Frozen Fruit Cocktail

OK you guys!! Here it is and it is yummy!!

3 cups fresh peaches (sliced)
3 cups pears (diced)
1 20oz can cubed pineapple
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup frozen orange juice (Make it as directed and then measure out)
3 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 bottle marchino cherries (8 to 16 oz bottle, depending on how well you like them.
2 tsp fruit fresh
Optional: 1 large can mandarin oranges
2-3 bananas sliced

Mix orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and fruit fresh together in large bowl. Add fruit and stir. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Put in freezer bags or containers.

* I usually triple this recipe. How do I prepare my fruit? I just wash the peaches and put them in hot water for a couple of seconds, then put them in cold water. This makes it so that the skins just peel off. I just peel my pears. The best thing about this is that the pears do not have to be totally ripe to use them. I am not sure how everybody else prepares their fruit but this is the only way I know how. Any suggestions are welcome.

Happy Canning.

Frozen Peaches!!!

These are really good to use in smoothies or just eat right as they start to defrost. My kids won't eat bottled peaches but love these.

FROZEN PEACHES

12 oz orange juice, thawed
1/4 cup lemon juice
7 cup sugar
Mix together. Sugar may vary from 5-8 cups depending on the sweetness of the peached.

Blanch and skin your peached. Slice peaches and add to the juice mixture. Let them sit in the mixture for a few minutes just to absorb some of the juice. This will keep them from turning brown. You can use the juice over and over until your peaches and liquid are gone. This will make a large batch. Pour into freezer bags and push the air out of the bags. Lay in freezer flat so they don't take up as much room. Let me know if you have any questions. THese are our favorite.

Bottled Salsa

60 tomatos, blanched and peeled
2 bell peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 onions, chopped
6 jalapenos, diced
8 Anaheim chili peppers, diced
1/2 cup vinegar
1 sprig cilatro (I use a little more)
2 TBSP oregano
3 TBSP salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp basil

I like to use fresh spices, but you do not have to.
Bring to a boil. Continue boiling until reaches desired thickness. ( I put in my big roaster and cook all night at about 200 degrees. Put in jars and water bath for about 20-25 minutes for pint jars.

Fresh Peach Dessert

I made this today and everyone loved it. The peaches were so sweet and it really hit the spot.

FRESH PEACH DESSERT
1 3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch

Boil until thick and then add:
1-3oz pkg peach jello

Add:
4-6cups sliced peaches (fresh with the skins removed)

Set in fridge to cool off just while you are making the rest of the dessert.

Mix:
2 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 cube butter, melted
2 tsp sugar

Press into a 9x13 inch pan.

Mix:
1-8oz pkg cream cheese
12 oz cool whip
4 tbsp powdered sugar

Spread over crust and then pour jello mixture on top. Cool and enjoy.

Memorial Day

Today was such a fun day. We went with my side of the family to Amese Valley, out on the west desert, and rode the rhino, 4 wheelers and ranger around. We had a great picnic and it was a perfect beautiful day.





Mike found us a fixer up with some furniture. We may have to buy a new mattress but other than that I think we can remodel it to fit our family!!! The price is right too!!LOL

Garrett at Prom

It was fun to go to Promanade at Spanish Fork High School for Prom. Garrett looked so nice and handsome in his get-up. His date is Jordan Kramer and she is a triplet that he even went to grade school with. His friend Jessie and thier dates doubled. Garrett surprised me when he gave Jordan a little spin on the stage. I didn't expect that. Anyway they looked real cute. Can't believe we have reached this point and one of my good friends mentioned that next year I would have both him and Mont at Prom. That is enought to make a mother sick to her stomach.

Another great recipe.

