talks at General Conferece but a couple really stood out to me, Elder Holland's and Utchdorf's. Man, these men always have amazing quotable talks! Don't you just love  Utchdorf's advice to "Stop IT!" What were your favorite talks?

I wish I could say that I am in Chicago with  Keith having a blast, but no we didn't get to go on this trip, sadly. Keith is away for work in Chicago, Indiana, and Ohio till the end of the month. I miss him terribly but little man keeps me company. I am a little jealous he gets to go to Chicago, a place I've never been. There's so much to do there; shopping, deep dish pizza, the City, museums, oh just fun things. Oh well maybe next time. Miss you babe.

More Food Favorites

So I can't resist sharing some more favorite recipes I've tried recently. Try them out and let me know how you like them. Thank goodness for food blogs!

Besides eating haha we haven't been up too much else. The weather has been really rainy so we've stayed indoors a lot, gone to the library, and redbox of course. I'm super excited for Conference this weekend! The weekend is always so uplifting and I always love all the talks. Elder Holland's my favorite :)

Had this one for dinner tonight and loved it!

Cheesy Taco Pasta
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef {I used 80/20]
1 taco seasoning packet
1 1/2 cups southwest salsa
1/2 cup water
1/2 lb. pasta {I used rotini}
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cream
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
Bring water to boil to cook the pasta. Salt it and cook pasta until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, cook ground beef, breaking apart as you go. Once thoroughly cooked, drain meat and run under hot water to remove any fat. Wipe out pan with paper towel and place back on heat. Pour cooked beef into hot pan with taco seasoning, salsa and water. Simmer until pasta is finished cooking.
Once pasta is cooked, drain well and pour into skillet. Top with cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese melts and noodles are coated in sauce. Serve immediately.
source: laurenslatest.com

My sister Nikki and I made these awhile ago and we fell in love! I was looking online today for a treat to make to eat during General Conference and came across these babies again and decided it was time to make them again!

Apple Streusel Bars

SWEET PASTRY:

2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. real butter, softened (no substitutions!)

1 egg, beaten

APPLE FILLING:

1/2 c. white sugar

1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 c. (about 3 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples (I’ve used Granny Smith in the past, although this time around I used Gala and they were fabulous)

GLAZE:

2 c. powdered sugar

About 3 Tbsp. milk (whole milk is best)

1 tsp. almond extract

To prepare crust, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 and set aside.

To prepare apple filling, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon and toss with apples.Spread apples out on prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.  When finished, allow to cool completely.

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Place glaze in a Ziploc bag and cut off a very small portion of one of the corners. (Or just use a fork(Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the freezer to hurry things along). Cut into bars and serve

source: ourbestbites.com

 

Okay...if you have not had Wingers Sticky Fingers than you have NOT LIVED!! I love these babies and now I can make them at home! I am so happy I found this recipe!

 

Wingers Sticky Fingers

 

For the chicken...

I just buy a package of Tyson’s frozen breaded chicken strips and bake them according to their conventional oven directions.

**If you wish to fry them, go for it! Or if you have your own breaded chicken recipe and you feel up to the challenge, then try it! Tyson’s frozen breaded chicken is already done (just bake according to package's directions)and is way easy for the meal in a crunch.*

 

SPECIAL Wingers Sauce

1 and ½ cups brown sugar

6 Tbsp FRANKS hot sauce (*It has to be FRANKS! I use the buffalo flavor and it is delicious, but the original would taste good too!*)

4 Tbsp water

Heat sauce until sugar is dissolved, then pour over chicken!

Enjoy! Serves about 2 with a little left over….so 2 for the price of 1

source: chef-in-training.com

 

I love love love crock-pot recipes! Here is a yummy and super easy one!

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken

 

In a slow cooker, mix together:
One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional

Add 4-6 boneless chicken breast halves (completely defrosted) to the slow cooker and coat with the salsa mixture. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours. Serve the chicken with the salsa mixture spooned over the top. If you're feeling crazy, throw a dollup of sour cream on top with some crushed tortilla chips.

This is also delicious as a taco filling or in a taco salad.
source: pipandebby.com

okay okay one more and I'm done!

This was voted  the #1 cassarole for the year at Taste of Home. I love cassaroles and I especially love this one! Definitely a favorite!

CHEESY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef ( lean)

• 1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion

• 2 1/2 cups salsa

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 6 flour or corn tortillas (8 inches)

• 1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (optional)

• 3/4 cup sour cream  *Note: I used 1/2 cup

• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or your favorite cheese

• 1 cup shredded lettuce

• 1 medium tomato, chopped

• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

•  *Note:  I added 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro to the meat mixture instead. I also cut the flour tortillas to fit my pan, since they were the very large size. (That’s why they are square) I fried the cut-off edges and sprinkled them with cinnamon & sugar!

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in the salsa, beans, corn, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
• Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
• The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
• Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
•  Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.

source:justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

 

Rainy Days and Sundays

So it's been rainy all week and depressing--I haven't got out of the house much because all three of us have been sick, it's been quite the fun week!

But....on Sunday I'm giving a talk. I think we all need to hear this topic often, me especially right now, that's why I think, actually I know I was supposed to give this talk. I needed to gain a greater testimony about this principle and to read the wonderful talks I was asked to. Keith showed me this poem which is perfect for my talk, so I'm adding it. Here's a little food for thought....

The Touch of the Master's Hand

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"
 
But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.
 
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.
 
The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."
 
And many a man with life out of tune
All battered with bourbon and gin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
 
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.
 
Myra Brooks Welch

Faith

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."- Richard G. Scott, "Trust in the Lord."

Adversity

So I have a new goal to read one conference talk every day, maybe it's cuz I'm so excited about conference this weekend. Anyway...so I chose to read one on adversity today since that seems to be the suject of my family right now. I read a talk by Elder Rafael E. Pino called "Faith in Adversity." Wow what a great talk. It really made me look at everything going on around me and in my family and made me realize just like the Lord said to Joseph Smith...“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” What great a great promise.


This quote also really stuck out to me: “If our lives and our faith are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong. On the other hand, if our lives are not centered on the Savior and his teachings, no other success can ever be permanently right”- President Howard W. Hunter.


We will always have adversity in life but what truly determines who we are and who we will become is how we react to it, will we have faith and trust in the Lord and his plan? Will we still follow him and center our lives on Christ? I hope I can be more like the Prophet Joseph Smith. What a great man he was. I'm so grateful he restored the gospel so I can be a part of something so wonderful and have the Lord's comfort through adversity.


My favorite mormon messages video on adversity is above. I love watching this video it really puts things into perspective.

Good Things to Come

Love this! So inspirational.