Ham Dinner Slices

(Also a Once-A-Month Cooking Recipe: OAMC)

This is a great beginner recipe for anyone who wants to start a OAMC file.  An easy meal to prepare for the freezer, this entree goes well with baked potatoes and green beans.

Ham Dinner Slices

2, 3/4 inch thick, cooked ham slices (from center ham)*
Prepared mustard*
Brown sugar*
1 cup milk (about)*
4 medium baking potatoes*
Freeze ham slices in 1-gallon bag.  Label bag so you'll remember what meal the ham is for.
To serve, thaw ham slices.  Prepare potatoes and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 1 hour or until done.  Place ham slices in a single layer in the bottom of an 8x8x2-inch baking dish treated with nonstick spray.  Spread mustard on top of each slice; sprinkle brown sugar over mustard.  Pour enough milk over ham slices to come half-way up their sides.  
Bake uncovered 45 minutes.  Yield: 4 servings.  Serve with baked potatoes and cooked green beans. *Food items with an asterisk(*) won't be prepared until you serve the entrée.
Once-a-Month Cooking, by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg, Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Co.

September Traditions

A favorite book I re-read each year:  Autumn, from the Heart of the Home, by Susan Branch

 September

The breezes taste Of apple peel.

The air is full Of smells to feel.

Ripe fruit, old footballs, Burning brush.

New books, erasers,  Chalk, and such.

The bee, his hive Well-honeyed hums,

And Mother cuts  Chrysanthemums.

Like plates washed clean With suds, the days

Are polished with A morning haze.

John Updike

Leaf Craft
I love crafts, and preserving fall leaves is a favorite our family does nearly every year.  Just place leaves between two layers of wax paper and cover with an old cloth.  Press the cloth with a warm iron, sealing the wax paper together with the leaves in between.  Cut the leaves out, leaving a narrow margin of wax paper around the leaf edges.  So pretty tucked in a scrapbook or to use as gift tags!

An Ap-pealing Recipe!
Fruit Leather:  Spread plastic wrap out on a cookie sheet.  Clip or tape as needed to keep the edges of the plastic from rolling.  Spread canned applesauce evenly with a spoon about 1/4 inch thick.  Don't spread too thin.  Make sure the edges are as thick as the middle of the leather.  Place in the oven and set oven on the lowest possible setting.  It will take several hours.  When the center of the leather feels firm and leathery, you can carefully peel the leather off the plastic and turn it over to dry for a short time on the other side.  If the leather will not peel off the plastic readily, it has not dried long enough.  When leather is dry yet flexible, roll it in plastic and cut into one-inch sections for easy eating.

Making Choices Quotes

Choose Today

There are choices to make today--

Read the scriptures, fast, and pray.

I want to do what Jesus would--

Be of service, be kind, and good,

Pay my tithing, and tell the truth.

I'll choose the right while in my youth.

Elizabeth Giles, Friend 9/03 

Look at everything through the lens of eternity.  ~President James E. Faust

Never let things which matter most be at the mercy 

of things which matter least.  ~Marion D. Hanks

Soberingly, more than one-fourth of this year already has passed--partly in pursuit perhaps of things that don't matter much.  ~Richard L. Evans

My counsel to you is to fill up your memory bank and your book of life with as many "I'm glad I did" activities as you can possibly crowd into one lifetime.  L. Tom Perry, Ensign 8/93

We cannot fill someone else's cup if our own is empty.  

Evelyn T. Marshall, Ensign 1/87

Sisters, put successful personal relationships, especially with those dearest to you, near the top of your list of priorities.  ~Janath R. Cannon

You must "...honestly evaluate your capabilities to determine the limit of your physical energy and your intellectual capacity.  ...Adjust your living patterns accordingly."

1.  Identify priorities in order of importance to eliminate the stress of decision-making.

2.  Maintain a time log, you might be surprised to learn that you are not really using time as you thought.

3.  Make adjustments - Needs vs. wants.  For instance recreation that does not involve family should be a low priority. 

You have an unbalanced life when undue attention is given to any one area.  Family Home Evening should encompass recreation, relaxation, refreshment, and instruction for the whole family.  "A Time for Every Needful Thing," Herbert F. Murray,  Ensign 9/71

The primary function of a LDS home is to insure that every member of the family works to create the climate and conditions in which all can grow toward perfection.  For parents, this requires a dedication of time and energy far beyond the mere providing of their children's physical needs.  For children, this means controlling the natural tendency towards selfishness.

