HAFEN PHOTO SHOOT - which are your faves?

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Artisan Bread - A.S.A.P.

Okay, I admit it! I have been a little obsessed with Artisan Bread the past eight months. While browsing in the Harvard bookstore (actually called the COOP) last March at parents' weekend, I found this cool book called "Artisan Bread in Five Mintues a Day" and I thought that sounded like a major oxymoron. It intrigued me enough to buy it, and then it all began. I read and marked up the book, then tried many of the recipes over and over. Of course, I had to buy all the tools, including the pizza peel and baking stones. I always had some new bubbling dough experiment brewing in the extra fridge in our garage. Hundreds of loaves later, another intense book or two, and a lot of trial and errror brings me to this blog post. I felt I needed to perfect things a bit before blogging about it, even though I still change things and play with the amounts and blend of ingredients. But this recipe is my quick and versatile version of artisan bread. I started with a focaccia recipe, then changed the amounts and incorporated methods I learnd with my own experimentation.

With this recipe, in about 1-1/2 hours, (from start to finish) you can have crusty, delicious artisan bread on your table. What I really love is that you can make 3-4 different types of artisan bread with this same dough, so let your creative juices flow! If you really want to make this your next hobby, then buy the book and try things the long way, which actually takes several days to ritard, or ferment, the dough in the fridge and let things get a bit sour. It almost smells a bit like making homemade beer, I would imagine. Anyway, this quick and easy recipe is almost as good, much easier, and the home teachers won't wonder what you are brewing!

Here is a link to the PDF recipe:

Artisan Bread A.S.A.P

BYU-Idaho Spori Building in Autumn

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Please rank your top 3:
I had fun yesterday morning taking pics of the Spori Building. I was able to capture some fall color and I discovered Saturday morning is a great time to shoot on campus, because there are not as many students. I shot these all in RAW and I made some quick adjustments to the vibrance and exposure. Though I did not use bracketing (multiple exposures of the same shot) I did try the one-photo HDR effect. I needed some new photos of the Spori building for a brochure and book for the BYU-Idaho Communication Dept., which is where I teach.

I am curious which is your favorite? I need to add two or three to the layouts I am working on. Thanks for your input. :)

Focaccia Bread & Pasta Celebration!

Scott and Rachel's REHEARSAL DINNER was a nice time for the two immediate families to get to know each other. We served it after Rachel took out her endowment in the Rexburg Temple on July 24, the day before the wedding. Since we were all at the temple, some special friends helped us pull this off. (A thousand thanks to Quincy, Konda, Susan, and Marilyn.) First, we set up an Appetizer Buffet for guests. This way, everyone could enjoy a snack while we put the finishing touches on the meal. The menu included:

APPETIZER BUFFET:
Artisan Breads & Dipping Sauces
Italian Sodas (Coconut-Raspberry or Hazelnut-Vanilla)

SALAD: The groom's mother made a delicious fresh green salad with her famous Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. It was fabulous!

ENTREE: Janel and I made our signature Pasta Celebration Trio (with three meats and three cheeses). Konda made some tasty glazed baby carrots for a side dish.

DESSERT: I made some homemade caramel turtles to go with Scott's favorite ice cream, Breyer's All Natural.

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW FOR RECIPES:

Versatile 1-Hour Foccacia Bread - updated!
Pasta Celebration Trio!

Rachel's Bridal Photos - Which are your faves?

You may click each photo to enlarge it.
We had some fun taking bridal photos of Rachel last week. Kris, Zoe and I took turns with the camera, reflector, and positioning the train. It was a blast to explore some fun places to shoot within a short distance of Rexburg: BYUI Gardens, St. Anthony, Rexburg Bench, Teton Valley, and everywhere inbetween!
It is hard to believe our little Rachel will be married this Saturday, July 25. She has found a great man, with a wonderful family, so we are very happy with her wise choices. If you would like to see their wedding website. click this link:
www.scottandrachel.net

Engagement Photo Shoot in Washington D.C.

