Audrey School

Audrey took some interesting classes Spring Qtr 2014 - Typography, Visual Communication Design II, Prepress Production and Film History II. For Summer quarter she had Technology in World Civilization, Fundamentals of Interaction Design and a Speech Communication class. She made the Dean's List for Summer 2014.

This popcorn was a handout for her Film History Class, the topic was Film Exhibition History. And the Mickey cookies were a handout for a group presentation in her Speech Communication Class and the topic was Disneyland Secrets. Note: I think there is a reason people make sugar cookies more often in the winter months than the middle of the summer...we kept having to put the dough back in the fridge as it kept getting too soft. The frosting was on the runny side also, but that might have been an aspect of the recipe we used rather than the weather. Ended up just outlining the Mickey ears so we would not have to make more frosting - we are not decorators in this household, but gave it a good effort anyway!!

SOFT CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

In a large bowl beat the butter until creamed and smooth, about 1 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high until fully combined. Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer to low and add about half of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined. Add rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined. If the dough still seems soft, you can add 1 tablespoon more flour until it is a better consistency for rolling.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto parchment to about 1/4" thickness. Stack the pieces (with paper) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Chilling is mandatory.Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove only one dough pack from refrigerator at a time. Using a cookie cutter, cut in shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.

Bake 8-11 minutes, until very lightly colored around edges. Rotate baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar Cookie Icing
This icing dries hard and shiny and the colors stay bright.
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2-4 teaspoons milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Gel food coloring

In small bowl stir together sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If too thick, add more corn syrup. Divide into separate bowls if making more than one color. Add coloring and decorate cookies.

BLT Pasta Salad

Trying new salad recipes this summer. This is a good combination, but with the lettuce in the recipe, it is something that should be eaten at one setting (like a potluck or BBQ) so the lettuce does not wilt.

BLT PASTA SALAD
8 ounces pasta
1 bottle ranch salad dressing
1 and 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, seeds removed
1 cup cubed Swiss cheese
1/2 cup red onions, thinly sliced
1 pound bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
2 cups finely chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions but only to al dente. Run pasta under cold water and then drain. Toss with dressing to lightly coat and refrigerate until cold. In a large bowl toss the cold pasta with the tomatoes, Swiss cheese, onions, bacon and lettuce. Add enough dressing to generously coat everything and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken

I love a good summer rain!!

Perfect weather for grilling chicken on the barbecue! This was a great recipe.

LEMON BASIL BUTTERMILK GRILLED CHICKEN
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin (or butterflied)

Mix all ingredients except the oil and chicken in a large Ziploc bag. Add the chicken to the marinade, cover, and marinade refrigerated for 4-24 hours. Grill 10-12 minutes, until chicken is done.

Asian Wraps

A light and versatile meal for a hot day!

ASIAN CHICKEN WRAPS
1 large flour tortilla (can use spinach tortilla)
1/2 cup chopped lettuce (used iceberg, but mixed leafy greens would be good)
1/4 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1/8 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 tablespoons rice noodles (I could not find so used chow mien noodles)
2 tablespoons carrots (I chopped but shredded would be better)
2 tablespoons Brianna's Home Style Ginger Mandarin Dressing

Place lettuce, chicken, pineapple, green onions, almonds, carrots and noodles on a tortilla. Pour dressing on and roll up tortilla.

Kitty !

Croissant Melts

OH MY! We had these one night, and then had them for the next 2 nights. Easy to heat up one or two at a time so you could work with different dinner schedules. Just place tin foil on a cookie sheet for easy clean-up.

HAM, TURKEY AND BACON CROISSANT MELTS
Croissants
Black Forest deli ham, sliced thin
Deli turkey, sliced thin (spicy or pepper turkey is good)
Pre-cooked bacon slices
Pepper Jack cheese, sliced

Honey Mustard
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce, a few dashes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Stir together all ingredients. Refrigerate leftovers.

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Slice croissants in half. Spread honey mustard on each side. Top the bottom half of each croissant with a few slices of deli ham, deli turkey, two slices of bacon and a slice of cheese. Cover with tops and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and croissant is slightly toasted.

Banana Blueberry Bread

Though I'm a "traditional" banana bread gal, this was a nice change of pace.

BUTTERMILK BANANA BLUEBERRY BREAD
1 and 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat four mini loaf pans with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined. Beat in bananas. Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture at low speed, beating just until incorporated. Add blueberries and gently toss to combine. Scoop the batter into the loaf pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.

