A few requested recipies!

When I am in the domestic moment, I tend to want to share it. Things tend to end up on my Facebook status. This sometimes generates requests for recipes. So here are a few of the recent picks!

Homemade noodles!
I love the recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for homemade pasta. I think it makes my soups and lasagna taste so much better to use fresh or the dried and frozen version of this. Because it is their recipe, I can't post it exactly as is. So here is my slightly modified version. Homemade noodles can be a bit time consuming, so I recommend making a double batch and freezing half for later deliciousness.

You'll need:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp dried basil ( or oregano or parsley or whatever, but I like basil!)
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp oil
1/3 cup water

Combine two cups of the flour and the salt and the basil in a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a spatula to stir and make a well in the center. (The key to quick breads, pasta and pancake mixing is contained in a hymn... "All is well, all is well..." Corny. I know.) Then, in a slightly smaller bowl or a 2 cup liquid measuring cup mix the water, the oil and the eggs and beat until consistent. Pour this into the well and stir. (The reason I advocate a spatula, (I love the Tupperware one, it comes apart for cleaning, is because this will get super sticky.) Mix until all of the dry mixture is combined with the wet one. Next, use the rest of the flour and knead the pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or if stressed, until your worry subsides, whichever comes second.  Let the poor dough rest for ten minutes, covered with a wet paper towel. Divide the dough into four roughly equal parts. Roll each out into a ten to twelve inch square. Personally, mine never comes out square or twelve inches. A little thicker pasta tastes just fine to me.  Let rest for twenty minutes, uncovered. This allows your pasta to dry out some before you cut it.
To cut lasagna noodles, measure about an inch or so wide strips and cut down the length of the dough. To make noodles, roll dough loosely jelly roll style and slice down the roll. (Better Homes and Gardens has a really great picture of this).  Let pasta dry for 24 hours on a hanger if you want to freeze. Otherwise, boil some water, add a little olive oil and boil for 3 or so minutes. Homemade pasta cooks fast! Pay attention! Enjoy. I may have just ruined dried commercial pasta for life for you.

The following disclaimer applies to the following recipes. I cannot, to save my life, make a decent cake from scratch. I love cake mix. So, each of these are quick ways to dress up a cake mix. Make it look a little fancy! 
Chocolate Orange Cake
1 box chocolate cake mix ( I like swiss chocolate! or devil's food!)
Ingredients to prepare cake mix as noted on box
1 orange peel
Vanilla frosting

Using kitchen shears, cut orange peel into tiny pieces. Mix into cake mix. Bake as directed on box or.... for super fun quick results, pour into a microwave cake pan, like the Tupperware Stacker Cooker and microwave on medium high power for 7 to 10 minutes. Cake is done in the oven when a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, or in the stacker cooker, when the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool. Frost with vanilla frosting and enjoy! Perhaps garnish with some mandarin orange slices or some additional orange zest.  Enjoy the praise and admiration. ;)

Soda Pop Cake
For more easy, showoff fun.....
1 can soda. Your choice.
1 box cake mix.

Mix soda and cake mix. It fizzles. It pops.. It's so fun to watch! Bake as directed on box or use Tupperware Stacker Cooker.  This would be a fun Family Home Evening refreshment!

To purchase tupperware products

Of bread, belief and bungling

     Sometimes, I am not Betty Crocker. It isn't that I don't want to be the woman whose husband comes home to a sparkling home and a delicious nutritious dinner hot on the table. It isn't that I don't want to stare smiling into my  perfectly organized closet and see linens and clothing neatly hung and folded like little soldiers. My intentions are great. But sometimes, actions and intentions don't fit so neatly together. The bread dough splatters all over the kitchen, then doesn't rise in time for dinner. The cake turns into a pudding. I forget to put tenderizer on the meat. The laundry sits unfolded on the couch. I am not, most certainly, the vision of loveliness I had in mind when I woke up this morning.  Then my wonderful husband walks in the door after a longer, harder day at work. He smiles at me gently. I am too stressed out to appreciate this. 

     After he leaves to deliver dinner to the missionaries, I sit surrounded by all of this. I feel like a failure. He doesn't deserve this. He works hard. He is the kindest, most compassionate man I know. He is so strong and endures trials with faith and trust in God. I sit and think on our marriage and the joy it has brought me. I feel deeply ashamed.  I want so much to do and be better for him. 

