Choke on This!

My artichoke patch is looking rather marvelous....to me anyway! I planted these seedlings last summer and was very disappointed that nothing happened....but a big patch of green leaves. Now the patch looks absolutely beautiful, especially in the early morning hours when the sunlight hits the leaves and they shimmer with silvery dew on each stem. I'm so excited!
Now the flowering plant is maturing into a nice globe artichoke. They are one of Ali's favorite vegetables. I did some research and found that they are actually one of the world's oldest medicinal plants. The ancient Egyptians placed great value on the plant and in Europe, the artichoke was favored as a food by royalty. The globe artichoke has a long history as a diuretic, an aid to digestion, and a good way to lower blood sugar.

I don't believe Utah is their favorite place to grow, but the experience has been fun and spine tingling.....! The spike little things, probably related to thistles! However, they add very unique foliage to the garden and take up lots of space where weeds would want to be growing. I sure hope after we pick this "One" and only "One" artichoke it will be as tasty as it looks. If not, we'll just enjoy the 3 or 4 feet of beautiful green foliage.

Hip Hip Hooray....It's almost retirement day!

Thank you for all the thoughtful gifts.
Now I present to you all my top 10 reasons
for saying farewell after 30 years of teaching:

10) Parent's Night for me has become a reunion of former students. It's a trip down memory lane, a nostalgic schmooze fest. I'm retiring before it gets out of hand and I teach a grand child. My former students are now my bank teller, car mechanic, genealogist, grocery story clerk,...I hope I was kind to all of my students especially to the physician who may be taking care of me some day.

9) The students are asking me if the picture on the hall of fame wall is really me…..Wow you look different now Mrs. Thompson.

8) I can now take red pens off my Wal-mart Shopping list, I won’t have to worry about AR Points, Scholastic Book orders, Field Trip Money, and wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day.

7) My drug store reading glasses aren’t strong enough to check student papers. And dear Mr. Cook is gone….so taking Monday afternoon for an eye appointment won’t be necessary any more.

6) I’ve tried really hard to remember all my student’s names…..but I still have students who tell me Mrs. Thompson….I’m Ali not Carlie, my sister, who is now in high school. I don’t really even look like her do I?

5) It's time to pass the baton to a much younger teacher. My ideas have come and gone….the Internet has taken over with anything and everything you ever need!

4) My daughter is always in need of an expert with her job…..I seem to fit that bill well and will have lots of time to be of assistance to her now.

3) The plan to visit the best new cabin in Utah….my son and daughter-in-love are in the finally stages of finishing this beautiful cabin (Bigger than my home)! Being able to go in spring, summer and fall whenever the moment hits me will change my life forever. Can you imagine how relaxing that is going to be?

2) The number 2 reason to retire is that early incentive package is probably on it’s way out with the economy…….I need the money now!

1) The number one reason why it's time to retire is that about everyone I see in the community asks me, “Are you still teaching?” “How long have you been at West Clinton?” The answer is I’ve been there since the day it opened….I’ll still visit but only on my schedule now!

Education will never be far from my heart and if you ask my family I’m sure they will tell you “She’ll always be a teacher and she’ll always have the correct answer!”

Thanks to all of you for the well wishes, each of you have been an instrumental part of a wonderful career.

Hill Air Force Base 2009

The Simple Table

I'm so excited about the kids cooking show....this is Episode #6. They have really come a long way in just a few days. Jason and the kids are passionate about cooking and that make this mom and grandmother very happy and proud. Take a minute to watch the show and leave them your comments. Their rookies with lots of potential and plenty of enthusiasm.

Stop by their website....or better yet ask yourself to dinner at their house!

http://thesimpletable.com/

Fire

We so hope the pictures can all be cleaned.

A lone fish survived the fire and now has a new home with a new group of friends!

See those webs in the top picture.....I totally came unglued and thought the house was full of spiders! Not so said the Certified Disaster Guy....those are fire webs! They are all over the house!

I wasn't going to post anything about the fire, because Ali has already had several melt downs over this! Tears, tears, and more tears. We will forever be grateful that she was able to get out of the home and the damage was controlled, because the two of us put the fire out and then called the fire department! Not a smart thing to do, but when adrenalin kicks in you sometimes do things you probably shouldn't! SMOKE FILLED HOME IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE!

Hopefully the cleanup will begin soon. Adjusters, Disaster Clean-up and Insurance people will be here today and tomorrow to tell us what will happen next.

Wordless Wednesday....Oh No Speechless

Eggs in Ham Cups

What a slacker.....I know it is not Tasty Tuesday, but I can't seem to get myself together! You'll love this quick and easy dish, with your own added variations.

