Billings East Stake Relief Society

George Albert Smith

2012-01-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

Today we had our first lesson from the new 2012 Relief Society manual. I hope you will take the time to read the introduction in the manual-it will give you an even better appreciation for this amazing prophet of the Lord. This youtube presentation has a video of President Smith speaking, and covers many interesting stories and events from his life.

Welcome 2012

2011-12-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

As we begin the new year, the Prophet has given us this direction. The ABC's of living a happy life. It is something we can all benefit from. Please read, enjoy, and put this wonderful advice to use in your daily life.

Living the Abundant Life
President Thomas S. Monson

At the advent of a new year, I challenge Latter-day Saints everywhere to undertake a personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life—a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness, and blessings. Just as we learned the ABCs in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life.

Have a Positive Attitude

A in my ABCs refers to attitude. William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment.
Charles Swindoll—author, educator, and Christian pastor—said: “Attitude, to me, is more important than … the past, … than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”
We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.

Believe in Yourself

B is for believe—in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles.

Be honest with yourself, with others, and with your Heavenly Father. One who was not honest with God until it was too late was Cardinal Wolsey who, according to Shakespeare, spent a long life in service to three sovereigns and enjoyed wealth and power. Finally, he was shorn of his power and possessions by an impatient king. Cardinal Wolsey cried:

Had I but served my God with half the zeal

I served my king, He would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.

Thomas Fuller, an English churchman and historian who lived in the 17th century, penned this truth: “He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.”
Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.
You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith.

Face Challenges with Courage

C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently.
Said the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

There will be times when you will be frightened and discouraged. You may feel that you are defeated. The odds of obtaining victory may appear overwhelming. At times you may feel like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember—David did win!
Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one’s coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve.
Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”
May we remember these ABCs as we begin our journey into the new year, cultivating a positive attitude, a belief that we can achieve our goals and resolutions, and the courage to face whatever challenges may come our way. Then the abundant life will be ours.

Are You Ready for ... Winter Driving?

2011-12-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

Winter is here and the snow has fallen. Are you and your car ready for the hazards that come with driving in the snow? There are a few items that you should have in your car during the winter that will make life much easier if an accident should happen to you or to the people around you this winter. Your needs may be different for around town trips vs. longer distances or for the type of vehicle you have or the number of people in your family. Below are some suggestions to get you thinking, but you should add or remove those things that will help you and your family. Make sure that you not only have these items in your car, but that you know how to use each of them.

Ice scraper
Gloves/hat
Shovel
Jumper cable
Flashlight (that works)
Blanket
Tow rope
Tire chains
Money
Snacks
First-aid kit
Hand/foot warmers
Flare
Sand/cat litter for traction
Water

Have you gotten your vehicle winter-ready?

Has your antifreeze and other fluids been checked?
Do you need snow tires? Are your tires at the right pressure for winter?
Do you keep your gas tank at least half full at all times in case you get stuck?
Is your phone fully charged before you leave home and do you have all of the emergency numbers that you need?

Have you reviewed the rules of driving specific to winter?

Four-wheel drive does not mean four-wheel stop. Your four-wheel drive vehicle will not stop quickly in icy conditions.
Know your route. Don't go exploring, especially when a storm is brewing.
Slow down in low visibility or whiteout conditions.
Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage.
Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet, ice, sand).
If you become snow-bound, stay with your vehicle. It provides temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you. Don't try to walk in a severe storm. It's easy to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.
Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna or place a cloth at the top of a rolled up window to signal distress. At night, keep the dome light on if possible. It only uses a small amount of electricity and will make it easier for rescuers to find you.
Make sure the exhaust pipe isn't clogged with snow, ice or mud. A blocked exhaust could cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to leak into the passenger compartment with the engine running.
If possible run the engine and heater just long enough to remove the chill and to conserve gasoline.

Visiting Teaching Message

2011-12-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

This month's Visiting Teaching Message is entitled "An Extensive Sphere of Action". It reminds us that "Participation in Relief Society enlarges our spheres of influence by giving each sister opportunities to build faith, to strengthen families and homes, and to provide service both at home and throughout the world".
One way our influence for good can be felt is through Visiting Teaching. As we visit, teach, and pray over our sisters we learn to love them and their families. We can be a source of help, comfort, and friendship to them. Their lives and our lives are blessed and enlarged because of the assignment to "be their visiting teacher".
This month especially, we need to check on each other. Do any of your sister's have special needs? Are there sidewalks to be shoveled? Sisters feeling lonely or overwhelmed? Special concerns that the Relief Society President would like to know about?
The visiting teaching message reminds us that "our efforts as individuals and as Relief Societies need not be large and overwhelming, but they should be deliberate and consistent".
Don't worry if you don't have that cute little something to share with your visiting teaching sisters. But do make the time to visit and share a message and your friendship.

A simple reminder to do the simple things

2011-12-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

"Great Expectations," BYU devotional, May 11,1965, Thomas S. Monson

Make Room for the Lord
Before we can take Jesus as our companion, before we can follow Him as our guide, we must find Him. You ask, "How can we find Jesus?" I would like to suggest that, first of all, we need to make room for Him...
As I drive through the many parts of this land, as I see the homes of America, I note that most homes have a room for Mary, a room for John--bedrooms, eating rooms, play rooms, sewing rooms-- but I ask the fundamental question, "Is there room for the Son of Almighty God, our Savior, and our Redeemer?"
The invitation of the Lord is directed to each of us: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).
...Make room for the Lord in your homes and in your hearts, and He will be a welcome companion. He will be by your side. He will teach you the way of truth".

********************************

So, how can we make room for Jesus in our lives? Prayer, scripture study, attending Church and partaking of the sacrament and serving others. A simple reminder to do the simple things.

Christmas Devotional

2011-12-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to be inspired? Start the Christmas Season right!

Don't forget the Christmas Devotional on Sunday, December 4, at 6 pm. The devotional is an hour long and you can view it at the Stake Center, or at home on your BYU channel or at LDS.org.

Gratitude Story

2011-11-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite pioneer stories is a story I heard in Martin's Cove several years ago. It is the story of the Mellor family, who crossed the Plains with the ill-fated Martin Handcart Company.
Sixteen-year-old Louisa Mellor Clark, oldest child of the family, recorded this incident in her journal:

“The first snowstorm left about two feet of snow on the ground, and we began to feel very nervous. We had to wade through more streams, and sometimes up to our waists, and when we got through our clothes would freeze on us until a great many gave up and many died, mostly old people. At last the snow got to be four and five feet deep and often we had to shovel a road before we could move. Thus our traveling was very slow and our provisions nearly gave out.

“My mother, still being weak, finally gave up and said she could go no further. The company could not wait for her, so she bade my father goodbye and kissed each one of the children Godspeed. Then my mother sat down on a boulder and wept. I told my sister, Elizabeth, to take good care of the twins and the rest of the family, and that I would stay with mother. I went a few yards away and prayed with faith that God would help us, that He would protect us from wolves, and that He would let us reach camp. As I was going back to where my mother was sitting I found a pie in the road. I picked it up and gave it to mother to eat. After resting awhile we started on our journey, thanking God for the blessings. A few miles before we reached camp we met my father coming out to meet us. We arrived in camp at 10:00 p.m.

“Many times after that mother felt like giving up and quitting, but then she would remember how wonderful the Lord had been to spare her so many times, and offered a prayer of gratitude instead. So she went on her way rejoicing while walking the blood-stained path of snow.”

There are two things I love about this story: 1. The wonderful, kind way Heavenly Father answer the sincere prayer of a worried daughter and 2. The deep gratitude for blessings expressed by the family in the most difficult of times.

May your heart be full of gladness for your blessings this Thanksgiving season!

Before You Sit Down to Thanksgiving Dinner....

2011-11-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

...come to the church Thanksgiving morning and burn some calories! There is an exercise group meeting this Thursday at 8 am in the gym. This group is open to everyone of every age and fitness level. Chelsy Hooper leads the exercise group, and they would love to see you there. Leave the kids home if possible, and come get your day started right! This group regularly meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-10 and on those days, bring the kids.

Brining Turkey

2011-11-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

I've heard a lot about brining turkeys and decided to try it this year. Brining makes poultry moister and more flavorful. It takes a little more time, but it's worth it. If you want to know why brining improves quality, read Here.

Although turkey is a little more expense this year, it's still an economical meat, and great for leftovers.

Start with a completely thawed turkey. If your turkey is frozen, you need to let it defrost in your fridge for 3-5 days, depending on the size of your turkey. Leave it in the original package to defrost. When your turkey is completely thawed, remove giblets.

Prepare your brine. I'm cooking a large (22 lb) turkey, so I needed a total of 2 gallons of brine. Brine is salt water, usually with some sweetener and some seasonings added.

The basic recipe is one gallon of water or broth (I used broth) and one cup of coarse or Kosher salt. You can look up many good brining recipes online. A good brining recipe usually includes 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar and a few tablespoons of whole spices. Bring the water, salt, and sugar to boil in a large pot on the stove, then add whole spices as desired. I used 1 tablespoon whole allspice and 1 tablespoon whole black pepper. Boil for a minute or two, or until salt and sugar are completely dissolved.. Add one gallon of ice water with lots of ice to cool water.

The hardest part of brining is finding a container big enough to immerse a turkey in. I own a extra large stockpot, but you could also use a bucket or watertight cooler. It needs to be something that fits into your fridge. If the weather is right you could also use your back porch or garage. Just be sure to monitor the temperature carefully to avoid freezing or over-warming the brining turkey. Your turkey needs to be completely immersed--you may need to weigh down the turkey to keep it under water. Put the whole thing into your fridge for 8-10 hours.

Do not leave your turkey in brine longer than 10 hours, as quality begins to decline after too long in brine water.

After 8 to 10 hours, remove turkey from brine, rinse very well, and brush with canola oil or melted butter. Fill turkey cavity with diced onions, carrots, celery, spices, oranges, apples, or leave empty.

