Chile verde

Photo credit: GourmetSleuth.com

That's Green Chili for all you gringos out there.

First, a note about salsa verde. The first time I was introduced to green salsa was in the summer of 1996 in Santa Barbara, a tiny rancho outside of Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. I was participating in BYU's Mexico Literacy program, the economical, third-world, hands-on version of study-abroad.

One of my GED students (the Mexican equivalent) showed me how to make salsa verde while I took detailed notes and then relied mostly on my memory to make it when I got back to Texas.

The instructions consisted of "about this many tomatillos and a serrano pepper boiled until they change color, blended in a blender with a clove of garlic and about this much salt." I tried to estimate how many "this many" and "this much" was as I looked at the pot of tomatillos and the salt in her hand.

When I started making it for my family, the hotter (spicier) it was, the better. Why use one pepper when I can use three or four? Since then I've lost interest in burning the feeling out of my tongue, but I still love green salsa.

When I came across this recipe for chile verde, I fell in love with it the first time I tried it. It's like a very, very glorified, meal-version of salsa verde. Once you have it simmering, cook some rice, warm up some corn tortillas in a hot pan, and enjoy one of the best meals ever invented. Thank you Simply Recipes!!

Each life that touches ours for good

As many of you know, I taught the Valiant 12 class in our ward for just over a year. I got to meet and teach some truly valiant young people.

Some recent and upcoming events have helped me to understand a little better why these kids are the way they are. In short, they have valiant parents.

Earlier in the year we found out that a member of our ward (dad of one of my class) has a serious condition with cysts in his kidneys, and that he needs a kidney transplant to survive. Family members, friends, and members of our ward went to be tested for a match.

Our newly called bishop's wife (mother of one of my class) was found to be a strong match. After considering and counseling with her family and the Lord, she felt that she should go ahead with the procedure. Our bishop has invited our ward to join him and the two families in fasting and prayer on Thursday, May 1st, the day of the surgery.

Today our ward primary president and I spent the day making blankets from the primary for Brother Mark Aldana and Sister Melissa Kimball to let them know we are thinking of them and to let them literally wrap themselves in our love.

I would like to invite all of you, my family and friends, to join in fasting and prayer if you are able and feel so inclined. These two people, their spouses, and their children have become very dear to us in the past 2 years that we have lived in Lubbock. They have become our ward family and have taken care of us while we have been far from you, and they have helped me to learn better by their examples what it is to be a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ranch Day!

To celebrate Grandma Ellen's birthday this year, we went to Ranch Day at the National Ranching Heritage Center.

As we entered, we picked up a Ranch Hand time card and a list of day work opportunities. We ground dried corn into cornmeal with a rock. We branded cattle (a wooden cut out and paint). We wrote our names in Morse code at the train depot, and then we got on the train to check out the inside of the caboose.

Jack really got into churning butter. It's an action shot. Doesn't Jack's hair look red in this picture? It's really not. It's blond, blond, blond.


Ellen passed up the cobbler at the first chuck wagon, but by the time we got to the second one, we were all getting hungry for pinto beans.


We washed some dishes in a bucket on our way to watch a horse training demonstration. We got to sit on bales of hay right next to the fence and see the horses up close.

Next we headed for the craft tables to see what was going on. What was going on was stick horse making! While we waited our turn, a real live rodeo princess helped Ellen make a sash, a crown, and a belt with a Texas-sized belt buckle.

At this point, Ellen was starting to get into things, but she wanted Mommy to dress up and refused to put it on herself. Sorry, no pictures. It's really hard to take lots of cute pictures when it's just me.

After we made our stick horses, Ellen rode hers on over to the hotel to turn the ice cream crank and have a sample. Then I saw that we could ride horses. (Led by a trainer once around a ring.) The conversation with Ellen went like this:

Mommy: Ellen, do you want to ride a horse?

Ellen: No.

Mommy: How about if I walk next to you?

Ellen: No.

Mommy: How about if I ride with you?

