Tracie's World

I was reading a book recently, where the author talked about how for most of her adult life, her goal had been to get to the temple once a month, and how difficult sometimes it was even to attend that much.  She then talked about how a Sunday School teacher had told their class the difference that had come into his life by attending the temple once a week.  So she decided to do make that a goal for her own life, and testified that "I can't tell you how, but attending the temple once a week makes everything in life better." For most of my adult life, I've been just like this woman - struggling to get to the temple once a month, and then when I finally do get there, being not quite as worshipful as I'd like to be - being overcome with exhaustion or worry or impatience instead.  This despite living in close proximity to no less than six temples. So in an effort to make more of my temple experience, and put the author's promise to the test, I decided to try to g...

Today, I made Gazpacho (cold tomato soup for the uninitiated). The recipe was courtesy of my "How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian" Cookbook, by Mark Bittman.  It's super easy to make, and really hits the spot on a hot summer day.  YUM!

Earlier this week, Inge and I and her friend Ilia trekked out to Riverton to attend the Samoan Cultural Celebration.  Since part of my family is Samoan, and my sister tells me I'm an honorary Polynesian, it was fun to go out and spend some time celebrating with the local Samoan Community.  I even wore my Lava Lava for the occasion. As with any typical Samoan event, there were plenty of food stands, and we indulged ourselves with some Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Teriyaki Chicken, Chop Suey, Rice, Panikeke, and Mango Otai. Delicious! Dinner was followed by some special dance performances. Members of the Polynesian Cultural Center played and did some traditional dances, topped off by my personal favorites, the Slap Dance and the Fire Dance. It was a wonderful afternoon and evening. The only thing that could have made it better would have been to have my Samoan family members all with me. Talofa!

Here's a few photos of the fruits of my gardening labors.  My tomatoes are starting to ripen - I have had some of the Chadwick Cherries and the Yellow Cherries so far, and they've been very tasty. The strawberries are blooming again and I may end up with a few more before the summer's over.  My paprika pepper looks to be doing very well, and despite my best efforts to kill my zucchini plant, I may end up with a zucchini after all!

According to the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, today would have been Oscar's 118th birthday. And in his honor, they posted this totally fun Word Search on FB, dedicated to all the shows he ever wrote for. Loved it!  And I only needed help with 3 or 4 of the clues, which I consider to be not bad at all. Because really, unless you're an uber-R&H Geek, who's ever heard of "Allegro" or "Pipe Dream" anyway?

Since Independence Day fell on Thursday this year, I thought it would be fun to take an extra day off and have a long weekend and a little relaxing fun.  Although I didn't do much of anything on the big day, I did fill it with plenty of Major League Baseball, and I started and finished the latest Sue Grafton Book. Oh - and I cooked myself some bratwurst, because Independence Day should always include bratwurst. Friday Fun Friday morning I had an interior designer come in to talk about taking down the vertical blinds that hang over the sliding glass door.  Although I did have fun dreaming and choosing cool draperies, the estimate was a ridiculously large amount.  Needless to say, I won't be using that company. After a quick lunch, I got myself down to the Jordan River Temple for an endowment session.  Although I was glad to get there, let's just say that I was not the sharpest tool in the shed.  I forgot some things, did some things out of order that I ...

A friend of mine posted a great recipe on Facebook, and tonight I made it, with some minor adjustments, and I just have to say - it was KILLER!  It's a recipe for homemade Orange Creamsicles.  I just so happen to be a connoisseur of Orange Creamsicles, so of course, this one peaked my interest.  Plus it was super-easy, and only called for 5 ingredients.   Word to the wise: This is a vegan version, meaning non-dairy.  So although it's not quite as creamy as regular ice cream, you can give it a creamier texture using the coconut milk. Homemade Orange Creamsicles 1 c. Orange Juice 1 c. Coconut Milk (canned works fine, but you can also use the kind in the carton) 3 T. Honey 1/4 t. Orange Extract 1/2 t. Vanilla Note that this recipe was for creamsicles.  However, since I don't have any popsicle molds, or sticks on hand, I adjusted and just did it in one whole batch, which I then froze in a large plastic container.