Drive Your Own Kid

So my day to try and choose "that good part" didn't really go as planned yesterday; this situation messed up my intention completely...

Another mom in the ward has been on me for two weeks now to drive her kid to early morning seminary everyday. It's not that I dont' help when I can, but we're already taking three other people's kids, plus I have my other kids to worry about in the morning. This is a woman who doesn't have younger children, and didn't have to buy a second car just to even make early morning seminary possible for her own child. Three people in their household, each with their own job...eight people in my household and only my husband's income; YET she has the audacity to tell me she can't afford the gas money to take him everyday. Because of our schedule it would make all the kids in our car 5-10 minutes late everyday. I've explained this to her but she keeps insinuating that is not a big sacrifice when it means her son will be able to attend. WHAT? I have to sacrifice more gas money in the car we had to buy and insure, make my kids late, and make my other kids wait for me longer, but she can't simply get her rear out of bed and pay her own stinking gas money to get her OWN child to seminary.

So I've decided there has to be a line somewhere between serving one and another and becoming a sucker; and if I drive her kid I am being a sucker. I say learn some self reliance woman and drive your own kid.
*Notice the previously posted "make your own soup" article...ha, I was pretty proud of myself for making the connection to soup at such an early hour :))))

Grow Your Own Soup

“Now ’tis the spring, and weeds are shallow rooted …”

Shakespeare, King Henry, VI, part 2

In a Bohemian folk tale, a vagrant soldier surprises an entire town when he plunks two polished rocks into a caldron and says he’s going to make “stone soup.” The curious villagers are eager to have a taste, so they gladly bring a few carrots, onions, turnips, and other vegetables to spice up the broth, and everyone ends up with a good meal, even the soldier.

Church members, heeding President Spencer W. Kimball’s call to plant gardens, won’t likely be contributing their vegetables to someone’s stone soup. But they may, in cultivating their gardens, discover a delightful secret—they can grow many of the ingredients of a hearty soup, including spices, right in their own backyards.

In fact, the “soup garden” is a horticultural endeavor custom-tailored for the youth in the Church. With a little curiosity they can churn up enough information to cultivate a small but well-stocked garden and in the process learn about raising plants, help lower family food bills, and enliven dinner menus with fresh, home-grown produce. It doesn’t take a lot of ground, just a little careful planning.

Even if Mom and Dad have a large garden already, they would probably be glad to reserve a corner for their children’s soup section. Or if your family lives in an apartment, you may want to check special plants bred to grow in pots indoors or examine window garden ideas.

Whatever family members plan, they should keep one thing in mind: Gardening conditions vary widely. The best source of information will always be a local gardener who has had enough experience in the geographical area to know what will work and what won’t. Venture out to a local garden store, call a university extension service, maybe even visit a farm—it’s a fun way to meet new friends, and most vegetable lovers are glad to talk shop.

There are some gardening tips, however, that are acceptable almost everywhere. Brother Gene Christiansen of the Liberty Park Ward, Salt Lake Liberty Stake, who works for a large seed distribution and gardening company, offers a few suggestions for those who want to develop what he calls a “mini garden.”

To begin with, don’t overdo it. A small, well-tended garden will be a source of enjoyment; the burden of a too-large one will quickly drain enthusiasm. Rows are designed for large areas and use up space. A more practical planting procedure may be what professionals term the “French intensive method.” Keeping in mind that each plant must have room to mature, the gardener plants them as close together as possible. For example, rather than cultivating two or three rows of carrots, an entire small area could be planted. If the carrots are to grow to one or two inches in diameter, then they will need some room for soil in between, so individual plants should be about three inches in any direction from other carrots.

Most root vegetables can be grown fairly close together. However, instructions for spacing on seed packets are usually written with rows in mind. A rule of thumb would be to observe suggestions about distance between plants and disregard the recommendation about space between rows.

Sometimes vegetables can be intermingled, either with other vegetables in the same plot, or perhaps as borders in flower gardens. Some vegetables seem to thrive when interlaced with other plants throughout the landscaping.

Consider the possibility of planting quick-growing radishes between lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, or broccoli plants and then harvesting them as the leafy crops become large and start to crowd them out. Or use carrots as a border for a flower garden or red cabbages to add color to an otherwise green landscape. Another trick—alternate carrots and radishes in the same row. The radishes reach maturity sooner, so when they are harvested, the carrots are automatically thinned.

About the only plant that doesn’t do well on its own is corn—it needs the company of its own kind or it dwindles. Always plant it in clusters or rows, and count on the outside plants to be smaller than those in the center.

Another tip for a soup garden is to plant a crop with a short growing period as soon as possible, followed by another crop when the first one is harvested, such as peas followed by beans or beets.

While there may be room for an experiment or two, remember that the main function of the vegetable garden is to supply food; so stock it with family favorites. It’s possible to try growing just about anything if proper climate and soil conditions exist. But don’t get carried away with one exotic crop—it may become commonplace if it’s served for every meal. Plan for variety.

Spices and herbs are fairly easy to cultivate, and they will add zest to any soup. Red and green peppers thrive in many areas. Parsley is a colorful garnish and grows almost anywhere. Sage endures once it gets established and boasts an attractive flower. Chives grow successfully, even in an indoor pot, and can be trimmed repeatedly and still grow back. Garlic sprouts only from its own cloves and should be planted early, because it requires 120 days to mature. Thyme, anise, sweet marjoram, and basil are usually available on well-stocked seed racks, but oregano is hard to find. Check locally to see if other favorites are available.

Here are a few other general reminders:

—Vegetables need at least six hours of sunlight a day. If all that’s available is a low-light location, concentrate on leafy vegetables. Some other plants will grow in shade but will produce less and take longer to mature.

—The garden site should be relatively level. If there is a steep slope, run rows of plants across it. They will hold water longer and will help avoid erosion.

—Just about any soil will benefit from the addition of organic matter, such as manure, peat moss, or dead leaves. Also, before planting it’s a good idea to spade soil to a depth of 12 to 14 inches.

—Be careful with fertilizer. Lawn fertilizer will make plants produce lots of leaves and stems but not many vegetables. All fertilizers have a three-digit code. The normal one for vegetable gardens is 8-8-8 or 16-16-16.

—The simplest way to eliminate plant pests is to remove insects, worms, or eggs by hand. Remember to inspect plants regularly. Some shake-on powder or liquid bug sprays that are relatively safe include vegetable and tomato dusts, diazinon, and sevin. A local garden shop will know what they are.

—Give seeds a chance. Most people plant them too deep. Proper depth is approximately four times as deep as the seed is thick, which often isn’t very deep.

As the first vegetables begin to ripen, the rewards of all the hoeing and weed pulling start to manifest themselves. Mom’s potato soup may include spuds grown just outside the kitchen door, with a few onions chopped up and stirred into the cream to perk up the taste. Or perhaps the tomato soup will be made from scratch, using the fruits of some industrious deacon’s own vines.

Sound appetizing? Start planting now, then. Remember, though, that all the vegetables may not be ready at the same time. Some may need to be frozen or preserved in another way until you can mix all the ingredients (except the magic rocks) to stir up your favorite soup.

Peruvian Stew

An interesting way of including squash in soup, contributed by a sister from Peru.

Boil two or three soup bones with meat attached, along with a handful of rolled oats and a chopped onion, until tender. Add water as necessary. Then add:

Several small potatoes, cut up
Several pieces of peeled squash
2 or 3 turnips, cut up
2 or 3 carrots, cut up
1 or 2 apples, cut up
1 or 2 red potatoes, cut up
1 handful of rice

Boil until done, adding water as needed. Serve vegetables and meat on a plate, juice and rice in a bowl.

Pot-Au-Feu

This is a mainstay of French home cooking, a sort of modified pot roast with lots of vegetables. The recipe was obtained from a returned missionary from the Paris France Mission.

Remember that total preparation time may be as long as four hours, but most of the time the cook is just adding water.

In a pan of cold water, place several soup bones, pieces of chicken, or other favorite stew meat. The water should cover the meat. Add one-half teaspoon of salt. When the water is boiling, add the following vegetables:

2 or 3 potatoes
2 or 3 onions
Several carrots
1/2 of a small head of cabbage, cut in quarters
2 or 3 turnips
2 or 3 stalks of celery, including leaves
A packet of spices, called a “Bouquet garni,” made of the following: 3 or 4 sprigs of parsley, 1/2 bay leaf, and 2 sprigs of thyme, tied together for easy removal before serving (some like to include a garlic clove).

When the mixture starts to boil again, put the heat on simmer and let it cook for three hours. Serve with bread and Swiss cheese; grated cheese may be spooned into the broth.

