What does a Home Cook and a Potion Master have in common?

If you know anything about me you know that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I love the books and I enjoy the movies. 

The other thing you probably know about me is that I love to cook. 

For me in book one when Snape come crashing into his laboratory and says, “There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don’t expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few who possess, the predisposition…I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death.”

As he wraps himself in his robes, raising his back to his full height and speaks those words I can feel the power and excitement of being a potions master. For me cooking is my equivalent of being a potions master. As I chop, dice, measure, sauté food to perfection, I feel myself being wrapped in my culinary robes, raising my back to my fullest height and saying, “There will be no foolish pre-shopped vegetables or silly pre-made sauces in my kitchen. As such, I don’t expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is a master chef. However, for those select few who possess, the predisposition …I can bewitch your mind and ensnare your sense with my food. I can bottle my fame from a pot that cooked over a flame, I can brew my glory with a swirl of my wooden spoon and I can even put a sauce over pasta that will leave you desirous to the point of death.”

This is the point that I usually chuckle at myself and think, “Really, Dianna? It’s just food.” However, nothing gives me more satisfaction, more boost of self-esteem then seeing someone put a bit of my food in their mouth and enjoy the tastes, texture and complexity or subtitles of the flavors. It is the most gratifying of accomplishments that go beyond the gratification of being a mother. 

So I proclaim on this day, March 31, 2015 that I, Dianna Fresh am a potions master of my kitchen and strive to “bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death.”

Hope is the Anchor of Our Souls

I was asked by our Sister missionaries if I would be willing to teach a lesson at our church for Family Home Evening. I was lucky enough to find this blog:

http://sofiasprimaryideas.blogspot.com/2009/10/lds-preach-my-gospel-themed-family-home.html

that had some really good ideas and lessons already posted. I took this young ladies lesson entitled Hope is the Anchor of Our Souls and added to is and adjusted it to fit the setting I would be teaching at on Monday night.

Here is my outline:

Hope is the Anchor of Our Souls

Purpose: Exploring the concept of Hope.

Welcome/Opening Pray

Song: I Know that My Redeemer Lives #136.

Demonstration: 

·       Have a child walk across the room and back.

·       Ask them to bend down, hold on to their legs (hugging them) and walk across the room again, without letting go of their legs.

·       Can they walk across the room?

·       If they can ask: Was it easy to walk like that? Did you feel like you were weighted down?

·       If they cannot ask: Why do you think you were not able to walk across the room again? Did you feel weighted down?

·       This is what an anchor does. It holds something down firmly and won’t let it move.

·       If you have one display the boat anchor and ask:

·       What are some of things in our lives that can make us feel like we are being weighed down or have an anchor attached to us? (Answers can include, stress, finances, illness, etc.)

Post Quote: 

“President James E. Faust taught: “Hope is the anchor of our souls… Hope is trust in God’s promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future… The unfailing source of our hope is that we are sons and daughters of God and that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death.” (“Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 59-60)

·       During this lesson we are going to see how we can make Hope the anchor to our soul

Demonstration: 

Go outside and try to pull a large tree out of the ground OR ask participants to imagine you all go outside together and try to pull a large tree out of the ground.

Why can’t you move it? (its planted, it has roots)

What is the anchor of the tree that keeps it in place? (the roots)

Activity: 

·        Have a drawing of a large tree with 6-10 removable roots.

·        Ask the following questions about hope and place a root on the tree as the answers are given correctly.

·        Possible questions could include:

·                  What is the opposite of Hope? despair

·                  When you feel sad or discouraged, what can you have hope in? Heavenly Father’s love, the Saviors Atonement, the plan of Salvation

·                  Read Ether 12:4, what are some of the things we are told we can hope for in this verse? A better world, a place at the right hand of Heavenly Father

·                  What does hope come from according to Ether 12:4? faith

·                  How does Jesus Christ give us hope? Through his resurrection

·                  Read D&C 138:14, what glorious hope do we get to look forward to? Our own resurrection (might want to explain how families can be together forever fits with resurrection)

·                  Who do we hope to live eternally with in the celestial kingdom? Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (you might want to point out that we will be resurrected beings)

·                  Explain that Alma 32 helps explain how we can come to a knowledge of the truthfulness of gospel principles.

