Summer!

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful summer!!  July is flying by with the 4th behind us and 24th of July around the corner.  Hopefully everyone is having fun and being safe.  We took a break from a Relief Society activity in July but we'll be back in August with another recipe exchange, so mark your calendars...

Wednesday, August 8th 7pm
Relief Society Exchange
Bring your favorite dish to share (anything!) or just come and enjoy the food and have fun chatting!

Misc. Dishes...

Zucchinni Bread
 - Sam Jensen

3 beaten eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. grated zucchinni
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. nuts (optional)

Mix well. Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Desserts...

Rhubarb Crush
 - Colene Flamm

4-5 c. rhubarb
1 - 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 c. sugar - plus 2 Tbs.
3 Tbs. corn starch (softened in water)
2 c. cracker crumbs

Cook diced rhubarb with pineapple and 1 cup sugar. When rhubarb is tender thicken with corn starch. Set to cool.

Prepare cracker crumbs with 2 Tbs. sugar.

Fill serving dishes 1/3 with cracker crumbs and 2/3 with rhubarb and pineapple mix. Sprinkle with cinnamon, then add remainder of cracker crumbs and top with whipped cream.


Brown Paper Bag Caramel Corn
 - Amy Wilker

3/4 c. butter (make sure not "light" margarine)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. Karo syrup
1/2 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil on stove. Time for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Stir well.

Popcorn: Put 4 quarts popped corn in large paper bag (best to use 2 bags, one inside the other). Pour caramel sauce over popcorn in bag. Fold top down twice. Shake bag, put in microwave for 45 seconds on high. Shake well, put in for 45 seconds again, shake well, put in for 45 seconds. (3 times)  Pour into pan to cool.


Whoopie Pies
 - Heather Rigby

Ingredients:
For the cakes:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. softened butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg

For the filling:
1/2 c. softened butter
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
3) In a large bowl with a hand mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until evenly blended, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg, increase the speed to high, and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute more.
4) Pour half the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, and beat at medium speed until just blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat again.
5) Use a cookie scoop or spoon to place a heaping tablespoon of batter on a prepared cookie sheet. Add more more of batter, evenly spacing them, until there are nine on each sheet. Slightly flatten each mound with a spoon.
6) Bake the cakes one sheet at a time for 10 minutes (they should be moist and spongy). Let them cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Reline the sheets (I reuse the same sheets of parchment paper) and scoop, shape, and bake the remaining batter.
7) Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl until evenly blended, about 2 minutes. Optional: If you want to give the filling a particular color, you can fold in drops of food coloring at this point.
8) To make each pie, spoon and spread a  heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of a cake, then gently press another cake on top.
Makes 18 pies


Strawberry Mango Banana Frozen Yogurt
 - Shannon Kinghorn

Shannon said she used her food processor to mix the frozen fruit with Greek yogurt.

Main Dishes...

Basic Bechamel (White sauce or Alfredo) 
 - Marissa Empey (She didn't have time to make it for us but still provided the recipe so we can all try it out!)
Serves 2

1 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 c. half and half
Nutmeg and Salt

Microwave: Melt butter and add flour, cook approx. 30 sec. until bubbling. Add half and half, cook until sauce begins to thicken, stirring every 30 sec. Sauce will thicken more as it cools. Add Nutmeg and Salt to taste.

Stove-top: Same procedure, medium to low heat, stirring constantly.


Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
 - Sarah Ricks

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. green salsa
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
2 Tbs. sliced green onions
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded Mexican flavored cheese
small flour or corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Ad the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20-30 seconds).
Spoon 2-3 Tbs. of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.
Make sure the taquitos are not each other.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

To freeze: Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes. (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together.)


BBQ Chicken Salad
 - Robyn Anderson
Serves 4-6

3 c. cooked, cubed chicken
2 c. BBQ sauce (see recipe below)
3 Romaine lettuce hearts, cleaned and chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small bag of frozen corn, cooked
1 c. Colby Jack cheese, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
Ranch dressing
Tortilla chips

Directions: In medium bowl, add the cooked, cubed chicken and bbq sauce. Stir to coat chicken with sauce, set aside.
In large bowl add the romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, cheese, green onions and cilantro; toss together. Divide the salad evenly among plates. Top each salad serving with the desired amount of bbq chicken. Serve with tortilla chips and dressing. Enjoy!

Homemade BBQ Sauce 
Makes 3 1/2 cups

2 c. Ketchup
1 c. water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 Tbs. brown sugar
5 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 Tbs. fresh ground pepper
1 Tbs. onion powder
1/2 Tbs. ground mustard
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

Directions: In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring often.

Side Dishes...

Triple Berry Salad
 - Katie Peterson

1 lg. pkg instant vanilla pudding
32 oz. container vanilla yogurt (or strawberry)
8 oz. Cool Whip
Frozen or fresh berries

In a large bowl whisk together pudding and yogurt until well mixed. Add Cool Whip. A few hours before serving add frozen fruit. (I used a package of frozen mixed berries from Walmart.)


