Grandma's Cheese Ball and Other Traditional Delicacies

For our Annual Christmas Food Blowout, I fixed that cheese ball Grandma Jeannie makes, and as usual it was a big hit. For anyone who would like the recipe, here it is:

Grandma's Cheese Ball

Equal parts of hand-grated medium cheddar cheese and cream cheese
Half as much blue cheese
Finely grated onion to taste (we like plenty!)
Worchestershire Sauce to taste
Garlic powder and pepper to taste

Mix in Cuisinart or with other mixer.
Form into a ball, fending off those who stand by with crackers, trying to eat it up before you get to this step.
Roll ball in paprika.
Wrap in Saran Wrap and leave in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve with crackers. Our traditional favorites are all by Nabisco: Chick'n in a Bisket, Bacon Thins, Triscuits, and Wheat Thins.

Although the Cheese Ball was and is, in my opinion, the piece de resistance of our annual Christmas Food Trough, the whole menu deserves sharing. This list of goodies was formulated many years ago by Grandma Jeannie, as we all looked forward to Christmas eatin's at her house. Over the years we have added to and is seems to get better every year. The following is what we pigged-out on yesterday as we enjoyed Christmas here in the Benham home:

Sausage Balls with Ricky's homemade scuppernong (southern grapes) jelly
Pigs in Blankets
Chex Mix (homemade, of course)
Hot Rotel and Cheese Dip with Santino Chips
Spinach dip in a big bread bowl
Baby Quiches
Grandma Jeannie's Cheese Ball with assorted crackers
Wavy Lays with onion dip
Herbed Cheese Spread with Pretzel Crackers
Little Smokies in bbque sauce (on the menu but inedible after I burnt em in the microwave!)
Rice Krispie Squares
Gingersnaps
Sugar Cookies
Assorted chocolate treats, generously donated by Brant Benham from his stocking
Hot Wassail
Cold Punches
Tums

Let me know if I left anything off the menu.

Hope yall ate as well as we did!

The Gauntlet Has Passed!

Well, I salute Stacey for stealing my thunder with some killer pizza! Our family pizza recipe is one I got back at Fort Rucker from Carol Patillo, who said it originated with Mani Sorensen. It served me well for many years, as my homemade pizza became almost legendary in our circle of friends. It is not a quicky recipe, but one of those "love recipes" that only works when plenty of love is kneaded into the dough. I had heard that Stacey had perfected the recipe and taken it beyond my meager abilities, but I had no idea how literal that perfection was. Such as making killer cheese-stuffed rolls to dip in her home-made pizza sauce! Suffice it to say that I no longer need to be the pizza maker extraordinaire for our family. Stacey, I salute you! When you gonna bake some again?

Our Kinder and 'em

My good friend Edna asked me to post some pictures of our grown kids, their spouses, etc. So here we go:

This is my favorite picture of Stacey and her husband Rich.


Here is one of Stace, Rich, Ashli, Andrew, Chris, Tyler and Justin last year at Josh and Amanda's wedding.



This is Dave and Boris, our granddog, surrounded by some of my grandchildren.



Here are Lynne, her husband Ricky and their five children during an autumn hike in Provo Canyon. The children are Trent, Riley, Brant, Lance and baby Gavin.


This is Annie, her husband Bryan, and their three daughter - Taylor, Payton, and Hayden.


This is Josh and Amanda, his bride of one year.


And here are Jake and his girlfriend, Sheree.

Ginger Snaps at Last!

Oh the joy of it! Somehow, somewhere, I had lost our precious ginger snap recipe: the one my children and grandchildren love. It is just about the greatest cookie ever, and I have been so sad to have misplaced the recipe. So tonight, on a whim, I googled 'ginger snap recipe from "mother's in the kitchen," ' and can you believe it, it came up! I am so excited to share it with you, and never to lose it again. "Mother's in the Kitchen" is the old La Leche League Cookbook, which I never actually had, but borrowed many times during my La Leche League years. Last year I found a used copy for sale on Amazon Market Place, and hastened to order it. When it arrived it was time to pack it up in those infamous boxes now out in Lynne and Ricky's garage. Of course they are inaccessable, but now who cares! I have the recipe, and so do you. Please enjoy making these marvelous cookies for your kids this Christmas, and be sure to tell them that their Mimi loves them!

