What do you do?

This is the question I get asked most often. It is a tricky question to answer because I have very strong feelings about what I do, and not a lot of people understand those feelings. Well, today I am going to try to explain. I don't mean to offend anyone by this post. If you read something you don't like or don't agree with, you don't have to keep reading. We can agree to disagree.

We just celebrated our third anniversary. I can't believe it has already been three years! It is crazy that time has gone by so fast, but that it has been SO good. We decided before we got married that I wasn't going to work because we wanted to have kids right away. It was perfect timing because my internship for school was just ending, and I didn't feel bad not staying.

Then we were married and months passed without me getting pregnant. It became obvious that I wasn't working and wasn't having children and people demanded an explanation. (At least that is what it felt like. I felt like they thought that if I didn't have children, my place was no longer in the home, but in the workforce, providing extra income for our family.)

I started feeling really guilty that I didn't have children and wasn't working outside of our home. I didn't know what to do. Getting a job at that point made me feel like I was giving up on the idea of having kids. That thought was unbearable so instead of looking for jobs or trying to explain how I felt when people asked, I just brushed it off with a joke. I was blessed to have a husband that wanted to provide financially for our family and wanted me to do what made me happy.

I struggled a lot the first couple of years of our marriage - not knowing what I was supposed to be doing. I mean, I KNEW I was supposed to be a mom, but it obviously wasn't time for that. So what did I do with all this extra time that I wanted to fill with changing diapers, reading stories, caring for and teaching my kids until they got here? I cooked and cleaned and read and prayed and fulfilled my callings and read my scriptures and would get so discouraged when I would start and knew there would be another month of waiting before the nine months of pregnancy. I can't count the number of times I cried to my husband (and Heavenly Father) feeling like my life was being wasted because I knew I would do the most good as a mother. What was I meant to do as I waited? How should I fill the hours of the day in the meantime?

Some days were easier than others and I wouldn't worry as much, but there were some days that I was so confused! I didn't want to work outside of our home. I hated working. It always seemed like such a waste of time. I loved being at home - cooking and cleaning, but I didn't think it would be enough as I waited to become a mom. I felt like

So I researched. I tried to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. I certainly didn't want to waste my time, and I wanted to show my Heavenly Father that I was dedicated to being patient until He sent me kids. I wanted Him to know that I wasn't going to sit around waiting for that to happen.

I decided I would spend my time doing things that I felt would make me a better mother. I wanted to have in place all of those habits I wanted to have as a mom - those things I wanted to teach my children. During that process, I also had to rearrange my definition of a homemaker because I had it all wrong. Moms don't make homemakers. Homemakers are women who know that they are daughters of God with endless potential. She is given the responsibility of making her home feel like a temple: a place where the Spirit of God can dwell, a place of learning, a place of love, a refuge from the noise and uncleanliness of the world. She is charged with nurturing her family - knowing the physical and spiritual needs of her family and making sure they are met. She is meant to display Christ-like attributes and work towards being with Him again someday. She is to be an example of service and love in her community. She is supposed to continue learning and becoming better.

I read an article about how having a stay-at-home mom is a luxury for the working dad. I'd never thought about that before. I find that to be true without kids. After a long day teaching teenagers about history, my husband gets to come to a clean, peaceful home. He gets to spend time with someone who can sit and listen to the details of his day and offer sympathy for the difficult parts.  He gets to share funny stories and do any additional work he needs to to be ready for school without worrying about cleaning the house or doing laundry or making dinner. We get to spend the weekends together without having to get lists of chores done. It is a perfect system.

I read another article the other day about what moms were meant to do when all their kids were in school. It made me think about my situation and the similarities. I have hours to fill without children to care for. The author felt like she had to have a long list to make her feel like she was doing enough during the day. Homemakers are not meant to fill every waking minute with accomplishing something. I've often felt like that - that I need to have a list five miles long each week of accomplishments. It's hard to quantify the time spent building a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father or learning in the scriptures or pondering stories or people in the scriptures. Feeling prompted to contact a friend or a family member rarely makes the list, but these are the things that keep my home peaceful. These are the things that increase my testimony, patience, understanding, and love. These are the things that I want my kids to know me for so these are the things I want to fill my time doing.

So now I have a list of things that I need to work on to be better prepared to be a mother and things I can do to be a better homemaker. It is a long list and it takes me out of my comfort zone more often than I would like, but I know the things I am working on are worth-while. I know that someday when I am blessed with kids, I won't have to worry about changing so I can be the mom they deserve.

And at the end of the day, I no longer feel guilty about telling people that I am a homemaker because it is the most important thing a woman can do.

It's like riding a bike...

I am hopeful that is true. I haven't blogged in a while, but I would like to think that it will come back to me. I still have things to say. Since it has been so long, I thought I would give you an update on how life is going.

When I was a teenager, I made a list of qualities I wanted in my future husband. None of those 1,638 qualities included what career I wanted my husband to pursue. I just wanted him wanted him to enjoy what he did. I wanted him to feel like he was making a difference. I wanted him to be happy. I also wanted him to want to provide for his family so I could fulfill my role as a homemaker.

