Basic Potato Soup

This one is perfect for a cold winter evening.

Basic Potato Soup

1 T olive oil

1 Onion Chopped

3 C Chicken Stock

3 C Beef Stock

1 Bay Lead

½ t dried thyme

3 medium potatoes cubed

Sauté onion in olive oil in stock-pot until soft. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Lightly mash potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

I Heart Pie!

 I Heart Pie!  

I am sure you all have heard me say this before. 
Here's another one for you:

Pie is good, pie is tasty, I even don't mind when it adds to my waisty! (hehe)

Basic Pie Crust

2 1/2 Cup Flour

1 teas. Salt

1 teas. Sugar

1 Cup Shortening

1 Stick Chilled unsalted Butter, cut into pieces

4-6 Tabl. very cold Water

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large, wide bottom bowl. Cut the butter and shortening in until it resembles course cornmeal. You can leave a few pea size pieces. Add 4 tablespoons of water to mixture and mush with hands into a ball. If it does not stick together you can add one tablespoon of water at a time until it does. Remember that adding too much water can make it tough. (yuck). Divide in two. Place each portion on wax paper and flatten into a disc with your hands. Cover tightly with saran and refrigerate for at least an hour to overnight. (You can actually freeze it at this point for a later use). When ready lightly flour your work surface, the dough, and your rolling pin. Gently roll from the center out to create the round size you need.

Then of course you can make yummy Scoobie Snacks with the trimmings.

Place trimmings on a cookie sheet. Drizzle/brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake till golden. Hmmmm.

I Want to be Queen!

I admit, and I may have admitted this before, I am a fair nerd. Growing up I started in 4-H as soon as I was old enough. I would spend my summers making projects for cooking, sewing, and other home ec. areas. I would also train one of my cows to tolerate me and let me lead it around. I was blessed with talent in theses areas and still have some of the trophies and ribbons I won. Luckily as grown-ups they still provide ways for us to use our skills and have friendly competitions. My focus is usually in the food preservation areas. Besides the Blue, Red, or White ribbons there are rainbow ribbons for special awards. You can also win the "best" in each  category, as well as a few other special awards. A couple years ago my mom won the Best White Bread entry. The one I want, the one I am hoping to wrap my hands around this next year is: "The Queen of Canning". In order to achieve this the winner usually has well over 60 items entered. The 2011 winner entered 92. I have about 20 set aside at the moment, so I know I have my work cut out for me! But a goal is a goal and for now I shall, Can On!

#19 Read the Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price Again.

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:36).

When asked what is my favorite scripture, this is the one that comes to mind. It has helped and inspired me though many rough and good times. A year or so ago I finished one of my "50 Things" goals of rereading the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. I actually had made it a goal to reach this goal, plus reread the Book of Mormon also in a year. It was a rewarding feeling when I could sit my triple down and ponder the words I had read. Now onto the Old Testament :)

#39 Meet My Family in Ukraine

I realized that although I posted some stories and pictures of my trip to Ukraine. I never listed it as finishing one of my "Fifty Things". Number thirty-nine is to Meet My Family in Ukraine. This would be the family of my Stepfather Benedict P. Eremenko. Papa passed away a year ago last October. Since he raised me from the age of 4 he really was a huge part of my life. The following April my sister, my mom, and I took a trip to Ukraine to meet his family and bring some earth from his home here in America. Meeting them was fun and rewarding as it was emotional and loving. I truly loved each one of my family members there as I met them and learned about their life in the Ukraine.

Anya, Vova, Aksana
Mom, Me, Aunt Lyda, Elya
Darilyn.











Ruslan, Mom, Darilyn, Me, Vitaly, Lyna.












If you would like to read more about my time in Ukraine here are the links:
That Easter Morn
My Ukrainian Family
Hello Ukraine
Papa

Blessed.

I am having one of those moments. Not one of THOSE moments where everything is negative and everyone is hiding from me, (or they should be). I am having one of those moments where I feel totally blessed. Where I sit here and think wow, I don't know if I deserve this. I am filled with gratitude for patient people in my life. Forgiving people in my life. Loving people in my life. I am in awe of the little miracles that can make a simple day magical. I know there are times where I am buried into the "depths of despair", and I cannot see "the light simmering in the distance",
but today: I feel blessed

Ocean Boulevard.

