New Cooking Challenge

When I got married in the 70s, pressure cooking was kind of a big thing.  In fact, I seem to remember that I had a stove top pressure cooker, but rarely used it because I was always nervous about it exploding.     

When Tiffany was here, she decided that for her birthday she wanted one of the Instant Pots (a combination slow and pressure cooker).   As I was looking at it, I decided I wanted to try cooking with it, too, as I've kind of gotten in a rut with my meal planning and cooking.   In fact, the rut I've gotten into is not cooking hardly at all.  

I'm still a little nervous, but these new electric pressure cookers are supposedly fool proof (we'll see).  

Anyway, I'm going to try out different recipes and report on my adventures.  That way I feel more of a commitment to use it, and try different things.  

Wish me luck!

Throwback Thursday -- 1952

Gary with Charlene

We were at a

very cold BYU-UTAH baseball game last night.  It lasted for 4 1/2 hours.  BYU won.

Gary wanted

Me to take a picture of this.  He's become quite the vegetable gourmet when he prepares a Nutrisystem meal.

"Nutrisystem at its finest.  Who says you have to go hungry?"

When we

visited Geniel, she showed us a book she had made for her 2 grandchildren who live in Oregon and never see any extended family.  She wrote it so well.  Here are some of the pages.

 

Centered

New Family Pics

taken in December --  with Mt. Timpanogos in the background.  (Thanks Matt!)

I was reading a blog on

lds.org.  

Parts of it resonated with me.    

I tend to get overwhelmed by problems, mine or others.  It is a helpless feeling to watch others suffer, and I wonder how they stay strong and keep going.  I become "self-absorbed" in my own inadequacies and often want to retreat and become aloof -- that way I don't have to deal with it. 

This quote inspires me.  It is a good reminder that whether what you do makes a difference or not, it is not wasted.  We just need to love. 

"We’re so blessed to know that we’re here for a purpose. We didn’t come here to learn how to love ourselves. That we already know how to do. Whether I’m self-loving or self-loathing (it’s the opposite ends of the same stick, which is self-absorption), we really came here to learn how to love others. And nothing needs to ever be wasted. Everything is for our experience."

Have you noticed the

price of vanilla lately?  I have.

A 16 oz bottle of vanilla that I used to buy for about 8 dollars is now selling for 24.  I have to admit that in the past I have been very loose with my vanilla use.  I would not measure, but rather just kind of pour it in my batters.  Now, I measure very carefully, not wanting to use a splash more than I have to.

At Christmas, Eileen and Sharilyn gave me these cute bottles of homemade vanilla.

I was inspired.  

The recipe is to put vanilla beans in liquor (I bought vodka) and let it sit for a couple of months.   It's that easy.  I had Trent help me put it together (with Misty looking on in amazement).




You slice the beans open and cut into smaller pieces (I ordered 20 extract grade B Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans for $29 and they came from France in 4 days).  I bought Vodka in St. George, where I could do it without someone I know seeing me. (Of course, now I've kind of let the vodka out of the bag)

Now I just need to shake it up once or twice a week for a couple of months.  It already looks like this.

While in St. George

I did something I've never done before.

  

I went to a liquor store.  

Charlene was sooooooo excited and was trying to sneak a picture.

So, I decided to come clean and show the photos myself.

My only excuse is that Eileen convinced me 

I should do it

and it will save me a lot of money. 

to be continued. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Resiliency

I've been thinking about that a lot.  I want to practice it in my life more.

Tiffany

Left last night and Misty leaves at 6 am tomorrow.  It is always hard to see them go. But it always amazes me how, when we're together, it seems so natural and like we've never been apart. 

So grateful

For family . . .

One season of

Poldark down, one to go.