I was very blessed with a husband who took his role as a provider seriously. When Joe was writing full-time, I knew it wasn't his favorite thing to do. It wasn't making him happy. He didn't feel like he was making a difference in the way he could. So we moved away from our families and friends, and he started teaching. Teaching makes him happy. He's getting the chance to make a difference.

I miss having him around all day, but it makes me appreciate the time we get together even more. I was spoiled the first two and a half years of marriage. I got to hang out with my best friend all day. Anytime I had something to tell him, I just told him. I didn't have to worry about schedules or interfering with his work. Life was great, but it always made me a little sad that he wasn't finding joy in his work. It makes me very grateful that he was willing to keep doing that to provide for our family until he got his dream job.

Now that he has that dream job, our home is different. (Other than the fact that it is just me at home most days.) He adds to the peace and happiness level when he comes home every day. I didn't even know that was missing before.

I love almost everything about Arizona. I did not love the heat in the middle of the summer. It is very hot. I am hopeful that my body gets used to it so I don't sweat every time I step outside next summer. I also do not love how fast produce dies. I was used to buying things for a couple of weeks, but now it only lasts a couple of days.

I love how beautiful it is here. I love palm trees and cacti. I point out almost every tree and plant and tell Joe that I want them in our yard when we buy a house here. I am seriously going to have to pay someone to design my yard or it could end up looking like a nursery threw up on my lawn. I also love the temperature now! It's perfect. Plus it rains. Like proper rain. We used to joke that when we lived in Provo, it would rain for a couple of minutes and be done. Now when it rains it floods everything. The lightening storms and dust storms are pretty incredible.

Have I mentioned they have a professional baseball team here? Did I also mention that because they have a stadium here, the Cardinals get to play here? The stadium has a roof and is air-conditioned so we don't have to melt into puddles in our seats. We lucked out this year. The Cardinals didn't play in Phoenix until we moved here. Next year, it is earlier in the season. Either way, we are happy to get to see them live and cheer until our voices go away. It's pretty special.

We live 15 minutes away from the Mesa and Gilbert temples. We've only been to Gilbert so far. It is so beautiful. The doors are incredible - I will have to post pictures someday soon. They are my favorite. I went to the groundbreaking when I lived here before so it is incredible to see how much different the area is now.

I think that catches up most things. Life is good in the Zona. I left out is how I spend my days, and I did that on purpose. I have another post in mind. That is for another day. Soon.

I didn't forget.

It's been months since I've been here. Have you missed me? I decided to take a break for a while. Did you notice? I've been busy and so many things are changing that I had to reevaluate what I was doing with my time.

One of those changes: I am moving! Remember this blog post? That was your hint that it was a possibility. It just took a long time to make sure we were really going to Arizona! 

That isn't the only reason I stopped blogging. I am trying to decide what to do with my blog. I don't want to blog just to blog. I want to it to have purpose and either be something that I want to have a record of or something that will make a difference. It takes to much time if it isn't meaningful. 

I am not sure when I will be back. I have some things I want to do first. I'll be back when it is time. Don't worry. 

If you start to miss me, feel free to read old posts. 

Friday 5: Five of My Favorite Free Apps

I think we all have them: apps that we rely on for entertainment, news, or whatever else. Today I want to share 5 of my favorite. 

1. Words with Friends - I think I've mentioned this a couple of times before, but one of my favorite games is Scrabble and to be able to play a game like this with family and friends spread across the country makes me smile. If you feel like it is getting a little too easy, add some of your own twists. Use only words that are associated with food or sports. Play vertical words only. It makes it a bit trickier. Plus it is a fun way to get to interact with people who live too far away to get lunch or play games. So until we all live in the same town, this is the next best thing!

2. Mormon Channel - Music, uplifting videos and articles about becoming like the Savior, videos to help children and youth learn the scriptures. I still love and use the LDS Library app and use it all the time, but this is a nice alternative if you just have some time to kill and want to feel the Spirit. We had a challenge in FHE a couple of months ago to take 30 minutes of watching TV time and watch the bible videos and Mormon Messages from this app instead. Give it a try. Let me know what you think.

3. Zite - This app was just purchased by the company who owns Flipboard, so I am not sure how the changes will affect this app. For now, I love Zite. You get to pick categories in the news that you want to read about. For example, some of my favorites are food & cooking, vegetarian (great for meatless meals and vegetable side dishes), frugal living (they tell you about coupons and deals), and iPhone apps (tells you when apps go free and what great new apps are out there). It also keeps you updated with world news and whatever else you want to read about. I am usually reading in this app more than any other every day.

4. Dictionary - I look up words all of the time. I like to look at the origins of words as I read the scriptures and look up words I don't know. Plus it gives you a word of the day and gives you access to a thesaurus in case you write a blog a want to use superior phraseology. (You get to be my hero if that sentence made you think of Friends when Joey wrote the letter to the adoption service Monica & Chandler were using. Bless your aortic pumps.)

