I'm not a crazy cat person!

It isn't that I'm one of those crazy cat people, it's just that I like--okay I love--my cats. Back in the late 70's when I was attending USU, I'll never forget the day that one of my neighbors on Darwin Avenue came over and asked if I would help with a service project. No one had shown up for the sorority service project she was in charge of--cleaning an old woman's house. Even though I wasn't in the sorority, I said I would be glad to help. I think she rounded up a couple of other girls, but I honestly don't remember anyone else besides her helping with the cleaning.

"She has a lot of cats," she said apologetically. "Heather" was a really pretty girl. I mean really pretty. All of the guys in our student ward would ask her out and the rumor is that none of them had managed to get a date. Well it wasn't because she was snooty about her looks. She wasn't. She was a sweetheart. And I didn't know it yet, but would learn in the next five hours that she was tougher than she looked. Anyway I told her I loved cats. She looked sheepish when we entered the house, like she was embarrassed about what we'd see next. I have a feeling even she hadn't known how bad it actually was. I guess the state or city or whomever made such decisions would've condemned the woman's house and take her cats away without help. It should have been. Looking back, it was without a doubt one of the worst experiences I've ever had. We literally scraped feces off everywhere--even the walls. Cat poop nearly covered the carpet along the edges of the living room,kitchen, and bedroom. Cats walked all over the kitchen counters while we cleaned. I remember counting about 20 cats. Of course I petted them whenever I could, between scraping up the encrusted poop. We washed all the cupboards out, all the counters, all the floors, everything. And we didn't have any equipment. We should've been wearing full-body protection, but we had nothing, but a few sponges, buckets, paper towels,and spatulas. I think I kept wondering how this woman got the way she was--how was it she couldn't bear to give a cat away, but I knew. She was a crazy cat woman. I'm not...Yet.

The Tree

We decided to go back to our old tradition of buying a living tree and plant it after Christmas since we have a lot of property now. We were kind of excited to do this again and my husband bought a tree at a nursery in Brigham. Well he happened to bring home the small tree when my good friend and neighbor was leaving our house. She noticed the pathetic looking tree that stood upright on the back seat of our car and barely touched the roof. My neighbor felt sorry for us; a new house with a large window and my husband "so conservative he would only buy a little tree."

The next morning I noticed her husband set a tree next to our horse stable. I thought that was strange. Maybe he thought the horses liked to eat trees. So I asked my neighbor why her husband put a tree there. She started to look sheepish and laugh. She explained what she thought and that they had an extra tree. We put the tree up. It is gorgeous next to our large picture window. We set our live tree outside where we can see it through the window. It is indeed pathetic looking. We may have to rethink our tradition.

Paradise Art & Musical Event

This Saturday December 12th from 10 am to 5 pm in Paradise Town Hall we'll be holding our semi-annual art sale. This year's event will feature my pottery, Marilyn Krannich's pottery, and Jim Parrish's photography. Both Marilyn and I have been doing pottery for over 30 years. I'm happy to have her join us again in this sale. Our work is quite different from each other and you're bound to find something that you like. We'll have pie plates, vases, bowls, platters, chip & dip plates, and of course I'll have some frogs. We both specialize in functional one-of-a-kind work.
Jim often has work from around our own scenic area. He will also have a close-out on some of the photography he's had around for a while.

We're especially pleased to have some local musicians join our event. Dale Majors is a talented cowboy who plays guitar, sings, and writes some of his own music. His daughter Erin has a beautiful voice and plays the fiddle proficiently. They perform from 1 pm to 3 pm. They are a delightful duo. I hope folks will come out to support them.

From 3 pm to 5 pm we're very lucky to have Wade & Cara back. They play a multiple of string and wind instruments and are a must-see, must-hear team who have performed their world folk music in several different countries.

