Sheri Dew quotes

I just came across a bunch of quotes from Sherie Dew. Her book "No Doubt About It" is one of my favorites. I need to read "God Wants a Powerful People". I'm sure it's a good one.


"There is one thing the power of God and the power of Satan have in common: Neither can influence us unless we allow them to."
— Sheri L. Dew (God Wants a Powerful People)


"We no longer have the luxury of spending our energy on anything that does not lead us and our families to Christ."
— Sheri L. Dew

"Everything that's important - you can take with you."
— Sheri L. Dew (God Wants a Powerful People)

Very Low Fat Stawberry Cheesecake Trifle

My mom made this for my birthday "cake" on Sunday and it was SOOOOO good. You have to try it! This is the perfect dessert for summertime. It's delicious, and I love that it's so pretty. Definitely a keeper!

Very Low-Fat Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle
2 8 oz packages fat free cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 8 oz. carton fat-free whipped topping
1 large angel-food cake, cut into 1-inch squares
1/4 cup sugar
4 pints strawberries, sliced

Directions: Beat cream cheese, vanilla & powered sugar. Stir in yogurt, then fold in the whipped topping. Add cake cubes to cream mixture and toss lightly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over strawberries, stir gently. Layer cake and strawberries in trifle bowl, starting and ending with strawberries. Serves 12.

Sneak peak

Here's a sneak peak of Sienna's pics from earlier this week. My friend Emily does such an amazing job. Check out her blog at http://www.evandykephotography.blogspot.com/
I can't wait to see the rest!

Mexican Gourmet Club

My good friend Kim & I hosted our Gourmet Club this month. It was tons of work, but all in all, it turned out really well. It was our first time hosting one, so we learned a lot in the process (like to not do Mexican food, where every dish requires tons of garnishing!). Anyway, we found some great recipes, so I thought I'd share the menu.

Appetizers:

Brie Quesadillas with Fresh Fruit Salsa (these have candied pecans in them! SOOO good!)

Avacado Salsa

Cumin-Dusted Tortilla Chips

Lola’s Horchata

Chipotle Hummus


Drink:

Kiwi Lime Margarita


Salad:

Mexican Chop Salad with Cream Tomatillo Salad Dressing


Soup:

Southwest Corn & Chicken Soup


Main Course:

Tomatillo Pork Fajitas

Lime-Cilantro Rice with toasted pine nuts

Mexican Fruit Medley drizzled with lime & honey


Dessert:

Faux Fried Ice Cream with Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce


Take home gift/dessert:

Dulce De Leche Bars


You can check our blog for all the recipes. www.slcgourmetgals.blogspot.com


Here's a few pictures of the evening.








It was fun to see it all come together, but will say that I'm glad that we don't have to do it again until next May! It's much more fun to just sit and enjoy a fabulous dinner, while someone else is doing all the work! :)

Great Quote

I have this quote on my fridge. I love it, so I thought I'd share it.

"YOU WILL COME TO KNOW THAT WITHOUT HIS HELP YOU ARE INDEED WEAK AND SIMPLE, BUT THAT WITH HIS HELP YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH MIRACLES."
-GORDON B. HINCKLEY

Brie Quesadillas with Fresh Fruit Salsa

We made these for our gourmet club the other night and they are incredible. Really, the kind of food that you dream about. They are delicious and pretty easy. The quesadillas themselves are easy, it's just a little time-consuming to chop up everything for the fruit salsa and to candy the pecans. It would be extremely selfish if I kept a recipe like this all to myself, so here it is.

Brie Quesadillas with Fresh Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:
1 pound brie cheese, well chilled
12 5- or 6-inch flour tortillas
1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed
1/2 cup candied walnuts (recipe follows)
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups fresh fruit salsa (recipe follows)

Candied Walnuts/Pecans
(Makes about 1 cup)
1 cup walnut/pecans pieces
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Fresh Fruit Salsa
(Makes about 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup diced mango (about 1 medium mango)
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1//4 pepper)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/2 serrano chile, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, seasoned or plain, or to taste
Juice of one lime
Sprinkle of salt, or to taste

Directions:
Cut the rind off the sides of the Brie and cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay 6 of the tortillas out on a clean work surface. Divide the Brie and Candied Walnuts evenly among the tortillas and place 4 to 6 sprigs of cilantro on each. Place the remaining tortillas on top to enclose the filling. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

Heat a flat griddle over medium-high heat. Spray the griddle lightly with nonstick cooking spray and cook the quesadillas, turning once, until they are slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Place them on a cutting board and allow them to set up for a minute or two before cutting each into 8 wedges. Serve with Fresh Fruit Salsa.