Hawaiian BBQ Sandwiches

This was an easy meal to make. Yummy. Probably will watch the broiler a little closer next time!

HAWAIIAN BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES
2-3 lbs boneless chicken breast
1-2 cups barbecue sauce
Hoagie buns
Pineapple slices
Provolone cheese

Put the chicken and BBQ sauce in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Shred meat with a fork. Toast buns. Place meat on buns. Top with pineapple and cheese. Broil until cheese melts.

Mom's 74th Birthday

I made a cake and brought it to mom's house to celebrate her 74th birthday.

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
1 box strawberry cake mix
1 pkg instant strawberry creme pudding mix
1 and 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips with a mixer until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.Pour into greased 10x15 baking pan or 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Cool completely. Frost with whipped cream. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Independence Day

PATRIOTIC LAYERED DRINK
Choose 2-3 drinks with different sugar content for the layers (for example: 30g sugar, 15g sugar, 0g sugar). Fill cup with ice all the way to the top. Pour the drink with the highest sugar contest into the cup, filling it approximately one third full. For the second layer, pour the second drink with the lower sugar contest slowly through the ice to fill up to 2/3rd of the glass. Finally, pour the sugar-free or lowest sugar drink slowly through the ice until you've reached the top of the glass. Suggested: Sobe Pina Colada, Gatorade Fruit Punch, G2 Blueberry-Pomegranate). We did not find those choices at the store so went with Big Red, Big Blue and Sobe Pina Colada. The blue and red worked great, but once we added the white - it kind of lost the layers (we were trying hard to not pick a sugar-free option).

Mom had everyone to her house at 4pm for dinner. We brought the cake pops that Cheyenne and I had made, plus we made a Red/White/Blue fruit salad. Finding the red (watermelon) and blue (blueberries) was easy. Finding a "white" melon was hard, but we picked up a Canary melon and it worked great.

John brought some rockets to play with after dinner - that entertained the group for quite awhile. Then we headed home and watched "Independence Day" with Will Smith - a great patriotic movie!!

Cake Pops

Cheyenne showed me a cake pop pan that Grandma had bought and then asked me when we were going to do something about it!! We decided we'd make dessert for Grandma's 4th of July party, so Cheyenne came over on July 3rd and we got to baking. For the cake pops we used a cake mix and then we dipped them in red, white and blue candy melts and then into sprinkles or colored sugar (or both). Cheyenne was a great baker!! Thanks for hanging out with Aunt Sam-alam-acam-afam-alam!

Mexican Chicken / Rice / Queso

This was delicious! Great flavor! Everyone loved it, but it had a kick. Well - it was because I was out of regular diced tomatoes...So for the chicken recipe I added Rotel instead. But only needed 1 cup, so for the Mexican rice, I blended the remaining can of Rotel to make "sauce". Audrey thought it was too spicy!! Though she was correct, it was still yummy.

GRILLED MEXICAN CHICKEN
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade or Mesquite Marinade
1 jar Mexican queso or homemade Nacho cheese dip (see recipe below)
2-3 cups Mexican rice (see recipe below)
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

Place chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the marinade and pour the rest into the bag, covering the chicken. Press all the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator (best if overnight). While chicken is marinating, prepare rice.

When chicken is finished marinating, remove from bag and discard marinade. Grill chicken, brushing on a little of the reserved marinade every few minutes, until done and internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Heat queso/nacho cheese sauce. Place each chicken breast on 1/2 cup rice, top with queso, tomatoes and cilantro.

RESTAURANT STYLE MEXICAN RICE
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 c. tomato sauce
14 oz can chicken broth
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to brown. Add the garlic, salt and cumin and stir until golden. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, and cilantro. Turn up to medium high and bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Serves 4.

NACHO CHEESE DIP
1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes (tomatoes and green chilies)

Slice the cheese into cubes and put in a large bowl. Pour in entire can of Rotel. Melt in microwave on high, stirring every 2-3 minutes until fully melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

Butterfinger Cookies

BUTTERFINGER COOKIES
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 and 1/4 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 qty - 2.1 oz Butterfinger candy bars, chopped (about 2 cups). You can chop with a chefs knife or place in ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin. Don't use a food processor as it makes the pieces too fine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg and mix. Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Then add Butterfingers and mix. Roll into 1" balls. Place on un-greased cookie sheet. The recipe did not call for it, but I 'scored' the tops like you would a peanut butter cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before moving to rack. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Pizza Salad

PIZZA SALAD
Rainbow spiral pasta
Olives, sliced
Marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
Green onions, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Celery, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Pepperoni slices, cut into 1/4

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Place under cool water to stop the pasta from cooking. Drain and put into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Add Italian Dressing (preferable Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian Dressing).

