Have some flowers around, you're worth it! :D

More than the stars in the Heavens!

God, Family, Country

Calling all Patriots!

Gazpacho Soup

Chop or dice the following:

Roma Tomatoes

Olives black and/or green 

Cucumbers

Green Onions

Red bell pepper

Orange bell pepper

Yellow bell pepper

Green bell pepper

Avocado, Cilantro (keep separate and add only when ready to eat)

*Optional add minced garlic and jalapeno

Cover with enough chicken broth and lime juice to make a nice chilled soup.

Walk on the water

Be-you-tiful

The best medicine

Choose the high altitude adventure

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

By The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester
(Yield: 4 Servings)
Total Prep Time: 15 minutes / Total Cooking Time: 6 to 8 hours

For the Cashew Sour Cream:
3/4 cup (100 g) raw cashews
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
juice of 1/2 lemon

For the Soup:
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, minced
2 packages (10 oz or 280 g each) mushrooms, chopped
2 cups (470 ml) water
1/2 Tbsp (3 g) vegan chicken-flavored bouillon
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 Tbsp (4 g) minced dill (to taste), plus extra for garnish
2 Tbsp (14 g) paprika

The Night Before:
To make the sour cream: Combine the cashews, water, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and purée until fairly smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To make the soup: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown and give off their liquid, 8 to 10 minutes, Store in a separate airtight container in the fridge.

In the Morning:
Combine the sautéed vegetables, water, bouillon, lemon juice, salt and pepper, dill, and paprika in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Add the sour cream and stir to combine. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Garnish the bowls of hot soup with extra dill.

Recipe Ideas and Variations: Don't have any cashews on hand? Use the same amount of silken tofu instead. It makes a great non-dairy sour cream, too!

For all spark-lighters :D

Always Hope

"Rise up and follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer, and one day you will look back and be filled with eternal gratitude that you chose to trust the Atonement and its power to lift you up and give you strength." 

And then the relief floods in

In tiny ways

by Emily Belle Freeman

Every once in a while God reminds us of how He is in the details.

In tiny ways.

Which makes me realize that if He knows about the tiny details, then He is certainly aware of the big details.

And when the tiny answers come, they give me faith to wait on the Lord for the big ones.

Last week I am standing at the mirror in the dressing room of a huge event that I am about to be speaking at.

For the hundredth time I retie the black satin bow around my waist. It won't stay tied right, no matter how many times I pull the one bunny ear through the other, and measure both sides, and check the length in the mirror.  For just one second it does, but as soon as I move it is all wrong again.

I've been in front of that mirror for way longer than I like to stand in front of mirrors.

And now, I am getting frustrated.

Just then, a dear friend walks in.  Gives a word of encouragement as she passes by.  Enters the second bathroom stall on the left, and shuts the door.

I untie the bow and start with the bunny ears again.

"You wouldn't happen to have a safety pin?"  I question my friend behind the closed door of the second stall on the left.

"Are you kidding?"  She says with a chuckle.  "Seriously?  Did you just ask me for a safety pin?"

She continues to laugh.  I am feeling awkward, because I wonder why she thinks it is so funny I asked her for a safety pin.

Then she says, "You aren't going to believe this, but there is a safety pin hanging on the handle of this door." Seriously?

For just a second I have to wonder who hooked a safety pin on the inside handle of the door on the second stall.

And then I have to wonder why, at just that moment, my dear friend walked into a dressing room with 8 empty stalls and chose the second stall on the left.

Just then.

Just when I needed a safety pin. For a silly black satin bow.

I'd been praying all day that I would be able to give the message those women had come to hear. It was a big prayer.

One that I hoped the Lord was listening to.  I felt the burden of that responsibility.  I couldn't do what needed to be done without an increase of His Spirit.

And so, when He answered my petition for a safety pin immediately, I knew that when I stood on the stage some four hours later I would have His help.

Because He was aware of the tiny details.

So He wouldn't let the big details go unanswered.

 

Lemon Lime Sprig Cookie

A Bountiful Kitchen

dough:

1/2 cup butter
!/2 cup shortening ( I use butter flavored Crisco)

1 cup sour cream
zest from one to two limes, grated fine

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

sugar  for top of cookies

frosting:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 tablespoon sour cream

4 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest from one lemon, grated fine

dash of salt

1 drop lemon food coloring

1-2 tablespoons milk**

Preheat oven to 325 convection or 350 regular bake.

