Dream Cookies

 

 

Dream Cookies

½ cup shortening
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ½ cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease baking sheet; set aside. In large bowl, beat shortening and butter together with electric mixer 30 seconds at medium to high speed. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in flour and cocoa powder. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by heaping tablespoons or 1-inch scoop 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Flatten dough slightly. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until just set. Let stand 1 minute on baking sheet. Remove to cooling rack. Makes 4 dozen.

 

Ask for forgiveness

 

 

 

Remember that our outlook reflects what we nurture within. We all have within us an “upward reach” and inherent desire to fulfill our greatest potential. So, see the best in yourself and enjoy the journey toward realizing your greatest possibilities. “He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”

 

James Allen

 

 

“The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward. Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 

Faith is a gift from God, and blessed is the man who possesses it.

“He who carries the lamp will not despair”

“A testimony is fragile. It is as hard to hold as a moonbeam. It is something you have to recapture every day of your life.”

 

Harold B. Lee

 

 

“Be grateful. Every day is a new canvas—a new opportunity. Our beloved President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: ‘My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we ‘accentuate the positive.’ I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue.

Joseph B. Wirthlin.

Please Forgive Me

“Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.”

Gordon B. Hinckley

“It is of great significance to me, that I may at any moment and in any circumstance approach through prayer the throne of grace, that my Heavenly Father will hear my petition, that my Advocate,

him who did no sin, whose blood was shed, will plead my cause.”

D. Todd Christofferson

 

Worth repeating…….Please Forgive Me

“Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.”

Gordon B. Hinckley

 

The Savior asked, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” What do we see when we look at others? What judgments do we make about them? None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others, making judgments concerning their actions or inactions. Thus the commandment: “Judge not.”

Thomas S. Monson

 

first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly…….

 

All of us have been hurt and wounded at some point in our lives, some of us many times and we may feel a lot of resentment, anger even hatred towards the people who were responsible…. We have be taught to forgive our enemies or to turn the other cheek, but we may find it very difficult to do so, even if we’re willing. Merely thinking about forgiving someone rarely works.  Forgiveness comes from the heart and, as French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17 century,

 

“The heart has reasons that reason cannot know.”

 

Feelings do not yield to our will, they have a life and a flow of their own. So, try as we might, we may find ourselves unable to muster a genuine feeling of forgiveness for someone who’s done us wrong. Consequently we may feel torn between our willingness to forgive and our inability to do so, and we may feel guilty for having feelings of resentment and rage.  It becomes a vicious cycle. I must forgive them, the more we trigger resistance in our heart and the more we blame ourselves for it.

                                                                                          

We may feel we are morally in the right, that the other person just doesn’t deserve our forgiveness, that we cannot forgive them for what they have done. In effect, we feel superior to them. We are good, they are bad, We become like a king, a governor, a president, a judge, someone who has the right to grant a pardon to a condemned person.

We revel in the power we believe we have over others.

 

The practice of the gift of forgiveness changes our mental script. We are no longer seated on the throne of our ego. We no longer weigh whether to show largesse and forgive those who have maliciously hurt us, judging whether these people deserve to be forgiven. Instead, we become aware of our own judgments.   We realize how these judgments have led us to close off our heart and to hurt ourselves even more, using whatever other people may have done to us as justification. Using the practice of the Gift of Forgiveness, we ask forgiveness from them.

 

In choosing to ask for forgiveness, we move from a place of self-importance and pride to a place of humility.

 

Oliver Clerc & Don Miguel

 

 

Fresh Tomato Soup & Parmesan Chive Croutons

 

 

Fresh Tomato Soup

 

3 Tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup white grape juice

8 cups chopped tomatoes, skins left on

1-2 teaspoons kosher salt

1-2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup cream

 

Melt butter in stock pot. Add chopped onion and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add grape juice, tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil. Cook for another 5 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes add cream if desired. Blend soup in batches using blender*until all soup is smooth. Return to stockpot, add cream and heat just until warmed through. Serve with croutons.