Ellen: No.

Mommy: I'll be right there with you.

Ellen: No.

So I was pretty sure that Ellen did not want to ride the horse, and at this point I didn't want our waiting in line to be for nothing, so I asked the man getting all the parents to sign waivers if Jack could ride the horse. He said sure, so I lifted Jack up onto the horse, and then he started to cry.

So I got on the horse and the man handed Jack up. This time he was okay with it. And as soon as we started walking, he started laughing. And Ellen watched.



When we got off, she still didn't want to ride the horse, so we moved on to washing in a washbasin. Since it involved water, rags, water, soap, water, and water, Ellen could have stayed at this work station for the rest of the day. I literally had to drag her away to the clothes line so another kid could have a turn. Washing turned out to be a popular activity for lots of kids.

After we filled our time card with stamps we headed for the ranch office to get paid. A whole whopping 50 cents! Of course, that was worth a lot back in the day. On Ranch Day, it was worth your choice of: a bandanna, a sheriff's badge, stickers, a buzz saw (the toy, not the tool), a wooden yo-yo, or some stick candy.



We had a great, great time, and we were only there for a couple of hours. This was easily a whole day's worth of fun had I wanted to stay that long. As it was, Jack fell asleep in the stroller from the excitement of it all and Ellen was pretty much done once she picked out her stick candy.

Happy Ranching!

Film at eleven.

Details coming soon . . .

Why I love Malt-O-Meal.

I realize that some, perhaps many, of you will find this disgusting and maybe disturbing. Especially if you don't love Malt-O-Meal.

Ellen asked me for cereal for a snack last week. She specifically wanted Malt-O-Meal. So we made it and while we were waiting for it to cool in the refrigerator, we went on to other activities.

When we remembered the snack, I found the bowl of Malt-O-Meal perfectly cooled. And in a solid form. It came right out of the bowl onto a plate, like Jell-0. Right out of the heart-shaped princess bowl.



Ellen had already begun tasting the yummy goodness. Sorry about my laundry in the background. It's solid, so it doesn't drip when you spoon it into your mouth. It's cold, so it doesn't burn your tongue. You can even cut it into squares and eat it with your fingers without too much mess.


And you can feed your baby brother on a picnic blanket in the living room without making a mess. And it's not candy, popsicles, Dora cinnamon stars sugared cereal, jelly, or sugary in any way. We like our Malt-O-Meal with a dash of salt and some butter. Or Smart Balance. Whatever we have handy.

Yum!

Because I can.

All because of the Science Spectrum

When the weather here is too cold, or too hot, or too windy (this one in particular is no joke), instead of going to a park, we go to the Science Spectrum. It's our local science museum with all kinds of hands-on science exhibits. One of our favorite parts is a whole room of fun stuff just for the younger than 5 crowd.

We're talking running water with boats, locks and dams, smocks to keep you dry, life-sized tinker toys, a puppet show area with a camera so you can see yourself on television, kiddie rollercoasters, drums, and more. Yesterday the craft lady was there, and while Ellen spent 30 minutes glued to her chair coloring her paper solid purple, Jack rode the roller coaster, played with blocks, controlled water guns, and pushed cars around.

When Daddy got home from school, we had a little errand to run in the car all together. So as soon as I picked up the car keys, Jack was just about biting my kneecaps off to get them from me. I handed them to him, and he turned and walked across the living room to the door. Daddy was shocked. I told him that's what happens when you take your kids to a science museum. It makes them smart.



Wearing cool glasses also makes your kids smart, right?

Spice of life

So I came out of Jack's bedroom after putting him in his bed last night, and I found Ellen had pushed a chair over to the kitchen counter, climbed up and had taken all the spice jars out of my spice rack.

The jars come in a matching set with labels only on the lid. The jars are perfectly clear. Perhaps you can see where this is going. Ellen had carefully lined all 16 jars in front of her and had removed every single lid. I have no idea what she was planning to do next.