5. Glow - I am going to end with my new favorite. This is an app designed to help people who are either trying to conceive or are pregnant. Before you ask, you would already know if I was pregnant. Trust me. It walks you through your cycle each month with information along the way. The facts about a woman's body are fascinating. They give you "tasks" each day to complete (like make out with your spouse like you are teenagers and compliment a friend today). It gives you a place to monitor changes in your body as you try to conceive. There are community forums to connect with others in your shoes (whether you are trying to conceive or are pregnant). It is easy to use and the information they give is personalized to you. I don't know how well it works for pregnant women (I hope to someday), but for those of us trying to conceive, it keeps track of everything and gives you some peace of mind.

What about you? What are some of your favorite free apps?

Photo of the Week: Tricky Way to Get Salad on the Menu!

I love salads, but there are times that it needs something a little extra. This week that something extra was making it in the form of a tostada. Tostadas have a little lettuce on them, but they are mostly toppings like refried beans, peppers, onions and meat. Well, this week we had baked corn tortillas topped with homemade refried beans, cheese, sautéed onions and peppers. Then we had salad on top of that with a little spicy ranch dressing. It was the perfect way to add some greens (and oranges and reds). Delicious.

Recipe: Frittata

Repurposing leftovers. I think that is something we all think about. After all, no one wants to eat the same thing 3 days in a row. (Unless they are some of my favorites like Honey Nut Cheerios or Caprese salad. I could eat these every day. Not kidding.) Okay so we have these left overs and don't want to eat them again and definitely don't want them to go to waste. We all have our go-to dishes for leftovers. Mine is almost always soup, especially in the fall/winter months. Now that spring is coming our way, I decided to branch out. 

I went with a frittata. Which always brings the question, what is the difference between a quiche and a frittata? Well, there are a couple of them. First off, quiche is a baked custard, so in addition to eggs, it has a good amount of cream. It is also baked in a crust. Frittata is like a baked omelet so there is very little (if any) liquid added to the eggs. It is a fantastic way to use up vegetables that are about to go bad or those leftovers we spent an entire paragraph talking about. Remember?

Frittata

6 eggs (or so - I had a lot of add ins and wanted the eggs to play a dominate role. Feel free to start with 4 and add more if you need it.)

Vegetables of your choice - think about colors! (about a cup)

Sausage or bacon or ham (I'd stick to pig for this or go meatless - you'll need about a cup)

2 potatoes (can be used as a crust or cubed, sautéed and added to the egg mixture)

Cheddar cheese (about a cup)

Don't you love my measurements? That is how you know this is all about leftovers. I used what I had in my fridge. Do the same.

For this frittata, I decided to start with a potato bottom crust. (You don't need a crust, I just wanted to use up potatoes.) I sliced them thin and layered them in a cast iron skillet in a little melted butter. After they were layered, you want to season them. I let it sauté for about 5 minutes on medium low while I started cutting up some of the vegetables I wanted to use. 

Then I put it into a preheated oven for about 10 minutes while I prepped the other vegetables. Next, I blanched apparatus and sautéed red bell peppers. I already had leftover sausage ready to go. After that it is all about putting it together. 

I put the sausage right on top of the potatoes so I knew it was dispersed evenly.

Mix the vegetables in with the beaten eggs. I added a little bit of cheese to this mixture. I don't regret it. I do regret using a yellow bowl with eggs. I may never get that right. Sorry. Also, you are going to want to salt and pepper this mixture.

Carefully pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. This is when I realized I needed more egg. So I beat a couple of extra and added them to the top. 

Now let's talk about baking it. I baked it for about 20 minutes and added cheese to the top. After this point, you want the cheese to melt and the eggs to reach about 160 degrees. 

Cut it up. Eat it hot. Eat it cold. Add salsa. (If you're one of those people who eat ketchup on everything, go ahead, just don't make me watch. I still like you. Don't worry.)

I was busy talking to my grandpa and didn't watch the time as close as I should and overcooked it a little. The flavors were great and the texture was just a little off. It was worth it. We were talking about shooting targets. He taught me how to shoot. 

Now that I am done remembering shooting with grandpa (it's been way too long!), I am going to encourage you to give this a shot the next time you are wondering what to do with your leftovers!

Variety Tuesday: Preparing for General Conference

This week for FHE, I was in charge of the lesson. Since General Conference is less than a month away, I thought it would be a good opportunity to think back on some of the conference talks that touched my heart the most and to start thinking about questions I would like to have answered during the next conference talks.

I want to share with you one of my very favorite talks from Conference. It touched my heart in October and again last night as we watched it again. It's by Elder D. Todd Christofferson and could not be more important for the world to hear.

It's entitled The Moral Force of Women. Please read it or watch it. Even if you have already seen it, watch it again. Share it with the women in your life. (See me do that right now?) He has such an eloquent way of discussing the importance of women and their foreordained roles. I love this topic so much. I hear these words and feel empowered. I hear these words and know that I need to be doing so much better than I am now. I hear these words and know, without a doubt, that my Heavenly Father is aware of my thoughts, feelings, and insecurities. He's aware, and He is sending messengers like Elder Christofferson to reassure me. What an incredible blessing.

I am only going to write one paragraph on womanhood. Then I will move on to preparing for conference. I promise.

