Carbonarra

There are several things my family makes all the time, and this is definitely a family favorite. It started because my dad served his mission in Italy, and this particular dish was known as the poor man's pasta. I love it because it is tasty both right off the stove and as leftovers. Plus, it can be made in less than 30 minutes. Sorry I do not have any pictures of it. I hope you enjoy it!

Carbonarra

1/2 package (8 oz.) angel hair spaghetti

1 t. salt

1 egg (whipped)

1/2 package (8 oz) bacon, chopped into small chunks

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

Parmesan cheese (finely grated)

Brown and thoroughly cook the bacon chunks in a pan on the stove, or in the microwave. While the bacon is cooking, in a large pot (8 inch diameter or larger) add 1 t. of salt and half fill it with water. Bring water and salt to boil. After water begins to boil, add spaghetti and occasionally stir to keep it from sticking to the pan. While it is cooking, whip the egg and set it aside. Cook spaghetti to the "Al-dente" stage. At this point, remove it from heat, drain water (but do not spray or wash the spaghetti), and immediately put spaghetti back into the pot while it is very hot. Quickly pour the whipped egg onto the hot spaghetti, stir it, and cover it with a lid, stirring occasionally to make sure the egg gets cooked (as evidenced by the whipped egg turning white and solidifying). Then, stir in the bacon and some bacon drippings. Stir in Parmesan cheese and salt to taste and serve.

by Maria, wife of Barbara's grandson Joel

Egg Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Egg Rolls

1 pkg. egg roll wraps (usually found in the store's salad section, 6x6" ish in size)

1-4 eggs

1 bag cabbage mix (the shredded kind, used for making coleslaw)

1 lb. precooked ground turkey (I've used ground beef before and it's not bad,

but definitely not as good as the turkey)

1/2 t. salt

2 T. soy sauce

Tip: When precooking the ground turkey, add the eggs to cook them as well (this simply makes the egg rolls not as slimy to put together, feel free to precook the turkey by itself).

Mix the eggs, turkey, cabbage mix, salt, and soy sauce together.

Put some mix on a wrap and "wrap" it (take the bottom corner and fold, then the side corners, then roll the whole thing over toward the top. It takes some getting used to)

Spray cookie sheet, lay egg rolls separated, spray top of rolls

Bake at 400° until brown (about 18 min.)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Mix:

1/4 cup ketchup

2 T. corn starch

enough water to pour into hot liquid below

Heat:

1 c. water

1/4 c. vinegar

3/4 c. sugar

Simmer to thicken.

Hmm... Now for a story... Well, I recently re-discovered these old pictures from Kotzebue, AK and I remember my parents telling me about how this was the trip that everyone went to play tennis (?) [Scott wishes! actually it was baseball] at 2 a.m. in the morning [like 12:01 a.m., so we'd still keep the Sabbath ; ) ] because it was so light out, I guess the cops (or local sheriff) showed up and told everyone to go to bed :)

My mom also told me that this is where I took my first steps, apparently to Grandpa! She said that even though I started walking only slightly before Erik, he was way more stable on his feet once he started. (correct me if I'm wrong) is this picture from the "un-birthday party"? Enjoy!

Grandma and Grandpa were able to make it down for their first

great granddaughter's baby blessing

K, it's kinda ugly and we should've taken a nicer one,

but there are 4 generations in this picture!

Grandma got this dress while serving in Brazil and Sadie loves it!

And finally, Tacia took this picture, but it's one of my absolute favorites.

(Grandpa and Sadie)

by Michelle, Barbara's granddaughter

Cinnamon Rolls

Seeing as the month is February, today is Valentine’s Day, and my wedding anniversary is in a few days, I have decided to share a very tasty and memorable recipe: the most amazing cinnamon rolls EVER. When I got married three years ago, my husband requested one thing: a cinnamon roll cake. Neither one of us is a big fan of cake, so this seemed like a scrumptious idea to me too.

A friend who is quite famous for her cinnamon rolls was asked to make sheets of them to accommodate all of the guests, (the cake was just for looks, and was not the “real” homemade cinnamon rolls). I didn’t know what I was in for. I have never had such big, fluffy, yet dense, yummy cinnamon rolls. What a way to make a memorable occasion even more delicious!

Cinnamon Rolls

1 recipe White Bread (see below)

4 ( to 8*) T. butter or margaine, softened

1/4 c. sugar (*original was all white)

1/4 c. brown sugar (*using brown helps with a caramel sauce)

4 t. cinnamon

Follow instructions to make dough below. Punch down dough, and divided and roll out into rectangle to make cinnamon rolls. Roll dough into rectangle, 15 x 9"; (* the rolls are giant, so roll out in more of a square and cut wider); spread with butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal well. Stretch roll to make even. Cut roll into slices. Place slightly apart in greased baking pan, 13x9x2", or in greased muffin cups. (*she cooks them on jelly roll pans). Let rise until double. Heat oven to 375 (* 325-350). Bake until done, 25-30 min. (*depending on size of roll and your oven).

White Bread

2 packages active dry yeast (*add 3)

3/4 c. warm water

2-2/3 c. warm water

1/4 c. sugar

1 T. salt

3 T. shortening (*or butter?)

9-10 c. of flour

Dissolve yeast in 3/4 c. warm water. Stir in 1-2/3 c. warm water, the sugar, salt, shortening and 5 c. flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn dough onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 min. Place in a greased bowl. Turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in a arm place until double, about 1 hour. (Dough is ready if impression remains). Continue making cinnamon rolls with instructions above.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing*

3 c. powdered (icing, or confectioner’s) sugar

1/3 c. butter, softened (* double the butter to 2/3 c.)

1-1/2 t. vanilla extract

1-2 T. milk

In a large bowl with high sides, mix the icing sugar and butter with a wooden spoon, or an electric mixer on low speed. Add the vanilla and 1 T. of the milk. Gradually beat in just enough of the remaining milk to make the frosting smooth and spreadable. If the frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a drop at a time. If the frosting becomes to thin, add more powdered sugar and beat. Makes about 1¾ cups.

[*Dee's notes: I went to get the recipe from Karen Christenson, the gal who makes the amazing cinnamon rolls. She said she uses the Betty Crocker recipe with a few modifications. I marked those with *. She said she uses a Buttercream icing, so I found this one online and it said it was from Betty Crocker. I hope this makes sense; good luck!]

Happy Valentine’s Day!

by Morgan, wife of Barbara's grandson Jason

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This recipe is a Jared Eliason specialty. There is a restaurant in Heber City (which Jared frequents because it is close to the Provo River) that serves enchilada soup. Jared went on a quest to find the recipe. He modified a few to come up with this.

One recipe was enough to feed the Jared Eliason and Bennett clan at our recent getaway to Katmai Roost. We wish more family could have been there!

an up-close look at this shows the traditional olive-on-each-finger by Caleb, the cutie!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 large onion, chopped

1-2 bell peppers (any color)

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 (14 oz.) can beef broth

1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes

2 (10 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chilies

4 c. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1-1/2 c. water

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. chili powder

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Toppings:

6-10 flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 c. grated cheese

sour cream

Preparation:

Add olive oil to large stockpot. Heat over medium high heat. Add onion and bell peppers, sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté additional minute. Add beef broth, chicken broth, tomatoes, cream of chicken soup, chopped green chilies, shredded chicken breast, water, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili powder, and black pepper to stockpot. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1/2-1 hour. Add cilantro prior to serving.

To Serve:

Add tortilla strips, cheese, and sour cream to individual serving bowls. Ladle hot soup into bowls and serve.

by Sarah, wife of Barbara's son Jared