Tis the Season

It sounds simple enough...2cups grated zucchini. But in reality it ain't that easy!
I love Zucchini Bread, hate the peeling and grating. I have had two large zucchini staring at me perched in the corner of my counter for several days now. My friend Annette stole them from her brothers garden just for me so I could make the bread, she has asked me about it "you got that zucchini bread done yet?"
So finally tonight I took the plunge and decided to be ambitious. Of course I never make a single batch, not me, I double everything, even things I have never made before, so when I crash it is in a big way.
The zucchini have now been peeled, hacked up and grated (just enough for a double batch) and the remainder stuffed into a plastic bag and tucked neatly into the vegetable keeper in the fridge. The pieces will wait there until 1) they go bad and are thrown away or 2) grated for another double batch. I live dangerously so we will see what happens.
My kitchen now smells like cinnamon, all warm and toasty and the muffins just came out, mmm... the bread will be done in a little while. So yes it is worth it now that the dishwasher is full and going and the counter tops have been cleared of all the green rinds that are tucked neatly into the garbage can, yup it is worth it.
Hillary gave me this great recipe, have fun with it!
ZUCCHINI BREAD
3 beaten eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups grated zucchini

Makes 2 loaf pans
Bake @ 350 degrees (50-60 minutes)
muffins (15-20 minutes)

That's Dr. Savage to you

I must admit sometimes I wonder if this special young man is related to me

He makes a goal and completes it.

I hardly ever do

He is dedicated,tenacious,hard working and..

brilliant!

He didn't get that from his mother.

He just completed his Doctorate of Physical Therapy

and has been accepted at the "U"

for his PHD.

When he was in Junior High he decided to get straight A's from that time on

and he did

When he was in High School he was the first Quarter Back at Hunter High the year they opened

they didn't win a game that season, but

the next year went all the way to the finals.

He has three beautiful children and a wonderful wife Hillary

A few years ago he decided he needed to lose a few pounds so right before the holidays

he gave up white bread and anything

with sugar in it

I am REALLY sure he didn't get that from me!

He is now at his High School weight

He did Triathlons last summer and this year

he is in to running

Again, he didn't get this from me

I think I want to be like him when I grow up......

Happy Birthday Gramma!

Is this a cool picture or what!

This is my Grandma and Grandpa Cahoon and the cute baby on his lap is my Mom

Grandma was born June 8, 1895

The youngest of thirteen children

She spent most of her childhood at Lee's Ferry where father had been sent by

Brigham Young

this picture was taken in 1920, do the math it is pretty old!

I always celebrated my birthday with Grandma and I think of her often on this day

She was a very special lady

Love you Grandma and have a very Happy Birthday

The Boys!

I have a total of four grandsons and two of them had birthdays this month.

Mikey turned 10 years old on April 9th

Max celebrated his 5th birthday on April 16th

These guys are a big part of my life and I am really sure anyone within listening distance gets really tired of my stories.

Mikey is playing baseball again this summer and there is nothing better(when the weather cooperates) than sitting on the bleachers and watching him play.

Max is into bugs, he brought his caterpillar with him the other day when he came to visit and added an ant while he was here. I told him he could take as many as he wanted.

Happy, happy birthday from Grandma Deanie to "The Boys"!

This n' That

So I must admit when I get hooked on something it takes me awhile to get over it. I am not over getting a kick out of making cupcakes as you can see by the pictures. Last fall Aly found a good buy on powdered sugar and we each bought 2 cases (12/2 pound bags) for our food storage. So I am now into the second case. That is 24 pounds of sugar that I have used. I am not even going to add up the butter, cream cheese and chocolate chips that goes along with it. It has been fun though and they tasted pretty good too!

Dang Cute Birthday Girl

With cupcakes!

Dang Cute Birthday Girl

with cupcakes!

Our sweet Annie B was baptized, pink cast and all!!

Pine Wood Derby time for Mikey. Grandpa Johnny always helps him with his car and this year Mikey wanted a "U of U" car. They asked if I could paint the "U" on the hood. No problem.. a trip to the craft store, $10.00 later and I have painted it, next morning it peels right off, I am a little desperate cause it is fast approaching weigh in time for the car (5 oz, not over or under). Another trip to the craft store and 6 bucks later I have a one inch "U" on the hood. I complained to Grandpa Johnny and he just laughed and told me how much he had spent on paint, sand paper, etc and what Carrie had spent on decals that were not even used. Needless to say Mikey had a great time and the car beat the "BYU" car 5 out of 6 times!!

Dang cute Birthday Girl

with cupcake!

(Oh and Dad too!)

Twentynine Reasons to Love Aly

1980 was a good year

Especially on March 5th

Alyson Dean Savage made her appearance

So here are the 29 things I love about her.

