Northwood Relief Society Blog

Babies on Parade / Cinqo De Mayo

2010-05-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at the last Enrichment! Not only did we have the cute babies that were born within the last year being showed-off we have a wonderful Cinqo De Mayo meal!

The decorations were provided by the excellent food committee that was headed by Willa Johnson & Brenda Armstrong.

The cute moms & their beautiful babies!

A quilt was tied.

Hair bow holders made.

Cute signs were painted.

And crayon cozies were sewn!

Merlene Johnson also taught a fun class on activities and fun things you could do with your children and grandchildren (wish I would've gotten pictures because it was fantastic!)

Stay tuned for next months Service Round-up!

(We're rounding up some service to be auctioned off!)

Stake Relief Society "Ten Virgins"

2010-05-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

I (Linda Croft) have been involved with a stake drama and luncheon, "The Ten Virgins". Each ward provided items which reminded us of Israel or her people. We had no idea in advance as to what belongings were going to be delivered Friday for use as decorations.

(Yeah for Tamsyn! Who played one of the Ten Virigins)

We draped the ceiling with a professional stage backdrop using neutral fabric, the walls had white Christmas lights under gorgeous gold embossed fabric, tables were exquisite, the bubbling water fountain in the middle of the gymnasium set on many oriental rugs.

The food was chicken salad, pita bread, grapes, olives, vegetables, humus, fresh strawberries with dip, chocolate cake or lemon cake dessert served in a small clear glass. It was absolutely lovely.

The program was enlightening as well as inspirational, after modifying the original script to fit better into our theme, it was very special. Appropriate recorded music played from 10 through lunch, it was very subtle. We used battery operated tea lights scattered on the table, plus each character had her own tea light inside her special oil lamp which she held as she spoke her part. --Linda Croft

March Relief Society Meeting - She Wore An Apron

2010-03-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

We had a good turn out and such a fun time at this month's Relief Society Birthday Meeting. The theme was "She Wore an Apron" and everyone from the ward was invited to bring quilts, doilies, clothing and other antiques that they made or from their ancestors.

We want to thank everyone involved, especially all those who helped sew the wonderful gift everyone received, their own aprons!

Linda Croft and with the help of others put together a wonderful program that helped us remember all the ways aprons were used and the ancestors stories which they came from.

The Young Women, who had recently finished some quilts of their own, proudly displayed all of their hardwork from this last year and a half.

There are a lot of neat pictures from that night so we put them into a collage, click to enlarge and take a look at all the wonderful heirlooms!

Northwood Ward in the News

2010-02-19T07:56:00.000-08:00

The Deseret News Thursday, February 18 publication featured a brief article concerning our ward's emergency preparedness seed project. This item was written and submitted

by Master Gardner Dallas Holmes. Double thanks to the Wright family for donating the seeds, and to the Holmes family for conceiving and transmitting the article to a proper source.

--Linda Croft

Click the picture to enlarge the article to read, or view the article at the Mormon Times HERE.

STUFFED With Love

2010-02-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

This last Enrichment/Relief Societ Meeting was STUFFED with LOVE, among other wonderful things, we want to thank everyone for coming and for the help!!

Sister Croft took these pictures and we thought we would share them with everyone.

Everyone gathered together after being fully STUFFED with a great "STUFF your own Baked Potato Bar".

Amanda Brady gave a great presentation on STUFFING felt play food as toys for kids/grandkids.

Links to felt food how-to's:

Keeper of the Cheerios

Next Holly (Johnson) Evans talked to us about STUFFING our freezer's and our wallets, with tips on premaking dinners. She also talked about the importance of eating dinner together as a family, here is a copy of her flyer below (click to enlarge & print).

Visiting Teaching via E-mail

2010-01-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

To receive your most current VISITING TEACHING assignment send an e-mail to
Meagan Waite at WaiteHere[at]hotmail.com.

February Relief Society Party (formerly known as Enrichment)

2010-01-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

STUFF your wallets by learning to prepare frozen dinners in a demonstration from Holly Evans:

Stuff some play food with this demonstration from Amanda Brady on how to make felt food:

(image from HERE)

And be STUFFED with LOVE for the wonderful ladies of the ward!