Yield: 4-5 large bowls

 

Parmesan Chive Croutons

 

bread 2-3 slices

olive oil

grated parmesan

fresh chives,chopped (I used garlic chives)

kosher salt

pepper

 

Cut up 2-3 pieces of bread, preferably a dense and crusty bread. I used leftover french, and it was still yummy.

Heat a non stick skillet using medium high heat. Add about 3-4 tablespoons olive oil. Toss bread in pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle generously with grated parmesan, toss and add chopped chives. Remove from heat and let cool. Top soup with croutons. This can also be cooked in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until browned. To cook in oven: toss all ingredients and place on foil lined cookie sheet, bake as directed.

 

Encircled about eternally

 

 

 

His eye is on the sparrow…

 

Sometimes we look up and smile and say “I know that was you, God! Thank you.

 

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

 

Psalms 91:11

 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105

 

“It’s hard to have a negative attitude about things if and when your life is focused on the Prince of Peace. There will still be problems. Everyone has them. But faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a power to be reckoned with in the universe and in individual lives. It can be a causative force through which miracles are wrought. It can also be a source of inner strength through which we find self-esteem, peace of mind, contentment, and the courage to cope.”

Being Still....insert a pause into our daily lives so we can feel and listen to the spirit.

 

"Yes, there will be stress and sorrow in life, and we will not always get the answers from heaven we prefer, but God will always give the answer we need and with it

He will give both strength and spiritual solace in all our times of trouble."

 

Jeffrey R Holland

 

God knows us so well. He knew how hectic and overfull our days would become.

So He reminds us to stop, feel His presence, and remember His commands.

 

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.

And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm”

 

"All flesh is in mine hands, be still and know that I am God" D & C 101:16

 

“Therefore,… let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed”

 

“Let us remember that through any difficult challenge, there is still much in life to be hopeful about and grateful for. We are infinitely more than our limitations or our afflictions! Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows will flee.”

 

no matter how difficult things get "his hand is stretched out still." He'll never give up on us, and will always be there... inviting us to reach up, take His hand, to become "encircled about eternally in the arms of his love."

 

Stones of remembrance

 

 

Our own stones of remembrance

 

 

 

 

So-Easy Quiche

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
5 slices bacon, precooked and chopped
1 Roma tomato, chopped
3 beaten eggs
½ cup grated cheese
¼ teaspoon pepper or seasoning of choice
Asparagus spears for garnish (optional) 
Rice crust (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place zucchini on the warm crust; add bacon and tomatoes. In a small bowl, mix eggs, cheese, and seasoning; pour over vegetables and bacon. If desired, top with asparagus spears. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
RICE CRUST
1 ½ cups cooked rice (white or brown)
¼ cup grated cheese
4 beaten eggs
¼ teaspoon dried dill
1 garlic clove, chopped
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients; press into a buttered 8-inch pie plate. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Classic Refrigerator Pickles

"…Envy is a mistake that just keeps on giving. Obviously we suffer a little when some misfortune befalls us, but envy requires us to suffer all good fortune that befalls everyone we know! What a bright prospect that is downing another quart of pickle juice every time anyone around you has a happy moment! To say nothing of the chagrin in the end, when we find that God really is both just and merciful, giving to all who stand with Him 'all that he hath,' as the scripture says."

Jeffrey R. Holland

 

 

Classic Refrigerator Pickles

Yield: 2 (1-quart) jars

Ingredients

1.    3 cups water

2.     1 1⁄2 cups apple cider vinegar

3.    1⁄4 cup kosher salt

4.     1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

5.     1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

6.    1 tablespoon dill seed

7.     2 teaspoons sugar

8.    1 teaspoon black peppercorns

9.     2 pounds small cucumbers, ends trimmed, sliced as desired

4 sprigs fresh dill

Instructions

1.    Bring 3 cups water, vinegar, salt, garlic, mustard seeds, dill seed, sugar, and peppercorns to a boil. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. Divide cucumber and dill evenly between jars; add cooled vinegar mixture to cover. Seal jars, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 24 hours or up to 1 month.

