Monthly Archives: November 2011

Babies, Babies, Babies

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The month of October was a big baby month for my family, both my sisters gave birth to bouncing baby boys!  With their births it made 15 grandchildren for my parents. 

 We are so blessed.

The three newest little ones, all born within three months, wearing winter hats made by Grandma.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we, along with most of my family (missing one brother and his wife) took a trip to South Dakota to see my sister, her family and the newest little one.  We had such a good time, there were 25 people at my sisters house, it was loud and messy (there were 15 kids there!) and so much fun.  We enjoyed being able to spend time with family that lives so far away.

The youngest of the bunch, in his blessing outfit, we were so happy that we were able to be there for his blessing.

Chicken Broth Part II

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 Chicken Broth Part I is
HERE

At this point we have already cooked the chicken with vegetables and seasonings.  The chicken has been removed and the meat stripped from the bones, and the bones and skin put back into the pot.  Put the pot back onto the stove and slowly simmer for 48 to 72 hours, adding water when needed.

 

 

 

 

 

After 48 to 72 hours the bones and skin will have reduced considerably.  I empty the pot, through a fine strainer, into a large pitcher.  I like to press out any liquid remaining in the chicken parts.  The bones are soft and will crush when you put pressure on them, this is good thing, when the bones go soft you know that the minerals have leached out of them and into your broth, making the broth packed full of nutrients.

Once you have drained the liquid out of the chicken mush and strained the water, place the pitcher into the refrigerator to cool completely.  This allowes the fat to rise to the top and solidify so it is easier to remove.  We do want some fat in our broth, but not as much as is produced. 

After a few hours you can see the fat as risen and solidified.  Also the broth itself will thicken (depending on the chicken) sometimes the broth will be so solid you can cut it, other times the broth just seems a little thicker.  The is gelatin that has come from the bones gelatin is very good for you, a very digestible form of protein.  Skim all the fat off the top.  If the fat is cold it is very easy to skim, it just breaks off in big lumps.  This fat can be saved for cooking if you would like, potatoes are really good fried in this fat.

Then pour the broth in to individual containers, in amounts that suit you.  I like to use small, plastic, containers that hold two cups of broth.  Then I add a little lup of fat into each container.  Don’t be afraid of good fats, we need them to adsorb certain vitamins.   

The broth is then stored in the freezer.

Isn’t it such a beautiful dark brown color, this broth is rich, full of flavor and packed full of nutrients.  It can be added to any recipe that calls for broth, bouillon cubes (which are just chemicals and not good for you) or just water for an added punch of flavor.  Try cooking rice in broth for a wonderful flavor and added nutritional value.  Broth is also good for the sick, whose bodies need the nourishment, but also need something easy to digest.

 

The Land Down Under

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On November 6th Dadzoo went to Sydney Australia for 10 days on a business trip.

Two words…

Miss. Him.

That would be why I haven’t posted in a while.  My evening were spent chatting with him on the computer, and my days were spent catching up on everything I neglected the night before.  I was able to follow my schedule, although very loosely, I tried to keep my days full and busy so the time would pass quickly. 

 It was a fun little adventure for the both of us.  I realized how much Dadzoo does around here.  He is a great help with the work, but I missed having HIM here.  I missed our late night chats, evenings when we would walk through the door and fighting the kids for a hug and kiss.  I missed morning devotional, where he reads scripture and prays as the leader in our home.  I missed the special way he holds our baby to settle her down and comfort her.  I missed snuggling up to him at night, knowing we were all safe with him there.  I appreciate him so very much.  I also got very good and converting the time, knowing exactly what time it was in Australia!

Dadzoo, got 10 whole days to himself (besides the hours he was working) and I think he might have missed us just as much as we missed him.  He was able to walk about Sydney (they say “walk about” instead of “talking a walk”) and see all the sights.  He visited the Sydney Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, Royal Botanical Gardens and Sydney Tower.  He said that Sydney is a beautiful city, and if it didn’t take 18 hours to get there, he would want to go back soon.

Now I am off to do a little catch-up and double-up to be ready for this weeks holiday (one of my favorites!).

 

Walking in Truth

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My camera has been taken hostage, to the very ends of the earth in fact, so I have had to put  a couple of scheduled posts on hold until I have it in my hot little hands once more.  So until that day I thought I would share some things I have been thinking about lately. 

A couple of weeks ago I watched a talk give by Bruce Chadwick and Brent Top at BYU’s annual Women’s Conference in 2004.  The title of the talk is “I Have No Greater Joy Than To Hear That My Children Walk in Truth.”  They did a very exhaustive study on teenagers and their thoughts and feelings on religion, and in this talk they presented their finds and offered suggestions to parents on how we can help our teenagers stay true.  If you would like to see the whole talk you can go HERE.

They gave a few suggestions, that I would like to share:

1. Build a Household of Faith
     -Teach the gospel,
      (Have Family Home Evening, family prayers and family scripture study)
     -Encourage youth to have spiritual experiences and get their own testimony
     -Practice what you preach.

2.Render Daily Outpourings of Love
     -Time (quantity equals quality)
     -Words (tell them you love them, daily)
     -Hugs (physical affection)

3. Establish fair, but firm boundaries
     -Keep your eyes wide open, use wisdom and be interested
      Talk with your children
      Check with others (teachers, neighbors, family)
      watch for warning signs
     -If you love them discipline them
       Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
      Lower your voice, don’t yell, people stop listening once the yelling starts.

4. Counsel, but don’t control.
     -Don’t use guilt induction or love withdrawal.
     -Show respect for your children’s opinions and ideas
       (even if you don’t agree, be respectful and listen).
     -Allow your children to be their own person.

5. Don’t give up and don’t lose hope.
     -2 Kings 6:16

While this talk was geared towards raising teenagers, I think these principles should be applied all children, no matter the age.  If we are applying these principles when our children are small, I think the transition into the teenage years will be smoother because we have already established a loving, Christ centered environment, where our children feel free to mature into Chirst centered adults.