End of Month and Year

Not only are we at the end of the month, but the end of the year! What an amazing year it has been. I will be doing some posts about resolutions and changes in the new year, but for today, here are a few reminders of end of the month tasks in the coupon world:
1. Now is a good time to go through all your coupons and pull out all the ones that are expired or will expire soon. Many expire at the end of the month and especially the end of the year!
2. The next few days are great for printing coupons. The ones from December might be gone soon, so print all you want today. The first of the month is when many sites release new coupons, so you will want to check them all at the beginning of January to see what new ones they roll out or refresh from last month.
3. Make sure all your Single Check Rebate receipts for Rite Aid are entered so you can request your check.
4. Get all your receipts in order so that you can add up all your spending and saving for month and tweak your budget for next month if need be.
5. Make sure you have ordered all the Swagbucks prizes you wanted. They have limits on how many of each one that you can order in a day or month so if you are stocking up, make sure you ordered all you could for December and then order your limits for January.

Where can I find printable coupons you ask? Here are some of the best places to look:
Coupons.com
RedPlum
SmartSource.com
Coolsavings.com

You might want to double check and make sure that you have loaded all of the cellfire.com and shortcuts.com coupons that you might want to your shopping card as well.
happy 2011

Easy Crock Pot Chicken

Easy Crock Pot Chicken (from RS Christmas Dinner)

4-8 Large frozen chicken breasts (depends on the size of your crock pot-I use the one's from Sams/Costco)
1-2 Pkgs. of dry Ranch Dressing powder (again depends on how many pieces of chicken you use)
1 cube of butter(no substitutes) cut into slices
1 bottle of Italian Dressing (any brand)

Place Chicken breasts in Crock pot with the butter placed on top of each piece. Sprinkle the dry dressing powder on all of the pieces of chicken. Pour the Italian dressing over all the pieces of chicken (be sure to get all of the pieces). Cook on high in the crock pot for about 5-6 hours. Serve with rice, baked potatoes, or noodles When serving, ladle some of the juice from the Crock Pot over the chicken to make it moist.

Any questions-Leann Martineau (480) 892-3435 dmartineau6@cox.net

Chili's Coupons

Click here for Chili's coupons good Monday December 20th

and one more if you click herevalid on Tuesday December 21st

Cranberry Orange Punch

I am not a punch person at all but I love this recipe! I found it a long time ago and use it anytime I need a good punch I can count on. At this year’s open house, it was quite a hit with many others as well.

Ingredients
32 oz apple juice
12 oz frozen cranberry concentrate
2 liter ginger ale
2 cups orange juice

Directions
Combine the juices in your serving vessel and then pour in the ginger ale. I have done several different things to help keep it cold, without diluting it, during my events. I have washed and frozen cranberries to float, sliced oranges and then frozen them and this time I used a silicone mold to freeze orange juice with cranberries in it in the shape of flowers.

Christmas Turtles

This one is super easy and one that the kids may like helping you with!

Ingredients
Small twisted pretzels
Caramels
Water
Nuts
Chocolate chips

Directions
Line up small twisted pretzels on parchment paper. Microwave caramels in a bowl with a little water to thin it. Put the hot caramel in a piping bag or zip top bag. Squeeze enough on top of pretzels to fill them in. Top each with peanuts, almonds, pecans or any other nut. Microwave chocolate chips until smooth and melted and then put in a piping bag or zip top bag. Pipe on swirls on top and then let set on the counter until all the layers are set. Everyone will be popping these sweet treats!

Michael's 50% Coupons

Michael’s has put out a whole slew of new printable coupons! The best of which is 50% off any one regular priced item. This is my favorite coupon of all because instantly, just what I am looking for is half price! Get this great coupon and more HERE.

If you shop at Michael’s a lot, make sure and sign up on their website for their email newsletter! They send out coupons all the time that are specific to the recipient that I can not share on here.

Yankee Candle Coupon

Click HERE to print out this HIGH VALUE Coupon for $10.00 off a $25.00 or more purchase of Yankee Candles. Coupon expires on 12/24/10. This coupon can be used at Kohls and Bed, Bath and Beyond (just to name a few) in addition the the Yankee Candle Store. This is GREAT Coupon to stack with your % OFF coupons from these stores! Both Bed, Bath and Beyond and Kohl’s have Yankee Candles for 25% off this week!

At BED BATH AND BEYOND
BUY 1 Large Classic Jar Candle $18.74 AND
BUY 1 Small Classic Jar Candle $7.49
USE $10/$25 Yankee Candle Coupon HERE AND
USE 20% OFF Coupon on the back of this weeks Sales Ad
Final Price= $12.98 (plus tax) for BOTH Candles!

FHE Christmas Doesn't Come from the Store

Christmas Doesn’t Come From a Store

PURPOSE
The help family members understand that the peace and power of Christmas come from giving of ourselves
MATERIALS
Story, “A Christmas Dad Would Have Wanted” (below)
Story, I Felt Like An Angel
SONG SUGGESTION
 Hymn #201, Joy to the World LESSON IDEAS

