Blog
Tsunami Brookies
My new sister in law is one of my favorite people!! We made these yummy cookies for her and my brother’s wedding last year. They are super moist and so tasty. I have modified her recipe a bit to make a brookie (part brownie + part cookie!) Who wouldn’t like an extra bit of chocolatey goodness to their chocolate chip cookie? I also played with creating the magical swirl that you can see in the photo. Not all of my cookies turned out as beautiful as this, but it sure was to fun! We also had a fun time naming this creation; my first thought was Yin and Swim.. part yin and yang, part wave, but you really shouldn’t have to explain to people how a name ties in… too confusing. Another idea, after the fact was the Nightmare Before Christmas Cookie, because the swirl resembles so much the art on the classically haunting holiday movie. Tsunami cookie won out because of the fun wave that we made! To make the Tsunami cookie, make two batches of Joy Cookies. (The recipe is below. Each batch of this cookie will yield 4 dozen medium sized cookies, easily. A double batch made five dozen huge cookies, including four kids snitching batter while making them.) I made the first batch as the recipe describes, and the second batch using milk chocolate pudding instead of the vanilla, and only added one bag of milk chocolate chips. To put the cookies together, I used my hand dandy 1 TBL. cookie scooper, and put one ball of each kind of batter together in my hand, and swirled to make a ball. To create the Nightmare Before Christmas swirl, put the two doughs side by side, you just keep rolling the dough around and around and around. Eventually it will begin to swirl. I took one big batch of these to our church youth fundraiser. The kids loved seeing the swirl! I was delighted that they were a crowd favorite! Joy Cookies Ingredients: 2 C. Salted Butter, room temperature 1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar 2 Eggs 1/2 C. White Sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla extract 8 oz. French Vanilla Instant Pudding (substitute milk chocolate pudding for a chocolate version of this delight!) 4-4 1/2 C. Flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 bag Milk Chocolate Chips (Ghiradelli are my favorite!) 1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate chips (again, Ghiradelli) Directions: Mix butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla until well mixed. Add Pudding and baking soda, mix well. Add flour until you have a soft playdoh consistency. Fold in chocolate chips. Roll into smooth balls and place on cookie sheet about 2″ apart. Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 mins.* Consistency is important!!! If you put too much flour they are not quite so full of joyful softness. * While baking: When the cookies start to crack a little they are perfect. Take them out and let them cool for a couple minutes before putting on a cooling rack with a...
read moreFollowing the Light: Lessons From My Garden
Everyday I water my seedlings. They are in their tiniest forms, just peaking their sleepy heads out of their seeds. The roots sent towards the earth, their green leaves soaking every parcel of the sun’s rays that it can. Some seeds take forever to sprout. I am beginning to thing that Impatients were named after the emotion they conjure for lack of sprouting. And so it began, another year of gardening has taken root in the tiny seedlings who are making their way toward God’s almighty rays of light. They are designed in their very nature to grow, to branch out, to take root, to smell of flavor, and of beauty. Everyday their leaves have reached towards the light, and in honor to their creator, fall down, kneeling to worship Him, who created them. This gift of following light, of embracing light and of absorbing light is no accident. The sun is the source of the earth’s life, and yet where does that great body receive its great power? How is it possible for the sun to provide existence for all earthly existence? Just as the sun powers the earth, the Son of God, even Jesus Christ is the great life force of humanity, his priesthood power, and his atoning sacrifice far surpasses our mortal moment, and it supersedes, even his earthly sojourn. His life and existence is the light that powers our spirits, fuels our ministries, and empowers our growth. Without the Savior, our world literally, would be filled with darkness. We learn that the light of Christ is, “…Divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. It is the law by which all things are governed in heaven and on earth.” Of course my baby zucchini and summer squash honor the light by worshiping, by bowing, and by following it. It is in their very nature to obey the laws of God, even following the source of their light. I too am like this seedling, infantile to my great potential. I am rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I strive daily to catch the light which infiltrates my life. I follow, in wonder the great majesty of my creator, recognizing my absolute and complete dependence up on him, day by day. As with these tiny plants there are great things in store for my life, journeys into new place, opportunities for growth, and for expansion. There will fruit to produce, and to share in abundance. But for today, my job is collect...
