Aunt Sondra’s Marinara Sauce 

Every summer during tomato season, I make it a point to bottle this recipe of Aunt Sondra's Marinara Sauce, since I use it with so many recipes, and after trying this, I can never bring myself to buy the canned stuff anymore. It just doesn't compare.  I have even started "canning parties" with several friends and neighbors, and I haven't met one yet that doesn't want to become a regular.  Frankly, we can't make enough of it. I have used it in a lot of recipes, too, some of which I will post here--if I can remember them all. 

Aunt Sondra’s Marinara Sauce (Spaghetti Sauce)

½ bushel tomatoes (1 tomato bushel =52 lbs., or ½ is about as many tomatoes that fill a Utah Fruit box)

1 cup dried onions or 5 diced onions

1½   tablespoons minced garlic

½ cup salt

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup oil (I use Olive Oil)

1½ tablespoons  oregano

2 tablespoons basil

½ cup lemon juice or vinegar

½ gallon tomato paste (about 11-12 6oz. cans, or 6 12oz. cans)

Scald and peel tomatoes.  Bring all to boil, simmer 20 minutes (or longer to thicken) stirring often.  Pour into hot mason jars leaving 1 in. headspace and tighten lids.  Process 20 minutes.  Makes 11-13 quarts.

Educational Ideas for Young Children

Educational Activity Ideas for young kids

I compiled this list of things to do with my kids to make my time with them more productive and to make "no screen time" not so miserable for them--and just to reiterate that learning can be lots of fun!  Feel free to add your ideas too!

When in the car:

Count:

To 1000

To 200 by 10’s, 2’s and 5’s

Count backwards from 100

Backwards from 100 by 10’s, 5’s, and 2’s

Recite the Articles of Faith or learn the names of the 12 Apostles

Sing Primary songs really loud with all the windows rolled down

Memorize a classic poem

Play the “I spy” Alphabet game to learn letters.

Count how many American flags you see while driving down the freeway in a city

At Home or in the backyard: 

Have a fashion show

Learn fractions by following a recipe for chocolate chip cookies

Build a fort

Learn the value of coins and dollars by playing “store”

Learn about liquid, gases, and solids by freezing, steaming and playing with water

Build an ant farm

Learn to crochet   (Thanks, YouTube!)

Write a 5-minute speech or talk on any subject of your choice

Do yoga for half an hour together

Design the floor plan of a dream house or dollhouse

Build a dollhouse or a birdhouse/feeder

Build a castle or fort using cardboard boxes duct-taped together

Make paper dolls

Choreograph a new dance and perform it for Daddy. 

Have a spelling bee

Learn to count to 20 in another language

Interview an elderly person

Carve something out of a bar of soap

Write and illustrate a poem or children’s story

Invent a silly product, then film a commercial for it

Paint an outdoor or indoor mural together.

Learn and chart your family history.

Do each other’s hair, makeup, nails, etc. and hold a beauty pageant

In the spring time, make a fairy garden, or with boys, a dinosaur land using small planters or newspaper-lined baskets and real plants.

Build a mini city or neighborhood or farm with sidewalk chalk and toy cars

Anna is off on her mission! You can follow her on http://www.sisterannabryce.blogspot.com/

cruise

These pictures are not in order because I cant figure out how to post pictures correctly. We had an amazing time and want to give a huge thank you to Adam and Larae for this opportunity!

There was something living in it

eating on deck when we first arrived

muster drill

Miami sailaway

Miami

Miami beach

On the deck with Linda and Rachel

I dont remember if this was our first sunset or second

Olin took this picture

formal night

Roatan

Roatan

Roatan.  that is our boat in the background

Roatan

Ron dove for this shell in Cozumel but...

