Cooking "Outside the Box":

Cheerfully Answering the Question "What's For Dinner?"

Class by Krista Schimmelbusch


Below are the wonderful recipes from Krista's popular class.

Homemade Powdered Milk Yogurt

Notes: It is important that you NOT use instant powdered milk! The powdered milk from the distribution center is not instant and works great, but if you want to use another powdered milk, make sure that it isn't instant.

Also, I use Nancy's lowfat plain yogurt for my "starter" because it has a wide variety of good active live cultures. Your starter yogurt must contain live active cultures and if it does it will be written on the container.

The "additional powdered milk" called for in the following recipes is the portion of powdered milk called for beyond that required to reconstitute the milk for regular consumption. All recipes call for "additional powdered milk" this is a more natural way to thicken yogurt than gelatin or food starch that is often found in commercial yogurt. You can make the yogurt thicker into Greek style if you strain it in a colander lined with a thin dish towel or cheese cloth for an hour or two. The longer you strain it, the thicker it becomes. You can strain it to be as thick as cream cheese and use it as a cream cheese substitute if you want. You can use the strained liquid as a buttermilk substitute. You can sweeten with sugar, honey or agave and flavor the yogurt best after it has been strained. I like to add good vanilla bean vanilla extract. This is also good flavored with freezer jam!

The first time you make this it is recommended that you take the temperature of your milk before adding the yogurt starter to your warmed milk. You'll want to make sure that the temperature of your particular crock pot reaches the 110-115 degrees. Once you know your milk is that temperature after the 3 hour cooling off stage, you won't need to check the temperature any more. If your milk is either too hot or too cold, just adjust the time that your milk cools in the crock pot before adding the starter.

 

Anyone may call me if they have problems or questions.

Krista Schimmelbusch

503-866-5968

 

Ingredients for nonfat yogurt: (all powdered milk)

• 1 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
• 1 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk "additional powdered milk"
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt (with live active cultures).

 

 

Ingredients for low fat yogurt:

• 3/4 cups nonfat dry milk
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups whole milk
• An additional 1 1/3 cups powdered milk

 

 

Ingredients for whole milk yogurt:

 

• 8 cups whole milk
• An additional 11/3 cup powdered milk

 

An economical healthy and DELICIOUS way to rotate food storage powdered milk!

 

Directions: 

 In a blender combine all the powdered milk and the water until processed. You might need to blend it in two batches depending on the capacity of your blender. Pour the blended milk into a non reactive ceramic crock pot and turn it on low for 2 1/2 hours. Turn the crock pot off and let it sit on the counter for 3 hours until temperature cools down to between 110 and 115 degrees. Remove 1 cup of the warmed milk and add 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt that contains live active cultures to the cup of milk. Gently blend, it is best if there are still some visible lumps of yougurt in the mix. Pour the yogurt milk mixture back into the crock pot and wrap the crock pot with a thick towel. Place in an oven ( with the light on) and let it sit for 8 hours. When yogurt done, if you want a thicker Greek style yogurt you can pour it into a strainer covered with a "flour sack" dish towel over a bowl to strain and chill. For a thinner yogurt you can just refrigerate the yogurt as is. Yogurt becomes runnier the more it is stirred. I am very careful with it unless it is strained. I think if you want to sweeten or add fruit to it, it works best if you strain it good and then you can stir it without it losing it's thickness.

 

Nutritional Info:

Serving Size 1 serving (294.8 g) Amount Per Serving Calories 164Calories from Fat 5 % Daily Value* Total Fat 0.6g1% Saturated Fat 0.4g2% Cholesterol 9mg3% Sodium 245mg10% Total Carbohydrates 23.2g8% Sugars 23.2g Protein 16.2g Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 5% Calcium 57% • Iron 1%

 

 

Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 7 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups hot milk
• 1 teaspoon salt and several
• grinds of white pepper

Directions:

Special Equipment Suggested:

• A heavy-bottomed 2 1/2-quart stainless saucepan for the sauce;
• a wooden spatula or spoon; a small saucepan for the milk;
• a wire whisk

 

The white roux. Melt the butter in the 2 1/2-quart saucepan, then blend in the flour with a wooden spoon to make a smooth somewhat loose paste. Stir over moderate heat until the butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without coloring more than a buttery yellow. Pour in the milk at once, whisking vigorously to blend tho-roughly. Then whisk rather slowly over moderately high heat, reaching all over the bottom and sides of the pan, until the sauce comes to a simmer; simmer 2 to 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon nicely. Whisk in the salt and pepper, tasting very carefully and adding more as needed.

Ahead-of-time note: To prevent a skin from forming over the surfaceof the sauce, (1) whisk it every few minutes until it has cooled, or (2) press a sheet of plastic wrap right down onto the surface. The sauce will keep 2 to 3 days under refrigeration or may be frozen.

For a thicker or thinner sauce

Thin sauce, such as for cream soups:

1 tablespoon flour and 3/4 tablespoon butter per cup of milk.

Thick sauce, such as for cheese soufflés:

2 tablespoons flour and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter per cup of milk

For a lighter or richer sauce, use skim milk for the former, or, for a rich sauce, use half-and-half or whisk several tablespoons of butter into the finished sauce.

