Adventures in Married Life: January 2015

January 25, 2015

Miracles happen every day

Un Dia Muy Especial

What an incredibly special day for these three little girls. I have watched them grow over the past few years as their primary president. They are kind, sweet and oh so eager to learn. They love the gospel and most of all their

Savior Jesus Christ.

I can see the love they have for HIM in the kind acts that they show to others and to their families. What a blessing they are to their families and to us.

I love each one of them so much

and am so grateful to have been part of their very special day.

Gracias a los padres

por ensenar a sus hijas los principios del evangelio. Y por ser tan buenos ejemplos para ellas.

Muchas bendiciones para todo sus familias.

Es un gran placer ser parte las vidas de ellas.

Gracias a todos que vinieron para apoyar a estas hermanitas.

y para las comidas!!

January 24, 2015

Mcminnville has the best Police

Police Station tour

We have been talking about the people who keep us safe in our neighborhood. We toured the fire station and the kids loved that. So I decided to take them to the police station. It was so kind of them to take us on a tour of the station. We got to meet the detectives, some policemen, and the favoritest part of the whole day was playing in the police car. Oh and finding the alien!

Thank you McMinnville Police Department for all you do to keep us safe.

{Maybe next time we can see a dog.}

January 23, 2015

Chile Relleno delicioso!

Chile Relleno

Ingredients

4 pasilla chiles
1 pound queso fresco cheese
Toothpicks
3 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup oil
Tomato sauce:
4 medium Roma tomatoes, halved
1 cup water
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon chicken broth powder
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves

Directions

Rice and beans, for serving, if desired

Heat grill to medium.

Grill and char the chiles on both sides. Once blackened put in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to sweat out any moisture. Remove from the bag, slit them down the middle and remove the seeds. Stuff the peppers with the queso fresco and use toothpicks to hold them together.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add the egg whites to a large bowl. Reserve the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites with an electric beater until the whites fluff up. Add in the flour and the egg yolks and mix until completely incorporated.

Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Dip the stuffed peppers into the batter and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the oil to a serving platter.

Tomato sauce:

Add the tomatoes and water to a small pot over medium heat. Simmer the tomatoes until soft and stir in the garlic and chicken broth powder.

Add the 1/4 cup of oil to a frying pan, over low heat, and stir in the flour to make a roux mixture. Cook the flour until browned, then add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add the oregano.

Pour the tomato sauce over the cooked chile rellenos on the serving platter and serve.

If desired, serve with rice and beans.

The best Chocolate Chip cookies

2 3/4 c (14.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 c (4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 c (4 oz) Crisco (plain or butter flavored, I prefer plain)

1 c (6.5 oz) light brown sugar
1 c minus 2 T (6.5 oz) white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c (10 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (Hershey's brand is best)

Mixing the flour allows the final dough to have an even distribution of ingredients without over-mixing it.
In a small bowl gently mix the flour, salt, and baking soda until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
Using the wire whisk attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter and shortening on high until light and fluffy, 1-3 minutes. Beating the butter and shortening gives the dough a better rise in the oven, making the cookies lighter. Butter is good for taste and shortening is good to make the cookie softer.

Add both sugars and beat on high 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated.
Add the chocolate chips and mix gently.
Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix!

Adding the chocolate chips before adding the flour evenly distributes them without over-mixing the final dough. Do not over-mix or it will discolor the dough.

The flour to be just incorporated, is the point when you no longer see white spots of flour. Do not overmix! Over-mixing will ruin the cookies. They will bake flatter and look greasy. See the problem section for a picture of a very over-mixed cookie.

Touch test the dough. It should feel slightly sticky, but not much should stick to your finger. If it is very sticky add flour 2T (.5 oz) at a time. Using your hands, roll the dough into balls 1.5 inches tall (1.5 oz). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 3 inches apart. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. You can hold the dough up to two days in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer.

When shaping the cookies, you will know if you have the fat/flour ratio right.
too little flour- it will stick to your hands, forms a messy looking ball
just right- won't stick to your hands, but just barely, forms a smooth ball
too much flour- dough has to be forced into a ball, crumbly dough, rough looking ball
Handle the dough as little as possible while still shaping them properly.

15-20 minutes before baking, position the oven rack to the second highest setting. Preheat the oven to 375.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and bake 8-10 minutes. They are ready to come out of the oven when they are domed and puffy, show a few signs of browning and look a bit underdone.
Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes.