Lydia's First Halloween

To see her pictures click here :)

Elk Hunt

Cinnamon Roll Sunday

Happy Conference to everyone!  Love you all!  I am posting the famous cinnamon roll recipe on here from mom :)  Enjoy eating them!

Out of this world rolls

 
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 pkgs. or 1 T. dry yeast
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 heaping tsp. salt
1 cup hottest tap water
4 1/2 cups flour
 
combine water, 1 tsp. sugar and yeast; let stand.  Beat shortening, 1/2 cup sugar and eggs with mixer until light and fluffly.  Stir yeast mixture into sugar and shortening mixture with a spoon.  Add salt.  Add tap water.  Stir gently.  Add flour all at once and mix well.  Dough will be sticky.  Cover and let stand 1 hour.  Knead down, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Take out of refrigerator and roll out.  Let rise.  Bake at 350 degrees until brown.  Makes delicious cinnamon rolls.
 

For cinnamon rolls--

roll out in a rectangle and spread with butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and add raisins if desired.  Roll up and cut with string.  Let rise, then cook and enjoy.  Cream cheese frosting is the best!  
Happy General Conference!!!!
 
 
XOXOXOXOXOXXOO__MOM

Cream Cheese Frosting 

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 cube butter (or margarine)

1 tsp. vanilla

4-5 cups powdered sugar (Or to desired consistency)

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Ryan & Danielle's trip to Utah

Sunday everyone enjoying the puppies after Trav's birthday dinner.  We missed you Jess & Dave's Family, and Jordan & Amanda.  It was so fun to see everyone for the short fall break we had :)

Labor Day Salsa

Our neighbors gave us a ton of tomatoes. So we tried or hand at canning. I still have 8 fingers left, and we are still married, so it must have been successful.
Thanks for posting the recipe.

Salsa, Dental Picnic, Eating, Sitting up

Thanks mom for this yummy salsa recipe.  I was only able to make 1/2 a jar since I only had the tomatoes from our garden on hand.  But it was so good!  

Canning pot I got at Walmart for $10.  Yay, for Walmart being affordable!  

We started off our labor day weekend by going to the dental picnic.  It was muggy and humid.  We could tell the rain storm was on it's way.  

Dad & Lydia 

The Wilson Family: 2nd Years.  He had a career change so he's got 3 kids and got called into the bishopric. Poor guy 

The Tobler Family: 4th year dental, He's the mission leader.  They are so fun!

Lydia eating her cereal in the car and has to hold onto the bowl with 2 hands.  It's a death grip!  :)  What can we say, she loves her food :)  

Lydia sitting up to play.  Growing up fast!

Mom's Salsa Recipe

Mom emailed this to Ryan so since I'm sure others might want it I thought I'd put in on here as well :)  Can't wait to try this :)  

Joyce's Salsa
 
3 quarts smashed tomatoes (scald and slip the skins off before smashing)
2 large ground onions
2 small chiles (17 oz. diced green chiles)
1 1/4 t. parsley flakes
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 T. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
3 T. shilling Mexican seasoning
Boil all together about 45 minutes.*
Bottle & process 25 minutes
 
*Instead of the stove top I often put the salsa in the oven on a very low heat and let it cook for several hours (or all day) stirring occasionally.  The object is to allow it to thicken up as it cooks down.  
 
Also, I add jalapeno peppers and haven't always used the chiles.  I haven't always been able to find Mexican seasoning so I use taco seasoning.
 

{ Bud's Birthday Bash }

Food, Mirror, & Squirrel

Catching up.. This is Lydia's first experience eating out of a spoon.  I didn't mix enough rice cereal with milk this first time.  I've figured it out now :)

Lydia is really funny when she see's herself in the mirror.  Of course this is a video of after I went to grab the camera and she stopped giggling but a video nonetheless.

This last video is Ryan setting the squirrel free at an elementary school.  He was eating our tomato's in our garden so we got a trap and caught him :)  But then we had to bring him on our date night to set him free at least a couple miles away so he wouldn't come back .

Best TEXAS Sheet Cake EVER!

If ever craving chocolate...this is the fix!!  Just make sure you are ready to exercise because you will probably gain 10 lbs from eating it--and you can't stop at just one.  It is soooooooo good!!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup water
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Icing
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP milk
3 TBSP baking cocoa
3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
In a large saucepan, bring the butter, water and cocoa to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; add to cocoa mixture.  Stir in the sour cream until smooth.

Pour into a greased 15x10 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

In a small saucepan, melt butter; add milk and cocoa.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Pour over warm cake.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

**This recipe does not use eggs**

Hold onto your undies and socks---this is going to knock them off!!! ;)

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

I made this a few weeks ago because I needed to use up the spinach I had in my freezer.  I was worried no one would like it due to the spinach, but surprisingly, they LOVED it!!  It is super fast and easy--great for a week-day meal when life is busy. ;)

8 oz uncooked rigatoni

1 T olive oil

1 c chopped onion

1 (10oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed

3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts (or whatever chicken)

1 (14oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1 (8oz) container chive & onion cream cheese

1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to pkg directions.  Spread oil on bottom of 11x7 baking dish; add onion in a single layer.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender.  Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels.  Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken, & next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl.  Spoon mixture into dish & sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese (the more the better).  Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover & bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!!

