Frozen Strawberry Pie

Yummy!!

14oz firm tofu

1/4 C honey or agave nectar

1 lb frozen or fresh strawberries

2 fresh strawberries for top, optional

1 C whipped topping

1 graham cracker crust

(to make the heart crust I whizzed up a store bought graham cracker crust, added a couple tablespoons of melted margarine and pressed it into the heart pan)

In a food processor or blender, blend tofu and sweetener until smooth.  Mix tofu in a medium size bowl with mashed strawberries.  Fold in whipped topping and blend well.  Spoon into crust and top with fresh strawberry halves.  Freeze about an hour before serving.  Serves 6-8.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised that we didn't recognize a "tofu taste."  The kids called it strawberry ice cream pie.  They were impressed with my "love" gift.  That's what mattered most!

The Ice Tree

It stands in the middle of town as a landmark in our wintery town.  

There is actually a tree underneath all that ice.  And when we went last week there was an ice rink encircling it due to all the melting snow the week before.  The kids had fun making their own slide leading down from it.  Snow and ice are such intriguing things!  

Dillon Turns 7

Happy birthday to our special SEVEN year old!  What a blessing he is!!

We surprised him at lunchtime over at the school with a party.  The kids had just found out that we were doing this so here they are waiting with the lights off for Dillon to arrive with David.

He was shocked!  Very surprised! 

Playing "monkey in the middle" 

The last three in the balloon pop game

For now you get to see these sideways.  They had partners and with their eyes closed and only one had each they had to unpeel a banana.  The reward?  To share your banana! 

Monkeys for my little monkey!

Lemon pie by request 

Thrilled about his new hymnal.  He opened this one at worship in the morning so he could use it at his birthday worship.

Birthday oatmeal banana splits also by request 

So many treats to stick a candle in! 

Whole Wheat Tortillas

So easy.  So yummy.  Just do it.

1 C flour (original is just white, but I did half whole wheat and half unbleached)
dash of salt
2 T melted butter or warm olive oil
1/2 C water

Mix the flour and salt, then stir in the butter. When fairly mixed but still lumpy, add the water. Knead well for about 3 minutes. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes. (can let it rest much longer if you need to). 

Knead for just a moment, then divide into 6-8 balls (or less if you want them bigger). Roll out each ball into a think circle.

Preheat the dry frying pan (no oil or spray). Place a plate inside a plastic bag (or just have paper towels or kitchen cloths ready to put tortillas in when done in pan) -- this is to keep them moist.

Cook a tortilla on the hot pan until brown spots develop on the bottom (30-45 secs). Flip tortilla and do the same on the other side. Then put the finished tortilla on the plate and close up the bag.

Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing each cooked tortilla on top of the last in the plastic bag. 

NOTE: It is best to let the finished tortillas rest for about 10 minutes. If you can't wait, use the tortillas in the same order that they were cooked, in order to allow the others to steam as much as possible.

Fruit Cream

The big boys were away at the Father/Son retreat and the rest of had a party.  :)  Part of our party included all natural, 100% fruit, healthy for you "ice cream."  We put frozen fruit through our champion juicer and it came out the other side as fruit cream.  We scooped it on cones and there you have it - fruit cream!  So yummy!!!

Ice Sliding

During the winter one day the yard is a pond, the next it is an ice skating rink.  After we did outreach one Sabbath, the girls had some fun on the ice together.  

Slipping, sliding, falling, crashing...  

An Active Member

So proud of this girl!  She's learning all sorts of things about how the church runs and about the different duties of some of the church leaders.  So far she has been involved in many aspects of the church service such as leading song service, praise and testimony time, scripture, and taking up offering.  Now she is learning how to teach the beginner's Sabbath school class.  What a blessing it is to me.  And what a blessing it will be when she is capable of teaching it all herself....and she's not far from that!!  :)

What a blessing to any church to have active young people.  When speaking about this subject I like to say, "There never was an active member who left the church."