The Seed

Almost 12 years ago, I was somewhat bored between tasks at work, so I pulled out my notebook and wrote a poem.  That little notebook has been lost and found many times over the years, but I never wrote anything more in it.  Today, I was cleaning out my work back pack and found it again.  I figured I ought to write this poem down somewhere so that next time I lose the notebook, it can stay lost!

A Seed Gets Planted

Satan is a wily devil

He is so stinking smart

"Just once," he says, "It'll be fun."

And then he has you caught

"I can stop anytime you," you say,

But you've tried over and over again.

The problem lies within yourself

You've fallen victim to a sin

See, Satan plants just one seed

And often thats enough,

To get you off the strait and narrow,

To put you on your duff.

Christ is willing to take you back.

He's always there for us.

An eternal friend with love for all,

One who can clean up the mess.

Christ also plants seeds in hearts

only eternally better still.

The seeds that Christ plants in us

Are sure to give you a fill.

So when deciding which fruit to pick

Think first of the seed that grew.

And if that seed was rotten to start,

You're sure the fruit is too.

Mixed Berry Crisp!

We did this recipe with blueberries and strawberries.  Petty good in the dutch oven!  I doubled the crisp part and probably should have added more fruit too.  Anyways, give it a whirl!!

Ingredients

2 12-ounce packages frozen mixed berries (such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries; about 6 cups), unthawed (still frozen)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
 

preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine berries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and lemon juice in large bowl; toss to blend well. Transfer berry mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, oats, brown sugar, spices and salt in medium bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping holds together in small moist clumps. Sprinkle over berry mixture.
Bake crisp until berry mixture bubbles thickly and topping is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The Dutch Oven of the Week

Today, we are going to try a new Rhubarb cake recipe. this came from the following website:
http://www.foodreference.com/html/rhubarb-cake-1229.html
I'll update with how it tasted. 

RHUBARB CAKE

Outdoor Dutch Oven Cookbook
by Sheila Mills
Yield: 10 to 12 servings


Ingredients
• unsalted butter for greasing pan, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1½ cups brown sugar, or 1 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups sifted flour, unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat
• 1½ cups diced rhubarb
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


Directions
Grease a 9" X 13" pan or 12" Dutch oven and set aside.

Cream margarine and brown sugar or honey. Add eggs and blend well.

In a separate bowl, combine baking soda and sour cream. Add to creamed mixture alternately with flour and blend well. Add rhubarb, vanilla, and nuts. Pour batter into pan.

In a small bowl, blend granulated sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle on top of batter.

Bake in Dutch oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or in 350°F conventional oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Gospel Principles Lesson #10

In preparation for my Sunday School class, I'd like to capture a few thoughts for any one and everyone to think about, especially those in the Gospel Principles class in the Garfield First Ward of the Rigby South Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The lesson on June 3rd, 2012 will be lesson #10 and can be found at the following link:
https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-10-scriptures?lang=eng

To prepare, ask yourselves the following questions

• What do the scriptures mean to me?
• What do I gain from reading the scriptures?
• What is the difference between reading and studying the scriptures?
• Is one method better than the other?
• What does the LDS church accept as the canonized (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/canon?s=t) scriptures?
• How can I improve my daily scripture study?  If scripture study is not a daily event for me, how can I make the time to do it daily?
• Can you think of any prophecies in the Bible of the Book of Mormon?
• Ezekiel 37:16-17
• Isaiah 29:11-14
• John 10:16
• Any others?

Thanks for your participation in class!! 

A trip down (dutch oven) memory lane

As mentioned on Facebook, Heidi and I are trying to cook in the dutch oven every Sunday, or at least every weekend.  This last week the kids and I were sick all week, and the weather this weekend was horrible!  This evening we all felt pretty good, and the rain stopped long enough to get an oven put together and throw it on the coals.  I remember one of the first dutch oven dished I had was lasagna.  It was excellent!  I thought we could do something similar.  This is the recipe we tried.

Dutch Oven Lasagna

1-1/2 lb. lean ground beef
23 oz spaghetti sauce
9 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
3 eggs
2-1/4 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
13 lasagna noodles
1-1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/4 cup hot water
Preheat the Dutch oven and brown the ground beef. When done, remove the beef to a large mixing bowl. Add the spaghetti sauce to the beef and mix well. In another bowl, add the cottage or ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese (reserve a few ounces for later), eggs, and oregano, and mix well.
Now create lasagna layers in the Dutch oven in the following order: Break up four lasagna noodles into the bottom of the oven. Spread about 1/3 of the meat mixture over the noodles. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the meat mixture. Break up five noodles and place over the top of the preceding mixtures. Spread 1/2 of the remaining meat mixture over the noodles. Spread the remaining cheese mixture over the meat mixture. Break up the remaining noodles and place over the cheese mixture. Spread the remaining meat mixture over the noodles.
Pour the hot water all around the edges of the oven. Place the lid on the oven and bake one hour or until done. Check frequently.
This recipe works well with charcoal (12 briquettes on bottom and 12 on top).

My Review:
I didn't like this recipe.  It was bland, unattractive, and just plain old didn't taste good.  In its defense, we did make a few substitutions.  We didn't have enough mozzarella cheese, so we used some cheddar.  Over all, it just needs a bit more spice!  Probably won't be using this recipe again, at least in this form.  We may try it again with a few variations. 

testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

Does any one ever look at this? I haven't for a long time!!

what a woman...

What would you expect your wife to do when it snows 6 inches, freezing temperatures, wind howling, miserable ? Maybe make some hot cocoa and cuddle up under a blanket to stay warm? Who would have thunk I could have married such an excellent woman. She shoveled the whole driveway, all the way out to the road!

My son is the coooolest!!!

Isn't he great!?

WOW!!

Life sure changes fast. Here it is, March of 2009 (I sure havn't posted for a long time eh?). This time last year, I thought I was living the dream!! I had just graduated from college, got a good job, a great girlfriend, a new motorbike... What more could a guy ask for!!

Enter "change."

This march, I've been married six months, We're going to have a baby in 6 more months, and I couldn't be happier!! Now I AM living the dream!! Thank you, Heidi, for all you do for me. I love you!!

Engaged and Loving It!!!

She's amazing! And she's beautiful! And she's the one for me! Heidi Jean Eastman said "Yes" on Tuesday, June 24 at apprx. 8:54:32 pm. That is the new best day of my life ever!! Anywho, if you'd like to see the picture and here the story, I'm gonna send you on over to her blog, cause I don't have the picture, and she already told the story. Go on over to heidieatschuno.blogspot.com. Thanks to all for your well wishes!!!