Which are your favorite shots of Scott & Rachel?
(Just click pics to enlarge)
I flew out to D.C. last weekend to take engagement photos for Rachel and her fiance, Scott. We had a great time checking out all the sights and their favorite spots. The happy couple met last summer while Rachel was doing an internship at the Chinese Trade Office, and Scott was enrolled in summer term at Georgetown. They have had a fun year traveling back and forth between Boston and D.C., though the long-distance relationship has not been the most convenient. ;) Scott proposed to Rachel in the Rose Garden at the White House, which was quite exciting to say the least! They had a friend who was working there and managed to get them in for the special occasion. They will be married in the Idaho Falls Temple on July 25, 2009. The next step is to get the wedding website up and running. I will post a link when that is done.

Extra Engagement Photos from Washington D.C.

These are additional engagement photos, not placed with the next, main group of photos.

Dynamic Photo is great for quick HDR effects

TIPS for tonal mapping your HDR images

You may download a free 30-day trial version of Dynamic Photo. Open the software and browse for your three images with different exposures (-2, 0, +2 work best). Then click on Step 1 and which will create a blend of the three different exposures into one HDR image.

Then Step 2 is Tonal Mapping. You can try these Tonal Mapping and Filter Tips:

Look at the samples above for the desired effect. I often play with the Sats, Vivid color, Brightness, and the Dramatic Light Strength while doing Tonal Mapping. I also turn on the "Add Clarity" box in the lower rightarea of the DP window.

Start with the Top image, above...

Image 1: Ultra Contrast, Orton Filter
Image 2: Ultra Contrast, Brightness, Vivid Colors
Image 3: Eye-Catching, Vivid Colors, Orton Filter
Image 4: Ultra Contrast, Brightness, Vignette Strong
Image 5: Ultra Contrast, Orton B&W Filter
Image 6: Ultra Contrast, Sepia

Exposure Masking in Photoshop: Manual HDR

The Old Chair Study - Bannack Ghost Town, Montana - May 15, 2009

Here are 5 steps to manually create an HDR image with Photoshop masks:
NOTE: Click on any image to view it larger.

1. Use a tripod and bracketing, with the timer, to take three different exposures of a scene: (Notice all three images above, taken at -2, 0 +2)
2. Stack all three images on top of each other in Photoshop
3. Apply masks to hide the unwanted portions of each image.
4. Add a saturation adjustment layer to brighten up the color. Mask out any areas if needed.
5. Add a levels adjustment layer to add contrast and adjust the lighting. Mask out any areas if needed.

This method brings out the best exposure for each area. which is a process to capture the High Dynamic Range (HDR) of an image. It works well with landscapes when the sky would typically become blown out (too bright) if the foreground is exposed properly. Or, as in this case, it is great for capturing the inside of a room, and the outside through a window, at the same time.

In this shot, I kept the area outside of the window from the darkest -2 exposure. I kept the left wall from the normal 0 exposure , and the chair and bed from the lightest +2 exposure.

You may purchase a software program called Dynamic Photo for about $55 that does an amazing job of doing this for you in less than a minute, but the fun part comes with the Tonal Mapping and filter effects in Dynamic Photo. While it is a worthwhile program, it is nice to know how to blend three different exposures manually, so you have more control over the final outcome.

Here is another example of the same effect, but this time I added a Hard Light blending mode and a few filters for a sporadic, chunky, painted effect.

World's Best Cinnamon Glazed Almonds!

This is a winner! Tasty - No added Fat - and Easy to make. How can it be any better? The secret ingredient is an EGG WHITE!
You will love these even more than Adam's outfits on American Idol. ;)

This is the real way to make those toasty cinnamon almonds you smell at the fair. If you have keen olfactory senses you will remember what I'm talkin' bout. Can't you just smell them right now? I found this recipe on one of those little pads in the bulk section at Winco, and this time, it was a winner. I have tried different recipes for these almonds before, but they have never turned out like this. Oh yeah, baby!

Get yourself down to the bulk section of WinCo and buy some almonds, or get that big bag at Sams or Costco if you want the larger almonds, which are even prettier. Then you may need to go the craft store to get some little cello bags to make up some gift packs. I found some at the Sugar Shell (cake decorating shop) in Idaho Falls that are long and narrow. I usually use them for my caramel pretzel logs, but they work great for these almonds. Or... better yet, don't worry about bagging them. Maybe you can just eat them all by yourself while you check out all your favorite blogs. You know what I am talking about!

