Southwestern Egg Rolls

There is definitely a love-hate relationship with these appetizers, originally from Chili's. Everyone I've asked either absolutely adores or abhors them. I happen to be on the adore side and made these to accompany dinner recently. I tripled the ingredients to feed my large family. They are easy, fun and yummy! Oh...and if your crew loves to dip make lots of sauce! We also mixed sour cream with salsa for dipping! Happy eating!

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast fillet, cooked and diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

2 tablespoons minced green onion

1/3 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash cayenne pepper

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 pkg. egg roll wrappers

Avocado-ranch dipping sauce:

1/4 cup smashed, fresh avocado (about half of an avocado)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

dash dried dill weed

dash garlic powder

dash pepper

Garnish:

2 tablespoons chopped tomato

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauti for a couple minutes until tender.

3. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

5. Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of a wrapper. Fold in the ends and then roll the wrapper over the mixture. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have several eggrolls.

6. Preheat 2-3 inches of oil to 375 degrees.

7. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 4-5 minutes (turning once when browned) and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.

8. Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.

Garnish the dipping sauce with the chopped tomato, cilantro and onion.

Serves 3-4

Congratulations Rush and Brittany!

Rush and Brittany were married this morning! We arrived at the courthouse at 11:00 am and were leaving at noon. I was surprised at how personal the ceremony was...I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't a flowered arch in a private room complete with seats for visitors!

When the festivities were all over we asked Olivia how it felt to be a sister-in-law. She was floored...HUH? Then she wanted to know if Rush and Brittany had a baby if it would make her an aunt. Answer: Yes...but hopefully they wait awhile!

We welcome Brittany to our family...now we have 7 daughters...Victoria, Susanna, Alyssa, Olivia, Julia, Nina and Brittany!

Rush's long-time buddy Michael was on hand to be a witness as well as Brittany's friend Brianne and her little cutie Leland. Sarah, Victoria, Alyssa and Olivia celebrated with us too.

Filling out forms

Rush and Brittany with friends and family

The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Dinnertime

Dinner was a sacred institution in my home growing up. At 5:00 our family gathered around the table for a home-made-from-scratch meal. It didn't matter what we were doing, everything was put on hold for supper...it was the best time of the day.

My dad is a minister and as I was growing up, a home missionary...a church planter. Our income was never large, but mom had a way of making everything seem special and taste good. When I think of the time that she spent transforming meager ingredients into the wholesome, comforting food I ate as a child I am amazed. Mom worked, was a busy pastors wife, helped support the church with candy sales (candy that she made herself every Thursday in our kitchen) and was very hands-on raising my sister and me. AND you could perform open heart surgery on her bathroom floors any day of the week. So, the time spent on dinner could have easily been spent on many other worthy things...but mom and dad knew the importance of connecting with their girls and dinner is one of my most treasured memories.

After dinner we very often pushed the plates back and sat at the table for an hour or longer just talking. It was during these "table talks" that my parents gently probed into our lives and extracted the joys and hurts of the day. They encouraged us, cried with us, laughed with us, reproved us and prayed with us. The nuggets of wisdom that were mined during these conversations have benefited me all my life, and I am thankful that my parents had the foresight to realize that dinner was not just a time to fuel the body with nutritious food, but an ideal time to feed the souls of their children with acceptance and gentle correction. In our home the dinner table wasn't the place where we children were taken to task concerning our report cards or untidy bedrooms...that sort of correction was done privately, preserving in us a sense of dignity. Table time correction was more direction...coaching, if you will.

Dinner guests always marvelled at our family's tradition of extending the "eating hour" with conversation. They joined in and enjoyed it...and left commenting that they felt satisfied in body, and in spirit. My dad, loving the Bible as he does, always managed to throw in a bit of the Word during our table talk. His word pictures and object lessons stay with me to this day.

So...what is my point? I want to give my family the same sort of warm, comforting dinnertime experiences that I had as a child, but I realized a little while ago that I wasn't succeeding. Dinner is so often eaten "on the fly". Every evening is packed with church activities, social obligations or homework. The leisurely hour spent around the table is non-existent in our home. We come to the table (which we do set with a cloth and nice dishes) and eat quickly. Our conversation centers around the activities of the evening or the next day. With 7 children at home everyone is always going in a different direction, and coordinating transportation and schedules can be a challenge. Sometimes we rush in from the afternoons activities with only enough time to change clothes and give the little girls a snack before we race out again...always running just a little behind schedule. "Dinner" is then eaten after we return, and eaten quickly so that we can all get to bed and start another busy day a few hours later.

I made a commitment to myself a few years ago that we would have 2 or 3 meals a week that were eaten calmly and leisurely...that we would take the time to enjoy the food and each other. I quickly found that the issue at stake wasn't a LACK of time, but a mismanagement of my time. That with a little forethought and planning we could have the same home-cooked-from-scratch meals that my mom made. Now we try to have dinner on the table by 5:00...just like my mom did...at least 3 days a week. I also worked out a series of menus...no more "Auuugghh...it's 5:00...WHAT is for dinner???" And I discovered freezer meals (Dinner My Way) which gave me many great ideas for pre-planning.

This is not to say that we always succeed in having Norman Rockwell dinner every day...but we do manage to spend quality time together eating well-planned, nicely presented meals at least 3 times each week. I have quit feeling guilty about the other 4 evenings. Our meals on those nights are usually crockpot meals or casseroles that are ready whenever someone is hungry or has time. And while we sit down together most nights, we are only able to linger at the table once or twice a week.