Add caption

This is a picture of my feet, not that guy

Right after we got on the boat

On the way to Vegas

transport from the hotel to the Miami port

Lacto-Fermented Foods

Yogurt, Pickled Garlic, Gingered Carrots, Kimchee, Beet Kvass, Buttermilk

So, I have been experimenting on making Lacto-fermented foods, and they are yummy! And of course very healthy. This is the second time I've made kimchee (Korean), and it just keeps getting better. I eat it plain, or add it to tuna fish sandwiches, or rice dishes. It smells really bad, but when I made Adam taste it he thought it was really good. The gingered carrots are good, they taste like ginger and carrots. :) I use the yogurt and buttermilk all the time. I didn't have any kefir, or I could have added it to my picture.  I take the beet kvass daily (or almost daily) with my vitamin regiment.  I add my trace minerals to it, since it is already salty. I give it to my kids too, with their cod-liver oil.  The pickled garlic are delicious, and we just eat them plain, (yes, they are half gone in the picture.)  This is a great way to get vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and lots of probiotics.  I just thought I would post this, and let you know how they are if you have been wanting to try them and haven't yet. All of these recipes are from Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon.

Clean Eating You’re all about simplicity. So, here’s a fresh, uncluttered approach to healthy mealtimes.   Simple Gourmet You love to cook and live to eat. Now you can make every family dinner a special occasion.   Gluten Free eMeals makes it easy to prepare gluten-free dinners that anyone in the family can enjoy.   Vegetarian eMeals makes it easy to create balanced, delicious vegetarian recipes for the whole family.   Low Carb Watch what you eat. Watch your budget. Watch your carbs. Watch how easy it can be.   Paleo eMeals makes it possible to consistently enjoy delicious paleo meals with lots of variety. This is a website that is awesome http://www.emeals.com/ You choose which kinds of meals you want to cook for your family and they send you a plan for the week with the grocery list and prices for various stores. I did it for a few months. We didn't eat every single meal but we did a lot and the kids loved it. It costs about $5 a month and you download each weeks menu. I saved all of mine in a folder for the future. You should all give it a look. It makes meals so much easier, especially if your kids like to cook!   Angelyn

Since I have been reading a lot lately I thought I would blog about some of my favorite authors. Of course it changes as I read more but right now my favorite author is Brandon Sanderson.

Brandon is LDS and a New York Times best selling author. My favorite book is "The Way of Kings" but it is 900 pages and the beginning of a series. I would start with "Elantris" which is good for teens too or Warbreaker which I loved. His Mistborn Trilogy has been very popular. Any book he writes is great. He is extremely creative. His fantasy worlds are amazing and I heard that "The Way of Kings" is now being touted as one of the best books on leadership.

For Fantasy I also have enjoyed "The Sword of Shannara" which is similar to "Lord of the Rings" though not quite that good. Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Light" Series is also one I would highly recommend. Brandon Sanderson finished the last three books in the series when Jordan died a few years back.

If you like Mystery then I recommend Laurie R King who writes about a girl who becomes Sherlock Holmes apprentice. "The Beekeepers Apprentice" is the first in that series. Then there is Anne Perry who is LDS and internationally famous. She is very prolific. Her mysteries are mostly Victorian Era. I would start with "The Cater Street Hangman". Also the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear which takes place during and after WW1.

I have read some great Teen books lately that I just couldn't put down. "Divergent" and Insurgent" by Veronica Roth are page turners but she hasn't come out with the last one in the Trilogy yet. "Matched", "Crossed" and "Reached" are an excellent trilogy from and LDS author and "Reached" was voted one of the most popular teen books of the year on Goodreads. Also "Watched", "Protected" and "Created" by Kathy Hogan are excellent reads. She is also an LDS author and these are books you can't put down.

Then I read "Edenbrooke" by Julianne Donaldson which left me wanting more and I started reading Romance books. I found some good authors (mostly Christian) that are clean. My favorite was probably Julie Klassen. Any of her books are good but my two personal favorites were "The Maid of Fairebourne Hall" and the "Silent Governess". Carla Kelly is an excellent author who I believe is LDS but I can't recomment her Harlequin books. Stick with her LDS books like "Borrowed Light" which is about an LDS woman or "Summer Campaign" which is a Victorian Era romance. They are both witty and written well. Tamara Alexandra has some good western romances and a couple of Victorian Era books like "A Lasting Impression" and Karen Whitemeyer is mentionable with "A Short Straw Bride" and others. Also I really liked Colleen Coble with her "Lighthouse Series". She combines romance and mystery quite well.

So these are only the books I've read more recently. Someday I will go back and blog about my old favorites. In the meantime, lets get everyone blogging again. We all aught to be able to come up with at least 1 blog a week. We love to hear from each of you about whatever it is you are doing or interested in so please blog!    Happy Reading! Angelyn