CINNAMON GLAZED ALMONDS

INGREDIENTS:
1 egg white
1 tsp. cold water
4 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 250.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg white, then add the water. Beat until frothy, but not stiff.
3. Add the nuts and stir to coat.
4. Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then sprinkle it over the nut mixture. Stir to coat the nuts well.
5. Place foil in a cookie sheet and spray it lightly. Spread the nuts evenly in the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Stir the nuts occasionally. Remove and allow to cool before placing in airtight containers or bags.

4 wonderful days & a new HIP!

My father has HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY at age 85!

Well my father has a new hip and I have a new understanding of what it is like to feel the inevitable pains of growing old, which my parents are managing to do so gracefully. I spent Thursday night, April 30 through Tuesday morning, May 5, with my parents as my dad was starting his recovery from hip replacement surgery. My mother is 88 and she told me she feels like it! Now they will both be using a walker, at least for while.

There is something special about watching your parents get older and helping them deal with the aging process. I suppose it is natural for this to prompt some feelings of gratitude, introspection, and fear, all at the same time. We had several days together to reminisce about the past and speculate about the future. I found myself quite emotional, with tears, laughter, frustration, and joy. First, let me say that I was amazed at the surgery itself. From the description, I learned that the doctors set up a table in the O.R. full of variety of manufactured hip joints. Then they spread out their saws and tools so it looks like a carpenter's workshop.

After sawing into the exisiting bone to remove the worn out hip, they try out several different synthetic hip joints in the opening until they find the right one. My father is 6'5" so they had to use a very long one. Fortunately, they found a good fit, so the recovery went better than expected. He did not even need general anesthesia. We were concerned and my mother was well-beyond WORRY, which my grandma always told us was her middle name anyway. In this case, it was warranted, given his age, bad heart, asthma, poor blood circulation, and many other ailments not uncommon for a 85-year old man. My husband was with them during the surgery, then Zoe and I joined them for the remaining days in the hospital and the big move back home.

The day after surgery, my father was walking down the hall and learning to manuever his new hip joint. He was warned to follow three precautions to be sure the new hip does not slip or pop out in the new few months: 1. Do not cross your legs; 2. Always keep your hip above your knee, and 3. Don't ever go pigeon-toed.

His recovery went so well, that the insurance denied the usual week-long stay in a rehab unit, so after four days in the hospital, I helped him back into the comfort of his own home, with a few modifications. There would be no trips up the long stair case to their bedroom for at least a few weeks, so we set up the hide-a-bed in the family room. Greg and Pam took over on Tuesday when I had to get back to teaching. They modified the bed to raise it and helped line up a raised toilet seat.

During this experience, I was so touched by how attentive and worried my mother was. It was all very difficult for her. She wanted family to be close by to help her deal with things. In fact, this is first time she was not shy about asking for help. It was such a privlege to be able to help both of my parents. They have done so much for me. I loved to watch them kiss each other and pray together over the hospital bed. My father has a sharp memory and was so good to explain the procedures and details to my mother. Mom helped him remember to take his pills and wear his robe down the hall. They complement each other in so many ways, and neither one is truly complete without the other. It was refreshing and surprising to see how they support one another in an atmosphere of mutual respect and love.

I found myself remembering many fond childhood experiences as we passed the hours in the hospital room. We laughed about funny times with Grandma Bills, like the day she threw her purse out the window in a busy intersection. You see, she felt it was unsafe to ride in a motor vehicle while crossing a bridge. One time my father decided not to stop and let her out, but she outwitted him, but tossing out her purse! Then he had to stop. :) We had a great time remembering many of life's interesting little twists. I will certainly treasure those four days I spent in Pocatello. I cherish my parents, and I am filled with enormous gratitude for their strength, example, and LOVE.

Cabin Fever April 2009!