Women, as natural nurturers have the daunting task of raising children. We are responsible for teaching them... everything. We are responsible for taking care of their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. We are responsible for transforming our home into a safe and loving atmosphere where the Spirit can dwell. We teach by example. We teach them to recognize the Spirit. We teach them right from wrong and love them despite choices they end up making. The list never ends. Luckily, the children that women are blessed to raise first knew a loving Heavenly Father who wants the best for those children. He is here to help. He has faith in you. He wants you to understand that there is NOTHING you will do that is as important. Raising children affects generations. Generations of YOUR family. Thinking about this overwhelming responsibility can make us feel discouraged or like we aren't doing enough. Well, there are a couple of things I want to say about that. Take an inventory and make sure you are doing everything you can with the help of Heaven. If you aren't, you can change that. Secondly, give yourself a break. Read Elder Christofferson's talk and let his words buoy you and encourage your efforts. The end.

Now I want to talk about preparing for General Conference. I have questions I want answered. No, I am not going to share them with you. Sorry. In order to feel like I have done my part to prepare to receive answers, I have been re-reading the talks from last conference. Personal revelation comes a little at a time and if I can form a foundation of knowledge and understanding before conference, the talks are going to help me that much more. I am praying for guidance as I study so I can do everything in my power.

So my message to you for today is that a Prophet of God is going to speak to the world 24 and 25 days from now. He is going to say something that you need to hear. I suggest you do your part and prepare to hear it.

Cooking Tips & Tricks: Cheeseburgers

Before I start blowing your mind with my tips & tricks for the day, I feel like we should have a serious talk. I was gone last week. Did you notice? I did. I wanted to talk to you everyday, but I was out of town. I've never seen WiFi with that quality before. (Luckily!) I didn't get email, couldn't play words with friends, didn't have access to food blogs, and I couldn't read updates on Twitter. What was I supposed to do when I woke up? Who was I supposed to give recipes to? It was rough. I am happy to be back though. 

Okay, that's all. We're all happy I'm here and full of information to share. Here we go!

I love a good cheeseburger. I love when it is summertime and we can grill out. There is something about the smoky flavor of a burger that makes it oh, so good. Utah weather has been crazy lately. For instance, it was almost 70 degrees yesterday. Tomorrow is calling for snow. (The temperature won't be below 40 degrees, so it will be rain, but still...) Anyway, today was one of those days that Joe mentioned grilling out, and once he mentioned it, I couldn't stop my mouth from watering. Since the temperature was on its way down for the day, we settled with grilling in instead. 

There are a couple of things you can do to make this almost as good as grilling out. 

First, FLAVOR your beef. I am going to list a bunch of things you can add to the meat. Choose a couple that go together and make sure you mix it together before adding the meat. (You only want to add enough to add flavor, you don't want to go crazy.) That way you don't over mix the beef. You should always add salt and at least a little pepper. I think you already knew that.

Worcestershire sauce

Dijon mustard

Garlic

Ginger

BBQ sauce

Hot sauce

Chili powder

Onion powder

Cayenne pepper

Red pepper flakes

Soy sauce

Italian dressing

Ranch dressing mix

Use your imagination -- and what you have in your cupboard/fridge

This is dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, and some hot sauce. Someday I will stop using the same color bowl for whatever it is I am mixing. I am so terrible at that. 

Next, mix the ground beef just enough to flavor it. Portion it into patties that are just bigger than the hamburger buns you bought. (If you made them, you are my new hero. I never know enough in advance to even think about being that ambitious.)

Now is when you need to heat the grill pan. You want it medium-high. You are also going to want to turn your oven on to 350 degrees. (You'll thank me later.) Put the patties onto the grill pan and leave them. You want them to develop grill marks. 

Flip them once and put the pan in the oven. It won't take them long to finish cooking, so this is when I start getting the toppings out. Let the burgers cook for about 5 minutes and turn off the heat in the oven. If you need more time to get things ready (tomatoes or onions or lettuce cut, onions caramelized, fry sauce made, etc.) you can leave the burgers in the now-off oven while you keep working. Feel free to melt cheese on the top of it now. 

The oven will be hot enough to melt the cheese perfectly. (Just remember not to take a picture of it.) Pull out the burgers and toss the buns under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Don't forget about them. No one likes scraping burnt crumbs from the buns. We all do it, but it's never the same. There is no coming back from that. Set a timer if you need to. 

Your burgers will be well-done, but not dry. The cheese will be melted. Now you can make your perfect cheeseburger. Add mayo, mustard, or ketchup. Add lettuce, tomatoes, and caramelized onions. Add crispy bacon or an onion ring or pickles. Make sure your burger requires a BIG bite. It should make a mess of your face. It should drip on your plate because it is so moist. It should make you want to keep eating. Serve them with fries or potato salad or coleslaw. You won't regret it.

I think if we all start grilling in, it will convince summer to come faster so we can all move our cooking to the great outdoors. Let's try, shall we?

Cooking Tips & Tricks: Garlic Bread

I love French bread. I also love garlic French bread, but have you ever purchased garlic bread and brought it home super excited only to have an inch of butter/garlic/whatever else they've decided to throw in there? It's vile! I can't stand the flavor or that I have to bite through butter (even when I've cooked and "melted" it.) Gross. Plus, have you noticed price difference. Well, I guess that doesn't mean anything because you're paying for at least a couple sticks of butter and some other stuff, so it makes sense.