Susan's Caramel Sauce

2009-12-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here is the caramel sauce recipe I basically made up for the ward party. It is the sauce that was in the apple pie dessert. This recipe is cheap, easy, and takes only 15 minutes to prepare.

Caramel Sauce
makes about 3c. sauce

1 cube butter (1/2 c.)
1 small package (1lb) dark brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. cream
1 c. water
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 drops black walnut extract (optional)

Melt the butter in the heaviest large stockpot you have (sauce will expand about double during cooking). Whisk sugar, water, and cream into the butter. Boil on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add vanilla and black walnut extract if desired. Cool a little and drizzle over desserts like poached pears or apple pie.

NOTE - Keeps well in the fridge for at least a couple weeks. When ready to serve, simply break up hardened sauce into chunks in a thick saucepan and melt over medium heat. If it gets really hard in the fridge (cooked longer than 10 min or on high heat) you can even cube it to serve as candy!

Sarah and Carol's Creamy Onion Soup (tied for 3rd place!)

2009-11-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from the 1944 edition of The Good Housekeeping Cook Book that belongs to my (Sarah's) mother.

(This is their adaption of the recipe)

4 cups quartered large onions
5 Tbs butter, margarine, fat, or salad oil
1/4 tsp pepper
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 1/2 cups water
1 cup light or heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp salt
5 croutons
2 Tbs grated provolone cheese

Saute the onions in the butter until golden brown, spinkling them with the pepper while cooking. Dissolve bouillon cubes in the water, then bring to boil. Add browned onions. Continue boiling, covered for 1/2 hour. Then slowly stir in the cream and salt. Place croutons in each individual soup dish, and pour on the soup. Sprinkle cheese on top. Serves 5.

The French Onion Soup is very similar, and a lot of people like it.

Susan's Lamb & Tomato Curry Soup

2009-11-17T06:17:00.001-08:00

For Meatballs:

1 lb. lamb

1 egg

1/3 c. breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp dried mint leaves

1/4 c. grated onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp salt

Combine all above. Add more breadcrumbs if meat is too sticky. Roll into small meatballs and place in a baking pan, or place one meatball in each cup of a mini-muffin tin. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until well browned on the bottom. Can be made ahead and frozen.

For Soup:

In a large soup pot, saute in a little olive oil 5 minutes:

1 onion cut into small chunks or half-slices

1 clove garlic, crushed

Add:

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 can beef broth, plus 1 can water

2 Tbs tomato paste

1 c. frozen spinach

1 c. chopped summer squash

1 carrot, sliced

cooked lamb meatballs from above recipe

Season with:

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp white or black pepper

salt to taste

1 Tbs curry powder

1/4 tsp cinammon

1 cube vegetable bullion

dash each of: turmeric, garam masala (or allspice), celery seed, cayenne pepper

Karen's Cold Day Chile

2009-11-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

Karen's Cold Day Chile

1 qt beans. soak and cook until tender. Cover with water 1 inch above beans. Add

1 12 oz tomatoe paste.

1 qt mild or med hot salsa

2 lbs browned hamberger

1 large onion chopped

3 Tbs chile powder

Karen's Chocolate Lovers Chile

2009-11-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

Karen's Chocolate Lovers Chile

1 1/2 pds ground lean turkey

2 medium onions, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 cups beef broth

1 (8 oz) can tomatoe sauce

1 Tbs chilli powder

1 Tbs baking cocoa

2 Bay leaves

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3 (15 oz) cans white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

In a Dutch oven or kettle, cook the turkey and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink: drain. Add oregano and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce, chilli powder, cocoa, bay leaves, salt and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add beans; heat through. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Delia's Black Bean Soup

2009-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

This is from my favorite cookbook: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook but modified to fit how I cook it.

Black Bean Soup

Serves 6 to 8

Prep time: 15 minutes, Total time: 50 minutes

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced

6 garlic cloves minced

2 tsp. chili powder

dash of cayenne pepper or "red ground pepper"

4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

salt to taste

limes wedges (opt - but I LOVE it with it so I wouldn't dream of leaving it out)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (opt)

Heat oil in Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Cook onion, jalapeno and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in chili powder and red pepper. Cook for about 1 minute.