Another fun reunion together
Well, we just held our annual reunion for some wild and crazy girls from Highland High School. Yes, indeed, once a year, we take time to get-together to talk, laugh, and share our life experiences and words of profound wisdom. HaHa! This time we went to a secluded cabin in Island Park on the Buffalo River where we taught each other new skills and enjoyed the Spring weather of the Idaho mountains, which ranged from a snowstorms to sunny skies. We enjoyed a variety of activities, and some... we cannot even blog about! One new experience for me was swimming is an ice cold river with snow on the ground! Woo-hoo, that was a load of fun. We always have one rule, and that is everyone has to do something new they have never done before. Snowshoeing was new for several in the group, but the cold river swim was a highlight. The other rule we had this year, is we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. It was relaxing, but full of great new learning experiences and good memories. Thanks for a great time, ladies! Let's try to stay cool until next time. :)

Granna & Zoe visit the Boise boys!

Well, I just spent four fun days babysitting our grandsons in Boise! Thank heavens Zoe went along with me to entertain them and help out, so I could sneak in a few hours of work. A new semester starts tomorrow and I am revising the Custom Images course, so it has been a busy week. We went to Max's (5) soccer game. He got a goal and they won the game too. I guess this makes me a soccer granna, however I did not take my iTouch and listen to my tunes from the sidelines. We had fun feeding Will (4 months) full of milk, as you can see from his happy face! He looks like the Campbell's Soup baby. I love his little giggles and kisses. Wes (3) said his usual funny comments and kept us all laughing. We went out to eat at a buffet (don't ask why...it was quick and everyone gets what they want) and Wes kept asking for more green beans, but Max was all about the ice cream sundaes. Anyway, we had a blast and Zoe announced she thinks we should go babysit for three days every week. Oh yeah, maybe once a month. ;)

Make an Ice Cream Cake for any occasion!

Ice Cream Cake - Light Version - Click here for print pdf version
Serves 12-16

Make your very own ice cream cake instead of ordering one from Cold Stone. I made this a few days ago for Zoe's 11th birthday, on April 7. Everyone raved about how great it tasted... Little did they know it was the LIGHT VERSION - Yes this low fat, low sugar recipe will delight your tastebuds! Woo-hoo :)

INGREDIENTS
1 Light Confetti Cake Mix
Blue Bunny Double Strawberry Ice Cream (No Sugar Added & Low Fat)

FROSTING
8 oz. Fat Free Cream Cheese
Powdered Sugar (May use 1/2 Splenda, 1/2 Powdered Sugar)
3 T. Butter
1/4 tsp. Lemon Extract
1/4 tsp. Almond Extract
Food Coloring, as desired

CAKE DECOR of your choice...
Shown here: Mini Malted Easter Eggs, and Sprinkles, Candles, Easter Grass

METHOD
1. Bake the cake in a Baker's Secret Tiara Dessert pan. I found one at Walmart a few years ago. It has a nice indented hollow space for fillings and works well for an ice cream cake. It also has a pretty fluted edge, which is fun to leave unfrosted and show off. Since I only have one of these pans, I baked half the batter first, then put it on a cooling rack, and baked the other half. Oh, and be sure you spray the pan and flour it lightly to make it easier to remove the cake. I baked it according to the time and temperature for a round cake.
2. Place the two Tiara cakes in the freezer and freeze for at least 1-2 hours, at as long as you can.
3. Soften the ice cream and mix in any goodies you want, just like they do at Cold Stone. We just went with the Blue Bunny Double Strawberry. Any Super Walmart carries several flavors that are Low Fat or Fat Free, and No Sugar Added. This is creamy, sweet ice cream that is very low in calories.
4. Spread the ice cream inside the hollow part of each cake, so the widest part of both cakes are on the top and bottom. Make sure you spread some of the ice cream out the edges so you will see it inbetween the cake layers. Sandwich the two halves together.
5. Freeze again until firm.
6. Soften the cream cheese and butter in the microwave, but don't melt it. Use a Kitchen Aid, or powerful mixer with a stout paddle beater, to whip the cream cheese and butter with the powdered sugar, flavorings, and food coloring until smooth. Whip it -- Whip it good :) You want it thick, so I try to avoid adding any milk.
7. Place the cake on a large platter, then spread thick masses of the frosting only on the top of the frozen cake. Let it droop over the edges, but don't frost the sides. You will have leftover frosting, so use enough to make a big smooth mushroom-like cap on top.
8. Add the colored sprinkles and malted eggs on the frosting. You can wait and add any candles later. Cover with plastic wrap and freese until ready to eat.