1.
Share the following excerpt from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss:
Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit, He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it! “Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!” he was grinch-ish-ly humming. “They’re finding out now that no Christmas is coming! “They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do! “Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
“Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry Boo-Hoo! “That’s a noise, “grinned the Grinch, “That I simply MUST hear!” So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow ... But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn’t be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN‘T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”
“It came without ribbons! It came without tags! “It came without packages, boxes or bags!” And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas ... perhaps ... means a little bit more!”
(Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, New York: Random House, 1957.)
2. Ask, “If the true spirit of Christmas doesn’t come from a store, where can we find it?”
a. Invite your family to listen to the following true story and see if they can determine how these people found peace and happiness at Christmas.
i. “A Christmas Dad Would Have Wanted” (below) ii. Story, I Felt Like An Angel below
3. Help your family understand that the true spirit of Christmas is found in giving of ourselves. Our Heavenly Father gave of Himself by sending us His Son. Jesus gave of Himself by living and dying for us. a. You may wish to share the following quote by President Ezra Taft
Benson: “If you would find yourself, learn to deny yourself for the blessing of others. Forget yourself and find someone who needs your service, and you will discover the secret to the happy, fulfilled life” (Ensign, May 1979, p. 34).
ACTIVITY IDEAS
 Discuss as a family things you can do to enjoy the true spirit of Christmas: a. Make treats as a family and deliver them to someone in your
neighborhood or ward who is lonely. b. Invite someone needy or lonely to have dinner with your family. c. Contact the bishop to see if there is a needy family in the ward. Ask your
family if they would be willing to sacrifice some of their Christmas money to buy gifts for the needy family.
Images courtesy of InspireGraphics.com
A CHRISTMAS DAD WOULD HAVE WANTED
By Stanley A. Petersen
When I was eleven years of age, just before Christmas, my father passed away. I was very, very close to my father. He was a very special man to me. I worshiped him. He could do no wrong in my eyes. I used to live for the summers to come. He traveled on the highway. He was a salesman for a plumbing supply company and would travel all over northern California. I used to just live for the summers so that I could just spend the time traveling with my dad. We were close friends, as well as father and son. When he died, part of me died.
I just couldn’t imagine Christmas would even come without dad. It was a very difficult thing because of the five children. I was the youngest of five. Ever since I could remember my dad carried a pocket watch in his vest pocket. It was one he had had since he was a young man, unmarried. So for many, many months we saved, schemed, planned and anticipated this glorious Christmas for we had bought my father a wristwatch that would never be seen, because he was gone. We had it engraved on the back, “To our loving father, Joe.” I dreaded Christmas. I didn’t want it to come. I didn’t want to remember the watch. I didn’t want to remember that my dad was not here to see it.
Christmas Eve came--five o’clock in the evening. It was a somber evening. There was a sad atmosphere in our home. At five o’clock a miracle happened. There was a knock at the front door. I went to the door. There was a little boy about my age, about eleven. He had in his hand several waxed paper bags. In the waxed paper bags he had fudge--little packages of fudge. He said, “I’m selling Christmas candy, would you buy some?”
I went to my mother and said, “There is a little boy outside, who is very, very poor who is selling candy. Can we buy some? It’s 25 cents a bag.”
She told me we should buy some and gave me a dollar bill and told me to tell him to keep the change. I brought the candy in the house--half a dozen pieces of sugary fudge of very poor quality. We opened it and my mother looked in. After a few moments she said, “Stan, go get him and bring him back.”
So I went outside and down the street. He had been down two or three more houses and hadn’t sold any more candy. I told him to come back, that my mother wanted to see him. He was frightened. He probably thought we had seen the quality of the candy and wanted our money back. Finally I convinced him to come back, that my mother wanted to talk to him and that she didn’t want to hurt him. Finally, reassuringly, I got him back to our home.
My mother asked him a little bit about his family--where they were and where they lived. The little boy was very vague about some of the details and said they had just moved from Oklahoma to Sacramento. We lived in Sacramento, California. He said they had moved here and they didn’t have an apartment yet, but were looking for a place.
In the course of the conversation, my mother finally won his confidence and asked him where his mother and father were. He said, “My mother is with my brothers and sisters--they’re selling candy also.” She got him to promise that he would bring his mother back to our house. Well, about an hour later he came back with his mother and his family--all but the father and the oldest daughter.
In the course of a rather lengthy conversation, my mother pulled out of this woman the real story. They had moved from Oklahoma, her husband thought he had a job in Sacramento at the air base just 12 miles out of Sacramento. When they got here they found out they did not have a job. On the way out, the father had contracted a very bad cold and now was extremely ill. They had run out of money. They had no place to stay and they were living out under a bridge on the American River. They had a very old car that they had come from Oklahoma in and they were living in the car with the five children, the mother and the father, with the father being extremely ill.
It’s cold in Sacramento. It’s not like Los Angeles. It’s a damp area and damp coldness and so I am sure they were really very uncomfortable and miserable under that little bridge. They were living on some rotten potatoes that they had gotten out of a garbage can somewhere at a grocery store. That’s all they had. They took the last little bit of money they had to buy a little sugar and a little cocoa. Over an open fire they had made this little batch of fudge and were trying to sell it to get some money so they could have some food.
My mother talked to the mother and finally convinced her that we wanted to help them. She got the mother to promise that the first thing the next morning they would come back and that we would provide Christmas. She called all the children together. And what was almost planned, I think it was planned, those children almost matched the ages and sizes of each of us--even the sex--boy, girl relation. We began to hurry around to prepare Christmas for this family, taking coats we had and wrapping them, taking Christmas presents we had bought for one another and putting their names on instead. We rushed to the store and bought several boxes of food. All evening, late into the night we were busily engaged in getting ready Christmas morning for this family.
Early Christmas morning they came. The glorious time had arrived to provide for this ragged little family that had absolutely nothing. The father came, as ill as he was, he came. He had nowhere else to go and it was the only warmth they had. We spent Christmas day enjoying that day with them, feeding them, watching them unwrap their presents.
As the day wore on and evening came, my mother, after we had loaded their car with boxes full of groceries, toys, blankets and all the things they needed, my mother put $100 in that mother’s hand. We got $800 insurance money when my father died and we had about $300 left. The $100 was enough money to pay rent on an apartment or someplace where they could stay and to get a doctor. That was a lot of money for us and a lot of money for them. As that family left the mother had tears streaming down her cheeks, the father was so emotional he could not speak, and the children were absolutely elated.
We, after they left, savored the warmth and the beauty of that good Christmas day, December 25, 1941. We then began to reflect what the miracle was and what a marvelous experience it had been for us to have had that grateful thing come into our lives that Christmas. For we had been so busy and so involved in losing our lives in the service of somebody else that we had found happiness, fulfillment and a peace as much as we had ever known (from a talk given to Church Educational System employees. Used by permission).

I felt like an Angel
… when I realized what we had done.

Although the afternoon was crisp and cold, inside our house we were warm and snug. In my parents’ room, my three sisters and I were all busily wrapping presents for the Fitzpatricks.* Ever since my early childhood we’d been friends with the Fitzpatricks, and I was always painfully aware of how little the parents and their four children had.

With the gifts in a pile, my sisters and I formed an assembly line wrapping a present and taking it to my mother. After checking the contents of the package, she would decide who would get what, and then sign it “Santa.” She would deposit the gift in a large plastic bag, and we would go to the next one. Using this method we quickly and efficiently finished wrapping the presents in about an hour.

Later that night we all piled into the family van with those plastic bags and headed toward the trailer park where the Fitzpatricks lived. After parking the van, my dad got out, walked to the trailer, and waited at the door. When he was sure no one was home, he unloaded the bags and left them on the porch.

The following Sunday I sat with my family in sacrament meeting. Sitting still and trying to listen was not something I did readily, and soon I became mesmerized by the pictures I was drawing. At one point I glanced up to see Sister Fitzpatrick at the pulpit. But I was only vaguely aware of what she was saying. Suddenly my sister Audrey jabbed me with her elbow and whispered that she was talking about us.

Streaming down her face were tears, and her voice shook as she spoke. She told the congregation how they didn’t have money for Christmas and they weren’t sure what to do. Upon returning that night, they found the bags of presents on their porch. She warmly thanked the gift givers.

The Fitzpatricks never found out who left the Christmas presents for them, although from the pulpit Sister Fitzpatrick said she knew the gifts came from someone in the congregation. Amazingly, tears came to my eyes, and I had to look down to brush them away. That was when I first felt like an angel.

E.L.F. Savings

Back To Black Friday 60% Off On All Minerals!
Use code BLACK2 at checkout with orders over $20 before December 4, 2010.

Click Here to get the savings

FREE Downloads

Amazon has tons of FREE MP3 Downloads available! There are some great Christmas samplers including the Veggie Tales one pictured above. You can click HERE to see all of the selections available.

FOLLOW THE RECIPE FHE Lesson

PURPOSE
To help family members better understand the importance of following the Lord’s ‘recipe’ for happiness
MATERIALS
 Ingredients for cookies (or a cake)  A recipe for cookies (or a cake)  Pre-baked cookies (or cake)  A set of scriptures
SONG SUGGESTIONS
 “Choose the Right Way” page 160 in the Children’s Songbook  “I Will Follow God’s Plan” page 164 in the Children’s Songbook
LESSON IDEAS
1. Explain that the family will have the opportunity to make cookies (or a cake). Explain that no one will be allowed to use a recipe. (Mom might give a few hints, but avoid helping them be too successful!)
2. Begin making the cookies. Allow family members to:
a. Decide on needed ingredients and add them to a bowl
b. Determine a temperature for baking and set the temperature
c. Pick an amount of time for cooking and set the timer
d. Put the cookies in the oven

3. While the cookies are baking, you may want to discuss the following:
a. How hard was it not to have a recipe?
b. Did everyone agree on the ingredients, the baking temperature, the baking time?