At this point I was thinking, well, thank goodness for all those "guess the mystery spice" games at all those bridal showers I've been to. And that thyme, savory, and marjoram all look basically the same in the dried, crushed form.

Lubbock

Here we have Chelsea, Bentley, Braden in red, Maria holding Nadia with Anya in front, Ellen, and Jack. I'm taking the picture after "gardening" at the temple.

A couple of weeks ago we all met up, but no one came to open the gate so we walked around and around the temple, picked weeds, and picked up trash. Ellen pushed Jack right off the sidewalk over the curb. It was really scary for him and me, but he didn't even end up with a bruise.

Did I mention it has been really light gardening? Deadheading (pinching off spent flowers), and today I found two weeds. It hasn't rained here in a while, so the flowers are getting a little dry. At least the weeds can't grow either. We were there for about 45 minutes, which is about all we can handle before Ellen wants to start jumping off benches and things.

In a couple of weeks the real fun begins! We get to dig up all the flower beds and plant all new flowers. I'll have to break out my gardening gloves then.

Joining the family business

Ellen set the bar pretty high when she started showing a proficiency for certain household tasks at the tender age of 16 months.

I was surprised, but glad to let her try out some of the responsibilities of running the family business. I mean, isn't a major rationale for having children knowing that the day will come that I never have to take the trash out again?

Just kidding. I do believe that doing chores is an important part of growing up, but it's not like I expect our two-year-old to check off squares on a job chart.


Note the front-loading washer and dryer with controls also conveniently located on the front. At toddler height. The start button is a diamond (again, convenient) to differentiate it from the other circular buttons. On several occasions, Jack has started the washer and dryer without my asking him to. So considerate. I really hope that trait carries over into the teenage years.



Jack also loves starting the dishwasher. There's nothing like the sound of every appliance in the house running.

Now, vacuuming is basically my favorite chore of all. I love my equipment. I love the way the attachments work. I love that I can do corners and edges without a lot of hassle, and I love the sound of clicking and whooshing up the metal wand as my floors become clean.

Ellen has only recently shown any interest at all in vacuuming. She used to be scared of the vacuum cleaner, and usually she still likes to sit safely on the couch and leave the dirty work to me. Jack, on the other hand, chases the vacuum around while I'm working. Today he got very, very excited to see the vacuum in action. He wanted to try it out himself.

He also had a temper tantrum like I never would have expected from this normally mild-mannered boy when I told him it was Ellen's turn. She didn't want her baby brother showing her up, so she took great interest in vacuuming.

For a 14-month-old (today!!) child who doesn't walk on his own, I'd say he is a mighty fine vacuum cleaner operator. This act alone has pretty much secured him a permanent spot in the family business.

Primary music

Our Primary music leader just had a baby, so I have been leading singing time last week and this week. I love Primary songs.

We're learning one I'd never heard before called Jesus Is My Shepherd. As I was holding the pictures and reviewing the song with the children last Sunday, the words started to sink in for me as well. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.


Jesus Is My Shepherd
Words and music by Tammy Simister Robinson

1. Jesus is my Shepherd. I'm His precious lamb.
Tenderly He guides me with His gentle hand.
Calm are waters where He leads.
Green are pastures where He feed me.
Jesus is my Shepherd. He loves me.

2. Jesus is my Shepherd. Jesus knows my name.
For His sheep are numbered; each He loves the same.
If my tiny feet should roam
He would seek to bring me home.
Jesus is my Shepherd. He loves me. He loves me.

The Starks Salon

From the time Ellen was a tiny baby, this is about all we've been able to do with her hair. She only has the headband on here because she's sleeping. If she had been awake, it would have been off in two seconds. So I haven't really bothered. And Ellen's hair is as straight as it gets. There's not a natural curl gene in that fuzz.


While we were in Idaho getting ready for Eric and Callie's wedding, Ellen became very interested in Grandma's rollers. She watched Grandma roll her hair, and then when Grandma asked Ellen if she wanted rollers, Ellen gave her an enthusiastic "yeah!" After they were all in, she was ready to have them out, though.