Eggs in a Ham Cup

Ingredients:

Ham slices....about 1/16 inch-thick (You decide how thick you like your slices)

Cherry or grape tomatoes

Mozzarella cubes

Pesto

Butter or spray compartments of a metal muffin tin. Fold each ham slice into quarters, insert the point end in a buttered muffin cup, and let it open....it will have a ruffled look.

Place an egg inside each ham cup. My grand kids have made a video of this, and Brevin wanted to help put the eggs in the cups....if you crack it into another container first, (small paper cup) and then pour them into the ham cup it works really well.

Tuck 2 mozzarella cubes, tomato, and a 1/4 teaspoon pesto on the side of the egg, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. (Remember that the ham and pesto both lend saltiness to the dish.)

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the egg white looks set but the yolk is still a bit runny. Remove the ham cups from the muffin tin and serve them up! They are yummy!

The crecent roll you see in the picture is heavenly..... I'll post that recipe soon!

The Art of Dry Rub

Okay if you listen and watched the entire cooking episode....you know that the Thompson Team is looking for a name for their cooking show! If you submit a name and any or all of your name is choosen you could win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Williams and Sonoma.....Give it your best and leave them a suggestion here or on their You Tube Video!

I'm down to 6 more Mondays before I am an unemployeed woman! OH THE JOY!

Happy Mother's Day 2009

She was there at the beginning

When the world was new to you

She was there to turn to happy times

Those when, you were hurt or blue.

She was there to listen to your thoughts

And when you asked, to give advice

She was there to tell you,

"Those don't match!" Or, "Hon, you sure look nice."

She was there with you at nighttime

To help you say your prayers

She was there to tell you, "It's alright."

When you had a dream that scares.

She was there at morning time

To get you up and out of bed

She was there when you didn't feel good (or did)

To say, "You'd best stay home, instead."

She was there when you were hungry

And when you had those dirty clothes

She was there when you needed her

(How she knew? Only heaven knows.)

She was there at the beginning

And she'll be there your whole life through

She'll be there in your mind and heart

Just like a mother is supposed to do.

Cabin - Progress

Julie made it to the cabin today and doesn't it look inviting?

The little cabin in the woods withstood the cold snowy winter. Beautiful, tranquil, and spiritual heaven await the many days and nights that will be spent at this lovely abode.

The canyon often brings memories of the poem of Hiawatha.......

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

By the shining Big-Sea-Water,

Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,

Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.

Dark behind it rose the forest,

Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,

Rose the firs with cones upon them;

Bright before it beat the water,

Beat the clear and sunny water,

Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

At the door on summer evenings

Sat the little Hiawatha;

Heard the whispering of the pine-trees,

Heard the lapping of the waters,

Sounds of music, words of wonder;

'Minne-wawa!" said the Pine-trees,

Mudway-aushka!" said the water.

Oh I love the canyon! Can't wait to enjoy it!

Fish Tacos

You know my proclivity of making salmon...of course you do...it is almost a weekly event. Last week we had plenty left over to make into our new favorite taco..."Fish/Salmon Tacos" Seriously, I'm thinking pretty passionate thoughts about this dish. It was simple to prepare and it got rave reviews from.....me and a few others. So today you get the recipe plain, simple, and delicious.

Cilantro Sauce

equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise (I used 1 cup of each)

handful of chopped fresh cilantro (growing nicely in my backyard)

generous sprinkle of Taco Seasoning Mix.....use what your taste buds like

Fish:

I used left over grilled Salmon(1 lb)....you can use your favorite fish. The nice thing about left overs is the cooking time. If you are using raw fish your cooking time will be about 4 - 5 minutes for fish cut into 1" pieces. You will also need to add olive oil if you are using raw fish...mine is marinated in my wonderful butter sauce....no extra oil needed! I squeezed fresh lemon over the fish and then sprinkled Taco Seasoning Mix to taste. This was heated thoroughly and the taco is ready to assemble.

Fill warmed taco shells with fish mixture and your favorite toppings.

Top your tacos with your choice of cabbage (I used broccoli slaw already chopped), green onions, tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro sauce. Fresh lime on the side for squeezing.

Dessert Hopping

I have so much to catch up on here.........and yes I'm going back on track Tuesday! So what the heck have I been doing for 4 weeks? Glad you asked! Hope I can remember it all! I'll do the posting not in the correct order I'm sure, but as I have the time and the will power I'm going to cover the bases! "Yeah...baseball season is here...well not Rookie league"....back to dessert hopping!