Our Thanksgiving

Our son told us that the rules for a successful Thanksgiving Dinner were simple, don't try new recipes and never skip the turkey. So before our all-out traditional dinner with grandmas, cousins, brothers and the rest of the whole fam damily, we had an alternative dinner with just us. We broke all the rules. I mean what wouldn't a mother do for her daughter? Especially one who is as wonderful as ours and who we don't get to see all that often. Our daughter doesn't eat meat, gluten, or lactose (cow's milk). All of her life she has suffered from stomach aches. Lots of tests have been run but nothing was ever found to be wrong. In her childhood, every time she said her stomach hurt, I did what any Scandinavian mother would do--I gave her a glass of milk. And sometime when I felt really motherly, I made a piece of whole wheat toast to go with it. After lots of experimentation on her own, she discovered a way to avoid the constant stomach pain. Get rid of the milk, get rid of the wheat, and get rid of meat. So being a good Scandinavian mother even though it goes against all of my own instincts, I support her--at least for one day. So we had to get creative if we were going to eat anything at all. She brought a section from her newspaper with some delicious sounding recipes, but you know how almost nothing ever turns out the way it sounds? Well it took all of us to help with this dinner because we were hungry and wanted to eat before midnight. I must say I was skeptical when I tasted the dough to make the gluten-free pie crust. It was a bit on the yuckky side, but our dinner turned out absoltely delicious including the crust. Everyone of us thought it was one of the best dinners we'd ever had, at least that we had cooked. And afterwards we still felt good. None of the groaning and near passing out that we enjoyed the next day after our turkey, dressing, and everything that goes with it.

Our alternative menu was a cauliflower-leek tart, warm sweet potato and apple salad, green bean gremolata,and apple cranberry crisp. Tonight each of my two children have asked for recipes from the San Francisco Chronicle section that we got the recipes from. Daughter in S.F. asked for the tart, and son asked for the warm salad recipe. The only thing that wasn't a hit was the green been dish but I suspect that it's because I was making it and didn't follow the recipe very closely. In short I goofed a bit. It was okay. Here are the ones that we all highly recommend.

Cauliflower-blue cheese tart

I medium head cauliflower, cut into small forets
2 TBS olive oil
course salt and ground pepper
1 Tbs. butter
2 leeks, well washed and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 crust
2 oz. mild blue cheese or use percorino or parmessan (we used a mild white cheese since aged cheese gives me migraines.)
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
We made our own pie crust following a regular recipe, but substituting gluten-free flour.

preheat oven to 375. Toss cauliflower with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until c. is well browned about 35-45 minutes.
Melt the butter in a saucepan set over medium. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often until wilted and beginning to carmelize about 10 min. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more stirring often . Let cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. season with salt and pepper . Roll out both of the pie crusts and fit one into a 9 inch pan. In using cheese, sprinkle over the bottom of teh pastry. top with c. and leeks. pour egg mixture over filling.
cover with remaining crust and pinch edges together. Bake 45 min. to 1 hour until the crust is evenly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean

Warm Sweet potato and Apple Salad
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (i used three medium) peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2Tbs. olive oil
1 red onion
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (we didn't have any, so threw in a dash of rice vinegar)
1 Tbs. maple syrup
1 golden delicious apple (we used two)
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. chives (we used green onion)
Instructions: Place sweet potato slices in a pot and cover with col, salted water. Bring water to a boil and let simmer until poatoes are tender but still hold their shape, about 10-15 minutes. Drain carefully.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add half of the onions, and saute until caramelized, about 10 min. Add the mustard, vinegar and syrup, and stir until incorporated. Let simmer for about 2 min.
Add the apples, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Mix gently with the cooked sweet potatoes and remaining onions, and season to taste. Sprinkle chives on top and toss.

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Scandalous Desserts and More

My goodness what do you find out with a group of women, older women at that? Even though I don't consider myself old enough to be a member of the Daughter of Utah Pioneers a few years ago my friend Sherry invited me to attend with her. I assured her that I would not want to belong to group of old ladies (sorry this is what I thought). Sherry lured me with promises of good food. Well the food was great and the company was fun. At 52 I am one of the youngest members in the Sagwith camp. Last month I mentioned that I'd been to southern Utah with a group of Mormon Feminists. "Polygamists, did you say?""No feminists." "Who made the pumpkin pie?" several women wanted to know. Marjean, who brought the pie answered, "Sam's." "Who did she say made the pie--Sharon?" "Oh Shirley made the pie" By this time I'm laughing. Marjean is laughing trying to explain that she picked up the pie at Sam's Club while Donna is still laughing about the Feminist Polygamists. Now all this confusion is not because they women are just too old to hear, although that might be a little of the problem. The problem is that the tables are set out like a big long banquet table and what is said at one end will surely change--just like that old game we used to play at birthday parties. You know where you whisper something like, "Last night we ate pizza," and it turns into "The end of the world is here!" Or something scandalous--always something scandalous which brings me to the next month at DUP.