Molasses Ginger Snaps from "Mother's In the Kitchen!"

3/4 C margarine or shortening

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups a.p. flour

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ginger

Mix everything together at one time. Form into balls. Roll in more sugar. Place wide apart on slightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Note from Yo Mama: Go ahead and double the recipe. You'll be sorry if you don't!

COOKIE CORRECTION

My apologies to Lynne, regarding the picture of the cookie recipe. When I pilfered it out of her cupboard, I mistakenly thought it was one I had written down myself, but she reminds me that I gave it to her over the phone. Sorry, Lynne!

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! (yum yum!)

Dear Family,
Everybody loves the famous Frosted Sugar Cookies. I can't take credit for the recipe, as it is the one the Cheryl posted in the old "dirty purple" Ozark Ward Cookbook, published way back in the seventies. I think I gave mine to Stace, or at least I intended to. If not, it's buried somewhere in one of those boxes out in the Benham garage. At any rate, I don't have it any more. So, this morning I started going through Lynnie's recipe cabinet and found this copy, in Yo Mama's own handwriting, with yo Mama's own grit and grime included. The 400 and 6-8 minutes looks like Lynnie wrote it. Anyway, now the recipe is officially available to all, right here in good old cyberspace! For those of you who don't care to decipher my scribbles, here is the recipe:

Frosted Sugar Cookies (Cheryl's recipe)

3/4 c. shortening (may use 1/2 shortening, 1/2 softened butter or margerine)
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. self-rising flour (the southern cook's favorite shortcut!)
1/2 t. vanilla

Dump all the above in your mixer and mix it up well. If you want to, you can do it by steps. You know, shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla on "cream" and then add the flour. Either way, chill your dough for an hour in the fridge before rolling out. You can fast chill it in the freezer.
Roll out dough on floured surfaced. Roll these thin if you like them like Yo Mama makes them. Be sure there is plenty of flour on the surface, or they will stick. Flour your cutters and go to town with them! Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 400 for 6-8 minutes. Time and even temp depends on your oven. Cool on cooling rack or paper towel, not on foil. Frost and decorate when cool. Be sure and bring some over to share with Yo Mama!

"C-H-I-C-K-E-N, That's the Way You Spell Chicken!"

Okay! I admit it! I'm a big chicken..... Always have been, always will be. Opa would probably say that it's because my parents babied me, and maybe it is, but all I know is I am a big scaredy-cat about being up high, going fast, going down hill, looking down from high building balconies, etc. Yall know I freak out when I am trapped in a car that is driving up a canyon, with a long drop just a few feet away! That's the reason I always want to take I-80 through Wyoming when making the Utah-Alabama drive. I just can't take the scariness of driving through the mountains. Driving in that awful area north of Price, Utah on the last leg of our drive out here in November was too scary for words. I just kept my seat reclined and played Solitaire on my laptop so as not to watch. (Even Opa found the drive dangerous, as it was dark by then.)

Anyway, a couple days ago Opa wanted to drive up to Brighton to check out the slopes, etc, and he wanted me to go with him. Not that I don't love to hang out with Opa, but I was just finally getting over the cold or whatever has been plaguing me since we left Mobile, and "baby it was cold outside" and I was aware of the switchback road that it the road through Big Cottonwood Canyon, leading to Brighton. But, being the loving, supportive wife that I try to be (stop with the smirks, girls!), I climbed in the truck and off we went, stopping on the way for a few errands. By the time we got to the turnoff for the slopes, there was not a lot of traffic heading in the same direction we were going. Curiously, there were lots of cars coming back down the mountain. Of course my paranoia shifted into high gear, as I became sure that there must have been a sudden blizzard up at Brighton, causing the road to close, etc. Never mind that the sky was blue and the day was sunny! Jim reasoned with me, and I calmed down, until we started seeing flashing lights, and traffic accidents. Jim drove extra cautiously, and I sort of calmed down. As we drove further up canyon, winding slowly around curves, it got colder and colder, even with the heat on.