     I know I am making efforts. Small, seemingly inconsistent efforts, but efforts none the less. I am trying. My goal is to do one more thing for Greg each day than I did the day before. The rolls now finally ready to bake are filling the house with the smell of baking bread. I am waiting for Greg to return.  I think on the made beds upstairs, on the clean sink and the linen closet. I know I need to do more, but  I am also filled with hope that this is possible.  Through the grace of God and the love of my husband I can become all I am meant to be. It isn't easy, but it is possible. I am ready to get back to the dishes and labor with a smile.  I love Greg for his patience and am grateful to my Father in Heaven for his love for me, even in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, and then his son, my husband to help me be who I am meant to. 

Domestic Dreaming

My wedding was amazing. I am so happy to be married for time and all eternity to the love of my life. He is such an amazing man and I am blessed to have him.

I still want to keep house excellently, to further my education, to serve in the church and to live my life in a way that is pleasing to God and to my husband. I thought, in the back of my mind, that marriage would automatically help me achieve these things. I find, however, that life still goes on and requires work. My heart desires to be at home, but there are so many pressing things and only so much budget. I want to make my home a heaven, to work hard at keeping it nice. My homemaking skills, and more importantly, my sense of discipline, are not keeping up with my dreams and ambitions. Greg doesn't allow me to get discouraged though, rather he reminds me of the sweet fact that we have all eternity to get it right. Some of the things I want to accomplish this week include:

Finishing registering for classes at Richland

Transferring credit hours to both Richland College and UT Dallas

Cleaning and readying my guest room and the master bedroom

Moving my belongings from my parent's home

Engagement

So I have some great news! I'm engaged. Actually, I've been engaged for about a month, but I'm not very good at updating my blog. I just don't feel like I have that much to write about. Life's been really different lately. I just realized I hadn't even posted since I started dating Greg. Hmm... I really do need to improve here.
Well, then, to give you a brief update...
Gregory and I met via a mutual friend, Tiffany. We were just friends for a few months but started to really talk during May. At the end of May we were dating. By the beginning of August, it felt like a forever, this is right moment. We talked about getting married and he felt the same way. So he talked to my parents and we went to look at rings the next day. He proposed on a Sunday. We'd been spending time with his family and on the way out I kissed him and he said, "I just can't take it anymore. Will you marry me?" He got down on one knee and slipped the ring he had picked onto my finger. I was sort of surprised but my immediate reaction was to call my grandmother. (After I said yes, of course!) On the way home, I started this weird, so -happy -I -can't- stand- it- don't- know -whether- to- laugh- or- cry- so -I'll -do -both thing. Wedding planning is going well so far, though we need to hear from the temple regarding their schedule before we can do much of anything else. I have my bouquet done, the dress pattern picked out (Thanks to the amazing sewing abilities of my mother!), bridesmaids dresses patterns, flower girls, veil, head piece, photography (thanks Tiffany!), invitation picked out, etc. So now it's just the date so I can finish refreshments, book the cultural hall, mail out invitations, etc
But honestly, I'm more concerned about being a good wife and homemaker than I am about the wedding. I'm working now, but I still feel strongly tied to home. I'm still working on educating myself to be the best I can, something I think I'll always be doing. Marriage is for eternity. My Wedding will just be one day. I want to make the wedding nice, but the marriage even better.
Cate

LDS.org - CES Fireside - The Reflection in the Water

LDS.org - CES Fireside - The Reflection in the Water

We are children of our Heavenly Father who loves us.

New Rule... Nutrition time!

   It shocks me how basic some of the things in life I miss are. I've been thinking about improving my health and fitness overall, and part of that involves trying to shed a few pounds. I've been taking it slowly, exercising 5 or 6 times per week and improving one meal at a time. Lately, though, it feels like I've been counter productive, thanks to the Easter Holiday and a mild bout of the blues. I think I need to pay a lot more attention to what it is I'm eating. So I've put a new rule into effect, starting today- if it isn't nutritious, I don't eat it. It sounds simple enough, and I can put it into place for the two meals per day I prepare myself, as well as any time I'm asked to fix dinner. I hope to learn a lot more about nutrition and the body, as it has such a powerful effect on both the mind and the Spirit. Hopefully it will go well!