First aid for a lumpy sauce: Push it through a mine-meshed sieve, then whirl it in an electric blender, and finally whisk it over heat until it simmers a moment.

Source: The Way to Cook by Julia Child

Mornay Sauce (Cheese Sauce)

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe béchamel sauce
• 1 cup grated cheese

Directions:
Make either a white or a velouté sauce, and let it cool several minutes before whisking it grated cheese. Proportions are usually 1/4 cup of cheese per cup of sauce, and the cheese is usually Swiss, although you may use any kind you wish. Usually, too, a speck of nutmeg is included.

First aid for stringy cheese sauce: When cheese is added to a very hot sauce the sauce can become stringy – Swiss cheese is often the culprit here. To remedy, bring it to the simmer whisking in drops of lemon juice

Source: The Way to Cook by Julia Child

Master Recipe

Velouté Soup Base

For about 2 quarts
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups minced onion and/or white of leek – the amount depending on
         your other ingredients
1/4 cup flour
7 to 8 cups liquid: chicken or fish stock and/or milk or vegetable cooking liquid – of which at least 1          cup is hot 
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Special Equipment Suggested:
A heavy-bottomed 3-quart stainless saucepan

Set the saucepan over moderately low heat, add the butter, and, when melted, stir in the onions. Cover and cook slowly 7 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are tender and translucent. Blend in the flour. Stir slowly for 3 minutes, to cook the flour without letting it color… [illustration included in cookbook] Remove from heat, and in a few seconds, when bubbling stops, pour in 1 cup of hot liquid all at once, whisking vigorously to blend smooth-ly. Whisk in 6 more cups. Bring to the simmer, stirring frequently to be sure the soup is not scorching on the bottom of the pan. The soup base should be slightly  thickened, enough to coat a spoon lightly… add dollops more liquid if too thick. Correct seasoning, and continue as your recipe directs.

Ahead-of-time note for roux-based soups and sauces: Warm flour-based soups and sauces will form a skin over their surface. The skin will not form if you stir the soup frequently until it is cool. Or fill a large kitchen spoon with stock or milk and lay the spoon just over the surface, tipping it to let the liquid float on top. Or lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the surface, pressing it well.


Variation

Cream of Mushroom Soup

“Use this as a general model for all velouté soups, and since the base itself is well flavored, the actual amount of other ingredients you add is not too important. For instance, the following recipe calls for 1 quart of mushrooms, but just a handful will give the mushroom impression.”

For about 2 1/4 quarts, serving 6
Ingredients for the preceding Velouté Soup Base, made with 1 cup of hot chicken broth and

6 or more cups of milk

1 quart fresh mushrooms, trimmed,

washed, and diced

1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves

1/2 cup or more sour cream,

heavy cream, or crème fraîche,

optional

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Drops of fresh lemon juice, if needed

Suggested decoration:

Springs of fresh tarragon; or slivers of neatly sliced raw mushroom caps tossed in drops of lemon juice; or a fluted stewed mushroom cap for each serving

Special Equipment Suggested:

A food processor is useful for mincing the mushrooms

Finishing the soup and serving. Bring the soup base to the simmer, and fold in the mushrooms and tarragon; simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Stir in the optional cream, simmer a moment more, and carefully correct seasoning, adding drops of lemon juice if you think they are needed. Decorate each serving, if you wish, as suggested.

Other Cream of Vegetable Soups
"Make other vegetable soups in much the same way, either simmering the vegetables in the velouté base as for the preceding mushroom soup,or cooking them separately as for the following broccoli soup. Here the soup is puréed, and given a final decoration of broccoli buds."

 

Cream of Broccoli Soup

For about 2 1/2 quarts, serving 6 to 8
2 large heads of fresh broccoli  (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds)

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Ingredients for the Velouté Soup Base

1/2 cup or more sour cream, heavy cream,

or crème fraîche, optional

Drops of lemon juice, if needed

2 tablespoons butter, optional

Special Equipment Suggested:

An electric blender or a food processor – the blender does a faster and better job

of puréeing – or a vegetable mill

Preparing the broccoli. Wash the broccoli. Trim an inch or so off the woody ends of each stem, and peel the stems with a knife up to where the bud branches begin, taking off a scant 1/16 inch of the tough outer green skin. Cut off the tiny branches and bud ends of the broccoli flowerettes, and reserve. Cut the remaining stalks into 1/4-inch slices.

 

Preliminary cooking of the broccoli. Place the sliced broccoli in a saucepan; add 1/2 inch of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and boil slowly uncovered 4 to 5 minutes, adding a little more water if necessary, until the pieces are barely tender and a fine bright green. Drain through a sieve set over a bowl, and return the cooking liquid to the saucepan. Purée the steamed broccoli with a cup or so of the soup base, pouring the purée back into the remaining soup – which will now be a lovely fresh pale green. Simmer the reserve broccoli buds in the cooking liquid for 2 to 3 minutes, drain the cooking liquid into another saucepan, and boil down rapidly to less than 1 cup; pour the liquid into the soup base. Meanwhile, run cold water over the broccoli buds to set  the color, and reserve for the final decoration.