I think we all see the delicious words "garlic bread," and we convince ourselves that it is way too hard to make our own garlic bread (unless we use garlic salt and we all know that doesn't taste as good as fresh garlic) and now that we've seen the words, our taste buds won't accept anything less. I can't blame them. There is one problem with that statement, however. It's not hard at all!

The hardest part is making it home with an entire loaf of french bread. (I can't put the loaf anywhere close to me because I will start eating it. Always have. In fact, I am fairly sure when I was little, my parents would buy a loaf and most of it was gone by the time we got home 7 or 8 minutes later. No, I wouldn't eat it by myself. We all shared. Maybe that was why my parents always bought two loaves: one to eat in the car and one to eat with whatever meal mom had planned. Good idea, Parents.)

So today I want to talk about two different ways to make garlic bread. My goal was to find a way to take the delicious and classic way I know and mix it with a quick way. I am going to teach you the classic way first, the quicker way second, and the compromise. Unfortunately, the compromise is sans photos. (How much bread do you people think I can eat?!?) I think you'll get the point though.

Let's get started. First thing to do is get a regular loaf of French bread and cut it in half. This makes it easier to make a cut through the bread so you can put the garlic butter on it because you can rest the bread on the newly cut flat side and slice down towards the cutting board.

Now that you have your French bread cut and ready, we can start the garlic paste. I used one garlic clove for half of the bread. Mince it very fine.

Once you have it minced, lightly cover the garlic with salt. (Kosher salt is best, but table salt will work.)

Now comes the fun part. You are going to make a paste. This happens by holding your knife normally with your dominant hand and holding the spine of your blade with the other hand. You are going to use the side of your blade to smash and rub the salt into the garlic. (I know this make so much sense. I was really good about taking pictures of this part, can you tell? Stay with me.) The point of this step is twofold. You want to use the salt bread down the garlic. The salt will bring out the moisture in the garlic to help make a paste, and the friction will break down the minced pieces into a paste. The salt also helps bring out the flavor. (If you are still super confused, I am sure there is a video out there somewhere.)

Now you are going to put the garlic paste into a small microwave safe bowl. (I like microwaving the garlic with the butter to help bring out the flavors. You can use just a little and it is still super flavorful.)

Next, add half the butter you want to use and microwave it until half of that is melted. Stir in the unmelted part until it is all melted. This is when you add the half you set aside and stir like crazy. (I only used a couple of tablespoons of butter and it covered half of the French bread.)

As you stir, you will see that it emulsifies. You don't see the melted portion, and it looks so pretty. Bonus: It's easy to spread. Also, I should tell you that I used unsalted butter so adding the paste didn't make everything too salty. (You can taste it at this point and add a little salt, if you need it.)

When you spread it onto the bread, you just want a thin layer. It's just to add a little flavor. (We should tell grocery store bakeries this...) I added parsley to the top. You don't have to, but it's pretty.

Okay, this is the point where you bake it. Most of the people I know will wrap it in tin foil and bake it until it's perfect. I am not that patient. I put it on a baking sheet and baking it at 450 degrees for a couple of minutes. You just can't forget it or it dries out super fast.

Now we are going to look at the quicker way.

Use a microplane to mince the garlic.

Put it right into the microwave safe bowl. Add a little bit of salt.

Next, add half the butter you want to use and microwave it until half of that is melted. Stir in the unmelted part until it is all melted. This is when you add the remaining half and stir like crazy. (This process is genius. Don't change that part, you'll regret it.

You still want to spread it in a thin layer - you won't need more than that. Trust me. Just make sure you go edge to edge.

Okay, now I can tell you about the taste test. I had my husband tell me what he thought of each kind. It was great because he didn't know what the difference would be. (I did. So I was a little biased.) Luckily, he agreed! The second process, though quicker, doesn't give you the garlic flavor of the first process. You can still taste it, but it's just not as good. 

So what about those times you don't want your hands smelling like garlic and you want to save a little time? Is there a way to get the flavor in less time? 

Thanks for asking. Why, yes there is. When you mince the garlic with the microplane, don't put it directly into the bowl you want to use. Put it onto a cutting board. Sprinkle it with salt and use that to make your paste like the first way. It saves a couple of minutes of mincing garlic by hand and it is SO MUCH better than if you buy the garlic bread at the store. (Even if you scrape off a bunch of that stuff they put on it.)

One final tip for today. If you don't want to be the only one smelling like garlic, you have to share. Sorry.

Friday 5: My Favorite Hymns

I love music. It makes everything better. I used to listen to music to make work less mundane. I listen to music when I cook and clean - it keeps me moving and singing makes it seem less like work. I listen to it when I get ready for the day and whenever I'm driving. Music is fantastic. I think most of you would agree.

Music made a significant impact on me when I was a kid. When we would go to church, I started gaining a testimony of my Savior as I first read and then sang the words of hymns and primary songs. Music is a powerful way to feel the Spirit and worship.

So for today, I want to share 5 of my favorite hymns. (I'm learning that 5 is just a little number because I could list WAY more than that. So these aren't necessarily my TOP 5 because I don't think I could order them.) I've included hyperlinks so you can read the lyrics and listen to the music. It's worth it. 

