Category: family

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How The Other Half Lives


This–my friends, is what it looks like to watch an official Jazz game…

from “the box.”  You know, the box—

where they feed you amazing, scrumptious food like pork loin and potatoes and cheesecake and soft fluffy rolls.

Oh, and we get to watch the amazing Jazz too. They were fabulous!

We could watch the game on the monitors, just like the folks at home…

or up really close with some hoity-toity binoculars…provided they’re turned around the right way, that is.

Hey, she’s two.


We won cool jackets and T-shirts and backpacks–just for the heck of it…

and then they fed us again!

I always imagined “the box” like a funny little crowded spot where you had to stand the whole time to see anything at all.

Yeah, was I ever wrong.

Certainly the most fun we’ve had in a long, long time–thanks to Bishop Thomas and the folks at Coke/Sprite.

How will be ever be content in the green seats again?

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{ A Precious Gift }

“Make it go, Daddy! Make it go!”

I shook the store’s miniature merry-go-round to simulate motion, trying to convince my three-year-old son and his little sister that they were content just to sit on the wooden horses.

Inside the discount store my wife was finishing some last-minute Christmas shopping. As a struggling graduate student without a spare penny, I rattled and shook the merry-go-round in frustration. The San Francisco evening was black, cold, foggy, and depressing. I was tired and irritated by my son’s insistent cry for me to “Make it go!”

Shuffling noticeably, a middle-aged man came toward us out of the fog. By the dim light of the street lamp he watched my attempt to satisfy the children. After a few moments he fumbled in his pocket for a coin. His unkempt appearance and a pervading odor of alcohol made me wary, and I protested. They were fine, I muttered, shaking the horses again. “See, you’re fine, aren’t you?” I said.

Producing the coin, he pleaded, “Please, let me do this; please?” Surprised by the pitiful tone of his voice, I relented.

As the delighted children went round and round, the man haltingly explained, “My wife and I never had any children … and … she died recently. It’s Christmas … I’m all alone. Thank you.”

He disappeared into the dense fog. He had needed someone to give to at Christmas. And truly he had—not only to the children, but to me as well. Because of him, I had gained a new appreciation for a very precious gift from God—my family.

By Wendel K. Walton

Happy Birthday Kathy!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

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Scotch Eggs

Saw this recipe online awhile back and was intrigued. Could there truly be something on the Scottish menu that isn’t deep fried or boiled in a sheep’s stomach? I can hear my little Scottish daddy laughing this very minute–because he didn’t think so. But I’m here to tell you that these tasty little breakfast bites are delicious—magnamoniously delicious–without frying.

No. Lie.

Simple ingredients too.

1 lb Bulk sausage

8 Hard Boiled Eggs

Bread Crumbs

Now, if you’re like me, you likely need a bit more flavor than boring old bread crumbs offer.

I had garlic croutons in the cupboard so we used them instead. Any flavor would work well. A food processor would have worked well too. I’m just saying…

Hard boil the eggs. Shell them–I shouldn’t have to tell you that, but I want to be clear.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat 1 raw egg in a bowl and set aside. 

Wrap a thin layer of sausage around each of the hard boiled eggs. I worried that this part would be hard–but the sausage was quite a team player and stuck to the egg very politely.

For further wise-woman insight, I’ll explain…

I used vinyl gloves for this bit because while the sausage sticks to the egg very nicely, it has a tendency to stick to your hands as well. Hence the gloves.  I roll about 1-2 Tbsps of sausage into a flat line from the bottom of my palm to the tips of my fingers. Lay the egg on top of the sausage and roll the sausage around it. Smush it around to cover the top and bottom of the egg. You’ll find that you’ll end up rolling it into a round ball. Now, dip your fingers into the beaten egg and gently spread over the sausage.  

Now, roll them in the bread crumbs.

Aren’t they cute? Bake them about 30 minutes–turning each one over after about 15 minutes, so that they cook evenly.

I thought maybe sausage gravy would be stupendous with these babies, but alas, we couldn’t wait. It was all I could do to get this picture before vultures started to circle. Warning Will Robinson–these don’t last long once the guys see them. I’m thinking they would make yummy lunch snacks…if you hide them.

Now go forth…

and make us proud.

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Happy St.Andrew’s Day!

(the patron saint of Scotland–of course!)
 
 
Scotch Eggs
 
Print
Ingredients
  • Bulk sausage
  • Eggs
  • Bread Crumbs
Instructions
  1. Hard boil the eggs.
  2. Shell them.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  4. Beat 1 raw egg in a bowl and set aside.
  5. If you are interested in more flavor you can mix a bit of sage or Ranch powder in with your sausage.
  6. Wrap a thin layer of sausage around each of the hard boiled eggs.
  7. Dip each sausage ball into the raw egg.
  8. Now, roll them in the bread crumbs.
  9. Bake them about 30 minutes–turning each one over after about 15 minutes, so that they cook evenly.
 

 

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{ Forever }

We love you Matt…

“If only we could look beyond the horizon of mortality into what awaits us beyond this life. Is it possible to imagine a more glorious future than the one prepared for us by our Heavenly Father? Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we need not fear, for we will live forever, never to taste of death again.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf