Strawberry Shortcake No-Bake Icebox Cake

Strawberry Shortcake No-Bake Ice Box Cake
 8-10 graham crackers 
2 cups heavy cream 
1/4 cup granulated sugar 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
 1 pound fresh strawberries, cut into ¼’s
 2 cups powdered sugar
 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
 1/4 teaspoon salt 
Reserve a handful of strawberries for garnishing the top of the cake.  

Place the remaining strawberries in a large bowl.  Sprinkle granulated sugar over top.  Stir to combine and allow to sit. 

In a tall bowl whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until you can start to see a trail of the mixer through the cream.  Add vanilla and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form.  (In other words when you turn off the blender and lift the beaters out of the cream, the cream stand up on the end of the beater).  Set aside. 

 Line a 9 x 5-inch baking dish with plastic wrap.   Layer 1/3 of whipped cream into dish.  Spoon ½ of strawberries and half of juice on top of whipped cream, evenly.  Top with a layer of graham crackers, breaking them if necessary to make them fit.  

Then add another 1/3 of whipped cream, smoothing out evenly.  Add the remaining strawberries and juice evenly over the whipped cream.  Top with a layer of graham crackers, breaking them if necessary to make them fit.  Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours.

 Meanwhile, add shortening, salt and remaining powdered sugar to remaining whipped cream.  Whip until it comes together. 

Remove cake from freezer, invert pan onto a plate.  Frost with whipped cream and sprinkle remaining strawberries on top.  Freeze until ready to serve.  Run your knife under hot water to warm the knife.  Dry if necessary, cut cake.  The knife should slide through the cake more easily.  Repeat as necessary.
 Serve and enjoy! -

RS Birthday Celebration

A great big thank you goes out to all of those who helped us pull off the best attended Relief Society Meeting ever!!!  Bonnie Lewis, Jayne Hoyt, Genine Rowley and the Relief Society Presidency made this event a beautiful night.

We started off the evening with a wonderful meal of Cafe Rio Style Salads.  All enjoyed their meal, while visiting with each other.  The highlight of the meal was topping it off with Zeppes, Green Apple Italian ice topped with creamy custard.  My favorite, I have to say.

Jayne Hoyt, gave a beautiful talk on friendship.  She related her own personal story of friendship, touching the hearts of all there.  Thank you, Jayne, for sharing such a tender story.

We then had a fun game of friendship, speed style.  It was so fun to watch how awkward everyone was at first, and how they tried to rush through the questions.  Then you had some of the Sisters change seats, and the laughing began.  With each switch, the room got louder and the laughter increased.  At the end of the game, new friends were found and they found out a lot about each other that they didn't know.

Thank you to all that support us on our Wednesday Meetings.  We certainly try to do something to benefit the Women in our Ward, we can never find an idea that interests everyone, but we appreciate your support.  Please watch for our next activity.  It will be from our Self Reliance Committee, and these are alway fun.

I love all of you silly girls.  Have a fabulous week!!

A Yummy Recipe

Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips with Creamy Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce (Makes 16 strips, serves 2-4) Ingredients: • Vegetable oil for frying 2 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless), sliced length-wise into 4 strips, then those strips sliced length-wise in half, making a total of 8 strips per breast • Pinch curry powder • Salt • Pepper • Pinch cayenne pepper ½ cup flour 2 eggs 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut 1 tablespoon chives, finely minced • Creamy, Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce (recipe below) Preparation: -Begin by filling a medium-sized pot about half-way with the vegetable oil (roughly 6-8 cups), and bring the temperature of the oil slowly up to 350° while you prepare the strips. -Place the chicken strips into a bowl, and add the pinch of curry powder, a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper, to the strips; toss the strips to coat them in the seasoning, and set them aside for a moment. -Set up your “coating” station by putting the flour, along with another couple of pinches of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, into a medium-sized bowl and blending to combine; put the eggs into another medium-sized bowl and beat them, and put the sweetened shredded coconut into another medium-sized bowl; to coat the chicken strips, dredge one strip at a time into the seasoned flour and coat it well; next, dip it into the beaten eggs, and then into the shredded coconut; press the strips into the coconut very well to coat them thoroughly, and place the coated strips onto a plate to hold until all strips have been coated. -To fry the strips, work in batches by adding about 4-5 strips into the hot oil, and allow them to fry for about 1 ½ – 2 minutes, moving them very gently with tongs every now and then, until they are a deep, golden color; remove from oil and place onto a paper towel-lined platter to drain, and sprinkle each batch with a pinch of salt and pepper while they're still hot; repeat the process until all strips have been fried. -Serve the strips hot, garnished with a sprinkle of the minced chives and a side of the Creamy, Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce. Creamy Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce ingredients: ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup frozen mango chunks, thawed 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves 1 tablespoon honey • Pinch (small) curry powder 3-4 drops Sriracha sauce (add more if you like it a bit more spicy) ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice Preparation: -Add all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and process until completely combined and well-blended; serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a couple of days.