4. Bring out the pre-baked cookies.
a. Hold up the recipe.
b. Tell them how easy it was to make when you used the recipe.

5. Explain that in life there is something much more important than making cookies. It is finding true happiness!
a. Help family members understand that many people struggle in finding happiness because they don’t have the ‘recipe’.
b. Ask, “Where can we find Heavenly Father’s recipe for happiness?”
c. Hold up a set of scriptures

6. Testify to your family that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy so He put the recipe for happiness in the scriptures. You may want to share the following quote:
a. President Gordon B. Hinckley: “The way of the Lord is the way of happiness. >Wickedness never was happiness= [Alma 41:10]. Transgression never was happiness. Sin never was happiness. Disobedience never was happiness. The way of happiness is following the way of the Lord. I believe this with all my heart” (Ensign, Aug. 1997, 3).
b. Testify that happiness is easy when we follow the instructions He has given us.

7. When the baking is finished allow families members to taste the difference between the cookies!

ACTIVITY IDEAS
.  Explain to your family that part of the recipe for happiness is service. Plan a
service project for someone in the neighborhood or community. Encourage your family members to observe how they feel when they are serving others.

Printable Coupons

click on the Store you are interested in and it will take you to the site for the coupons

Aeropostale – 30% off purchase 11/21
Banana Republic – 20% off $125+ purchase when you use your VISA Card Exp 12/24
Bath & Body Works – $10 off $30 Exp 11/21
Bath & Body Works – Free Travel Size Signature Travel Collection Item With Any Purchase Exp 12/1
Bed Bath & Beyond – Sign up for email newsletter and get 20% off coupon
Coldwater Creek – $30 off $100 Exp 11/30
The Container Store – Organized Teacher’s Program 15% off each purchase
Dress Barn – 20% off purchase Exp 11/21
ESPRIT – 20% off purchase
Express – Sign up for their Email Newsletter and get 15% off your next purchase.
Family Christian – 25% off purchase Exp 11/21
Fashion Bug – Sign up for their Email Newsletter and get 15% off your next purchase.
Gap Outlet – 15% off first purchase when you sign up for their email newsletter.

Hobby Lobby – 40% off regular priced item Exp 11/20
JC Penney – $10 off $50 / $15 off $75 Valid 11/26 Only 3 – 11 pm
K-Mart – 25% off all Dora Puppy Toys Exp 11/24
Kohl’s – $5 off any purchase
Macy’s – 10% – 15% off purchase Valid 11/19 – 11/20
Michael’s – 40% off regular priced purchase Exp 11/20
New York & Co – $50 off $100 Exp 11/21
New York & Co - $25 off $75 for signing up for their Email Newsletter
Office Depot – $10 off $20 Exp 11/20
Office Max – Black Friday Coupons Valid 11/26 – 11/27
Old Navy – Barker’s Bones Coupon Hunt on Facebook – Updated every Thursday night
Payless Shoe Source – 15% off next purchase for signing up for their Email Newsletter
PETCO – 10% off cat food Exp 11/30
Pier 1 Imports – $10 off $50 Exp 12/24
P.S. from Aeropostale – 30% off purchase Exp 11/21
Shoe Carnival – $5 off when you sign up for their Email Newsletter
Sunglass Hut – $20 off non-prescription sunwear Exp 12/31
Tanger Outlet Mall – Coupon Booklet
Target – Coupons for Select Products
Walgreens – Various Coupons in the November Coupon Book (found in-store).
World Market – 25% off all furniture Exp 11/25
World Market – $10 off $30 Exp 11/20
Yankee Candle – $10 off $25 Exp 12/4
Yankee Candle – Buy 2 Get 2 Free Exp 11/28

Ok all the Thanksgiving Items you need are on sale click on each store below and it will take you to the link

Bashas's

Food City

Fresh and Easy

Fry's

Sprouts

Circular Shopping Deals

More Recipes for Thanksgiving

Apple Bacon Stuffing Muffins
(2) 10oz bags seasoned stuffing cubes
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/4 c chopped sage
1 pound thick cut bacon chopped
3 T butter
1 large onion chopped small
2 c diced celery
2 Granny Smith apples peeled and diced
2 cans chicken broth
1 c apple cider

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffins tins. Put stuffing, parsley and sage in a large bowl. Heat skillet and cook bacon pieces until crispy. Add to bowl. Drain fat. Melt butter and sauté onion then celery, then apple adding to bowl after each is done. Add broth and cider to skillet and scrape bits off bottom. Add to bowl and toss all gently. Scoop into muffins tins molding gently and cover loosely with foil. Bake 15 minutes then remove foil and bake until lightly browned.

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/3 c milk
1/4 c melted butter
Topping
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c all purpose flour
1/3 c butter
1/2-1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 2 quart baking dish. In large bowl combine potatoes, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk and butter. Beat with mixer until smooth and spoon into prepared dish.

For topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, butter and pecans and combine with pastry blender or two knives until resembles coarse corn meal. You can add a little extra flour if needed. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake for 30 minutes until top is browned.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Moods

Having low vitamin D levels or Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to four mood disorders. Premenstrual syndrome, seasonal affective disorder (also known as winter blues), non-specified mood disorder, and major depressive disorder are all related to low vitamin D. Symptoms of a Vitamin D deficiency are muscle pain, weak bones, low energy, fatigue, lowered immunity, and symptoms of depression; moods swings, and sleep irregularities.

Vitamin D can increase the levels of serotonin, which controls your moods in your brain. Your vitamin D receptors are located in bone, skeletal muscle, immune cells, and several body tissues like the brain, prostate, breast and colon.

Premenstrual syndrome is when emotional and physical disturbances occur after a woman ovulates and usually ends with menstruation. The most common symptoms are irritability, crying, depression, over sensitivity, and mood swings.

Seasonal affective disorder, or winter blues, is a mood disorder that affects people in the winter months. They have normal mental health throughout most of the year but experience depressive symptoms in the winter. This usually happens year after year. A person with seasonal affective disorder may sleep too much, have no energy, and crave starchy foods and sweets.

Major depressive disorder is when you have low self-esteem, and loss of interest in things that once pleased you.

Vitamin D can be found in food, but only a few foods are a good source of it. Because only a few foods have a good amount, some people should take vitamin D supplements if they are not exposed to sunlight on their skin on a regular basis. You can find vitamin D in the following foods: pure cod oil (check the label because some companies removed the vitamin), salmon, mackerel, canned tuna fish in oil, canned sardines in oil, milk (non fat, reduced fat, whole and vitamin d fortified), margarine, pudding (if it is prepared from mix using vitamin d fortified milk), some ready to eat cereals, eggs (vitamin d is found in the yolk), beef liver, and Swiss cheese.

Another source of vitamin D is sunlight. Sunlight is far more likely to provide you with your daily vitamin D requirement than your food intake will. It only takes about ten to fifteen minutes of sunlight for your body to take in the vitamin. After this time you should apply a sunscreen of at least and SPF of 15 to protect your skin. You want to expose your face, hands, arms, or back at least two times a week to the sunlight without sunscreen to get the adequate amount of vitamin D.

To make sure you do not get a vitamin D deficiency; allow yourself limited, unprotected exposure to the sun, eat a diet that’s rich in whole foods, take a multivitamin everyday to make sure you are filling in any gaps of vitamins you may not be getting enough of, and take a vitamin D supplement on a daily basis. You can also see your health care provider to get tested to see if you are vitamin D deprived and come up with a plan to get you on the right track.

The US Recommended Daily Allowance for Vitamin D is:

*Infants, children and adults up to 50 years of age - 200 IU of Vitamin D per day
*Pregnant and lactating women of all ages, 200 IU of Vitamin D per day
*Adults 51 to 70 years old, 400 IU of Vitamin D per day
*Adults above 70 years old, 600 IU of Vitamin D per day

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin pie is the classic Thanksgiving dessert. But you can riff off the traditional recipe and make Pumpkin Cheesecake instead. I like this recipe from Martha Stewart, although I prefer to substitute gingersnap cookies for graham crackers in the crust -- it just adds a little bright spice.

Sure, you might hate yourself in the morning given the calorie content of this heavenly dessert, but isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?

Crust:

1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookies (crushed into crumbs)
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine crushed cookies and melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 minutes until golden -- about 10-12 minutes.

Filling:

4 (8-oz) packages softened cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
The secret to keeping your cheesecake from cracking is not to over-mix the filling. Also, resist the urge to open the door and peek inside the oven while it's cooking (something I'm totally guilty of!).

Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer on low speed until smooth; mix in flour. Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time.

Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Bake 45 minutes at 300 degrees.

Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening). Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm -- at least 4 hours.

Think to Thank FHE LEsson

PURPOSE
To help family members better understand the importance of expressing thanks
MATERIALS
 Paper  Pencils  Crayons  Markers
SONG SUGGESTIONS
 “A Song of Thanks” page 20 in the Children’s Songbook  “Because I Have Been Given Much” #219 Hymns
LESSON IDEAS
1. Read or tell the story of the ten lepers Luke 17:11–19. (You can learn more about leprosy in the Bible Dictionary) Ask:
a. “Do you think Jesus felt bad that the 9 lepers didn’t come back to thank Him?”
b. “How do you think He felt about the leper who came back to say thanks?” c. “Which of the lepers do you think you are most like: the one who came
back or the ones who didn’t?”
2. Read or tell the following story told by President Thomas S. Monson: “The District of Columbia police auctioned off about 100 unclaimed
bicycles Friday. ‘One dollar,’ said an 11-year-old boy as the bidding opened on the first bike. The bidding, however, went much higher. ‘One dollar,’ the boy repeated hopefully each time another bike came up.
“The auctioneer, who had been auctioning stolen or lost bikes for 43 years, noticed that the boy=s hopes seemed to soar higher whenever a racer-type bicycle was put up.
“Then there was just one racer left. The bidding went to eight dollars. ‘Sold to that boy over there for nine dollars!’ said the auctioneer. He took eight dollars from his own pocket and asked the boy for his dollar. The youngster turned it over in pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters – took his bike, and started to leave. But he went only a few feet. Carefully parking his new possession, he went back, gratefully threw his arms around the auctioneer=s neck, and cried. When was the last time we felt gratitude as deeply as did this boy?” (Ensign, Nov. 1998, 18).
3. Give each person a blank piece of paper and have them write down 2 things they are very grateful for (older children can help younger ones who can’t yet write).
a.
The family then tries to guess the two things each family member wrote by asking questions such as:
 “What letter does it start with?”  “Is it a person?”  “What color is it?”  “Is it somewhere in our house?”
4. Ask, “What are some of the ways we can show we are grateful?” Read the following scriptures with your family:
a. Mosiah 2:17 (by our service to others) b. John 14:15 (by our obedience)
5. Express appreciation for all you are grateful for. Encourage your family to be thankful and to express thanks to Heavenly Father and to those around them.
ACTIVITY IDEA

Help each family member make a poster for their room using one of the following quotes/scriptures (or one of their own choosing):
o “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more” (D&C 78:19).
o President Thomas S. Monson: “Think to thank. In these three words is the finest capsule course for a happy marriage, a formula for enduring friendship, and a pattern for personal happiness” (Pathways to Perfection, 254).
o D&C 59:21 o Mosiah 2:17 o John 14:15
Dessert
1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted, cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (6 oz)

Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix Bisquick mix and powdered sugar. Cut in firm butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. Press firmly in bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes; cool.
In large bowl, beat eggs, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla with spoon until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour over crust.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and set. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until chocolate is firm. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

Friday Finds....

I LOVE COOKBOOKS and if you do too click on this link to get some for only $5

Thanksgiving Turkey Ideas

Thanksgiving is a memorable way to mark the joy of family and friends. What better way to celebrate the blessings of life than to celebrate Thanksgiving in your home. You can host a glowing, fun-filled, fantastic food laden dinner without going crazy.

We've all been overwhelmed by the glossy, elegant touches displayed in beautiful (but sometimes intimidating) ways in magazines and TV shows. You don't have to be perfect to have a gracious celebration your guests will remember fondly for years to come.

Roast Turkey with Herbal Rub
Ingredients:
1 13-pound whole turkey, fresh or thawed
1 medium onion quartered
1 lemon quartered
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Remove giblets and neck from turkey and reserve for broth.
3. Rinse turkey with cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place onion and lemon quarters in neck and body cavities.
4. In a small bowl, mix oil with herbs, salt and pepper. With your finger tips, gently loosen skin from the breast without pulling off the skin.
5. Place 1 tablespoon of herb mixture under skin; replace skin. Rub cavities and outside of turkey with remaining herb mixture.
6. Secure the neck skin to the back with skewers. Fold wings under back of turkey. Place legs in tucked position. May be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for several hours.
7. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large shallow (no more than 2-1/2 inches) deep roasting pan. Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful it does not touch the bone.
8. Cover bird with a loose tent of foil. Roast turkey in a preheated 325 degree F. oven for about 2-1/2 hours.
9. Remove foil and baste bird with pan juices. Continue to roast for about another hour until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees F. in the thigh.
10. Remove turkey from oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Transfer to a large platter and serve with gravy.



Turkey Breast Braised with Garlic and Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain rice
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon each dried rosemary, thyme and sage
1 bay leaf
1 bone-in turkey breast (5-6 pounds)
paprika
3 cloves garlic

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In 5-quart Dutch oven combine rice, broth, wine, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaf. Place turkey over rice mixture and sprinkle turkey generously with paprika.
3. Cut off root ends of garlic cloves. Place whole garlic bulbs, cut-end-up, in rice around turkey breast.
4. Cover top of Dutch oven with foil and lid.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F. 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast registers 170-175 degrees F.
6. Allow to stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
7. To serve, carve turkey into slices and place on platter.
8. Spoon rice mixture into serving bowl.
9. Squeeze garlic from skins onto turkey and rice.