So, I had a wonderful idea! Instead of me going all the way up to Brighton with Jim, 'risking my life on that road', I would get him to drop me at one of my favorite places, in spite of its location, the Silver Fork Lodge." I have spent many a happy summer hour sitting on the balcony with Dave, chipmunks scurrying around our feet, enjoying the summer beauty of the canyon. I remember eating breakfast there with Jim, Jake and Cheree, Ashli and Alli (our niece) on the morning of Josh and Amanda's wedding. Their oatmeal is the best in the world! Good Times! The picture is of Jake and Cheree on the balcony at the Silver Fork.

So Jim, even though he wanted me to continue up the "dangerous road to Brighton" with him, willingly dropped me at the Silver Fork Lodge. Dave's friends John and Angie both work there, and were coming in to work just as I got there. They found me the best table in the house, right in front of a roaring fire in the stone fireplace, with views on both sides of the snow-covered slopes. So I spent the next hour or so, sipping the very excellent Silver Fork Lodge hot cocoa, enjoying a plate of cheese fries. John and Angie checked in on me frequently, as I thawed out, relaxed and just enjoyed the heck out of that place. Jim returned from his drive up to Brighton and joined me for cheese fries and cocoa before we began our drive down the canyon. We passed four more traffic accidents on our way down! So glad to get back home at the end of that adventure. But I sure could use some more Silver Fork Cocoa! And that's the way they spell 'Chicken!'

By Popular Demand

It has been rumored that some of our family would like to see the origin of some of the German Christmas traditions which we have enjoyed as a family for so many years. So, after having done a google search of "german christmas traditions," I found a site which seems to be a good choice. It's called "German Christmas - Christmas Celebration in Germany" and can be reached at the following link: http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/weekly/aa120298a.htm

Enjoy!

A Day to Remember

Yesterday Opa and I were surprised to wake up to snow all over the ground and falling! This began our day to remember. What a pleasure it was to watch our grandchildren playing out in the snow! I took the first few pictures while standing on the front porch. Later in the day Lynne and I went to Day-Murray Music in Lehi, which brought back memories of my friend Brenda. If Brenda could only see me now, standing in front of Day-Murray, and only ten minutes from home! Back when we all lived in Germany, Brenda and I would both order sheet music through the mail from Day-Murray. Who would have ever imagined that I would actually be living so close to the store! I picked up an application for employment, but my chances of ever getting a job there are pretty slim, since loving to sing is not exactly a glowing reference! Just for fun, I took a picture of the front of the store to show to Brenda when we got together, later last evening.

So Jim and I and the Vasses drove to Temple Square last night and had just the best time having a mini-reunion with the Spillanes. We met in the South Visitors Center, until the missionaries very tactfully suggested we move out of the entrance, after which we moved the party over to the newly-renovated Tabernacle, home to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was very cold outside, and we did spend a bit of time looking at the Christmas lights on the square, and they were very lovely, but our biggest interest was in being with Tom and Brenda. It was more than great to be able to spend time with them, some of our oldest and best friends. Along with them there were a few of their twelve children: Creed, along with his wife Jacqueline and baby Gavin; Britton, along with her husband David and baby Aria; and Paris, Tom and Brenda's youngest daughter. While we were in the Tabernacle, Spillane daughter Ashli's husband David showed up, unexpectedly, and we got to visit with him as well. Ashli Spillane Thompson is the person that Stacey named our own Ashli after.
What a great day it was!

A Day to Remember (in pictures)

Thanks, Sister!

One of my favorite things about moving to Utah has been getting to spend time with Stacey. It has been over seventeen years since we have lived near each other, and I have missed her. Now that we are a mere 15 minutes away, it is great to be able to see her and her family on the spur of the moment. A couple of days ago, Stacey called me to tell me that she had a surprise for me. I love surprises! Turns out Stacey went to Voesens, the German backerei in downtown Salt Lake, and while she was there, she bought me a freshly-made stollen, as well as some German cookies and fresh Lebkuchen for Opa. I don't have to tell you that I chowed down on that stollen immediately! For those who don't know, stollen is a German holiday yeast bread, filled with raisins and other fruits and rolled in powdered sugar after baking. It is delicious! This gift is special to me, not only because I love it, but because it brings back a childhood memory for me: that of my Nana making stollen at Christmastime. It was one of the delicious baked good I remember from my childhood. Although Nana was Wisconsin-born, she lived a life steeped in the German traditions of her parents and grandparents. And thanks to my girl Stacey, I not only had a delicious treat, but a sweet memory brought back to my mind. Thanks, Sister!