Cook on the bottom rack of your oven for time and temperature appropriate to turkey size. I cooked my 22 lb turkey for 3 1/2 hours at 325 as my turkey packaging suggested. I like to cook with a foil tent for the first 2 hours, then remove the last hour or more to brown.

Use a meat thermometer in the deepest part of the turkey to reach the perfect doneness--around 165 degrees.

The brined turkey was noticeably moister--a little more effort and a little more time was well worth the effort!

Relief Society Curriculum for 2012

2011-11-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

You may know that our Relief Society manual for 2012 is

Teachings of the Presidents: George Albert Smith..

As usual, your ward or branch Relief Society presidency will be distributing the new manual in 2012. In the meantime, the manual can be view online at lds.org here. You can even listen to the manual by clicking on the appropriate icon on the page.

Did You Know? Blenders and Mason Jars

2011-11-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

Do you know that the blades for your blender also fit a standard mason jar? As we enter the holiday cooking season, it's handy to use a mason jar when you don't have time to wash the blender jar. Oster blenders used to come with a mason jar to be used in this way--my original one did. You can use either the pint or quart size.

Just put your food to be blended into the mason jar and screw your base on.

Invert onto your blender,

and blend as usual.

Mason jars work especially well for chopping nuts or whole spices.

Several years ago when my blender stopped working, I kept the base part with the blades. Now I have 2 sets of bases and when I'm in a hurry, I don't have to wash anything until I'm all done if I need to use the blender a lot.

Acorn Squash Soup

2011-11-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year to enjoy winter squashes. This recipe calls for acorn squash, but any winter squash would work. I got this recipe from my brother, and it's quick, easy, and delicious!

Acorn Squash Soup

3 cups mashed, cooked acorn squash (about one medium squash)

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/4 teaspoon curry powder (or more if you like spicier soup)

dash cayenne pepper (or more)

2 cups chicken broth

12 oz fat-free half and half

4 oz cream cheese, softened

salt and pepper to taste

Cook and mash acorn squash. One method: microwave the full, uncut squash on high for 5 minutes. Cut in half, remove seeds and strings with large spoon. Place halves face down on plate, microwave 6-8 minutes more (or until you see it wilt). Let cool, scoop out squash. Mash to smooth consistency with a hand mixer. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute celery and onion in butter. Stir in bouillon, dill, curry, and cayenne pepper until blended. Gradually add broth, half and half, and softened cream cheese. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the squash, salt and pepper; heat through, stirring constantly.

In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Or use an immersion blender. Pour into bowls and serve immediately, or return to pot to keep warm (stir frequently-it will bake onto the pot easily.). Garnish each bowl with crumbled bacon--optional.

Cultivating Gratitude

2011-11-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

November is the time we naturally think and talk about our blessings. Vaughn E. Worthen said:

"Gratitude is a positive experience that comes from recognizing gifts or blessings and feeling thankful. It is also an attitude, a way of perceiving life, in which individuals are willing to acknowledge and receive the beneficial actions of others on their behalf. Gratitude is also a habit that can be cultivated, causing one to focus on the blessings of life."

Brother Worthen also points out that those who cultivate and practice gratitude feel less depressed or anxious, and more happiness, with a greater sense of well-being. They are also healthier, more forgiving, less envious, more generous, and more able to cope with adversity.
(Mar 2010 Ensign, "The Value of Experiencing and Expressing Gratitude")

See here and here and here for ideas we have shared in the past for cultivating and experiencing gratitude. It doesn't take a lot of effort, your plan may include quiet reflection or some activity or daily reminder to pause and count your blessings. You and your family can do something as simple as:

printing a page of leaves from the computer,

coloring them,

cutting them out,

and writing on the back of each leaf something you thankful for. After stringing a ribbon through each leaf,

hang them on a "tree".

How do you cultivate gratitude in your life?

The Party's Over...

2011-11-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

.....now what to do with all this leftover Halloween candy?

1. Freeze it.

You can store candy in the freezer for at least a year. Be aware that freezing chocolate may change the color, but not the quality of chocolate.

2. Use it as a replacement for chocolate chips in your favorite recipe.

Just substitute equal amounts of M and M's for chocolate chips and mix and bake as usual.

OR coarsely chop any kind of chocolate candy bars and use in the same way--substituting chopped candy for chips. You can also freeze this chopped candy and use it for cookies or ice cream mix-ins later.

3. Melt it.

Use a heat-proof bowl and a pot. Put an inch of water in the bottom of the pot and set the bowl inside. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

Add your candy bars and

melt over low heat.

Add a little milk

and continue to stir until smooth. Now you have a yummy, fast sauce for ice cream or cakes. It is particularly good on pound cake, ginger cake, or pumpkin cake.

When melting, avoid using candy with cookies. Anything else (nuts, coconut, peanut butter) works fine.

4. Donate it.

The local family shelter, food bank, nursing homes, and other charitable organizations take candy donations. You may want to call before donating to make sure your favorite organization is interested in leftover candy.

5. Eat it.

If none of these solutions work for you, I'm willing to bet you can find someone to help you devour your leftovers.

What do you like to do with your leftover candy?

Recipes From the Relief Society Broadcast Dinner

2011-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Jeannie's Strawberry Cake

Cake:
Mix one package Pillsbury yellow cake mix according to package directions. Bake using the guidelines for your pan size (Lasagna pan size is best, measuring 10-1/2 X 14-3/4 inches.

Cream Topping:
One pint whipping cream, very chilled
One 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
Just whip this all together and chill. I promise, it will work!

Fruit Topping:
Mix one package Danish Dessert - strawberry flavored - according to directions on box for pudding.
Rinse, hull and slice 1 pint fresh strawberries.

Assembling it all:
Spread cream topping on cooled cake. Arrange sliced strawberries over top of cream filling. Carefully spoon, then spread cooled Danish Dessert over the top. Chill until serving time.

Chicken Gravy

1 quart chicken broth (no salt added)
1/4 cup butter
5 Tblsp flour
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
4 oz cream cheese

Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add flour, salt, garlic powder and thyme. Whisk until flour is lightly browned. Pour in the stock and whisk until thickened. A general rule of thumb is that when the gravy comes to a boil it has thickened as much as it's going to. Reduce heat to low. Add the cream cheese and let it soften, still gently whisking the gravy. When cream cheese is fully melted, whisk more vigorously to combine well. Serve hot.

Sweet and Sour Sauce - mild

I used Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Sweet and Sour Sauce. You can find the recipe here. It's a little over halfway down the page. The only modification is I left out the chili-garlic sauce so it would be mild. If you like it hot, do add that. :)

Thai Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 cup rice (or white) vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce
1 Tbsp chopped garlic

Heat the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan on high heat for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Add soy sauce and salt and stir. Continue cooking at moderately high heat for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens somewhat. Remove from the heat*. Add chili-garlic sauce and the garlic. Stir to blend and let cool. Serve.

*I actually cooked my sauce for a minute or two after I added the chili-garlic sauce and the garlic. This tempered that hot, raw garlic taste a bit.

Thai Peanut Sauce

5 oz roasted unsalted peanuts
4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tblsp red curry paste
2 Tblsp sugar
3 Tblsp lemon juice
3 tsp fish sauce

Blend or process the peanuts until they are fine meal. Reserve.

Heat half the coconut milk in a saucepan at high heat and add the red curry paste. Stir to dissolve and continue cooking at high heat for 10-12 minutes, until the oil from the coconut has risen to the surface.

Lower the heat to medium-high and add processed peanuts. Stir and add the rest of the coconut milk. Bring to bubbling boil. Lower heat to medium and add sugar, lemon juice, and fish sauce. Cook stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened somewhat and the oil has returned to the surface.

Take off the heat and let rest for a half hour. Stir to blend oil that has risen to the surface. It should be the consistency of thick cream. If thicker than that, add a cuople of tablespoons of water or coconut milk and blend.

The sauce can be served lukewarm or reheated to piping hot. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated (where it will solidify) and then reheated on a low heat, thinned down with some water or coconut milk. It can also be frozen and reheated another day the same way.

Snow Dye

2011-09-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

They say if you want to be happy in a northern climate you need to find something you love to do in the snow. I've finally found it! Snow Dyeing! It's so much fun to unpack the dyed yarn or fabric and see what random beauty nature has provided.

I first heard about snow dyeing last spring when it was almost too late but, knowing Montana, I knew I had a pretty good chance of a heavy, late spring snow storm. I was right! April 19, I looked out my window and what did I see?

6 inches of snow on my adirondacks!! Sweet! I had gathered all my supplies just in case, so I was ready!

What you need:

Wool yarn or fabric (or other animal fiber, such as silk, llama, alpaca, etc.)

Vinegar

Water

Plastic wrap

Plastic tub

Steamer

Acid Dye (don't worry, the acid part refers to the vinegar you need to fix the dye)

SNOW!!

For instructions on how to snow dye plant fibers, such as cotton, linen, etc., click here. You will need an alkaline fixative and a dye suited for plant fibers.

The Method:

Soak your yarn or fabric in a solution of vinegar and water - 1/2 cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water - for about 30 minutes, pushing it down into the water to thoroughly saturate the fiber. Allow most of the water to drain off the yarn and pack it in one layer in the bottom of a rubber or plastic tub.

Pack snow tightly on top of the yarn about 4 inches deep.

Sprinkle your dye lightly over the snow.

I used Jacquard Acid Dye: Golden Yellow, Saphire Blue, and Crimson.

Bring your tub in the house - hopefully it is watertight and has no cracks! - and let the snow melt. When the snow is melted (hopefully overnight), lift your yarn out of the tub and let the excess water drain out. Don't let it drip onto the yarn in the tub; hold it over a sink or another bucket. Wrap the yarn in plastic wrap. (You don't need to unskein it, as in the picture below, just wrap it up the same way you had it in the tub.)

Place wrapped yarn in one layer in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes.