Rinse beans. Add beans, broth, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of water to pot. Bring to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Blend three cups of soup in blender until smooth. Sorry for lack of picture. This part is a little tricky. The hot soup creates a lot of pressure in the blender and can make a mess. I have had this soup pop the lid off by sheer pressure build up even with me pushing down on the top. Unless you have a vitamix, be sure to adjust the lid to release the steam as you blend.

Add mixture back to the soup and add remaining 1/2 cup of water if necessary.

Off heat, season the soup with lime wedges and salt. You can also add cilantro, avocado, and sour cream.

Add some yummy cornbread or tortillas...I made squash cornbread casserole... and you have a light vegetarian meal.

Megan's French Split Pea Soup

2009-11-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Megan's French Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

2 c split peas

6 c water or chicken stock (w/o sodium when using ham hock)

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 smoked pork chop (I use a ham hock, and if you want more ham just get a ham steak and cut it up to add after you've pureed the soup)

salt/pepper to taste

Rinse and sort through split peas. Place peas in slow cooker and add the water, onion, carrots, celery, and pork chop (or ham hock).

Cover and cook on low for 8-10hrs, until peas are tender and the meat has fallen away from the bone. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Remove and discard the pork chop bone and break up any large chunks of meat with a fork. (I personally like to take out the ham hock, puree the soup and then add the ham back to the soup--yummy, and I like adding extra ham, but to each their own).

Ladle into bowls, and serve immediately (though, I've found that it tastes great days later, too--perfect make ahead soup).

Meagan's Yummy Vegetable Cream Soup

2009-11-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Meagan's Yummy Vegetable Cream Soup

1 1/4 cup Blue Chip Baker's Deluxe Cream Soup Base Mix (can be ordered from Macey's service desk)

6 cups cold water, divided

1 tsp or cube chicken bouillon

1 16oz package California Blend frozen vegetables

2 or 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar and jack blend works well, but you can use anything)

2 cups diced ham

Mix soup base mix in 3 cups cold water, set aside.

Boil 3 cups of water and add bouillon. Cook diced potatoes for about 10 minutes in the broth. Add frozen vegetables and cook for about 5 more minutes, or until tender. Add soup base and water mix, stir well. Add shredded cheese and diced ham.

This can go into a crock pot once completed. This recipe is also quite forgiving... add more vegetables, cheese, or meat as desired.

Taitum's Taco Soup

2009-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

Taitum's Taco Soup (3rd place winner!)

1 pound ground hamburger, browned

2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

3 15 oz. cans of three different types of beans (I like black, red, and kidney), drained.

1 15 oz. can of whole kernel sweet corn, drained

1 pkg. Taco seasoning

3 cups water

Combine all ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approx. 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with cheese and sour cream on top and corn chips to dip or serve soup over them.

Connie's Chile Verde Soup

2009-11-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

Connie's Chile Verde Soup (2nd place winner!)

2 Chicken breasts, cut and cooked or 1 large can chicken
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Small can Mild Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Corn, drained
3-4 Green Onions, chopped

Combine and simmer 30 minutes.

Add 1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped
If too spicy, add more chicken broth to taste.
Serve with Fritos, sour cream, and cheese.

Super 'Souper' Saturday

2009-10-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Join us for a Souper Saturday Lunch and bring your best home-made soup and cookies. We are going to be having a Souper Cook-Off with prizes for the best and most unique dishes!

Interested in learning more about genealogy? Susan Lott is going to be doing a genealogy workshop for all levels.

Interested in some ideas for crafting on a budget? Deliah Randle is going to be teaching a class with a whole bunch of fun crafting ideas made simple and on a budget!

**For more options of Soap wording see below, better pictures coming soon!

For Fat Quarter Shirt Bring - 2 Fat Quarters
For Bandana Dress Bring - 2 Bandanas
(Six Star is a good place to find Bandanas)
For Apron Bring - 1 Yd Fabric A
1/2 Yd Fabric B