Ahead-of-time note: To preserve its green color chill the soup uncovered.

Finishing the soup. Shortly before serving, bring the soup to the simmer. Stir in the cream if you are using it. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes uncovered – always watching that it does not scorch! Taste carefully for seasoning, adding lemon juice if you think it needed. (The broccoli buds: rather than leaving them as is, you may wish to sauté them briefly in 2 table-spoons of butter.)

 

Serving. Pour the soup into a warmed tureen for serving at the table, or into warmed soup cups or plates. Decorate with the broccoli buds.


Costco Rotisserie Chicken Stock

1-2 Costco Rotisserie Chickens
1 large yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 celery stalk
1 bay leaf
A few black pepper corns
Optional- herbs or parsley

Pick the meat off the chickens when they have cooled enough to handle them. Place bones and skin in a large tall pot. Slice the onion into quarters and put it and the other things in a pot. Add cold water until it covers the meat by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, and then turn the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer. Don't let it boil rapidly. Just legit ever so gently bible on the stove for at least two hour or all day.( it makes the house smell wonderful!). Strain the stock by purring it through a mesh strainer or colander. Skim the fat off and liberally add salt. Use in a day or two, or freeze for later use.

 

Mama Leone's Chicken Soup (made with homemade chicken stock)

Note: This is an example of a Velouté soup

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

Chicken Stock:

• 1-2 Costco Rotisserie Chickens (depending on how much stock you want to have)
• carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf
• pepper corns
• Salt to taste

Soup Ingredients:

• 2 T veg oil
• 3 T butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp tarragon
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T flour
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes w/juice
• 3/4 cup cream
• 2 cups thinly sliced spinach

 Optional Additions:

• Chopped Marinated Artichoke hearts
• Mushrooms
• A squeeze of fresh lemon

Directions:

Pull the chicken meat off the bones and reserve 3 cups meat for soup. Place bones and skin in a stock pot along with the stock ingredients. Cover with water and gently simmer for at least 2 hours on very low heat. When the bones have released their flavor and stock is rich, strain. Skim the fat off of the broth. Don't forget to salt the stock to taste.

Heat oil and butter and saute onions and celery until onions are translucent, 6-7 minutes. Add garlic, tarragon, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, 3-4 min.

Add flour and stir until well-combined. Sauté for 2 minutes. Don't let it brown. Slowly whisk in broth and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, or until veggies are cooked. Just before serving, add reserved chicken, cream and fresh spinach. Bring up to a simmer and serve. (Don't boil after adding the cream). For a lighter version, you can skip the cream and it is delicious too!

Source: Krista's Version of Mama Leone's Soup

Chicken Pot Pie

Note: this is made using a velouté sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup cubes potatoes
•  1/2 cup flour
•  2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup half and half or milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
•  1 pie crust (homemade or pre made)

Directions:

Heat butter in a heavy sauce pan. Sauté all the vegetables for 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook flour for at least 2 minutes. Then stir in the broth and stir until thick. Add the cream or milk and stir until thickened. Add the peas, salt, pepper and chicken. Pour into a 2 quart shallow casserole dish and top with the pie crust. You can brush the crust with a little milk or egg wash (a beaten egg with 1 tbs water whisked together). Prick the top of the crust with a sharp knife and sprickle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake 400° oven for 30 minutes.

Source: My Collection

No Knead Bread

Servings: one 1 pound loaf
Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel...something that can go into a 450F oven.)

Directions:

1. Mix dough: The night before or the morning of depending on when you want it to be ready. Combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. 2 hours before baking: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With wet hands, gently shape the dough into a ball being careful not to lose too many of the bubbles. Place a large sheet of parchment paper or a dish towel on the counter. GENEROUSLY sprinkle the towel or paper with flour so that it will release from the towel when ready to bake. Place dough seam side down on the floured surface. Lift parchment paper or towel up with dough and place into a large bowl. Cover bowl with a towel. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you've got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Grab the ends of the parchment paper or towel and lift entire wobbly dough blob out of bowl and gently turn the bread over and place it into the pot (seam side up). Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes. Best way to eat it? Smear a warm slice with some good butter (Kerrygold and Lurpac are both found in your grocery stores, usually on top shelf)

Notes: Mark Bittman of NY Times who got it from Sullivan Street Bakery. When the recipe first came out, it was the blogging community who took the bread to new heights, especially Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Bread Bible. 

Mom's Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/8 t. black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• (Optional) Fresh herbs, I really like fresh tarragon

Directions:
Mix the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until the salt is dissolved. Then slowly whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream to emulsify.






 

CHEERFULLY OVERCOMING ADVERSITY THROUGH SCRIPTURE STUDY

Class by Debbie Hansen

"Rather than simply passing through trials, we must allow trials to pass through us in ways that sanctify us.

Neal Maxwell

"My beloved brothers and sisters, Fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith." Thomas S Monson

(Debbie filled the walls with uplifting quotes/sayings that were allaround the room,)

"Faith in God includes faith in his timing"

Neal A Maxwell.

