Paisley Pine

 

For the past three or four months, we’ve deliberately experimented with slow cooker meals. Several dishes we tried were clear winners: easy to make, easy to clean up, and very well received. I’ve shared these recipes here, and they’ll appear on our table again and again. But not all our experiments were successful. Last week we made Sloppy Joes in the slow cooker. We won’t be trying that again. For one thing, our family is used to Sloppy Joes with BBQ sauce or Manwich Bold involved. Without those, this recipe was really lacking in the tangy department. For another, the ground beef wasn’t browned and drained before being added to the slow cooker. That meant the finished product had a lot more fat than necessary. Even if I’d browned it first, the meat would have ended up soft and mushy. I suspect that’s why not many slow cooker recipes call for ground beef.

Four Ohio Stars

 

Charles J. Guiteau had held a number of different jobs when he decided he should become the U.S. ambassador to France. It wasn’t uncommon for such positions to go to people influential in a presidential campaign, so Charles made a few speeches to support President Grant’s reelection. When he was not given the post he desired, Charles decided it was because the Republican party nominated James Garfield instead (and not his own stunning lack of qualifications). His party and his country would be much better off, he reasoned, if Garfield was simply removed from the equation. Charles bought a pearl-handled revolver he thought would look nice in a museum later, and shot the president twice from behind. Garfield’s wounds weren’t serious. If his doctors had washed their hands, sterilized tools and worn masks, he would almost certainly have survived them. Charles was hanged. His pretty gun would probably be in some museum today, if it hadn’t been somehow misplaced.

House Block

 

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

 

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 pound pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed

1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes with chilies

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 onions, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

Juice of 2 oranges

Juice of 2 limes

 

In a small bowl, combine seasonings. Rub all sides of pork with spice mixture. Place pork with remaining ingredients into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. Remove pork and shred; return to pot. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Serve with tortillas, lettuce or shredded cabbage, grated cheese, salsa and sour cream.

Ohio Star

 

At the tender age of eleven, Ettore Boiardi was already an apprentice in an Italian restaurant, peeling potatoes and taking out trash. He continued studying his profession in Paris and London. Ettore was sixteen when he arrived at Ellis Island and began to cook at New York’s Plaza Inn. He opened his first restaurant in Cleveland in his early twenties. When patrons begged Ettore for his spaghetti sauce recipe, he filled empty milk bottles with marinara for them to take home. Two of his customers, Maurice and Eva Weiner, owned a grocery store chain. They convinced Ettore to commercially bottle his pasta and sauce, and before long his products were in stores across the country. Cans of spaghetti, ravioli and lasagna carry Ettore’s photo, but not his last name, as it’s so hard for Americans to pronounce. Instead, they say, “Chef Boyardee.” In Ettore’s words, “Everyone is proud of his own family name, but sacrifices are necessary for progress.”

New Spruce

 

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

 1 cup sugar

 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

 2 large eggs

 1 teaspoon vanilla

 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

 1/2 cup cocoa powder

 1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

 1 teaspoon baking soda

 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Scoop dough and round into balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Mix together sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Roll dough balls in cinnamon-sugar and place on cookie sheet at least 2” apart. Bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until edges are. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Little Cottage

 

“Momentum is a powerful concept. We all have experienced it in one form or another—for example, in a vehicle that picks up speed or with a disagreement that suddenly turns into an argument. So I ask, what can ignite spiritual momentum? We have seen examples of both positive and negative momentum. We know followers of Jesus Christ who became converted and grew in their faith. But we also know of once-committed believers who fell away. Momentum can swing either way. We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now, to counteract the speed with which evil and the darker signs of the times are intensifying. Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities. Spiritual momentum can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation.”  - President Russell M. Nelson

Another Argyle Square

 

Ann Turner Cook was born in 1928. She studied education and journalism at the University of South Florida and other institutions, earning several degrees, including a master’s in English education. She taught at Oak Hill Elementary, Madison Junior High, and Hillsborough High School in Tampa. After she retired from teaching, Ann became a mystery novelist. Unless you’re familiar with her Brandy O’Bannon series, you’ve probably never heard her name. But I guarantee you know her face. When Ann was five months old, an artist who lived next door did her portrait in charcoal. (Ann’s family lived in Connecticut then, where her father was a syndicated cartoonist.) Two years later, Gerber announced they were looking for an image to put on their new line of baby foods. Ann’s sketch was submitted, and her cherubic face has graced Gerber baby food ever since. Ann is ninety-five now, but her bright eyes and dimpled cheeks haven’t changed a bit.