Remove a few minutes before serving and slice into nice, thick pieces... then ENJOY!

Sweet CranApple Pork Roast - will melt in your mouth!

Sweet CranApple Pork Roast ! click here for print version of recipe
Serves 12 (cut in half for six servings)

This is great to serve for company. Try it with some garlic mashed potatoes: Boil the potatoes with salt, but be sure to leave the peelings on! Mash them, then stir in grated cheese, sour cream and garlic salt.... Yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
7 lbs boneless pork loin roast
1/3 c. apple juice
2 T. wet minced garlic (in a jar)
Salt & pepper
2 tsp. Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1 tsp. thyme

2/3 c. brown sugar
3 diced apples
3 T. Dijon mustard
2 cans whole cranberry sauce

METHOD:
Place first first six ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for about 9 hours. About halfway through, remove half of the liquid and discard. Combine the brown sugar, diced apples, mustard, and cranberry sauce in a bowl, then add to the crockpot, stirring it into the liquid. Finish cooking until meat is tender, but not quite falling apart. Keep on warm until ready to serve. Use an electric knife to slice. Then arrange on a serving platter and spoon the sauce over the meat.

Spring Break with the Boys

Last week it was a treat to have a visit from our daughter and her three boys. It was their Spring Break and so they came to enjoy Rexburg, while their dad was busy with tax season. We played as much as possible, and made lots of fun new recipes. In fact, my next blog entry will include some food photos from our successful creations!

Melting Ice in the Burg

Isn't it great when you can get a good shoot on your very own street?
Okay, all you fans of winter, this is the place for you! We are just starting to see the snow banks recede along our street on the hill. Even though I have had enough of winter here in the "burg" I have to admit the melting ice formations make for some interesting pics. I love taking macro abstract shots, which is a close-up photo of anything that resembles what it is not.

In fact, I find it down right exciting to twist myself into strange positions to get a bizarre angle of something very close. In fact, now that I think about it, this sums up the first three of my top ten photography tips:
1. Get Close, 2. Find the Light, 3. Change the Angle.

I like a macro shot when you can hardly tell what it is. Or better still, it gets really good if a shot makes you start hallucinating about those ink blots they show you during an IQ test. Or how about laying on your back in the summertime (not that we would know about that season here) and watching the lazy clouds go by, seeing what animals are in the sky. Isn't that a Primary song, or something? (major deja' vu)

Well, anyway, I thought I would get out and enjoy the last of the melting ice formations before Spring officially arrives on Saturday. We've had a warm wind lately and it melts the snow into lacy, delicate ice formations. Then the road grime splashes up as cars drive by, which creates a party of contrast and color. Blue sky, orange sunset, white snow, and black grime all getting together to enjoy their oppositeness.

In fact, I wore my white snowflake pin to church one last time Sunday, to give a final "celebratory push" to winter. I was hoping it would be a good omen and usher in the well-earned warm weather. I think it is working. I won't be getting any more snow shots here in another day or two. It got to 52+ degrees today! Woo-hoo :)

I hope you enjoy these beautiful Spring macro abstract shots from the one and only Rexburg, Idaho. Let me know your favorite, or maybe rank them in order of your preference. Zoe and I are betting on the winner.

Which is your favorite?
(You may click the pics to enlarge them)

Seven Best Shots of Harvard 2009

Canon Powershot 710IS
A small camera with manual settings and more zoom, all for $210
I had so much fun shooting the Harvard campus while we were visiting our daugther that I could hardly stop myself. I left the big cameras home, and just carried around my little champ, the Canon Powershot 710IS. Sams used to sell the newer version (720IS) for $210. There is another camera that takes the same great shots, but only has 4x optical zoom compared to the 6x on the 720IS. So I often recommend the Powershot 590IS. Sams now has it for only $120, and it has all the manual modes too: P, AV, TV, M. The IS (Image Stabilzation) really does eliminate most of the blurry shots. It is not the smallest compact out there, but the smaller ones often take a high percentage of blurry shots. Double AA batteries go forever if you get those quick rechargeable ones made for digital cameras. I like the EverReady brand that charges up in 15-30 minutes. Again, Sams Club.

