I've been thinking lately about the power of our technology. I can send friends and family e-mails that are transmitted immediately. We carry cell phones, pagers, PDAs, iPods. . .and the list goes on and on. The good news is that these things can be used to keep us organized and provide opportunities to stay in close contact with those we cherish most (including our GV1st blogging friends). Unfortunately, as with most good things, Satan tries to use them to do evil. Take special care to protect yourself & your family against such evils that have the power to destroy.

It might be a good thing to discuss in your next family home evening. The Church website has a number of great articles & advice. Click HERE for more information.

Elder L. Edward Brown of the Seventy taught:

"You live in a world of technological miracles. You have access through the Internet to resources one cannot begin to imagine. However, lurking there as well is a sinister evil, as deadly as a rapidly growing cancer. If you allow this pornographic disease a place in your heart, the Spirit withdraws itself and, ere you are aware, you are left alone and vulnerable (see D&C 121:37). You must avoid that pornographic playground. The same self-discipline is required relative to the materials you choose to read and the videos you may select to view. Pornography is poison!" ("Bring Your Mission Home with You," Ensign, Dec. 2000, 18)

Give a Little

For any of you who might be interested in donating materials, Marlayne & her daughters are making quilts for Humanitarian Aid (yes, they are quite amazing & wonderful--the quilts & the hands who make them) & would welcome donations.

Last year I was blessed to help with the Women's Conference service projects and one of the things I enjoyed most about the experience was the training we received at the Humanitarian Aid Center. If any of you have seen the short film they present there, you'll undoubtedly recall Zora Mae. . .the sister who is legally blind & sews quilts to be sent to babies/children throughout the world. That little Zora Mae gets me crying every time. If she can do a little more to help those who need it, so can I.

Playgroup

Don't miss playgroup--Wednesday morning between 9-11am at the home of Caroline S. It's loads of fun!

What's Your Story?

Just a friendly reminder that this Wednesday evening is our Everyone Has a Story class. 7:30 pm in the room next to the primary room. The topic is "Home appliances, home cleaning and maintenance materials."

A Syrup Testimony

First of all, please note that the original recipe for the apricot syrup I posted last week was weird (totally my fault, but now correct). A big thank you those who so sweetly and subtly caught my accidental error.

Secondly, an apology that our blog has been post free the past few days. I went to visit my family in Idaho. That might seem completely irrelevant to some, but the fact that we made the apricot syrup recipe & dined on the most amazing pancakes you've ever experienced make this declaration more than relevant. Let me just testify to the goodness that is this apricot syrup. If you have apricots on your tree or lurking in your local farmer's market, pull out the puree and the sugar. . .you'll definitely be in for a sweet time (and an easy one, too).

Please note that I don't typically drink my syrup, but this recipe is sooo good that I succumbed to the temptation.

Pancakes & Syrup Anyone?

On Saturday, a group of SWEET sisters learned to make apricot syrup and afterward enjoyed it on some healthy pancakes.

Margie H. was kind enough to share the recipe. I'm going to make a batch this weekend. I've heard rumor that it's the best syrup in the world. . .and my sources are completely reliable.

APRICOT SYRUP
4 cups of pureed apricots
add 1 cup water
mix together in pan
add 3 TB lemon juice and 4 cups sugar
bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil 5 min. continuing to stir.
Put in jars. Put jars in canner with hot water. Water should be 1 inch above jars. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars, let seal and cool.

HEARTY PANCAKE MIX
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups finely crushed cornflakes
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 TB sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients: Mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. Yield: 5 batches.

To prepare pancakes , combine 1 1/2 cups mix, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 egg and 1 TB oil, whisk just until moistened.

Yield--10 pancakes

Ward Temple Night

Don't forget--ward temple night is TONIGHT! Meet in the chapel at 6pm to attend the 6:20 session.

Pioneer Children Sang

AS THEY WALKED & WALKED & WALKED. . .

to the ward Pioneer Day Breakfast. 7-9AM July 24th at the church!

More Recipes

More recipes from last week's Iron Chef Cheese Affair. Every time Rachel sends me a new recipe I get a little sad that I wasn't there to partake of the goodness. . .there's always next month!