A Dozen Assorted Pine Trees

 

Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, Pete McCloskey, a conservative Republican Congressman, and Denis Hayes, an activist, founded Earth Day in 1970. They chose April 22 (a weekday between spring break and final exams) to maximize student involvement. Those students are considerably older now, but Earth Day’s still going strong. Here are a few quotes to help with motivation:

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw

“He that plants trees loves others besides himself.” – Thomas Fuller

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall

Garden Charm

 

Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken

 

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup mustard (we used Dijon)

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

Place chicken in slow cooker. Stir together remaining ingredients and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low six hours. About half an hour before serving, remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return to pot and continue cooking. Serve hot over white or brown rice, with broccoli, brussels sprouts, green beans or a tossed salad.

Four Anvils

 

“‘Sex,’ I was pretty sure, meant whether you were a boy or girl, and ‘sin’ made Tante Jans very angry, but what the two together meant I could not imagine. So, seated next to Father in the train compartment, I asked, ‘Father, what is sexsin?’ He stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor. ‘Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?’ he said. I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he’d purchased that morning. ‘It’s too heavy,’ I said. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘It would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you’re older and stronger you can bear it. For now, you must trust me to carry it for you.’” – Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place

Argyle Square

 

Dinner doesn’t get much easier than this. It’s the perfect recipe for cheaper, tougher cuts of beef, because the slow cooking makes it tender and yummy. But if you have stir-fry beef, a roast or steak at risk for freezer burn, just thaw it and cut it into stew-size chunks.

 

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef

 

2-3 pounds stew beef

2 cups frozen sliced onions and peppers (Convenient, but you can also use fresh.)

3 tablespoons garlic, crushed

1 bottle teriyaki sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

 

Dump everything into the slow cooker; cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 4 to 6 hours. Serve over hot rice, with green onions, red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Edamame or snow peas go well on the side.

Anvil

 

“Living and loving covenant commitments creates a connection with the Lord that is deeply personal and spiritually powerful. We are drawn closer to Him and experience the impact of His divinity and living reality in our lives. Jesus then becomes much more than the central character in scripture stories; His example and teachings influence our every desire, thought, and action. I frankly do not have the ability to describe adequately the precise nature and power of our covenant connection with the resurrected and living Son of God. But I witness that the connections with Him and Heavenly Father are real and are the ultimate sources of assurance, peace, joy, and the spiritual strength that enable us to 'fear not, though the enemy deride'. As covenant-making and covenant-keeping disciples of Jesus Christ, we can be blessed to take courage, 'for the Lord is on our side' and pay no attention to evil influences and secular scoffing.” - Elder David A. Bednar

Sixteen Baskets

 

Tomorrow is Easter, so it isn’t surprising Christ’s ministry has been on my mind. It strikes me that, in order to be about His Father’s work, Christ would have been homeless; having left behind the comfort and security of family, friends and occupation. As he traveled through Galilee and Judea, Christ and his disciples would have been dependent on the charity of others for food, clothing and shelter, at the very least. I’m no biblical scholar, but I suspect this is what Jesus meant when he said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” If remembering this brings an increased desire to assist the homeless, please don’t give money to anyone begging. It’s likely to fuel the habit that keeps them in their predicament. Instead, offer food. Better yet, donate to reputable organizations that help the homeless. And have a Happy Easter.

Pop Star

 

I’m not a cat person, but I’m the one who cares for the cat at my house. I provide fresh water and food. I clean kitty litter, deal with hairballs, and constantly remove bits of cat fur from every surface. Why? From time to time, when she’s feeling especially contented, she plops down on my lap (or shoulder or face) and purrs. Purring is such an interesting skill, and housecats aren’t the only ones who have it. Bobcats, lynxes, ocelots, cougars, and cheetahs can purr. In order to purr, a cat vibrates its larynx, which makes the twig-like hyoid bones resonate. All purring cats can make this sound whether they’re inhaling or exhaling. In lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars, a length of tough cartilage runs up the hyoid bones to the skull. This allows these larger cats to produce a full-throated roar, but prevents them from purring. It's one of many reasons you’ll never catch me cleaning a lion’s litterbox.