"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise" Victor Hugo

Worry fades away when we know for sure our future is secure in god's hands.

It's gonna get harder before it gets easier.... but it will get better..... you just gotta make it through the hard stuff first!

POSITIVE ENERGY, POSITIVE RESULTS

 

Happy Moments, Praise GOD

Difficult Moments, Seek GOD
Quiet Moments, Worship GOD
Painful Moments, Trust GOD
Every Moment, Thank God

There isn't enough room in your mind for both worry and Faith.  YOU must decide which one will live there.

SUPERCHARGE YOUR MEALS!

Nutrition Class taught by Sara Heggie, West Linn Ward

#1 GREENS!

·         Start the day with a green juice &/or a green smoothie
·         Make salad the star of your main meal
·         Think about what you already eat & how you can add more veggies & nutrition to it.  Like salad on nachos or in burritos, using zucchini instead of or along with pasta, blending veggies into sauces, etc.
·         For convenience, add in a green grass or superfood powder like Sunwarrior’s Ormus Greens (sunwarrior.com) or Healthforce’s Vitamineral Green (market of choice or whole foods)

#2 RAW CACAO & SUPERFOODS

·         Have fun making fudge babies or other raw candy balls adding in superfoods like goji berries, spirulina, hemp seeds, cacao nibs.  DoTerra essential oils can also be used to boost flavor & vibration.
·         Learn to make raw chocolate adding in the superfoods & oils.

#3 SPROUTING

·         Sprouts are king in terms of food storage, nutritional impact & affordability

·         Chia seeds are amazing!

GOMBS

■Greens – Green vegetables have lots of different nutrients and systems that put a silicone like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the Nrf2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding to blood vessels and accelerates the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of the blood vessel.

 ■Onions – In The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition a large study in Europe showed people who ate onions regularly showed a 60 to 70% reduction in all major cancers. That would be a reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer just from the higher consumption of onions. When you cut an onion, the gas that is given off creates disulfides and anti-cancer nutrients that are formed.

 ■Mushrooms - A Recent study published in the international Journal of Cancer showed women who regularly consumed mushrooms are 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. That was about 10 g of mushrooms daily. That same study showed that the women who ate 10 g of mushrooms and simultaneously consumed green tea had 89% less likely to develop breast cancer.

 ■Beans and Berries - Beans and berries have high cancer preventive antioxidants levels and promotes healthy brain function.

 ■Seeds - Raw seeds and nuts contain phytochemicals and fats that help reduce inflammation, help reduce cholesterol, and helps the absorption of other important micronutrients. Dr. Fuhrman suggests having nuts as part of your salad or even making a salad dressing from them.

WEBSITES

Superfoods:

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/superfoods/16-superfoods-you-should-know-about-part-1/

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/superfoods/16-superfoods-you-should-know-about-part-2/

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/superfoods/16-superfoods-you-should-know-about-part-3/

Green smoothies:

Glowing Green Smoothie (GGS) recipe:  http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/ggs/

http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/recipes/creamy-coconut-chocolate-green-smoothie-recipe/ (I always use more greens, whichever I have on hand, & usually more liquid)

Raw Chocolate:
http://www.philipmccluskey.com/raw-chocolate/

Sprouts:

http://www.herbco.com/p-928-chia-seed-whole.aspx#

http://www.naturalnews.com/037916_chia_seeds_storable_food_preparedness.html

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/chia-pudding (chia pudding recipe)

Wheat:

http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/why-modern-wheat-considered-frankenwheat

Sara:

http://pinterest.com/bevibrant7/

http://www.facebook.com/sara.heggie

RECIPES

Basic Green Smoothie

1 part liquid (water, coconut water, coconut kefir, etc.)

1 part greens (leafy greens incl. celery, fennel, herbs)
1 part fruit

Blend liquid with greens & citrus for 30 seconds on high in BlendTec.  Add remaining fruit.  If using frozen fruit, blend on #4, then on high for 30 more seconds.

Tips:  bananas add creaminess, lemons & limes cut bitterness of darker greens, berries can hide the green color somewhat, spinach has almost no flavor in a green smoothie, use a little more liquid if this is too thick for you.

 

Alkalizing Green Drink (no fruit)
Put in commercial blender:
½ avocado
1/3 English cucumber
Big handful spinach or other dark greens
Juice of ½ lime
Add purified water to 2c mark

Blend very well.

 

Green Yum (stuff you probably have in the fridge now)
2 ½ c pure water
2 ½ c romaine lettuce
2 limes, peel sliced off
2-3 bananas, frozen is nice if you like it cold

Blend water, limes & romaine 30 seconds on high in BlendTec.  Add bananas to make 1 quart & blend on high another 30 seconds.  If using frozen bananas blend on “whole food juice” then another 30 seconds on high.

 

Walnut Spice Balls
2 c walnuts or sunflower seeds
1 ½ c dates
1 c raisins
2 t vanilla
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg or ginger or cardamom

Grind seeds in food processor with spices.  Add remaining ingredients & process until thoroughly mixed & sticking together.  Roll into 1½ inch balls & refrigerate.