OREO TRUFFLES by Jill F.

Now about this recipe: in the store you can buy either white or brown almond
bark. So if you wanted you could do the "inverted" or brown drizzled
atop the white chocolate truffle. Anyway just food for thought!

1 lb Oreo cookies (3 sleeves)
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (using different extracts allows for
subtle flavour changes...I've used mint extract, upped to 1 tsp)
(optional)
1 lb almond bark (you'll find it in the aisle with all the choco chips
& such)
1/2 lb white chocolate

Directions
1 Using a food processor, grind cookies to a fine powder.
2 With a mixer, blend cookie powder, cream cheese and vanilla
extract until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of
cream cheese).
3 Roll into small balls and place on wax-lined cookie sheet.
4 Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
5 Line two cookie sheets with wax paper.
6 In double-boiler, melt milk chocolate.
7 Dip balls and coat thoroughly
8 With slotted spoon, lift balls out of chocolate and let
excess chocolate drip off.
9 Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet.
10 In separate double boiler, melt white chocolate.
11 Using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over balls.
12 Let cool. Then store in airtight container, in refrigerator.

Easy Cream Cheesy Bars by McKenna C.

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 cup white sugar

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13 inch pan with tin foil.

2. Press on can of crescent roll dough into the bottom of your pan. In a medium bowl, blend together the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over the cresant roll layer. Unroll the second can of cresant roll dough and lay it on top of the cream cheese layer. Do not press this layer down. Pour melted margarine over the entire pan. Combine remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of your cresant layer.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden.

(Note: I like these better served cold, so I would suggest refrigerating for four hours. Pretty easy!!)

Croissant Lasagna by Sarah D.

Bake 350 degrees, 20 minutes

Meat Filling:
1/2 lb sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 C onion
3/4 clove garlic
1 TBSP parsley
1 - 6 oz tomato paste or sauce
1/2 tsp basil leaf
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt

Cheese Filling
1 C cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Crust
2 cans croissant or homemade rolls
2 slices mozzarella cheese

1-Brown meat in large skillet and add onion, garlic, parsley, tomato paste and seasonings.
2-Combine cheese ingredients in a separate bowl.
3-Unroll dough and place on an ungreased cookie sheet overlapping the edges slightly to form about 15 x 13 inch rectangle.
4-Spread half your meat filling length wise down center of dough within one inch of crust sides.
5-Top meat filling with all of the cheese filling. Then spoon out the rest of the meat filling over cheese. Place mozzarella on top.
6-Fold over the short end of dough one inch and then pull the sides over the filling, overlapping about 1/4 inch.
7-Bake and slice to serve.

Don't Eat Pete

Enjoy this beautiful summer weather with your children. After your formal FHE, take some time to be together. . .laugh together. . .play together.

What you will need:

A big bag of small pieces of candies like M&M's, mini M&M's, Skittle, Smarties (work best). Make sure it is something that everybody like.
A printout of THIS chart

DON'T EAT PETE!!!

Set the printout on a table. Put a piece of candy in the middle of each square. Send one person out of the room. Everyone remaining in the room agree on which piece of candy on the chart will be "Pete". Once decided, the person re-enters the room and starts eating pieces of candy from the chart. As soon as that person picks up "Pete" everyone at the table yells "DON'T EAT PETE!" the game continues until everyone has had one or two turns to leave the room.

If you're interested in other fun games to play for FHE fun, visit this great site.

Playin' All Over the Place

This weeks' playgroup will meet this Tuesday July 23^rd from 9–11 AM. Playtime at the church nursery room. Call Caroline S. with ?’s.

Another Iron Chef Success

Word on the street is that our Grandview Iron Chef Cheese Night was another success. As usual, Rachel is ON TOP of things & has collected the following recipes. If anyone wants to add to our cheesy goodness, please send us an e-mail. . .even if you weren't able to attend, we'd still love your favorite cheese recipe.

Chili Cheese Dip by Janice A.

Heat 8oz of Cream Cheese with 15oz can of Chili with NO BEANS until well 

mixed and heated.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Pastry-Wrapped Dill Cream Cheese Spread by Rachel B.

