My Beautiful Baby Boy

(Photo taken at the ball game with my beautiful new Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens)

Homemaker Monday

Thanks so much for your Homemaker Monday posts, links and visits! Hope you have a wonderful day!

First-Time Bowlers and Vegan Cashew Kale Chips

A few days ago my 19-year-old son, on right...

...who is serving a two-year mission for our church, emailed me the following letter. It was so entertaining and useful to me, I thought I would share it with you, unedited. Thanks for listening!...

So, yesterday I was pretty frustrated so my email was lame so I felt bad. So now, while my companion is in the library to do something for his school I am also in the library and i have a little bit of time to write you a slightly better e-mail! How exciting!

Now, i must tell you that one of the most entertaining things I have ever seen in my life is what I saw when i went bowling with a bunch of old mexican men who had never gone bowling before. They would lift the bowilng ball HIGH over their heads and then swing it backwards as far as their arms would stretch and then swing with all their might to throw the ball high into the air and listen to it SMACK the lane like a comet! But some would use both hands and roll it or they would just kind of sit it on the floor and then push it down the lane. But no matter what way they pushed, rolled or threw it they would always, when the ball was curving towards the gutter, LEEEEAAAAAN as far as they could to the direction they wanted the ball to go and they would say "hay'sta hay'sta!" And if they would even hit one pin they would say things like...

"Asi hermanos, asi." It was literally the funniest thing I've ever seen.

But, mother, I must tell you about my branch mission leaders wife... she is vegan and she makes delicious food. I went to their house the other day and she pulled, out of her dehydrator that is the same one you have, a lump of what looked like dry, tangled, seaweed and said "Here, it's a kale chip." So I said thanks and then ate it. And it was wonderful. So i got the recipie for it:

1 bunch organic kale
3/4 C. cashews that have been soaked for at least an hour if possible
1/2 red bell pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 C. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. sea salt

Mix all the ingredients except the kale in a blender (I have a blentec)... take the stem off from the kale and cut it into pieces bigger than bite size because they shrink... then mix the sauce with the kale and put into a dehydrator sheet with the plastic for wet stuff... the kale pieces dont have to be seperated into each individual piece just spread along the sheet as you can (I used 2 sheets)... dehydrate at 110 all night until crispy... they dont stay crispy for more than one day... they can be put back in the dehydrator or eating like that... they are good anyways...

So thats her directions... I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things that you should remember how merciful the lord god hath been unto the children of men in preparing them delicious kale chips. now make some... because they are delicious. Also, if you want to send me a wonderful birthday present you can make some really delicious waffles, try them to make sure they are good and then send me the recipie for them so that i can eat waffles for every meal. How does that sound? Good? good.

So that's pretty much it. My companion is ready to go now so I will say goodbye and apologize for my lame letter yesterday.

OKLOVEYOUBYE!!!

P.S. Tell the kids I love their letters that they send me.

P.P.S. There is a missionary here named Elder Snow (I can't believe I don't remember his first name, I just gave him a blessing today) and he is from El Paso! How wonderful eh?

Homemaker Monday: The 9-Year-Old Girl's Raspberry Cheesecake

So I edited the photo, but before I could ask her where her recipe for this delicious cheesecake was, the 9-year-old girl went to bed. I'll get to it tomorrow, okay? Thank you for your patience!

And here's Linky for those of you who have your tips, how-tos, and recipes more prepared than I do. Thanks so much for your visits and links and I hope you have a wonderful Homemaker Monday! :)

Homemaker Monday

Getting all the kids ready for back-to-school this evening, so no Homemaker Monday post on my end, but I'm looking forward to reading yours! Thanks so much for your links and visits and have a wonderful Homemaker Monday!

Vegan Mexican Four-Layer Veggie Dip

Do you think I could add any more adjectives to the title? Ummm, how about.... delicious?

So, as part of my new year's eating plan, each day I must consume 1 pound of raw veggies, 1 pound of cooked veggies, 1 pound of fruit, and various nuts, grains and beans.

But I have to tell you that eating a pound of raw veggies every day is a huge challenge for me. Even if I put two cups of spinach in my morning chocolate banana smoothie, that only weighs about 2 ounces, which leaves a lot more to go.

So today I had a hankering for something cheesy and Mexican, but since cheesy is off the plan, I opted for an extremely healthy cheese substitute, a recipe I've posted on my blog HERE. With this cheesy substitute, I created a delicious 4-layer dip for one sliced bell pepper, and one sliced cucumber, which just happens to weigh exactly one pound.

It wasn't difficult to throw together and look how amazing it looks.....

When the 16-year-old girl saw it, she said, "You have to eat all that?" and I said, "I GET to eat all that!" So here's what I did.....

Bottom layer: refried beans (I used the dehydrated kind to which you add water. Love them!)
Second layer: Vegan Nacho "Cheese" Sauce (Recipe HERE)
Third layer: guacamole (You can try THIS recipe)
Fourth layer: salsa (mine was homemade and bottled)

And that's it! This was so filling that I didn't want to eat for ages after I had finally finished. Hope you like it, too!

Thanks for listening!

Homemaker Monday: Top Ten 11th Heaven Posts of 2011

Welcome to the 165th weekly edition of...


Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.

YOURS: This week's "YOURS" goes to Dr. Lisa at "Naked Moxie" for her Asian Lettuce Wraps! Lettuce wraps are one of my all-time favorite things to order when I eat out at P.F. Changs and I was so thrilled to find this recipe linked up last week. And to top it off, the photo is stunning. Look.....

And I love that Dr. Lisa posts a vegetarian alternative. Thanks so much, Dr. Lisa, for linking up and sharing this tempting recipe with us. Your blog is amazing and I'm looking forward to learning more from you. For Dr. Lisa's Asian Lettuce Wraps recipe, go HERE Enjoy!

MINE: So today, this second Homemaker Monday of the year, I thought it would be interesting to share my top ten most popular posts of the year 2011 according to Google Analytics. Here goes!

{Sprouted Wheat Manna Bread}

10. My Testimony of Jesus Christ

9. Cleaning Your Microwave

8. I Heart Mormon Funerals

7. Amazing Cake Balls!

6. Easy 48-Hour Camping Menu

5. Vegan Food My Kids Like: 15-Bean Soup

4. How to Can Dry Beans Without Precooking

3. Best Ever 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

2. All About Me: A Mother to a Multitude, A Wife to One Soldier, A Survivor, A Wife to One Godly Man

And coming in at first place for the second year in a row......

1. Sprouted Wheat Manna Bread

Thanks so much for listening! :)

OURS: Now it's your turn! Can't wait to read your homemaking tips, recipes and how-tos. If you're new to Homemaker Monday, please feel free to dig through your archives and post anything homemaking. Have a great day!

Homemaker Monday: How to Soften Brown Sugar

Welcome to the 165th weekly edition of...


Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.

YOURS: This week's "YOURS" goes to "Whole New Mom" for her baked oatmeal recipe! As someone who has tried to make a New Year's resolution to eat more whole foods, I was thrilled to find this recipe. It really does sound healthy and delicious. Just look....

Right?

I can't wait to try this! Thanks so much, Whole New Mom, for your recipe! You all will definitely want to check out her blog for more whole foods inspiration! For her post, click HERE!

MINE: So my tip for today is simple, and I may have posted about this before... I can't remember. Anyways....

My husband always does things in a big way, such as marrying a girl with 6 children, which works out fine, because with ten kids, it is usually expedient that things be done in a big way. Thus, the 20-lb bag of brown sugar in our food storage room. Now I am all for buying in bulk, but this particular bag of brown sugar is not air-tight, and after a few days, it began to become hardened. But this was no problem, because 23 years ago, when I lived with my grandmother immediately before the birth of our first daughter, she taught me that all you have to do to soften brown sugar is to put it in the microwave. It works, seriously. I did it tonight, when I made THESE brownies....

This is honestly the best brownie recipe I've ever come across, in all my years as a brownie connoisseur. I get requests from people of all walks of life for these particular brownies. And I think it's the light brown sugar crust that makes this recipe. So try the brown sugar tip, and the brownie mix! And thanks for listening!

OURS: Okay, now it's your turn! I can't wait to read all of 2012's newest homemaking ideas! Thanks so much for visiting and linking up and enjoy your Homemaker Monday! :)