Take butter out of refrigerator and microwave for about 15 seconds. Place butter, shortening, cold sour cream and lime zest in a mixing bowl. Mix for about one minute. Add sugar and almond or vanilla flavoring, mix until smooth. Add all dry ingredients at once. Mix just until flour disappears and the mixture comes together in a ball of dough, about 1-2 minutes on very low speed. 

Spray the cookie scoop with a little cooking spray. Scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet. I use either a 1 3/4 inch or a 2 inch scoop. A two inch scoop will produce a cookie similar in size to the Swig cookie. If you don't have a cookie scoop, roll the dough into a ball about the size of a golf ball. 

Place about 1/4 cup sugar into a small bowl. 

Flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar (press the bottom of the glass against the cookie first, then dip it in the sugar so the sugar will stick) . Press the cookies so they are flattened a bit, twisting the glass as you press to produce a jagged edge. 

Bake in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and cookies are slightly firm to the touch. Remove from oven, let cool. Place the cookies in the fridge and chill. 

Prepare the frosting:

Beat together the butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt. When all ingredients are incorporated, add the drop of food coloring and milk if the frosting needs to be thinned. 

Frost after the cookies are completely chilled. 

Makes about 18  large cookies.

No place like Heaven

I can I will I did !!!!!!!

Ride the Sun to Tomorrow

Feel the Truth of It

Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing

From Gluten Free A-Z

Ingredients

For the Thai Peanut Dressing

• 1/4 cup creamy almond butter or peanut  butter
• 2 tablespoons  rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• optional: 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
• salt to taste

Ingredients For the Salad

• 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix 
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced into bite size pieces
• 1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
• optional: 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame 
• 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.
3. http://glutenfreewithjudee.blogspot.com/2014/07/asian-peanut-coleslaw.html 
4. 

You know when you're home

His Mighty Hand

Let's just put it to bed...shall we?

Care for a drink?

"God isn't worried whether the cup is half empty or half full. 

He wonders which thirsty person we will give it to" 

White Mushroom Lasagna

2 lbs fresh mushrooms, cremini and white

1 package dried mixed wild mushrooms

one bunch of fresh thyme, leaves plucked off, about 4 Tbsp

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

3 large shallots, finely chopped

1/2 cup Marsala wine

3 Tbsp flour

1 cups whole milk

1 cup half and half

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 eggs

salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

about 1 lb fresh pasta sheets, enough for 4 layers

8 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

Set oven to 350F

Dust off your mushrooms and trim just the very ends off the stems. Slice them thickly.

Reconstitute your dried mushrooms according to the package directions, then drain and rinse. Give them a rough chop and set aside.

Heat a large saute pan on medium high heat and saute the mushrooms, and about half of the fresh thyme leaves, in batches, stirring constantly until they have begun to lose their moisture and are nice and fragrant and browned. Don't use any oil or butter --- the heat of the pan will saute them and concentrate their flavors. No mushy mushrooms! I did my sauteing in three batches so as not to crowd the pan. It doesn't take long, just several minutes per batch. Put the mushrooms aside on a plate, along with the reconstituted dried mushrooms.

In the same pan heat the olive oil and butter and saute the shallots for a few minutes. Add the Marsala and let it bubble for a minute, scraping anything up from the bottom of the pan. When the liquid has reduced, sprinkle the flour over the shallots and stir to combine. Stir for another minute. Combine the milk and half and half and add it to the pan in a stream, stirring constantly. Whisk or stir to combine everything well, and then cook until the sauce thickens. This will happen just as the temperature is coming to a boil, but don't let it boil. Turn off the heat and add the grated cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese in and stir to melt it, too. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more milk. Taste it and season with salt and pepper as necessary.

Whisk together the ricotta and the two eggs. Set aside.

To layer your lasagna: Spoon a little of the sauce across the bottom of a 9x13 casserole. Lay down a layer of pasta. Scatter 1/3 of the mushrooms across the top. Then 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, then 1/4 of the sauce.

Add another layer of pasta, and repeat. When you get to the top layer of pasta, you will be adding the remaining sauce. Spread evenly over the entire top. Then add the Gruyere cheese evenly sprinkled over the sauce. Cover loosely with foil, so it doesn't touch the cheese, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until everything is bubbling and hot throughout. Pop it under the broiler for a minute if you want to get some color on the top.

Scatter the remaining fresh thyme over the top and serve.

You Are Special

"There are things that only you can do, and you are alive to do them. In the orchestra we call life, you have an instrument and a song." 

