Home Cookin' - A Family Recipe Book!

Wow, we love our cookbook!  It's our Go-to for great home-cooked meals every. single. day!

155 pages of great little recipes, easy-to-make and budget-friendly. Great for kids leaving home, newlyweds, or Moms trying to decide what's for dinner.  Desserts, elegant entrees, sumptuous salads and side dishes, breads, party foods and appetizers!  Something for everyone!

Fun and tasty, quick and easy, mouthwatering, prize-winning family favorite, delicious recipes! 

You'll love it, and we love you! Order HERE ↓

$15 + Free Shipping

Spring Rolls

Supplies:

Rice Paper Wrapers
Reconstitute one at a time with hot water on a large plate.

Then prepare the fillings:

Avocado Slices

Julienned Carrot Strips 

Mint Leaves

Green Leaf Lettuce

Cucumber Slices

Cilantro Leaves

Fold up the bottom of the wrapper, then fold the sides over each end and roll up like a little burrito.

Dip into Sauce.  I like Kewpie Deep-Roasted Sesame Sauce

Oh, that is good!

~ the Dad

Sweet Pickled Zucchini Relish

After eight years without a garden, we enjoyed a summer of fresh zucchini.  Two plants were ample to keep us and the neighbors in zucchini all summer! 

Now we can keep enjoying it as sweet pickled zucchini relish. 

The recipe is kind of vague - just how big is a large zucchini???  If you have doubts about it, use this recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation:  Summer Squash Relish

Annette's Sweet Pickled Zucchini Relish

                                                   Grind together:

                                                    * 5 large zucchini

                                                    * 3 sweet red peppers

                                                    * 3 green peppers

                                                    * 5 onions

                                                    Add:

                                                    * 1/2 c. salt

                                                    * 1 t. alum

                                            

                                        Allow to sit overnight.  Drain off the juice,
                                        then rinse in cold water.  Squeeze out as much

                                        liquid as possible.  May use a cheesecloth bag.

                                                    Bring to a boil:

                                                    * 5 c. sugar
                                                    * 5 c. apple cider vinegar
                                                    * 2 T. celery seed
                                                    * 2 T. mustard seed
                                                    * 2 T. turmeric

                                        Add strained vegetables and simmer for 20

                                        minutes.  Pack the relish into sterilized canning 

                                        jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.  Wipe the rims
                                        with a clean, wet cloth.  Add sterilized new lids,

                                        finger-tighten the rings, then process in a hot

                                        water bath for 15 minutes to seal. 

                                        (10 minutes if elevation is below 1000 ft.

                                        20 minutes if elevation is above 6000 ft.)

                                        Allow jars to cool.  Refrigerate any jars that
                                        do not seal.  

This relish is great on hot dogs, burgers or bratwurst, or sandwiches.  We like it best in tuna sandwiches!  Mmmm!

Check out these other delicious Zucchini recipes: Zucchini Bread, Lemon Zucchini Loaf, Spaghetti Zoodles, and Quiche.   

These and 150 more great recipes can be found in our Family Recipe Book, "Home Cookin'"!

Order HERE ↓

$16 + Free Shipping

Now, what do I do with all of those green tomatoes??  Stay tuned!

~ the Momma

What's for Dinner?

Chicken Pot Hot Dish!!

Here is Chicken Pot Pie with a twist!  Instead of making an actual pie crust, skip it altogether!  Instead, grab a bag of frozen tater tots for your crust. 

Here's the recipe, with my adjustments.
Melt:        3 T. butter
Add:        3 carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces       
                1 small onion, finely chopped
Saute for about 10 minutes.

Stir in:     5 T. flour
Cook for 1 minute.

Add:       1-1/2 c. milk
Stir continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Repeat with another 1-1/2 c. milk

Stir in:     3 t. chicken base (I prefer Better than Bouillion Roasted Chicken Base)    
                1/2 t. Thyme
                A few turns of fresh ground black pepper

Add:        1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces.
Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Adjust seasoning if desired.