1. Dearest Children, God is Near You - I think song is underrated. I learned this with the 8 year old kids I taught years ago. It has such an incredible message. It's comforting and it makes me want to be better.

2. The Lord is my Light - I love singing this song. The music and words are so uplifting and beautiful. (Although, my biggest pet peeve is when people sing the last part of the chorus wrong. It's not "He leads me, He leads me along." It's "He leads, He leads me along." Quit singing it wrong. Also, definitely don't sing it wrong if you are a loud singer. It drives me crazy. Thank you.)

3. I Know That my Redeemer Lives - I did a study of this song once. Listing out the reasons the song lists that He lives and finding examples of them in my life. It was a great way to come to know my Savior better. It's impossible to understand the love He has for us, but very possible to learn what He did/does for us. 

4. Did You Think to Pray? - It's incredible to understand the power of prayer. To know that someone is listening AND cares about everything you pray about AND will answer every single prayer is incredible. It's even better when you realize it is your loving Heavenly Father (of all His titles, He chose Father as our way to communicate with Him.) This hymn is a great reminder to pray always. My mom and I used to sing this one all of the time.

5. A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief - This song makes me cry every time I sing it. I don't know if it the words or the fact that it reminds me that I need to be a lot better, but I love it. The music is so beautiful.

So take some time this weekend and take a listen. Maybe make a list of your own. 

Photo of the Week: Spring Training Games Start TOMORROW!

Is anyone else this excited? I know they won't be playing at Busch Stadium, but I've never been to Florida. This is the best picture I could do for now. Good luck, Cardinals! I can't wait to start watching games!

Recipe: Stuffed Hot Dogs

Don't let the title scare you away. This is a dish my mom used to make when I was little. It was my favorite. I haven't had it in years and decided to make it for my husband this week. It's super fast and easy and can be customized in a million different ways. I still love it. I can't wait to make it for my kids someday. 

When my mom made it, she would boil the hot dogs, cut them open and stuff them with boxed mashed potatoes and top them with grated cheese. Then she would toss them in the oven long enough to melt the cheese. Done. I made a couple of changes when I made them this week. I also forgot to count the carbs, and I am not going to make a printable because these are just that easy.

Stuffed Hot Dogs

Hot dogs (Use any size/variety)

Caramelized onions (Use any toppings that you want. Sautéed peppers, bacon, hot sauce, chorizo, 

  sautéed mushrooms, chili, etc. Use your imagination... and your leftovers!) 

Garlic mashed potatoes (Boxed, flavored, regular. Use any variety of potato.)

Grated cheese (Again, be creative. I used cheddar because I had some on hand.)

1. Boil the hot dogs for about 4 or 5 minutes. (Depending on the size.)

 2. Take them out of the water and put them on a baking sheet  (or on a grill pan so they don't move around.) Slice them about 3/4 of the way through and push them open a little for the stuffing.

3. Spoon the caramelized onions into the hot dog. (These don't have to be warm if the hot dog and mashed potatoes are already heated through.)

4. Add the mashed potatoes. (If these are warm it takes less time in the oven.)

5. Top it with cheese.

6. Bake it until the cheese melts and the stuffing is heated through. 

7. Eat it. These are super filling and delicious.

I love the memories associated with stuffed hot dogs. I loved when my mom made them. She told me yesterday that she thinks she saw this recipe in a magazine somewhere, but I am giving her credit for creating them. It's genius. Thanks, Nom.

Variety Tuesday: 10 Things to Smile About in February

I like the idea of finishing the month off remembering the best parts. I think it makes the beginning of this next month even better. So, for today's post, I want to look back on my 10 favorite moments from February.

1. The best part of February was getting to eat at Thai Chili in Gilbert, AZ for Valentine's Day. We drove most of the day so I went to dinner in pajama pants, a t-shirt, flip flops, and a hat. I love that my husband likes when I am comfy. (Yes, I wear real clothes sometimes, but some days it is nice to not worry about putting makeup on and fixing my hair. Haha - who am I kidding? That's most days.) The food was better than I remembered. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

2. Seeing the Gilbert temple comes in second. I remember going to the groundbreaking early one Saturday a couple of years ago. To see the BEAUTIFUL finished product was breathtaking. It is a great reminder that families can be together forever.

3. I hadn't been back in the Phoenix area since my last day of culinary school. I left from my last class to start the drive back to Utah. It was so nice to drive around with Joe and show him my favorite places. The important ones like where I lived and worked. My favorite Jack in the Box, Long John Silvers, and Blue Wasabi. I am sure he loved seeing all my favorite restaurants. It took some time convincing him I lived there because the only things I know about the Phoenix area are where to eat. Oh, and he got to see my favorite palm trees and my favorite type of cactus. Lucky guy. It made me smile.

4. The moment the last chocolate dipped strawberry was carefully placed in the box for our YW fundraiser. It was such a great fundraiser, but I had been stressing over it for weeks! I was so grateful that our YW leaders and girls did so much work that night. We had 474 dipped strawberries boxed and ready to be delivered in less than an hour and a half. They were rock stars. Now we don't have to worry about paying for girl's camp and I don't have to dip another strawberry in chocolate unless I want to.