Minestrone

An Italian soup. To make about four cups, simmer the following in a kettle for about an hour:

1 quart beef broth
1 handful chopped meat (beef, chicken, or ham)
1/2 cup kidney or lima beans (elbow macaroni or rice can be substituted)
1/2 cup fresh peas
1/2 cup chopped celery

Brown the following ingredients in butter or olive oil, then add to the others:

1/2 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 small minced onion
1/2 tablespoon parsley, garlic, or sage according to personal taste
1 diced carrot
1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Simmer for one-half hour, then serve. Some people like to add Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini Soup

6 tablespoons butter
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
6 pounds zucchini squash washed and thinly sliced (5 quarts)
2 large green peppers, cleaned and cut in thin slices
3 cloves garlic
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup lightly packed parsley sprigs
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves and/or 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh tarragon leaves, if desired
1 can regular strength chicken broth
1 bay leaf

Melt butter in 8-quart or larger pan. Put in onions and cook, stirring until soft. Add water and then stir in squash and green peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 3 minutes; then turn down heat, cover, and simmer, stirring often until squash is very tender (12 to 15 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in parsley sprigs, basil leaves and/or terragon leaves. Puree about 1 cup at a time in a blender until there are 3 cups; then empty the blender and start over. Makes 6 pints. Can be frozen until used. Heat to simmering one can regular strength chicken broth (or two cups water and two chicken bullion cubes) and bay leaf. Add one pint of the puree. Heat, stirring until piping hot. Season to taste with salt. Remove bay leaf. Serve.

Other options include vegetable stew, bean soup, cream of spinach or asparagus soup, corn chowder, and French onion soup, for which recipes can be found in most cookbooks.

Richard M. Romney, “Grow Your Own Soup,” New Era, Apr 1978, 41

"That Good Part"

Last night I was at a Young Women Presidency meeting that ran 2 1/2 hours on a school night. Did I mention I am a mom of six school age kids? Did I mention my husband was out of town? Did I mention I picked up groceries that were still in the car? Did I mention the oldest of the six kids was at marching band rehearsal all evening so he couldn't help babysit? Well, I walked into the meeting with a mild headache having already dealt with the days normal load of work and problems to conquer. I still had many things on my mind I needed to do in getting the house cleaned up and the little ones ready for bed. So, the last painful hour of the meeting my mild headache turned into a migraine and I grew more and more frustrated at the length of the meeting.

Needless to say I was exhausted by the time I returned home, put the children to bed, and cleaned up dinner. I was also angry, angry with the kids for not cleaning up dinner, angry with the president for letting the meeting go so long, just plain frustrated with the feeling of life being so complicated. Today after a good night's sleep I had some time to ponder the evening and a story came to mind. The story of Mary and Martha from the New Testament.

Mary and Martha lived together in Bethany, a small town in Judaea, near Jerusalem. They were faithful followers of Jesus, and Jesus loved them very much.

One day while Jesus was visiting them, Martha was busy cleaning the house and preparing food. She wanted to be sure that Jesus was well cared for. Instead of helping Martha, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. The harder Martha worked, the more upset she became with Mary. Finally, Martha complained, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”

Jesus understood Martha’s feelings, and He answered tenderly, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part.”

Jesus wanted Martha to know that it was important for her to care for her home and that He appreciated all she had done for Him. But it was even more important to learn about God and to grow spiritually.

I should have done the same thing. I should have chosen the good part. Rather than feeling the burdens during the meeting I should have had my heart in it. I should have been focusing on the "good part" of serving the young women. I should have worried more when I returned home about fitting in family prayer and scripture study.

Easy to say, harder to do. Tonight I need to coordinate a Young Women activity, boy scouts, cub scouts, soccer practice, play rehearsal, and the lady I visit teach just called to see if I can drive her son to scouts as well. I'll take the challenge-I'm going to try to choose the better part tonight and serve my family and friends spiritually first. Oh yeah, did I mention my husband is still out of town?

Lentil Soup

Curried Lentil Soup

• 3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
• 1 ½ cups baby carrots, whole or cut
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ¾ cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen green beans, thawed
• yogurt

Mix sweet potatoes, carrots, onion, and lentils in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, gingerroot, and garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth. Pour spice and broth mixture into slow cooker and stir.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat setting until vegetables and lentils are tender, about 5 to 6 hours.

Turn heat setting to high; add green beans. Cover and cook until green beans are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Top with yogurt and serve.