1 block cream cheese

1 tube crescent rolls

Dried dill (or your favorite dried herb)

Crackers

Lay out the crescent roll dough on a lightly floured surface and press seams together until it makes one large rectangle. Completely cover the cream cheese block with dried dill. Place the dill-covered cream cheese block on the dough. Encase the cream cheese in dough (you can decorate it with any left-over dough). Bake according to crescent roll directions until golden brown. Serve with crackers.

Cheese Ball by Amanda Butterfield

28 oz cream cheese

1 5-oz bottle Kraft Old English Cheese

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp parsley flakes

1 ½ Tbsp dried onion flakes

Sliced almonds to coat

Mix together and chill 1 hour. Then roll into ball and cover with sliced almonds. Best if made the day before.

Steve’s Macaroni and Cheese by Diane R.

6 cups of water

1 Tbsp of table salt

1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese shredded (or you can experiment with mixtures of different cheeses)

1 pound of elbow macaroni (I like Ronzoni brand, it’s about a dollar a box)

1 ½ cans of evaporated milk

2 large eggs

1 stick of butter

½ tsp of powdered mustard dissolved in 1 Tbsp of cold water

Hot pepper sauce to taste (I prefer Frank’s Red Hot; I usually give it 6 to 8 shots)

2 tsp kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

For the topping:

¾ cup of fresh bread crumbs (you can also used crushed saltines)

3 Tbsp of butter

In a 12-inch skillet melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs or saltines stirring until the butter is absorbed. Take off the heat, set it aside, and let cool.

For the Mac-n-Cheese:

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and then add a Tbsp of table salt. Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente – take out a piece and after it cools test it with your teeth; if it is still a little firm, but not crunchy, it’s done.

While the pasta cooks beat the eggs in a bowl; add one can of evaporated milk, mustard, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper and mix well. When the pasta is done drain it in a colander and return it to the pot. Reduce the burner to medium low and add the butter to the pasta in the pot. Place it on the burner and melt the butter. Add the milk and egg mixture and about a third of the cheese. Stir until the cheese starts to melt. Add another third of the cheese, and continue stirring. Reserve about a half cup of the cheese for the topping, but add the remaining cheese and as much of the second can of condensed milk as needed to make a creamy sauce (I usually add about half of the 2^nd can). Taste it, and add more salt if you need to at this point.

Turn on your broiler. Pour the mac and cheese into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Mix the reserved cheese with the cooled breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over the top of the mac and cheese. Place on the middle rack of the oven and broil until it is just golden brown, about a minute. Serve immediately.

TIP: We like to freeze about half of it for another day when we can’t bother cooking, or in lunch portions.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese by D. Moore

½ pound elbow macaroni

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp powdered mustard

3 cups milk

½ cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 bay leaf

½ tsp paprika

1 large egg

12 oz sharp cheddar, shredded

1 tsp kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Topping:

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in ¾ of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Remember to save the leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

An EGGceptional Tip

A Preparedness Tip from our friends on the Emergency Preparedness Committee:

Egg substitute (for use in baking) Before starting recipe for cookies, cake, etc., combine 1tsp unflavored gelatin with 3 Tbsp. cold water and 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. boiling water. This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.

Life is full of surprises, huh?

Picnic In the Park

Don't forget that tomorrow evening is the Grandview Stake Pioneer Day Celebration!

PICNIC in the PARK

Friday, July 18, 2008
6:00 to 8:00 PM
Lion's Park
1280 North 950 West, Provo
Live Music, Food, Fun and Games
Bring the Whole Family!

1st Ward is in charge of Chips and Cookies. Don't forget your assignment if you signed up!

SAY CHEESE

Today, in honor of the impending Iron Chef challenge, I offer one of my favorite cheesy comfort foods--I hope you all enjoy it. A big thank you to Rachel for organizing another evening of culinary delight!Cheesy Vegetable Soup

1 can chicken broth 1 ¾ cup milk

¼ cup shredded/chopped carrot ½ cup flour

¼ cup celery dash of pepper

Onion 2 cups shredded cheese

Potatoes

Boil broth and vegetables 6-8 minutes or until tender. Mix milk, flour and a dash of pepper. Add to broth mixture. Stir until thick and bubbly. Stir in 2 cups American cheese. This is wonderful in a bread bowl.