5. Knowing that the St. Louis Cardinals are all in Florida for spring training. I mean, of course I wish they were in Utah training, but as long as they are training somewhere it means that baseball season is on its way!

6. We got the announcement months ago that our community was getting Google Fiber. It has finally made its way into our neighborhood and we should be hooked up with crazy fast internet by the end of the month. SO excited. With this change comes a change in our TV provider. We are getting DirecTV and will have access to MLB TV. (See number 4. My neighbors are the only ones who will hear from me on the nights the Cardinals play. I like cheering for my team. Sorry, neighbors.)

7. Ok, this one is one that makes me laugh more than smile. Church was cancelled on Sunday after we'd been there for just over an hour. Someone clogged a toilet and it was flooding the bathroom. Rough day. The only other times I've had church cancelled was for blizzard-worthy snow.

8. Another one of my favorites from this month hasn't happened yet. I am getting my hair done on Thursday. I love getting my hair colored and cut. I never decide the color or cut. I leave it up to the professionals. It is so relaxing and I love the change! I can't wait to see what happens this time!

9. Getting to relax. I got a cold at the same time that the Kraken came for a visit. I slept more the last couple of weeks than I did anything else. I am super grateful I have that option.

10. I wish I could put watching the Olympics on here, but I really got sick of it. I think the best part of the Olympics was the interview after figure skating finally ended. Ashley Wagner makes me laugh so hard. Gracie Gold seems so conceited. I loved watching the two interact. It was probably the best part of the Olympics this year.

Bring on March. I am so ready!

Cooking Tips & Tricks: Caramelizing Onions

There are a couple of things that you learn in culinary school about adding flavor to food. The first is that the most basic flavoring combination (the one used most often) is the combination of 50% onion, 25% carrot, and 25% celery. It is used in everything: a base for roasting meat, stocks, sauces, soups, etc. The next thing that they teach you is that the stuff that sticks to the pan when you are cooking is gold. It's called fond. (I don't know why. I think it's stupid, too. Ok, so my editor just informed me that it means "bottom" in French. All this time I thought he was making weird comments about my cooking...) You use it for sauces. If you don't, you are missing the best part. (Unless you burnt it to a crisp. Thank you for not using it when you do that.)

I've decided to share a way to use both of these tips (in a way). Today we are caramelizing onions. I love onions. I love them as onion rings. I love them as the bite in my salads. I love them in or on just about everything. I love them even more when they are caramelized. That just means that we are slowly pulling the sugars out of the onion and letting them coat the onion and transform them to an almost sweet addition to... you guessed it. Just about anything.

The first step is to learn to cut the onion. Onions, like meat and wood, have a grain. Once you peel them and cut them in half, you can see the grain. There are two ways to cut the onions at this point. (In addition to dicing them, that's for another day.) If you cut against the grain, you are using what is called a salad cut. The slices are easy to separate and is what you would use if you wanted onion slices in your salad (you do, by the way). If you cut with the grain, you are using the sauté cut. I use this cut 95% of the time.

The next step is pretty easy. There is one really important part to this step! TAKE IT SLOW. Caramelized onions were not meant to be done in 15 minutes or less. They need time to relax in the pan so they feel comfortable enough to release all of their sugars. You don't want them panicking and holding out on you. Trust me.

Heat your pan to medium low heat and add butter. (You can use cast iron or stainless steel - I prefer cast iron because I am more comfortable with it. Stainless steel seems to get too hot for me even at a low temperature.) Throw in your onions. Let them sit there. Stir them about 5 minutes later to make sure your pan isn't too hot. If they are browning too quickly, turn down your heat. Stir them every 5 or ten minutes after that. Every time you stir scrape up the fond on the pan and let it mix in with the onions.

I did both cast iron and stainless to show you the difference in color. (*See note)

The first photos will be of the cast iron.

And now the stainless steel.

(I know this last one looks burnt. It's not. Just read on.)

They will go from raw onion to translucent to blonde to light brown to dark brown to black. Don't let them get to black. It's that easy! If you are me, you're tasting the onions every time you stir them to make sure they are turning into what you want. (The sugar content is different in onions because of their ages, and you will want to know that in a little while.) Fine. I taste them because they are delicious and I want to.

After your onions are between light brown and dark brown, you are going to want to salt them. This brings out the moisture and helps transform the fond to a liquid that coats the onion. When they brown another 5 minutes or so, you can add chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, or water. The onions will lighten in color once you add the liquid. Don't be scared. Everything will work out. Let the onions soak up the flavor. There are times that I've used old onions that just aren't sweet enough at this point. That's what brown sugar is for. Just a little. Once the liquid has reduced to coat the onions, you are done.

I used chicken stock in the cast iron pan and balsamic vinegar and chicken stock in the stainless steel pan. Just so you can tell the difference in color. Come on over if you want to taste the difference.

Use caramelized onions as a topping for burgers or sandwiches. You can add them to stir fry or soup. You can add them to pizza or casseroles. They will make an excellent layer of flavor to just about any dish.