Rinse the yarn and hang it up to dry.

When your yarn is dry (1-2 days), you can twist it back into a skein for storage or wind it into a ball for immediate use. The skeins on the left were originally teal, and the ones on the right were a rather drab yellow.

I love my snow dyed yarn! I especially love the burnt looking spot on that rather plump teal skein. That side was down in the tub and sat in a pool of dye. It's so unpredictable and beautiful! Here's what one of the yellow yarns looks like knit up in a little stockinette hat.

It's really incredible how many colors you get just from red, yellow and blue.

Now as the weather is turning to fall, go find yourself something to love about the cold months ahead!

General Relief Society Broadcast

2011-09-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

The General Relief Society Broadcast is September 24, 2011, at 6 p.m. You can watch it on the BYU channel or come to the church and watch the satelite broadcast with your sisters. If you come to the Billings East Stake Center (1640 Broadmoor Dr.), we will have a delicious dinner at 5 p.m. and the broadcast at 6. Hope to see you there!

See complete information about the broadcast here.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

2011-09-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Have you ever run out of dishwasher detergent at a bad time? Did you know that you can easily store all the ingredients you need to make more? It's true! I've been using homemade dishwasher degergent for a few weeks, and the only difference I see between the commercial detergent is that mine doesn't have those food eating enzymes so I have to rinse my dishes. Big deal, right? You probably rinse your dishes anyway.

Ingredients

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup citric acid*

Directions
Mix together and store in an air-tight container. It may clump up due to the citric acid, but no worries! Just scoop it out and use it anyway.

To Use
Use 1-2 tablespoons per load.

*Double the citric acid if you have really hard water (you'll notice a white film on your dishes if you need to do this). You can find this in the canning section of your grocery store or hardware store. You can substitute LemiShine or 10-15 packets of lemonade Koolaid (make sure it's regular and not presweetened). DO use lemonade and not other flavors, as they will stain your dishes.

Interesting facts about the ingredients
Washing soda - also called soda ash and sodium carbonate. You can find soda ash at swimming pool cleaning supply stores. It is also used as a mordant in tie dye (the mordant is what sets the color in the fiber so it won't bleed out). I found mine (washing soda) in the cleaning supplies section of a local hardware store.

Borax - also called sodium tetraborate.

Kosher salt - also called pickling salt. This is basically salt with no iodine.

I find it interesting that three of the four ingredients here are sodium. Anybody out there who studied chemistry and can tell me why?

Canning Chicken

2011-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Are you intimidated by pressure canning? I know I am! My little sister has recently been canning meat, though, and I'm starting to think maybe I can do it too. One reason my sister likes to can meat is that they often have ice storms where she lives and they can be without power for a week or more at a time. Canned meat won't go bad if your freezer defrosts! Here's a link she posted to a YouTube video that makes it all look so easy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fINnsFJGyKU

My niece also recently posted a recipe on facebook that she uses to can pork. She calls it Chili Verde. She just opens a bottle and uses it as enchilada filling. How cool is that?!? Homemade taste, health benefits, and economy with store bought convenience!

Chili Verde
3 lbs boneless pork – cubed
1 Tbsp oil
1 onion – chopped
6 cloves garlic –chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
2 jalapeños – chopped
8 oz whole green chilies – chopped (I have used up to 4 whole chilies per batch)
3 c beef stock

Sautee onion, garlic, and jalapeños in the oil till onion melts. In a stock pot brown the pork with a splash of oil. Once it is browned on all sides add sautéed mixture. Add green chilies and beef stock. Bring to boil. Reduce to lowest setting and simmer, partially covered for 2 ½ hours. Add water if needed as it evaporates. Simmer till it reduces and pork easily breaks apart.

Process jars in small pints at 15 pounds of pressure for 1 hour and 15 min or 1 hour 30 min for quarts. When ready, open the jar and use as filling for tamales, enchiladas, tacos, salad, quesadillas or serve with beans and rice on the side. Amazing!

WHEN TO PRESSURE CAN
You should use a pressure canner whenever what you're preserving is low in acid. Fruit and tomatoes are high in acid and so can be done in a water bath canner. Always be sure to add all acid (lemon juice or vinegar) your recipe calls for. You can do vegetables in a water bath canner if they are pickled.

Things you can do in a pressuer canner:
Beans (legumes)
Meat
All vegetables

SAFETY FIRST!
You should take your pressure canner lid (they only need the lid) down to the County Extension Office once a year to have the pressure guage tested. You can also pick up charts of processing times for your elevation. They're phone number is 256-2828.

Here's a link to the chart on their website: (scroll down to pages 3 & 4 for processing times and elevation by county seat for Montana)

http://msuextension.org/publications/HomeHealthandFamily/MT200905HR.pdf

Here's a good one on canning meat, fish, and poultry:

http://msuextension.org/publications/HomeHealthandFamily/MT200903HR.pdf

Here's their page that has tons of useful home canning links:

http://www.msuextension.org/nutrition/Food%20Pres.html

Happy canning!!

CONVERSATION STARTERS around the TABLE

2011-08-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Dinnertime is a natural meeting place for communicating with our families. We can use this time to eat good, wholesome food, share ideas, and report on our day. So turn off the TV, turn off the computers and cell phones and start talking and listening to each other. It can help your family bond together for a lifetime.
You might want to try these conversation starters taken from the game"Lets Chat".
* What is the nicest thing someone has done for you?
* What superhero would you be? What would your name be? Your super power?
* What was your most memorable toy?
* If you found $1000 on the street, what would you do with it?
* If you could have dinner with someone famous, who would it be?
* Are you a city or a country person?
* Do you remember your dreams? Any recently?
*What do you think was the best thing ever invented?
* What is your favorite holiday?
* What is your favorite school subject? Your least favorite?
* Do you have a lucky charm?
* What is the hardest thing you've ever had to do?
The list of dinner conversations can go on and on - and the conversations should go on and on.

2nd Annual Wild Woman Triathlon

2011-08-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday, August 19 we held our 2nd Annual Wild Woman Triathlon.

Brenda Snizek and Ranee Berg organized the event, made sure the word got out, figured out the course, and generally pulled things together. They did a fabulous job, and we are so grateful for all of the work they did to put the triathlon together.

We had a wide variety of participants this year, from the young and tough....

...to the mature and strong (Sister Clark, you are my hero!).

After everyone signed in

and paused for a group picture,

they were off!

The first part of the triathlon is a swim in Lake Elmo.

There were several boats in the water to ensue that everyone made it out of the water safely.

As well as several future triathloners

cheering on their moms.

The next leg of the event is biking. Women bike clear out to the refinery ---but no one will tell on you if you turn around before you get there : ^) .

The final leg is a run/jog/walk/crawl twice+ around Lake Elmo.

We had a number of moms and daughters participating together this year, which was wonderful.

It was a perfect day for a demanding triathlon--our high on Friday was 78 degrees.

This year we had 35 participants. It was so much fun!

Thanks to all of the volunteers who helped along the way, passing out water, cheering everyone on, and making sure that everyone was okay.

Make it your goal to join us next year. We don't care if you do the whole event, or just one or two of the three. We don't care if you're slow or fast, we just take joy in your accomplishment!

Thank you, Brenda and Ranee, for all of your work, and thanks to the wonderful participating women of the Billings East Stake!

UPCOMING EVENTS

2011-08-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the WILD WOMAN TRIATHLON is taking place this friday, Aug. 19 at Lake Elmo. You still have until tomorrow Aug. 17th to sign up. Give Brenda Snizek a call at 256-5476 or email at bsnizek@bresnan.net. Participants need to arrive by 5:00 at the boat dock. Families and friends are welcome! Come and cheer for all the Wild Women!

STAKE CONFERENCE is scheduled for Saturday, August 27th and Sunday, August 28th. The Saturday schedule includes Priesthood meetings at 4pm, dinner at 5:30 and an adult session starting at 7pm. The Sunday meeting starts at 10am at the Stake Center. Hope to see you there!

READ KIDDO READ

2011-08-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

If you are always looking for a good book for your children to read you might want to check out www.readkiddoread.com. The web site was started by the author James Patterson to encourage his son and every other kid to develop the habit of reading. The site gives a rundown of the best books for kids, broken down by age and genre. I find it easy to navigate and plenty of books to choose from. And of course just because these books are labeled as children and young adult literature doesn't mean that adults won't enjoy them. I think of them as books the whole family can read and enjoy and build a connection with. Of course many of the books suggested are popular so trying to check them out at the library can be discouraging. Sometimes it is easier to just put a hold on a book and pick it up when it is available. Check it out! and Happy Reading!

GENEALOGY FAIR

2011-08-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Who Do You Think You Are?

Saturday, August 27, 2011

10am-2pm + 1711 6th Street West (Ave. D Chapel)

Free to the Public!

5 PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

*LDS Family History Center

*Yellowstone Genealogy Forum

*Big Sky Paf Users Group

*Germans From Russia

*D.A.R. (Daughters of American Revolution)

Each organization will have a booth/table at which to provide information & display what can be accomplished when tracing family history, plus Mini-workshops: how to fill out pedigree and family sheets, Using websites for research & Genealogy 101.

This should be a great event for those interested in family history. Both stakes are involved and working hard to make it a success. And of course, lunch will be served!

Freezing Tomatoes

2011-07-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

I just picked my first 2 tomatoes from my garden. You know how as your tomatoes ripen, you often have more tomatoes than you can eat, put not enough to preserve? Or maybe you have some ripe tomatoes but no time to use them.

Last year at the Stake Relief Society "What To Do With Your Garden" seminar we held, Jodi Gorham gave us one of my favorite tips ever. She told us you can freeze a whole tomato and use it later. Here's how:

1. Wash a whole tomato well.

2. Pop it in a baggie. Just leave the stem on, and don't forget to label the bag.

3. Now sometime in January or February when you need a tomato for a recipe, pull out your frozen tomato.

4. Run it under warm water.

5. The skin will now slip off easily.

6. You can now crush , dice, or use the tomato whole.

7. You can use the tomato in any recipe that calls for cooked tomatoes. They are also great in soup.

Last summer, I froze about a dozen tomatoes this way. They were wonderful to have on hand and I had used them all within a couple of months. I definitely plan on freezing a lot more this way this summer!