• Talk about how gospel principles can be a root or an anchor to us

·                  Read Alma 32: 37-38, 41-42 and ask:

• What is the “nourishing the word” in verse 41 refer to and how does that pertain to a tree? The word are the scriptures, nourishing the word is to study the scriptures and life a tree the scriptures will take root in our lives to help us live a happier life anchored in the hope and peace of the plan of salvation and the gift if the resurrection

Concluding Scripture and Quote: 

·        As we root or anchor ourselves in the gospel, let us remember that a member missionary we all must be to our fellow brothers and sisters who are still being weighed down by the anchor of life instead of being anchored in the plan of salvation.

·        It says in Proverbs 12: 3 “A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.”

·        We must work every day to root ourselves in righteousness.

·        We do this through scripture study, living the commandments, having personal and family prayer, and through missionary work.

·        Post Quote: When we are firm in hope, we can share that with others. 

·        Post Quote: “Being blessed with hope, let us, as disciples, reach out to all whom, for whatever reason, have ‘moved away from the hope of the gospel’ (Col. 1:23). Let us reach to lift hands which hang hopelessly down.” ~ Elder Neal A. Maxwell (p. 117 PMG)

Bear your testimony of the plan of salvation, the joy of resurrection and how these gifts have encouraged and helped you to be a member missionary.

Thank you for coming/closing prayer

For my tree I went to google and put in "tree no roots" so that I could get a picture of a tree. See unlike my daughter, I have no drawing talent what so ever.

I was able to find this: 

I will not share the website because you cannot save the photo from there, but there is what it looked like in google:

As you can see using the search criteria I used the tree comes up at the top on the right hand side. Once I saved the image to my PC I pulled it up in Paint.

I didn't re-size the image or anything to make my large tree. What I did was I went into the print setup settings and made the following changes:

Orientation: landscape

Margins: 0.5 on all sides

Scaling: Fit to: 4 by 4 page(s)

I printed two copies, one if color for the tree and one in black and white for my roots. I cut and taped it all together, except the roots I left those separate.

At our Family Home Evening I hung it up on the chalkboard and then used magnets to "attach" our roots.

As for for my outline. I didn't really touch on most of it. I tend to create my thoughts and then I allow the spirit to dictate what I use and what I don't use during the lesson. If the participants seem to catch onto a concept quickly, then I skip over to the next concept as clearly the spirit needs that concept taught in a deeper way.

One of my greatest joys in life is teaching and specifically teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing outside of my children, has ever given more joy and satisfaction thank sharing the love that Jesus has offered to us all.

I hope this lesson or blogger Sofia's lesson can help you at home or in your local ward with teaching and preaching the gospel.

Take Care,

Dianna :)

St Patrick's Day Wreath

I don't consider myself a crafty person, but I have been itching lately to make something. With St Patrick's Day coming up I decided that I would do something for that holiday and since we didn't have a wreath for the door I knew what my project would be! So off to Pinterest I went to look for ideas and found a blog about making a wreath out of material and a wire coat hanger. The only problem Teresa and I had was we didn't have scrap material and we didn't have a wire coat hanger. I would not be daunted though and off to Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby we went to get supplies.

What you will need if you don't have a coat hanger is this wire wreath frame like this:

We also purchased quilting squares in 12 different patterns in colors of green, yellows, green-browns and even a blue with green and yellow flowers on it. We then cut them per the blog I found into 1" wide by 6" long strips.

Once cut and stacked we then made stacks of 15 strips for each wire on each section. The instructions to make the wreath seemed very easy until we started tying them onto the frame and found that 1" by 6" strips were a little too short. 

When I make my next wreath we will cut the strips in 1" by 8" strips, that should be easier to tie, but not sure how it will look in the end, so stay tuned for that next adventure.

The other thing we figured out as we went along that were not in the blog I found, but might be helpful to you is the placing of the material. First start by identifying which side of the material is the print side:

Its a little hard to see in the photo, but the piece on the left is lighter than on the right, so the right is the print side of the material. This is the side you want on the outside. Then take the strip and fold it in half like below:

This narrows the material and makes it easier to get a good tight knot which in the end will allow longer tails once tied. Once you fold the material in half slip it under the metal wire like so:

After that its simply tying one knot and then a second knot and slide it to the side to you can repeat the process:

I also found out that its easier to do the inner wire first, then move out each wire to the outside a section at a time. At first Teresa was doing one tie in each wire and found that as we were going we were smashing what we had already done and as we got closer to the end of the section it was harder to have room to tie the strips. 

As I was going along I was a little worried about what the end product was going to look like because I felt like colors seemed to be bunched together, but in the end the whole thing looked really good.