*Note: I should apologize for the photos. I forgot about doing my blog post so I hurried through the process to get pictures that would be close to what you would be experiencing. Don't judge. It's after 3 AM and I am caramelizing onions for you. You're welcome.

Friday 5: Suggested Improvements for 2018 Olympics

It's that time again. The Winter Olympics are on everyone's mind. We all watch the athletes from our country and cheer them on as if they were our dearest friends. (Pretty sure Ashley Wagner would be my friend if we met.) It's just funny to me. I don't watch any of these events when it isn't the Olympics. I bet you probably don't either.

There are so many things about the Olympics that I just don't understand. (Curling, really?) For example, there are world competitions every year and a champion is named. Can't we just pick the last world champion and give them the gold medal? No? Okay. As you were then. I just thought I would check. I do have some ideas (I narrowed them down to 5 for today's post.) I think we should consider for 2018.

1. Barefoot speed racing. The skis/skates that they are rocking now seem dangerous and they make it a little too easy. I feel like we would really weed out some of the competition by going barefoot.

2. Blindfolded ski jumping. Another event I think is a little too easy. The skis are set in tracks so there is no maneuvering before the jump. I think the least we can do is make it more difficult for the athletes to know when to jump and when they are supposed to land. Talk about trusting your coaches!

3. Randomly exploding hockey pucks. If the hockey puck disappears randomly and a new one is dropped from an unknown location, we even up the playing field a bit more.

4. Loops on the bobsled tracks. I don't think you need an explanation on this one. They would be a lot like roller coasters on ice. It sounds delightful.

5. Ice Dancing. I had several ideas for this one, but I think my favorite is to have baby polar bears chase after the dancers. I think you will see them move quicker and more efficiently than normal. Injuries wouldn't be fatal, but they would keep things very interesting. Plus polar bears are so cute you could watch them instead of the skaters if you got bored. You're welcome.

I hope these ideas are taken seriously for 2018. I think they would take the Olympics to the next level. I'm sure you'll agree. I'm not so proud as to think these are the best ideas for upgrading the Olympics. If you have better ideas, please share them in the comments.

Photo of the Week: Gilbert Temple

While we were in Arizona, we got to drive by the beautiful new temple in Gilbert. We didn't have time to go to the open house because the line was so long, but we will go back someday. I got to go to the groundbreaking a couple of years ago. It's the only temple groundbreaking I've ever attended. Now that it is finished, I can't wait to go inside.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Refried Beans

I don't think anyone can say they hate slow cookers. Mine gets the most use on Sundays so I don't spend all day in the kitchen. It's perfect. I put the ingredients in, turn it on, and leave it until I am ready for it. I knew today wasn't going to be a day of me spending hours in the kitchen making things and taking pictures for you. I knew it was going to be a slow cooker day.

Refried beans are delicious. I love them with salsa. I love them with cheese. They go in or on just about any Mexican dish (not desserts, sicko) and make easy dips. They are great to add to soups as a thickener. I am sure we all have a couple of cans for that very reason. Until now. Now you can buy the dried variety and not be scared. It's cheaper and couldn't be easier. Plus you can make a large batch and freeze them.

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

2 lbs dried pinto beans

9 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeño (leave the seeds in if you want a little heat)

1 onion, cut into large pieces (or if you realize too late that you don't have onions, use onion salt)

Optional: 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp chili powder

1. Rinse the beans, take out anything that isn't a pinto bean.

2. Put them in a large sauce pan and cover by 2 inches of water. Boil, covered, for 15 minutes. 

3. While the beans are boiling, smash your garlic cloves, cut your onion and jalapeño, and add to the slow cooker. Add seasoning.

4. When the beans have boiled for 15 minutes, drain the water and add the beans to the slow cooker.

5. Add water to cover the beans by 2 inches of water. 

6. Cook on high for 6-7 hours. (I stirred them every couple of hours. Check them at 6 hours. You want them to be tender, but not overly mushy. It took just over 6 hours for mine to get to that point.)

7. Once they are tender, use a strainer to move them back into the sauce pan you used to boil them. Add some of the cooking liquid and use an immersion blender to blend them. (Don't remove the garlic, onion, and jalapeño. Blend them up in the beans. You'll thank me later.) Add liquid as needed. Season as needed at this point. This is when I added my salt. I also added a little more onion salt, probably wouldn't have needed to if I had an onion. 

8. Let it cool and put into quart size freezer bags and flatten them to store in the freezer. When you need them, you can put them in the fridge if you know a day in advance or defrost them in the microwave. 

Yes, I know these are called "refried" beans. You can fry them in a little oil or bacon grease at this point, but you don't need to. It's up to you. 

When you are ready to use them, refer to this list of ideas:

Tacos

Taco salad

Nacho topping

Burrito filling

Enchilada filling

Tostada topping

Dips

Quesadilla filling

Taquito filling

By themselves with rice

Enjoy them! You will be amazed at the flavor they take on compared to canned refried beans. I like them better than what restaurants offer. I'm sure you will too!

Carb Count

Pinto beans - 162 g - 41 g fiber = 121 g 

Jalapeño - 1 g

Onion - 10 g

Garlic - 9 g

Total 141 g

(I got a request to make these recipes easy to print. Didn't happen this week - I'll try next week.)