Second Annual Wild Women Triathlon

2011-07-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 19, 6 pm-9 pm
Lake Elmo State Park
Are you ready?? The triathlon is less than one month away. Last year's event was so fun-check it out here.

There are women of all ages and all fitness levels participating--come enjoy the company of our sisters! You can even volunteer to help if you don't want to participate. We need people to pass out water, help with snacks at the end, direct traffic along the way, and cheer our runners on.

Contact Brenda Snizek (Skyview Ward) or

Ranee Berg (Hilltop Ward)

for more information, or check out the facebook page.

Couscous

2011-07-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Couscous is a common ingredient in North African and Middle East cooking. It is made from semolina and is considered neither a pasta nor a grain. It has more riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, thiamine and pantothenic acid than pasta and more protein than rice. Couscous available locally has been parboiled, meaning it has been steamed and dried, making cooking time for you at home very short. Couscous needs only 5 minutes to cook, making it perfect for a quick meal. Couscous is good hot or cold, and can be substituted for quinoa, rice, or pasta in a variety of dishes. It keeps well for at least a year in your pantry.

I tried couscous in this summer salad recipe:

Chicken Quinoa (or Couscous) Salad

2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained (or couscous)
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast
1/2 cup diced yellow or red sweet peppers or bell peppers
1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 avocado, diced
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl, stirring every 5 minutes to break up. Let cool for 15 minutes. Or use couscous, cooked according to package directions and cooled.
2. Place broccoli, chicken, peppers, and Parmesan cheese into a large bowl. Add quinoa and stir to combine.
3. To prepare dressing, place olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a medium bowl, whisking to combine. Pour over quinoa, stirring then gently stir in cubed avocado.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes 8 servings

Lengthen A Skirt: Letting Down Hems

2011-07-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a dress is just on the edge lengthwise-long enough to be covered, but not quite long enough to be comfortable. So many dresses these days don't really come with hems, but even a small hem can be let down to lengthen a dress.

This is my daughter's dress. It is one of those "long enough" dresses, but she wishes it was just a little bit longer to make her feel more comfortable when sitting and bending.

It has a small hem. After measuring the hem on this dress, I determined I could lengthened it by 3/4 an inch. That doesn't seem like a lot, but even 1/2 an inch can make the difference between "just barely" and a comfortable length.

I used a package of hem tape, which you can buy anywhere sewing supplies are sold. It is a lightweight flat lace.

Carefully unpick the old hem and press open gently. When you iron something, use up and down motion, not forward and backward. That way you won't stretch out the item you are ironing.

You can see that I left the edge finish on the dress when I unpicked the hem. This keeps the fabric from unraveling, so leave it if possible.

Pin the lace to the right side of the bottom of the dress, matching the edge of the lace to the bottom seam of the edge finish. This means the lace and the dress overlap about 1/4 an inch.

Now use your machine to sew along the lace, taking care not to stretch the dress fabric.

Now fold the lace and about 1/8 inch of fabric over to the wrong side and pin. If you have a hemmer on your sewing machine, stitch in place. I hemmed this dress by hand. There are many methods to hand hem, but I learned to hem by taking a small stitch through the lace edge,

then a tiny stitch through the fabric about 1/2 an inch away from the last stitch.

This leaves a kind of zig zag hem that will stretch with the dress.

When you are done, iron using a pressing cloth. You can buy a cloth from your fabric store meant for pressing or use a clean, thin, 100% cotton cloth (dish towel) like I am. A pressing cloth allows you to press without worry about scorching your fabric and creates more steam for better results.

Wet the cloth and wring out well, then place on the hem on the wrong side of the dress. Press, remembering to use an up and down motion.

It took me maybe 30 minutes to lengthen the dress. It didn't change the look of the dress, but it will now be more comfortably modest for my daughter to wear.

Summer Salads

2011-07-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing says summer like salads. I recently found this recipe on http://www.ourbestbites.com.

Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1/2 c. honey (or sugar)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tsp. kosher or other coarse salt
About 10 cracks of freshly ground black pepper
1 c. raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries
2/3 c. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and berries in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream.

Turn off the blender and whisk in the poppy seeds. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Store in fridge for up to a week.

This recipe made a little over 2 cups of dressing.

I made a "clean out the fridge" salad--leftover chicken, leftover spinach, mandarin oranges, coconut flakes, raspberries (I also used raspberries in my dressing), and pecans.

So good and so pretty!

How to Find a Lost Phone

2011-07-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I miss the good old days when phones were attached to a base. I never spent time looking for my phone in those days!

Now I or another family member sometimes set our cordless phone down and then we can't find it. Cell phones are great for calling your landline so you can find your missing phone.

Increasingly, people are getting rid of landlines and going to cells exclusively. What happens when you lose your cell phone? Of course, you can borrow another family member's cell and call yours, or...

you can use your computer to call your cell. Here's the website:

http://www.wheresmycellphone.com

You can use this site to call your landline, too.

Fourth of July Cupcakes

2011-07-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Do you need a quick and easy idea for your fourth of July celebration? This is a dessert that comes together in a flash.

Start with white cupcakes.

I like this recipe because it makes delicious cupcakes with flat tops.

Yield: 36 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 18 min

1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix (Duncan Heins)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of almond extract
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pans.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.

3. Use ice cream scoop to fill prepared cupcake tins- fill about 3/4 full. Bake about 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely, then cut in half with a sharp knife like this:

Wash berries and drain well on paper towel. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries and strawberries or raspberries for a red, white, and blue theme.

Put a dollop of cool whip on your split cupcake and arrange berries on whip cream.

Put the two halves together, top with a dollop of cool whip and garnish with berries.

See? Quick, easy, and so good!

Wild Woman Triathlon

2011-06-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Second Annual Wild Woman Triathlon is going to be so Fun!

Date: Friday August 19th
Time: 6-9 pm
Location: Lake Elmo State Park

This is free fun! Let's all gather some friends and come enjoy this non-competitive triathlon. It is free and we can each do as much or as little as we choose. If you want complete information, you can search on Facebook, but here is a short run-down on the events:

Lake Elmo Swim: We will stay close to the shore line, starting at the east side of the lake and swim to the docks by the Fish and Game building. Boats will be by the swimmers for any needing assistance. Feel free to bring floatees or a kickboards--anything you wish to assist you.

Bike Ride: Bring any bike you have--it does not have to be anything special. We will cross Main Street and go onto the bike path for a 10 mile ride--there will be a water station at the five mile mark, so that you can be refreshed and then ride the five miles back. If you choose to just do a portion of this distance, that is just fine.

Run or Walk: This will consist of a three mile run/walk around Lake Elmo.

I think as we participate in this activity, we will make some very fun memories and individual achievement goals could be improved upon year by year!

The two wonderful sisters organizing this event are Brenda Snizek and Ranee Berg. If you have questions, you can call Brenda at : 256-5476 or Ranee at: 896-8471

Let's DO it!

Mini Meat Loaves in Onion Gravy

2011-06-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

I love to watch the cooking channel and I get inspired to "spin off" my own versions of their recipes, so I do not have to run to the store. I made these last week and it was a great meal.

Mini Meat Loaves in Onion Gravy

Mix:
#1 ground beef
6 oz. sausage (I used Italian sausage)
Soak 2/3 cup oatmeal in 2/3 milk for 10 minutes
Mix oatmeal mixture into meat mixture and form into oval shapes like a mini meatloaf. I made mine about the size of a large hamburger patty. Cook these in a small amount of oil, making sure to get some good browned color on each side. ( I didn't use any other seasoning)

Gravy:
Slice 2 onions rather thinly and saute in olive oil and a little butter on moderately low heat until caramelized. Add salt and pepper as desired. Sprinkle with 2-3 Tb. flour, stirring it in. Add 2 cups chicken or beef stock. Cook until it thickens, then add the mini meat loaves and simmer gently for just a few minutes.

This was such a great meal. The cook on the TV show was Rachel Ray and she said it tastes like you're having french onion soup with a fantastic meat loaf. It is easy to make and oh, so tasty!

Shepherd Ward's "Eight Cow Woman" RS Meeting

2011-06-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

Shepherd Ward presented a wonderful theme last week for their Relief Society Meeting. The theme was based on the story of Mahana(sp?) "Eight Cow Woman". Seriously this was so fun and uplifting!

For treats, they served Cow Pies--which were actually very good no bake cookies--and some awesome Coconut Macaroons.

LeeAnn Foggin and Kelly Sessions presented many great ideas on living within our means, and being happy while doing it.

Anita Cook and Jessica Oliver presented cheap date ideas and things to do as a family that were budget friendly.

Ivey Peterson did a great presentation, making us all more aware of preparation for unexpected events. She reminded us to get a phone with a cord for communication during loss of electrical power.

Dana Wittorf encouraged us to set goals and gave many good ideas on achieving the goals that we set. She has been a great example in this area.

LeeAnn Foggin showed us this quilt which holds many memories. Her grandmother made this quilt from scraps of "this and that". The last presenter gave us the recipe for a hand scrub. We all tested it and it worked wonderfully. Here it is:
Mix two parts sugar--either granulated or brown sugar- with one part olive oil.
We used a teaspoon size of this mixture and rubbed it all over our hands--it sloughs off old skin cells and leaves your hands so soft. We then got a partner to massage lotion into each others hands, as she showed us the techniques. It felt wonderful.

What a great evening we shared with the sisters in the Shepherd Ward. They presented the theme "Eight Cow Woman" with such fun and meaning combined.

Why didn't anyone ever tell me this? (Let's get prepared!)

2011-06-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

We visited the Hawthorne Ward a few months ago and as I picked up a program, I noticed a handout listing useful websites for getting prepared for emergencies/ disasters. Listed below are links to six different websites with wonderful information. Please check out at least a few of them and start (or finish) getting prepared. You'll be glad you did!

  http://providentliving.org
    http://ready.gov
    http://www.fema.gov
    http://preparedness.ldswelfare.org
    http://livingprepared.blogspot.com
    http://www.redcross.org

The list was followed by this quote from Spencer W Kimball:
Let's do these things because they are right, because they are satisfying, and because we are obedient to the counsels of the Lord. In this spirit we will be prepared for most eventualities and the Lord will prosper and comfort us. It is true that difficult times will come--for the Lord has foretold them--But if we live wisely and providently, we will be a safe as in the palm of His hand.

Roundup Flood Relief

2011-06-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today (Saturday, June 4) members of our stake went to Roundup to help with the flood clean-up effort. They met at the church at 6 am.

Here are members, wearing the church's "Helping Hands" vests, in front of the Roundup Branch building.

This shows the main room inside our church, full of donated items. There were somewhere around 75 members of our stake working in Roundup, and another 25 people or so from other churches and the community at large.

The local hospital was giving free tetanus shots to anyone who needed them. Unfortunately, there were a lot of exposed nails to poke yourself on.

Salt Lake sent up these white cleaning buckets--they think of everything! Inside these buckets are gloves, bleach, all-purpose cleaner, rags, and cleaning sponges.

As you can see, this is quite a messy job. Basements in Roundup were full to the ceiling with flood water, and main floors had another 3-4 feet of water in many areas.

Here is a typical house, being cleaned by workers. Workers cleaned out houses for anyone who needed help.

Everything has to be brought outside to be cleaned up and dried.

Sheetrock was pulled down to get rid of water-logged walls.

This is a sinkhole in someone's yard. Workers poured around 50 bags of sand into this hole and didn't even begin to fill it in.

This large semi is full of free drinking water for the people of Roundup.

The Catholic church in town set up this washing station with warm water so workers could clean up before eating lunch.

Meals are being cooked in the Catholic church for workers and members of Roundup community in need of food.

This is the Catholic church of Roundup. They have invited members of the Roundup branch to come eat lunch with them tomorrow after church.

This is what Roundup looks like a week or so after the last rain. Billings got around 9+ inches over the month of May. Roundup got 9 inches on ONE day, and 4 inches a few days later.

An apartment building ruined by the floods.

This is the inside of someone's house. You can see how high the flood water was--all of the sheetrock had to be pulled off as high as the flood water hit.

This picture was taking near the river. The river has been more or less dry for the last eight years.

You can see in this picture how a picnic table and other objects were pushed against a fence by flood water.

Notice how this street sign has grass and mud on the top were flood water reached.

These are the sister missionaries. They and a group of workers found an elderly woman who had purchased this home two weeks before the flood.

Her basement was filled, and her main floor was left with several inches of mud and silt.

Her home is a good example of the mess left by the flood.

President Checketts, President of the Roundup branch is second from the left.

Thank you to all who helped today, as well as all who offered to help. We will continue to update you with opportunities for serving as they come up.

Flood Relief Update

2011-05-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today members of both stakes met at 5 am to prepare breakfast and lunch for people in Crow Agency and Lodge Grass. We made 300+ sandwiches, using peanut butter and jam from the truck of supplies sent by Salt Lake, and also purchased supplies locally to make meat sandwiches, and provide milk, fresh fruit, chips, cookies, and rolls for dinner. At 4:30 pm another group met to get stew ready to send. After the food is prepared President Griffin and counterparts from the other stake deliver it. We are so thankful to those who came and helped. Many others volunteered, but were not needed this time. This food is being used to feed anyone in those communities in need of a meal, not just members. Many of you have asked where members from Lodge Grass and Crow Agency attended church---they are part of the Hardin Branch.
At this time, it is possible we will be preparing meals for the next several Mondays. We are only providing Monday's meals--other days are covered by other groups. If you can help prepare food at the Auto Auction, either around 5-6 am or 4-5 pm on Mondays, please contact me, either through email ( skjones8@juno.com ) or by phone (I am in Hilltop Ward), and I will add you to our list of future volunteers.

You have likely seen on the news how serious the flooding has been in Roundup. Tomorrow supplies will be taken into Roundup area by some of our stake brethren.

We encourage you to find ways to serve those who have been affected by the floods in your own ward, in our stake, and in our state. We appreciate all of the donated time and bedding we have received. Please, pray for those who have been affected by flooding. We will likely feel the effects of all this rain for some time.

Relief Efforts

2011-05-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Recently our area received supplies from Salt Lake for flood relief. These items, along with some of the bedding collected by the stake, have been taken to Crow Agency. They also received cleaning supplies from Salt Lake. The people of Crow Agency are so grateful for the contributions. Eight tons of food was delivered on Friday, and more will be distributed in the coming weeks, as needed. Some of the hygiene kits and bedding we collected were also given to those affected locally by flooding who are now staying at the Red Cross facility on MSU B campus. On Monday, members from both stakes will be going to Lodge Grass to feed breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you have the time and ability to participate in these service opportunities, please contact me at skjones8@juno.com. You will need to be available for either a morning shift from 5 am to noon or 1, and an afternoon shift from 11 am to 6 or 7 pm. Leave you name and phone number and shift time available and I will add you to our list. We will likely be doing various service project related to the flooding issues for several weeks.

Help for Hardin

2011-05-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

We put together a very quick service project today for the Hardin area. As you know, there have had very serious issues with flooding around the state, and the Hardin area has been particularly hard hit. President Griffin asked us put together at least 500 hygiene kits. We put the word out about noon today that we needed helping hands to assemble kits. We when gathered at 7, more that 100 members showed up. A big thank you to all who were able to come tonight and help out! We completed nearly 600 hygiene kits.

There will no doubt be more opportunities to serve in the coming weeks. Tonight we are asking members of the stake to donate clean, gently used TWIN sheets--both fitted and flat. We also need blankets of all sizes, particularly twin. We will be collecting them tomorrow evening at 7 in the stake Relief Society room. If you have sheets and blankets you can donate, but can't make it to the church tomorrow evening, please contact me (Chris Jones) directly. We will be collecting sheets and blankets now through Friday.

Please remember the members of our stake in your prayers. Sisters, please check on the sisters you visit teach-make sure they are doing alright. We have members all over the stake who are dealing with weather-related issues.

Teaching Your Teens about Emergency Preparedness

2011-05-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse!

I recently found this blog on the CDCs website (click here). Yes, that is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It has a bunch of great tips on how to prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse, which happen to also be great tips on how to survive a real disaster. It also includes pertinent information on the origin of Zombies, which is extremely useful for the uniformed parent of teenagers. Here is an excerpt:

Better Safe than Sorry

So what do you need to do before zombies...or hurricanes or pandemics for example, actually happen? First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your house. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp (or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation sheter or utility lines are restored).

They then list the basic elements of, you guessed it, a 72-hour kit. You will need your teen's input to be truly and thoroughly prepared, though. For example, my son, who is an expert on zombie apocalypse theory, informed me that an essential item that is lacking in the emergency kit is a shotgun. Apparently, "everyone" knows that you need a shotgun to ward of zombies.

There is also information about Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schoolman who wrote a medical paper on zombies. He refers to their condition as "Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome." Needless to say, the blog is very complete.

If you have had trouble getting your teen (or let's face it, your husband) interested in emergency/disaster preparedness, this may be a great way for you to catch their interest.

The Misunderstood Aubergine

2011-05-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

Eggplant is such a beautiful vegetable! It's got that beautiful, glossy, royal purple color! Too bad it's so bitter, right? Wrong! If prepared and cooked properly, eggplant is quite delicious. First, wash and slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch discs.

Lay these out on your cutting board and sprinkle with salt on both sides.

Stack them in a colander to drain. You can see the water beginning to be drawn out of them.

After about 20 minutes, gently squeeze with your palms to remove excess liquid. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350°. You can keep the baked eggplant in the refrigerator for two weeks in a tightly sealed container.

The baked eggplant can be used in a stacked sandwich or you can make Ratatouille. Little children might be tempted to eat their vegetables if they like the movie. :)

Here's a stacked sandwich on whole wheat artisan bread. Toast the bread and drizzle with olive oil. Layer on baked eggplant, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, and cheese. (I used Gouda.) Put under the broiler until cheese is melted. Oh, my! It was delicious!

Ratatouille Provencal
(Eggplant Casserole)

2-1/2 cups diced eggplant
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cups thinly sliced onions
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pitted black olives (whole)
4 small julienned green peppers (2 large)
seeds and membrane removed
3 cups zucchini in 1/2 inch slices
2 cups canned tomatoes (or fresh, peeled)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil OR oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: Cultured sour cream or freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Heat a deep skillet and add olive oil and onions. Saute until onions are golden.

Meanwhile, prepare the rest of your vegetables. To easily peel garlic, place garlic on cutting board.

Place wide chef's type knife flat on garlic with sharp edge pointing away from you.

Whack the knife with the heal of your hand to crush the garlic.

This will "pop" the skin on the garlic and it can be easily removed.

The garlic itself is still in pretty good shape, but ready for a rough chop for our Ratatouille!

Slice the green pepper and zucchini.

Stir it all into the pot with the sauteed onions.

Roughly chop your roasted eggplant.

Chop your basil or oregano (I've tried this recipe with each and both are yummy.) Dried oregano can be used if you don't have fresh, but basil just has to be fresh.

Stir in the eggplant and herbs. Add about a half teaspoon of salt (remember there was salt on the eggplant, so go easy) and some freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle on a little more olive oil. Bring to a simmer.