read moreEaster Sunday
It would be a great blessing to adequately put into words the feelings of my heart on the blessed Easter Sunday. My name is Sarah Johnson. I am a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter and a friend. I have had a witness that Jesus Christ is our great Redeemer. As spiritual children of our Heavenly Father, the great plan of happiness was presented, and taught in the preexistence. I can imagine a beautiful place, where we created friendships and alliances there, just as we have here. We progressed in knowledge, in understanding, and in truth. But this was not enough. To complete our training, to become like our Father and Mother in Heaven, we needed a body of flesh and bone. Our ultimate perfection would require that we experience hunger, pain and sorrow and still follow God’s law, willingly. We needed to feel happiness, elation and love. We needed to live in a state where choice was preserved in time, so that the consequences of our actions could be padded with learning and repentance. I imagine a great hall, where we stood in the grand council. Just as we had the opportunity to sustain President Monson in General Conference, we too had the opportunity to raise our hand to the square and sustain Jesus Christ, as Redeemer and Savior. From the beginning we have had a choice. Despite possible heartache, set back, mistakes, weakness, and sin, I chose Jesus Christ along with each of you here today. And to this day, I again raise my hand and my heart to him as I have taken the sacrament and willingly allowed the cleansing power of the Atonement to wash away my sins. The Son of the morning, Lucifer, a once glorious and appointed brother, stood in defiance of God’s law. With pride and arrogance he preferred power over priesthood, deviance over faith, force over freedom. Many were deceived. Underneath the glamor of his deception was a seething hatred, bubbling toxicity, and fuming, petrified jealousy. With his plan no one would be lost to sin, he would demand perfect obedience. The crevices of his deception gave way to the blackness of his soul. Without examination his desire to save all seemed heroic. The actuality of his plan revealed cold, emboldened filth. In heaven, opposition was born. To live with freedom, and the subsequent ability to sin is directly opposite of the perfection that Heavenly Father’s presence requires. To be created with inherent weaknesses, which tutor us in humility, and dependence on God, is in direct opposition to the perfect strength and obedience that Heavenly Father embodies. To enjoy God’s everlasting mercy is in direct opposition to the absolute justice that the law demands. Thus the need for Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement was born. “Even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. “And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves” (Moses 6:55–56). As a child I thought that the Atonement was pretty. I understood that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was required, I felt a deep love for him. I remember wanting desperately to know, if I lived when he was alive, if I would...
read moreI thought I was the seed, it turns out I am the dirt.
