PoPcOrN

This is a family favorite recipe; favored mostly by Kristen, Jessie, and Mom. 

 

Introducing a whole new revolution:

Air-popped Popcorn!

Basic ingredients:

Popcorn

Butter

Salt

PoPpItY pOP pOp!!!

Tossing the melted butter and salt together

ENJOY!

Too much enjoyment, perhaps?

Not possible.

Move over Microwave Popcorn...Blech!

jake is special

If you noticed the last two posts featured the 2 daughters of the family and a unique talent they possess. 

Well...
If you ask Jake if there is anything unusual or unique about him that perhaps no one knows, he draws a blank. Especially if you are trying to get this information from him in a devious manner while texting:

"jake tell me something odd about you"

"huh?"

"just do what I said"

"why?"

"just do it"

"what are you talking about?"

"something that makes you special"

 (Not that I don't think that Jake is special; of course I do. But I am communicating in text and I am trying to be efficient in my wordage.)

"but why?"

At this point I am done with the texting. Apparently communicating such a request is too difficult for someone with my insufficient texting ability. So I try regular phone talk and end up with pretty much the same results. 

"But, WHY?"

This Jake, is WHY.  Although I can think of a thousand unique and wonderful things about you, (which I am sure I will write about at some point), I choose to take you at your word and tell the world just what it is that you think makes you special. 

Jake does not like fried chicken or orange soda. 

After some discussion amongst our family we discovered this: Wes is the only one who actually does like fried chicken or orange soda. I am confident he will grow out of such nonsense. And Jake, next time you had better take me srsly when I text 2 U.  ;)

Free Food

This time I am so going to write about my most smartest child, Kristen. Sorry other children, but as far as I know, none of you have thus far achieved such brilliancy. 

Kristen knows where to get free food. Not the kind of food you get from "borrowing" from your roommates.  Or from patting your pockets thereby signaling that you have "forgotten" your wallet and "You'll pay next time" when out to eat. No, Kristen has used her cunning and strategic abilities so wisely that she makes getting free food an almost guiltless endeavor. 

She goes to the Episcopalian church in Cedar City where every Thursday night they serve FREE food to ANYONE. Her favorites are Mac & Cheese and French Fries. She is a college student, so she doesn't have real high standards as far as food goes. I almost said she doesn't have high standards without mentioning food, and that would be wrong. Kristen has very high standards and a unique quality not found in many children. Any children. She is frugal and is not picky about her free food. 

yumyum chip dip

A yummy, EASY and FaSt recipe to dip your chips in: 

Dump all of these ingredients together in a bowl and stir it up. 

1 Can Black Beans (rinse and drain them; I don't care what they say, they are best that way.)

1 Can Petite Diced Tomatos

1 Can Corn (I use frozen corn, cause I hate canned corn)

cilantro, chopped. (I hate cilantro, so I don't use it)

1 Cup Italian Salad Dressing (use fat-free, then you can eat more)

YUM YUM. This is not my recipe; it is from Good Things Utah, who got it from I don't remember. But it is too good and too easy to not pass along.

Enjoy!!

Making Sushi

Jessie had a Mutual Activity where she learned to make Sushi. After that she was determined that she was going to make it at home. I say, if anybody wants to volunteer to cook in my house, go for it. Sushi making ingredients are apparently too exotic for our local markets so she had to do some shopping around to get everything she needed.  

Here are some pictures of the

occasion. I had them all uploaded and realized the one where she is seeding the cucumber is sideways, so turn your head to look at that one. Like I needed to tell you that. She did an absolutely fabulous job. I quit putting that much effort into cooking a long time ago. The sushi was incredibly tasty, and even Wes gave it a chance. He only ate one bite, but at least he tried.  
He really has no 

idea of the yummy food he misses out on .

I haven't mastered this whole bloggee thing and the art of arranging the pictures cleverly; but I think you get the gist of it. Pictures of Wes just disappeared and these pic's are out of order. arghhh

I can't wait for the next recipe night at Mutual. 

Cubs and Cake

Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet-what a group of fine looking young men. I think every imaginable emotion is being expressed. If I could put little thought bubbles over their heads, believe me, I would. 

Cake for Decorating Contest

This was a total team effort. The theme was "anything about the United States." Considering that was the theme, and it could actually be anything, there were a surprising number of red, white, and blue cakes. 

"Most Patriotic"

My, I mean our, cake was awesome. To win "most patriotic" is quite an honor. Eating it was quite an honor too. 