1)She is my only daughter

2) She is the baby of the family

3) She has a brother Kirk

4) She has a brother Nate

5) She is named after her Mom and Great Aunt.

6) She had dark hair as a baby and Mom could give her a bow and a top notch

7) She grew to be tall and thin like her Dad's side of the family

8) She learned to play the piano like her grandma Smith

9) She took dance lessons

10) Had many dance costumes, that cost a lot, but were never used again(girls do that)

10) She had a blue swimsuit she wore everyday one summer

11) When her hair was really long, she would get "Perms", they would take days and days and lots of money.

11) She loves fry sauce, on anything.

12) She hates cats (tolerates her Moms)

13)She loves her dogs

14) She loves Chuck (her husband)

15) She loves Annie

16) She love Max

17) She loves Sofia

18) She is a wife to Chuck

19) She is a Mom to Annie

20) She is a Mom to Max

21) She is a Mom to Sofia

22) She is beautiful inside and out

23) She is very talented with cake making and is always willing to share her talents

24) She is "Phebes" (inside joke)

25) She is domestic (another inside joke)

26) She is a good friend and neighbor

27) She makes me proud everyday of my life that I am so lucky to have her as my daughter.

28)She is surrounded by many people who lover her.

29) She is 29 years old on March 5th..Whew..Happy Birthday GIRL!!

The Luck O' the Irish

Unfortunately every holiday means eating and some kind of recipe to me. St Patty's day is no exception. I love to fix (and eat) Corned Beef and Cabbage. My darling family is not as enthusiastic, I think the last time I tried to feed it to them they all threatened to never come back for dinner again, sigh... I thought I raised them right.
But I do have a recipe they really like, I only fix it this time of year (don't ask me why) and it is a good one. When Nate and Hillary lived in Rhode Island he called and asked if I would give the recipe to Hillary (I am sure she was thrilled) I think I left out out some of the key steps and they ended up with frosting up to their elbows and not quite sure why Nate would want this recipe. It is a little bit of work but the results are yummy. I have had this recipe longer than some of my kids and I don' t think I even have it written down on the back of an envelope or paper sack, it's in my head, I guess it is good to pass it on before I forget it. Enjoy, let me know if you are brave enough to get messy with this!

Blarney Stones

1 yellow cake mix

mix according to package directions

bake in a large cookie sheet that is well greased and floured @350 for about 15 minutes

check and see if done when touched

let cool for 10 minutes

remove from pan onto a piece of wax paper

cut into triangles

I do this by cutting the cake in strips

then cut rectangles, then cut these into triangles

you can make them as big or as small as you want

I make about a 3-4 inch triangle

freeze uncovered for at least an hour so they are easier to work with, you can do these ahead

if you are making one day and completing another, cover after they are frozen

Okay you are this far now, no turning back!

Frosting

1 cup butter

8 oz cream cheese

2 tsp vanilla

2 lb bag powder sugar

Beat together, may need to add some milk to thin

Here comes the best part..

1 16 oz bag of salted Spanish peanuts(skins on)

put these through a blender till crushed

take a few cakes pieces out of the freezer at a time

frosting all sides, top bottom, etc

so it is completely covered.

Have a plate with the crushed peanuts on

dip the icing covered blarney stone until it is covered with the crushed peanuts

You are done!

Like I said a little bit of work, but you are going to love the taste, most people can't figure out what it is, until you tell them.

Birthday Blitz!!

February is our special month for birthdays

Or should I say we have four special people in our family with February Birthdays

First one up is our Kenzie Kate

February 2nd is the date

She is 14 years old this year and turning into a real heart breaker

She is our original comedian of the family

and too cute for words

She is a social butterfly and always has something going on with all her friends

Next up is Annie who turned 8 this year

She is a sweetie and Mom's big helper

Her special date is February 4th

She wanted Polly Pockets and got bucket loads of em

She also wanted an ice cream cake and Mom didn't disappoint with

a really "cool" cake

Third one on the list is Natalie Ryan

On February 5th four years ago she joined our family

She had a blast at her birthday party and loved all her fun presents

Her Mom made her a very special doll cake with a blue dress

which is Natalie's favorite color

Last but not least is Carrie

Her special day is February 9th (I will be nice and not list her age!)

Her darling kids and her Mom Becky put together a birthday party complete with

Valentine plates and wrapping paper

She is super Mom and always has a beautiful smile for all of us

Needless to say we have all had our share of cupcakes, cakes, ice cream

sugar, sugar, sugar

Is there any other way to celebrate??

I am very late in getting all these birthday wishes to my special February Birthday girls

but much love to all of these very precious people in my life!

