Author: Julie

Christ

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Today, in church with the young women, we were discussing our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. We talked about who we are and where we came from and also we discussed our Savior Jesus Christ. 
My husband was listening to a lesson on the computer this morning and it kept emphasizing the importance of knowing Jesus Christ and loving Him and recognizing Him as our personal Savior. The analogy was given of a man that had fallen into a pit, a very deep pit. He was unable to get out of it on his own. Then, someone lowered a ladder. The man had to climb the ladder to get out of the pit but without that ladder he would have been doomed to be stuck in that pit forever. That is how the atonement is. We are all stuck in the pit. Jesus Christ as a perfect person was not subject to be in the pit. He is the one that offered us the ladder. Through the atonement, we can climb that ladder out of that dark pit and back to level ground. 
 In that vein, here is a simple poster I found that I love. 
Let’s read this and ponder on it. He truly has the ability to change us, to help us become better, to help us face trials, to help us overcome. 
Jesus Christ is our Savior, He is the Son of God, He came to earth to suffer for our sins and to die for us. He was resurrected and through Him, we too will have the opportunity to return to our Heavenly Father, if we so choose. That we may choose that is my prayer. 

Pizza Crust

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While I love a raised dough for crust, I often fail to plan enough time to allow for it.  So when that happens (which is often!) I turn to this recipe.  Not too thick, not too thin….it’s just right for me!

Ingredients:
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/4 tsp. sugar
3/4 cup very warm water
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
cornmeal

1.  Combine yeast, sugar, and water and whisk together.  Let sit for 8 minutes.
2.  Add flour and salt to yeast mixture.  Knead for 2 minutes.
3.  Roll out onto a greased pizza pan that is sprinkled with cornmeal.
4.  Top with desired sauce and toppings.  Bake at 500 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until edges reach desired brownness.

Makes 1 pizza crust for a round pan.  I usually double it and roll it onto a large baking sheet.

French Toast Roll Ups

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Sometimes I like to try recipes that just look fun!  The precooking steps on this one would be fun to do with kids, especially rolling out the bread slices.  You can experiment with any fillings that have similar consistencies to the ones listed.

Ingredients:
8 slices bread (should be somewhat soft–I used whole wheat)
Nutella, cream cheese, jelly/jam, peanut butter
2 eggs
3 Tbps. milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 heaping tsp. ground cinnamon
butter for skillet
maple syrup for serving

1.  Trim the crust off the bread slices.  This goes quick if you use a pizza cutter.  Then roll each bread slice flat with a rolling pin.
2.  Take about 2-3 teaspoons of your filling (Nutella, cream cheese, jelly, etc.) and spread down one end of the bread slice (see the pic above).  Roll up the bread tightly, starting on the filling end.  Do this with all the bread pieces.
3.  Whisk the egg and milk together in a loaf pan.  In another loaf pan combine the sugar and cinnamon.
4.  In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  When skillet is ready, use tongs to dip roll-ups one at a time into the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off.  Place in hot, buttered skillet and cook on all sides until golden brown.  Cook just a few at a time so you can keep an eye on them.
5.  When each roll-up is done, remove it from the pan with tongs and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Serve warm with maple syrup, or even just plain!

Source:  It’s made the rounds on Pinterest but I found it on Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.

Look Not Behind Thee

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It’s a new year.

And of course, we all have at least thought about what our goals are for 2014.  Sometimes we may not want to even try for goals because we have experienced failure in the past.  Maybe we are bitter at where life has “brought” us up to this point.  Maybe we can’t let the past go.

But we should remember this:

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.  –Henry Ford

Lot’s wife had the opportunity to begin again.  She didn’t take it.  Really, she didn’t just “look” back, she yearned for what she didn’t want to leave behind.  She had comfort there and was unwilling to leave that comfort zone.  She had no faith in what the Lord had in store for her.

What comfort zone are we wrapped up snugly in?  And why are we so unwilling to leave it for frontiers unknown?  What are we afraid of?  Failure?  Pain?  Disappointment?

We must make a choice between suffering the pain of making mistakes (often inaccurately equated with failure) or the pain of regret.  I mean, let’s face it….that’s the choice.  Because none of us will pursue a goal without making mistakes.  But nearly every worthy goal left unpursued will become a regret.

If we fail to give our best personal self and undivided time to those who are truly important to us, one day we will regret it.  –Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This quote applies not only to loved ones but to ourselves.  We should be truly important to ourselves!  And if we don’t give our best personal selves TO ourselves in order to achieve our goals, we will be filled with regret and remorse.