Anyway, this little camera will easily fit in a small bag so you don't even look like a geek with all that photo gear. But if you want to use your Aperture priority to blur the background, you can. It has a great Indoor Scene Mode that captures amazing shots in lower light without a flash. This sweet little camera just takes great shots! I sometimes even prefer it to my big Nikon 200D or Canon 30D SLRs, especially if you don't want to lug around all the extra lenses, etc. The macro is awesome and you can easily adjust the flash and spot metering.

So if you want a smaller camera with great zoom, great price, and manual settings, this is a gem. The downside is a slow recovery time when you use the flash, but for me, it is worth it to get all the other features. Every camera has its weakness. I always like to Google the camera make and model, and "reviews." Then you can read about the good and bad from consumers who have tried it out.

Digital SLRs are great, but not always handy to have along...
So everyone needs a smaller camera that will have manual options and take killer shots.

Here are the features I look for in a smaller camera:
1. $150 - $200 price range (who wants to spend more than this on a compact?)
2. Manual Settings, look for all these: P, AV, TV, M or (P, A, S, M on some brands)
3. Image stabilization (Canon's "IS" is the best)
4. User-friendly (I love Nikons too, but Canons are easier to use)
5. Spot metering (this is a must for controlling your focus)
6. Double AA batteries (just spend $30 and buy the EverReady quick re-charger [15 min], with the car adapter. Those batteries last longer, and you will never be caught without fresh batteries)
7. 4X or 6X optical zoom. (digital zoom is worthless; The 6X is nice, but adds about $50 - $100)
Don't worry about how many megapixels it has. Anything over 7mp is adequate and bigger than that just fills up your hard drives faster.

I found that if I wanted all these features, the Canon Powershots are the best. Just avoid the little tiny Powershot models. They get too many blurry shots, even if they have the IS feature. Over the past few years, I have seen many of my students get the greatest shots with these cameras, time and time again. I finally bought one to have a smaller option, and I have never regretted it!

Happy shooting!

Visiting Rachel at Harvard

Super Easy & Delish!

Sticky Chicken! Click here for print version of recipe
Serves 8

A simple to prepare, but absolutely scrumptious recipe that is great for company. It goes well with rice, hot rolls, and fresh fruit, but the sky is the limit... maybe even some sweet potato fries and fresh pineapple? :)

INGREDIENTS:
10 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 cups flour
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning (can you tell I like this stuff? See below...)

2 cups Apricot-Pineapple Preserves
1 cup Soy Sauce
1 cup Kraft Honey Mustard Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite)

METHOD:
1. Mix the flour and seasonings together in a bowl.
2. Moisten each chicken breast with wa little water, then dredge it in the flour and seasonings.
3. Place them in a 13x9 inch glass baking dish.
4. Stir the sauce together and pour over the chicken.
5. Bake at 360 degrees for 1 hour + a little more (until sauce is sticky, not runny, and chicken is white, moist, and flaky)

Comment about Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning:
It's not too hot, unless you use a lot!
As you can see, I often use my favorite seasoning (we just call it Tony's) because it has a perfect blend of spices, including salt, garlic, paprika, and just enough red pepper to give a subtle spiciness to any dish. Our son, Brandon, brought us some home from his mission in Louisiana and we felt in love with it. You can find it at most any grocery store. You can also get other Tony's blends with Italian herbs too. They are awesome, quick and easy! Most Walmarts carry them, where you can also get the Orange-Pineapple Preserves.

Want a healthy, light snack? Try sweet potato fries!

