Asian Slaw

Sister Potter made this salad for the last quarterly Relief Society activity. It was a hit, so we thought we'd add it.

Salad Ingredients:
2 3 oz packages of oriental-flavored Ramen noodles
2 pounds broccoli slaw
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/2 bunch of chopped green onions

Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Oriental Seasonings

Crush noodles and set aside. Combine broccoli slaw and other ingredients. Mix dressing together and add to salad ingredients. Mix in noodles.

Broccoli Salad

Dressing:
1 1/2 cups of mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tb cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

For the Salad:
4-5 bunches of broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 oz of Real Bacon Bits, pre-cooked and ready to serve
1 8-ounce bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2-3 Tb Chopped red onion

Mix the dressing ingredients and allow flavors to combine. Adjust to desired taste of sweet and sour.

The salad can be prepared ahead of time, but don't add the bacon, cheese, or dressing until just before serving to keep them from getting soggy.

-Sister Robinson

Asparagus Salad

Arrange on a serving platter or individual plate:

Romaine Lettuce (large leaves for base, to hold the other ingredients)
Cottage Cheese
Asparagus Spears
Pickled Beets
Hard Boiled Eggs, sliced or quartered
Artichoke Hearts
Sliced Black Olived

Drizzle with Ranch Dressing
Sprinkle Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

-Sister Cantey

Salad Recipes

To welcome Spring we had a salad themed cooking group in March. We sampled lots of tasty salads and have posted the recipes above. Enjoy!

Ginger Snaps

I like to be a little different as anyone who has met me knows so when it came to holiday baking I wasn't happy doing sugar cookies. Everybody and their mother seems to do sugar cookies during the holidays and though they are good I like to have a little something different that stands out. I don't remember if it was last year that I bought 'The Best of Fine Cooking Cookies' or if it was just that last year I finally tried this recipe, but I love them and so does everyone else that I have given them to. Also from my other blog this is the same recipe that I used for Galvin's' Robotics competition when I made 'Algae cookies'. Yes I added ground up algae pills to the recipe. They were still good, even the judges couldn't tell. The things I do for my kids.
So now I share this recipe with you minus the algae. It does require a bit of planning and prep but I think it is worth it. These snaps have a crunchy texture and an almost tingly spicy warmth. I am told they are great dipped in milk.
I hope you and your family enjoy these cookies.

Ginger Snaps

• 7 1/2 oz. (1 2/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, completely softened at room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg yoke
• 3 Tbs. molasses

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment( or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and molasses and mic until will blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed until the dough is well blended and forms moist pebbles, 30 to 60 seconds.

Dump the dough onto an unfloured work surface; gently knead until it comes together. Shape into an 8-inch-long log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. You will want to roll the log every 10 or 15 minutes in the beginning to prevent it from being flat on one side. I personally put mine in the freezer, but cutting it by hand then would be impossible. I use a spare compact size meat cutter we have to cut my frozen log. That's how all my cookies are the same thickness, I just gave up some of my trade secrets there. lol

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. I have found out the hard way that an oven thermometer is a must when baking. I highly recommend buying one. My oven is about 25 degrees hotter than the dial setting and has ruined my baking in the past. I don't think I have ever had an oven that wasn't off a little. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.

Unwrap the dough and use a thin, sharp knife to cut the log into 3/16-inch slices. Arrange the slices about 1 inch apart on the sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are slightly darker brown on the bottoms and around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Set the sheet on a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack and let cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers.

Now I can't promise that you can make these to taste as good as mine. I go that extra mile and use wheat that I grind myself and I get my eggs super fresh from a friend of mine that owns a few chickens but I made them before with regular store bought flour and eggs and they are still yummy.

I wanted to get this posted for those of you that were wild about the ginger snaps so I don't have pictures yet but I will be making more today and tomorrow so I will take pics as I go and post them to aid you in your baking. Enjoy all and Merry Christmas!!

Primary May 2009

Valerie Empie asked me to post some things about Primary to the Relief Society blog. I'm not exactly sure what she was looking for, but I thought I would begin with telling you the things we are studying this month. The theme for this month in Primary is "Baptism and confirmation are ordinances that bless my family. " Our scripture for the month is John 3:5, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Finally, the song we are learning for the month is number 100 in the Children's Songbook, "Baptism".



Also, I thought I would list the people that are working with the children in Primary:



President: Karen Laitur

First Counselor: Lisa Bowie

Second Counselor: Mary Amanda Brockman

Secretary: Kathy Linenkugel

Chorister: Sarah Ping

Valiant Teacher: Courtney Stamper

CTR 7 & 8 year old Teacher: Teresa Hales

CTR 5 & 6 year old Teacher: Kirsten Peless

Sunbeam Teacher: Jennifer Richardson

Nursery Leaders: Terri Potter, Seana Potter, Amanda Hickey, Emily Stamper



I put my name right up there at the top so that it will come to your mind first if you ever have any questions or concerns about Primary. If you would be interested in being a substitute teacher when we have a need (and we have two classes this weekend that need substitutes), please let me know.

Thanks for reading about Primary!

Karen Laitur

Thoughtful Thursday

In Alma chapter 37 we read ". . .by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." There are many examples of this in the scriptures, such as the Israelites and the fiery serpents and the Nephites and the Liahona. As I think of my own experiences I can see the truth of it in my own life as well.
Emily Dickenson said, "Sometimes when I consider the tremendous consequences from little things. . .a chance word. . . a tap on the shoulder or a wink of an eye, I am tempted to think there are no little things."
We all know what a difference a smile or a kind word can make, and I thank all of you for all of those small and wonderful things you do to help and lift others. Helen Keller said, "I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."
I invite you to think about small things in your life that have brought about great things and share them with us by clicking on comments and writing.