Cheney Family Cruise - Alaska 2009

Not only have I plastered photos of our recent Alaskan cruise all over facebook, I look at them at least twelve times a day. It was a great little escape for Dana and I and I don't regret AT ALL leaving the kids home.

A few months ago, when my four brothers planned this trip (in place of our 2009 Cheney Family Reunion), we Drakes decided we weren't going to make it. It just happened to fall the same week as Jessie's River Trip and Daniel's High Adventure; Jennie would be working hard to earn college tuition and couldn't really take time off; I wasn't thrilled about going somewhere "FREEZING COLD" and it simply wasn't part of our financial plans this year to fly the family to Anchorage. About three weeks before the cruise, we (I) decided that we (I) couldn't stand to miss out. A light bulb went on and a completely novel idea emerged..."LET'S GO WITHOUT THE KIDS!" Thankfully there was still room on the ship. I reserved a cabin, booked our flights, and started packing...oh, and I told Dana our plans.

One of my favorite things was walking up to my sister-in-law, Lisa, on the ship and saying "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" We had a blast watching facial expressions as we surprised each of them one by one. They were totally blown away.

Entering beautiful Glacier Bay National Park.

Formal Dining

Our ship at port in Juneau.

Ideal weather...no jacket necessary!

Juneau--Alaska's capital city.

Shopping in Skagway.

Another night at dinner.

Our eHarmony.com brochure photo. (Ha!)

One Every Once in a While

So, they say that once you have your basics in food storage like wheat, rice, beans, and oats (which you could technically survive on, but which are not fun to eat for long periods of time in and of themselves) you can begin to add a few items that will expand your storage and add variety and flavor. Can you imagine the comfort and relief chocolate chip cookies will deliver if you are quarantined within the walls of your home during a global pandemic? Three must- haves for food storage baking are:

powdered eggs, ...

powdered butter,...

...and of course, my home-sealed Chocolate Chips!

Use your own favorite cookie recipes. You don't have to reconstitute the eggs or the butter, just add them to your dry ingredients and then increase the liquids according to directions on the can.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (FOOD STORAGE STYLE)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter flavored shortening

1/3 cup powdered butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. whole powdered eggs

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1-2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside. Cream sugars, shortening and butter, add vanilla and water. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop by tablespoon onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until beginning to brown around the edges. Cool slightly before taking from cookie sheet. Enjoy warm with an ice cold glass of milk. :)

One Every Wednesday

So, I'm thinking I should maybe call it "One Every Once in a While" instead. :)

Happy Mothers' Day!

(Before playing video, turn up your volume and pause background music

at very bottom of blog. )

Where the heck is Kyoto?

David has been transferred! He is now in Kyoto, Japan serving with the Zone Leader, Elder Williamson. This is what he had to say about his new comp:

"My companion is an absolute stud. I wanted him before transfers and I got him. His name is Elder Williamson. (Looks like Owen Wilson and his voice resembles him even more.) He's a convert (at age 12). From Iowa. Ran Cross country in high school (4th in the state of Iowa!) and runs with me every morning! He's also an incredible missionary. His Japanese is hands down best in the mission among americans because he spent six years before the mission studying it (including a year at BYU) and had a ton of Japanese friends. I will become a better missionary because of his example."

We are so grateful that David is enjoying his companionship and the work. I will get to talk to him on Sunday for Mothers' Day and I can't wait! Here are some shots of his new area:

This observation tower is the tallest structure in Kyoto.

Kyoto is beautiful in the Springtime (Toji Temple) ...

...and gorgeous in the fall.

Bamboo Path with "killer size" bamboo!

Somewhere in Kyoto.

Somewhere else in Kyoto.

Gion Matsuri (Festival): Women in kimonos at food stand.

One Every Wednesday

I made this dish yesterday--pulled it out of the oven just as I was heading out the door to a meeting. Later, when I got  home, half (I'm not exaggerating here, folks--we're talkin' a full 50%) of it was gone. No one had been home except for my husband! When I asked him what happened to the Shepherd's Pie, he simply responded, "I was hungry." You know what that means? DING! DING! DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!

SHEPHERD'S PIE (FOOD STORAGE STYLE)

Ingredients:

2 cups ground beef, drained (I canned this myself in pint-sized mason jars.  See:  Canning Meat.  Who knew you could do this?  It's perfect for tacos, sloppy joes, casseroles, and recipes like this one.  It's good for up to three years on the shelf and tastes great!)

1/2 cup dry minced onion 

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 cup canned carrots

1/4 cup canned peas

1/4 cup canned grean beans

1/4 cup canned corn

1 package brown gravy mix prepared with 1 cup water

2 cups mashed potatoes (made from 1 cup potato pearls and 2 cups water)

1/2 cup freeze dried shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  (This recipe can also be warmed in a solar oven if no power is available.) Make gravy according to package directions. Combine all ingredients except potatoes and put in baking dish. Prepare mashed potatoes by adding pearls to boiling water.  Plop servings of mashed potatoes on top of meat and vegetable mixture (I use a Pampered Chef's "Easy Accent Decorator" 'cause it looks pretty!). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Cooks Note:

If you have a can of mixed vegetables, that would definitely be better than 1/4 cup out of four different cans (corn, green beans, carrots, and peas).  I didn't have any on hand so I'll be adding a case of that to my food storage specifically for this recipe. 

  This is a pic of some ground beef I have canned.  I know...it looks like some kind of science experiment, but I'm telling you...it's AWESOME!  Just to know that we can have REAL MEAT in our food storage instead of some funky TVP stuff makes me giddy!  It's so easy to do too.  You gotta' try it!

Just Married

My nephew, Jonathan (Craig's oldest and only son), married Heather Elise Sampson last Friday in the Houston, Texas LDS temple. I attended the sealing ceremony that morning where they were married "for time and all eternity"; it was a simple and beautiful wedding. Afterwards, photographs of the wedding party, family, and friends were taken on the temple grounds. For the wedding luncheon, Craig treated us all to a huge meal at Pappasito's Cantina. That evening, a lovely reception was held in their honor at the Avalon on the lakefront. The weather was ideal--warm with a light breeze. It was a beautiful day.

Welcome to the family, Heather!

A beautiful day at the temple.

Jon with his four sisters: Jessie, Kristi, Kelly, and Katie.

Jon with his handsome groomsmen and college roommates.

One of the bridesmaids enjoying a moment with the guys.

My niece Kristen lets her little guy cool off in the fountain.

Lunch at Pappasito's.

Delicious food and so much of it!

Craig brings tears to everyone's eyes as he expresses love for his son.

Jon takes the mic.

We're married!

Jon is a gifted musician and simply amazing on the piano. To hear samples of his original work, google Jonathan Cheney or click here.