Soup for the Season

Fall officially arrived last week, but because of the summer weather, I haven't celebrated the beginning of a favorite season.  Our garden keeps producing tomatoes and basil so I decided to try The Barefoot Contessa's Roasted-Tomato Basil Soup. So healthy and delicious!  We think this recipe is a "keeper".

Roasted-Tomato Basil Soup
Serves 6-8
This is it:  the perfect tomato soup.  It is delicious all year 'round because roasting the tomatoes gives them a rich "summer" tomato flavor.

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

28 ounces canned plum tomatoes with their juice

4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 quart chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper.  spread the tomatoes in one layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil, butter and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown.  Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock.  Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet.  Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.  Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade.  (I used a blender with good results).  Taste the seasonings.  Serve hot or cold.

Changed for the Better

Wicked has been out "forever". However,  I just recently saw it for the first time, with my daughters, in New York City.  I read the book years ago and liked it but I LOVED the Broadway Musical. In particular the song, "For Good" struck a note with me:

I'm limited.
Just look at me - I'm limited,
And just look at you -
You can do all I couldn't do,
So now it's up to you
For both of us
Now it's up to you.

 I've heard it said,

That people come into our lives for a reason,

Bringing something we must learn,

And we are led to those who help us most to grow,

If we let them,

And we help them in return.

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today 

Because I knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes a sun.

Like a stream that meets a boulder, halfway through the wood.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

Because I knew you,

I've been changed for good. 

So much of me 

is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me 

Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend...

Who can say if I've been

Changed for the better?

I do believe I have been

Changed for the better

Because I knew you

I've been changed for good.
                                                         For Good - Wicked

 My Best Friends - Thanks for Changing Me

My children have enriched and blessed my life and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be their mother. I didn't realize I would love them so very much; they are in my every thought and prayer. Because of their goodness, I try harder to become a better person.

 Children have helped me see the world differently - they teach patience, virtue, love, faith, sacrifice, gratitude - every good thing. 

 Certainly, they are my most prized possessions - my jewels and my crown. 

 Each day, I continue to learn from them and as they go out into the world, I hope they will always remember they have a mother who is so proud and loves them so very much. 

"I have been changed for the better, I've been changed for good." 

Friends Through Calm and Storm

Last Chance Canyon

Padre Bay - Gunsight Canyon

Yoga on the Rocks

Our annual Couples Lake Powell Party was a little different this year.  In the past we have always had sunny weather, clear skies at night and a gorgeous view of the Milky Way.  This year we had some lightening, thunder and quite a bit of rain.  It was actually magnificently beautiful to watch the storms move across the sky.  We still enjoyed fabulous food, exploring, surfing, water-skiing, paddle-boarding, coziness, games and most of all each other's company.  I'm especially grateful for friends who share good times and times of struggle, clear skies and stormy weather.  

Remembering

We were in Jackson, Wyoming on September 11. In the Jackson Hole Daily there was an interesting essay:  "Forever Trying to Recapture that Blue September Sky (Ted Anthony).  

"Before the towers crumbled in New York City, before the doomed people jumped, and the smoke billowed and the planes hit, the collective American memory summoned one fleeting fragment of beauty:  a clear blue sky.  No coincidence that the power of such an image endures.  blue sky is a canvas of possibility, and optimistic notions of better tomorrows - futures that deliver endless promise."

In a letter to the Washington Post, President Thomas Monson explains how we can recapture blue skies, hope, optimism and peace.

"If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us.  We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives.  It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust.  We too should be with Him in every season.

There was a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy.  People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding.  Comfortable times were shattered.  We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven.  And, as ever, we found it.  Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.  

It seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed.  Healing has come with time, but so has indifference.  We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt.  Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives.  the darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment.  but we are forgetful.  When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.  

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day.  We truly 'need Him every hour,' not just in hours of devastation.  We must speak to him, listen to Him, and serve Him.  If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men.  We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.  

It is constancy that God would have from us.  Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness.  Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were.  We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior.  We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow.  We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm." - and blue skies.  

Queen of the Mountain

FINISH LINE!!!

LOTOJA (Logan to Jackson)

206 Miles

3 States

1 Day

10 Hours 35 Minutes

I am so proud of Camille, as is her husband, 

Dr. David Brinton - Sports Medicine M.D., trainer extraordinaire and

 King of the Mountain himself!

9 hours 47 minutes

We were so happy to be the "Support Crew", even though we missed Camille in Preston. (So Sorry!)

Luckily we made it to Montpelier with only seconds to spare before she came flying into the "Feeding  Station".  Then we were off to make it to Afton, Alpine and finally the finish line in the shadow of the beautiful Teton Range.  The entire race was a dauntingly hard, uphill climb, 

over mountain after mountain.

 Well done, Dave and Camille.

"I doubt if there is any American with any of his country's history in his blood who is not excited at the crossing of a range.  We have been a pass-surmounting people, fascinated by that newness on the other side, that land vaguely realizing westward.  We have misted our eyes with far-looking and stretched our minds on the high points of the continent.  Like the bear who went over the mountain, we have got these crossings in our itchy bones, and perhaps always will have.  The other side of the mountain is plenty to see, even if we have seen it before."