Herbed Roasted Turkey

Ingredients:
1 whole 12 to 14 lb. turkey
1/2 cup rosemary sprigs(fresh)
1/2 cup sage leaves(fresh)
1 apple(quartered)
1 stalk celery(halved)
1 onion(halved)
1/2 cup butter(melted).

Instructions:
1. Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for other uses if desired.
2. Rinse turkey with cold water and pat dry. Loosen skin from the turkey breast a bit not totally detaching.
3. Place rosemary and sage under skin then smooth skin over herbs and back into place. Place apple celery and onion into the neck cavity.
4. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and brush with melted butter.
5. Cover turkey loosely with a "tent" of aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees until meat thermometer registers about 180 degrees. This should take from 3 1/2 to 4 hours but begin checking after 3 hours.
6. Remove turkey and let stand 15 minutes before carving. Serve with gravy.

Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Breasts

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless and skinless turkey breasts
1 (12 ounce) package herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups sweetened-dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup pecan halves
2 Tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions, set aside and let cool.

2. With a sharp knife butterfly breasts open to lay flat (this usually takes 3 cuts, depending on the size of the breasts). Place each breast between two sheets of waxed paper and flatten with a mallet.

3. On each breast, spread prepared stuffing to 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle with most of the dried cranberries and all of the chopped pecans.

4. Roll up "jellyroll" style, starting with the long end and roll tightly. Tuck in ends and tie in sections with string, about 4 sections around middle and one running the length of the roll to secure the ends.

5. Place the olive oil in an oven proof skillet and heat. Carefully brown rolls on all sides. Place skillet in oven, uncovered and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 1 hour or until a knife inserted draws clear juices. Do not let these get overly dry.

6. Allow rolls to set for 15 minutes before slicing (don't forget to cut off strings) into 1/2 to 3/4 inch circles. Leave one roll whole and slice the other for presentation.

7. Stuffing will be spiraled into meat. Present on a platter on a bed of curly lettuce, garnish by sprinkling with the whole pecans and some dried cranberries.

Christmas Decorating Ideas Frugally

Face it. Year after year people, intelligent, responsible, creative and mature people, go into loads of debt over Christmas. Special foods, gifts, and decorating take their toll when, in January, the bills start rolling in.

But there are ways around that. Decorating a home with beautiful holiday decor does not have to be expensive. Beauty is a combination of aesthetics and the stirring of people's memories and emotions. Stores intentionally scent the air with cinnamon and spices to make people feel good and recall their past memories. You can do the same thing in your Holiday Home!

Candles Are Inexpensive
Simplicity is elegant. That is why Coco Channel sold so many versions of her "little black dress". A simple pillar candle can be beautiful if it is setting in a bowl of cranberries, or peppermint candies. Some candle ideas are:

1. Fill a mason jar with cranberries, or starlight mints (or even cinnamon candies) and set a votive on top. Make a grouping with several jars of varying sizes.

2. Use a basket to fill with red and green apples. Put a pillar candle on a holder in the middle of the basket. You may need to raise it up some with an overturned jar. If your basket is big enough, use three candles of varying heights.

3. Use a large pillar candle centered in some greenery in the middle of a table.

4. Set pillar candles of various sizes on saucers and surround with potpourri. Arrange across a table or mantle.

5. Put a votive in a antique tea cup and sit it on a saucer atop several vintage holiday books.

Use What You Have
You probably have alot of things around the house that would be happy to get some attention as Christmas decorations. Think about your own memories and what they include.

1. A rag doll or teddy bear seated atop a stack of your favorite holiday books (even cookbooks!)

2. A basket or bowl filled with metal holiday cookie cutters and decorated with a festive bow.

3. Have a toy wagon or sled? put it by the front door filled with wrapped gifts (or even wrapped empty boxes). Add a few wooden or vintage toys and stuffed animals if you like.

4. Use your Christmas cards! Display them in groups, varying the height with books..or display them in a big wooden bowl or basket.

5.Hang ornaments or even cookies on ribbon in the windows

6. Download a Christmas screen saver on your computer

7. Bowls of in shell nuts are great, either with just nuts or with oranges in the bowl as well.

8. Fill a glass or crystal punch bowl with Christmas balls that you don't need for the tree or that have lost their hangers.

Bring the Outside In
Most people have evergreen trees of some sort available to them. Even the twigs and small branches of hardwood trees can look festive with a little care.

1. Gather pine cones and arrange them in a basket or even a Christmas gift bag. For a casual look by the fireplace set the bag on it's side and allow the pine cones to spill out. You can spray paint them bronze, or gold, or you can glue glitter on them for a frosty look, or spray them with fake snow.

2.Cut boughs of evergreen and wire it together to make long swags to go up the banister or around the door. This takes a little practice but the results are beautiful.

3.Make an evergreen wreath in the same way.

4. Mass evergreen boughs on a fireplace mantle, atop kitchen cabinets or on china cabinets and armoires. Run the small twinkling lights through them if you like.

5. Spray paint twigs and small branches gold and gather them in bundles tied with ribbon.

Thrift Shops and Garage Sales
Thrift shops are an absolute treasure chest when it comes to holiday decor. Some people get new things every year and cast off their old. Sometimes the old ornaments and decorations just need a little sprucing up like the poor little tree on Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

1. You can paint old glass ornaments. Clean ornament and use a little fine sandpaper to get the loose paint off if necessary. Spray paint with your color of choice.

2. You can also roll in glue and cover with glitter

3. Spray with fake snow to flock it.

4. Glue ribbon around it.

6. Decoupage Christmas wrap on it

Old fake greenery can be transformed with some fake snow, some ribbon and a hot glue gun. Just spray the snow on the greenery and hot glue bows to it.

Old magazines and books may have just the pictures or ads that you are looking for for decoupage projects or for laminating and turning into ornaments.

Conversion FHE

Thought:
In our world today, each [person] needs his or her own conversion to the truth. Each needs his or her own light, his or her own “steadfast and immovable” faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Neil L. Andersen, “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus,” Ensign, May 2010, 108–12.)

Song:
“I Will Follow God’s Plan,” Children’s Songbook, p. 164.

Scripture:
And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
(Alma 5:14)

Lesson:
Show a birth certificate of a family member and ask if they know what it is. Can anyone have two of these? Then show a baptismal certificate and ask how it might be considered a second birth certificate. Invite a member of your family to read John 3:3–7 and ask your family to look for what might have been on Nicodemus’s mind. Ask:


What does it mean to be “born again”? (See Alma 5:14; Mosiah 27:24–29.)
How can a person be born of the water (baptized) but not born of the Sprit?

Share the following by Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Church members are not born again by the mere fact of baptism alone; rather, after baptism, they must so live as to experience a ‘mighty change’ in their hearts.” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:142.)

Share an experience in your life when you felt a change of heart or spiritual rebirth. Explain that the process of spiritual rebirth happens over time. Testify that the sacrament allows a wonderful time to recommit one’s self to following God. Encourage family members to always seek for a change of heart by becoming a little better each day.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The New Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006], p. 116.)