At this point your Ratatouille will smell awful. I don't know how else to put it. You will wonder why you thought it would be good. You will wonder if you've done something terribly wrong. Your family may start surreptitiously looking for pizza coupons. I can tell you from experience that you just have to trust centuries of French chefs. This stuff will be transformed by the cooking process! Simmer for 45 minutes with a lid on. Remove the lid and simmer for an additional 15 minutes to reduce the liquid. At this point you can taste for seasoning and add a little more salt if needed.

Just like magic, everything will have melded together into a pot of creamy, fabulous yumminess. Now your Ratatouille smells like it should! Serve with a dollop of sour cream, or with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese. I like to have the leftovers piled on top of toasted bruschetta, with parmesan grated over it all. :)

Orange Knots

2011-04-25T18:09:00.001-07:00

12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but cold
1 medium orange rind, grated
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Citrus Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix grated orange rind with sugar. Roll each roll into a 9-inch rope. Tie in a loose knot. Roll each knot in melted butter and then in rind/sugar mixture. Place on a large sprayed baking sheet. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size. Remove wrap. Bake at 350* 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Brush with citrus glaze while still warm.
I tried this recipe and thought it was easy and good. Next time I'll use my own roll recipe and instead of making cinnamon rolls make orange knots. Yum!

Alkali Creek Ward Relief Society Meeting

2011-04-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

The Alkali Creek Ward Relief Society Presidency chose the theme of Closer to Christ for their evening Relief Society Meetings. For April's meeting they had a guest speaker talk about how to improve their scripture reading and then scrapbooked a darling photograph book. I was able to attend and thought you might like to see some pictures. What a nice evening out with your sisters. Thank-you!

Lake Hills Birthday Celebration

2011-04-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

This week the Stake Relief Society visited Lake Hills Relief Society Birthday Celebration.

The tables were set with cheerful spring decorations. It made me smile just to sit at the table!

Do you see the yellow peep? So cute!

Here's a close-up of the centerpiece--simple but lovely.

Sister Sidona Wagstaff set the mood with beautiful prelude music.

Lake Hills served a delicious chicken casserole, green beans side, fruit salad, and a dinner roll. Yummy!

They ended the evening with birthday cake and ice cream.

The program began with some remarks from Bishop Jay Stott.

Tana Baker spoke next. She is a newlywed, recently married in the Billings temple. She spoke about her experience and the blessings of being sealed in the temple.

Sister Morrison, Matron of the Billings Temple was the concluding speaker. She gave a wonderful and inspirational talk about the temple.

Sister Gwen Selfridge and Sister Ruth Corey sang the closing song, which was written by Senator Orrin Hatch.

Some of the sister of Lake Hills Ward

It was a wonderful evening, full of inspiring talks, music, beautiful decorations, and tasty food.

It made me want to go to the temple more often!

Thanks, Lake Hills, for letting us join you!

Relief Society Temple Days

2011-04-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

RELIEF SOCIETY TEMPLE SESSION

FRIDAY APRIL 15 - 10 AM SESSION

and

TUESDAY APRIL 19 - 6:15 PM SESSION

Please join with your sisters in the Stake for a session at the temple. A light lunch is served on Friday in the cafeteria after the session and light refreshments shared after the evening session. See you there.

BILLINGS FAMILY HISTORY CENTER

2011-04-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Ancestry.com is now available at the Family History Center at Avenue D Chapel. This website is a favorite of many people trying to research their family lines and if you have ever watched the TV show, Who do you think you Are?, you've seen how useful this website can be. This is a "paid" site, meaning that to see all of the information they have you will have to pay a fee. The Church has made this resource available to everyone without cost by visiting this site on the computers at the family history centers.

BILLINGS FAMILY HISTORY CENTER

Tues. 10am-5pm

Wed. & Thur. 10am-8pm

Fri. 10am-2pm

Closed Monday and Saturday

1711 6th West

Consider this a personal invitation to visit the Family History Center here in Billings. Encourage your non-member friends or less active family members to visit the library. Everyone is welcome.

KIDS SAY THE CUTEST THINGS

2011-04-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hopefully everyone had the opportunity to watch at least part of General Conference this past weekend. I was able to watch Sunday morning session with my daughter and her family. One of the songs sung was The Spirit of God. Between sessions my granddaughter and I were in the kitchen fixing lunch and she was singing this song. She said, "I just can't get it out of my head" and now I can't either. I'll always remember this little darling singing "we'll scream and we'll shout". An article in the February Ensign says, "Singing hymns can invite the Spirit into our Church meetings, our homes, and our everyday lives." President J. Reuben Clark Jr. of the First Presidency taught, "We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer." What a blessing it is to be able to hear not only Prophets speak but also choirs sing beautiful, inspiring music in the comfort of our own homes. And did you know that the Church has provided a Web site for accessing the hymns? Music.lds.org includes music and lyrics that can be read, downloaded, or played as well as instructions for playing hymns and leading music.

NEW BLOG TO TRY

2011-04-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Has everyone looked at the cooking blog at www.ourbestbites.com? I first noticed it in the Mormon Times and then saw an ad for the cookbook. So...two smart, young LDS women have a cooking blog and they have now published a cookbook from their blog recipes. The blog looks very professional with beautiful photographs and detailed instructions and it's always fun to read the comments. I found some of the recipes easy to print and some not so easy. That could be human error, ya think?!! So...if you are always looking for a new recipe or a twist on an old favorite you might want to check out this blog.

MEMORY MAKER

2011-04-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Last year my family attended a family reunion in Island Park, Idaho. This reunion is a big deal. It lasts for 3 days, there is tons of food and boating and a parade and fireworks and more! When my three oldest grandchildren were asked what was the most fun event of the weekend they said, " the night we squeezed all of us into the trailer and played cards and ate junk food."

I thought to myself, "we could do that in the driveway!" So I've started thinking we could pull our little tent trailer, some extra tents, cards and games, food and junk food, all the way to the KOA in Billings, Montana. That would take us about 15 minutes! People could come after work and enjoy some time together and then stay the night or go home and sleep in their own bed!

I know! Sometimes "less is just less." But sometimes "less might be more."

WALTER RANE

2011-04-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Recently I was able to view an exhibit of Walter Rane's paintings in the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors' Center. The paintings portrayed nineteen scenes from the Book of Mormon. They were amazing! It was a wonderful surprise and blessing to see these paintings. The cover of the April 2011 Ensign is a reproduction of a Walter Rane painting entitled, Peace I Leave With You and one of my favorites is in the February 2011 Ensign entitled, Mary Heard His Word. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. You can see more of his paintings online at walterrane.com

Conference

2011-03-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

"I say again, FOLLOW THE BRETHREN. In a few days there opens another general conference of the Church. The servants of the Lord will counsel us. You may listen with anxious ears and hearts, or you may turn that counsel aside.... What you shall gain will depend not so much upon their preparation of the messages as upon your preparation for them."

-Boyd K. Packer

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

Thomas S. Monson

Need some ideas to help your family get more from conference? Check out some of these resources:

Blessings of Conference

From lds.org

Check lds.org for many other articles and videos having to do with conference.

Making Conference More Meaningful

From a earlier post on this blog

How Can You Prepare For General Conference?

From Meridian Magazine

April 2011 Conference Packets For All Ages

From sugardoodle.net

‎"Our being edified at conference depends on us. It becomes necessary that we prepare our hearts to receive and profit by the suggestions that may be made by the speakers during the progress of the conference, which may be prompted by the Spirit of the Lord. I have thought, and still think, that our being edified does not so much depend upon the speaker as upon ourselves."

-Lorenzo Snow

Homemade Pretzels

2011-03-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite recipes for pretzels originally appeared at King Arthur Flour. The recipe is not currently available from King Arthur's website, but I am posting it here. I like this recipe because it is so tasty I always have all the ingredients in my cupboard. You can use all white flour or substitute whole wheat flour for half of the white. This recipe is one of my grandkids' favorite recipes to "help" with and they frequently ask to make pretzels when they are here. This recipe makes 8 pretzels, but I think you could also make this recipe into more, smaller pretzels or into pretzel bites.

Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup very warm water

Topping:

1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds (optional)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. You want a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F (Yes, it really says 500!). Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn’t, it will make your pretzels splotchy. (I stir it a bit just before I brush a new pretzel)

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (14 to 22 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel.

Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this is what gives the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color). I prefer to brush mine with a silicon brush--it's easier for children to brush than dip.

Place them on the prepared baking sheets.

Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake until golden brown, 7-9 minutes.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up. The butter gives them a wonderful flavor, do not skip or use less butter.

You can also top with sesame or poppy seeds or sugar/cinnamon.

Hearts and Hands 2011 Final Tally

2011-03-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Sisters,

This is a small note to thank you all for your hard work and service in making Hearts and Hands 2011 happen. We did Hearts and Hands 6 weeks earlier than last year and the numbers are incredible. Thank you all. Please express our gratitude to all of the sisters in your wards and branches for their compassionate service. It was a pleasure working with you all.

Sincerely,

The Hearts and Hands committee

Hearts and Hands 2011 Final count

Children Hygiene 109

Women Hygiene 295
Men Hygiene 223
School Kits 121
Quilts - Twin 120
Quilt - Lap 64
Quilt - Baby 95
Hooded Towels 320
Clothing Protectors 97
Layettes 90
Friendship Bags 154
Teen Bags 113
Hats 10 trash bags worth
Polar Fleece 76
Fleece Hats 3 boxes full

EXTRAS:

Women's clothing and accessories
Boys' jeans 12-34W: 1 box full
2 extra boxes of food
6 boxes of extra school supplies divided up among schools
2 boxes of puzzles, clothes, misc.
2 boxes full of individually wrapped snacks and juices8 extra boxes of diapers
roughly 50 boxes of clothes and 3 boxes of hangers

Hearts and Hands 2011

2011-03-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our 11th and final Hearts and Hands service project.

We spent the day pinning,

tacking,

sorting,

packaging,

tying,

cutting,

finishing,

and organizing.

As always, we are amazed and touched by the amount of donations that poured in.

We are grateful for every donated pencil, diaper, backpack, can of food, and clothing item given.