 Fudge Babies from Elana’s Pantry

½ cup Medjool dates, pits removed
1 cup walnuts
3 tablespoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt (omit if you do not like salt as much as I do!)

1.Place dates, walnuts, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt in a food processor

2.Pulse on high speed until smooth
3.Remove mixture from food processor and roll into little balls
4.Serve

Sara’s note:  this is a great base to add in goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, small amounts of superfood powders like spirulina or maca.

SOUP RECIPES

from our Delicous Lunch Selections

Pumpkin Coconut Soup

Jenna Vela, Wilsonville Ward
Ingredients:

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium sized yellow onion

3 cloves minced garlic

1 inch grated fresh ginger (seriously, it's worth buying it fresh)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. chicken base or 2 bouillon cubes

3 cups chicken broth

1 can cooked chicken (or you can use 2 chicken breasts... but canned chicken is easier and i think tastes better in this recipe)

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

2 tsp. salt (more to taste if you'd like)

1-2 tsp. pepper

1/4 bunch fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. chop the onion into small, even pieces and grate the ginger with a fine grater. in a large stock pot, add 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. once the oil has heated, add the chopped onion, ginger, and minced garlic to the oil and stir. cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onion is mostly cooked through (it will be translucent).
3. while that's cooking, peel your butternut squash and take 1/2 of it and cut into about 1/2 inch cubes. in a small glass pyrex dish, add the cubed squash and pour 3 tbsp. olive oil over top. add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. mix together so that all the cubes are coated in the olive oil. make sure the pieces of squash are in one layer (no overlapping) so that they can cook evenly. bake in your oven for 25 minutes.
4. By this point, your onions, ginger, and garlic should be ready. add 1 tsp. ground cumin and stir, allowing the cumin to get all toasty and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
5. add pumpkin puree, coconut milk, chicken base, chicken stock, and drained canned chicken (or chicken breast). if you're using chicken breast, cook over medium heat in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. cut into small pieces. add to the soup once cooked through) stir together and mix completely. up the heat JUST A TAD so that you can bring the soup to a simmer. add 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper (again, you can add more after this if you'd like. depends on your taste buds. mine ask for salt). allow to simmer for 25 minutes so that everything heats through and the chicken becomes very tender.
6. when you squash is done, remove from the glass dish, making sure to drain away any access oil, and add to the soup. allow to simmer and cook for about 10 more minutes.
7. take a bunch of cilantro and rinse it, shaking it well afterwards in the sink. remove the leaves from the stem and give it a rough chop. when the soup is finished, dish into a bowl and add the cilantro leaves. a squeeze of lime wouldn't hurt.


Chicken Tortilla Soup
Arianne Smith

 

1 can (28oz) green enchilada sauce

2 cans black beans drained and rinsed

2 cans petite diced tomatoes

1 yellow onion chopped

1 can (4oz) green chilies

1 TBS chopped garlic

1 bag (16oz) frozen white corn

2 whole chicken breasts

 Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.

2. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

3. At the end of cooking pull out the whole chicken breasts and shred them and return shredded chicken to the soup.

4. serve with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips

 Potato Cheese Soup

Christy Corbin, West Linn Ward

 

3 cups diced potatoes
½ cup diced onion
5-6 bouillon cubes
1 ½ cup water

1 cup sour cream

1 can corn (drained)

1-2 tsp. dried chives
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups grated cheese
Bacon bits
Pepper to taste
2 cups milk separated

 

In medium saucepan, combine water, potato, onion and bouillon cubes. Cover and boil 20 min. Add 1-cup milk. Meanwhile combine sour cream flour and chives in bowl. Add 1-cup milk to flour mixture, and then add sour cream mix to soup. When heated through, add corn, and grated cheese. Serve with extra cheese and bacon bits.

2012 Lake Oswego Stake Women's Conference--"Something Extraordinary"

We have just completed an EXTRAORDINARY Women's Conference. We rocked the Stake Center with Friday Night Fun and enjoyed sharing the evening with our Young Women and Achievement Day Girls. Close to 200 on the gym floor doing Zumba, from energetic 8 year olds to more "vintage", yet still energetic sisters was quite a sight to behold.

We are gathering the handouts from the workshop instructors and from our Sharing Stations and you will find the first of them in posts below. Please continue to check back...more will be coming.

NEW!!! some of the recipes for those YUMMY soups from our luncheon are now posted.

Meanwhile, a HUGE THANK YOU goes to the army of women whose EXTRAORDINARY efforts made this conference great.

How to Hold onto Your Money!!!! Budget! Budget! Budget!

Women's Conference Class by Linda Inman

Divide and conquer, 3 steps to an easy budget.
1. Future Goals (retirement, college, home repairs)
2. Recurring costs (fixed expenses, tithing, gas, clothes)
3. Day to Day expenses

Take your monthy take home pay, minus your savings and fixed expenses =
your income

How come my spouse and I are always arguing about money?

Should I involve the whole family in budgeting?


Things to remember: Pay a full tithe, save 10 to 20%, keep your debt to income ration under 30%, if you can refinance your mortgage do it, keep discretionary income under 20% of take home income.