 

"Stone of help"

 

 

“Life—every life—has a full share of ups and downs. Indeed, we see … many blessings that do not always look or feel like blessings”

 

Howard W. Hunter

 

I sorrow that a single drop of His blood was shed for me. I pray that someday I will meet the Savior. I will kneel and kiss the wounded hands and feet, and He will wipe away my tears. I pray that He will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Because of His mercy, we have hope. He is the “fount of every blessing.” Of this I testify in the name of the greatest example of sacrifice, even Jesus Christ, amen.

 

Robert K. Dellenbach

 

 

This far you have brought me.

 

 

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

 

 

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

 

 

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

 

 

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

 

Spencer W. Kimball said that remember could be the most important word in the dictionary….

 

…..the importance and value of remembering our own spiritual experiences and recognizing that these experiences, given to us by the Lord, have brought us to where each of us is today. In other words, by remembering we are raising our own Ebenezer.

As Robert Robinson penned the last verse of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” he noted the tendency of man forget God:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

The author of this song died in 1790. It is believed that he had also wandered from the God he loved. A widely told but unverifiable story relates that while he was riding in a stagecoach, a lady passenger sitting next to him was humming the tune of this now well-known hymn. Robinson turned to the lady and responded, saying, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.

I testify that as we seek opportunities to feel of the Spirit and make efforts to reflect often upon those experiences, we will raise our own Ebenezers—our own stones of remembrance—that will enable us to see God’s hand in our past and will give us assurance and faith that He will provide for us in the future.

Curt Holman

 

Apple-Cranberry Potpies

 

 

 

 

Apple Cranberry Potpies

Ingredients:

For the apples:

1 1/2 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick

1 1/2 lb. Pink Lady or McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices1/4 inch thick

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

4 tsp. cornstarch

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

For the cranberries:

10 oz. fresh cranberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1 batch potpie crust, rolled into four 6-inch rounds and refrigerated

2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 egg white, beaten with 1 tsp. water

2 tsp. granulated sugar

batch potpie crust

2 ½ cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp sugar

2 sticks butter

3 to 4 tbs ice water

Directions batch potpie crust

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar and pulse until combined, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add 3 Tbs. of the ice water and pulse 2 or 3 more times. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 tsp. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition.  Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide into 4 equal pieces and shape each into a disk. Wrap the disks separately with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out each dough disk into a 6-inch round. Refrigerate until ready to use as directed in your recipe. Makes enough dough for 4 potpies.

 

Directions Apple Cranberry Potpies

 

To prepare the apples, in a large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cornstarch. Transfer the apple mixture to a 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven. Set over medium heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid has thickened and becomes glossy, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and let cool for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the cranberries: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, granulated sugar and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have broken down slightly and the liquid has thickened to the consistency of a loose jam, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Let the piecrusts stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Add the cranberry mixture to the apple mixture and stir to combine. Divide the mixture among four 9-oz. ovenproof soup bowls. Dot the filling with the butter. Place a piecrust on top of each bowl and crimp the edges to seal. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Using a paring knife, cut 4 small slits in the center of each crust. Place the potpies on a baking sheet and bake until the crusts are golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer the potpies to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 4 potpies; serves 8.

 

 

You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

“If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another.” Joseph Smith

“The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live.”
David A. Bednar

“Never let things which matter most be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

“Mercy is of the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The degree to which each of us is able to extend it becomes an expression of the reality of our discipleship under Him who is our Lord and Master.”
Gordon B. Hinckley

“Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? ……should we not forgive as we wish to be forgiven?”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“He [the Savior] receives each act of mercy to one of the least as one done to Himself. And in return He defies hopelessness, weariness, despair, and meaninglessness on our behalf.”
Chieko N. Okazaki

“The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from Him daily. Truly, ‘the Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works’ 
David A. Bednar

"You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out 'No one understands. No one knows.' No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor--literally run to us--and strengthen us."

David A Bednar

God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus’ grace is sufficient. sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us as long …. It is enough. It is all we need. Look for the Lord and His perfect strength. Seek Christ, and, as you do, I promise you will feel the enabling power we call His amazing grace.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!

Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?

No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,

Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.

You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His.