Those who receive these goods are so thankful.

We know many incredible women who spent this past year piecing and finishing quilts, putting together clothing protectors, and collecting needed goods.

Thank you to the sisters who brought the delicious soups for our luncheon.

I sampled several of the soups, but couldn't quite decide which was yummiest.

Hearts and Hands has always been a great place to see old friends,

catch up on each other's lives

and enjoy the company of our sisters.

Naturally, this year was no exception!

Thank you to each sister who came and spent an hour or the day working.

We know you are busy in your own lives.

Last year when we picked the day for Hearts and Hands

we tried hard to pick a "free" day.

Of course, over time we discovered we picked the same day as the scout show and prom.

We know many of you wanted to be with us, but had personal or family responsibilities today. We missed you, but we understand.

Hopefully, if you came you had a chance to meet some of the great people who come from other churches in the area. These wonderful young men have been coming with Pastor Mike from the Community Church for many years.

We will be sad to see the end of Hearts and Hands, but we also feel good about the decision to turn things over the wards and branches.

Of course, we encourage each of you to find ways to give community service on your own.

We can even provide you with a list of the fabulous charities we've worked with over these last years. If you are interested contact Francine Palmer or Rexene Tilley for this list, as well as information about the kind of donations we having been providing them.

There are many local organizations that would appreciate your time.

Thank you, sisters, for making Hearts and Hands such a positive, successful project each year.

Maybe you went home like I did: sore muscles, tender, bleeding fingertips,

but a heart full of gladness for the privilege of serving

and a deeper appreciation for my own blessings.

By the end of the day our distribution tables were again overflowing.

We give a special thanks to the sisters from both stakes who were ward and branch coordinators, project leaders, creators of posters and advertising, and organizers of all kinds. Thank you, Francine and Rexene for all of the time and effort you put into making this year's event so wonderful.

We are indebted to priesthood brethren from several wards who set up hundreds of chairs and tables, then came and took them down and helped us clean up.

We love our missionaries who cheerfully loaded waiting charity vans and chairs with our finished products.

Willing Hearts and Helping Hands.

2011-03-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night several men from Alkali Creek Ward worked hard to set up all of our tables and chairs in all of our rooms. We are so grateful for their help--we couldn't have done it without them!

When we arrived early Friday morning to begin preparations for Hearts and Hands I looked at our big, empty gym and wondered if we would have enough donated items and enough sisters to meet our goals.

It wasn't long before our rooms began to fill with donated goods.

All of these boxes came from Hardin Branch.

Hardin has been collecting donations to send to Mongolia, but as postage has gotten so expensive they've been unable to send them. They donated to Hearts and Hands instead.

Many wards and branches brought bags and bags of finished quilts.

It wasn't long before we had plenty of boxes and sacks to sort through,

and lots of supplies to count.

We were so thankful for those that came to help.

We are grateful for sisters who set up various rooms

or sorted through clothes for our used clothes section. When you come tomorrow, you can take anything you want from these clothes before they are donated to Family Services.

We have quilts of every color and size.

Many vehicles arrived throughout the day, filled to the top with boxes and sacks of donated goods.

We were amazed at the beautifully handmade hats, scarves and gloves.

We encouraged wards and branches to finished as many quilts in advance as possible. There were many, many beautiful finished quilts.

We still have several quilts to finish on Saturday.

Monad Ward brought 54 beautiful full size quilts, quilted by long-arm machine and bound by hand.

Many sisters come to spent the afternoon tying quilts.

We had members of other community churches come and donate their expertise.

By the end of today, our formerly empty gym was full of donated goods.

We so appreciate each and every item donated by the wonderful members of our two stakes. We are grateful for all of the time spent tying quilts and making fleece blankets in advance. We still have hundreds of kits to assemble, dozens of quilts to tie, and hundreds of items to count and sort. Please join us Saturday, March 18, from 9 am on. Come enjoy a tasty lunch with us, the fellowship of your sisters and community members, and the joy of serving.

Skyview Ward and Hearts and Hands

2011-03-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight Skyview Ward celebrated Relief Society's birthday.

They used this cheerful birthday theme for decorations.

For the last few years, Skyview has contributed to Hearts and Hands by donating hygiene kits. They have purchased supplies over the internet and found some amazingly good deals.

The sisters began the evening by assembling kits.

They put together kits for men, women, and children.

The children's kits include a coloring book--they found nice coloring books on the internet for an amazing 34 cents each.

Skyview filled several boxes with completed kits.

Now we have one less thing to do at Saturday's Hearts and Hands-

thank you sisters!

After working on their Hearts and Hands project, the Skyview sisters gathered for various homemade crock pot soups, served in bread bowls.

Yummy!

Skyview also had a short program, including a wonderful video on the beginnings of Relief Society, followed by some inspirational words from one of their sisters. It was a great evening of service, spirituality, and sisterhood.

This is a fridge magnet made by one of the sisters in Skyview Ward, given to each sister there.

Thank you, Skyview, for letting me join you!

Hearts and Hands Is NEXT WEEK!

2011-03-10T05:18:00.000-08:00

-We really need quilting frames and sewing machines set-up for Friday afternoon, March 18th and Saturday all day, March 19th. All sisters willing to loan their machines and frames should have their name and phone number on each piece. Contact Francine Palmer or Rexene Tilley (Alkali Creek Ward) if you can help.

-Please come any time Friday afternoon and evening 12-7 P.M. and on Saturday 9A.M.-4P.M. We will also be doing a lot of set-up work on Friday morning and would love all the help we can get to sort through dropped off items and get them to their proper locations throughout the building. Bring a friend!

-We are short on clothing protectors and canned food for the friendship baskets. Protectors are made of light weight WHITE towels with a hole cut out for the head and a ribbing sewn in. We appear to be about 70 short of the request and I am really hoping that even if we can't get all that has been requested that we might be able to get a few more than we currently have. Francine has patterns. Canned vegetables and dessert mixes are again on sale this week at your local grocery store.

Tools of the Trade

2011-03-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

"I think every woman should have a blowtorch."

-Julia Child

The right tools in the kitchen make life easier. When I was growing up, my mom used this juicer. I remember making orange juice with it and it worked well. When I got married I never got around to buying one; instead I squeezed my citrus inefficiently by hand. When my mom passed away, I inherited this old juicer. I was amazed by how much juice I could get out of an orange or lemon using it. I had been missing out on a lot of good juice over the years because I didn't have the right tools.

That got me thinking about my favorite kitchen tools. Here are some of the best instruments in my kitchen:

1. Every cook needs good, sharp knives. A good knife speeds the work of chopping and makes it easier to cut food to proper size. Sharp knifes are actually safer than dull knives--they are more likely to cut through food, less likely to slip and cut hands.

2. I've owned the vegetable peeler on the left for 30 years or so. It's cheap, flimsy, and has never been very sharp. After using it at Thanksgiving one year, one of my kids bought me the one on the right for Christmas. It's sturdy, cushioned, and sharp. It cuts peeling time dramatically. I learned it sometimes pays to spend a little more. Buy the best quality you can afford!

3. I love this well-used food chopper. It chops an onion or some nuts in a few seconds.

4. Kichen shears are a must for every cook.

5. This is a fairly new tool to me: an immersion blender. You can stick in right into things like soup or shakes and mix. The top part comes off and cleans in the dishwasher.

6. This scoop is perfect for cookie dough. It helps make your cookies uniform in size and is easier than using a spoon. I have a set with three different sizes that I use all the time

7. Silicone brush, used for basting or brushing food. It is heat resistant and cleans up wonderfully in the dishwasher.

8. Can strainer.

Just right for setting on top of an open can and easily draining the liquid.

9. Citrus zester. Did you know you should only use the very, very outside of citrus when a recipe calls for zest? The colored part adds a wonderful flavor. The white part is bitter and will ruin your recipe. This zester makes it easy to use just that outer part for perfect zest. It's like a rasp or file with little holes and it's very sharp.

10. Kitchen scale. I use this a lot. If I want uniform bread size I weigh the pieces to make sure they are even. Have you ever had a recipe that calls for 2 lbs of fruit? How much is that? This scale will tell you. You can even find recipes that give ingredient amounts by weight--a much more accurate way to cook. It can also be used by dieters wanting to control portion size.

11. I'm not sure what this is called--dough scrapper? I use it to cut dough into pieces or clean off my counter after rolling out dough.

The list of wonderful, clever tools is endless. Do you have a favorite kitchen tool?

Hearts and Hands

2011-03-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

We are now in the homestretch for Hearts and Hands 2011. We could still use donations, including twin quilts and food for the friendship bags which include:

40 oz. canned meals
14 oz. canned vegetables
14 oz. canned fruit
1 dessert mix
1 small stuffed toy

For more donation suggestions, contact your ward or branch coordinator or a member of your

Relief Society presidency.

After ten years, this is our very last Hearts and Hands. We invite you to come and serve and enjoy the company of your sisters and the blessings of helping those in our community in need.

An Apple A Day........

2011-02-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

By now, the middle of February, my New Year's Resolutions involving exercise, are a dim memory--sad, but true. I do however, try to choose healthy snacks and make healthy meals year round. It is very interesting to read in my new favorite magazine (second to the Ensign,of course!), the health tips that they come up with.
In the last issue one of the tips they included was to make your own almond butter. They labeled it the "Smartest Snack Ever" when paired with apples and/or celery. It is easy to make and the protein-rich almonds are good for you, in moderation. Here's how you make your own almond butter:

Toast a cup of almonds in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. You will be able to smell them when they are just barely toasted. Process them in a blender or food processor until fairly smooth, adding a drizzle of honey and a pinch of salt. Serve with apple slices or crisp pieces of celery.

Inkle Weaving

2011-01-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

If you have always been fascinated with weaving, as I have, but felt it was too expensive or too time consuming, you might want to consider starting with an inkle loom. They can be purchased for anywhere from $25 to $150+. You can also find inkle weaving books that include complete instructions for making your own inkle loom. Click here for an example of a good book. For a free, online tutorial on inkle weaving, click here.

