Wild Rose and Square

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

3 large onions, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4teaspoon pepper

2 quarts beef broth

8 thick slices French bread

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Combine onions and butter in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat at least half an hour.  Mix flour, Worcestershire, sugar and pepper. Stir flour mixture and broth into onions. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 9 hours. Onions will be very tender. Arrange bread on baking sheet and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake at 360 for a few minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Ladle soup into bowls and top each bowl with a slice of cheese toast. Serves eight.

Four Times Nine

If you trot around the corner from Bettys Tea Room in Harrogate  you will eventually find yourself in front of a little shop with a big blue awning that reads, “Farrah’s of Harrogate Palm Court Café Fine Chocolate Shop.” In case that’s not enticing enough, it also says, “Ice Cream” at least four times. We popped inside frequently, though we never actually had tea there. (Why would we, when we’d just been to Bettys?) We loved browsing through the tea towels, salt and pepper shakers, candies and little pots of jam. The last time we wandered into Farrah’s was November, 2011. This month we were in the store just around the corner from home (which also carries tea towels, salt and pepper shakers, candies and little pots of jam) and discovered quite by accident several blue-and-silver tins that read, “Farrah’s Original Harrogate Toffee.” We bought one, of course. If only Bettys sweets were that easy to find!

Three Blind Mice

There was once a German fellow who believed living in houses and wearing clothes were evil and unnatural. (Okay, that’s not so unusual. Most of the men I’ve known would probably agree with him.) August Engelhardt (1875 – 1919) figured that since the sun was the source of energy, we’d all be healthier if we spent our days soaking in the sunshine. Sun worship is impractical much of the year in Germany, but luckily Engelhardt was left with a generous inheritance. He moved to an island in the South Pacific where he founded a small colony of coconut eaters. He reasoned that since coconuts grow closest to the sun, they must be ideal for man. He believed eating only coconuts would render him immortal. When he died of malnutrition at age 43, he looked worse than many men twice that age. He was proof, if we needed it, that man is meant to be an omnivore.

Star and Cubes

“Be Thou Humble was written by Grietje Terburg Rowley, who passed away last year. She joined the Church in 1950 in Hawaii, where she was teaching school. Sister Rowley served on the General Music Committee and helped to adapt the hymns into multiple languages. She based her text on two verses of scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 112:10 and Ether 12:27. The verse in Ether reads: ‘And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; … for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.’ If we humble ourselves, our prayers are answered; we enjoy peace of mind; we serve more effectively in our callings; and, if we continue to be faithful, we will ultimately return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.” - Elder Steven E. Snow

Three Little Kittens

Shortly after Disneyland opened, Walt decided his most prominent attraction – the Sleeping Beauty Castle – should do more than just sit there looking beautiful. Until that point, the castle was a big empty shell.  Imagineers were brought in to design the Sleeping Beauty walk-through, and were greeting by an army of feral cats who’d taken up residence. Walt found homes for all of them, but there were still lots of cats living in and around the park. And they were doing a more efficient job of keeping Disneyland rodent-free than human exterminators could. So Disney let them stay. They’re all spayed or neutered to keep the population under control. There are feeding stations throughout the park, in case there aren’t enough mice to go around. Feral cats are by definition very people-shy. But if any of them begin to get too comfortable with humans, they’re quickly adopted out to cast members.

Flower Garden Path

Slow Cooker Barley/Beef Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds beef stew meat

4 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 quarts beef broth, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

15-ounce can diced tomatoes

3/4 cup barley, rinsed

Salt and pepper

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Sear beef on all sides, then transfer beef to a 6-quart slow cooker. Deglaze pan with 1 cup of beef broth. Heat to a boil and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then add to slow cooker. Add vegetables, barley and remaining beef broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with buttered crusty rolls.