Maleficent

Audrey and I went with Kathy Cutler to see Disney's Maleficent at the Wandermere Theatre. What a great story line! Who knew Maleficent was a good person until she was betrayed and went seeking revenge. A great twist on the classic story. We all enjoyed it immensely. Afterward we headed to Applebee's for some lunch.

Pizza Casserole

PEPPERONI PIZZA CASSEROLE
12 ounces pasta
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cups (24 oz) pizza sauce or marinara sauce
1/2 cup sliced black olives
4 ounces pepperoni
8 ounces ricotta
2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 teaspoon oregano (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions, but stop 3 minutes early. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat, about 10 minutes. Add the sauce and 3/4's of the olives and pepperoni and set aside.

Mix the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan and set aside.

Place half of the pasta in the bottom of a large baking dish, top with half of the sauce, followed by half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer o each. Top with remaining olives, pepperoni and oregano.

Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese ahs melted and started to turn brown, about 10 minutes.

Artisan Bread Class

I signed up for another cooking class at The Kitchen Engine. This one was an Introduction to Yeast Breads. "Learn the basics about bread starters and the standard process of making great yeast breads. Test your new skills while kneading and shaping classic baguettes and dinner rolls." The class size was again limited to only 10 people so we could mix the dough, and then knead and shape our own bread. I was a little heavy-handed with the flour, so my bread ended up a little tough - definitely something I need to work on. Another thing was when I shaped my bread and rolls they seemed more defined than when they had time to rise, especially my poor little roll (pictured below). It was a very interesting class and I certainly learned a lot!

STANDARD BAGUETTE RECIPE
makes one 12oz baguette

Sponge:
6 oz (approximately 1.5 cups) Bread flour
4 oz (1/2 cup) lukewarm water
1 tsp Dry Instant Yeast

Final Dough
4 oz (approximately 1 cup) Bread Flour
2 tsp Kosher salt - don't use table salt, too concentrated

Procedure
Mix together yeast and water to bloom yeast. Add liquid to flour and combine. Let sponge set, covered, in a warm place for 1-12 hours. (The longer it sets, the better flavor you'll end up with). Then start to incorporate remaining flour and salt into the dough. Once all is incorporated, or you have reached desired texture, knead dough until the window-pane stage. (10 minutes or so.. pull of dough - look thru it). Once dough is relaxed and passes the window-pane test, let set in a warm area, in a clean, covered bowl, for an hour or until doubled in size. Remove the dough from bowl and shape into desired loaves. Place loaves on the pan you will be baking them on, lightly spray with pan spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to bench rest for an hour or until doubled (or use one of the alternative proofing techniques discussed in class). Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove cover, slash the bread according to classic style, or your own preference, and place in the oven. Spray heavily with water (spray bottle) to create steam and a moist surface on top of the bread. (Creates the crust - more water, thicker crust. Chewy crust, not much water). Let bake for 25-30 minutes.

Some of my notes from the class.

• Sugar = good. Salt = kills yeast. Why you put it at the end of the recipe.
• The Bread Bible - good book
• Check on yeast - when start bubbling - good

Enjoyable Saturday

Audrey and I went to the Valley Mall to see Dragon 2. It was a cute second edition to the series. Hiccup and Toothless chart un-mapped territories and discover a secret ice cave, home to the Dragon Rider. There was a sad part of the movie - why I need to bring tissues even to cartoons!

This weekend was the Stake Youth Conference and they had the youth go into "missions". On Friday they started by finding out about their area and eating food from that region or country. On Saturday they went on actual splits with the missionaries assigned to our area. And then in the evening, a family would feed them dinner. That's where we came in. We drove out to the stake center, brought the two young men to our home, fed them dinner, let them teach us a short lesson, and then we drove them back to the stake center for the remainder of their conference.  We served them spaghetti, veggies, olive cheese bread and blueberry parfaits.

OLIVE CHEESE BREAD
1 loaf French bread
6 ounces Pimiento-stuffed green olives
6 ounces black olives
2 stalks green onions
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces. Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning. Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip with crackers.

Note: This was tasty. Made a lot! I would half the recipe. Plus, the French bread was really hard to cut once it was cooked (crunchy), plus cutting around the hot cheese. So perhaps putting this on sliced French bread rolls on a cookie sheet would be an easier way to bake and serve.

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE JARS
serves 6
For the graham cracker crust layer:
1 heaping cup of graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine all ingredients and "tamp" about 3 tablespoons into each jar or cup.
For the cheesecake layer:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
Place all of the cheesecake ingredients in the bowl and with a hand mixer, whip until smooth and fluffy. Divide evenly among the 6 containers, placing on top of the graham cracker crust layer.
For the blueberry layer:
1 (20oz) can blueberry pie filling
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Mix fruit filling with extract and divide evenly among the 6 containers.

Nap with Winnie the Pooh

Disneyland Loaded Baked Potato Soup

DISNEYLAND LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP
1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 cup diced celery
4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups heavy whipping cream
Garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.

In a 6-8 quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels (reserve half for garnish). In the bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Add stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust thickness by adding additional stock. Soup should be creamy. Serve with toppings.

Later today Audrey and I went to the Millwood Farmer's Market and picked up some jam and scones, from the Scone Ranger. Mine is pictured above - an Almond Joy chocolate scone. The scones are "soft" rather than dry like many scones are.

Cooking Class: Macaron

The French macaron is a sweet meringue-based confection filled with ganache, buttercream or jam and is between two cookies. I've wanted to try making these for awhile, so when I saw that they were having a French Macaron class at the Kitchen Engine - I signed up. Really enjoyed the hands-on class taught by Amy Juran. The class tops out at 10 people so that we could actually make macarons from start to finish (mixing the batter, shaping the cookies). Because there is a period where the macarons set before baking, Amy did have some made up so we could continue to the step of putting the fillings in. She had Italian buttercream, chocolate ganache, assorted jams and a jalapeno/cream cheese filling paired with apricot jelly. Though I enjoyed the various sweet fillings, it was a fun change to have the savory (Jalapeno/cream cheese) with the apricot jelly and the sweet cookie.

MACARONS
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar

Step 1: Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. **Add coloring here if only doing one batch** Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. **Put into another bowl - add color then flour mixture if doing more than 1 color/batch**. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. **I read that you can run granulated sugar through your food processor a few times to make superfine sugar.** A note about coloring - use gel type coloring like you get in the decorating section of the craft store. Also, if you are wanting a super bright result, use "Electric" colors. One of the demo colors was lilac, but it turned out looking like a milk chocolate on the outside (until you took a bite). It was decided that using more true colors (like purple instead of lilac) would get sharper results.

Step 3: Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip (Wilton #12) and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour (until skin forms on the surface of cookies). Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.

Step 4: Let macarons cool completely before removing from sheets.

Step 5: Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Filling ideas:

• Classic icing
• Italian butter cream icing - meringue, sugar, infuse with flavored emulsion (not extract) such as lemon or raspberry
• Chocolate ganache - equal parts dark chocolate morsels and heavy cream
• Fruit jams
• Nutella
• Peanut Butter
• Lemon curd
• Cream cheese with flavors added (like raspberries)
• Jalapeno Cream cheese (from dairy section) with a teaspoon of apricot jelly
• Artichoke spinach dip
• Salmon spread

Father's Day Celebrations

For Father's Day we celebrated all weekend! Saturday we went downtown to the AMC theaters to see Edge of Tomorrow. It starred Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise. Cruise played a military officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is dropped into an alien war. Killed within minutes, he finds himself in a time loop, forcing him to live out the same combat over and over. With each battle he increases his skill and begins to work alongside the Emily Blunt, a Special Forces warrior. The movie had lots of action, suspense and even some funny moments.

Afterward we headed back to where we parked, but stopped to check out the recently renovated Huntington Park. The park features viewpoints where you can see the lower Spokane Falls below the new City Hall Plaza. Signs tell you about the hydroelectric history of the region.

Next up was lunch (or breakfast) at Old European restaurant. Audrey got the crepes filled with sweet cream, I got potato pancakes served with applesauce and John ordered a club sandwich.

Because John had meetings on Sunday, we decided to do the present opening on Saturday. Sidney Kitty even decided to help. John got 2 new dress shirts and a couple of blu-rays, including the Oceans Trilogy. The bag labeled "Dad's secret stache" was full of candy bars that Audrey had bought for John.