Story:
The “mighty change” of heart (Alma 5:14) is a process that takes varying amounts of time for different people. Let me tell you about a man I will call Sasha to protect his personal privacy. He is a man in his early forties who describes himself as having previously been a very hard, cynical man.

Sasha’s cynicism came from his background, which he describes in detail:

“I was born in the north of Russia, in a worker’s family in a small town. I spent my childhood and youth in a place where many criminals had been deported, as well as soldiers who had been captured and accused of treason. Cruel and wild morals reigned there.

I learned that a strong man always rules and a weak man always submits. My years of studying in an institute confirmed this statement. Three years of working in a colony of a special regime for dangerous criminals amazed me. I saw and heard unbelievable things. Now it is hard for me to understand how a man could do such things.

I did not wait for help from anybody, and I also did not help anybody, either. I often thought about the question of the meaning of life. What do we live for? I asked everybody about that, but nobody could answer me. People were busy with their own problems.”

One evening two young missionaries met Sasha on the street of a city where he still resides. They asked whether he believed in God. He continues:

“I was confused. I knew from my experience that when someone comes to you in the darkness and asks for ten kopecks, your answer does not matter much, because there is going to be a fight within a
minute or two. Earlier, I had considered religious believers to be mentally sick people, and yet these young men seemed like quite normal people.

I agreed to make an appointment with the missionaries. Oh, I tortured them so much! I asked them many silly, cynical questions, and I even supposed that they were agents of the CIA.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately!), I had lost my job then and had time to read the Book of Mormon and the Bible all day long. The experience of reading these two books of scripture hour after hour, day after day, completely transformed my life. I found the truth. As I met with these wonderful young men, my cynicism gradually but fully dissolved. In our meetings and through my personal reading of the scriptures day after day, I became a new person, with a new outlook on the world.

Since my baptism and the receiving of the gift of the Holy Ghost, I have committed to our Heavenly Father that I will always try to help lift others throughout the rest of my life. As Alma explained [see Mosiah 18:8-10], when I accepted baptism I promised to be a comfort and a strength to others. And I will.”

Sasha is a dedicated servant of the Lord who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. He is a man who shows great love to others. He now manages a new private company in his city.

(Howard L. Biddulph, The Morning Breaks: Stories of Conversion and Faith in the Former Soviet Union, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996].)

Activity:
Give each family member an old magazine or newspaper, a blank piece of paper, and some glue (younger children can be paired with an older family member). Ask each person to think of a word or phrase that describes the changes that can happen after a person has been converted. Have them find and cut out the letters to spell this word in the magazine. Then paste them onto the blank paper. After everyone is done, have them share their words.

Refreshment:

Kleiner

6 eggs
1⁄2 c. butter
1 1⁄2 c. sugar
1⁄2 c. canned milk
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
5 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
Powdered sugar

Combine eggs, butter, sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla. Then add dry ingredients. Roll dough into a triangle, and cut through dough to make long strips. Cut across strips diagonally to form smaller diamond shapes. Cut a slit in the center of each diamond shape. Pull the bottom corner through the cut in the center to make a twist. Deep fry the twists until light golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or eat plain.

Local Coupons

Want to use some local coupons? Yes you do ..... stop fighting it.

here's your chance to get some click here

FREE P O T T E R Y B A R N classes

Pottery Barn has a few free holiday decorating classes coming up over the next few weeks. When you attend you will also receive a 10% off coupon for your next purchase off any of the products featured during the class.

November 14 at 10am – Entertaining With Style – This class will cover the basics of holiday entertaining from sit-down Thanksgiving dinner to a casual buffet for a party.
November 28 & December 5 at 10am – Holiday Decorating & Entertaining – Join their experts who will provide you with great ideas for the holidays season from trimming the tree to setting the table.
December 11 from 11am- 4pm – Decorating and Gifting with Frames Demonstrations – Learn how to decorate your home and create great gifts with frames.
Find a participating store and RSVP! when you click here

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Every Wednesday until Thanksgiving, I will be posting either Thanksgiving Recipes, or ideas. Today is side dishes enjoy !!

Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing

Ingredients:

3-4 loaves of white bread (or 5 if you like leftovers)
water
chicken broth
insides of the turkey
2 bunches of celery
1 or 2 onions
2 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp. sage
mushrooms (option)

Instructions:
The night before you want to eat the stuffing, break the bread into small pieces (about 1 inch squares) into 2 huge bowls or pots. Let the bread sit overnight to dry out.

The next day, after you remove the insides of turkey, boil them in water in 2/3 qt. sauce pan until cooked (about 20/30 minutes). Remove insides for later use or discard. Keep water and put aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop onion and celery and place into food processor until minced.

Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in large saucepan.

Saute onion and celery until heated through. Do not brown! (Saute mushrooms also at this time if wanted). Depending on how much stuffing you want and how much celery and onion you've chopped, you may have to saute the onion and celery in two parts.

Once cooked, pour the onion/celery mixture directly over the dried out bread.

Pour 1/2 tsp. sage over bread/onion/celery mixture.

Then take your reserved water and pour slowly over bread. The bread will shrink as you do this.

Be careful not to pour too much water in.

Mixture thoroughly and smell/taste for perfect stuffing.

If you need more liquid, open a can of chicken broth and pour over bread. If you need more spice, add more sage.

Once stuffing is of a consistency that it will stick together and does not look too dry, do not add more liquid.

Either stuff in turkey to be baked in oven, or put in 9 x 13 pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. You want the stuffing to have a nice brown crust on top.

Wild Rice Dressing

Ingredients:

4 Slices turkey bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Cup onion chopped
1 Cup celery chopped
1/2 Pound mushrooms sliced
1 Package (4 ounces) wild rice cooked according to package directions
2 Cups bread crumbs
1/2 Pound turkey breakfast sausage, cooked
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 Teaspoon dried sage
Salt
Pepper
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.

In medium-size skillet, over medium heat, saute bacon until almost crisp.

Add onion, celery and mushrooms; continue cooking until vegetables are tender.

In large bowl combine bacon mixture, wild rice, bread crumbs, sausage, oregano and sage.

Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.

Spoon dressing into lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Bake, covered, at 325 degrees F. 35 to 40 minutes

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup milk
3/8 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

Boil water.

Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes.

Put in boiling water. Let cook until potatoes are soft.

Remove potatoes, place in bowl.

Mash potatoes with potato masher or mixer.

Add butter and milk; stir.

Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir.

Dish onto bowl or plate.

Sprinkle cinnamon lightly over top.

Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

8 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup olive oil
4 russet potatoes
2 tbsp. butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated
2 tbsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste


Instructions:

Put the garlic and olive oil in a heavy saucepan over lowest possible heat and simmer until soft; 30 to 40 minutes.

Drain off oil (reserve for marinades or vinaigrettes).

Puree garlic; set aside.

Meanwhile, prick potatoes with a fork and bake in a 400°F oven for 1 hour, or until soft. While still hot, peel and mash, or pass through a potato ricer.

Melt butter in heavy cream; whisk in puréed garlic.

Stir into potatoes.

Stir in cheeses and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon into a gratin dish.

Place in a 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned and bubbling.


Thanksgiving Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

4 c. cranberries
2 oranges
1 1/2 cup sugar.

Instructions:

Wash cranberries and oranges.

Cut oranges into quarters and core.