Christmas Tree Decorating at the Vasses

It's Official!

I just signed on to lds.org and guess what! We are now officially in Harvest Hills 6th Ward! Hooray! Just thought yall would like to know!

My Dog's Name is Rex!

I talked to Annie yesterday morning and she told me about a man who they had over for dinner on Sunday. It seems he is a member of our church who is in Mobile to build the organ for the renovated sanctuary at Dauphin Way Methodist Church, which is where my friend Jo attends. So I thought that was a pretty neat coincidence. Then she told me the rest of the story. This man does work for our church, working on new buildings, etc, all over the country with his father. Ricky (who is still visiting in Mobile along with Lynne, kids, etc) mentioned that our next-door neighbor here in Harvest Hills also works on church building all over the country with his dad. So the man asks what our neighbor's name is, and Ricky says Nielson, and the man says his name is Nielson...... Anyway, it turns out that the man and Isaac Nielson, our neighbor, are cousins! And he said that when Isaac and his wife Erica had their third child earlier this year, that it was the 116th great-grandchild for their family! Which I found even cooler than the "my dog's name is Rex" coincidence. It's hard to try to wrap your mind around 116 great-grands. Are you reading this, Mutti? Try buying Christmas presents for that crew! So I started thinking about my friend Brenda, and if that could be a possibility for her. She and Tom have 12 kids. So if each of their kids has 12 kids, that would be, what, 144 grandchildren? And if each grandchild has, say, only four kids..... You do the math....

By the way, if anyone is a little confused by the title of this post, "My dog's name is Rex" is one of our favorite lines from what is probably our official favorite family movie, "Rustler's Rhapsody." So if you hear one of my kids ever say "Throw another faggot on the fire," or "I've got a match for you" or "My dog's name is Rex!," you will know where those lines come from!

Turkey Bowl 2007

Final Score:
Hawks (Andrew, Brian, Justin/Chris): 112
Cougars (Rich, Tyler, Justin/Chris): 72

See you next year!

Just Walkin'

Well, Opa and I just came in from a short but very cold and pleasant walk around our new neighborhood. It is dark here, so we had the chance to see the Christmas lights on our street. This may seem like nothing special to do on a Monday night, but I can't think of any way I would rather spend the evening! I have always wanted Opa to walk with me, but the weather is so HUMID in Mobile, that it just seemed quite unappetizing. So now we have had our first evening walk, not very long, but very enjoyable, and hopefully the first of many!

Yesterday I did make it to choir practice, which was great by the way, and on to Stace and Rich's for supper. We had such a nice time, visiting around the table most of the evening, making plans for our trip to see the lights on Temple Square on Saturday, where we will meet up with Tom and Brenda, and their daughter Ashli and her husband and five children. We are very excited to have Ashli Thompson get to meet Ashli Vass, who is her namesake. I am hoping that the Benhams will want to join us as well.