As we give our best selves to ourselves and our loved ones, let’s remember to be kind to us.  Let’s remember that we improve ourselves in small, consistent ways.  Progress, not perfection.   Steady, persistent improvements in our lives will yield amazing results.

My grandfather used to love to ask me this question:  If I paid you a penny the first day but doubled that pay each day after that for a whole month would you work for me?   The total after 30 days is $5,368,709.12!!!!  But it all started with one little penny.

Go ahead.  Invest a penny in 2014.

Christmas Vacation!

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It’s been almost two and a half years since Mormon Mavens in the Kitchen was born.  In that time we’ve posted hundreds of our favorite recipes.  It’s a labor of love that we all enjoy but we hope you’ll understand if we take a short vacation to enjoy our families!

We’ll be back on January 6th!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

The Reason Behind Christmas

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I nearly forgot to post today. I have been thinking about it all week. I loved this video and I did get a little teary-eyed watching it. There are so many “gifts” that I can give to others around me. 
I hope that we all remember what this season is all about. And also that we try to emulate the Savior now and always. Let us love more, judge less, give more, hurt less and may we all feel the love of our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ throughout the year!

Pumpkin Truffles

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Easy, fun, impressive, festive!  And they taste pretty good too.

Ingredients:
5 ounces white chocolate chips
½ cup pumpkin puree
¾ cup finely ground gingersnaps
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of orange zest
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
white candy melts, about 8 ounces
additional gingersnap crumbs for garnish

1. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until they stir smooth.  Add the pumpkin, gingersnap crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and cream cheese.  Mix well until combined.  Chill in fridge or freezer until the mixture can be scooped and rolled into balls.
2.  Scoop the mixture and form into one-inch balls, placing them on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet in the freezer and chill about two hours until firm.
3.  When it’s time to dip the truffles, melt the candy melts in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until they stir smooth.  Using a fork to gently roll the ball around, coat the ball and lift it out and place it on the lined baking sheet.  (I use a cheap fork for this–I bent back the middle two tines and this gives more room for the excess to come off.)  Do this one or two balls at a time, making sure to garnish with the remaining gingersnap crumbs as soon as you place the balls on the baking sheet.  (If the coating cracks while setting, just use the tines of the fork to “patch” the coating with the melted candy coating.)
4.  When all the balls are coated, chill the baking sheet again to make sure the truffle coating is set.  Then store in a covered container in the fridge till ready to serve.

Makes about 15 truffles

Source:  Annie’s Eats

Mr. Krueger’s Christmas

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If you haven’t seen this, you have to watch it.  Few people can really capture the humility and sweetness of a character better than the beloved Jimmy Stewart.  My favorite part is when he daydreams himself into the nativity.  So sweet.

There is a version on YouTube that is all one video, but the quality is not as good as the ones below:

Samoa Fudge

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I didn’t appreciate the wonderful flavor and textures of the Samoas Girl Scout Cookies until I was an adult (I stuck with the boring shortbread to be safe).  And yes, I know they are now called Caramel Delites.  But to me they will always be Samoas.  This fudge recipe was a fun way to recreate some of that yumminess.  Hope you like it.

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups wrapped caramels
1 tsp. heavy cream
¾ cup butter
¾ cup heavy cream
1½ cups sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
1 (3-ounce) package coconut cream Instant JELL-O pudding mix
1 (11-ounce) package white chocolate morsels
1 (7-oz) jar marshmallow creme
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1.  Place coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown in a 425 degree oven.  Set aside.
2.  Unwrap caramels and place in a microwave-safe bowl with the 1 tsp. of heavy cream.  Microwave this for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until smooth.  Set aside.
3.  Line a 9″x13″ pan with parchment paper, allowing enough length on each end for “handles” later.  Set aside.
4.  In a large saucepan, heat the butter, the 3/4 up cream, sugar, and salt over medium-high heat.  Bring this to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.
5.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix, white chocolate, and marshmallow creme.  Pour the mixture from the hot saucepan into the mixing bowl.  Mix and stir until smooth.  Pour this into the prepared pan.
6.  Pour the caramel over the top.  It will thick so use a knife to spread it to the edges.  Use the knife to then swirl the caramel down into the fudge.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until the fudge is set.
7.  Melt the chocolate morsels in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate stirs smooth.  Spread the chocolate over the fudge.  Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.  Chill  until chocolate is set.
8.  Lift the fudge by the parchment paper “handles” and cut into squares.  Store in the fridge.

Source:  Key Ingredient