Debt: borrow only when it makes sense (like a mortgage), set yourself up to get the lowest rates, tap into home equity sparingly, keep your credit report as clean as possible.

What you can do if you have too much debt: pay more than the minimum paymetn, don't borrow from friends and family, don't use a credit consolidation service that charges upfront or monthly fees, don't use a high interest loan to pay off lower interest debt even if it means just one monthly payment, declare bankruptcy--this can have a severe impact on your future finances.

If I Could Save Time in a Bottle

Sharing Station on Time Management, by Regina Wahlstrom

What are the Essential, the Necessary and the Nice to Do Things that we need to fit into the hours of our days and weeks?
See link below for the time management calendar Regina shared in her station

http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2011/sharing_stations/pdf/4d.pdf

Luncheon Soup Recipes

Turkey Chili – (Wendy’s Chili*)
Dana Sullivan—West Linn

2 lbs ground turkey
14.5 oz cans tomato sauce
2 14.5 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 14.5 oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced onion
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
½ cup diced celery
3 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes, chopped in food processor
2 tsp cumin
3 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 cups water

Brown meat with onions and celery; drain fat. Add all ingredients to a crock pot and cook for 2 to 4 hours.
*Wendy’s recipe calls lean ground beef

Cheesy Potato Soup serves 4
Sue Milliron—West Linn

3 large potatoes, diced
2 T minced celery
1 T minced carrot
1 T minced onion
2 C chicken broth
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 T white vinegar

Bring the above ingredients to a boil;reduce heat and simmer 30 min. or until potatoes are cooked. Mix together 1 1/2 C milk with 2 T flour; add to soup mixture and cook additional 5-10 minutes. Add 1 C cheddar cheese and cook until melted.
Optional: sprinkle each serving with bacon bits,chopped green onions, additional cheese.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Brook Smith

1 c. butter
1 finely chopped onion
½ – 1 c. frozen corn (or ½ c. chopped celery, if preferred)
½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ c. carrots, sliced
¾ c. all-purpose flour
6 ½ c. chicken broth (can use 7 bouillon cubes plus 6 ½ c. water)
2 c. cooked wild rice (once I tried using a box of wild rice/brown rice combo with
a seasoning packet and it was great)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
½ tsp salt
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp mustard powder
½ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp black pepper
1 c. slivered almonds
2 c. half-and-half (you could use non-fat half-and-half for a low-fat version, but I
haven’t tried it.)

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, and
carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes
more. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to a large pot. Over medium
heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been
added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next add the rice, chicken, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground
black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through then pour in the half-and-half.
Let simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Do not boil or the roux will break. Delicious served
in a bread bowl as well.

Yield: 6-8 servings


Butternut Squash Soup
Teisha Taylor--Wilsonville

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper

Red Lentil Soup (Gluten free, Dairy free and Vegetarian)
Robin Bullock—Lakeridge Ward

Recipe is on the back of the bag of Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils and
is called “Rachel’s Lentil Soup”.
Changes and additions I made to the recipe:
I added twice as much oregano and thyme.
Other additions:
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper.
1 teaspoon curry
½ teaspoon cumin.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tianne Call—Wilsonville Ward

Ingredients:
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (19 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed

Directions: I sauted the garlic & onion for a few minutes in a little butter before placing them into the slow cooker. Place all ingredients into a slow cooker, including the liquid in the can of tomatoes & chiles. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, tortilla chips on the side.
Note: You can cook the chicken raw/frozen whole breasts & shred 3 1/2 hours after cooking on high.

Slow Cooker Cheese Soup from the Rival Slow Cooker Recipe Card Collection
Tiana Gates – West Linn Ward

2 cans Condensed Cream of Celery Soup, undiluted
4 Cp. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/4 Cps. Half and Half
Salt and Pepper to taste

A. Combine soup, cheese, paprika, and worcestershire sauce in slow-cooker.
B. Cover, cook on LOW 2 to 3 hours.
C. Add Half and Half: Stir until Blended. Cover and Cook for another 20 minutes. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque
Tiana Gates--- West Linn Ward
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sweet_potato_peanut_bisque.html
From EatingWell: September/October 2009
This satisfying vegetarian, sweet potato soup is inspired by the flavors of West African peanut soup. We like the added zip of hot green chiles, but they can sometimes be very spicy. It’s best to take a small bite first and add them to taste. Try chopped peanuts and scallions for a different garnish. Serve with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette.
5 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
• 2 large sweet potatoes (10-12 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups reduced-sodium tomato-vegetable juice blend or tomato juice
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, preferably hot, drained
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 15-ounce can vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Preparation
1. Prick sweet potatoes in several places with a fork. Microwave on High until just cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. ( I actually found it easier to peel and chop the Potatoes before microwaving)
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until it just begins to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in juice, green chiles, ginger and allspice. Adjust the heat so the mixture boils gently; cook for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into bite-size pieces. Add half to the pot. Place the other half in a food processor or blender along with broth and peanut butter. Puree until completely smooth. Add the puree to the pot and stir well to combine. Thin the bisque with water, if desired. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving : 291 Calories; 16 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 8 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 30 g Carbohydrates; 10 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 474 mg Sodium; 1011 mg Potassium
1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 high fat meat, 1/2 fat
Tips & Notes
• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Thin with water before reheating, if desired.

