New Recipe Invention - Chocolate Pecan Bars

The only picture I got is when they were almost gone!

This is just too good not to pass along!

I was going to make blonde brownies today, and as I was making them, decided to try something different and add pecans. Oh, my sweet goey goodness! You just have to try these! If you like pecan pie and chocolate, this is the dessert for you. They're best eaten warm, in my opinion, but there's really no wrong way to eat them.

CHOCOLATE PECAN BARS

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
24 pecan halves

Cream butter, brown sugar and eggs. Add rest of ingredients EXCEPT the last two. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch pan and press pecan halves into the tops of where you will cut the bars. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Eight Large Pizzas, Please

We're getting ready for a combined young men/young women activity tonight. We're having a pizza baking contest. The youth were divided into 8 groups of 8-9 kids, and asked to choose a sauce and up to 8 other pizza toppings. Tonight they will put together their pizzas, bake them at the homes of church members living nearby, and then bring their creations back to the church for judging. I got to make the pizza crusts.



I've never pre-baked pizza crusts before, but I think they turned out great! Look out Boboli! We'll see how they work when they're topped and baked again, but I have high hopes.

I Wish You Enough

I got this from a lady I visit teach. I thought it was really nice, so I'm posting it here. It came with a heart warming little story that took place in an airport, but the poem was the important part, so that's what I'm including.



I Wish You Enough

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "hello's" to get you through
The final "goodbye."

Michelle's Home for the Weekend!

Michelle drove home for a whirlwind visit. It is so nice to have her home. She's cheerful and energetic. She loves college life and is doing well in her studies. She's been doing laundry, of course, and brought home some things she won't need in the next few weeks until school gets out.

Meanwhile, we had two of our cats fixed yesterday. We found this clinic in Orem called "No More Homeless Pets." All they do is spay and neuter surgeries and vaccinations. They are very reasonably priced, and seemed to do a good job and take good care of our kitties.

I'm taking a bookbinding class at a community arts center here in town. It's really fun! Next week I'll finish up the class.

A Visit With Friends

It has been a full day! Our family, my parents, and my sister and her family all performed a musical number in our sacrament meeting this morning. We sang "A Child's Prayer," while my niece and nephew played the violin and cello respectively. My brother-in-law played the piano for us. It went pretty well. I think I was the only one who messed up. I have yet to perform anything in this area without making at least one mistake. Not sure why that is. Maybe I need humbling!

After our sacrament meeting we went just a couple of miles away to Mark Johnston's farewell in Highland. We enjoyed their sacrament meeting, and then had a nice luncheon at the Johnston's house. Many Johnston relatives were there, and also some friends. We were thrilled to see the Cluffs there, and also the Blacks sat behind us in sacrament meeting. So nice to see friends from Tooele. We talked quite a bit with the Cluffs, who told us some of the news from Tooele 4th ward. Made us quite homesick.

After the luncheon we came home and got special recommends for the Draper temple dedication, which will take place on my birthday. The Cluffs came over to our house shortly after that, and we gave them "the tour." It was so nice to visit with them. We would love to have all of our Tooele friends come see us!

This evening we went to a stake high priest quorum meeting. It was nice. The new stake president is an old friend from my mission. It is the first stake I've lived in where the stake president is younger than me!

Family Poetry Night

We have Family Home Evening at my parents' house every first Sunday. My sister, Becky and her family come too, and any other relatives that happen to be in town. Last night my mom presented family poetry, written by ancestors and sisters of ancestors. She also shared some of my poetry from 20-odd years ago. Then, we had the assignment to come up with a poem as a family. Here's ours. Only the first line is accurate--just for the record:

Dupaix Pets

The house of Dupaix is full of pets
With dogs and cats and a bird,
Ducks, a giraffe, an elephant too,
And a hippopotamus herd.

In the kitchen lives a very fine goat
Who eats up all the trash.
And, in the bathtub up the stairs
A dolphin and trout make a splash.

Polar bears, penguins a whale and a seal
Are at home in the freezer out back.
In the yard, lions, tigers and bears
And horses circle the track.

Oh, how can we live in such a place?
Where do we sleep at night
While the owls, bats and other fowl things
Think that is the best time for flight?

We ran out of time, but the kids wanted some kind of ending that indicated we live in a zoo (!).

Today my mom gave me a poem Dad tore out of the local newspaper. It's really cute. It's by Shel Silverstein.

Snowball
I made myself a snowball as perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet and let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas and a pillow for its head.
Then, last night it ran away.
But first--it wet the bed.