Last night Mont cooked the best Mahi Mahi I have had in a long time. Here is the recipe!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
Prep Time:
5 MinCook Time:
12 MinReady In:
37 Min
Servings (Help)
US Metric Calculate
Original Recipe Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
3 tablespoons honey 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root 1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste 2 teaspoons olive oil 4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

Dilly Bread

This is one of the best recipes you will ever make. To make the ultimate sandwich, toast this bread, add a little butter, mayo, a tomato, avacodo and a piece of cheese. You will never taste anything better than this!!!!
Family favorite. (the joke is that my dad didn't realize that it was dill bread and made French Toast out of it. I am not so sure that this is a good mix)

Dilly Bread

4 TBLS yeast
1 cup warm water
4 cups buttermilk
8 TBSP minced onion
4 TBSP butter
8 tsp dill seed or 8 TBSP dill weed
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs (beaten)
dash salt
9-10 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve yeast in water. Add to buttermilk. Add butter, onion, dill, baking soda, salt and eggs. Mix well. Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough is not sticky. Knead. Let rest for about 10 minutes. Divide into 4 loaves and let rise until double in size. Bake for 40 minutes.

Christmas Candy

Today I spent the day with Helen, AKA Merriweather, making Christmas Candy and treats. It is always such a fun tradition to make treats at Christmas and there are a few of the things I only make at Christmas. Apple Cranberry Muffins and Coconut Bread are a couple of these things. Her favorite was the Apple Cranberry Muffins. Here is the recipe for all of you. I hope your Holidays are filled with great memories and family traditions.
APPLE - CRANBERRY MUFFINS

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. quick oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lg. egg
3/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. unpeeled tart apples, diced
3/4 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 c. raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups, or use foil cups. Mix flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Break egg into another bowl. Add sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in melted butter and vanilla. Stir in apple, cranberries and raisins. Fold in just until dry ingredients are moistened. Scoop batter into muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned and firm to the touch. Turn out onto a rack. Let cool. Store 1 to 2 days in a plastic bag or airtight container before reheating and serving. Do not freeze. Yield: 12 regular muffins

Garret's Eagle Scout Court of Honor

Garrett did it!! He finished his Eagle Scout Project thanks to the support of many of you our friends and family. We had a great Court of Honor on February 15,2009 in the Spanish Fork 17th Ward. The program was amazing. Our Bishop put together a slide show for opening ceremony, Events in Garrett's Life, and then the closing. It was so patriotic and touched my heart. You can't help but get emotional when your kids do something that is just one step closer to becoming the kind of person you want them to be. So many of our friend and family where here to support him in this. He recieved his eagle pin, then gave one to both Mike and me, then he had chosen someone that has been a mentor to him in his life. He chose his Grandpa Clayton, "because he always is there to teach him about the right things and always is a great example of what a man should be." He also said," Grandpa always tells me how special I am to him and how happy he is to have me as his grandson." I thought that this was so awesome and I don't think that Dad has taken his mentor pin off since that night. Congratulations Garrett!!

Out with the "OLD", In with the "NEW"

I haven't updated my blog in such a long time, but I've been way to out-of-control to take care of the "important" things.
We've sold out old house!! I have had mixed emotions about this whole thing. Every time I would walk into the house, see all the improvements that we had made and the memories that we've shared, I would get emotional. This is the only place that our children have ever known as home. We bought the house and moved in the week before we got married. We closed on Monday, I moved in on Tuesday and Wednesday (then left for Delta) Mike moved in on Thursday and came to Delta to get married. We have fond memories of our 1st home that we were going to live in for 5 years that ended up being 15 years. I wanted to move many times and Mike never had the same desire. To my surprise, I went on the market November 6, 2008 and was sold by the first of February 2009. We didn't have any idea of where to move but we were in quite the hurry!!

Thanks to my sweet husband and wonderful parents, they found us this house. We love it and feel like we were meant to be here. The kids love the house, neighbors and most importantly, the Ward. It is nice to be able to move around and have the room for lots of friends to visit. It just calls out our name when you look at it.

I am so happy that my kids love it here because I really don't care where I live as long as they are happy!! I am so grateful for my husband and parents who pulled me through a terrible state of mind and forgive me for my imppatience and fit-throwing personality. I love it here and hope we never move again. (If we do we are many truck loads lighter than this time.

This really does describe me!! Should I be embarrassed?

I'm a Ferrari 360 Modena!

You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Finally!!! I've added Recipes

I have promised that I would add a recipe link to my blog. I am surprised that some of you wanted my recipes and hope that you are not dissappointed. I am sure that most of you cook better than me but I always feel that new recipes are always welcome at our family, so here it goes. You can check it out by linking from my page at Harris Family Recipes.

How we Met!! (Tagged by Casey & She's fired!)

1. Where did you meet? Blind Date! (scary huh?)
2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? He is such a nerd. He was so nice that I knew there had to be something wrong with him and man, was he ever shy.
3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing? Nope, but I am sure that it was a clean white tee shirt and a pair of wranglers and boots. (That was his idea of dressing up)
4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? He tried to kiss me on our 1st date! Can you believe it? It was in my apartment and I remember moving away from him. I think he almost kissed my wall.
5. Where did you go for your first date? Family Resturant in Santiquin, then driving around and "sparking" at Utah Lake.
6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? About 2 days.
7. How did he/she ask you out? He called me on the phone. One of his friends' sisters gave him my phone number. Pretty crazy for a shy person!
8. How did he propose to you? We used to play a game that would make us have great conversations. It was that whenever one of us was quiet, the other one would asked"What are you thinking right now?" Then you would have to answer. After we had been dating for about 3 weeks, we were watching a movie at his moms house. He was a little to quiet, so I asked the question. He said that he couldn't tell me, but I was persistant. He finally said, "I was just wondering what you would say if I asked you to marry me?" I told him he better get it done. It took 3 more weeks to make it official and then it was a night of roses, dinnner, and out to Payson park where he proposed in front of the dumpster! I ruined his plan because my grandpa was at the Payson Hospital and my family was there visiting him. I told Mike that I couldn't go in to see them without my ring. He gave in and told me to open the glove compartment. There was my ring. How romantic!
9.Do you and this person have kids together? Yes! Five! Isn't that enough?
10. Have you ever broken the law with this person? Yes. (And don't ask what it is.)
11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person? Actually, there was something about him that I liked immediately and couldn't help myself like him right off the bat.
12. Do you trust this person? Absolutely
13. Do you see her/him as your partner in your future? Eternity
14. What is the best gift she/he gave you? I love anything that he gives me. He always makes sure to find all the things I love. I think maybe its the time we get to spend together. No wait, my favorite was our anniversary that he planned in Snowbird, just us and the fall and the snow and everything else!
15. What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves? When he pulls the covers off me and makes me cold. I also hate it when he tries to help me make the bed and he pulls the covers to far on his side.
16. Where do you see each other 15 years from now? Our kids raised. Just the two of us and hopefully grandkids by then. That is almost scary!
17. What causes the most arguments? I plead the 5th. Can't tell the whole world. Money probably comes in 2nd.
18. How long have you been together? We got married on Oct. 2, 1993. Started dating in May of 1993, so together for 15 1/2 years. (Minus a few weeks of hunting)
19. Are you Married? Yes
20. Who Do you Tag? LeAnn, Chanda, Jackie, Jen

New Family Pictures

So my friend Christy takes great pictures. She came over one Sunday afternoon and we decided at 5:00 pm that we would do family pictures at 6:00. I quickly threw the kids and Mike something to wear, then the problem began. I had a closet full of nothing to wear. So I randomly picked out one of the oldest outfits that I have and never wear, but it matched the others so oh well...What the hell! We went to Salem Pond to have these done and to tell you the truth, I think they turned out great. She is starting up her own photo business and really knows what she is doing. She is also very cheap, hence her name....Cheapshots. Check out her website at http://cheapshotsllc.blogspot.com.
You can also link from my blog to Christy and Kendrick, then to her website. You should all try her.

Thanksgiving & Christmas Tree Cutting

Kids looking for the perfect tree!
Cody and Porche trying to make them have fun!
Aunt Phene always enjoys being with the kids.
We went to Delta this year for Thanksgiving. Mom was up here on Tuesday and took the girls home with her. They didn't have school on Wednesday so it was perfect. When we got there Wednesday night, we had a party and dinner at Portia's. Then we all played Bunco. Sunny was so funny! She would say "Ready, Go" and then yell "Bunco". She doesn't want to miss out on anything. Thursday morning we all got up and went to Dry Creek up Oak City Canyon. We scoped out the perfect tree and cut it down. It is really hard to pick the right one when there are at least 7 opinions on it. Besides that they all look really small when you are on the mountain and when you get it home, it is way to big. We'll have to do some prunning to get it to fit in our house, maybe even cut a hole in the roof. Then mom saw her tree she said that it would fit better in the city park than in her house. Our kids haven't got to do this for many years. In fact, I'm not even sure that they even remember when we used to do it. It was alot of fun for us. We ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Willoughby's and I ate enough for the next month. Unfortunaltey, I felt like I needed more leftovers so Mike will be cooking turkey dinner tommorrow. One of these next days I'll have to get back on that life long diet and do better. I am very thankful for my family and all the help, support and love that they show me. There is nothing more important to me than my family and their happiness. Hope all of your Holidays are great.

House For Sale!!!

I can't believe it but Mike has had enough! We put our house up for sale 10 days ago and have had a few people look at it. We have more scheduled this week. I am so amazed that he has finally had enough and I am very scared about what we are going to do. He has no plans on where we will go but doesn't seem to worried about it. The kids were not OK with it at first but as he explained the situation with them, they are supporting us in this decision. They have been the little troopers trying to help keep the house clean and pitching in for last minute showings. The same week we put the house up for sale, I started a new job! Could things be any more crazy? I am working at a new clothing store by KMART in Spanish Fork. It is called EDYN and they carry nice clothes for juniors, misses and women sizes. Mike thinks it would be like him taking a job at Cabelas. I don't understand his reasoning???Clothes are alot cheaper than guns and ammo! Anyway, Please pray for us that first, we can sell our house, and second, that we can find somewhere else to live. It all gives me anxiety.

Tagged by Chanda

Thanks to Chanda for tagging me! I am supposed to post my fourth picture in my 4th folder. Now that takes me back a few!! My old computer died with all my files and I was able to have a friend take off all my pictures off that computer. I really contemplated on what picture to use but this one always touches my heart, and since it was my cute cousin that tagged me, I thought that we could all reminisce about our Grandparents. I have a real hard time doing this but wanted to write about one of the greatest people I ever knew and miss everyday. In fact, after all this time that she has been gone, I still cry at the very thought of her and miss her more than I can stand. There is no one that can mention her name that I don't get teary. I miss her especially this time of year and it's not the same without her here. Granny was the strongest, sweetest, and wonderful women ever. She always had us (her kids and grand kids) in her thoughts. She always worried about us, helped us and made sure that we had everything we needed, and sometimes things we didn't need. Porche wrote the cutest story about Granny in a pop-up book. Someday I hope we can all have a copy of it because it tells what kind of Granny she was.
This picture is of her and Grandpa's anniversary the June before she died. What a great picture of the both of them. Even though neither one of them felt the best, they smiled, had a great time, and let us spend a very important time with them. I hope that as we think about Grandpa Hoot and Grandma Holler, we can laugh and cry joys of tears for the wonderful heritage that we came from. I love all of you guys and send this to you with tears running down my face!! Your the best Grandparents any kid should ever have!! I tag Anne, Christy, Rhonda, Tiffany and mostly Aunt LeAnn!!

