Asian Meatballs

Tried a new recipe tonight. Had fun preparing since all of us were in the kitchen helping.

ASIAN MEATBALLS

Meatballs:
2 pounds ground pork or beef
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Garnish: toasted sesame seeds (cook in a dry pan on stove until golden)

Asian Sauce:
2/3 cup Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TB soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together meatball ingredients and shape into balls. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake 12 minutes or until cooked through.

Sauce: Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients.The original recipe goes on to say "just dip your meatball into the sauce with a toothpick and sprinkle with sesame seeds". However, we thought it needed to be heated up, so we heated on the stove and then put the meatballs into the sauce to cover. Served over rice and then sprinkled on the sesame seeds. You could also add additional fresh green onions.

Num Num Mix

OK, this was highly addicting!

NUM NUM MIX
1 and 1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1 & 1/2 cup sugar
3 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (that's why it is so tasty!)
1/2 box of corn Chex
1/2 box of rice Chex
Cooking spray (for your hands)

Combine the Chex cereal into a large bowl and set aside. Also, prep 2-3 cookie sheets by covering with parchment paper and set aside.

Put syrup, sugar and butter into a large saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Once the mixture melts and the sugar dissolves, heat until boiling. Stir constantly and allow to boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Carefully pour the syrup over the Chex cereal. With a rubber spatula begin to gently combine the cereal and syrup. Stir until covered evenly.

Dump the mixture equally between the 2-3 cookie sheets. Spray your hands with cooking spray. Separate the cereal pieces from each other and spread out onto the sheets. Wash your hands. And over the next 30 minutes to an hour, keep turning the cereal over and separating every 15 minutes or so. Continue to keep it moving while it cools.

Church and My Boss

Earlier this year my boss Brian shared with me his goals for 2013 as the Diversity chairman for our Safeway Division. He wanted to attend 4 different church services. Because he knows a Mormon, he started with the LDS church and asked if he could attend with me. "Sure!"  So we picked January 27th. He met me at my house and agreed to do the "full-meal-deal", meaning all 3 hours of church. I had forgotten that the choir was performing, so we had to go a little earlier to practice. He was cool with that. I also played the organ that Sunday, so my friend Jessie sat with him during Sacrament meeting. Brian knows Jessie from the Spokane Fair as Safeway is one of the day sponsors, so we've worked with her for many years. We went to the Gospel Essentials class for Sunday School and then John went with him for the Priesthood meeting. Afterward, so he would not have to stay another hour for choir practice, Jessie took him home.

Below are a few comments:  Monday morning the first thing he told me when I got to work was "I thoroughly enjoyed myself yesterday. What a friendly group of people."

Then he sent me an email later in the week - "At some point in time we can probably talk further about it. Interested in asking you a few questions about Family Home Evening on Monday evenings. I was reading Jessie's program when she was up in the choir. Just a couple other observations. I really did enjoy Sunday. I had a very good time Sunday afternoon. In fact if I can't pull off the 4th church service this year I'll probably maybe hit you guys twice."

A few weeks in January

On the 15th (a Tuesday), Audrey and I went out to Cheney to have lunch with John and to see where he works. We ended up not finding a parking spot and called him to meet us on the street. So today we did not see "where" he worked exactly, but saw the outside of the Showalter building : )   We went to downtown Cheney and ate at the Willow Spring Station. Not sure if the owners are the same, but I remember eating here when I was in high school (1982-85) during an all-day music festival. I had the Reuben, Audrey had a Belgian waffle and John ordered something called the Hook-Up - a hot ham, turkey, Swiss and pineapple sandwich. (The restaurant has a train theme). I had taken today off as a vacation day and it was a fun way to spend the day!

On the 19th & 20th we had our Stake Conference. My favorite talk was from the Mission President's wife, Melonie Mullen. She spoke about when she did not always love to go to the temple (thought a duty). It was nice to hear how she came to love to go to the temple. Enjoyed hearing from Brother Ely (shared a bridge story) and Brother Halverson (shared 1960 New Zealand mission story). They announced a new building that would be constructed at Barker & 11th. The purchase was finalized but no construction date planned yet, but they reflected on the fact that the stake was formed in 2001 and look how much growth has happened since that time.

Later in the week Audrey and I went shopping. Found this fun sign!

And finally, on the 24th we had root beer floats and milkshakes in honor of Grandpa Gramlow (for Audrey) and my dad (for me). He passed away on 1/24/2008. One thing we remember him for was his awesome shakes and treats. Homemade eggnog when I was growing up comes to mind.

Hasselback Potatoes

John had watched some cooking show and started making these without a recipe, just from what he remembered from the show. I think I got the ingredients correct below (as there were a few versions of Hasselback potato recipes on the web).

HASSELBACK POTATOES
4 baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Sald and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely grated cheese (Romano, Parmesan)
1 tablespoon seasoned dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes, leaving skin on. Using a sharp knife, make slices across the potato about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart and make sure to not slice through. Leave about 1/8 to 1/4 inch at the base. Place potatoes cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with half of butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining butter. Sprinkle the cheese and bread crumbs onto the tops of the potatoes. Return to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Olive Garden Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

This was a tasty soup on a winter day.

OLIVE GARDEN CHICKEN AND POTATO FLORENTINE SOUP
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I just cubed and did not shred)
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
3 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
1 TB plus 2 tsp dried minced onion, divided (I used fresh)
2 tsp paprika, divided
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
4 medium carrots, finely diced
6 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced
2 c. water
15 oz can white beans, drained
3-4 c. fresh spinach, chopped
8 oz package cream cheese
1&1/2 to 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated

Add chicken breasts, chicken broth, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and water to a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until chicken is cooked through (160 degrees on thermometer) and the veggies are tender. Remove chicken breasts, shred and add back to the pot. Add the beans and heat on low for 30 minutes. Add the fresh chopped spinach and cook for 5 more minutes. If soup is too thick, add extra water. Taste and add the remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons minced onion and 1 teaspoon paprika, if needed. Stir in cream cheese until completely combined. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with grated Mozzarella.

New Years Family Brunch

We got a lovely invitation to have a New Years Day brunch at the Clifford's home. They invited members from our ward and set it up in an open house style. Visiting with friends on a brisk January morning was enjoyable. And of course it was fun to try out all the goodies she had prepared. She is an awesome cook and baker. Susan served all homemade baked goods - bagels, muffins, cinnamon rolls - and had sausages, bacon, hot cocoa and orange juice. It was a wonderful way to start out 2013!