Remember reading Jane Eyre?

Well, I know cousin Dave would have far preferred PG Woodehouse to Bronte in high school... and I concur in that Jeeves and Wooster would have delighted be as a teenager, even as it did when Carrie and Kim asked me if I'd ever heard of Elorea Glossap. I came to know Woodehouse in this past 2 years alone! All that aside, though, I actually like Jane Eyre. The passionate morality is hard to resist; how do these Brontenian women survive their ordeals and still constantly speak of faith, temperance, and heavenly hopes?

This week I read a third Bronte novel (finally coming to know the third sister) and thoroughly enjoyed The Tennant of Wildfell Hall. I most enjoyed Helen "Graham's" discussion of how we do not become strong in being beset with temptations, but rather through avoidance of Satan's lures.
Behold the conversation between her and Gilbert: CH 3
"G:Yes, but the surest means will be to endeavour to fortify him against temptation, not to remove it out of his way.'

'H:I will do both, Mr. Markham. God knows he will have temptations enough to assail him, both from within and without, when I have done all I can to render vice as uninviting to him, as it is abominable in its own nature - I myself have had, indeed, but few incentives to what the world calls vice, but yet I have experienced temptations and trials of another kind, that have required, on many occasions, more watchfulness and firmness to resist than I have hitherto been able to muster against them. And this, I believe, is what most others would acknowledge who are accustomed to reflection, and wishful to strive against their natural corruptions.'

I hope you all have a day free from your natural corruptions... If you're in for a nearly 400-page novel with more of the like quotes, then you'll love this book.

Seventeen and beautiful

Happy Birthday to dearest, loveliest Heather Jean Bean!


Today two plants and a sister celebrate their 17th anniversary...and our house does too. Heather has been a really special part of the memories I have in this household. She has always been beautiful, tender-hearted, and passionate. She's moved from a screaming toddler to a gorgeous teen. She has a lovely voice, lush brown hair (which she even let me cut. It's to her credit that she still looks awesome) and a friendly smile and welcoming manner. Heather is PATIENT. Since coming home I have discovered a whole new side to her. Granted, none of us are perfect, but I think it's Heather that is most tolerant of that fact.

I love being home with her. She's fun to talk to. She really cares about people. She deserves the best year of life.

In May, Heather deserved an ode. Now she deserves a novel.

I guess cake, ice cream, and presents will have to be the substitute for now.

Too bad SHE didn't get the car she now drives to seminary. Like her birthday month of September, Heather now shares that with Trina.

All credit should go to Aaron who not only had the car first, but the birthday month first as well. I am remiss in my blog-less beginning of this month. He's 30 and greater than ever.

Happy Day to TRNA Charlene

The day before Norwegian Independence Day, I wrote this about Trina.

Today is--if possible-- an even more momentous occasion.

Happy Birthday, Trina Charlene! I remember when you used to say, "Hey-- I'm not Trina. I'm TRNA Charlene!" I love how close you and Michelle were from the day you were born. I love memories of Aaron holding you and sometimes throwing you up into the air. I remember going to high school that day and proudly announcing to my teacher's that I had a brand-new sister, the 11th kid, who was beautiful. Treebalee, you still are. You give great hugs and are a good artist. You let me cut your hair, and you sure are fun to clean with. You are a fantastic sister and a great aunt. Or as Emma might say, "Uncle Trchrina?"

Trina is a lady of some distinction. Many of you know of her wonderfully imaginative interactions with Melinda. There's always that story of when Trina played Doctor with Dad's old laptop.

But, most recently and for your pleasure, I would like to present:

Trina's Present

Cummings family sits around the kitchen table in the evening. Heather and Dad walk in. (They has just brought a silver car back from the car shop. This car will soon be dubbed "Trofast", Norwegian for "faithful.")

Celeste: Hey, is the car ready?
Heather: Yeah, but I can't drive it to Seminary until we get the plates put on and the emissions test.
Celeste: Yes! You don't have to drive the van to seminary this year!
Dad: Hold on. Everybody listen up. I've already told this to Heather. This car is not mine. This car is not Heather's. This car is not--"
Joel: Celeste's?
Celeste: Yeah...I already paid for my car. This one's not mine...
Dad: No, It's not Celeste's. This car isn't Heather's, or Joel's, or Sarah's either. (Significantly). This car is Trina's. It's lasting until then.
Trina: (eyes glowing) Yes! (jumps up and does a cheerleader arm-thingy) I have a car! I have a car! Is this for my birthday?
Mom: Trina, I think you're the only 9-year old with her own car.
Joel: So this means I have to take care of it?

What are you doing on the 27th?

I'm playing this with an orchestra.... click here to listen. It is by far the fastest, hardest piece I've ever played. Four sharps at tempo 170 is just not in my prior schema.



The highlight of the concert, however, will be the fact that Jenny Oaks Baker will be playing with us. Click here for the website of the orchestra I belong to.

If you can make it out the the Washington D.C. Temple visitor's center, then you'll be in for a treat!

The S Files, episode 5

Spinach-Stuffed Calzone (Adapted from Jamie at Home's Recipe)

· 1 pound mushrooms

· 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

· 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

· 1/4 cup butter

· Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 1 cup tomato sauce

· 11 ounces spinach leaves, washed and spun dry

Saute mushrooms in butter, then add garlic. Add thyme, salt, and pepper ( I also added some crushed red pepper and leftover grilled chicken). Add tomato sauce (increase amount if you add chicken) and spinach leaves. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce is very thick. If you have Mozerella, stir in just before you stuff the calzones.

