04 August 2009

Eat your VEGGIES!

It's bounty time in the garden....well sort of if we're talking about my garden. It's been a slow summer since we've had lots of rain, but little sunshine. The tomatoes are finally turning. Have you been enjoying garden fresh or farm fresh veggies?

Here are some summer veggie recipes I've tried and can recommend....

Veggies & Feta (inspired by Alyson Jenkins' Summer Veggies & Feta recipe)

1 Tbls. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 med. zuccini, chopped
1 med yellow summer squash, chopped
A handful of grape tomatoes, halved
About 4 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt & pepper
Feta

Saute the onion and garlic in heated olive oil over medium-high heat. Add veggies & saute for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes & basil. Heat through. Transfer to plate & sprinkle with feta or serve feta as a topping.

Fresh Corn Salad (Kristiina Sorensen's recipe)
(adjust the amount of ingredients to your liking)
6 ears of corn, cut off the cob
1 large Roma tomato, diced
2 green onions, chopped (or chopped sweet onion)
1 can black beans (optional)
1 med. bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all of the above. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You may want to stop there and serve.
If you want a dressing, drizzle with a little olive oil & juice from 1/2 of 1 lime.

Potato Salad with Dill (from Sherene Ing, Arlington, MA)

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 stalks celery
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon regular Dijon mustard

Put the potatoes in a big pot with enough water to cover by 1-inch. Season with salt and bring the water to a boil. Cook just until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the uncovered pot off the heat. Let them sit until almost room temperature. (Cooling them in the warm pot will get rid of any excess water in the potatoes, and that's good.)
Meanwhile, cut the white parts off the ends of the celery stalks. Cut the stalks in half lengthwise, then across into 1/4-inch slices. Stir the celery, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the remaining ingredients together in a serving bowl large enough to hold all the potatoes.
When they're cool, cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces, add them to the bowl as you go. Stir gently until all the potatoes are coated with dressing. You can make the salad up to a couple of hours in advance. Keep covered at room temperature. Don't refrigerate or the potatoes will lose their rich, smooth texture.

The following recipes can be found by clicking on the recipe title....






Do you have a favorite veggie recipe? I'd love to add it to the list. Either add it through commenting below, or send it to me through email & I'll add it to this blog post. rebecca@menzie.org.
There's always the pick & eat way to eat your garden veggies:)

Bon Appétit!

Rebecca

03 August 2009

Temple Month

While we aren't gathering for an official enrichment meeting this month, we encourage each sister in our Relief Society to attend the temple this month. Ideally, try to stretch your service one stride beyond your usual plans. If you do not have a current recommend, we encourage you to take steps to renew your recommend right away, and/or make concerted effort to progress toward the temple.

boston_lds_mormon_temple1

From a previous RS lesson which touched on temple service....

Each temple is a house of learning. There we are taught in the Master’s way. His way differs from modes of others. His way is ancient and rich with symbolism. We can learn much by pondering the reality for which each symbol stands. Teachings of the temple are beautifully simple and simply beautiful. They are understood by the humble, yet they can excite the intellect of the brightest minds.
Spiritual preparation is enhanced by study. I like to recommend that members going to the temple for the first time read short explanatory paragraphs in the Bible Dictionary, listed under seven topics: “Anoint,” “Atonement,” “Christ,” “Covenant,” “Fall of Adam,” “Sacrifices,” and “Temple.” Doing so will provide a firm foundation. -Russell M. Nelson

Through temple service we can literally spiritually progress. Elder John A Widstoe said, “By giving myself in the spirit of true helpfulness to those that have gone before me, I develop within myself, within my heart and soul, an abounding love very near to that of God Himself. Then the selfishness of the world fades away.”

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Our lesson in Relief Society this Sunday will be about temple service. If you will be attending, take a moment the time to ponder lesson #36 in Teachings of Presidents of the Church- Joseph Smith. Right away, I'm struck by the verb in the title of the lesson, "RECEIVING the Ordinances and Blessings of the Temple." If you go to the lesson link, HERE did you know you can click on "listen" at the top of the lesson, click on mp3, & you can LISTEN to the lesson while folding laundry, or whatever it is you're up to?! If you have a temple related question or temple experience you would like to share (anonymously is fine), but will not be able to attend, please send me an email... rebecca@menzie.org. I'll post notes from the lesson here.

We hope that you are enjoying your summer, whether vacationing or "staycationing." We love you and hope to see you in Relief Society and in the temple this month.

All best,
Sheryl, Jan, Rebecca, & Tammy

Photography 101, by Macy Robison


Sisters,

Need a refresher on Macy's previous photography classes or a crash course on how to take better pictures? Have you heard of the Rule of Thirds? See for yourself how different vantage points effect the outcome of a photograph. Do yourself and your camera a favor and click HERE to visit Store & Style & read Macy's feature article on Photography 101. Bookmark it for future reference!

While you're at it, browse Store & Style's site. I think we need to invite our neighbor/Store & Style's co-founder, Christine Vick to our RS to give us a crash course on organization... what do you think? She's amazing!