Yummy Yummy...Fruit Salad

Emily really, really, really wants to learn to cook.  I am not very patient when it comes to cooking with kids, but I have decided I really need to help her learn because she wants to so bad.  The other day she said she wanted to make fruit salad, so here she is making her first fruit salad.

She picked out the fruit: apples, oranges, blueberries, mangos, and grapes. 

Sarah watching Emily make fruit salad.

I did all the peeling, and she did all the cutting...she wanted to do as much by herself as she could.  Something funny about her request to make fruit salad, is that she won't even eat it.  She only likes certain fruits and certainly not mixed together.

The finished product...I think it looks delicious, and my little princess is beautiful.  I'm sure there will be many more cooking experiences soon.  After it was done she put it in the fridge and covered it with a dish cloth.  Katie and Matt are coming over for dinner tonight, and she doesn't want Katie to see it until she is ready to unveil her creation.

October Fun in Snowflake

Darrell had some time off from work in October...so of course we went to Snowflake.  The kids had a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting away from the regular routine of the day.  My sister Stephanie and her family came to visit for a couple days and then my brother Brett and his family came to visit.  

My goofy Sarah relaxing with her funny tongue hanging out.

My beautiful Emily.

Dog pile on Uncle James.

This is my sister Stephanie's sweet baby Kaitlin.

We went to a little creek in Show Low and hunted for crawdads.  Darrell mad little fishing poles out of dowels and string with hooks.  The used hot dogs to lure the crawdads out from under the rocks.  Everyone had a blast, including me.  It was fun trying to get them out of their rocks.  

Nick and Courtney Lamb Wedding

My younger brother Nick was married in October to a wonderful woman...Courtney.  I'm so excited to have her as part of our family.  They are so happy and fun together!  

They were married on a warm day in the Mesa Arizona Temple followed by an evening reception.  It was a busy hectic day, but worth it.

After the ceremony we had pictures outside.  The picture on the left shows how tired Sarah was feeling.  The picture on the right is my adorable niece Kaitlin.  She is so alert in this picture.  So cute!

This is another one of my beautiful nieces...aren't those blue eyes and her blonde hair just gorgeous.  Her wonderful mother Hailie did such an awesome job with her hair.  Emily was very envious of her girls, and so in between the wedding and reception Hailie curled Emily's hair....she loved it.

All the cute Lamb cousins (minus the two babies)...Derek the lonely boy:) But at least he's a hansom boy.

I love my niece Payton's face in the above picture:)

This is my brother Brett holding his adorable baby girl...Ella.  Aren't they cute together:)  She is such a tiny little girl, but very active...just like her dad.

Ella and Kaitlin...believe it or not, these two are about 3 months apart and are only a pound difference in weight!

Kaitlin getting tired of posing for picture.

Derek holding his cousin Ella.

All the lamb cousins...including the babies.

Gorgeous Emily and tired, grumpy Sarah.

My sweet boy Derek...missing one tooth.  Someone from Courtney's family made the cute bow ties.

Nick and Courtney outside the temple, and group picture with the Brimhall family.

Nick and Courtney greeting guests at their reception.

My brother Brandon with niece Ella.

My Grandma and Grandpa Ford along with my Uncle Aaron, Aunt Denise, and Uncle Craig came from Sacramento, California to attend the celebrations.  I feel so blessed to have seen my Grandpa one last time.  He passed away suddenly late last week.  I can hardly believe it.  I'm so blessed to have known him.  We had them over for dinner the night they arrived, and it was a wonderful time.  We will all miss him.  I wish I had gotten pictures of him with my kids, but I didn't...at least we have the wonderful memories:)

Last but not least, Derek boy with his Great-Grandpa Lamb.  I was so happy to see him also.  He struggles with many health problems including deficits of speech from a stroke several years ago.  It was wonderful to see him and for my kids to see him.

Cream of Wheat "Apple Pie"

I love to cook!  I love trying new recipes all the time, but my skill is usually limited to following a recipe.  Well this week I created my own recipe...at least as far as I know...I'm sure someone somewhere has thought of it.

Hot cereals have never been my cup of tea.  I have tried almost all of them...oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits, cracked wheat...etc.  The only one I like is oatmeal made with steal cut oats.  Every once in a while I start wanting to improve my diet and I try once again to like hot cereal.  Thus last week I purchased a box of whole grain cream of wheat.  I always have to eat something right before bed because I can not sleep if my stomach is hungry. I discovered a delicious little snack by accident one evening this week when preparing my evening snack.  It uses cream of wheat...trust me...it's delicious...I am the most picky hot cereal person and I have now eaten it three nights in a row:)

                            

Yup...that's it...four ingredients (well five if you count a dash of salt).

Follow the directions on the back of the cream of wheat box for wheat to milk ratio.  Mix together milk and cream of wheat with dash of salt. (Cream of wheat does boil over, so use a deep bowl or keep an eye on it as it's cooking). Put in microwave and cook for 1 minute.

Remove bowl from microwave and add dried apples (broken in bite size pieces). Mix. Return to microwave and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.  Continue to cook, stirring every 30 seconds until thickened. 

Remove from microwave and allow to cool just a little bit, until not piping hot.  Add whipping cream to the top.  Do not mix in.  It is wonderful to enjoy it melting over the top and tasting it with each bite.

Enjoy!!!

Cream of Wheat "Apple Pie"

Box of Cream of Wheat

Milk

dash of salt

Dried cinnamon apples (mine happened to be homemade....delicious!!)

Whipped Cream from a can (not whipped topping...must be real whipping cream)