 Max Lucado

Keep looking up

Manifest the fruits of optimism

Signs of Global Freezing

Cherry Dump Cake

Ingredients

1 can (21 ounce; 1½ cup) cherry pie filling

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 - 2½ teaspoon baking powder*

1¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ cup butter, softened

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Dump cherry pie filling into greased and floured 9×13 inch baking pan.Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, lemon zest and vanilla into a bowl of food processor and mix until combined. Dump the mixture into the pan over cherry filling.Bake at 350 degrees F  for about 1 hour.

When we see most clearly, we see the Lord’s hand

"When we see most clearly, we see the Lord's hand in everything. The truly grateful, 

like Nephi, dwell on the goodness of life, even while acknowledging there may be more adversity than there are words to write it."

  Elaine L. Jack

"It isn't enough to just be on the journey; we must be awake to our duty and continue with faith as we draw upon the comforting, strengthening, enabling, and healing power of the Atonement."

 Carole M. Stephens

You are special and you are loved! "Hope is never lost…Let us remember that through any illness or 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!"

Jeffrey R. Holland

In our lives "...game is never over, hope is never lost, defeat is never final....an eternity of beginnings and an eternity of endings stretch out before us." 

A great reminder that hope is more than just a wish that things will get better; it is a spiritual gift from God that can make things better. And, with His help, we can cultivate the power of hope as a vibrant part of our everyday life. "Even though we may feel lost in the midst of our current circumstances, God promises the hope of His light to illuminate the way before us 

and show us the way out of darkness." 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Like eating an elephant

To Win the Struggle

You are one in a million!

Pineapple Banana Bread

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

1 ripe banana, well mashed

1/2 cup well drained crushed pineapple (reserve the juice!)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup confectioner's sugar

reserved pineapple juice

Instructions

1. Set oven to 350F

2. Cream the butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or do it with electric beaters. Beat in

the eggs, one at a time, and then the extract and poppy seeds.

3. Blend in the drained pineapple, the mashed banana, and the coconut.

4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and just mix on low speed until everything is blended.

5. Spray or lightly butter a standard loaf pan and line it with parchment paper with long overhanging

ends (this is optional) so you can lift it out for glazing.

6. Spread the batter evenly into the pan and rap it against the counter once or twice to release any air

bubbles.

7. Bake for about 65-70 minutes, until risen, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center

comes out without wet batter clinging to it.

8. Cool on a rack before glazing.

9. To make the glaze, mix the confectioner's sugar with enough of the reserved pineapple juice to

make a spreadable glaze.

He made us just for this

You will find beauty

Feel the hope

They're all around you

Zuchinni Coconut Muffins

by: Three Many Cooks

INGREDIENTS

2½ cups white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon table salt

1 cup Greek yogurt

⅓ cup milk

2 large eggs

⅔ cup light brown sugar

½ cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups zucchini, coarsely grated and squeezed of liquid

1 cup unsweetened shaved coconut

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and adjust the rack to the middle position. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Using a spatula, stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and coconut.

Divide the batter evenly between muffin cups, filling them to just below the top. Bake until lightly browned and well risen, about 25 minutes.

No bull

Prayer is the best armor against all trials.

The hope of God’s light

"Be cheerful in all that you do. Live joyfully. Live happily. Live enthusiastically, knowing that God does not dwell in gloom and melancholy, but in light and love."

Ezra Taft Benson

"Love is the essence of the gospel and the guiding light for a Christlike life. It not only teaches us to look upward but also to look around us." 

Hans B. Ringger 

"The "pure love of Christ" refers not only to our love for the 

Savior but to His love for each of us." 

Bonnie D. Parkin

 from time to time our lives may seem to be touched by, or even wrapped in, darkness. Sometimes the night that surrounds us will appear oppressive, disheartening, and frightening.

My heart grieves for the many sorrows some of you face, for the painful loneliness and wearisome fears you may be experiencing.

Nevertheless, I bear witness that our living hope is in Christ Jesus! He is the true, pure, and powerful entrance to divine enlightenment.

I testify that with Christ, darkness cannot succeed. 

Darkness will not gain victory over the light of Christ.

I bear witness that darkness cannot stand before the brilliant light of the Son of the living God!

I invite each of you to open your heart to Him. Seek Him through study and prayer. Come to His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Learn of Him and of His gospel, participate actively, help each other, and joyfully serve our God.

...even after the darkest night, the Savior of the world will lead you to a gradual, sweet, and bright dawn that will assuredly rise within you.

As you walk toward the hope of God's light, you will discover the compassion, love, and goodness of a loving Heavenly Father, "in whom there is no darkness at all." Of this I testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Dieter F. Uchtdort