What is inkle?

Inkle is an old English word that referred to any narrow fabric. It could be a band, strap, trim, braid, ribbon, belt, etc. Obviously our language has diversified since then!

The looms:

This is a medium-sized inkle loom.

Notice the yarn shuttle near the front of the picture. Inkle weaving has such elegant economy! The yarn shuttle has a wide beveled section of wood along the lower side of it that is used to push the woven threads together. On larger looms the shuttle and beater are two separate items as well as two separate motions.

These are small, or maybe even tiny, inkle looms:

What can you weave with an inkle loom?

Ribbon:

This sample is woven from variegated silk yarn.

In weaving it's always called yarn, even if it's as fine as thread.

This sample is also silk, but solid colors were used.

Belts:

This sample is woven with mercerized cotton yarn,

a solid blue for the background and a variegated for the pattern.

Custom trim for a sewing project:

A strap for a guitar, suspenders, or bag:

Bookmarks:

Jewelry, a.k.a. wearable art:

The color choices here are quite vibrant, but you get the idea.

The central purple band is the warp (the yarn that is wound onto the loom)

and the thicker variegated yarn is the weft

(the yarn that is wound onto the shuttle and woven through the warp).

In woven jewelry, the weft is extended beyond the edges of the band in intricate patterns.

Just for fun:

Who wouldn't want their very own, handwoven princess shoe laces?

This is a project I am working on:

This photo is from the back or underside of the loom. As you progress through the weaving, you advance the whole piece through the loom until, when you are done, the beginning and end are very close together. Again, this is an example of the elegant economy of inkle weaving: there is very little yarn wasted.

The yarn is all undyed llama, spun by my husband.

This will eventually be the strap for a felted bag, knitted from the same yarn.

The loom was made from a pattern in the above-mentioned book.

Don't forget, it's okay to take time every day to create something, even if it's just a smile. :)

Where there's a will there's a way

2010-12-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

Sister Jones shared this story with me and I thought you might enjoy it too.

Orderville was a community in south-central Utah where the Saints attempted to live the "United Order," having all things in common. It was active from 1875 to 1885. These efforts sometimes caused some interesting conflicts, as in the case of these mothers determined to provide Christmas treats for their children.

Howard Orson Spencer was chosen to be bishop and leader in the little community of Orderville, in southern Utah. One December evening some of the sisters of Orderville met to plan a Christmas treat for the children. The order had no luxuries and the necessities were strictly rationed. About the only sweets the people had was molasses, so, the sisters decided to make molasses candy and cookies for the youngsters. But on Christmas Eve, they came to Grandmother Spencer with news that the brother in charge of the molasses "won't let us have any. He says our allowance for the month is already used." Grandmother's lips tightened. "The children are going to have something for Christmas. I'll speak to my husband after dinner -- he'll give us permission."

When grandfather came in tired and hungry, grandmother hovered over him and after dinner urged him to rest by the fire. As he sat looking drowsily into the flames, she said in a low voice, "You do think the children should have some candy and cookies for Christmas, don't you Howard?" "Umm-hmm," was the sleepy response and grandmother went away smiling. She reported to the ladies that everything was all right, "My husband has given us permission." "Did he say we could have the molasses?" asked one doubting Thomas. "He didn't say "No" replied grandmother truthfully. "Now we won't wake up the brother in charge of the molasses. We'll just slip out and take what we need."

The man in charge of the molasses barrel was very conscious of his responsibility. On the lid of the barrel he had placed a section of heavy logging chain and a large boulder. Only a thin wooden partition at the head of the bed separated him from the barrel outside, and he was a light sleeper. Shivering from the cold the women crunched through the snow toward the barrel. It was beginning to snow again and the night was very dark. With infinite caution they removed the heavy chain without so much as one betraying clank. It took the combined efforts of all the women to lower the boulder noiselessly to the ground. There was a breathless pause as grandmother raised the lid and dipped into the barrel with a saucepan. She emptied its contents into a bucket and dipped again and again. "We have enough now," whispered one of the women, the women filed back to the warm kitchen to make the Christmas goodies. But, there was a dismayed gasp when they looked into the pail, "Oh dear, we haven't enough molasses. We'll have to get some more." "Oh no, Sister Spencer. it's so cold and dark. It's too risky." "Well just the same, we must unless we want the children to be disappointed."

There could only be one answer to such a statement and the little band of mothers went again to the molasses barrel. They returned safely and set to work. When morning came, every child in Orderville had two molasses cookies and one big slightly sticky lump of candy in his stocking. Santa Claus had not forgotten them. Grandfather insisted all his life that he could not remember ever having given the women permission to get the molasses. (Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 18:160-161)

THE PERFECT CHUCKROAST

2010-12-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has eaten President Griffiin's cooking knows that he has a way with beef! He recently shared his recipe for cooking a chuckroast with me and I thought I'd pass it along.
Start with a good chuckroast and season it well with salt and pepper. Place it in a roasting pan with a can of beef broth and place it in the oven at 275 degrees. For a large roast of about 8 lbs. put it in the oven about 7 am and cook till about 5 pm, or until it falls off the bone, and melts in your mouth! He says he prefers a roast cooked in the oven over cooking it in a crockpot. This sounds pretty easy. His secret must be the low temperature and long cooking time as well as a good cut of meat. It makes me hungry just thinking about it. GO MEAT!

General Relief Society Message

2010-12-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

As many of you have noticed the LDS.org website has gone through an updating and now has a new look to it. On the old site there is a post by the General Relief Society Presidency that I thought I'd pass it along. It may be on the updated site also but I haven't found it yet.

"As you reflect on the birth of our Savior this Christmas Season, join us in remembering him by serving someone on his behalf". Such a simple statement but as I read it I thought of it as a call to action. Just imagine the good that could be and will be done by Relief Society members throughout the world this Christmas Season. The Relief Society presidency lists four things we could do:

1. visit someone in need

2. act on your generous thoughts

3. do temple work

4. register and search for a family name in the New Family Search

These small acts of service given freely and out of love for our Savior join together to build faith in Jesus Christ, support families and provide relief, the values Relief Society are built upon.

What a blessing it is for all of us to belong to the Relief Society.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS FIRESIDE

2010-12-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Gift

Something for Everyone

Please join us for a memorable

Family Christmas Fireside

presented by

The Billings East Stake

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Refreshments - 5-5:45 pm

Fireside - 6 pm

Billings East Stake Center

Sunday dress

Snowman Soup

2010-12-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for quick Christmas gifts, stories, games and more be sure to check out Sugardoodle.net. It is filled with wonderful ideas. One of my favorites is Snowman Soup.

1 package of hot chocolate mix

3 Hershey's kisses

15 or so mini marshmallows

1 candy cane

Place in a snack sized Ziploc bag or brand new mug and attach a poem

******************

When the weather outside is frightful, snowman soup can be delightful.

May it warm your spirit and your soul. Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Christmas Events

2010-12-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Only 23 days till Christmas and everyone's calendar is filling up with activities. Be sure to make time for the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. It is this Sunday, December 5th at 6pm. It will be available at the Stake Center or go to lds.org to find out how to bring it into your home.

Sunday the 5th is also the Messiah Festival. It will be held at the Alberta Bair Theater at 3:30. Free tickets are available at the Alberta Bair Theater. It has been my experience that if you show up early the day of the performance there are still seats available. The December Ensign has an article by Elder Spencer J Condie entitled "Handel and the Gift of Messiah" that gives a little bit of background on this music.

Sunday, December 19th is the Stake Family Christmas Fireside "The Gift". We are promised more information but be sure to mark your calendar and plan to come.

Turkey Leftovers--Turkey Soup

2010-11-30T18:32:00.000-08:00

If your family is like mine, the turkey leftovers are the best part of the week after Thanksgiving.

I always cook an extra turkey--it's inexpensive and cooked turkey can be used in any recipe that uses cooked chicken.

Tonight we ate this soup, a perfect end to a cold Montana day. Yum!

Mediterranean Chicken, Bean & Pasta Soup

2 tsp olive oil
1 large green onion (or a couple of smaller ones), minced
2 medium carrots, cut into thin half-circles
2 large celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes, finely chopped, including juices
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (or turkey!)
1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup ditalini (small, short pasta tubes)--tonight I used some leftover wild rice in place of pasta
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley--I used 2 Tablespoons dehydrated parsley
8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced-I used a scant teaspoon dried basil
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add shallot, carrots, and celery. Saute until the vegetables are beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes with juices, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Uncover the soup, remove the bay leaves, add cooked chicken, beans, and pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes (I just added my pre-cooked leftover rice at this point). If you are using dried parsley and basil, add for the final 5 minutes. If you are using fresh, add at the end.

Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2010-11-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

May we never let the things we can't have, or don't have, or shouldn't have, spoil

our enjoyment of the things we do have and can have.
As we value our happiness let us not forget it,
for one of the greatest lessons in life is learning to be happy without the

things we cannot or should not have.
--Richard L. Evans

Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.
D & C 59:7

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
~H.U. Westermayer

In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.
D&C 59:21

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
~William Arthur Ward

Live in thanksgiving daily.
Alma 34:38

Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief.

Where there is appreciation, there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without it there is arrogance and evil.
--Gordon B. Hinckley

The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man.
--Joseph F. Smith

We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us. Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone."

--Thomas S. Monson

Thanksgiving Activities for Children From Hilltop Ward

2010-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

At Hilltop's recent monthly activity, placemats for the dinner were these cute pages of children's activities.

Hilltop leaders suggested these coloring pages would be a great way to keep kids happy while meals were being prepared or while children were at the Thanksgiving table.

Hilltop Ward printed them off of this website: http://www.familyfun.com/ Check out this great website for activity and coloring pages, crafts for children, fun family games, and recipes for children to make.

There are ideas for other holidays too!