Put cranberries and oranges through a food processor or blender.

Add sugar and mix well.

This is best if made at least 2 days before Thanksgiving.

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1-1/2 C sugar
1 navel orange
1/2 t grated ginger
4 cup cranberries
1/2 C (2 oz.) toasted pecans.

Instructions:

Grate the orange peel and add to a pot with the sugar and ginger.

Add the juice from the orange into the pot and simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Add cranberries and cook until they pop - about 5 minutes.

Add pecans and cool sauce.


Praline Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 C. mashed sweet potato - canned or fresh
1/2 C. white sugar
2 T. vanilla extract
4 eggs - beaten
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4 lb. butter or margarine
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. flour
1 1/4 C. chopped pecans

Directions:


Butter one 2 quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a mixing bowl, combine potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and cream. Blend well.

Spread into casserole dish evenly.

Prepare the topping by combining the butter, brown sugar, flour, and pecans.

Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over top sweet potato mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes.

FREE FOOD on NOV 3rd, Joe's Farm Grill

A free lunch? Yes it's true ... tell all your friends and head on over to Joe's Farm Grill Wednesday

On Wednesday, Nov. 3, Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert is shaking up the natural order by staging a Customer Appreciation Day that features a free midday meal.
Get in line anytime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (if you are in line by 3 p.m., owner Joe Johnston promises that you will be served) and get ready for a no-cost cheeseburger, fries and beverage (soft drink, tea or water).

Please note: One meal per person. No other food is available. No phone orders. And Joe's will not be serving breakfast or dinner that day.
Details: Joe's Farm Grill, 3000 E. Ray Road, Gilbert, 480-563-4745. joesfarmgrill.com

FHE on Fasting

A few years ago a high-ranking official from China visited Salt Lake City. . . . Fasting and giving the value of the meals not eaten to help the poor captured his attention. . . . He said, "If we all loved each other like this, the world would be a more peaceful place."
(Keith B. McMullin, "God Loves and Helps All of His Children," Ensign, Nov 2008, 75-78.)


Song:
"Because I Have Been Given Much," Hymns, # 219.

Scripture:
Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.
(Doctrine and Covenants 59:14)

Lesson:
Do an activity with your family that involves things that go together, or pairs. As you say the first word or show the first item, have your family fill in the blank with the name of the second item.


"Salt and ________" (pepper)


"Table and _________" (chairs)

"Husband and ________" (wife)

"Shoes and _______" (socks)

Tell your family that Jesus demonstrated the power of "pairing" two important principles. Have your family look for the important pair as they read the story in Mark 9:14-29. Ask:

After Jesus had cast out the evil spirit, what did His disciples ask privately?

What was Jesus' response?

How does prayer make fasting more meaningful?

How does fasting make prayer more meaningful?

Ask family members if they have had an experience with fasting and prayer they would be willing to share. Invite the family to unite in fasting and prayer next fast Sunday.


(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The New Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006], p. 69.)


Story:


"He Fasted, and He Prayed"


Matthew Cowley


Two boys in New Zealand graduated from a high school down there. The principal came to me and told me this story about one of them.


"This young man came to me one day. He was living in the dormitory. He was what they called the monitor. It wasn't a native high school, but he was a native. He came to me one day, and he said, 'Mr. Hogan, I want to go home for three days.' I said, 'Why, you can't go home, you have a job here. What do you want to go home for?' He said, 'Well, I am preparing to take my matric,' [as they call it down there, matriculation examination for entrance into a university]. He said, 'I want to go home for three days and fast and pray.'


"I was astonished. I excused myself and went to my office and called up one of your members, one of our native members, and I said, 'Listen to me, do you people have in your Church something you call fasting?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'What do you do it for?' 'When we want a blessing, we fast and pray.' I said, 'Well, I have read about it in the Bible, but I have never heard of anybody doing it.' I went back to the young man and said, 'You go home for three days.' He went home, and he fasted, and he prayed, and he was the top man in passing his matric examination."


(Jay A. Parry, Jack M. Lyon, Linda Ririe Gundry, editors, Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People, Vol.2, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999], 63-64.)


Activity:


Divide your family into two teams. Give each team a paper and pencil. Set a timer for a predetermined amount of time (2 or 3 minutes) and have each team write down as many "pairs" as they can think of (like the examples in the lesson). Give one point to each team for items on the list that the other team didn't think of.


Refreshment


Chewy Chex Mix


This treat is a hit with all ages.

8 cups Rice Chex (or the Chex cereal of your choice)

1 cup coconut

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup chow mein noodles

1⁄4 cup butter or margarine

6 cups miniature marshmallows

Combine Chex, coconut, almonds, and noodles in a large bowl. Melt butter over medium heat; blend in marshmallows and stir until melted. Pour over cereal mixture; spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in
an airtight container or individual plastic bags. Makes about 10 cups.

Friday Finds....

click here for a $2.00 Chipolte Meal ..... however it is only available this Sunday October 31st...pass it on to a neighbor

Free Cake at El Polo Loco click here for coupon

Do You love Disney's Toy Story? Click here for an $8.00 off coupon for blue ray dvd

Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon good only on October 30th click here

Free Signature Collection Body Care at Bath and Body Works with $10.00 purchase click here

PUMPKIN CUSTARD

Smooth creamy custard can't be beat as a dessert treat, this pumpkin custard recipe adds the unique flavor of spices and pumpkin to give plain custard an interesting twist.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white


Directions:

1. In 1-quart microwave-safe bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated skim milk, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Microwave, uncovered, on medium (50 percent power) for 3 minutes.

2. In small bowl, beat egg and egg white until blended.

3. Slowly stir egg mixture into pumpkin mixture; divide pudding mixture among four 5-oz microwave-safe custard cups.

4. Microwave on medium 2 to 3 minutes or until puddings are barely firm. (Do not overcook; puddings will thicken and firm more upon cooling.)

5. Set aside to cool at least 10 minutes.

Blockbuster Good Grades

Want to reward your child for his/her great grades click here for a great reward.

Recipes from October Meeting

Spiced Pumpkin Bars

2 Cups Bobs Gluten free All Purpose Flour
½ tsp Xanthm Gum
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Splenda Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 ½ tsp Pumpkin Spice or a combination of 2 tsp Cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp nutmeg and ¼ tsp ground cloves
4 Eggs
1 ¾ Cup Canned Pumpkin
1 Cup Applesauce

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and applesauce. Mix well and add dry ingredients. Spread in greased 15” x 10” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake. Dust with powdered sugar.


Great Pumpkin Cookies

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1 Cup Margarine or butter (softened)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Pumpkin
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Oats
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Salt

Cream butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add flour mixture to cream mixture. Add pumpkin. Drop cookies on cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool and then frost with vanilla frosting colored orange and place one candy corn in center.


Carrot Cake

2 Cups Flour
1 ½ Cup Oil
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
3 Cups Shredded Carrots
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Nuts
1 tsp salt
4 Eggs

Stir dry ingredients together. Add oil, eggs and carrots beating well. Bake in 9” x 13” pan greased and floured (or use Pam spray). Bake for 30 minutes (up to 40-45 minutes) at 350 degrees or until toothpick is clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg Cream Cheese
1 cube Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
Powdered Sugar to taste

Soften cream cheese and butter. Beat all ingredients together until fluffy.