Wallace Stegner, West

Garden Ripe Tomatoes

Our garden produced a record number of tomatoes this year.  I will miss going outside and gathering a few for lunch - the aroma and taste are nothing like grocery store varieties.

 Fresh is always best, but today Melissa and I made salsa - great to open during chilly winter months.  The house smells so "delicious".

Mis Amigos Para Siempre

Last night Marisela and Carlos completed the entire set of Daily Dose English lessons.  We have had the privilege to teach them for a year, visiting them in their home weekly. In turn, they have taught us so much of their culture and the value of simplicity, innocence, gratitude, faith and hope.  We have become great friends.   They are wonderful parents and work hard to provide for their children. Marisela and Carlos are kind, happy, bright, eager to learn and so hospitable.  We have shared many meals and laughs - Good Times.   We have grown to love them and are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference.  Forever Friends.

Labor Day - Little Mountain

Cycle =
sunrise,
storm clouds,
sisters,
share the road,
single file,
spin,
sweat,
steep,
sunflowers,
sagebrush
scrub oak,
struggle,
sky,
sun,
summit,
smiles,

SPECTACULAR!

Sunday Supper

One of my favorite family times is Sunday Supper.  We gather after church to relax and reconnect.  My mother always made a special Sunday meal and we have continued the tradition.

Menu:
Lime Butter Salmon
Lemon Rice
Salad de Maison
Fresh Corn on the Cob
Chilled Watermelon
Fresh Raspberry Ice Cream

Lime-Butter Salmon
6 (6-oz.) pieces center-cut salmon fillet
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce 
Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot grill.  Season salmon all over with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack - 4 minutes.  turn fillets over and grill until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.  sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.   


Lime-butter sauce 
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/ cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
Puree garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth.  With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds. 


Never Enough Thyme,Cathy Steele

If the Broom Fits - Fly It!

Swiss Days Market was crowded but fun.  I found this fabulous, funky gourd witch, handpainted by Jeni Gochnour.  Halloween will be here before we know it.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Last weekend was a little tense as our New York Mathisons waited for Hurricane Irene.  "It was a dark and stormy night" but she was much less fierce than expected.   

Matthew has been reading, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, (Madeleine L'Engle).  He read me a few of his favorite lines:

"The hater is hurt more than the hated."

"Since the rider wanted a horse shoe nail, the horseshoe was lost and since the horseshoe was lost the rider was lost, and since the rider was lost the letter was lost, and since the letter was lost the battle was lost, and since the battle was lost, the war was lost, the kingdom was lost."

Seemingly insignificant, small choices have lasting impact.  I know when we choose well, "all good things work together for our good."

I'm grateful Matthew, George and Mary have discovered joy and magic in reading. I'm also grateful for the many times storms are gentle and people are their best selves.  Dear little Mathisons - keep that sparkle and shine! 

What's for Dinner?

It was such a treat to receive a dinner invitation to the Lindsley home.  We enjoyed arugula salad, Lemon Garlic Shrimp, Liberty Heights Roman Loaf and Skinny Cows for dessert.  DELICIOSO!!!

LEMON GARLIC SHRIMP
over angel hair pasta

2 Tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound uncooked (medium or large) shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 teaspoon creole seasoning
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

3/4 pound angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute (do not let brown).  Add shrimp and creole seasoning.  cook just until shrimp turn pink, stirring often, 4-6 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, zest and parsley.  Serve immediately over angel hair pasta.

Keeping Up Cookbook

Forever Young

We celebrated the end of August with an early morning ski trip to East Canyon.  It doesn't get much better: crisp air, warm water, great friends - Forever Young!

LIFE - A Gift

My brother, William Eric Boren, has struggled with health challenges for years.  Last January there came a day he could not get out of bed.  After he was admitted to the University Hospital, a doctor asked about his level of activity.  When Bill explained that until two weeks before he had gone to work each day, the doctor exclaimed, "that is so impressive."  It was recommended Bill receive an LVAD Heart Pump.  It was an agonizing decision.  If Bill chose not to have the surgery, he had weeks to live.  However, in his weakened condition, the surgery was very high-risk.  Bill is a young fifty-four years and the father of four wonderful children.  He wanted so much to live.

Dr. Robert Jarvik flew to Salt Lake City the night before Bill's surgery.  He entered the room, knelt beside my brother's bed, took his hand, explained the surgery, answered questions and gave us hope.  I've never witnessed such an act of compassion.  Dr. Jarvik is world-renown, but knelt respectfully, held Bill's hand and smiled for photos.  At that moment, I felt peace; he was in great hands.  I also knew  whatever happened would be the Lord's will.

There were many days we didn't think Bill would make it; but he is such a fighter. He battled back from kidney and liver failure and other serious complications.  After more than six months, Bill was finally released from the hospital. I'm grateful for the teams of doctors and health professionals at the University of Utah Hospital who also fought for Bill and gave their very best efforts. I know he was blessed and that our Savior was by his side.  He was granted a miracle.

I'm amazed by Bill's example; he fought so hard to stay -  he truly loves this life.  He inspires me and I have become much more grateful for each new day.