This month we had a luscious dessert. I recognized the dessert and used to make it when I made such things back in the day. The recipe was given to me as Oblong Pie. As we ate this dessert, someone said, Myrt calls this Filthy Wilma. "Filthy Wilma?" Yup that's right. So I came home and looked up the dessert and came across this quote in a blog about the dessert. "Anyway. So when I arrived (finally!) for the wedding, one of the first pieces of news gleaned from my brother and my sister was that there was a pan of Filthy Wilma in the fridge, left over from the previous night's festivities. What is Filthy Wilma? Well, as Amilynne puts it, if you're a good Mormon, it's Republican Dessert, and if you're a bad Mormon, it's Filthy Wilma."

I wonder what the name of the dessert would be called for me, a semi-decent Liberal leaning progressive Mormon? Luscious Linda, Jolly Jack, Obama Dreamcake, Raunchy Rachel, Hotty Hilary--Okay now they are sounding--well a little raunchy. Anyway it sounds a bit like our conversation at Relief Society tonight--or whatever it is they are calling it these days. I would tell you what the bishop's wife told us, but you can go over to her blog at Clawson live and search "F word" for the story. It's a good one with a good moral and everything. And here's the recipe for Filthy Wilma or whatever you want to call it.


Filthy Wilma Recipe
CRUST:

1 c chopped nuts
1 1/4 c flour
1 cube melted butter

1st Layer

8 oz cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 container Cool Whip

2nd Layer

1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding
1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding
3 c milk

Last Layer

1/2 container Cool Whip
chopped nuts

Mix crust and press in 9x13" pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Chill before adding each layer. Combine each ingredient for each layer and top with the chopped nuts.

Christmas Romance & Family Nights

Last year I read one of Aubrey Mace's books "Spare Change" and found it really cute and different from most LDS romances. So when she asked for volunteers from our LDStorymakers to do a review, I volunteered. This is a quick read. I loved the beginning which is laugh out loud enjoyable. Abbie had given up finding the perfect man and contents herself with a fulfilling single life as the owner of a bakery and doting aunt. On Christmas Eve on a whim she quickly scrawls a note to Santa asking for a man. She sets the note out with a can of Pringles and a Coke and goes to bed. Of course, in the morning she is shocked to find a handsome man who has no idea how he got there. And yes he had eaten the chips and drank the Coke. The pace slows but keeps you interested enough to the last page. Of course you have to find out if the man with SBC on his silk pajamas really did come from Santa. It's reminiscent of the movie "Santa Clause" and old Christmas comedies. This book is an unapologetic light and a feel-good read for women who want to escape for a few hours. It won't change your life, but I don't think it was meant to. I believe it is available in most LDS bookstores.

2. Another one of my friends, Anne Bradshaw, has really worked hard to put out a great help to LDS families. Anne compiled a wonderful idea book of family home evening ideas from Mormons that are somewhat recognizable or outstanding in some way. I say all this a little hesitantly because an idea from me is on page 149. I hesitated to be included in this book because she called it "Famous Family Nights," and I'm neither famous or good at family home evenings. However it's an honor to be included in this fun little book. One of my favorite posts comes from Matthew Buckley author of the "Chicken in the Headlights" books describing his brother measuring belly button lint. Doesn't that remind you of some of your attempts at FHE? Anyway, there are some spiritual posts too and some that are really of help. I can see this being a wonderful gift for grandparents to give to their children or Home teachers or Visiting Teachers to give to their families. Wouldn't that be fun Christmas gift? Do not let the cover put you off. I have to say I am not a fan of the cover which makes it look like it is for little kids. This is a book for all age families. My post deals with adult children so I know this is true. Anyway it is also available in LDS bookstores and at Anne's website.

Sasquatch was here!

Recently I talked to a neighbor who saw prints of what in her opinion could only have been made by Sasquatch. The prints were clearing imprinted in the sediment in the bottom of the empty canal in the spring before the water was released. Unfortunately there was just enough seepage in the bottom of the canal to erase the prints before she was able to document them. She did however find a very good print on the side of the canal that had not been obliterated. If you found prints what would you do? Probably exactly what she did, she went to find a neighbor to show so someone else could witness the sighting. But the neighbor brought his dogs who ran through and ruined the print.

Well I had never met my neighbor and her story had superseded the meeting with her. In other words I'd heard about her belief. And I like anyone else would have assumed she was a bit off. But here's the rub. She's not. She's as sane as you or I. Well as sane as I am and I'm here to tell you, she believes what she saw could only have been made by Sasquatch which means he or she came very close to our house. So is that cool? Yeah, I think so.