Has it made a difference? Yes. Have I re-created my childhood utopia? No. But it is my hope that my efforts are translating into warm family memories my children will carry with them into adulthood. Time marches on so quickly, and the days we spend together are priceless. I am determined to enjoy them to the fullest.

Lemon Bars and more...

Since I haven't blogged since July I am not even going to try to catch up on everything! Let me just say that I had an absolute blast with my dearest friend on earth and was able to stay for NINETEEN DAYS!!!! It was amazing, relaxing, busy (being involved with all they do), and a time for re-evaluating. My kids could not have given me a better gift for my birthday! Thank you to Victoria, Susanna, Alyssa, Franklin, Olivia, Julia, Nina and Ryan!

For Christmas they did it again! A wonderful gift in the form of MAGNIFICENT portraits by the unparalleled Sam Hassas. I don't have any of these images to share online, but here is the link to Sam's post: Beth's Christmas Pictures You have to scroll down the page a bit to find them! While this project was Victoria's brain child, everyone contributed. Ryan, however, put the wheels in motion. He got the shoot with Sam, got everyone safely to and from San Jose, fed all my kids pizza and more.

My friend, Christa was also a co-conspirator. I did think it was odd that she wanted to go to breakfast and spend the day together EARLY one Thursday morning. The funniest thing was that a few minutes after I left with Christa I got a text: "Ok, guys...she's gone. EVERYONE UP!" Hmmm...confirmed suspicions! Something WAS up! Obviously, I was not supposed to be on the receiving end of that text!

A public thanks to EVERYONE involved in this fabulous surprise...I will treasure these photos all my life.

One more thing about the pictures...most of you know that we have a disabled daughter. Julia is six years old and we have thousands of pictures of her, but we have NO PICTURES as beautiful as the ones that Sam took. It is amazing the way he captured her personality and the relationships she has with her siblings. THANK YOU, SAM HASSAS! Getting great pictures is a challenge, but getting great pictures of Julia is next to impossible. YOU ARE AMAZING!

SO...on to the lemon bars:

These are truly the most fabulous lemon bars on the planet! Two things are very important: USE REAL BUTTER and FRESH LEMONS! Don't try to cheat and use bottled lemon juice or margarine. The lemon zest is part of the unbelievable lemon flavor. These are sweet, tart, tangy, buttery...in a word: delicious!

CRUST:
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (25 grams) confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (approximately two large lemons)
1 tablespoons (5 grams) grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour

TOPPING:
Confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
Lemon Zest- The yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume.

TIP: Always remove the zest first before halving and squeezing the lemon. Use a fine strainer to remove the seeds and pulp from the juice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the sides and bottom of an 8X8 pan.

FOR CRUST: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press into the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

FOR FILLING: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Fold in the flour. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
To serve: Cut into squares or triangles and dust with powdered sugar. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
Yield: 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) squares or 32 triangles.

Enjoy!

A Birthday Surprise!

Birthdays have always been special in our family. As the mom I am the one who plans the birthday surprises, shops for and wraps gifts, plans the special birthday meals, contacts friends and family to attend the parties, cleans, cooks and decorates. It's a mom's job! And I love having one special day a year to focus on each family member and bless them with special attention.

I mentioned in my post "Teaching Children to Cook" that the time I spent teaching my children to cook is now blessing our entire family as they take on more and more of this responsibility. They are excellent at cleaning, cooking, laundry and taking care of the little girls. It is so neat to see them successfully doing the things that I have modeled for them and trained them in all these years.

It seems that they have mastered one more skill...that of planning wonderful birthday surprises and handling all the details that make those surprises successful!

I will be 42 on the 28th of this month and to celebrate my children planned a wonderful birthday surprise. They provided awesome dessert and gave me the best gift ever...a round trip air fare to North Bend, OR to spend nine glorious days with my best friend ever, Kirsten King! They even provided me with a generous spending allowance and assurance that all will be well at home while I am gone to Oregon Heaven. I leave TODAY and will return on the 28th! YAAAY!!!!

Many, many thanks to my awesome kids...Victoria, Susanna, Alyssa, Franklin, Olivia, Julia, and Nina and Ryan! You guys are wonderful!

This blog will sit idle for almost two weeks...I'm going to see my friend!!!!

The Old-Time Family

I found this poem (or part of a poem) in one of my favorite books: The Country Mother's Cookbook -A Celebration of Motherhood and Old-Fashioned Cooking by Jane Watson Hopping.

This very neat cookbook intersperses old-time recipes from the 30's and 40's with pictures and family anecdotes...tales of days gone by. The author raised her family just north of Coloma and so her writings are very interesting to me, as her stories take place practically in our backyard!

This book and another of hers, The Lazy Days of Summer Cookbook, are just about my favorites. I love reading about Jane, her family and their celebrations. I also love the recipes which are tailored to feed a large family on a small budget.

From The Old-Time Family

We were eight around the table in those happy days back then.

Eight who cleaned our plates of pot-pie and passed them up again;
Eight that needed shoes and stockings; eight to wash and put to bed,
And with mighty little in the purse as I have said,
But with all the care we brought them, and through all the days of stress,
I never heard my father or my mother wish for less.

-Edgar A. Guest