13 Egg Baskets

 

One of the reasons I make soup at least once a week is because it's a great way to use up leftovers. Last week I slipped half an onion I’d sliced for burgers, 1/4 cup of salsa, 1/2 a cup of rice, and a handful of cherry tomatoes into this soup, and it was delicious.

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

 

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce

1 (4 ounce) can green chiles

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

 

Place chicken in slow cooker, add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 6 hours. Discard bay leaves. Remove and shred chicken; return to pot. Cook another 30 minutes. Serve with avocado, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. 

Martha Washington

 

First Lieutenant Ralph Calef was a supply sergeant stationed at Camp Malacola, near Hicham Field in 1941. The morning of Sunday, December 7, Ralph was in charge of quarters. “I had a .45 pistol, but no shells,” Ralph said. “They didn’t trust us with ammunition.” So, when the sky began to fill with Japanese fighter planes, Ralph ran to his apartment and grabbed his bow and twelve hunting arrows. “I watched the first Japanese plane come in so low its wheels almost touched the trees,” he said. “I waited for the second plane and let my arrow fly right into his windshield. The plane crashed down the street. When I got there, it was hard to tell if it was the one I shot, because the cockpit plexiglass was smashed out.” So, maybe one of the zeros attacking Pearl Harbor was shot down with a bow and arrow, or maybe not. Either way, it's a pretty good story.

Nine Egg Baskets

 

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

 

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons orange zest

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup cornstarch

 

Coat slow cooker pot with cooking spray or use a slow-cooker liner. (The honey and brown sugar in the sauce will make cleanup hard later.) In a bowl, stir together all ingredients except chicken and cornstarch. Pour half this mixture into slow cooker. Place chicken in, then add remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low 4 hours or on high 2 hours. Remove and shred chicken. Whisk cornstarch into sauce in slow cooker, add chicken and cover again. Continue cooking another hour. We had ours over rice, with extra pepper flakes, extra soy sauce, and sesame seeds.

King's Crown

 

“October 2020, President Henry B. Eyring delivered a talk called ‘Tested, Proved and Polished.’ While listening to President Eyring’s talk, I had a strong impression my time of testing would arrive soon. A month later, a truck hit me as I crossed the street. The night I was hit, I couldn’t sleep because of the pain. I had my phone next to me and read President Eyring’s talk again: ‘When you wonder how much pain you can endure well, remember him. (Jesus Christ) suffered what you suffer so that He would know how to lift you up. He may not remove the burden, but He will give you strength, comfort, and hope. He knows the way.’ I can’t fully explain it. President Eyring’s message was simple. Others had said similar things. Yet when he expressed this message, the Holy Spirit communicated to me that these words would have a great impact in my life. And they did.” – Hanna Seariac, Deseret News

Four Egg Baskets

 

I tried this recipe only once, and it was a disaster. I’ve no one to blame but myself. I assembled it in the slow cooker, plugged it in and turned it on, then left in a hurry, FORGETTING TO PUT THE LID ON. I'm not a fan of food poisoning, so I tossed it. But I’m saving the recipe here, because I want to try again when I’m less distracted:

 

Slow Cooker Artichoke Chicken

 

10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

9 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

14.5 ounces artichoke hearts, drained

1 tablespoon garlic, crushed

1 cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

 

Place chicken in slow cooker. In a bowl, stir together remaining ingredients, pour over chicken. COVER and cook on low 4 to 5 hours. Serve warm over freshly cooked penne, with a nice tossed salad.

Whirligig

 

Brendon Grimshaw was an English editor working for some of the largest newspapers in East Africa. He visited the Seychelles (an Indian Ocean archipelago) on holiday in 1962, and fell in love with the place. Brendon quit his job and bought a 24-acre islet called Moyenne Island for £8,000. Most of us dream of living in luxury on a tropical island, but Moyenne at the time was uninhabited and inhospitable; choked with weeds and overrun with rats. Brendon recruited a Seychelle local, Rene Antoine Lafortune, to help with improvements. Together they cleared brush, planted thousands of trees and built three miles of nature trails. They reintroduced the Aldabra giant tortoise to the area. Brendon welcomed tourists to his island. He fed them at his restaurant, Jolly Roger. He collected  €12 apiece to help fund his conservation work. Today Moyenne Island is the world’s smallest national park, home to a wide variety of plants and birds, and 120 giant tortoises.