Sunday: John asked me to make Chicken Enchiladas for dinner. This is an oldie-but-goodie recipe that I had not made in awhile. Then the Cleaver's had us over for homemade ice cream that evening. Alyx made a cinnamon crunch ice cream (with rice krispies) and a raspberry sorbet. *I'll update the post if I get the recipes from her :)

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
Grated cheddar cheese
2 cans (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 onion, chopped
1 can (7 oz) diced green chilies
1 pkg flour tortillas
1 can olives, sliced

Brown chicken, onions and chilies in a pan. Add soup, sour cream and cheese to mixture. In a greased 9x13 pan fill flour tortillas with sop/chicken mixture. Roll and fill entire pan, with seam down. Pour remaining soup/chicken mixture over top. Cover with cheese. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until well heated.

Scout Event Here

John oversees the scouts ages 14-15 in our ward. There is a mandatory cooking badge now required to get your Eagle Scout, so one of the scouts made dinner for the troop as part of this merit badge. They came over to our house. Hudson Simmons made Tin Foil Packets. Potatoes O'Brien, frozen carrots, frozen corn, diced white onions, butter and a little Montreal Steak seasoning.

We made some rhubarb punch. Does not look good, but it is delicious. In fact, the boys were clamoring for more and there was no more to even mix up... there is a little prep work involved. Our favorite activity when we serve this punch is to make those drinking guess what the ingredients are. No one ever guesses rhubarb, so even those rhubarb haters should like this punch.

RHUBARB PUNCH
3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup apple juice
1 can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 liters lemon-lime soda

In a saucepan, combine rhubarb, water and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Cool for about 30 minutes. In a food processor or blender, puree mixture, half at a time. Stir in apple juice and lemonade. Pour into a freezer container, cover and freeze until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes before serving. For individual servings, scoop 1/3 cup into a glass and fill with soda. To serve a group, place all of mixture in a large pitcher or punch bowl; add soda and stir well. Serve immediately. Yield: about 10 servings.

Chicken Penne Alfredo

CHICKEN PENNE ALFREDO
1 and 1/2 cup dry penne pasta
2 cups baby carrots
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups chopped, fully-cooked chicken
8 ounce chive or garden vegetable flavored cream cheese spread
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large pot, cook pasta and carrots in salted water according to pasta package directions. When 6 minutes of pasta cooking time remain, add broccoli florets to the pot. Drain pasta and vegetables; return to the pot.

While the pasta and vegetables cook, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through.

Stir cream cheese, milk, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and cooked chicken into the pasta mixture. Stir over low heat until the cream cheese is melted. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Crispy Onion Chicken

Another new recipe that is a keeper!

CRISPY ONION CHICKEN
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup honey mustard
2 cups French's French Fried Onions, crushed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dip each chicken breast in honey mustard then coat in crushed french fried onions. Place in a baking dish line with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until cooked through.

Orchard Prairie Cemetery

While mom and Audrey did their annual Memorial Day cemetery tour, John and I went to Orchard Prairie cemetery to visit my dad's grave. John felt so bad because when he was taking the arrangement out of the container, it broke in half!!

Bet my dad was laughing : )

So instead of a circular wreath, we improvised:

Dee Rescues Me

So even before I quit my job, I was planning to visit my friend Dee and had already scheduled Friday as a day off. Audrey and I drove to Dee's house on Friday morning. She lives in Selah, about 220 miles from our home. It was wonderful to have a place to retreat to and just chill for a few days.

Friday: We arrived a little after lunch time and got the tour of Dee's house and their gorgeous property. After visiting for awhile and having a bite to eat, we headed to downtown Yakima. Patina, a recycled clothing boutique owned by her friend, was a fun place to explore. Found a cute blouse there. We went to the shopping mall for awhile and then stopped at Papa Murphy's for pizza. We had never had the Chicken Garlic, something Dee's family orders all the time. That was yummy! After dinner Dee made some Pineapple upside down cupcakes (recipe below). And later that evening we watched a meteor shower from her deck. (I looked it up and found it was the Camelopardalids meteor shower associated with Comet 209P/Linear.) Amazing what you can see when you don't have the city lights to distract! We did not stay out all night as the evening got cool. Dee's daughter was sweet and had given up her room for the weekend - thank you!!