Some people not from Coos Bay/North Bend have asked me if Ocean Blvd leads to the ocean. In a way it does. It definitely is one of the main roads that gets you heading in the right direction. My draw to Ocean Blvd is that this is where I am residing. Last November I made a change and got a job working at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay. This of course meant that I then needed to move to Coos Bay. In January I got a call from some amazing family friends and in February I moved to Ocean Blvd. It has been quite fun to set my stuff up, decide if I need more, and eventually hang stuff on the walls. I like my style. It's comfortable. I makes me happy. I promised some friends that I would post photos, so here goes:

Ocean Blvd, Krista Style

To be filled.

I so could write pages and pages of tasty recipes to fill us up with tons of lovely calories. That is not the theme of this post though. "To Be Filled", is what I was thinking when I traveled back from my GNO tonight. (That's Girls Night Out for those of you not used to the phrase). I love all my friends. I love spending time with all my friends. I love what I can learn from them. I love what I can share with them. I love the times we laugh, and the times we cry. I love the travel. I love the FOOD! Such good memories to cherish forever. But what I REALLY love... I love the feeling that I sometimes feel after leaving them. That "Full" feeling of happiness and contentment. When you can go home and know if you don't hear from anyone in a few days, it's OK. You know there are truly great people out there that love and care for you!















Great time ladies!

Reinventing Something Tastey: Cheesy Bread Spread

Growing up my sister would make this yummy ooey-gooey-cheesy bread that we lovingly called, "Aunt Bonnie Bread". Aunt Bonnie was actually an Aunt of one of my sisters friends, but since we didn't have a name for this lovely treat we lovingly used her name. It consisted of cheddar cheese, green onions, and mayo mixed together and spread on to plain white bread. This bread was then toasted in the oven till all hot and bubbly and browned. A perfect after school snack or with about any dinner dish. Here I took that simple snack and dressed it up with a little kick.

The reinvention:
Cheese plate with Cheddar Cheese, Salami, and Sweet Spicy Mustard = Cheesy Bread Spread.

Cheesy Bread Spread

2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
5-7 Salami Slices diced
1 Green Onion chopped
3 Tablespoons Sweet and Spicy Mustard
1 Cup Mayonnaise
One Baguette














Mix all ingredients together minus the Baguette.














Slice the Baguette into small round slices. Spread the cheese mixture onto each Baguette slice.














Place on cookie sheet and bake in 400 degree oven for approx 7-10 minutes. The Cheese should be melty, bubbly, and slightly browned.














(Event the picky eaters ate this when offered as mini pizzas)
Bon' Appetite!

Reinventing Something Tastey: Salmon Puffs

Over Christmas and New Years I decided to take yummy items served on one holiday, and reinvent them for the next. This way you could limit your cost and trips to the grocery stores. And who doesn't like that. Well... I actually love trips to the grocery stores, especially during the Holidays... but that is another post in itself..

My first reinvention: Bagels with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese = Salmon Puffs

For Christmas you had your basic Bagels and Lox, without the Lox since the texture makes me gag. For New years I took the leftover smoked salmon, cream cheese, added in some rosemary herb seasoning and puff pastry, and got- oh so yummy!!!

Salmon Puffs

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 pound smoked salmon
2 Tablespoons rosemary seasoning
1 pkg puff pastry dough.
One egg white














Mix the cream cheese, salmon, and seasoning together in a bowl.


















Using a little flour so the dough doesn't stick, roll out the pastry dough so it's a little thinner and larger. Cut the dough into 1 to 2 inch squares, depending on how large you want the puffs. Put a dollop of the salmon mixture onto each square and fold over the edge making a triangle, rectangle, or smaller square. (whatever floats your boat.) Place on a cookie sheet and brush some egg white on each one to make them pretty and shiny after baking. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes and vuah-lah. Salmon puffs.














Bon' Appetite!