One day I got thinking about all the different kinds of meats I have eaten, mostly on my mission in Florida. Yes, when it comes to eating bizarre foods, Bear Grylls has got me beat. But still…

Goat – I ate this in Florida with jerk spice. One of the Jamaican church members made it for us. They would jerk the goat to make the meat taste better.

Haggis -  A Scottish ward member served this to us. He didn’t tell us what is was until after we ate some. It didn’t taste too bad. but it’s gross to think what it’s actually made out of. I think he snuck it through customs just so we could try it.

Frog Legs and Alligator – I ate these in Florida as well. The frog legs tastes like chicken. One of the ward members was a hunter, and every year he would cook his killings and serve them up.

Moose and Caribou- Once upon a time I went out on a date with a kid from Alaska. At the time, I had a huge obsession with moose.  Well, he found out about this and cooked me a Valentines breakfast that included moose and caribou. It was a nice gesture, but I should have explained that I mostly liked to look at them, not eat them. 

As a side note, I realize that some this might not be entirely captivating, but it’s fun for me to think back on things; and recording it gives me some semblance of personal history. Hopefully one day my kids or grandkids will understand me a little better from what they read about me.

I made a piñata for my daughters b-day.  It was both fun and easy, so I thought I’d made a list of instructions in case others could benefit from it. For simplicity, I chose to do a “hot air balloon” piñata. I used a 9″ balloon.

1. Make some papier-mâché paste.
2. Apply a layer of  1′ wide shredded newspaper and paste to cover the entire balloon, then let it dry for 24 hours.
3. Apply another layer, this time covering a 6 ‘ piece of wire with a loop exposed at the top so so the piñata can hang from a rope.
4. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, then pop the balloon at the bottom and cut a hole in the bottom to put the candy in.
5. After filling it half full with candy, wad up a piece of newspaper and stick it in the hole to act as a stopper. Optionally tape over it to keep it in place.
6. Paint it with acrylic paint. I used a kids craft paint, but I wouldn’t really recommend it.
7. Use a sour cream or yoghurt tub for the basket. I mâchéd over it for easier painting, but I probably wouldn’t have had to do that if I had been using a better paint.
8. Punched a few holes near the top of the basket then attach it to the balloon.

This is a very easy project, and each layer of mâché only took me 10 minutes to complete. Just remember that you need to have about 24 hours to dry between layers.

I got another purse idea from Country Living magazine.  Here are the simple directions. My wonderful mom sewed the handle on and put a lining in it for me.

In a past post talked about my interest in non-fiction adventure mysteries. Well, there was a story on the  Backpacker magazine blog that caught my attention. There is controversy over who summited  Mt.Everest first. Mallory or Hilary?  Hilary gets the credit because he made it home to tell the story. However, Mallory died somewhere near the summit. According to this blog post a historian has been looking at satellite images of  an area of  Mt. Everest where Mallory  climbing partner body was possibly seen years ago by hikers. He  thinks he has located the body in the satellite images. This spring he will be hiking to see if they find the camera that may have pictures of Mallory on the summit. It will be interesting to see if this mystery is solved.

Here is the full post:

http://www.backpacker.com/mallory_irvine_everest_body/blogs/daily_dirt/1623

There is a PBS Nova that talked about the Everest summit controversy.

Lately I have been thinking about how my kids know barely anything about my grandparents, my dad, and my sister Tammy. They all passed away 10 + years ago. To help remedy this problem I’m going to do some memory books. I will of course include important dates, places, and lots of  pictures . I’m really excited to work on this project and hope to get to know my paternal grandparents a little better and help my kids understand what a great man my father was.

A couple of  years I started  making a recipe book of my grandmothers recipes for her posterity to enjoy. I’m almost done typing them all out and began to think about how I was going to get it printed up. I came across this cute recipe book in a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. This recipe book will not work for me on this project but I wanted to share it.

http://www.bhglifeinphotos.com/shop/gifts/recipe_books/counter_recipe_book/

Hogle Zoo is doing free admission days again this year. It is the last Wednesday of each month during the months of November to February. We went last year on the last Weds. in November it was perfect weather and not a huge crowd. I hope for the same this year.

I recently finished reading an interesting book that I discovered via the Travel Channel. Sunk Without a Sound, by Brad Dimmock, is a true story about a newlywed couple that decides to float the Colorado River for their honeymoon in 1928. The wife, Bessie Hyde would have been the first woman to float the whole river, But instead, they disappear, and their boat is found with all their belongings on it. Most of the book proposes theories of what may have happened to the couple.

I mentioned this book to my brother, and he brought up the story of Everett Ruess, an exporing poet in the early 1930’s who disappeared near Escalante Utah. A couple of weeks ago they thought his mystery was solved with the discovery of some human remains, but further DNA testing showed that they were not his. There is a book about Everett Ruess’ disappearance that I’m going to read: A Vagabond for Beauty by W.L. Rusho.

This new fascination I have with adventure mysteries is odd, because normally I’m very fond of resolution. These stories, by their very nature have none, but I enjoy them all the same.

So my blog got hacked and had to be cleaned up and updated before I posted anything new. That really isn’t the real reason that I haven’t blogged in a while. I guess I haven’t had anything to jabber about (even though my husband may say otherwise).  Here are 2 recipes (and some variants) I learned from my mom:

Orange Julius

• 1/2 can of frozen orange juice concentrate
• 6 ice cubes
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until the ice is crushed. It is yummy and frothy.

This next recipe is a white sauce recipe. I use it as a base for soups, sauces, creams, and much more. I rarely cook with cream soups anymore.

White Sauce Recipe

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup milk or more if you need more
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter and flour in a sauce  pan over medium heat.  Then slowly add milk  (about 1/4 cup at a time) and stir with a wire whisk until thickened.  Keep adding milk until you get the desired consistency.

This white sauce is yummy on boiled red potatoes, but you can also user this white sauce as a base for your desired sauce or cream.

Here are a few things you can make by adding ingredients to the white sauce base:

Cheese Sauce (yummy on steamed veggies)

1. Use white sauce as a base
2. Remove the white sauce from heat and stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
3. Salt and pepper to taste

Cream Soup Substitute

1. Use white sauce as a base
2. Add  1 1/2 tsp of bouillon
3. Salt to taste

Pot Pie Gravy

1. Use white sauce as a base
2. Add 1 1/2 tsp. bouillon (chicken or beef) depending on what type of pot pie you are making
3. Add veggies and meat

Chicken or Beef Stroganoff

1. Use white sauce as a base
2. Add sautéed onions and garlic
3. Add 1 1/2 tsp. chicken or beef  bouillon
4. Add 1 cup sour cream
5. Add 1/2 cup milk
6. Bring to a boil then turn heat to low
7. Salt and pepper to taste
8. Stir in cooked chicken or beef and pour over noodles.

Right now the Park City Marriott is running a special. Buy one night at $99, get the 2nd night (or 2nd room) for $10.  We took advantage of this special and went last week for one night. It was nice to get out of the house. Here is the link with all the details.

If you are not in Utah, just go to Marriott home page and click on “deals”, then enter your destination and see if they have a deal that appeals to you. Some of the other deals may include gift cards or dining credits.