Do you spend as much time making your family and home successful as you do in pursuing social and professional success?  Are you devoting your best creative energy to the most important unit in society - the family?  Or is your relationship with your family merely a routine, unrewarding part of life?  Parent and child must be willing to put family responsibilities first in order to achieve family exaltation.  ~Joseph Fielding Smith

It is helpful to remember the Savior's parable of "counting the cost" (Luke 14:28) before we launch into any enterprise.  When we simultaneously branch out into too many channels, we may not have the strength or the resources to sustain the effort, and frustration will result.  

In light of these facts, one of the least profitable things we can do is to compare ourselves with others.  Generally, when we make such comparisons, we match our weaknesses against the most prominent talents and virtues of those we admire or envy.  No one comes out well in this useless game.  Its effects can be devastating.   "The Peaceable Things of the Kingdom," Dean L. Larsen, New Era, 2/86

Provident Living Quotes

². Provident living is ... an “orderly approach to using the resources, gifts, and talents the Lord shares with us”³ and “joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies.”  

This definition found on the internet is embodied in the following quotes. Provident living is a way of life that prepares us to be better stewards with what the Lord has blessed us and to be able to help others.  I like to refer to these quotes when considering my expenditures and use of time.

The history of the world is the record of man in quest of his daily bread and butter. ~Hendrik Van Loon

We eat what we can and what we can't, we can.  ~Susan Branches' grandma

In hard times, if you can't eat it don't buy it!  ~ Ruth Pingree Smith

Be possessed of good judgement...the faculty of placing everything in its proper place...discernment, reason, moderation, consistency, wisdom. ~Katie C. Jensen

Success, happiness, and even salvation may be a simple matter of being prepared and in the right place at the right time.  ~Emily H. Bennett

If we want to be used for the benefit of mankind--helping the Lord with his mission--we must ourselves be in a position to be used by him.  ~Elaine Cannon

We have to learn to make our heaven before we can live in it. ~Paula Wescott

To acquire is not enough.  One must also know how to conserve and skillfully manage if all is to go well. ~Cecelia Ludwig

"Food prices are rising faster than your interest rate in your savings account, so you can make more money on (storing) your food than (putting) money ... in your savings account."  ~Chrystal Geddard, Every Day Food Storage (see also Load Up the Pantry)

President J. Reuben Clark Jr., in the April 1938 general conference, said...:  "Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you." ...let us buy a home that we can afford and thus ease the payments which will constantly hang over our heads without mercy or respite for as long as 30 years.  Ensign 11/98

Church leader, Marion G. Romney, has emphasized "to care for people on any other basis is to do them more harm than good.  The purpose of Church welfare is not to relieve a Church member from taking care of himself."  (Welfare Services Meeting, October 5, 1974.)  I accept the principles of the welfare program.  I endorse them.  In too many places, in too many ways, we're getting away from them.  The principle of self-reliance is fundamental to the happy life.  ~(lost the notation)

Because of the probability that some may join the Church for the material security they think they will find here, missionaries are counseled not to emphasize the Church welfare program in their proselyting.  I met an investigator once in New Hampshire who was joining the Church for just that reason.  He told me how impressed he was with the welfare program and how  much he wanted that security.  I told him, "Yes, by all  means, if you know about the welfare program, join the Church for that reason.  We need all of the help we can get, and you shall be called upon continually to contribute to the welfare of others."  His enthusiasm for baptism faded immediately.  ~Boyd K. Packer, Ensign 4/75

Even though this was going to be a big problem, I still felt good about acting on my determination to store wheat, honey, powdered milk, and salt.  Rotation is a problem in food storage, but with these four items there is less worry.  Wheat, honey and salt will last indefinitely.  Powdered milk is rotated easily...Our family will store other things, such as fruit, potatoes, peanut butter, and shortening, for a more palatable and interesting diet.  ~Bernice Ketner

There are two kinds of people on earth today,

Just two kinds of people, no more, I say...