It's Almost Time

Since "Sugar Cookie" Season is fast approaching (some call it Valentines Day) I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes. It has a lot of history. My sweet redheaded sis Suzie gave it to me along time ago. I think the recipe has been doubled maybe even tripled over time so you could cut in half (heaven forbid) or I sometimes 1 1/2 times it depending on the project. when my kids were little we would make them at Halloween, each kid making his/her own and decorating. They would get to do with them what they wanted and I remember Nate keeping them under his bed till they were gone. We made big heart shaped ones for our neighbors, one for each member of the family putting their names on each one. We worked for days and I think one year I bought 25 pounds of powder sugar for the frosting (and used almost all of it!) We would then deliver our treasures out to each family. What fun!! My sister Yvonne likes them plain without frosting (I don't know what is wrong with her) but you can color the dough if you have anybody strange like that. Or put sugar crystals on them too! Anyway start some traditions of your own, put this one in the recipe box, it is a keeper and most of all take time to eat too many yourself.

SUGAR COOKIES

7 cups of flour

2 cups shortening (crisco)

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup milk

Mix together flour,salt, baking powder and sugar

Cut in shortening like you would for pie dough

Beat eggs and milk together

Add to flour mixture and mix (okay this is the part if you have a kitchen aid mixer, use it)

If not then mix by hand, if you have a large teenage boy or husband around to do this part it really helps.

Roll out, cut you favorite shapes. Bake on PAM sprayed cookie sheet @375 for 9-11 minutes

These stay soft for along time, they can be made and frozen until you are ready to frost.

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

1 cup shortening

1 cup butter

2 tsp vanilla

2 lbs powder sugar

milk or water to thin

beat butter, shortening together, add vanilla then powder sugar 1/3 at a time till combined

You can substitute 8 oz of cream cheese for the shortening (yummy)

instead of vanilla add 1 tsp almond extract and 1 tsp vanilla

Instead of extract with the cream cheese add some orange zest and some orange juice to thin (again yummy)

Aly Sofia's Big Day

On a cold January 14th 2008 Grandma Deanie was lucky enough to spend the day with Max and Annie anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new baby sister.
Mom and Dad got up really early and made the trek to the hospital while we played games, watched TV, tapped our toes and melted a
couple of pacifiers on the stove instead of sterilizing them(Grandma Deanie was too busy playing games).
Around 3:00 in the afternoon Dad calls and tells us she is almost here and we better get to the hospital in a hurry. By this time Max is sacked out on the couch and boots are hiding. We find all the boots, coats, mittens and kids and get buckled into the van.

As we are flying down Bangerter I had an overwhelming feeling come over me and I start to cry uncontrollably.

Just then I heard Kirk's voice say to me "I am giving her to you guys now, take good care of her". I looked at my watch and we quietly made our way to the hospital.

We went in the wrong door and had to wander the halls before finally finding the room with our precious new addition.

She was beautiful and Aly promptly named her "Minnie".

I asked what time she arrived and it had been the exact time I heard from Kirk.

Our Minnie has been such an amazing addition to the family, she is funny, she is way to smart for her age and she makes me laugh all the time.

Happy First Birthday to my Aly Sofia!!

Love ~ Grandma Deanie

Christmas Holiday's 2008

Well it is now January and the lovely holiday season is behind us. I don't know about you but it has been a whirl wind of activities. Our family started right after Thanksgiving with the traditional get together. We always do the "White Elephant" gift exchange and the wood fish platter was again given. This platter has been with us for about 15 years now. It pops up every year since Kirk and Carrie donated it. Some years it is wrapped in a big box, some years it is in a little sack with a note telling the lucky person it is theirs to keeps for another year.

The "Girls" got together at my house this year for dinner. We had made blankets this past year and collected various items to donate to the "Womens Shelter" in Midvale.


I spent Christmas Eve with Nate, Hillary and the kids. It is always so fun to see the wonder and joy in my little grandkids eyes Christmas morning!
Aly and I had a reunion with our very dear friends Bob and Diane Johnson and their girls Robyn and Kimberly. It was so great to visit with them. It is hard to think that our little girls (Aly and Robyn) are Moms now and all grown up and we are grandmas. Bob checked out my latest pictures of the grandkids and let me know his are cuter than mine, of course they are! He just hasn't met them yet, I know he will change his mind when he sees them in person! I am so glad that we had the chance to spend time with these very special people, it made my holiday one to remember.

Carrie and the Kids, her Mom, the Mechams (some family friends), Aly and me got together and cooked dinner for the Ronald McDonald house. This was a really neat experience and I am so glad I had the opportunity to participate. We spent some time at my house
making big pots of soup. Later in the day headed up town to deliver the food and serve it to the people staying there.
The last get together of the season was of course the unforgettable Utes/Bama football game. Carrie invited us all over, what fun!! Decorations, food and all kinds of red sweatshirts. Mikey is a very intense fan and doesn't get very far from the action. What a great game,WAY TO GO UTES!!