Sweet Potato Fries Click here for print version of recipe
Serves 6

3 large Sweet Potatoes
Spray Oil

Add your favorite seasonings to taste:
(I like Pumpkin Pie Spice, Italian Seasoning, Salt, Sugar
+ Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning if you like a little kick!...mmm)

Honey-Lime Glaze: (optional) It is tasty, but make the fries a bit limp
1/2 c. Honey
Juice from 1 Lime

Honey-Lime Dip:
3 T. Honey
2 T Lime juice (fresh-squeezed lime juice is so good!)
4 oz. Fat Free Cream Cheese (softened)
4 oz. Yoplait Light Yogurt - Key Lime Pie Flavor (or any vanilla yogurt will do)

Slice sweet potatoes into 1/4" or thinner slabs. Spray hot griddle (350 degrees), and arrange slabs close together on griddle. Spray with oil, then sprinkle seasonings on. Cook for about 5 minutes. You may want to cover with foil to cook quicker. Turn the slabs, then spray and sprinkle seasoning on again. Finish browning until tender, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat. Optional: Brush the glaze on the warm sweet potato slabs. It is easiest to use a small electric mixer to blend the Dip. Garnish with lime slices and serve with the Honey-Lime Dip. ENJOY!

Comments: My daughter, Janel, and I tried a few variations from the Internet that were baked in the oven, but the fries stayed too moist and limp. Frying them on a hot griddle kept them drier and a bit more crispy, yet still light and healthy. They also cooked much faster on the griddle. Skip the glaze if you want them crisper. For kids, omit the Tony's Chacheres and Italian Seasoning.

Cake Pops! A fun new hobby?

World's Best Sugar Cookies

We had a blast making our valentine cookies! Janel, our oldest daughter, brought her three boys to Rexburg and we all worked together to create our heart shaped masterpieces. We used our favorite sugar cookie recipe from Lori Cammack. The sour cream makes them soft and perfect every time, and you don't have to chill them too long. Just remember to roll them out thick and take them out of the oven before they get browned. That way, they stay soft and thick so they'll melt in your mouth. The cream cheese frosting has a light lemon flavor and just finishes off the combo nicely. Mmmm...

World's Best Sugar Cookies:
1 c. butter
2 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sour cream (fat free works fine)
1 pinch salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baing powder
5-7 c. flour

Cream first four ingredients, then add the sour cream and salt. Add the dries to the top, and stir them together with a spoon, then blend them into the rest of the mixture. Mix well. Add enough flour so the dough is still a bit sticky.

Chill for 20 minutes and it will be easier to handle. Roll out so they are at least 1/4" thick. Cut into shapes and bake at 365 for 8-10 minutes. Watch them and remove from oven just before they brown. Keep them light so they'll be soft! If you make them plenty thick, you can even insert a lollipop stick and transform them into cookie pops, which look great arranged into a mug with some styrofoam in the bottom. ENJOY!

Frost with Cream Cheese frosting:
8 oz. fat free cream cheese
4 - 8 oz. butter (either way works)
Powdered sugar until thick and creamy
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

One last magnificent moment of 2008 (click pics to enlarge)

We had a blast in Island Park, even though there was so much new snow they couldn't get our lane plowed out. We hauled everything in on a dog sled behind the snow machines, like we did in the good old days. They got 40" of snow on Christmas Eve and that about doubled what they previously had, so there was no real base. It was a lot of work for just a few days, but still worth seeing our little bend of the Buffalo River in winter once again. I was a bit sad though, because the light had been flat for three days, so I had no good shots and it was time to leave.

However, on the snowmobile ride out, the sun finally made an appearance for a few stunning scenic shots. Don't you just love it when your timing is perfect? Just see if you can picture this with me...
"The sun breaks out suddenly with a thousand tiny spotlights that reach out across the landscape to meet with a breathtaking sky and everything is aligned. You just happen to be at a stunning location at the right moment. You thank heaven you have your camera so you can capture this one magnificent moment. "
Luckily, my oldest daughter, Janel, is getting into photography, and she was with me at the rear of our little caravan. There was no one to tell us we could not stop and shoot. The rest of the family were loading things up in the parking area that was well out of view. We knew they would be a little perturbed when we caught up, bit it would be worth it. ;) Woo-hoo!

Just click on the landscape shots, if you want to see them larger. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas from the Esplins!

We enjoyed our family of 12 for the Thanksgiving holiday in our new home in Rexburg. Life is good here for Keith, Caryn and Zoe and so far the weather has been too bad. In fact, the snow and cold has hit our old home in Blackfoot harder that our new home here. We are looking forward to a wonderful holiday with great food, fun games, our traditional neighborhood Christmas party and most of all, our awesome family. Have a very merry little Christmas!