Need a great Calzone dough recipe? I used Jamie's... (adapted) but just mixed it by activating the yeast (water, yeast, sugar), adding oil and salt, then mixing flour in by the cupfull.I let it rise about 40 minutes.

• 7 cups white flour
• 1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
• 2 (1/4-ounce) packets active dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Assembly and baking:

Roll a fist-sized ball of dough out to about 1/4 inch on well-floured surface. Place a large spoonful of filling in center of the circle of dought, fold into a half-circle, and twist edges together. Place calzone on a greased cookie sheet, then bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

The S Files, episode 4

Rachel Ray's Bacon, Spinach, and Cream Potatoes

· 3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced

· Salt

· Extra-virgin olive oil

· 4 strips center cut bacon, chopped

· 1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced

· 1 cup cream

· 2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung out in a kitchen towel (or fresh and steamed, drained)

· Salt and pepper

· 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Peel, cube, and boil potatoes (about 15 minutes). While they are boiling, put olive oil in a pan, then add bacon. Brown bacon, then add onions and cook until they are soft.
Drain potatoes. Add bacon and onions (with oil) and begin to mash. Add spinach and mash. Add cream, mash. Season with salt and pepper.

I served this for Sunday dinner with chicken that was marinated and grilled according to the following recipe:

· 4 shallots, quartered ( A carry-over ingredient from the salad!)

· 1 large onion, cut into large dice

· 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

· 1 bunch cilantro, leaves picked

· 1 bunch parsley, leaves picked

· 6 bay leaves

· 12 black peppercorns (or just a bunch of ground black pepper)

· 1 tablespoon dry oregano

· 1 cup white vinegar

· 1 cup salad oil

· Salt

Whirl everything in a food processor, then pour it over your chicken breasts. Grill 4 minutes on each side (for small chicken breasts) or until no longer pink in center.

The S Files, episode 3

I don't know what happened to my actual picture of these, but here are two adorable girls enjoying:

Spinach- Stuffed Shells
• 16 extra large shells
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 egg white

about 1 jar of pasta sauce

Boil and drain large shells. In a medium bowl, mix parmesan, ricotta, nutmeg, and egg. Add spinach. Get some kids to help you spoon the filling into the shells. Lay shells in 9x13 glass baking dish (with sauce lining the bottom). Once dish is full, and all pasta is in place, pour additional sauce on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

This was certainly a delicious dish! You can put mozerella on top, but if you're like me, you might have just run out of that when you made pizza with fresh spinach and tomato on top the night before. (That was delicious, by the way. We added the extra grilled chicken from the salad beneath the layer of cheese, and it was really good. Marie took a picture, as she helped make it, but I don't have the image. You'll just have to salivate according to your own imagination).

This also makes for great left-overs...it's easy to get your veggies in with your lunch the next day!

The S Files, episode 2

The second recipe I tried was supposed to look like this:

Paula Deen's Gruyere Puff Pastry



• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed (Or a ton of fresh
spinach, steamed and drained)
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 (17 1/2-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed


Saute the mushrooms in butter, then add spinach. Stir in cheese. Set aside. Roll out the puff pastry into two 9x13 sized sheets. Spread half of the spinach mixture onto the puff pastry. Roll up like a cinnamon roll, then do the step I forgot: cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Sounds easy and delicious, right?

Well, stick to the recipe then. When I couldn't find Gruyere cheese at the store, I decided that I would just use what we had.... cream cheese! Doesn't a creamy, spinach-filled puff pastry sound delicious?

Well, I'll tell you one thing. The filling would make for a killer Creamed Spinach. I loved it. I almost didn't want to put it into a puff pastry. I think I shouldn't have.

Here's what it looked like:
Look good? Not so fast. This is after an extra ten minutes of baking. Here's the inside view:


That's right. Doughy. With a capitol D. The spinach was still delicious, but it was hard to eat with the dough pastry around it. The kids were good sports, but in retrospect, here's what I should have done:

1. Found Gruyere cheese.
2. Cut it into 1/4 inch slices.
3. Sticking with the spinach and cream cheese addendum, I would love to have baked the puff pastry separately, and made incredible creamy-spinach sandwiches.

I'm the wiser now...and I hope you enjoyed the journey. Moral of the story: read and follow directions!

By the way...this is my 100th post. I'm glad I could commemorate it with a learning experience.

The S Files, episode 1

Spinach Recipe #1: And actually, this was BY FAR my favorite.

Grilled Chicken with Brie and Baby Spinach Salad

• Olive oil, to cook chicken in
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Salt-free garlic and herb seasoning ( like Mrs. Dash)
• 4 to 8 slices Brie cheese, about 1/2-inch thick
• 1 TB olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 TB vinegar
• 2 TB honey
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves THAT NEED to be eaten!
• 4 slices bacon, cooked

Season chicken with herb seasoning, salt, and pepper. Grill about 4 minutes on each side, until done. Place Brie cheese on hot chicken, allowing it to melt.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, use olive oil to saute the shallots. Add white vinegar, and honey. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens and becomes incredibly delicious.

When ready to plate, pour the shallot dressing over the fresh spinach and toss. Place a bed of the seasoned spinach on your plate, put the Brie-chicken over it, and spread bacon strips on top.

Serves four. SOOO delicious. I could eat that Shallot dressing every day, on all kinds of spinach. After two weeks of spinach, that tells you something!