St. Patrick’s Day of Old This last Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day. When I was a little girl the holiday merited pulling out a piece of emerald material, in whatever form you find it; a scrunchie, a t-shirt or a pinned on swatch of fabric from mom’s gonna-use-this-fabric-someday-but-if-i-don’t-you-can-have-the-lot-of-it-when-I-die -pile. In today’s world St. Patrick’s Day consists of leprechaun traps, gold coins, green toilet water, mysterious small footprints, and halloween like dressing up. I blame the transformation on Pinterest, for sure. At our house, my children received a celebration that mirrored my own childhood, to their upbringing I say, “you are welcome,” and, “I’m sorry.” Green Thumb Night As a Relief Society we celebrated Green Thumb’s Night in honor of this emerald holiday. Green table cloths adorned the long tables set up in the church’s gym. We bathed the rolling chalkboard in boas of green fringy accoutrements. The ladies on the committee made a beautiful (and delicious) assortment of green swathed desserts. We also pleased our digestive tracks with a bit of veggies… I am sure the green ones were lucky! Faith is Like a Seed Our first speaker, Bethanne shared the message of faith found in Alma 32. I loved her description of the role we play in the development of faith. When the scriptures liken a seed unto faith, the description of failure is usually attributed to the ground. The ground is barren, it is too dry, it is rocky. Whatever the cause, if the seed is not surrounded by nourishment the seed’s initial roots of faith, and goodwill whither in the elements of heat. I used to ponder this, and attribute the ground to the circumstances of life that we are born into. It isn’t someone’s fault if they are born into a rocky situation…literally and figuratively. Of course there is nothing they can do to change the rocks, if people are just tossing seeds everywhere. I naively thought, it is not someone’s fault if they live in a climate that is too dry to nourish a seed’s need for moisture. I was soooo wrong. The seed is the Word of God. When Jesus walked the earth, by mere mention, the wind beckoned his call, the waves heighten and calmed at his breath. Life was removed from the barren fig tree with just a touch of his hand. Through his priesthood power our earth was created under the tutelage of Heavenly Father. Every element obeys his Word. A seed contains every bit that is required for that plant to become a mighty tree, a flowering bush, or a simple fruit. When the Word of God (the seed) is surrounded by nourishment (sun, water, food) and a the season of growth (spring and summer with fall harvest,) the seed cannot help but grow. The soil is me, not my circumstances. It is you, not your culture, your community or even your home. If my heart is barren of living water, or strewn about with great rocks of bitterness and disappointment, that is my doing. If my heart is supple and full of life giving nutrition it is because of a daily commitment to honor God’s request for obedience. Yes, some of us grow up in difficult circumstances, but every day, in every way we are in control of our choices, of how...
read moreModern Day Slavery
What is the greatest destruction of today’s generation? The tactics used by the adversary are not new. For endless amounts of time Satan, and his minions have used an unknown number of ploys to shackle God’s children to sin. Heavenly Father’s entire plan of happiness revolves around one fundamental key, agency. Satan will use every trick, deception, fear, longing and addiction in his arsenal to stave off the Atonement and forever bind the children of men to him. The absolute only hope we have of absolving our imperfections and forever delving into his filth is the light and grace of Jesus Christ’s Atonement. I read an article last night, “Rescuing Children from Sex Slavery: One Mormon’s Inspired Mission”. It is the story of one former CIA operative, and member of the Mormon faith who has dedicated his life to freeing the children who have been sold into sex trafficking. To date, his organization has rescued over 200 children from around the world. As I read this article last night, my heart grew heavy. There is so much destruction happening in our world because of the carnal lusts and greed of man. In America our rights to produce public material is protected in the name of free speech. I honor and defend that right in my own life. However, that right that big industry is trumpeting as “art” and “adult material” is actually pornography. Currently this industry produces $100 billion dollars in annual revenue. It is not just a local problem, it is a global pandemic. The sickening thing about pornography is that the appetite for visual pornography is only the iceberg to it’s destruction. For many porn addicts the adult and teen porn is the entry level addiction and child porn is the hard core drug. That addiction on the screen has catapulted the human trafficking industry into record momentum. When I was a kid, the kind of filth you can access within seconds on your smart phone, had to be purchased by walking into a porn lair. Now that filth can infiltrate our homes, our schools, and our churches without any lag time. According to the site, www.fightthenewdrug.com, “Between 1998 and 2007, the number of pornographic websites grew by 1,800%. According to a 2004 study of Internet traffic in May of that year, porn sites were visited three times more often than Google, Yahoo!, and MSN Search combined.” Behind the scenes of this porn industry are an estimated 21 million victims of human trafficking. 2 million of those are children. Take into consideration the population of the American people is only 300 million people. If you were to clump that global number into our country, that would be 10% of our country’s population! Can you imagine your church congregation, or your school, and visualizing 10% of them stolen, kidnapped, drugged and then repeatedly beaten, raped, prostituted, video taped and sold? Ackkkk. It just makes me sick. All over the world children are kidnapped and sold into this horrible life. When Elizabeth Smart was returned to her family, I was naive to this global challenge. I read someone’s troll comments on an article about her, minimizing her experience because of the suffering of so many other children around the world. After all she was just a rich, suburban American...
read moreOur family adventure into felafel
So tonight I was craving falafel. Weird. It’s been ages since I have had any. I decided to try a new adventure for our family. When I was studying in Israel at the BYU Jerusalem Center we had many opportunities to try new food. Our daily meals went something like this. In the morning I would enjoy yogurt and granola. For lunch, especially if we were on a field trip, we would have a pita bread turkey sandwich. At nearly every meal we had Israeli salad, think of this just like fresh chunky salsa without the heat. Throughout my life I have been notoriously picky when it came to food. Without peanut butter, mac ‘n cheese and cereal it would have been difficult to keep me alive the first decade of my life. I came around a little bit as I got older, but really, not until I got married was I willing to step out of my very confined comfort zone when it came to food. Back to Israel. My mom went on study abroad in Israel in the early 70s when she was in her early years. At the time she went there was no beautiful center. They lived and studied in an old, run down Arab hotel in Jerusalem, with a local Arab chef. If he fried fish the night before, he would use the grease in the morning to cook french toast. Mmmm, can you imagine fishy french toast?…. She loved Mediterranean food and shared it with my brother and I when we were young. I of course turned my nose at anything new, except the baklava, which is a delicious honey-filo dough- nut dessert. I had no problem consuming sugar, in any variety, go figure. As a kid, I was brave enough to eat the plain pita bread that came with dinner as well. No, I did not venture into the world of falafel in my elementary days. When I traveled to the Holy Land, the food was distantly familiar, like my mom’s friend that I had heard about, but never actually met. It wasn’t until the end of my trip that I decided to jump into the culinary experience of the local food. Just like in the big cities in the States, you will find hot dog stands and taco trucks, in Jerusalem you will see Shwarma stands and felafel vendors on the streets. Shwarma is meat; chicken, lamb or beef that is cooked on a spit, and shaved off, similar to what you would find on a Greek gyro. The street food was yummy. The flavors tasted as rich, and as expressive as the ancient buildings of the old city with all of its corresponding history and culture. The flavors were new to me, and quite frankly helped me open up to me the experience of trying new food. I remember walking towards the old city one day. Quite literally the ancient walls of Solomon’s kingdom land squarely in the modern day Jerusalem. On the sidewalks, next to modern day businesses sat an entire row of leathered and worn women, selling their goods, grown from the earth. They wore sandals, and sat criss-cross style on the sidewalk, with large black trash sacks holding their fruit, and vegetables to sell. Other...