Candied Walnuts/Pecans: In a bowl, toss the nuts with the maple syrup to coat. Place the nuts on a foil-lined sheet and bake them at 300°F for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring several times, until they are lightly browned and the syrup has reduced to a glaze. Allow them to cool slightly, then remove them from the foil and store them in an airtight container until ready to serve, or for up to 2 weeks.

Fresh Fruit Salsa: In a nonreactive mixing bowl, gently mix all salsa ingredients. Check the seasoning, adding sugar, vinegar, or salt to taste. Chill for no more than 1 hour and serve with Brie Quesadillas. (FYI, I always double the salsa recipe)
It is important to chop all the salsa ingredients the same size-about 1/2 inch square-so that each bite will have the right balance of flavors. Ingredients for the salsa may be prepped ahead, but don't mix them together more than an hour before serving, or the acid in the pineapple will soften the delicate mango. The recipe for Candied Walnuts will make more than you need, but the extras are great to have on hand to sprinkle on salads and desserts. Serves 6

Gourmet Pizza Night

A couple of weekends ago Dan and I got together with Sarah & Jon Hoagland (& the rugrats) for a gourmet pizza night. It was really fun. I'll post the recipe as soon as I get a copy of it. You make one big batch of pizza dough, which is enough to make 6ish little pizzas. You just get all your favorite toppings and then make the pizzas one at a time and eat them as you go. Here's a few pics of the process. They were really delicious, but the pictures really don't do them justice. We made a margarita pizza, alfredo, meat-lovers, everything & a dessert pizza. Thanks Hoaglands for a fun night!

Here's Sarah showing Dan the ropes

Can I tell you that although the dessert pizza photo makes it look kind of nasty, it was SOOO amazing! How could it not be? It was a yummy pizza dough topped with layers of cream cheese, nutella, mozzarella cheese, & butterscotch chips. After you bake the crust, you top it with bananas & whip cream. SOOOO tasty!

My happy girl. Seriously, this girl is so happy!

Avery with a rootbeer buzz



Hoagland Fam

Cute little Maddie

Me & Sarah


Maddie & Jon

Sienna not sure if she loves potato puffs. I think she might have preferred the dessert pizza.

A few shout-outs...

I have quite a few friends who have put their talents to good use and have amazing blogs to show for it! So, take a few minutes and peruse (great word, huh?) the follow websites/blogs. Enjoy! (I know I do!)

http://operationgrom.bigcartel.com/ Baby & kids t-shirts (surfer-type)
http://myneckcandy.blogspot.com/ Jewelry
http://www.evandykephotography.blogspot.com/ Photography
http://www.createdbymom.com/category_s/38.htm Baby accessories
http://miamoodesigns.blogspot.com/ Baby accessories, burp clothes & more
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5779835 Jewelry
http://www.sayanythingexpressions.com/ Vinyl Lettering
http://www.pinklemonadeproducts.com/ Nursing covers, wraps, slings & more
http://www.babadooboutique.blogspot.com/ Baby tutu's, shoes, hairbows & more
http://suburbanheresy.blogspot.com/ Beauty blog (hair, makeup tips)
http://skinnyhabits.blogspot.com/ Weightloss, recipes, healthy lifestyle, etc...
http://sherrieshepherdpiano.blogspot.com/ Piano music

Easter Weekend

I know I need to post recent pictures, but I just haven't had much free time lately. We took some cute pictures this weekend, so I promise I'll post them soon. She's getting so big. I still can't believe she's almost 8 months old. Time sure does fly! Here's a little sneak peak of a couple favorites...

Great Quote

General Conference was great (www.lds.org). I just love feeling spiritually rejuvenated. General Conference always come at the perfect time for me--when I'm slacking on my spirituality and when I don't seem to have my priorities in line. I want to write more of my thoughts when I have more time, but I just wanted to share a great quote. It's by Mother Teresa and says

"We can not do great things, only small things with great love."

LOVE that! Ok, that's all. I'll write more later. And I'll post some new pics of the rugrat, since that's what all of you want to see anyway! ;) I can't believe she's nearly 8 months old. She's doing great--especially now that's she's better. She had a rough week (which meant we all had a rough week) with a nasty virus, broke out in hives and had an ear infection. My baby girl did not smile for 2 days straight. It was so sad! The only good thing about it was how cuddly she was. Now, if I could just get better, the Dixon's would be in great shape! Stay tuned...