Who do you think you are?

There's a new show on TV that researches the ancestry of famous people.
They are so excited to learn their family history and to find their roots. I have been fortunate to know about my ancestry most of my life. I have 16 sets of great-great grandparents. Most of them were born in England, a few were born in Sweden. They listened to the Mormon missionaries, joined the church and migrated to the United States. All of them crossed the plains in covered wagons and are buried in Utah, the state where I was born. My ancestors are very important to me. Without their dedication, faith and perseverance, I would not be who I am today.....and I would be living in England!!

Resurrection

I was driving early this morning and was amazed at the beautiful world we live in. After a long, cold, dead winter, the earth has been resurrected. What was "dead" is now alive. The trees are blooming, the flowers have risen, the grass is green. It's a beautiful reminder that we too will be resurrected. Our Savior made it possible for the dead to live again. Spring is a reminder of this amazing gift. "Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me...."

Danish Aebleskivers

2 eggs
3 Tbl melted butter
2 cups buttermilk
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Mix together and fry in Aebleskiver pan.

Aebleskivers

There is a town in southern California called Solvang that was founded by a group of Danish settlers near the turn of the century (1900). We were introduced to Solvang by some friends and were enchanted with the town, its customs and especially its food. We devoured delicious servings of Aebleskivers sprinkled with powdered sugar and sausage served with applesauce and raspberry preserves. An Aebleskiver is a pancake that is fried in a special pan that shapes them into a ball. We bought a pan and started our semi-annual tradition of Aebleskiver breakfasts. The first Sunday in April and October we don't have our normal church meetings, instead we stay home and watch a broadcast over satellite. We cook Aebleskivers and sausage with all the condiments. Over the years, we have challenged our guests to see who could eat the most. The record is held by a young missionary who ate forty-four....yes, 44!!! It's a tradition our family looks forward to and enjoys every time we gather together on "Aebleskiver Sunday".

Tony Roma's World Famous Ribs

I always let our children and grandchildren choose their favorite meal for their birthday dinner. Last year, our seven-year-old grandson requested rooster. I asked him if he'd ever eaten rooster and he said, "No, but I'd sure like to try some!!" So, I cooked "rooster". Tomorrow, I'm making BBQ ribs for our grandson who is turning 13. This recipe is supposed to be Tony Roma's world famous ribs. I don't know about that, but they sure are delicious!!!

Buy 4 pounds of baby back pork ribs and cut them into serving sizes (4-6 ribs each). Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Coat the front and back of each section with barbecue sauce and wrap tightly in foil. Place in oven, seam side up and bake for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil, place on hot grill and brush with additional sauce. Grill each side 2 to4 minutes. Serve hot with additional sauce.

Tony Roma's Blue Ridge Smokie Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Combine in medium sauce pan, whisk until smooth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until sauce has thickened.
(From http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/)

Soapbox

You'll have to pardon me while I get on my soapbox. This is something I feel strongly about and most people think I'm nuts!! Which is probably true. Anyway, one thing I truly believe is that compassionate service begins at home. Whenever I was in the hospital having a new baby or having surgery or for whatever reason and the wonderful women at church asked me if they could help by bringing in meals, I would thank them, but I would respectfully decline the offer. I've been advised that I deny others the blessing of serving me, but I also believe that by doing so, I deny my family the blessing of serving each other!! And, after all, if these delicious meals are delivered to our door, my family will never learn to appreciate me at all. I want them to SUFFER!!! I also want them to learn that you love those whom you serve!! and serving each other in a time of need is definitely a way to learn that lesson. I mean if a boy can earn a cooking merit badge, he can cook a meal or two for the family. I must admit at this point that I have a husband who will step up to the plate and do whatever it takes to keep the home running when mom is out of the picture. For this I have been truly blessed!! Yes, I have turned down meals, but, I have never nor will I ever turn down cookies!!!

Stratagems

Table Monster: Another stratagem I used at our home was the Table Monster. The Table Monster sat on our dinner table every night and was awarded to the family member with the worst table manners. The awardee had to do the dishes. This worked really well for all of us except one...my husband....who won the Table Monster every meal. To this day, he gets up and does the dishes as a matter of habit. :)

The Smiley Store: This one works especially well with the youngsters. I made a bunch of "smilies"....construction paper circles with smiley faces.
Anytime I caught one of the children doing something nice or something without being asked, he or she would receive a "smiley". Once a month, I would open my "Smiley Store" where they could use their "Smilies" to "buy" inexpensive toys or treats.

Mom's Savings & Loan: As the children grew, I opened "Mom's Savings & Loan"....I even printed my own "cheques". I would post jobs that I needed to have done and how much I was willing to "pay" for that particular job. These jobs were outside of their normal chores, i.e., washing windows. When they had finished a job, I would write them a check from Mom's Savings & Loan. Then, whenever they needed money, I would cash their "checks". BTW, our kids never received an allowance. Instead, they were given food, clothing, and a place to live.

And, alas, when they turned twelve, they received their very own hamper, along with instructions on how to use the washing machine. Their clothes no longer appeared in the laundry still clean and folded. Their clothes were worn more than 5 minutes and they no longer cleaned their rooms by picking up everything and throwing it down the laundry shute. I no longer spent my life in the laundry room. We did have one problem, our youngest son would rather ride his bike to WalMart and buy new underwear than do his laundry. When he was married, I made him a quilt out of all his old boxer shorts. It turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself!!