Teresa and I really enjoyed ourselves making this wreath together, I think its simple and pretty and personally I think it looks better than the one I found on Pinterest. lol

I hope you take the time to make this project.

Dianna

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice

Tonight for dinner I made what I am calling Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice. It was quick, easy and very, very taste. I started with four boneless, skinless chicken breast cleaned, seasoned them on both sides with my fejita seasoning mix (http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63506142/fajita-seasoning-mix/detail.aspx) and browned them in EVOO on both sides.



While those were browning I took a jar of salsa, corn and black beans and mixed them together and I grated cheddar cheese. Once the chicken was browned on both sides I lowered the heat and poured the salsa, corn and black bean mixture over the chicken. I let the chicken cook covered while I made the rice, so about 20-25 minutes. About 2 minutes before serving I put grated cheddar cheese over the top.



Once the rice was cooked I put rice on each plate and then spooned the salsa, corn and black bean mixture over the top (except for the kids) then I placed the chicken breast on top.

The chicken was moist, flavorful and everyone really enjoyed it. Can't wait to make this one again!



Here is the recipe:



4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 TBSP Fajita mix

2 TBSP EVOO

16 oz jar of salsa

1/2 can corn, drained

1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup cheddar cheese



1. Season chicken on both sides with fajita mix.

2. Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Brown chicken on both sides, about two minutes per side depending on thickness of the breasts.

4. Mix salsa, corn and black beans in a bowl while chicken browns.

5. Shred cheddar cheese and set aside.

6. Once chicken is brown on both sides, pour salsa mixture over the chicken and cover cooking for about 20-25 minutes

7. Place chicken breasts on top of the salsa mixture and sprinkle with cheese cover until melted.

8. Serve over rice.



Enjoy!! :)



Dianna

From Pumpkin to Lemon - Not a fail, but a try again.

I found this recipe before Thanksgiving and made it as one of our desserts.

The only change I made to the recipe was substituting a chocolate cake instead of a yellow cake. I also looked up a recipe online for pumpkin glaze icing. Poured it over the top of the Bundt cake and then shaved fresh nutmeg over the top of it. This cake was AMAZING!!

If you look at the first photo you will see that Pat who posted the recipe wrote, “It's so simple to make and oh so good the longer it sits the better it gets - Glad you enjoyed it :-))," and she is right. We ate this cake over 4-days and it was fresh, moist and yummy clear up to the last day.

Since we all loved it so much, I have decided to experiment today and take this basic recipe, but make lemon poppy seed pound cake.

I took the recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

And took out the pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg; then I added lemon juice, poppy seeds, lemon zest and increased the water.

So the recipe now looks like this:

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
¾ cups sugar
½ cup oil
1 TBSP lemon zest

2 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon zest

2 tsp poppy seeds (can reduce or eliminate)

½ cup water

The batter had a nice consistency and looked like the first cakes batter. I was super excited when I saw how it looked.

I baked it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes which is how long it takes to cook the pumpkin cake, but as you can see from the photo below it shouldn't have cooked that long.

In addition to it being very dark on the outside, it didn’t want to come out of the Bundt pan. L

I was going to make a Lemon Glaze to drizzle over the top, but since only ½ of the cake came out of the pan nicely I was not able to do that.

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 - 2 TBSPs of lemon juice

Instead I sliced it up to take and share at work.

Here is what I will change the next time I make the cake:

·         Reduce the lemon zest down to a ½ TBSP instead of a whole TBSP

·        

Cut the backing time back to 30 – 36 minutes.

So now you know that I am not a perfect cook or baker, but I am a “keep trying until you get it right cook and baker.”

J

If prayer is like asking for rain, then faith is carrying an umbrella.

The Child who brought an Open Umbrella for Prayer

The rains failed again that year. It was the third year in succession when there was no rain. The crops had disappeared and the land was a brown swath of dusty rubble. Trees had lost their leaves years ago and stood out like silhouettes of cactus on the dusty horizon. There was a stream that skirted the village in years bygone. Now the riverbed was dry. Where once flowed clean, fresh water from the nearby mountains, there was now a bed of clay, cracked in a checkerboard pattern with gaps as wide as a foot.  No one knew what had happened to the birds except for the vultures that circled the town, looking for a carcass or two of an animal that was left dying.

There was famine in the land. People walked around like sticks, sans flesh, surviving on whatever ration was brought to them by trucks, distributed by charities, located in far-away lands.