Ever since her second birthday last November, when she got ponytail holders and hairbows for presents, we've been working on both Ellen and her hair.


Now she'll sit still for ponytails and on Sundays she'll even ask for hairspray. It doesn't do much, but since I'm not that big of a product girl myself, I usually just let her go.

I did buy some rollers like Grandma's, and when I cut my hair, I was really glad I had done that. Now on the mornings I roll my hair, Ellen wants her hair fixed, too. I'll even let her have rollers and fix her hair after her bath, right before bedtime. It's all about practicing sitting still.

Oh, and we had a bowmaking class for our playgroup a few weeks ago. I made some adorable bows for Ellen to wear. Suffice it to say that we haven't made that much progress yet. No frou-frou girls here yet.

New friends

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Aunt Sarah!

Jack loves his new friend. When Uncle David made the delivery, he gave Pooh* a huge hug.


Sorry this one's a little blurry. We had some action shots. But I love how Jack has his little hand on Pooh's nose, and his other hand on the back of his neck. This is how he gives hugs.


Ellen wanted to get in on the hugging. Here she is with Eeyore, her one-year-old birthday present from Aunt Sarah.


And here's the whole gang. Ellen's doing her hair to match Eeyore.


Pink, pink, pink. Cute, cute, cute.

*Yes, Pooh is actually the same size as Jack. I love it!

I miss the bluebonnets

As far as I can tell, Lubbock doesn't have many wildflowers. I really miss the spring bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and daisies all along the highways and fields of central Texas.

We have lots of wind, though. And cotton.

Happy Birthday to our friend Eli's pet stuffed horse.

We walked over to visit our friends Eli and Haven and their mom. Before we left, they gave us some "chocolate muffins" (a.k.a. cupcakes) to take home with us. They were celebrating Eli's pet stuffed horse's birthday.

Ellen carried the chocolate muffins all the way home in her lap in the stroller, and of course as soon as we got home, she wanted a muffin. So we ate dinner first, and then got out the muffins.



When Jack is relaxing, he likes to have one arm straight up in the air. I think he was really chill for the camera because he was enjoying his chocolate muffin right after having eaten an entire bowl of pinto beans for dinner all by himself.

Jack usually turns his nose up at the lowly pinto bean, but after following the pioneer woman's recipe for cooking pinto beans, (but I used a crock pot) I added lime juice and chopped cilantro right before serving them. It was probably the lime juice that hooked him.



I love this video because Ellen knew we were having chocolate muffins for a birthday, and she wanted to sing Happy Birthday here for grandma. Notice at the end of the video when I tell her that it's not her birthday. Hmmm.

Birthday Party

No, we haven't had any huge birthday parties for any of our kids yet, but Ellen was invited to her friend Dallin's birthday party. Dallin's mom invited all the kids parents to drop their kids off and go on a date. Then she took pictures of the party and emailed them to us!

Here's a side of Ellen you may not have seen before.

Here's Ellen, Dallin, Bentley, and Anya in the fish pool (from bottom, counter-clockwise).

Dallin loves Nemo. Ellen does, too, as a matter of fact. So the party had a fish theme. Left to right: Anya, Dallin, Ellen, Nadia.

I have no idea what she's looking at here, but it's cute.

I love how all the kids are all gathered around here, so intent on what's happening.

Ellen is overjoyed to be using a marker. Those are strictly regulated at our house. Here she's decorating a fish.

Bentley and Ellen.

Ready to roll!

Lately Ellen has been very insistent on carrying the keys for me when we go out to the car. Insistent here means if I don't hand over the keys, she may scream, cry, stamp her feet, stand in front of the door so we can't leave, refuse to walk, or run down the hall to her bed and bury her face in her pillow. I know that doesn't sound like my model-citizen child at all, but it has been known to happen.