Cookie Salad
 - Amy Tippetts

Mix:
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 small instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can crushed pineapple, with juice
12 oz. whipped cream

Chill and add just before serving 3/4 pkg. crumbled fudge stripped cookies.

June Appetizers...

Last night was our second recipe exchange activity and it was another success!  I know summer can be a busy time but we still had a good turn out with great food and lots of fun conversation.  We were also treated with the spotlights of Heather Rigby and Shannon Kinghorn.  So here goes another round of recipes!  I know I've already used this blog as a resource to find some of the recipes we've been able to sample.  This time around, we're including the name of the person the recipe came from, that way if you have any questions you can direct them to the right person.  Can't wait to try some of these out myself!!

Let's start with appetizers...

Grilled or Sauteed Shrimp
 - Donna Maughan

Thaw:
12 oz. pkg frozen shrimp - deveined, peeled, cooked

Saute for a few minutes or microwave
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 small onion, minced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

Mix shrimp with ingredients above and salt and pepper to taste. Marinate an hour if possible. Either saute 3 or 4 minutes per side or grill on aluminum foil folding up edges to catch juices.

Bean Salad/Dip
 - Wynette Butikofer

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 Anaheim pepper
1 white onion

Chop the above vegetables and put in a bowl.
Add 4 cans of black eyed peas (drained).
Add about 3 Tbs. of garlic (I use the kind that comes in bottle).
Add about 1 Tbs. of basil (I use the kind that comes in a bottle).
Stir until well blended.
Add Wish-Bone Italian Dressing until saturated.
I serve mine with "scoops" tortilla chips.

Bacon Wraps
 - Leah Stallings

1 lb. bacon cut into thirds
2 cans whole water chestnuts

Combine all of the following ingredients for the sauce-
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper

Wrap bacon around chestnuts and secure with a toothpick. Dip in sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. on foil lined cookie sheet.

Just a reminder...

Just a little reminder that General Conference is this weekend, March 31st and April 1st.  Sessions are at 10am and 2pm with the Priesthood session at 6pm on Saturday.  Make sure to watch!  If you don't have it on your tv it is also being broadcast at the stake center.  Also, don't forget it is also available to watch or listen to on www.lds.org.

What a great opportunity to hear the words of the prophet and other leaders of the church!  Hope everyone has a wonderful conference weekend!!

Update!!

Just an update that the April Recipe Exchange Night has been canceled!  It was scheduled to be on Wednesday, April 11th but was canceled due to the stake Relief Society activity...

Be Calm and Carry On
Saturday, April 14th 1:00-3:30pm
Stake Center
Five mini classes followed by a key speaker and light refreshments.

We hope everyone can make it to the stake activity this month and look forward to our ward relief society activity in May!

A Great Birthday!

Wednesday was the Relief Society Birthday Dinner.  It was a great night!  We're so glad for everyone who joined us for the fun.  We enjoyed delicious Hawaiian Haystacks with rolls and of course yummy birthday cake and ice cream.  It was fun to see everyone and catch up and then we got to enjoy a wonderful program that was put together by Sis. Butikofer.  We got to hear from different readers who spoke for some of the Relief Society presidents in the past.  It was great to learn so much of the history of this great organization and to be reminded how lucky we are to be apart of it.  It's amazing all of the wonderful things that Relief Society has done and is continuing to do.

For those of you who are interested, here is the recipe for the Hawaiian Haystacks gravy:

-2 packets Chicken Gravy Mix
-2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
-2 cans Chicken Broth
-1 cup water

Combine gravy packets and water.  Add cream of chicken soup and chicken broth and heat over medium high heat until hot.  Add salt and pepper to taste and cooked/shredded chicken to serve. If it needs thickening add a mixture of water and cornstarch or flour, add by slowing pouring and mixing with a whisk.

I'd like to thank everyone who helped and participated in making it a great night!  Thanks to those who participated in the program, Sis. Butikofer for putting that together and making the yummy cakes, the Relief Society Board for the dinner and putting it all together, and Sis. Flamm and Katie Peterson for all of their hard work.  Thanks ladies!

Don't forget the next Relief Society Activity is the Recipe Exchange Night on April 11th at 7pm.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Relief Society Birthday Dinner!

Our next activity is coming up!

Relief Society Birthday Dinner!
Wednesday, March 14th 7pm
at the church
Dinner (& dessert) and Nursery Provided

We hope everyone can come enjoy a yummy meal and a great program, all to celebrate the wonderful organization that is Relief Society.  See you there!


...Mark your calendars! Our ward April activity is going to be another Recipe Exchange Night on Wednesday, April 11th at 7pm.  The first recipe exchange was a huge success so we are excited to have another one.  Be thinking what you would like to bring and share with everyone... but we had so much food last time that if you want to just chat and sample, please come!  I'm excited already!