My Life Story on JULY 30th

For those involved in our life story class, please make note that the date has been changed to July 30th. There was a conflict of some kind. The topic for this month is "Home appliances, home cleaning and maintenance materials (cleaning implements, soaps, detergents, waxes, floor protectives, paints). Class is at 7:30 pm at the church. Please take special note that stories need to be kept to a 5 minute minimum so everyone will have time to share.

Book Group

For those of you interested in becoming involved in Book Group, we will be meeting again on Wednesday, August 8th at 8pm. The group is reading "When the Emperor Was Divine" by Julie Otsuka.

Start reading today & you'll be ready for an evening of wonderful discussion & literary commentary.

Iron Chef Thursday!

Come show off your cooking skills in our fun, new Enrichment Group –
Iron Chef: Grandview 1^st

Each month prepare one dish (appetizer, entrée, side, salad, dessert or drink) using our “secret ingredient” and then bring it and the recipe to share (or you can e-mail your recipe).

Let’s have fun, taste what others have created and swap recipes!

The secret ingredient for July is: Cheese!!!

Thursday, July 17th

Willowbrook Clubhouse

6:00-7:00 PM

(a children’s class will be provided)

Words of Wisdom

Sister Miner gave a beautiful lesson in Relief Society on Sunday. First of all, she is darling & I love hearing about her life. The message was about obedience & the importance of heeding counsel and commands. Jalyn quoted a saying that her mom posted in their home. It touched me--"When the prophets speak, the debate is over." How simple. How profound. How important.

Next week's lesson is #14 entitled--"Words of Hope & Consolation at the Time of Death." Sister Miner encouraged us to read ahead--to study & to pray about the lesson. . . .the debate is over.

MMMmmm Good

BYU Mint Brownies

1 c. margarine
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs 1 c. chopped walnuts
2 c. sugar
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)

MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Play Group!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

9am - 11am

Caroline’s House

1680 Woodland Drive (bldg 7 Willowbrook)

Looking for a place other than your house for your kids to play? Come to mine!!! Plenty of toys and friends… THE MORE THE MERRIER! Fun for ALL ages!

Bag IT

So I have Enrichment on the brain. I'm thinking about August & all of the possible options. . .oh, they are limitless & wonderful. I came across this cute little number in my search & thought I'd share.

If any of our blogging viewers have anything they've had a hankering to learn, discover, or better, let me know & we'll discuss it at our next committee meeting. The floor is open to suggestions & inspiration.Excuse me, but how cute are these? For instructions visit this website.

Organize Yourselves

I'm in the mood to organize. It might have something to do with my recently found love affair with my air conditioner & a desire to stay inside during the heat of the day. What better way to use my time than do a bit of tidying up. For anyone else with a desire to simplify & bring feelings of zen to life's chaos--check out THIS website. It has some amazing hints & tips.

Play Group This WEEK

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

10am - NOON

Willowbrook Pool

Come swim at the Willowbrook pool. Kids or no kids come! Sun, FUN, and friends are available!!!

No Key? Don’t worry! We will let you in the pool area.

Calculate

Ever thought you needed a special calculator to help figure out how much food storage your family needs? Well, here you go--your very own personal food storage calculator!

Food Storage Calculator

This calculator is designed to help you determine your longer-term food storage needs.

The suggested amounts are for an adult.

U.S. Standard or Metric

	Number of people in the home:
	Number of months of storage wanted:
Suggested amount		Calculated amount
(person/month)
25 lb.	Wheat, white rice, corn, and other grains
5 lb.	Dry beans and other legumes

You may also want to add other items such as sugar, nonfat dry milk, salt, baking soda, and cooking oil. To meet nutritional needs, also store foods containing Vitamin C and other essential nutrients.

Dinnertime Inspiration

Wondering again what to have for dinner? Take a look at this fun blog. There are some amazing looking meals. . .pretty quick & easy for summer enjoyment!

July Visiting Teaching

This month's Visiting Teaching message can be found HERE. Take a moment today to review these words and give your sisters a call today.

Fast & Easy 4th

Looking for quick way to add some last minute sparkle to your 4th of July plans? Look no further than your local bakery.

Safety First

Please have a safe holiday. Take a moment to review these firework safety tips!

USE FIREWORKS OUTDOORS ONLY.

OBEY LOCAL LAWS. IF FIREWORKS ARE NOT LEGAL WHERE YOU LIVE, DO NOT USE THEM!

ALWAYS HAVE WATER HANDY (A HOSE OR BUCKETS OF WATER)

ONLY USE FIREWORKS AS INTENDED. DON’T TRY TO ALTER THEM OR COMBINE THEM.

NEVER RE-LIGHT A “DUD” FIREWORK (WAIT 20 MINUTES AND THEN SOAK IT IN A BUCKET OF WATER)

USE COMMON SENSE WHEN USING FIREWORKS. SPECTATORS SHOULD KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE SHOOTER. AND THE SHOOTER SHOULD WEAR SAFETY GLASSES.

ALCOHOL AND FIREWORKS DO NOT MIX. HAVE A “DESIGNATED “SHOOTER

ONLY PERSON OVER AGE 12 SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HANDLE SPARKLERS OF ANY TYPE.

DO NOT EVER USE HOMEMADE FIREWORKS OR ILLEGAL EXPLOSIVES; THEY CAN KILL YOU! REPORT ILLEGAL EXPLOSIVES TO THE FIRE OR POLICE DEPARTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

Humanitarian Committee

For the summer the Humanitarian Committee would like to help provide opportunities for ward members with their families, spouses or roommates to teach each other about service and then have projects to provide service. These projects would include things that even children could help with; give them an opportunity to serve when they say "I'm bored". Donations are needed to get this going which can include: fabric, fleece, batting, scrap wood (for blocks), sand paper, office file folders (for folder games) and monetary donations. Monetary donations can be given to any of the members of the Humanitarian Committee. More details for the projects will be announced in the future.

Holiday Treat

This is a quick, simple, and festive dessert for your 4th of July celebration!

By Paula Deen
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 vanilla wafers
1 (21-ounce) can blueberry filling, or other pie fillingPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a muffin pan.

Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Place a vanilla wafer, flat side down, in each muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely. Serve with blueberry filling on top, or pie filling of your choice.

Picking the Perfect Melon

Picking Ripe Watermelon

By Saad Fayed, About.com

See More About:

• how to ripen fruit
• recipes with watermelon
• tips for picking fresh fruits

Question: Picking Ripe Watermelon

How can I tell if a watermelon is ripe at the supermarket?

Answer: Watermelon has to be the fruit that truly epitomizes summer in the USA. Well, when it's ripe. Unripe watermelon is a big disappointment! You spend all that time cutting this huge melon, only to find it not be to sweet and juicy as you imagined.

Tips for Picking a Ripe Watermelon

I have found one of the best places to buy a watermelon is from your local farmer's market or fruit stand. Fruits like watermelon are picked when ripe, unlike those found in supermarkets. Watermelons sold in commercial grocery stores are often picked early,so they can ripen while being transported. However, the melons can arrive too early, even too late, and making them, well, just not good.

Look for a melon that is nice looking, meaning free of dents, bruises, cuts, etc. Check under the melon - if it has a yellow or light bottom, it should be ripe. If it's stripes are found all around the melon, pass on it. It's just not ready yet.

You may see people at the market tapping on watermelon. What exactly are they listening for? The are checking for signs of hollowness. It is sounds hollow, its ripe. Not hollow, unripe.

Look for a heavy melon. Watermelons are made up of mostly water, so an ideal melon should be heavy for its size.

Up Up & AWAY

Load up the kids early Thursday, Friday, or Saturday morning for BALLOON FEST.

Start Time		Location		Date(s)
6:30 am		Fox Field, 1100 North Freedom Boulevard, Provo		July 3, 4 & 5, 2008

It's one of my favorite Freedom Celebration activities. Your kids will love it. . .and you will, too!