New Education Resource

As readers of this blog may well know by this time, I am an advocate of self-education, of obtaining as much knowledge as possible. I have recently found some great resources for those wishing to pursue their own education at home, or just to enrich their lives. I find that this education is uplifting, inspiring and in general makes me happier. To paraphrase a quote in the McGuffy Reader series, which was popular in nineteenth century education, "If a day passes where you have not learned or done something useful, it is a day wasted and you ought to be very sorry for it."

So, the list of self education websites:

Yale Open Courses:
I like this resource because they have recorded the lectures in a downloadable format. You can listen to the professor, read the transcript, see the assignments in part, as well as the midterm and the answers in some cases and see which textbooks are used. So far I find the recordings to be clear, which is an advantage over some of the other open courses I've found, but the number of classes is fewer.
http://oyc.yale.edu/

U Moodle: provided by the University of Utah
I have to brag a bit about this site, allow me to plug my Alma Mater! Even though I haven't completed this set of courses, there are a few categories such as teaching and learning that I haven't seen on other open course ware sites.
http://my.courses.utah.edu/course/category.php?id=3

Utah State Open Course Ware:
I have used a few of the Family and Consumer Science courses and I loved them! The topics were interesting and the materials clear. There is a fee, as required, for some of the courses but the vast majority are free. Bonus: There are links on the homepage to other open course ware sites!
http://ocw.usu.edu/

John Hopkins Open Course Ware:
The classes here are, as might be expected, primarily medical in nature, but the topics looked interesting. I haven't checked this one out yet, but I hope to soon.
http://ocw.jhsph.edu/

Notre Dame Open Course Ware:
One of the categories that intrigued me here was a Medieval Studies category. They had some courses in categories I didn't see on other sites, including Catholic Tradition, Africana and Theology.
http://ocw.nd.edu/

Harvard Open Learning Initiative:
This one had very few courses but if you've wanted to sample Harvard, this is a great resource for you!
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/openlearning/

MIT Open Courses:
This was the first site I discovered and it has many courses. You can search courses by department, audio video and more.
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

UC Berkeley Open Courses:
The recordings here tended to be a bit garbled, but the courses are interesting none the less. I especially like how you can search the large number of classes by the term they were offered.
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/

Project Gutenberg:
While not an open course site, I love project Gutenberg for it's reading material. They have great books in classic literature, but also historic homemaking manuals (a favorite of mine!) and even a free CD or DVD download. It's entirely legal and fascinating! Audio book feature is nice for on the go education!
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

And a closing thought on education: "If formal education is not available, do not allow that to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can. Under such circumstances, the best books, in a sense, can become your “university”—a classroom that is always open and admits all who apply. Strive to increase your knowledge of all that is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.” Seek knowledge “by study and also by faith.” Seek with a humble spirit and contrite heart. As you apply the spiritual dimension of faith to your study—even of temporal things—you can amplify your intellectual capacity, for “if your eye be single to [God’s] glory, your whole [body] shall be filled with light, … and [comprehend] all things.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

New Blog

I'm thinking about creating a new blog, historical story of the day. We have so many amazing stories in our past, so much to learn from and to inspire. I hope this blog can get more of a readership.

Soy Creamer Potato Soup

So, cooking with soy has always been somewhat of a challenge for me. I find that most soy products have a sweet aftertaste, which can be off putting if I'm trying to prepare a main dish. Today, however, was a potato soup weather day. So I adjusted a recipe from Southern Living Cookbook and created some of the best potato soup I've made yet!

Here goes:

2 large potatoes, or 4 medium ones

about 4tsp chicken bullion

1tbsp basil

1/2 a medium onion

2 cups Soy Creamer ( I used Mocha Mix original!)

about 1/2 cup carrot

3 bacon strips cooked and chopped

1/2 tsp hot sauce

3 cups water

1/4c flour

Wash and peel potatoes. Chop into bite size pieces. Boil for about 5 minutes and drain.

Chop onions and carrot, add to potatoes in large pot. Add in soy creamer, water, flour and stir. Stir in bacon, hot sauce, chicken bullion and basil. Cover and let simmer for 40 minutes... enjoy!

I also made cornbread, but the only substitution I made there was using water instead of milk!

So it's time to be a bit more realistic.

Getting up at four o'clock am is not happening. I'm getting slightly better at going to bed on time, but I think four am is just too early for me. I've also decided that rather than set these huge, lofty goals, I ought to set some smaller ones. For today- Restore order! I've let my room go a bit. It's time to put things to rights. Housework it is, though I think I'll take a slightly slower pace today, I'm a bit sick.

Let's go

I realized today, to an extent, the futility of excuses. I either am or I am not. I either do or I do not. I either learn or I don't. I have the ability to choose, to make the most of my abilities and talents, or not. So I think I will post a list of what I would like to do and to learn.

To learn:

Sewing. I don't have the faintest idea when it comes to sewing. I think it would be a valuable skill to learn.

Physics. I think as an individual, my education in the realm of science and math is seriously lacking.

Calculus and beyond. Math is everywhere. I shouldn't always be trying to avoid it. I am not too stupid to learn it, if anything, what I lack is discipline. So to calculus it is.

Chemistry- see above comment.

Gardening and plant care.

Biology- life is amazing! Yet I know so little about how it works. How does a cell function? What is the roll of DNA or RNA?

Cooking. I am going to have to eat for the rest of my life. I may as well learn to make food that is tasty and nutritious

Spanish- What I know means nothing if I am not able to communicate and apply it. A growing portion of the population of the United States speaks Spanish

Greek- It would be amazing to be able to read the New Testament in Greek

To play the organ- it's the primary instrument for Church music.

Music theory- I love classical music, it would be great to learn how it works. I've tried in the past, but lacked the discipline.

Cleaning- How can I make a space visually appealing? I believe that environment impacts behavior. How can I create spaces that promote the behaviors I seek?

Church History- One of the things we are told to do is remember. How can we remember what we do not know?

To do:
Start getting up at four in the morning. There would be so much more time in the day.

Go to bed at 10:30. Otherwise four in the morning will not go so well.

Be able to run a mile in 10:00- not very fast I know, but I've never been good at running

Be a size 6. I'm not sure anything smaller than that would be good for my 5'9 self.

Serve 100 hours in 1 year.

Go back to school by January 2011

Out of the mouths of babes

I volunteer in a kindergarten classroom where I am often surprised at the wisdom that children inherently possess. The enthusiasm they have for learning and for life inspires me to want to be better and see the joy in simple things. Today, for instance, was a day where I just didn't feel like I was doing much of anything worthwhile. One of my students sat down next to me and said, "I'm here for you Miss Cate." She meant, that she was sitting next to me. To me, though, it was a reminder that Someone is here for me. Always.

Thought of the day

I am, no matter how much I try to deny it, a hopeless romantic. This is one of those things that I think I move past and then realize that no, I don't. I love hearing stories of people finding real, families are forever happiness. I think perhaps one of the greatest tragedies we can encounter is selling ourselves short of what we could be. If, as it says in Moses 1:39, the Lord's work is "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man", it would make sense that he would provide some guidelines to assist us in reaching his objectives. It would make sense to pray every day to seek some help in being what He wants us to be. Heavenly Father is trying to help us become all that we could be, to be more than we can at this point imagine. He wants to exalt us in families. Eternal families. In the Doctrine and Covenants section 19:10 it says that "Endless" is one of the Lord's names. Wouldn't it make sense then that Eternal Families would be God's family? He promotes marriage! The Lord's glory is to bring about Eternal Life. Doctrine and Covenants section 132 talks about his plan for marriages. I think I need to stop worrying about the future and trust God. I need to work on being all I can be, to prepare all I can, but then to put it in the hands of Heavenly Father. He knows everything. He knows everyone, better than we know ourselves. I heard a quote that I can't remember the source on, but it said "work like everything depends on you. Pray like everything depends on the Lord." Anyhow, those are my thoughts for today.

Jobs

Today I had a job interview. I was excited and ready to go. Then the interview came and there was an hour wait, which promptly caused me to be unnerved. Alas. I have decided that most of the time, feelings of nervousness or discontent seem to come, at least for me, when I am idle. The more productive my time is, the more secure and content I feel. The more I cross off of my to do list, the better my day is. Anyhow, the hour draws late and I ought not further rob tomorrow by staying up too late today.