So I usually let her carry the keys. Then one day she walked over to the car, unlocked the doors, opened the front driver's side door, popped the trunk, went around to the trunk, opened the trunk, got out a bottle of water, carried it around to the driver's side and dropped it into the cup holder, inserted the keys in the ignition . . .

And at this point I was finished buckling Jack into his car seat and realized what she was doing. Ellen doesn't know how to start the car yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Maybe I won't let her carry the keys so often. Talk about 2 going on 16!

Jack likes to carry the keys, too. He likes the way they jingle when he shakes them, and how they jingle in the wind that still surprises him and takes his breath away. He also likes it if, when we get to the car, I hold him even with the lock so he can insert the car key (yes, he knows which one it is) into the lock . . .

And just a side note about the photo from our day at the park: yes, Ellen is wearing a dress and pants. Note how well the pastel purple and flowered pants go with the larger floral print and brighter colors of the dress. She carefully selected and put the pants on herself. It was a little chilly that day, so that shows some real foresight on her part.

What a difference 15 years can make.

1979: David, Heather, Sarah, and Lorraine. When I found this photo, I kept wondering who that little blond girl was. Duh. I don't know whose house we're sitting in front of, though.


2004: 15 years later Heather had just gotten married and I was engaged. I drove up with my parents and single siblings on a family trip to see our grandparents and another sister who had just had a baby. Heather and her husband met us there.

Here we are with Grandma in front of the house in Mud Lake. I was looking for the picture of Heather and I on the porch at Grandma's when we were babies, but I settled for the above shot instead.

I've "been to Grandma's" several times since then, but she has since moved to a different house. This is the house I remember as a little girl, although I only ever went in or out the front door (shown here) once.

The back door was much more exciting because it was closer to the trampoline, the canal bank, the tree swing, and the garden. Inside it led to a long hall with food storage cupboards, a huge sink for washing up, and the kitchen.

We love fruit.

From the time Ellen had teeth to bite, she has loved eating apples. I, too, love that she loves eating apples. All I have to do is wash them. No opening, peeling, cutting, coring, slicing, dicing, or any other -ing. Just happy eating.

I recently discovered that Jack also loves to eat apples. And bananas. This may be due to the fact that he has been teething for several months now, and he now has a total of 14 teeth. Plenty of teeth for eating entire apples with the skins on. I may have felt a little guilty for not peeling and slicing apples and watching vigilantly while he eats to make sure he doesn't choke, but I'm pretty certain that Jack has enough teeth to get the job done.

Note that he is alternating between the apple in one hand and the banana in the other. He may be ambidextrous.

Note also that the kitchen counter in our previous apartment is identical to the counter in our current apartment. Down to the position of the fruit bowl. And that electric skillet is not plugged in.

Pecan Chicken

This is what your plate will look like after trying this Pecan Chicken recipe. Licked clean. I've made this twice, and not only is it fast and easy, but I liked it, the kids both liked it, and it got a slightly surprised "this is really good!" from Jack.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup gingersnap cookies, crushed (about 8-10 cookies)
1/2 cup pecans
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup fruit jam or preserves (so far I've tried apricot and black cherry)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Chop the pecans until they resemble coarse crumbs. Combine cookie crumbs with ground pecans in a pie plate. Brush chicken breasts with mustard, then dredge in pecan mixture, making sure to coat all sides. Place chicken on pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk juice, yogurt, and jam together until combined and warm. Serve over the top of each cooked chicken breast.

Makes: 4 servings

So I was thinking

that these two little old men have really come a long way in a year.


Just a few months ago they would barely acknowledge each other's presence even when it was unavoidable.


Now they're practically carrying on a conversation. Who knows what they're saying to each other. Probably something along the lines of:
Bentley: That's a spoon.
Jack: That's not a spoon. That's my spoon.
Bentley: Let me check that out for you.
Jack: Hey. Don't touch my spoon.

Now if you have a better conversation, click on the comment button and leave it there. I'm sure you can all come up with something better, now that I think about it. I'll post the best right here on this blog. There may or may not be a prize involved here.