Last week we decided a Friday night out was desperately needed after all the happenings in Davis School District! So off to SLC we go! Our first stop was the Beehive Tea Room. To our delight we "CONSUMED" sugar cookies, biscotte, and hot chocolate! Then thought about having dinner! Good rule of thumb......dessert is always best!

Market Street Broiler.......dinner salads, clam chowder, fish and chips and salmon. My dinner came with Haagen Daz Strawberry Ice Cream! The hostess told us we would all get fresh strawberries, come to find out you had to be a secretary to get that little bonus! We told the waitress I was every one's secretary ....guess she thought we just wanted the berries! In the end we all shared this dish of ice cream.

Our next dessert hopping took us to THE GRAND AMERICA.....just such a nice place to sit and chat! Little did we know the LA Lakers were staying at this 5 star hotel and several of them walked through the lobby! I was in heaven (not heat!) Phil Jackson sauntered through the lobby....to which I quickly called his name! Nina asked who he was...Lyn said "Must be one of Al's friends she called him Phil" I had a very brief conversation with him about the Jazz win the night before and how Utah fans are not very amicable to Laker Fans....my daughter being one! He acknowledge the fact and strolled on to his destination...who knows where that was! We had a good laugh and continued to watch Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Paul Gasol...make their way through the lobby! Just a little clarification....I watched...Nina had her back to the lobby and Lyn just thinks they are "Tall" guys!

Honestly we were "Not" there as groupies....we are a little old for that! Come on now! Back in the day.............we coulda, woulda, and probably shoulda!

The grounds are absolutely beautiful at Grand America. SLC is a great place to live....if you're not a Laker Fan!

Flowers adorn the Grand America...kinda "doll" the place up!

These are 2 beautiful dream girls!

I'm the crazy, impetuous, off the deep end part of the group!

We really just wanted to chat and have Bread Pudding. Which topped off our evening! The pudding was undercooked but once again enjoying food with friends is what brings pleasure to our lives. Thanks girlfriends for putting up with my moments! You are amazing friends!

Someday soon Lyn and I will try to duplicate

Grand America's Bread Pudding....we will just cook ours a little more.

Lip Smacking Lasagna

My dad always gave a few words of gratitude for the meal we were about to receive each night; he would thank my mom who prepared the food for us, and he always expressed gratitude for their jobs that paid for it, and sometimes he added a little practical advice for the family to think about. One of the best lessons I learned from my family is that family meals make kids smarter (voila...I know "French"...not Italian!); spending quality time together over dinner can also contribute to children's emotional and spiritual growth. After all, it's when you're all together sharing the details of your day that real bonding happens. And kids who feel close to their families are more likely to take the family's value system to heart. So today I prepare for you another of our favorite lasagna recipes. The aroma from the kitchen full of Italian spices and slowly simmered sauce will tease your appetite all day long so that by dinnertime your whole family will be famished.

Lip Smacking Lasagna
La Dolce Vita LeAnn

Ingredients:

Meat Sauce

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound lean ground been
½ cup minced red onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce can) crushed tomatoes
12 oz can tomato paste
26 oz bottle Ragu with mushroom
2 T white sugar
1 t dried basil
1 t Italian season
½ t fennel seeds
½ t ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley

Ricotta Cheese Layer

32 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
½ t salt

Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese

Lasagna Noodles

DIRECTIONS:

Meat Sauce:

In a pot large enough to hold your meat sauce, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and Ragu sauce. Season with sugar, basil fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, ground pepper and about 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley. Simmer, covered, for about and hour….stir often!

Ricotta:

Combine ricotta cheese with eggs and 2 tablespoons parsley

Lasagna Noodles:

I put my noodles in 2 large roasting pans filled with very hot water and let them soak for about 30 – 45 minutes. They remain flat and are not all broken apart like when I boil them. They were very easy to work with.


Assemble:

I divided this between 2 baking dishes (9 ½ x 8 x 3 inch)…..fit perfectly.
Spread generous layer of meat sauce in the bottom of baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce (trim to fit pan). Spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese. Spoon meat sauce over Mozzarella, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers and topping off with Mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil. To prevent sticking I spray the foil with cooking spray.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. I bake mine on a baking sheet just to catch any drips.

Now I have 2 meals ready to go....one fresh today, another for the freezer ready for a hurried day!

**Don’t even ask about the calories!

Fun with Flubber

The Grand kids and I had a fun time making this amazing batch of flubber and we even had more fun playing with it. I was amazed that all that food coloring did not stain a thing! The kids played with it for hours, returned it to their air tight containers and got it out again for hours!