Thanksgiving at the Vasses

First Day in Our New Ward

We have been looking forward to attending our new ward, Harvest Hills 6th Ward, and today was the day! I must say that we were not disappointed. Sacrament Meeting was first, and even with low attendance of Thanksgiving weekend, there was still a need for nine brethren passing the sacrament! We sat on the last row in the chapel, and I suppressed the urge to turn around to see how many people were there, back in the folding chairs in the cultural hall, but there must have been a lot. It was a sweet experience for me to partake of the sacrament in our new ward. I felt and feel so blessed to be here, and felt the spirit in that meeting. Next was Sunday School, which was held in the other cultural hall (we meet in the Stake Center, which is why there are two cultural halls.) Brother Thomas taught the lesson on Pure Religion, which covers the book of James from the New Testament. According to the ward web site on lds.org, we were supposed to be having 1, 2 and 3 John, which is what Opa and I studied for, so I guess they are behind a couple of weeks. No matter, even though we had already had this lesson in Mobile, we enjoyed it so much here. Again, a very sweet spirit permeated the class, as Bro. Thomas taught the lesson, utilizing a clip from Elder Holland's May 07 conference address, concerning bridling the tongue. There were appropriate comments from the class members, and we both left class feeling fulfilled. Next was RS for me, and priesthood for Opa. I love Relief Society in this ward, having visited periodically since Lynne and Ricky moved here in 06. I really felt at home today, even though some of the sisters I have become friends with were not in attendance, due to visiting their children for the holidays. I sat with Kathleen Hansen, whom I have gotten to know, along with her daughter Shannon. They are missing Gavin! We had Teachings for our Times today, with the discussion around President Eyring's conference address "O Remember, Remember" from the recent General Conference. Great address, and great lesson taught by someone whose name I didn't catch, and again, lots of pertinant discussion and again that very tangible spirit present in the meeting. I am going to enjoy this ward! In RS, one of the brethren came in at the beginning of the meeting to ask for two sisters to feed the missionaries on two different dates in December. Quite a change from the missionary dinner calendar going around weekly in Mobile! Opa told me how much he enjoyed Priesthood meeting today. He said that Ray Hansen (Kathleen's husband) taught the same TFOT lesson that we had in RS and that he did an excellent job teaching.

So we drove the one minute drive home from church, ate lunch, and now, as soon as I finish this blog entry, I think I just might walk on back over to the church for choir practice at 2:15. They are working on some music to sing for Christmas, and I would really like to be a part of that! Then when I get back, we will go to Stace's house where we will get to help decorate the Christmas tree. And eat some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers! We had such a wonderful time spending Thanksgiving with the Vasses, Dave and Bryan, and Josh and Amanda. Rather than write all about it, I will just post some pictures I took of the day.

Signing off with love,
Mimi

Gentle on my Mind - the video

Photobucket Album

Gentle on my Mind

Jim and I have enjoyed relaxing with a Kris Kristofferson song or two, when the mood strikes us. We especially like to sing "Me and Bobby Magee" as well as "For the Good Times." Seriously good times. But probably my personal favorite that we sing together is "Gentle on my Mind." We even sang it once at a ward talent night, and managed to not make too big fools of ourselves. On our trip out to Utah we listened to lots of our favorite songs to pass the time, including "Gentle on my Mind." Jim commented that the melody was a little monotonous. Maybe so, but the words are so sweet that they make up for it. This little film clip is one Annie took of us while we still had furniture in our house. The remembrance of the little girls and our daughter with us that evening, as well as the silliness that prevailed truly lies gentle on my mind.

Walking to the Edge of the Darkness

We've dreamed about it, talked about it, wished we could, and now, finally we have taken the plunge! We have moved to Utah. Not exactly as we had planned, but here we are. All seemed to be going great for our home sale and move, including an enthusiastic buyer who wouldn't even look at any other houses. November 15 was to be the closing date. The evening of the 14th our realtor called and said the buyer's agent said they needed two more weeks. After eighteen months of renovating our home, six months on the market, two months with a sold sign in our yard, two more weeks was somewhat of a disappointment. Jim had already closed down his business, our utilities had been shut off, our mail had been transferred. How could we leave for Utah with no money in hand? Simply by following the advice Pres. Harold B. Lee gave to a young and very junior apostle, Elder Boyd K. Packer: "Boyd, sometimes you just have to walk to the edge of the darkness." As of today, November 24, our realtor has not heard back from the buyer. Will they show up with the money at the end of November? Who knows.... Our house is back on the market, and we are just going forth with faith and a lot of prayers.

Saying goodbye to my Mom and the Emmertsons and Jake and Sheree was so difficult. My heart hurts just to think about them. But the difficult moment passed and soon we were in our truck, driving through Mississippi and onward. Our crossing the Mississippi River seemed to be symbolic in a way. I did get a few pictures as we went over the bridge.