Add:        1 c. frozen petite peas

Pour into a 9 x 13" casserole dish. then top with a 32-ounce bag of Tater Tots.  I prefer Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Tater Tots seasoned shredded potatoes.

Line up the frozen tater tots to cover the top of the filling, then bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Mmmm!  It's beautiful, tastes great, and is so easy to make!  Definite comfort food, and we love it.  Sometimes I split it into two 9 x 9 dishes and either freeze one or give it away.

Tasted so good, my honey offered to do the dishes!

Evan:  "No man was ever killed while doing dishes."

He's a keeper, all right!  Now, this post is making me hungry!  I wonder, what's for dinner??

~the Momma

Tabernacle Choir Retirement

Today marked the end of a ten+ year chapter of my service as a musical missionary, singing in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.   I joined the choir in 2012.  A person can sing in the choir for up to 20 years, or age 60, whichever comes first.  And, thankfully, my musical mission was extended beyond that age because of the Covid pandemic, and I was able to perform for General Conference twice more, sing for the annual Christmas concert, and weekly broadcasts from Sept 2021 through May of 2022 before retiring. 

It was a glorious experience each week, raising my voice with 359 other singers, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the Bells of Temple Square under the genius of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy. 
I was happy to represent my family, hometown, and friends around the world who love to listen to the choir and play "Spot the Stott".  I will miss those weekly exhilarating, sweet, spiritual moments; the joy of singing such a variety of inspirational music through so many different genres.  I'll especially miss my choir family.  God be with you 'til we sing again!

Twenty-seven retiring choir members and five orchestra members share thoughts about their experiences in 90-second videos.  Posting this link here in a semi-permanent place:  

TABERNACLE CHOIR 2022 RETIREMENT VIDEOS

 https://f.io/q--gucJh 

God be With You 'Til We Meet Again.

~ the Momma

He is Risen!

Easter Special with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square

- Prologue - 1) Christ the Lord Is Risen Today 2) That Easter Day with Joy Was Bright - The Savior's Atonement - 3) How Great the Wisdom and the Love - The Savior's Resurrection - Accounts from the Holy Scriptures 4) Unfold, Ye Portals, from The Redemption 5) In the Garden 6) He Is Risen, with audience - The Promise - 7) And What Is It We Shall Hope For? from The Redeemer 8) Tree of Life - The Plea - 9) Interlude for Brass and Percussion 10) Love Divine, All Loves Excelling - The Benediction - 11) Worthy Is the Lamb That Was Slain, from Messiah

Our Prayer to Thee

What a privilege it has been to sing with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square these past 10+ years!  The mission of the choir is to provide inspiring music that has the power to help people feel closer to the divine and celebrate God's love for all His children.  

How appropriate that the closing song of my last General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a member of the choir was the hymn, "Our Prayer to Thee".  The words, penned by our current president and prophet, Russell M. Nelson, really struck me as I sang them and I could hardly hold back the tears:  "We yearn for Thee, we pray in meekness."  And then, the camera caught a closeup of me singing the final phrase, "Thy trust in us, may we fulfill."

And then in that tender moment, believing that the camera would pan to the men as they sang the next phrase, I reached up and wiped my nose, which the camera also caught!  Ooops! lol, I guess they'll have to let me go now!  

I was set to retire two years ago, but then the Pandemic happened and we had a brief hiatus for 15 months.  During that time, the 90+ year broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word continued every Sunday morning, showing re-runs and compilations of previous broadcasts with new messages each week.

We also got to participate in a virtual choir by recording at home for the choir's 2021 PBS Christmas Special (< see previous post).  It took a few dozen tries, but I finally got my part recorded!  

Welp.  That's not going to work...

As Covid numbers climbed in January, choir was cancelled again, but we were able to meet again a month ago to prepare for April's Conference.  

They still need me for a few more weeks for some special events and recording, then official retirement will be May 15th, 2022.  

Our Prayer to Thee  "Thy trust in us, may we fulfill."

~the Momma