Desperate for help, the people of the village held a meeting under a big banyan tree that was as old as the village. “Let us pray”, said an elderly man. “Only God can help us now’…

…The faithful decided to hold their prayer in the open, late that night, under the open sky, away from the town. It was a full moon night and the moon shone with its alluring brightness against a background of shimmering stars. The men gathered in a field by the river. The mullah was there with his white turban and so were the kazi and the muezzin. And there were the men who at one time were considered rich by virtue of the cattle, sheep, orchards and cultivated land they owned.

As the men formed neat rows for prayer, a child came running from the town, holding high an open umbrella over his head. Huffing for breath, he stood in the back row, umbrella still unfurled. The men could not but help turn around and wonder what was going on.  Some were curious; others were annoyed because the umbrella created space between their shoulders where there should be none.

At last the mullah admonished the child. “Why did you bring the umbrella, O foolish child!” said the mullah to the child. “Don’t you see there is no rain and we have come here to pray for rain?  Only a foolish one would stand on a clear night like this with his umbrella open”

“Yes”, said the child. “I came to pray too. I am certain my prayer will be answered and it will rain. I have complete faith in God. That is why I brought my umbrella.”

The mullah was dumb founded. The men had a sense of shame. Each one looked to his right and to his left and then he looked inside his own soul for that certainty of faith that was absent.

Who was the teacher here and who was the pupil?  If you pray for rain, you must have certainty in your heart that it will rain.

“Verily! Through the passage of time Humankind is at loss

Except such as those Who have certainty of faith…”. (The Qur’an)

Do we have complete and total faith when we kneel to pray sisters? I know that I fall short in the area of prayer; I often find myself running through life and not stopping daily to pray. More times than I would like to admit I find myself with my head on my pillow rushing through a prayer so that I can go to sleep.

The reality is that our Heavenly Father wants us to pray; it is not a commandment but it is one of those things that he asks us to do as a way of showing our faith in our Father and our Savior.

Too many times, we treat Heavenly Father like an umbrella--we only use or call on Him when it's raining. Many of us, myself included, try to get along in life by only using Heavenly Father when we are in trouble, when there is a great need for something or when we just want to ask a quick, little prayer with no real attitude of faith or repentance. Sisters Heavenly Father cannot answer our prayers if we don't mean them.

I've thought, in the past, that I could sin the same sin over and over and just keep asking repentance every time, but in my mind, I haven't really repented. True repentance brings forth physical evidence. Just like true meaningful and sincere prayer can bring about physical evidence and all we have to do is open our umbrella of prayer.

President Spencer W. Kimbell said, “If the umbrella is not opened up, it is little more than a cane and can give little protection from the storms of nature. Likewise, God-given plans are of little value unless they are used.

The umbrella spread out makes the silken material taut. When the rain falls, it runs off; when the snow falls, it slides off; when the hail comes, it bounces off; when the wind blows, it is diverted around the umbrella. And in like manner, this spiritual umbrella wards off the foes of ignorance, superstition, skepticism, apostasy, immorality, and other forms of godlessness.

It is my prayer that we shall all spread our spiritual umbrellas for protection of our families.

Sisters an umbrella will not protect us from the storm unless we open it and stand under it. Similarly, prayer cannot increase our faith in Jesus Christ until we do it. Prayer is our umbrella in the storms of life.

Just as our spiritual umbrella can ward off the foes of ignorance, superstition, skepticism, apostasy, immorality, and other forms of godlessness it can also bring us encouragement, strength, knowledge, peace, rest from our burdens and joy to our souls.

When I thought about the quote I found, If prayer is like asking for rain, then faith is carrying an umbrella I was reminded that our only means of communication with the parent who loves us dearly is through prayer and just as surely there will be rain again there is a surety that our prayers will be answered.

The Lord tells us in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Do you think sisters that perhaps He was speaking of our umbrella of prayer? Was He telling us that if we will come to Him in prayer asking for our needs to be met He will meet them? Was He telling us that if we will come to Him in prayer seeking to find an answer, it will be given to us? Was He telling us that if we will come to Him in prayer, knock on the door of spiritual growth and He will enlighten our mind to it?

How lucky we are to have a Heavenly parent who wants to hear from us not once in a while, not once a month or week or even once a day; but who wants to hear from us at least three times a day?

As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be like Samuel who was recognized by his nation to be characteristically a man of prayer? Sister’s let us have great faith like this little boy who was foolish enough to bring an umbrella for prayer. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.