Egg Basket

 

My favorite movies to watch at this time of year are Ben-Hur (1959) and The Ten Commandments (1956). There are a few other Easter classics that are a bit harder to find, but totally worth the effort: The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Robe (1953) and Easter Parade (1948). If you’re just looking for a movie with a rabbit in it, you might try: Peter Rabbit (2018), Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Zootopia (2016), or Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Miss Potter (2006) isn’t really an Easter movie, but Beatrix Potter’s art and stories always remind me of this time of year. If you’re trying not to binge on the kids’ chocolate bunnies, you should probably avoid Alfred Molina’s performance in Chocolat (2000). Steel Magnolias (1989) may not seem like an Easter movie, but trust me – it is. And if you’re looking for something COMPLETELY different, I’ll recommend Cookie’s Fortune (1999).

One Dozen Log Cabins

 When Jesse James was born there in 1847, Missouri was a slave state. But by the time the Civil War began, Missouri had joined the Union cause. Jesse and his brother Frank became pro-Confederate guerrillas. After the war, they robbed banks, stagecoaches and trains across the Midwest. They enjoyed a sort of notoriety and sympathy, despite the violence of their crimes. Books and movies paint the “James Boys” as wild-west Robin Hoods, but there’s no evidence they ever shared their ill-gotten booty. Eventually a very large reward was offered for both brothers. In April, 1882, Jesse was living under an assumed name with two trusted friends. He was cleaning a dusty picture frame on the wall when one of them shot him from behind. Frank, on the other hand, died at the ripe old age of 72. My point? There’s such a thing as being too tidy. Dusting and cleaning might not shorten your life, but why risk it?

Six Pin Drop Pines

 

Slow Cooker Wisconsin Cauliflower

 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups milk

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups shredded cheddar

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon EACH cayenne pepper, curry powder and white pepper

 

Gently sauté onions in butter, stirring constantly, until onions become clear and tender. Whisk in flour. When mixture becomes smooth and bubbly, whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Add to slow cooker with cauliflower, broth and seasoning. Cover and cook on low at least 3 to 4 hours. At this point you can mash the cauliflower with a potato masher, or run through the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve hot with fresh parsley, hot sauce or extra cheddar as a garnish.

Spools

 

“The Lord knows you. When you’re serving your mission, you will have experiences that will help you come to know Him better. You will grow spiritually in serving Him. In His name, you will be sent on errands to help others.” – M. Russell Ballard

“The gospel of Jesus Christ has never been needed more than it is today. Contention violates everything the Savior stood for and taught. As followers of Jesus Christ, we plead with leaders of nations to find peaceful resolutions to their differences.” - Russell M. Nelson

“King Benjamin, who understood as well as any mortal what it meant to be a man of strength and courage, makes it clear that to be like a child is not to be childish. It is to be like the Savior, who prayed for the strength to be able to do His Father’s will and atone for the sins of all His Father’s children and then did it.” – Henry B. Eyring

Four Pin Drop Pines

 

There are several things I miss about living in England, but British appliances aren’t among them. We had a dishwasher that dissolved (not melted, dissolved) rubber spatulas. I’ve no idea why. One pair of John’s jeans overwhelmed our little washer. Anything bigger went to the laundromat. The dryer didn’t have a dryer vent. It didn’t need one. Instead of blowing clothes dry, it cooked them. They’d come out really hot, and still damp. For some reason the blender heated everything it pureed; great for soups, but not for smoothies. With a little creativity, I could almost fit a week’s worth of groceries in our under-the-counter fridge. But I had to be on hands and knees to get anything in or out. My favorite appliance was the toaster. It made excellent toast. Then, without warning, it would launch the finished product several feet into the air. The five-second rule doesn’t count when you have a three-second dog.

Windblown Block

 

If you believed the Earth was flat – if you were convinced that absolutely everyone since Pythagoras was wrong – how would you go about proving it? On Saturday, February 20, 2020, “Mad” Mike Hughes launched himself in a homemade rocket over the desert near Barstow, California in an attempt to prove his theory. This was actually Mike’s second attempt. In March of the previous year, he’d reached an altitude of 1,870 feet before deploying parachutes and landing hard. This time he hoped to achieve 5,000 feet. Instead, the rocket crashed shortly after takeoff, killing its flat-earther pilot. I’m scratching my head over this: that a man smart enough to build rockets in his backyard was dumb enough to strap himself into them. Twice. You’ll see a lot of stories on the Internet today that are nothing short of hogwash. I can’t tell you if this one is funny, bizarre or just plain sad. But it’s the unvarnished truth.