...the two kinds of people on earth I  mean

Are the people who lift and the people who lean.  

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

15 Photo Preservation Tips

Here are 15 tips every scrapper should know:

1. A shoe box is safer than many photo albums.
2. Albums that are not acid free, cause yellowing and crumbling. 
3. The safest albums will say acid free or archivally safe, and are more expensive.
4. Bindings on albums should allow pages to lie flat, to keep photos from bending or cracking.
5. Start with most recent photographs and keep them up to date.  Then take older photos and sort them by decades, then approximate years. 
6. Make one "family album" and one for each child.
7. Document your photos with names, dates, events, feelings, humorous captions, appropriate quotes and family stories.
8. Trim pictures that include too much sky or background, a thumb or camera strap.  Use phot trimmers or templates to trim photos into shapes--a heart, circle or oval for example.
9. Do not cut Polaroid prints!!!
10. Be selective--mount only well-focused, varied shots.
11. Include special mementos with your photos:  lock of hair, post cards.
12. Take at least one roll of black and white film per year--they outlast color prints (or black and white digital prints). 
13. Store albums in an upright position, and at temperatures you could tolerate.
14. Either photo copy newspaper articles on acid-free paper or deacidify by spraying them with a product called Wei T'o (at craft stores).
15. Keep negatives in acid-free office envelopes (office supply stores), and label with the approximate months and years, and make a note about the pictures, such as Grandpa's birthday.

Powdered Milk-You Don't Have To Drink It To Use It!

The milk I keep in food storage is noninstant powdered milk.  This is different from instant in taste, how it dissolves, and its shelf life.  Global Post explains well the difference between the two in Differences Between Instant and Noninstant Dry Milk.  

As with all food storage, powdered milk should be rotated.  This can be done by combining half a gallon of mixed powdered milk with a half a gallon of whole milk.  Reconstituted powdered milk should be thoroughly chilled overnight before drinking.

Foods made with powdered milk will have fewer calories and less cholesterol than those made from whole milk.  Adding additional milk to the recipe will enhance the nutritive value of the recipe.  In any recipe calling for milk, simply add water for the milk called for in the recipe.  Recipes call for many types of milk.  The following recipes can be made from powdered milk (such as the type from a dry-pack cannery).  This is also a great way to rotate food storage powdered milk.

• Whole milk:  1 cup water, 1/3 cup powdered milk.
• Whipped evaporated milk:  Makes 3 cups.  1 cup evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice.  Thoroughly chill evaporated milk.  Add lemon juice and whip until stiff.  Sweeten and flavor as desired.
• Evaporated milk:  1 cup water, 2/3 cup powdered milk.
• Buttermilk or sour milk:  1 cup water, 1/3 cup powdered milk, 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice.
• Sweetened condensed milk:  Makes about 14 ounces.  3/4 cup non-instant (1-1/3 instant) dry milk, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup hot tap water.  Place hot water in blender.  With blender going, add sugar and dry milk, blend until smooth.

From The Idea Door, How To Use Powdered Milk Without Having To Drink It!, by Janice Luncford

Family Reunion Calendars

My grandma (right) looked forward to family reunions every summer.

Family Reunion Calendars make great mementos and can help you learn more about your family.  To make a calendar, collect 12 good recipes from extended family with the following information:  
Where did it come from?
How old is it?
Is it a tradition?  

Each month cook the recipe of the month.  Make extras as gifts!  Take pictures of your family with the completed recipe.  


I found this idea when our family visted The Alabama Department of Archives and History right next to the Alabama State Capitol.  If you ever visit Montgomery, AL this is one of my favorite haunts to visit--especially if you love state history and family history.  

http://www.archives.state.al.us/ tells you all about the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History.

Do You Know Your Family?

Activity:  Do You Know Your Family?

How well do the members of your family know each other?  These questions are great for the dinner table or other family get-togethers with extended family gatherings.  See how well you know your family.

1.  Mother's full name?

2.  Father's birthplace?

3.  Siblings' birthdates?

4.  Mother's birthplace?

5.  Grandfather's job?

6.  Where great-grandparents lived?

7.  Any ancestors from another country?

8.  Resemblance to ancestors?

9.  Location of most of the old family photographs?

10. Famous persons in family?

Find out the answers before it is too late!