Power in the Cool Collected Mind: Managing Anxiety

Women's Conference class by Katie Curtis

Distorted Automatic Thoughts
Mind reading: You assume that you know what people think without having sufficient evidence of their thoughts. "He thinks I'm a loser."

Fortunetelling: You predict the future negatively; things will get worse, or there is danger ahead. "I'll fail that exam," or "I won't get the job."

Catastrophizing: You believe that what has happened or what will happen will be so awful and unbearable that you won't be able to stand it. "It would be terrible if I failed."

Labeling: You assign global negative traits to yourself and others. "I'm undesirable," or "He's a rotten person."

Discounting positives: You claim that the positive things you or others do are trivial. "Those successes were easy, so they don't matter."

Negative filtering: You focus almost exclusively on the negatives and seldom notice the positives. "Look at all the people who don't like me."

Overgeneralizing: You perceive a global pattern of negatives on the basis of a single incident. "This generally happens to me. I seem to fail at a lot of things."

Dichotomous thinking: You view events or people in all-or-nothing terms. "I get rejected by everyone," or "It was a complete waste of time."

Shoulds: You interpret events in terms of how things should be, rather than simply focusing on what is. "I should do well. If I don't, then I'm a failure."

Personalizing: You attribute a disproportionate amount of the blame to yourself for negative events, and you fail to see that certain events are also cause by others.

Blaming: You focus on the other person as the source of your negative feelings, and you refuse to take responsibility for changing yourself. "She's to blame for the way I feel now," or "My parents caused all my problems."

Unfair comparisons: You interpret events in terms of standards that are unrealistic—for example, you focus primarily on others who do better than you and find yourself inferior in the comparison. "She's more successful than I am," or "Others did better than I did on the test."

Regret orientation: You focus on the idea that you could have done better in the past, rather on what you can do better now. "I could have had a better job if I had tried," or "I shouldn't have said that."

What if?: You keep asking a series of questions about "what if" something happens, and you fail to be satisfied with any of the answers. "Yeah, but what if I get anxious?" or "What if I can't catch my breath?"

Emotional reasoning: You let your feelings guide your interpretation of reality.

Inability to disconfirm: You reject any evidence or arguments that might contradict your negative thoughts. For example, when you have the thought "I'm unlovable," you reject as irrelevant any evidence that people like you. Consequently, your thoughts cannot be refuted. "That's not the real issue. There are deeper problems. There are other factors."

Judgment focus: You view yourself, others, and events in terms of evaluations as good-bad or superior-inferior, rather than simply describing, accepting, or understanding. You are continually measuring yourself and others according to arbitrary standards, and finding that you and others fall short. You are focused on the judgments of others as well as your own judgments of yourself. "I didn't perform well in college," or "Look how successful she is. I'm not successful.

Sharing Station: Personal Progress, Starring YOUth

Sharing Station created by the Lake Oswego Stake Young Women's Presidency

Personal Progress for Parents
Info from website: PersonalProgress.lds.org

Value Experiences
A young woman may work on the values in any order.
With the exception of the value of virtue, young women are encouraged to complete the required value experiences before doing the project for that value.
Value Projects
A value project is intended to help a young woman apply what she has learned from the value experiences.
A young woman should spend a minimum of ten hours for each value project. The same ten hours may not count for more than one value project.
Young women may work together on projects. However, a young woman must spend a minimum of ten hours of her own time if she is using that project to fulfill her own Personal Progress requirement.
With the prior approval of parents or Young Women leaders, the good things young women are doing at home, Church, school, seminary, and in the community may fulfill the requirements of Personal Progress.

Completing Personal Progress
When a young woman completes the Personal Progress requirements before leaving Young Women, she should be invited to help other young women who are still working on Personal Progress. She should also be encouraged to earn an Honor Bee or begin the program again.

Tracking and Pacing
Young women may work at their own pace in the Personal Progress program; however, it is recommended that a young woman complete at least one value experience each month and one value project every six months (two a year). If she starts working when she enters Young Women at age 12 and continues at this suggested pace, she will finish when she is 16. She will then have two years to earn an Honor Bee or begin the program again as suggested on page 83 of the Personal Progress manual.

Participation of mothers
Mothers are welcome to participate with young women in earning the Young Womanhood Recognition, (as well as adult young women leaders). Mothers work from their own Personal Progress book (or their own log in online) and may earn the recognition along with their daughter. It is recommended that a daughter earn her recognition before or along with her mother.
Mothers may select different options for the elective value experiences and the value projects from their daughters. The experiences and projects may be signed and dated by their daughter, their spouse, a Young Women leader, or another adult. (Online, adults don’t need special approval.)