Playing Catch Up

It's been some time since I last posted on this blog. I've relocated to Texas and am taking a break from my formal education until I can pay for it without debt. Meanwhile, I've been volunteering at an elementary school and trying to continue my studies as much as I can, work on my homemaking skills and seeking employment. I'm trying to develop a better sense of discipline and organization, get in shape and become more like the person I imagine I can be. I'll let you know as this happens, and I hope to post more on this process daily.

Art

I have never been very good at following directions. Growing up I was the kid who hated coloring. I always wanted to draw my own picture and do it with my own colors. Lately, though, it feels like I've been coloring, to an extent. I've been living in the world rather than carving and painting out standards and values that fit me. I want to become a choice daughter of God and that means overcoming my weaknesses and trusting in the Lord.
Dating, for me lately, has been a sort of experience. It seems to me that finally I'm starting to date after most of my friends. My wall of death (engagement) has grown rather full, and soon my roommate and I may have to get some more magnets for our poor fridge. Still, with all this dating, it's come to mind that I still need to learn a lot more about dating and to put my trust in the Lord's timetable. Sometimes it feels like none of my plans work out. I know that Mr. Right is out there somewhere, and that if I can become the best person I can and draw closer to the Lord, that will, in many ways, draw me closer to him when the time is right. I need to return to my Father in Heaven and draw ever nearer to Him. I need to cease the distractions of the world. I think perhaps I will stop watching television and be more careful about movies, even those on dates. I want to hold myself to the highest standards because the more I use the standards as stairs, rather than viewing them as obstacles, the happier I will ultimately be. Movies and television seem to be increasingly lewd. They mock chastity and glorify violence. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be desensitized to the Spirit of the Lord and I fear that may happen unless I put on the full armor of God and, to an extent withdraw from the world. I do not need television. I do need scripture study. I do not need to spend my time on online games. I do need to spend my time establishing a house of service, fasting and prayer. I have such a long way to go, and these ideals still seem lofty. I do want to become closer to my Father in Heaven. I want to be more like Christ. I don't need the world to tell me I'm this or that. I am a Daughter of Heavenly Father. I don't want to fit their molds, I want to fit His. He knows who I am and has a unique picture that we will draw together. I am not a coloring book page. I am, and am hoping to become, a Masterpiece.

Finals and Blessings

We are so much in the hands of our Heavenly Father. When I think about the many blessings he has given me, the love that is all around me, at times, I cannot comprehend it. This last week has been trying in so many ways. I have found myself exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally, and nearly spiritually.
It started on Sunday night when I was faced with a difficult decision, should I work on my paper, violating a promise that I'd made to Heavenly Father, or get up in the morning, sacrificing most sleep to finish the paper that was due on Monday morning? I decided to pray and to trust in Heavenly Father. The Doctrine and Covenants says that the saints can be ministered by angels, and as I woke up around two am to write and then had to continue through a very challenging day, I felt that I was supported by my Father in Heaven.
I felt His strength with me again as I wrote a second paper on Tuesday.
I lost my bus pass and He inspired someone to be honest and turn it in.
And then today, for the first time, I received a paper back and got an A. I could not have written without His help, and his inspiration. I am so grateful and I know that if the Lord comes first in my life, I'll never be too far behind.

Finals

I definitely feel like I've been living in a Mary and Martha Conundrum lately. I have been so busy with the roadshow, school, work, etc, that I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm learning though, that if I put Heavenly Father first, He'll take care of me and help me to get it all done.

Light

Albert Einstein theorized that darkness is the absence of light. Perhaps it is that absence that blinds me to my own worth, my own potential. Perhaps I simply run faster than I have strength. Still, unless I run as fast as I can, how will I ever know how fast I can run? Homemaking has taken a hit as the week has stormed on.

Uphill Battles

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment is to keep going on a day when the rewards of doing so are unclear. Today, for me is one of those days. I find it very difficult to balance training for my two careers, the one as a future wife and mother (hopefully!) and the other as a historian or history teacher. I find myself torn at times between the two. I should probably just focus on the history. Socially, it's easier. I am fighting a war, internally, a war with myself. I want to overcome the natural man and to be better. I am struggling to do so today! One of my biggest flaws can be time wasting. I want to just work on getting my house in order, but I need to focus on school. Then, it seems, that trying to find time to eat, socialize and sleep seem to slip right through the cracks. Well, back to work. The uphill battle has the best view from the top!