Chocolate Revel Bars

1 Cup Softened Butter
2 ½ Cups Flour
2 Cups packed Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
4 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking Soda
3 Cups Quick Rolled Oats
1 ½ Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1 Can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp Butter
½ Cup Chopped Walnuts

In large mixer beat 1 cup of butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add half the flour, all brown sugar, eggs, 2 tsp of the vanilla and the baking soda. Beat on low speed until combined thoroughly. Beat in rest of flour. Stir in oats.

In medium saucepan, cook chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and 2 tbsp of butter over low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in remaining vanilla and nuts.

Pat 2/3rds of oat mixture (about 3 ½ cups) into bottom of ungreased pan approximately 15” X 10” X 2”. Spread chocolate mixture over oat mixture. Dot with remaining oat mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees (preheated) for about 25 minutes or until to is lightly golden. Chocolate mixture will still look moist. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 60

FHE Lesson on Modesty

Modesty
Thought:
With all my heart I urge you not to look to contemporary culture for your role models and mentors. Please look to your faithful mothers for a pattern to follow. Model yourselves after them, not after celebrities whose standards are not the Lord’s standards and whose values may not reflect an eternal perspective.
(M. Russell Ballard, “Mothers and Daughters,” Ensign, May 2010, 18–21.) Song:
“The Lord Gave Me a Temple,” Children’s Songbook, p. 153.

Scripture:
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
(1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Story:
A group of choir students from American Fork, Utah, were traveling in New York City. On Sunday morning many of the students walked through the hotel lobby to board the bus that would take them to a local ward for Church services. A young woman was sitting in the lobby wearing a modest dress. She approached the group.
“Are you LDS?” she asked. When the students responded that they were, she smiled. “Are you going to church?” Again they answered, “Yes.” The young woman explained that she was from another state and was traveling with her school sports team. She was the only member of the Church on her team. That morning she had prayed she would be able to find some way to attend church. She had gone down to the lobby to wait. When the group of LDS youth walked in, she knew her prayer had been answered.

Object Lesson
After you have shared the above story, discuss with your family the following questions:
How did this young woman know that the students she saw were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Was it how they were dressed? How do people throughout the world know that the young men and women they see are Mormon missionaries? What do our clothes say about us?
Have the family look through several contemporary magazines. Find pictures of
models and try to describe what their clothes are saying about each one. Many of the models in these types of magazines are dressed immodestly. What messages are we sending when we dress immodestly? Possible messages include: “I don’t respect my body as a sacred gift from Heavenly Father.” “I don’t know what the prophet has said about modesty or I don’t care.” “I want you to notice my body first before anything else.”
Point out that the person dressing immodestly isn’t bad; they just haven’t been taught about the importance of modesty or don’t understand what their clothes are saying about them. Dressing immodestly can also make other people feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. When someone dresses immodestly, it is hard to notice anything but the person’s clothes.

Activity:
Have the family imagine they are in a foreign country and want to meet other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They can’t speak the language, so how could they dress to let others know that they are Mormons? Send each family member to his or her bedroom to change clothes and then stage a fashion show.
The fashion show is even more fun if you hang a piece of fabric across the entrance into the family room and let each “model” enter the room by pushing aside the curtain. Try to guess what identifying articles of clothing family members are wearing. Is someone modeling a CTR ring or a Young Women medallion or an angel Moroni tie tack? Is everyone modest? Are we trying to represent the Church and the Savior as we get dressed every day?

Refreshment:
1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup finely chopped pecans 1⁄2 cup margarine, softened 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1 cup powdered sugar 1 8-ounce tub Cool Whip®, thawed and divided 1 6-ounce package instant chocolate pudding 1 6-ounce package instant vanilla pudding 3 cups milk, divided
Chocolate Cream Crunch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make crust by combining flour, pecans, and margarine in a small bowl. Press into bottom of 9x13-inch pan. Bake 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Fold in 1 cup of the Cool Whip. Blend well and spread over cooled crust. Chill. Combine instant chocolate pudding and 1 1⁄2 cups milk. Mix until smooth. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill. Pudding will thicken in refrigerator. Repeat with instant vanilla pudding. Chill. Frost with remaining Cool Whip. Cut into 4- inch squares and serve.
Makes 28 squares.

Friday Finds....

Nothing Free today but I did find this special at OLD NAVY click here

FREE Diamond Dazzle Stik

I was excited to post this freebie just so I could use its name in the title. Isn’t it fun to say?
Get a FREE Diamond Dazzle Stik when you “like” them on facebook.

What is a Diamond Dazzle Stik? Here’s what their website says:
This portable diamond cleaner features a twist-to-dispense click pen that delivers a high performance formula to clean, polish, and protect treasured jewelry possessions. Coming to retail shelves later this fall, the Diamond Dazzle Stik™ conveniently slips into a purse or makeup case for home or travel use and promises to be a must-have item for those who want to bring out the bling.
Developed to safely clean diamonds and other precious stones, the Diamond Dazzle Stik™ is also gentle on the skin, and the environment.
“Like” them on facebook to get your own Diamond Dazzle Stik (now tell me that’s just not fun to say!).

Avoiding the Common Cold

ts back to school season, which means that its actually getting to be cold and flu season. Along with a backpack full of new and interesting homework assignments, your child may be bringing a little something extra to the door next week. Nearly one fifth of the U.S. population attends or works in the school system making the school a prime site for the incubation and transfer of disease epidemics.

The most common of these diseases is the rhinovirus or the common cold. It is an endlessly mutating virus that cannot be cured with antibiotics, but instead roams the halls of school building and lies in wait for your children and their immune systems.

Avoiding Germs

The germs that cause colds can live for up to a full two hours once they have been transferred to a surface such as a doorknob or table. They live where your children live. The idea that you can completely avoid exposure to these germs is unrealistic. It is even more unrealistic to believe that you can arrange for your children to avoid them. They're everywhere after all. So what can you do to protect your children and your home? The answer is simple. You must practice the basic methods of cold prevention and teach your children to do the same. You must prepare to wage war against this omnipresent disease.

Killing Germs

* The best way to combat cold and flu season is to avoid exposure where you can and to kill germs where you cannot.

* Begin by avoiding obviously sick people and the things that they touch. Teach your children to not to share food, for example.

* Next, be aware of what you touch. Try not to touch your face with your hands since the eyes, nose, and mouth are the areas of your body that are most vulnerable to infection. Your hands are one of the most active parts of your body when it comes to germs.

* Wash your hands regularly and correctly with hot water and soap. Scrub for fifteen to twenty seconds when you do so. You can also opt to use a hand sanitizer with an alcohol base, but an antibiotic hand sanitizer will not help to combat colds.

* Similarly, you should make sure that high traffic surfaces in the home are cleaned frequently and thoroughly with alcohol or bleach.

* Finally, if you feel a cough or a sneeze coming on, try to catch it in a tissue so as to protect the people around you. If you cannot then cover your mouth and nose using your elbows and not your hands. This will keep you from spread germs from your mouth or nose to your hands and then to whatever you touch next.

The last thing you can do to protect yourself and your children from colds is to make sure that you are all healthy. This means you need to eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep during cold and flu season.