Personal Progress Online
Why do it online?
Encourage your daughter to sign in and start to use it as a tool. The entire Personal Progress book is online, with links to the scriptures to be read, and a spot to journal their thoughts. When they’ve completed a value experience or project, they will send this information to a young women leader or parent for approval, (the girls usually choose their mother). This means, you would sit down with your daughter, and discuss what she’s done/learned. Read from the book or the website what was required of her. Discuss what it meant to her. Then sign her off by signing her book, or hitting the “approve” button. It is not necessary for you to read her journal entry to be able to pass it off. Then, after many years of progressing, personally, and she has completed everything, she can print the whole book out, including her journal and a photo that she has uploaded.

How does your daughter sign in?
She will need her birth date and her church ID number (located on her individual temple recommend if she has one, or she can get it from the ward clerk.

How do you sign in?
Use your regular LDS.ORG user name and password. Once you’re logged in, you will be able to access their info. You will see what she’s working on and what she’s finished with and ready for you to pass off (approve). You will not be able to see her journal entries. That is private. (Be sure to reassure your daughter of this very important fact.)


How to sign up for Personal Progress Online

personalprogress.lds.org (no www’s)

1) click on “sign in” (pink words) in the upper right corner of screen. (If there are no pink words in the upper right corner, then click on the “getting started” – black words, about half way down the page on the right, and then the pink words will show up.

2) click on “register here” (blue words) on the right side of screen

3) type in your membership record number (found on your individual temple recommend – or can be obtained from your ward clerk)

4) type in your date of birth

5) there is an image with some letters. Type them in the box below.

6) Click on the “next step” button at the bottom of the page.

You’re ready to start!

Lake Oswego Stake Young Women
Personal Progress Value Experiences
At-a-Glance

Value Action Estimated Time
Faith - 1 Read, Do, Journal 1 hr + 3 weeks
Faith - 2 Read, Interview, Journal 1 1/2 hr
Faith - 3 Read, Share, Journal 1 hour
Faith - 4 Read, Do, Journal 1 hr + 3 weeks
Faith - 5 Read, Share, Journal 1 hour
Faith - 6 Read, Teach 1 1/2 hr
Faith - 7 Read, Do, Journal 1 hr + 3 months

Divine Nature - 1 Read, Journal 1 hour
Divine Nature - 2 Read, Do, Journal 1 hr + 2 weeks
Divine Nature - 3 Do, Share 2 weeks
Divine Nature - 4 Memorize, Do, Journal 1-2 hrs + 2 wks
Divine Nature - 5 Read, Do, Journal 1 hr + 2 weeks
Divine Nature - 6 Read, Mmorize,Do,Jrnal 1 1/2 hr + 2 wks
Divine Nature - 7 Read, Do, Journal 1 hr + 2 weeks

Individual Worth - 1 Read, Journal 1 hour
Individual Worth - 2 Read, Share 1 hour
Individual Worth - 3 Read, Do, Journal 1 hr + 2 weeks
Individual Worth - 4 Read, Journal, Share 1 hour
Individual Worth - 5 Do (an event), Journal the event + 1/2 hr
Individual Worth - 6 Visit, Do the visit + 1/2 hr
Individual Worth - 7 Read, Ask help, Journal 1 hour

Knowledge - 1 Read, Journal 1 hour
Knowledge - 2 Journal, Learn, Share hours or weeks
Knowledge - 3 Mmrze, visit, Jrnal, Share 1 hour + visit
Knowledge - 4 Read, Talk, Journal 2 hours
Knowledge - 5 Learn, Visit, Journal 2-3 hours
Knowledge - 6 Memorize, Learn, Read 2 hours
Knoweldge - 7 Learn, Journal, Teach 2 hours + camp

Choice/Acctbility - 1 Read, Do, Share 1 hour + weeks
Choice/Acctbility - 2 Read, Jrnal, Do, Share 1-2 hrs, + 3 wks
Choice/Acctbility - 3 Read, Share, Journal 1 hour
Choice/Acctbility - 4 Read, Journal, Do 1 hour + weeks
Choice/Acctbility - 5 Read, Share, Journal, Do 1 hour + weeks
Choice/Acctbility - 6 Read, Journal 1 hour
Choice/Acctbility - 7 Read, Do, Journal 1 hour + 3 mo

Good Works - 1 Read, Do 1 hour + 2 weeks
Good Works - 2 Do, Share 2 weeks
Good Works - 3 Read, Jrnal, Do,Share 1 hour + weeks
Good Works - 4 Teach 2-3 hours
Good Works - 5 Read, Do, Journal 1 hour + 1 month
Good Works - 6 Do, Journal 3 1/2 hours
Good Works - 7 Read, Do, Share 1 hour

Integrity - 1 Read, Journal, Do 1 1/2 hrs + 1 mo.
Integrity - 2 Think, Journal 1 hour
Integrity - 3 Read, Journal, Share 1 hour
Integrity - 4 Read, Visit, Journal 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Integrity - 5 Read, Journal, Do 1 hour + 3 weeks
Integrity - 6 Do (on Fast Sunday) 1 hour
Integrity - 7 Read, Journal 1-2 hours

Virtue - 1 Read, Journal 1 hour
Virtue - 2 Read, Journal 1 hour
Virtue - 3 Read, Journal 1 hour
Virtue - 4 Read, Journal 1 hour