bill and rosi---do over of last week

May 22, 2012  --   Small Plates of Grandma Rosi #5

Hello Family,

I went walking this morning and this is what I sang:

Blue skies smiling at me

Nothing but blue skies do I see

Bluebirds singing a song

Nothing but bluebirds all day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright

Never saw things going so right

Noticing the days hurrying by

When you're in love, my, how they fly

Bing Crosby use to sing this song.   A happy, pleasant, positive tune with lyrics.   Our sky was so blue, not a cloud (or difficulty) in it.

This week's recipe:

Lorraine's Spaghetti

This is Grandma Mathews recipe for her famous spaghetti.  In the past two weeks I have made two batches and both have been applauded.  I thought I should pass it along before I forget what I did.  (Other famous dishes prepared by Lorraine includes potato salad, applesauce cake and fried rabbit.   I think that I will pass on the rabbit, but if you'd really like it, I will give it a try.)

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained of fat

26.5 oz  Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce   (mushroom or traditional is best)

1 small can tomato sauce

minced, dried, onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic  (I like the type that you buy in a jar and keep in the fridge)

about 2 teaspoons Oregano

1 teaspoon basil

2-3 tablespoons of pickling spice and add some crushed red pepper (both are found in the  spice area of your grocery store)

         Pour pickling spice and crushed red pepper into the center of a circle of cheese cloth.  gather up the edges and tie off the spices with an elastic.  Trim off excess   

         fabric with scissors.  (This is what makes Lorraine's spaghetti unique.  Just can leave it out.)

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and stir.   Cook on low for about 4 hours.  Combine cooked spaghetti noodles with sauce and serve.

Word of the week:

Toxic:  poisonous; many things can be poisonous including foods and relationships.  

Saturday Dad and I went with old friends from the Reno area up to the Huntsman Cancer Center to visit our mutual friends, Reneal and Bob Trimble.  Our friend's names are Lizanne and Orson Huntsman.  (Distant relation to John Huntsman.) I want to tell you a story about our early friendship with these folks.

Grandma Rosi and Wasps

As a young girl, I was always afraid of wasps and their relatives.  Early on, if a wasp came into our house, I would leave.  One time, while in school at Utah State, I was driving and a wasp flew in the window.  I stopped the car in the middle of the road and ran.  Once I married Grandpa he gradually convinced me that wasps were not so dangerous and that if I would stay calm they would leave me alone.  So.....   One weekend we went to the Sierra Nevadas with the Huntsmans to go fishing.  (Lizanne is a real fisherwoman.  Rosi is not. Orson and I went along for the ride.)  We woke early to a beautiful morning filled with wasps.  As we ate our pancakes, the wasps would gather on our plates in the syrup.  I was such a good girl.  I remained calm, kept eating and felt pretty good about myself.  Well, after breakfast, we got ready to go fishin'.  Loaded with gear we walked out of camp prepared for a fun day.  Bill led the way as we crossed over the shallow river on a log.  Unbeknownst to all of us, Bill stepped into a yellow jackets nest hidden in the hollow of the log and really stirred them up.  Well, instead of attacking him, they came after me as I was right behind him.  First they attacked my face and I would swat at them until I could feel them stinging and biting me through my jeans, then I started slapping my legs.  Then back and forth... face, legs, face, legs.   Bill was there trying to help me but it was a battle and the yellow jackets were winning.   Finally Lizanne came for us as she had spotted a deep area in the river.  Bill quickly led me there and I went under the water. Needless to say our trip was cut short and we came home.  I had many bites as well as stings and my fear of wasps still remains (but honestly, it is not as bad as it use to be.)  So that is some of the history between the Huntsmans and the Mathews.  

We had a very nice day yesterday and were able to spend quality time with Bob and Reneal.  She is so ill and so brave.  Wow, it makes all of us appreciate our good health.  We came home from Salt Lake and ate Grandma Mathews' spaghetti.  Hmmmm good.

Becky and Adam, these are our friends that live in Spring City.  I am sure that you remember our fun visit there.  We showed them Adam's glass ware and they raved.  (I served them water in the glasses.) 

It has been another busy but productive week.  Dad is working daily indexing names in Family Search.   I continue to work busily at school.   A concert on Thursday evening went well.  My final concert of the year is this next Tuesday.  (May 22) It looks like we will be going to New York this next school year with a performance at Carnegie Hall.  It is very exciting.  The parent helpers are driving me crazy.  They are so ambitious and want to raise money for all students to go.  They are wearing me out, but I know that they mean well.

Yesterday (Saturday) in the morning I was in charge of a skit for our Visiting Teaching Celebration.   It was adorable.  I was given the script.  My only job was to direct it.  We had six women who were ants"  Obedi "ant", Dilig "ant", Persist "ant", Serv "ant" and more.  They were dressed all in black and had antenna with red hearts on the end of the antenna.   Four of the women were 80 years old or more.  I had them marching and acting beyond their own belief....cute, cute, cute.  It was fun and it was nice to be contributing.

Love you guys.   

Note:  Dixie is having her gall badder removed tomorrow.  Keep her in your prayers.  

Second note:  Dad's 70th birthday is the weekend of Roderick's graduation.  Do you think that we could celebrate while in Las Vegas?  Can you think of something fun to do?

Mom