Hole in the Barn Door

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter, divided

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon dry mustard

3 cups milk

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 egg

12 ounces shredded cheddar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh black pepper

1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook pasta to al dente. While pasta is cooking melt half the butter in a separate pot. Whisk in flour and mustard and keep stirring about five minutes. Stir in the milk, onion and paprika. Simmer ten minutes. Temper in egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and season with salt and pepper. Melt remaining butter in sauté pan and add bread crumbs. Top the macaroni with the bread mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

Square Deal

We have friends and family planning to visit in the coming months, so we’re anticipating the chance to see our town through their eyes. I’m excited about playing tourist without leaving home. One place we considered taking our guests is City Creek. It’s no ordinary shopping mall; in fact you’d have to go clear to Dubai to see anything like it. If we’re feeling ambitious, we might hike from the capitol to Ensign Peak. I’ve never seen the view from up there. The gardens around Temple Square are always lovely. We could catch a choir rehearsal in the Tabernacle or a recital in the Assembly Hall. We might tour the Beehive House or the Joseph Smith Building. Then there’s the Church History Museum or the Family History Museum.  The Clarke Planetarium has always been a favorite. Hogle Zoo's African Savanna exhibit and the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium will be open soon. Have you any other ideas?

February Barn

I’ve been thinking a lot about the twenty-third psalm lately; the one that starts with, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Specifically, I’ve been thinking about the part that goes: “He leadeth me beside the still waters.” I’ve read that sheep don’t like running water. Sheep tend to be easily spooked by anything that moves or makes noise. I guess I’d feel the same way if I were a tasty animal without sharp teeth or claws. So a good shepherd wouldn’t expect his sheep to drink from a swiftly running stream. He’d find them a quieter, more calm spot. Likewise, our Savior knows exactly what we can and can’t do. He won’t expect more of us than we’re capable of. I find that thought very comforting. In the end, all we really have to do is learn to trust Him.

Double Monkey Wrench

I love playing Words with Friends. It’s all the fun of Scrabble without the bother of a board and tiles or the hassle of talking someone into playing with you. And if you’ve won so many games that none of your actual friends are still speaking to you, the game will gladly find you an army of total strangers willing to have a go. I do have a few secrets that help me win most of the time. I still have the list of two letter words memorized from when I used to play Scrabble. A few of my favorites are Jo, a Scottish term of endearment; Ka, the Egyptian spiritual self; and Xi, the fourteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. Another mental list that comes in handy is words containing Q without the accompanying U, like Qat, an African flowering shrub; Qadi, a judge appointed by a sultan; and Cinq, French for the number five.

Heather's Bears

We were searching the grocery store for a corkscrew last week (they’re harder to find than you’d expect) when we met a woman who offered us a taste of this on graham crackers or strawberry halves. It’s so delicious! By coincidence, we’d just bought a new set of skewers for our fondue pot the day before. I know what we’re having for dessert next Sunday!

Cheesecake Fondue

8 ounce brick cream cheese

7 ounce jar marshmallow crème  

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine cream cheese and marshmallow crème in fondue pot over low heat. Whisk until well blended. Gradually add remaining ingredients, stirring between each addition. Serve warm with graham crackers, maraschino cherries, fresh strawberries, raspberries, mandarin orange slices, banana chunks, or chocolate wafer cookies.

Brightly Beams

The traditional block pattern at the heart of this quilt is called Storm at Sea. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the crazy seagull/sky print for the 2010 challenge. After some practice I determined the smallest block I could manage would leave me with a finished wall hanging at 30” square; six inches wider than the rules would allow. I could easily comply with the rules by deleting most of the sea or the entire mountain. After a few weeks of debating the matter, I decided I wouldn’t like my finished product if I did either. I’d rather make a disqualified quilt I like than an acceptable quilt that I don’t. In the end, the judges apparently agreed with me. Instead of being disqualified, my lighthouse quilt won a blue ribbon. This is the only challenge quilt I keep on display. It lets me imagine my home has a view of the ocean.