Honoring A Scouting Friend

Last weekend I got an email from one of Mont's Scoutmasters from his Timberline Leadership Scout Camp. It was to tell the boys of a tragedy of losing one of their friends that they had there. I felt so bad and Mont was on a scout trip to Moab so I couldn't tell him about it. I worried the whole weekend about Mont and about this sad event. I couldn't even think about it or talk about it without crying (not to mention the anxiety). His friend Calvin Hansen had been killed in a car accident while traveling out of town with his family. His father was injured badly and the rest of the family was sent to the hospital with injuries. Anyway, last night was his viewing. Mont wanted to go and so he and I went. The wait was long. There was so many people there. The hardest thing for me was watching the pain and sorrow of my 13 year old son and the other kids that were there. I truely hope I never have to have this kind of tragedy in my family. There can't be anything worse than loosing a child. My prayers have been with this family and I don't even know them. The Scoutmaster had put the email out to all the scouts and wanted them to be at the cemetery with their uniforms on, holding flags, and saluting the family as they drove there. This was such a thoughtful thing and the time the Scoutmaster has spent in teaching our boys about love, kindness, charity, and brotherhood is amazing to me. I truly appreciate him. These are a couple of the pictures he sent to me and with respect to this cute family I want to show you what kind of tribute it was to them. Amazing to me!!! It sends cold chills down me and brings tears to my eyes. Look at this wonderful site!!

Garrett's and TaNeils Deer Hunt

The night before Mike and Uncle Neil took Garrett out to practice shooting on sticks. We were a little worried that he would get so excited when he saw the deer that "Buck Fever" would set in and he would miss. (Kind of like his mom does). He was shooting pretty good with a dead rest, but no so good on the sticks. I murmmered and hoped that it would not be a waste of time for Uncle Neil. Garrett was disappointed that Grandpa Clayton was not going to be able to go but the morning of the hunt, Grandpa woke Garrett and Mike up and said Neil and TaNeil were ready, they better get going. Off they went and when I hadn't heard from them by 8:00am I thought all the negative things a mother could. I went to the car and Mike had forgotten the camera. Off course, I thought, since he forgot the camera, Garrett will probably shoot one. This was the first year that Garrett and TaNeil had drawn out for a deer tag. They were so excited. At 9:oo am, Grandpa called and said that Garrett had just shot the front shoulder off of a nice 4 pointer and it was running. I said that I would be right there with the camera!! He said not to come yet that TaNeil was shooting at another nice 4 point. Minutes later he called and off we went to see the trophies...with the camera of course. We went to TaNeils deer and it was great. As Neil and Mike were dragging through the brush to the truck, the horn that Neil was pulling on came right off. We were laughing so hard and TaNeil just wanted to know if someone had some super glue to fix it. She was such a good sport and we continued laughing. Then the girls went to Neil and Toddy's to get the rhino so that we could get to Garretts deer. The guys kept looking for it. It had ran right towards Grandpa and then turned and he couldn't see it but knew what direction it had gone. Grandpa, Mike and Garrett had gotten to about 10 ft from it when it jumped up and started to run again. That is when Garrett shot at it a second time. Just as we pulled up in the Rhino, we heard the second shot and off the deer went, with both lungs hanging out the bullet hole, a broken front shoulder, and determined not to die. Neil shot to make sure it would go down and it did. We went to where it was and it was almost identical to TaNeils deer. How fun for these two kids. We took so many dang pictures that the only way you can see how much fun they had is to see most of it yourself. They were both so happy and it seemed like the best day these two kids, their dads, and grandpa could ever have. It was one of those memories that will never be forgotten.... The two big 4 points those great kids shot with their heroes right the side of them. Thanks to Uncle Neil, TaNeil and Grandpa for letting us be with you on such fun times. We appreciate the time and efforts that you give for our family. We love you!!
P.S. Uncle Neil shot a 5 point later that night!! What a hunt!