read moreMy Daily Walk
Doctrine and Covenants 19:32, “Behold, this is a great and the last commandmentwhich I shall give unto you concerning this matter; for this shall suffice for thy daily walk, even unto the end of thy life.” I arise early-ish. I pull my weary body out of bed. My foot hits the floor and weighs down the plush carpet. In just a step or two my feet become wildly aware of a plethora of carnal savagings left to rest; shirts, pants, papers, and toys. This is the first step of 5,000 today. I make my way to the bathroom and glance in the mirror. Last night’s exhausted pony tail has transformed into a labor of wild nightly entangled chaos. A quick hair redo and a brush of my teeth and I am ready to put my shoes on for our morning outing. My husband and I walk along 1000 East, while the morning commuters rush to get to work. We cross the busy 12300 South, and head into old Draper. The houses transform into 1990s and 2000s developments with beige stucco single family houses into 1950s and 1960s brick houses with peaked gables and intricate wood work in the windows. One white wooden house dawns blue window frames with a cut out of intricate embellishments. In the yard is a matching playhouse – a doll house for little girls to practice the art of household duties. Another property is home to a small pet pony, dark brown hair with a white tail and mane. Our feet travel southward, descending elevation into the flat part of the old farming neighborhood. We pass a cemetery, this is the dead part of town. We catch the head of a walking trail, and make our way around a few plots of remaining farm land, and into Draper park, and adjacent library. With houses out of the way our view is opened up to the amazing mountain scapes of Lone Peak Mountain, the magnificently changing clouds and brightened morning clouds. I can breathe out here. I listen to the sound of my pounding heart, the pounding pavement and my pounding determination to move forward. This is my daily walk. Each step represents a desire to be better, to be fully engaged in my maker’s kingdom. I want to push myself farther, let go of my past and move into the future with faith and determination. (Verses 28-41} 28 And again, I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private. “Ally it’s your turn to say the prayer.” “Ok, Mom.” She is now five, her light brown hair hangs carelessly in her sparkly hazel eyes. Strands of dark brown and golden streaks showcase her vibrant youth. “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day. Please bless Heavenly Father to look over us, and the angels. Please bless the food.” {Long pause…} I add, “Bless our family…” “Mom, I can do it, …. And our fam-i-ly….” “And Anna, Brennan, Ally, and Ben…,” I encourage. “Anna…Brennan, Ally and Ben. And Mom and Dad. Name of Jesus Christ, Amen. “ 29 And thou shalt declare glad tidings, yea, publish it upon the mountains, and upon every high place, and among every people that thou shalt be permitted to...
read moreThe Light of Suffering Made White
Let Your Light So Shine I have been pondering a question for a while. How does suffering enhance our human experience? How does God transform a tragedy into a miracle on our own behalf? If death, sin, mistakes and loss cause us pain, how come we are required to pass through earthly tribulation in order to become refined, as he would have us be? Talking to friends, acquaintances, members of my faith community, and family, I do not know a single person who has yet to pass through hard times; the loss of a spouse, or a father; separation or divorce; financial hardship; mental instability; disease and disorders caused by heredity, or personal choice; the death of a child, or a baby; addition to drugs, pornography, or other reckless activities. The list could go on and on. And yet, we are promised that the trials we suffer can help us come closer to God. One Man’s Journey Into the Jaws of Hell After enduring a horrible season captive in the Liberty Jail Joseph Smith pleaded to the Lord for deliverance, for comfort, for solace. In his darkest moments of mortality, save it be the loss of his life, the great creator, even Jesus Christ did not stay the burdens of the fallen world, but offered some of the most poetic descriptions for the purpose and rhythm of tribulation. D&C 122:5-7 “If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea; If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb; And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” Quite honestly, breathing through this scripture, and really reading it, I imagine it as a rolling advertising for an upcoming Hollywood block buster, can you even fathom the ferocity and tribulation that the Prophet Joseph was required to go through? But no more than the Lord himself, who descended below all things was asked to endure. Providing some clarity Elder Orson F. Whitney said, “There is the reason. It is...
read morePrepared in a manner that had never been known
Last night the ladies from my church group, known as the Relief Society, gathered for an activity. My new volunteer assignment is to help lead this group in our mission of compassion, service and enrichment for the women over 18 in our area. I love it! I love working with the women of our ward. I love working with our Relief Society presidency! I love the opportunity I have to plan activities with our committee, and the chance to be used as a vessel for God’s work. This is so not about me. This is all about Him. Our theme for the year is, “Prepared in a manner that had never been known.” In the Book of Mormon Captain Moroni knew of a wicked enemy, the Lamanites were rallying against the Nephites. Rather than wait to be taken down, their leader helped fortify, strengthen and prepare his people against the oncoming rival. In Alma we read, “Now the leaders of the Lamanites had supposed, because of the greatness of their numbers, yea, they supposed that they should be privileged to come upon them as they had hitherto done; yea, and they had also prepared themselves with shields, and with breastplates; and they had also prepared themselves with garments of skins, yea, very thick garments to cover their nakedness. And being thus prepared they supposed that they should easily overpower and subject their brethren to the yoke of bondage, or slay and massacre them according to their pleasure. But behold, to their uttermost astonishment, they were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni.” (Alma 49:7-8) In our day the enemies are different, but no less devastating, abundant or real. Pornography, entitlements, addiction, debt, and fear all run rampant, destroying individuals and the families who love them. And so we need to step up and be more prepared against our enemy, to fortify our faith, homes, our families and friendships in the bonds of love and connection. One of the ways we desire to prepare the Relief Society sisters is to fortify our friendships, and make our space of worship and friendship a safe place to confide, to strengthen and to encourage. Vulnerability does not have to happen to all in a big group, but if each woman has a connection to at least one person, in her time of need the Relief Society can do what it was designed to do, enrich, support and buoy up the downtrodden. Last night we hosted an early spring tea party. Tea as in lemon water, and crumpets, as in tiny sandwiches and finger food. In small groups we asked the following questions: What is the most courageous thing you have done? What is your biggest fear? What is your most embarrassing moment? What is your favorite scripture or scripture story? What is your favorite hymn and why? If you could give your younger self advise, what would it be? What advise would you give to someone you love about getting along with others. I have chills from my head to my toes. The spirit was so strong last night. Walls came down, friendships were born, and sisters shared in...
read moreDoing What You Love
When I was a little girl my grandparents lived in a closed subdivision called North Point up in the Avenues by the old Primary Children’s hospital. Up on top of the northern Salt Lake Valley mountains, on the western edge of the neighborhood you could look over Memory Grove, from way up high. One day my mom brought our little family up for a visit. Leaning up against the front entry closet were two small pairs of skis, poles, and boots. “Who are these for!!!!??” My brother and I asked with wide eyes. “They are for you two,” Grandpa said. Grandpa Evans was an avid outdoors man. He loved being outside, hiking, backpacking, skiing, fishing… you name it, he loved it. That year, and for several years after, he was our skiing mentor and coach. He took us up to Park City Ski Resort, where we would spend the day learning the basics of pizza pie and french fries. One day, I remember being super tiny, skiing down the hill all by myself. Grandpa and my brother Solomon happened to go overhead in the ski lift at the same time I was going down. Grandpa had bought me a candy bar, his favorite, a peanut roll, and threw it down to me. I didn’t know what it was, and so I went on with my run. Later I found out what happened and felt very disappointed that I missed out on my heaven sent treat. Another time I fell down in the splits. Not uncomfortable, I just sat there waiting for him to come save me. Hanging out, with one ski going down, the other going up, and my entire length of my legs in between, sitting comfortably in the snow. Lastly, Grandpa always believed we could do hard things, and encouraged us to try things that made us a little uncomfortable. To make it back to Main Street in Park City, rather than the ski resort parking lot and drive to our condo, there was a special run that came into town. It was convenient just to ski down, and walk the remaining way home. This run was extremely challenging to my novice skiing abilities, and yet, he led the way down the steep slope back home. I love skiing! I love the feeling of cold air on my face. I love the sensation of gliding down the mountain. I love processing the amazing ability that the human body has to direct the most minute detail of pressure, lift, weight and intention to control, or sometimes as it is, attempt-to-control the outcome of the hill. I love the sensation of being on top of the mountain, overlooking God’s great creations, in the middle of the snow covered winter. For years my husband and I haven’t created the opportunity to go skiing. Too expensive, I was pregnant, nursing, or caring for tiny kids. This year I bought a couple passes to go skiing for Jonny’s Christmas gift. Oh my!!! Did I mention that I love to ski?!! It almost seemed that we had the mountain to ourselves. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the temperatures were delightfully warm. At first I felt honestly trepidations about getting back on the hill. “Do I remember how to ski?” “Can I...
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