I got the recipe from my on line blogging friend Sandra....she is half my age and has taught me more than I could have possibly taught her! If you haven't stopped by her blog spot you need to ;) http://familycorner.blogspot.com/

Here is what I did:

Bowl #1

8 oz bottle of Elmer's glue

8 oz warm water

mix together until smooth

Bowl #2

8 oz warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons borax powder

mix until dissolved

Now slowly stir the borax solution into the glue solution....and stir, stir, stir....

really stir, stir, stir until all the water is mixed into the glue. I used a wooden spoon to do the stirring.

There you go.....flubber! It retains it shape when you put it back into any container and flops and pops...and even Farts! Oh what fun!

This should store well for about 2 to 3 weeks in an airtight container. It is harmful if eaten, so warn the kiddos over and over again about washing their hands after playing with the wonderful stuff. AND DON'T PUT IT DOWN YOUR DRAINS.....

Wordless Wednesday - Magnolia

Easter Egg Bread

I know I should have way shared this before Easter Sunday....sorry!

....Practically every family in Italy has a variation of this recipe, traditionally baked shortly before the holiday to break the Lenten fast. Be forewarned it is not a quick process....but oh such a delight when it comes out of the oven. As always eating good food, sharing the beginning of Spring with our family and friends and welcoming the warmth of longer days is the best way I can think of to celebrate the end of another cold dark winter - The Italian Way!

Ingredients:

2 packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup all-purpose flower

1/3 cup water

3/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, well beaten

3 3/4 to 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour

6 colored eggs (uncooked)

1. Soften yeast n the warm water in a bowl, mix in 1 cup flour, then the 1/3 cup water. Beat until smooth. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled. (about 1 hour).

2. Cream butter with lemon peel and juice. Add beaten eggs in halves, beating thoroughly after each addition.

3. Add yeast mixture and beat until blended. Add about half of the remaining flour and beat thoroughly. Beat in enough flour to make a soft dough.

4. Knead on floured surface until smooth. Put into a greased deep bowl; turn dough to bring greased surface to top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled.

5. punch down dough; divide into thirds. Cover; let rest about 10 minutes.

6. With hands, roll and stretch each piece into a roll about 26 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. Loosely braid rolls together. On a lightly greased baking sheet or jelly-roll pan shape into a ring, pressing ends together. At even intervals, gently spread dough apart and tuck in a colored egg. Cover; let rise again until doubled.

7. Bake at 375 degrees about 30 - 35 minutes. During baking check bread for browning, and when sufficiently browned, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

8. Transfer bread to a wire rack. If desired, spread a confectioners' sugar icing over top of warm bread.

Makes 1 large wreath....you could also make 6 individual rings.

Strolling Through the Yard

I took to a little... very little.... strolling around my backyard Easter morning, of course camera in hand. I know the new header is way to large....but I'm kinda likin' the picture so I left it.

Our yard is very small and uncomplicated, you see DH is not a horticulture lover. I'm sure it goes way back for him, he paid his brothers and sisters to do his share of the yard work! Now we have a gardener, kinda....and that's all you need to know about "the gardener".

Enjoy today's sunshine because tomorrow Utah is going to change her mind. Maybe it's April always trying to "fool" us.... ugh! One day she calls us outdoors to run and play in the beautiful sunshine and the next she shows off her temper and drenches us with her rain. Keep your umbrella handy!

I have a busy week ahead...another root canal today, spring cleaning because house guests are coming in a week, and I'm off to stay with the energetic...(not ADD) Grandkids for a few days while their mom gets a vacation.

April is always a good month for posting because I'm off track and down to 9 more Mondays before the beginning of a whole new era in my life......the R word!

Happy Easter

Tomorrow is Easter and as a child I always loved it. I grew up with a huge backyard....best in the neighborhood....and every Easter I would gather eggs that had been hidden in the flower beds, trees, and bushes. I loved the hours we spent coloring the eggs, remember those wax crayon we used to use to write on the uncolored eggs and like magic the words appeared after the eggs were colored. When all the eggs were collected in my little basket, I'm sure we had a scrumptious Easter Dinner.

Of course the tradition of coloring eggs carried on with my own children, but cupcake decorating was added. The pictures above are from 1983 with Lynette's kids....aren't they innocent and adorable!

Enjoy the day! On Tasty Tuesday I'll share my grandma's recipe for Easter Egg Bread.

More than Easter bunnies,

And chocolate eggs galore,

Is the cross of Calvary

The sacrifice of our Lord

For Jesus is the reason,

We all can celebrate.

And come to Him to freely,

receive His love and saving Grace.

By M.S.Lowndes