The best part of all: leftover frosting! And this is after spreading at least 2 inches of that frosting all over that beautiful cake. The only thing better than frosting on cake, is, well, frosting.

There should be a picture of Wes receiving his first Cub Scout Badge, the Bobcat, but we were with him and couldn't take a picture of ourselves. (I've got to figure out how to do that. Do I smell an invention, maybe?) After the fun times at the banquet and arriving home and praising Wes for his winning cake we find out he doesn't know what patriotic means. Once we told him,

 (after looking in the dictionary, because I found I could not really explain it very well),  I think his little chest puffed up a little bit with pride. 

Or he might have just been full of cake. But the frosting is all mine.

My name is Mary, and I am an addict.

I made a huge decision today. I will be starting a twelve-step drug addiction program. It's been obvious to my family that I needed to do this long ago but I have been living in denial. I can go days, sometimes even weeks (though that is rare) without a "fix", but I am too weak, and I succumb to the relentless urge. I gotta have 'em and I gotta have them NOW. I always tell myself that this time I will stop at one, maybe two, maybe twenty. I am fooling myself though.  I realize now that it's not just me that I am hurting; my whole family suffers. Most of the time they don't even get one cookie. (Which is hard on everyone except Kristen.) It is tough to admit this, but it's time. Time to admit that I am a chocolate chip cookie addict.

I will start the drug addiction program as soon as I have just one or two more cookies. I promise. 

NEW YEAR'S EVE EGG ROLLS

New Year's Eve. Egg Roll Fest. 

 

     I make the mix that goes IN the egg rolls (looks gross, tastes good), then Kristen and Kevin roll them (which requires a skill few possess), and Kevin breaks out the fryer that we use this one time each year and fries up a humongous batch of egg rolls. We love whoever can/will come to feast with us. If you are reading this and are drooling at the thought of egg rolls, fried rice, and lots of junk food, please consider yourself invited for next year. There are always too many egg rolls, never enough people. I never really know if anyone actually likes the egg rolls...but any excuse to be with family and friends works for me.

    And I promise I will not use the word FEST again until next December. 

Feasting at the Fest

Buckner Pig Fest 2008

 So, time for a little update on our end of year activities. Before the ultimate 

"New Year's Eve Egg Roll Fest".  I made such a big deal about our Christmas Eve Pig Fests of years past I thought this year deserved some special attention. And now that we have a blog I can give it the special attention it deserves. Gotta love technology. (Just a note...these pic's aren't the best...the candle light just wasn't enough for my camera or picture taking abilities.)

 Kristen and Wes and me (hiding behind the chair; right where I belong).

Jake and Jessie looking happy. Or perhaps delighted?

This is a fine example of the delicious fare for our fest and a fine example of Jessie eating it.

Pass the cheese ball and meat. NOW.

Just a shot to show the beautiful display of culinary delights. We had crackers of all shapes and sizes, cheese balls and cheese slices, ( including a new kind we tried, "Boursin" & oh my it is good), crazy flavored deli meat, sprite mixed with juice (tasty), (and as I write this I am embarrassed at the excess), and shrimp. 

So, yeah, I am pretty sure we succeeded at making this an epic Pig Fest.

I love family traditions.

Pig Fest

Every Christmas Eve it is our tradition to have a bunch of crackers, various cheeses and cheeseballs, crazy deli meats that we wouldn't buy any other time of year, and whatever treats we happen to have still around. Or maybe I make some treats just so we have some around. We just generally pig out. (Long time ago we also had cheese soup, but that just became just one more thing to cook, and I am tired of cooking by that point.)

So, I am watching/listening Good Things Utah (kind of embarrassed to admit that; I don't know why) and they are talking about some the show watcher's Christmas traditions. Well, someone wrote about their tradition (which consists of all of the SAME things as ours), but they gave it a name. Which had never occurred to me. They call it the "Christmas Eve Pig Fest". 

We now have a name for one of our Christmas Eve traditions. It is now officially "The Annual Family Buckner Christmas Eve Pig Out Fest". The goal or point is to eat nothing that is healthy for you. (I changed up the name to make it more personal.)

Here's hoping that this year is the best "The Annual Family Buckner Christmas Eve Pig Fest" ever. 

Gingerbread House Fun

  Kristen came home for break and the first thing I ask her do is help Wes with the Gingerbread House. She is so patient and nice she gladly went along with it. Yeah, I know, it is just the Costco kind, but hey for $10 who can beat it? If I tried to make the house from scratch I definitely would not be feeling the Christmas Spirit by the time I finished. And it IS cute.