Rock Soup-Children's story about gratitude

Rock Soup

Michele H. Mirabile, “Rock Soup,” Friend, Nov 2007, 4–6

(Based on a true story)

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, … and be ye thankful (Colossians 3:15).

Eliza was hungry. Her stomach churned and rumbled so loudly she was certain everyone at the table could hear it. But no one paid any attention. They were all too busy pushing the small portion of greens around on their plates, and waiting for their mother to sit down so they could say the blessing.

It had been a long winter, and the growing season in their small farming town had been too short, leaving little money for food and supplies. Now the Forsyth family was going hungry. For the past three weeks, all they’d had to eat was pigweed. Eliza didn’t want to complain, but pigweed was yucky and she didn’t want to eat it anymore.

“Do we have to eat this again?” she asked, poking at the stringy greens with her fork.

“Count your blessings, Eliza,” Father said in a quiet voice. “Be thankful that you have something warm to fill your stomach. It’s more than a lot of people have right now.”

Eliza hoped she hadn’t made her father feel bad. He worked so hard to take care of their family. It wasn’t his fault that they were having hard times.

“Soup’s on,” Mother said, carrying a large pot to the table. “Move your elbows and pass your bowls.”

Eliza’s stomach grumbled in anticipation. Her mother made the best soup in town, and she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into a sweet carrot or meaty potato.

But as she watched her mother fill the bowls with hot, steaming liquid, Eliza’s heart sank. There were no carrots in sight. No potatoes. No beans. No meat of any kind. Just rocks. There were rocks in her soup!

At the sight of the stones in the bottom of her bowl, her eyes filled with tears and she groaned. “I’m hungry, Mother. Don’t we have anything else to eat?”

“Yuck,” said Eliza’s sister Agnes as she plucked a large brown chunk from her bowl. “What’s this?”

“That’s part of Uncle George’s saddle,” Mother said, looking around the table at the faces of her unbelieving family. “He doesn’t need it anymore, so I cut it up and boiled it to give the soup some flavor. Just set it aside. It’s not for eating.”

“What are the rocks for?” asked Neal, scrunching up his face as he pushed the rocks around with his spoon.

Mother smiled. “Those are just for fun. Now please fold your arms. Eliza, will you bless the food?”

Eliza didn’t want to. She wasn’t grateful for weeds and rocks and boiled saddles.

“Don’t forget to thank Heavenly Father for keeping us safe, and for giving us so many blessings,” Mother said.

Eliza looked into her bowl of rock soup, then around her at the bowed heads of her family. Despite the long, cold winter they had endured, all of them were safe and healthy. They had a house to live in, clothes to wear, and plenty of firewood to keep them warm. And in spite of their suffering, they were kind to their neighbors and each other. Mother was right. They really did have much to be thankful for.

“Thank Thee, Heavenly Father, for the food our mother has prepared,” Eliza prayed.

She thanked Him for the pigweed that grew plentifully on the farm.

She thanked Him for the rocks that covered the west pasture, because without them, they wouldn’t be having rock soup.

And she thanked Him for her family and the love they shared.

When Eliza finished her prayer, she had a warm feeling and knew that Heavenly Father loved her.

When dinner was over, the aching emptiness of her stomach was filled with the best soup Eliza had eaten in a long time.

[With Gratitude]

“Walk with gratitude before him who is the giver of life and every good gift.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley, “ ‘With All Thy Getting Get Understanding,’ ” Ensign, Aug. 1988, 4.

I'm even putting a soup recipe on here-Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Ground cinnamon to taste
• Curry powder to taste
• Ginger to taste

Place the squash halves cut side down in a microwave safe dish. Add a little bit of water, cover, and cook on high until tender, about 16 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Scoop the pulp form the skins. Discard skins. Alternative method: peel the squash, cut into chunks, and steam until tender.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until tender.

Using a blender, hand mixer, or food processor, blend the squash pulp, onion, broth, brown sugar, cream cheese, pepper, and cinnamon until smooth. This may be done in several batches.

Transfer the soup to a pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish with parsley and sour cream, and serve warm.

Excitement in the air!!!

I've been a member of the LDS church all my life and have literally given hundreds of talks, lessons, and headed up just as many activities. I'm happy to have discovered a way to share some of that with all of you. Anything I post here you are welcome to use for yourselves. If it makes your busy life easier than it's worth it to me! Lots more to come as I scan my files for ideas I can share...