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CUPCAKES
20 oz can pineapple chunks (or slices), drained, juice reserved
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
Maraschino cherries, cut in half

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 regular-size muffin cups with non-stick spray. In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, eggs and reserved pineapple juice with mixer on medium for 2 minutes.
In small bowl, stir together melted butter and brown sugar. Spoon 1.5 teaspoons butter mixture into each muffin cup. Top with pineapple pieces. Place cherry half, cut side up, in center of pineapple pieces. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Bake 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cupcakes to loosen; invert onto cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Saturday: We woke up and Dee made homemade donuts for breakfast! They were delicious!!

BAKED CAKE DOUGHNUTS
2 cups cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 TB butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray doughnut pan with non-stick spray. In large mixing bowl, sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs and butter. Beat until just combined. Fill each doughnut cup approximately 2/3 full. Bake 7-9 minutes or until the top of the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 4-5 minutes before removing. Finish doughnuts with chocolate glaze or cinnamon sugar, or confectioners' sugar. Doughnuts are best served fresh. Makes 12 doughnuts.

We headed to Selah, but first stopped at the Wenas Cemetery. The cemetery was incorporated in 1880 and is the second oldest incorporated cemetery in Yakima County. It is approximately 7 acres.

We then went to Buhrmaster Bakery, a local bakery where everything is baked fresh daily. I bought some cinnamon pecan bread to take home, but went next door to the Red Apple grocery store to buy milk to go with the bakery items we had to try immediately. Went to The Vintage Shop, an antique store. That was fun! And we also spent much of our morning on my souvenir spoon hunt... seriously a lot of time. We went to store A, asked if they carried, they did not but told us maybe store B carried. So we'd go to store B only to find out they did not carry them either. That went on for quite some time!

We checked out Wenas Lake for awhile. This was just up the road from Dee's house.

Regrouped at Dee's house and then headed back into town and went to King's Row. Audrey and I shared a Garbage Burger (beef patty, ham, bacon, cheese). It was enough for us to share! Audrey also enjoyed that you could order ANY flavor of pop since they would mix them to order. So you could have a raspberry coke or a vanilla orange soda or a pineapple root beer. The combos were whatever you could dream up.

We headed to Yakima for more spoon hunting. Finally found a spoon at Walgreens. Then we went to a super cool bookstore called Inklings. They carried lots of other items besides books, so we spent quite awhile exploring this shop. Afterward we went to Glenwood Square, a refurbished fruit warehouse that was built in 1910. Still had the brick walls, hardwood floors and rough timber beams throughout. The warehouse had restaurants, offices, shops and some cool fish tanks!

Unfortunately it was time for us to head home. We made one more stop (Fred Meyer to pick up road snacks and fuel the car) and we said our goodbyes. Dee - thank you so much for a wonderful visit!!

End of Era

I quit my job at Safeway after 27 years. Below are flowers that Kevin Hallenius (Colville) sent to me (via Kevin Whittle at the Argonne store). What an emotional time.... hard to leave the people that are like family to me. I will miss my friends and co-workers! For my sanity I had to quit. My new supervisor made the last month unbearable and it felt like there was a target on my back.

I got a lot of sweet phone calls and emails and personal visits when I announced that I was leaving. Below is one I got from my retired store manager.

Hi Sam,  In the movie Mary Poppins the children asked how long she will stay with them and she agrees to stay "Until the wind changes." The wind is now changing and you are preparing to leave. Thank you for your help, understanding, guidance, friendship, listening to us and giving us a spoonful of sugar just when we needed it! Mary Poppins would be so proud of you!! You've been such a good Nanny to all of us, we're so sad to see you leave..but we've become better children/people/managers because of your tutelage. I have just one concern, what will Bert..er, Brian..do? Again, thank you for all your patience with me over the years, knowing you're not at the district office makes me a little sad! Your work is done here. 

A quote from Bert in Mary Poppins: "Winds in the east, mist coming in./ Like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin. / Can't put me finger on what lies in store, / But I fear what's to happen all happened before."

For all of us the wind will eventually change, our work will be done and we move on. It should not be sad, we just open our umbrella, catch the wind and move on to other places to begin another chapter! Here's to happiness on wherever the wind sets you down. Always, Rick.

Wicked

Since we enjoyed ourselves so much the last time we saw Wicked, we had to buy tickets when we heard they were coming back to Spokane. I contacted the box office on 12/2/2013 and was able to purchase seats in row A - yes, row A!  Our seats were 27/28 which were as close to the center as was available. I loved sitting in the first row behind the orchestra pit since there was no one's head in our way - plus we could see them sweat!! Definitely worth the splurge!