These are sweet treats!  Check out these easy heart shaped mini cherry pies. They are a great treat for dessert, a gift for the teacher, or something sweet as an afternoon snack. This recipe is SIMPLE using a refrigerated pie crust! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 box Refrigerated Pie Crust
• 11 oz Cherry Pie Filling
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Milk
• White Sparkling Sugar
• Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Using a 3 to 4″ heart shaped cookie cutter, you should get 8-10 pies from 1 box of crusts.
3. Cut as many shapes as you can get re-rolling scraps as needed.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Mix together egg and milk to make an egg wash.
6. Place half of the hearts on prepared pan(s).
7. Use egg wash to wet the edges of the hearts.
8. Place a small amount of the pie filling in the center of each.
9. Make a small x cut in the center of the remaining half of the hearts.
10. Place an x heart on top of each filled heart and press and crimp edges.
11. Brush sealed pie with egg wash and dust with sparkling sugar.
12. Bake for 14-16 minutes until crust is browned.
13. Allow to cool.

Upcoming RS Event

After I did my lesson, I had a few of the Sister's ask about the frame I used.  Many of you seemed interested in making a frame of your own, so guess what?  After you have so generously donate your collected pocket change for the Switchpoint shelves, you will have that opportunity. Our February RS meeting will be your chance to paint your very own.  I have researched the cost, and it will $15.00, this will cover everything.  We will have the talents of Carol Burgess on how to paint them and make them have the rustic charm you want.  Please let me know asap if you are interested.  We will need to assemble these, so we need some lead time.  Don't fret though, if you aren't interested in doing a frame, you can come and work on a humanitarian quilt.  Our monthly activities have certainly turned into quite a social event.  We always allow plenty of time for visiting and sisterhood.  Be sure to spread the word.  This event will be on February 17th at 6:30.  I'm sure we will have a good and possibly prizes!!!  I can't even express my gratitude to all of the support we receive, if you haven't been to one of our meetings, you really need to check it out.  We have so much fun!!!  Love you and be sure to let me know if you want to do a frame.

Here's to a Year of Miracles!

Sister's, I am excited to share the upcoming year with each of you.  We will be welcoming new Sister's to our little flock and, hopefully, not saying goodbye to any.  We are finally experiencing winter storms to replenish our water supply.  So our gardens should prosper this summer.  Don't forget our activity on Wednesday, January 20th, on garden boxes and how to do your own starts.  This will be a hands on class, taught by Ada Cox from 6th Ward.  She is an amazing lady, that make everything pertaining to self reliance seem fascinating!  A real sweetheart.  There will be a delicious garden dessert, and of course prizes for the gardner.  It will be at 6:30 in the Young Women's Room.  Bring someone that hasn't been in a while, I'm sure they will love this class.
In keeping with a year of miracles, I wanted to share a recipe, that is sure to amaze you!

COME HOME TO A FABULOUS MEAL - SUPER SIMPLE!!!!!

heart emoticon MIRACLE CROCKPOT MEATLOAF heart emoticon 

INGREDIENTS

2lbs extra lean ground beef
1lbs pork sausage
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1 cup cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion diced

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients in large bowl and mix until well combined. Spray the inside of your crockpot with pam spray. Place meat mixture in crocpot forming a "loaf". Wrap potatoes in foil and place around meatloaf, as pictured.

Set your crockpot to low for 8-10 hours.



Enjoy!  Love you, Connee

Christmas Message

As I am recovering from the Christmas Parties, I am reflecting on the past year.  I have been so blessed to serve the Sister's of the Bloomington 2nd Ward.  I am so grateful for each of you, and consider you each my family.  I have had such a great time trying to think of ways to pamper each of you and make you feel special.  I know I have not been the greatest at all times, but all I can do is my best.  I have been so blessed, personally, over the past year.  I have seen my baby girl move across the world and gain a stronger testimony of her Savior.  We have lost two special Sister's in the past months.  Sister Shirley Johnson, who I had the privilege to Visit Teach years ago.  I grew so close to her and Foster, and thought of her as a second mother.  Then, Sister Linda Cottam, who recently passed.  She has been ill since moving in, so we really didn't get a chance to know her for the vibrant women she was.  It makes me sad to lose these two Sister's and they will surely be missed.  We have grown as a Relief Society, with the many Sister's who have moved into River Stone.  Then in one swoop, lost so many Sister's when the ward was split.  I survived the Youth Trek to Martin's Cove, and witnessed the strength of my husband, as he led this great event.  It was at that time, I was aware he would be in the next Stake Presidency.  So, it was no surprise when he received this great call.  I have put on many a party, as you know, and tried my best to make them memorable.  My love for each of you has grown, as I have served.  My only hope is that each of you find peace in this Christmas Season.  I hope you have all of the hustle and bustle behind you, so you can focus on your Families and mostly you Savior.  I love each of you and look forward to 2016 being another great year.  Connee