National Balloon Classic

Every year they have tons of hot air balloons in this show, it is fun to go and watch.

Meatball Recipe (Hayes' Favorite Meatballs)

Yes, this recipe is actually called Hayes' favorite meatballs. My family got it from my Kindergarten teacher and her husband's name is Hayes. We can just pretend it's a family recipe I guess!lol!

2 lbs hamburger
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup milk
2 TBS minced onions
Salt and Pepper

Combine in a bowl and form into balls. (sometimes it's easier to just mix it with your hands from the beginning.) Put them into a glass cake pan.

In a large saucepan combine:

2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBS minced onion
Salt and Pepper

Pour sauce over balls in sauce pan. It might seem like a lot of sauce but we like to have extra to put on our baked potatoes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Raspberry/Blueberry Freezer Jam

I made a couple of changes to this recipe because I wanted more raspberries in it than what it called for. I also didn't use as much sugar. I think that you don't have to be exact on everything and it will still work out. We love it!!!

4 cups crushed blueberries
3 cups crushed raspberries (The original recipe only calls for 2 cups but I ended up doing more like 3 1/2 cups)
4 cups sugar (It calls for 5 cups in the original recipe but I didn't want too much. You could even try doing less if you wanted to I just don't know about having it set up)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup water
1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin (I don't think it matters what one you use.)

In seperate bowls crush the blueberries and raspberries. (I used the Cuisinart smart stick because we had one from our wedding and it took about 1 minute to mix each. I also use it when I'm doing salsa and lots of other things. I love it!!!) Measure them and combine in one big bowl. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Let stand for 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring water and pectin to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add to fruit mixture; stir for 3 minutes. Pour into jars or freezer containers. Cool to room temperature; about 15-20 minutes (mine was at room temperature right away but maybe that's because I tripled it. I still left it alone for about 15 minutes though to make sure it was all mixed in and the sugar was dissolved.) Pour into jars and cover. Let stand overnight or until set but no longer than 24 hours. Refrigerate for up to three weeks or freeze for up to a year.

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

Ryan and I had this Saturday and this is a really really yummy and healthy recipe.  Dad might be able to eat this one.

2 medium zucchini (about 10 inches long)
1/2 tbl olive oil
salt & pepper for season
4 ounces Italian turkey sausage
1/4 cup diced red onion (we just used a regular onion)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium tomato diced (1/2 cup)
1tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2/3 cup cheese
1 tbl. Italian bread crumbs ( we made our own put a slice of bread broken up with Italian seasoning and little oil in oven 400 degrees until they are crunchy)


1. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise.  Be sure to leave the ends on.
2. Scoop out centers, saving them in a bowl.  Sort out 1/2 cup of best parts of the scopped out zucchini (avoid seeds if possible), dice, set aside. This will go in your filling
3. Drizzle zucchini's with oil and use your hands to rub it on all sides.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat the grill to medium
5. Remove the sausage from the casing.  Brown the sausage, then add the onion, garlic, and diced zucchini.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.  Add the tomato, basil, salt, and pepper.  Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Place the zucchini hollow-side down on the grill.  Grill for about 5 minutes on medium heat.  They should have nice grill marks and look tender on the inside.  Remove from heat.
7. Add the bread crumbs to filling mixture and divide filling mixture among the zucchini and top with your 2/3 cup cheese.
8.  Place them back on the grill filling-side up.  Close the grill lid and cook for another 5-7 minutes.  Larger and thicker zucchini will take a few minutes longer to cook.

Crock pot Chicken, Ham, and Swiss

This recipe is from my neighbor Tiffany and I love it :)

Crock pot Chicken, Ham, and Swiss

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

8 slices of Ham

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 C. sour cream

4 slices of swiss cheese

2 C. rice

Spray or grease bottom of crockpot. Layer 4 slices of ham on the bottom. Put chicken on top. Put another layer of ham on top of the chicken. Mix sour cream and cream soup together and pour on top. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. 30 min-45 min prior to serving put swiss cheese on top. Serve over cooked rice.

Singing in the Rain

It's Hurricane season in Houston!!!

I am a bit slow in posting this very festive 4th of July Trifle!  Doesn't that just look tasty?  It was!!!!

Giggles & Crib Sheet

I filmed this of Lydia a couple of days ago.  Love her giggles

I found this tutorial yesterday on youtube "how to make a crib skirt" I finished today   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djp6ziN7Krs

our homemade swimming pool dad made so we could enjoy the weather

Jumanji Garden, Camping Trip & Lydia

We came back to Indiana to a Jumanji garden.  The fence on your left is tomato's the rest is cucumbers. I never knew they grew like a weed!

Corn :)  Small but yummy~

zucchini's in front of the corn

close up of the tomato's.  I didn't show the potatoes since they are underground anyways

4th of July at the Cox's

Temple trip and visiting with grandma.  Thanks mom and grandma for watching her!  Sorry she slept the whole time :(

Camping trip

Lydia loves her play mat grandma got her!

You can't see but it's so humid here her hair sticks to her head

She is rolling like crazy and can only scoot backwards.  She get's frustrated when she can't move forward