Quick Creamed Chicken and Rice

Nothing is more delicious and comforting than creamy chicken and rice.  Keeping a can of cream of chicken soup in the pantry makes Quick Creamed Chicken and Rice a super fast meal.  If leftover chicken is not available, a rotisserie chicken from the store can be used for this and many more recipes that call for chicken.  I like to pick the carcass clean and package the meat in quart size Ziploc freezer bags.  A bag of prepared chicken is ready to go when it is time to make this simple dish.

Quick Creamed Chicken and Rice makes a great gravy for Haystacks, a recipe where you add toppings such as slivered almonds, sliced green onions, pineapple chunks, chow mien noodles, diced celery, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, chopped green pepper, water chestnuts, coconut and even maraschino cherries.

Quick Creamed Chicken and Rice
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
2 cups cooked rice
chicken leftovers (about 1/2-1 cup)
Optional:  Haystacks Toppings listed below
In a small pan, combine 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup and 1/2 cup milk.  Heat just to boiling point.  Pour over or combine with 2 cups cooked rice.  Add leftover pieces of chicken, if desired.  If you're out of condensed cream of chicken soup, try this easy recipe at Our Best Bites!  (I also included the complete recipe on my Hamburger Gravy Over Rice post).  The recipe originates at TammysRecipes.com

Steamed Rice
In a 2-quart pan with a tight-fitting lid, place 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Stir to distribute rice.  Cover.  Bring to a vigorous boil; then quickly turn heat to very low setting.  Continue cooking 15 minutes.  Do not stir or lift cover!  Remove from heat and let rice continue to steam, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.  Makes 3 cups cooked rice.
Note:  To be sure of light, fluffy rice, always measure the rice, salt, and water.  Too much water makes rice soggy and gummy; too little water allows rice to dry out before it is cooked.

Recipe comes from the best 1st cookbook!:  Homecooking on Your Own, by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward, and Madeline Westover, Shadow Mountain, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hamburger Gravy Over Rice

It is unbelievable that a leftover hamburger patty crumbled up in a mixture of condensed cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup (or can) of milk can make a delicious meal seemingly out of thin air! (You can use more ground beef if you have it).  Mix these three items over medium heat to the point of boiling and then pour over the rice (2 cups cooked rice).  This actually feeds our family of five adults.  The meal can be supplemented with a salad or other fruit &/or veggies.  

This type of recipe works well with rotating my food storage.  If you are using fresh ground beef for this recipe (1/2 lb. ought to do it), adding a little chopped onion and celery while cooking the ground beef gives it a really good flavor.  Some shredded cheese on top is yummy.  I used a blend of brown and white rice.  I'm trying to get my family (and myself) used to the taste of brown rice since it's so much healthier.

I actually ran out of condensed cream of mushroom soup and decided to try Our Best Bites' easy homemade version of condensed cream of chicken soup (most of these soups are interchangeable).  It works just as well!  The recipe made enough to make Hamburger Gravy Over Rice and Quick Creamed Chicken and Rice.

homemade cream of chicken soup

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
1-1/2 c. chicken broth (I follow Wyler's chicken flavor with herbs and spices instant bouillon as directed on the label)
1/2 t. poultry seasoning (click for a recipe)
1/2 t. onion powder (or fresh diced--boil w/broth for a few minutes)
1/2 t. garlic powder (or fresh minced--boil w/broth for a few minutes)
1/8 t. black pepper
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. parsley
dash of paprika
1-1/2 c. milk, divided
3/4 c. flour
In medium-sized saucepan, bring chicken broth, seasonings, and 1/2 c. of the milk to a boil.  In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour.  Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.  (Recipe originates at tammysrecipes.com:  she uses the broth from her oven-roasted chicken.  She says to, "Refrigerate broth and then take fat off the top.  If you're using chicken bouillon + water for your broth, you may want to add a little extra seasonings, such as lemon pepper, extra garlic, or seasoned salt, since my broth normally has bits of those in it.  You can also add bits of chicken, but if you have good rich chicken broth, you probably won't need any chicken in it.").

For instructions on rice, see post for Quick Creamed Chicken and Rice.