We went early so we had time for dinner at The Onion. Audrey enjoyed her buffalo burger and I enjoyed a chicken salad sandwich. We walked over to the INB Performing Arts Center, (I will always call this the Opera House....), and checked out the souvenirs before heading to our front row seats....sorry, could not resist saying that again!!

Audrey said these performers were the best she has seen, second only to the original production cast. Kara Lindsay played Glinda and Laurel Harris was Elphaba. It was just as magical as the first time we went. We are fans of the "Popular" song and of course "Defying Gravity". Great cast - great performance!!

Mother's Day 2014

After such a fun day yesterday, I was not needing anymore pampering. But Audrey and John took care of me anyway!  Crepes, cantaloupe and green smoothies for breakfast and then chicken, crab salad and jello for lunch. Audrey bought me two culinary mysteries (Beef Stolen-Off and Murder for the Halibut), Sidney got me "Ever After" on blu-ray and John got me the "Modern Family" series on blu-ray. What a lovely day. I love my family!!

Mother's Day Saturday

Today we went to the Browne's Addition neighborhood for the annual MAC (Museum of Arts and Culture) Mother's Day tour. Each year they choose a different neighborhood to highlight and provide the historical details of the homes. We don't go every year, but when we do go - it is a treat!

This year's tour featured six homes in Browne's Addition. Established in 1883, Browne's Addition was Spokane's first neighborhood and considered one of the oldest in Washington. For decades this neighborhood was the home of the city's elite residents. The tour included a wide array of architectural styles:

• The Campbell House (2316 W. 1st) was built in 1898 for Amasa B. Campbell, who made his fortune from the mining industry in Idaho. The home was designed by Kirtland Cutter and features elements of the Tudor architectural style including its steeply-pitched roof, wood shingles, decorative bargeboards on the gable ends, half-timbering, and diamond-paned windows. 
• The Reid House (2315 W. 1st) was built in 1899 and designed by architect Albert Held for Charles Hoffman, a real estate and mining broker. Reid House is a Craftsman Bungalow with elements of Tudor Revival. Notable features include a clinker brink living room fireplace and inglenook, a wraparound front porch, a butler's pantry and a second floor sleeping porch.  
• The Page-Ufford House (364 S. CDA Street) was constructed in 1896 for Alba and Flora Page. Page was a wealthy financier who specialized in loans, investments and mineral properties. The home features Queen Anne style including bay windows, wraparound porch, steep-pitched roof, and a turret. It was one of the earliest homes constructed in Browne's Addition.
• Westgate Apartments (2306 W. Pacific Avenue) were constructed in 1908 for the Kaminsky family and it a three-story multi-family building with six Pullman-style flats. The Pullman style is names after sleeping car trains designed by the Pullman Company in the early 1900s. The space is a long and narrow, and commonly seen in Chicago and other Midwestern cities. Built in the Spanish Colonial architectural style, the Westgate features small arches on the second floor frontal facade to each side of the large central arch above the entrance.. 
• Clark Mansion (2208 W. 2nd) was designed by Kirtland Cutter in 1898 for Patsy Clark, an Irish immigrant who made his fortune in the mining industry. The exterior of the 3 and 1/2 story home suggests Spanish and Moorish influences, including rounded corner towers and arched loggias. A few of the rooms include a French drawing room, a foyer with Moorish style influences, a dining room constructed in an English Medieval theme, and a Chinese-inspired gambling room. The home housed the Patsy Clark Restaurant from 1982-2001. Today the mansion house a law firm, but the main level is available for private events. 
• The Loewenberg- Roberts House (1923 W. 1st) was designed in 1889 by architect W.J. Carpenter for Bernard Loewenberg, owner of Loewenberg Mercantile. The stock market crash of 1893 bankrupted Loewenberg and by 1898 he agreed to trade houses with Empire Builder E.J. Roberts, the chief engineer of the DC Corbin Railway Systems and founder of Union Iron Works. The home is an example of the Queen Anne design with features such as decorative spindle work, square-cut granite foundation, a second floor gallery extending out to create a porch, and a round turret. The home is now a bed and breakfast. 

Afterward we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown for lunch. I ordered the baked lasagna, John got a Roy Rogers and pasta with meat sauce while Audrey got an Italian soda and pasta with marinara sauce. We love the spumoni that comes with the end of the meal!  What a wonderful day before Mother's Day!!