Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Drum Roll Please.....

Introducing the Lethbridge 9th ward Relief Society recipe blog. These recipes are the tried and true favorites from other sisters from our ward. Once a month we will be meeting for a recipe group, this will give us a chance to share some family favorites as well as pick up some new ideas.
Our first meeting was in October. The food was so yummy and the company was even better. When we started the blog I thought that I would be able to write a little thought on each of the items but how many different ways can you say yummy? So if you are looking for something new to wow your family with check out the blog at

http://leth9thwardrecipes.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned for announcement for next months recipe group date and times.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Tick..Tock...

Eekkk...this is it. Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for Super Saturday projects. We will have the projects on display tomorrow at church or you can check out the photos here.. http://leth9thrs.blogspot.com/2009/09/super-saturday.html

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Tomorrow is the night!!

That is right tomorrow is the first recipe club. We are meeting at Cara's house at 7:00. Just bring a small sample of one of your family's favorite dishes and the recipe. We will try all the different things and the recipes will be collected to make a 9th ward relief society recipe book for the 2010 super saturday. Also we will have the super saturday projects displayed, this will be one of the last times that you will be able to take a peek and sign up. Remember Sunday is the deadline! If you need the address or directions just leave a message and I will be sure to call you. Hope to see you there.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Oven in a bucket

Okay here is the long promised information of the oven in a bucket. I tried it out this past week and for the right things this is a great idea to have for emergency preparedness. So this is what I learned...
The main way that I can see that this stove would be useful is to be used with your 72 hour kit or camping. The bucket has essentially a penny stove inside. To make the stove work you pour a small amount of denatured alcohol (not included) into the little penny stove, start it and put the pot on top. The idea is that by the time whatever is in your pot is brought to temperature the fuel will run out. And then you put the lid on the bucket and it will retain it's heat for several hours. This would allow for you to cook items, such as beans that require a long cooking time. But in the winds around here is could be useful just for heating water. I can see that it would be useful if you kept a bottle of denatured alcohol in the bucket and a pot near by you could take this item with you if you had to leave your house in a hurry and then you would have a stove to cook whatever you have in your 72 hour kits. However, you have to have the right pot to make it work. What I mean is that it needs to fill as much of the space as possible. If it doesn't fill enough of the space than the bucket won't hold it's heat properly, these means that you wouldn't be able to cook anything that takes an extended period of time to cook. I tried to compare the ability of both the wonder box from last year and the bucket from this year and without the right size pot the wonder box held it's heat better hands down. The advantage of the oven in a bucket is that it requires no addition outside heat source. The oven in a bucket, (with the right pot) is great for things that are done outside of your house.
Also it should be noted that the oven in a bucket will take AT LEAST AN HOUR, possibly two to make. So if you are planning to make it please remember that if you are signing up for any other classes.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Up coming Events for October

New Relief Society Group - Our new recipe club will meet at Cara H.'s house on Thursday October 15th at 7:00. The idea of the group is a forum to share our families tried and true recipes. The recipes that are collected will be used to make a 9th ward relief society cook book for the 2010 Super Saturday. Bring a small amount of your dish and the recipe and come and have a laid back evening out.

Temple Trip - The relief society is planning a temple trip for Wednesday 21st. Please meet at the church at 5:00pm to be able to attend the 6:30 session.

Book Club - This month reading selection is "As the ward turns" By Joni Hilton. We will be meeting at Skye C.'s house on October 29th at 8:00 pm.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Canning other stuff...

Okay so something that sounds really fun is canning other items in the #10 cans for gifts. Some examples that I have heard are baby gifts, family home evening in a can, teenager winter preparedness kits for their car, the options are endless. So be creative, have fun and come out and see us on Saturday November 7th.

(Just remember items like candy or granola bars don't have extended life because they are canned, but they would be fun to open in a few months with your kids).

Dry Pack Canning at Super Saturday

Alright here is some of the long awaited information for Super Saturday. We have arranged to have the church’s dry pack canning machine on Saturday. We are hoping that this will help the families get some of there food storage items organized and properly sealed etc.
Some items are not recommended for dry pack canning as they either have too high of a moisture content or are items that should be rotated more frequently and therefore would be better off in another type of container.
The items that are not recommended for dry pack canning are as follows:
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Bouillon
Brown Rice
Brown Sugar
Chewy dehydrated fruit
Cornmeal
Dried Eggs
Dried Meat
Granola
Raisins
Milled grain cereal
Mixes containing leavening (such as pancake or biscuit mix)
Nuts (roasted or raw)
Oil
Pearled Barley
Salt
Spices
Whole wheat flour
Yeast

The cans need to be ordered in advance, so here is a general idea of what would fill a can.

10 kg of rice should fill 3.9 cans.
10 kg of flour should fill 4.6 cans.
10 kg of sugar should fill 3.6 cans.

It should be noted that the canner is available to be borrowed by families as well, so if you are unable to participate on Super Saturday you would still be able to can some of your products from home. No products are allowed into the cannery and so this is a good way to seal any items that you may have.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Ward Adult Game Night

Get a babysitter, grab your favorite game and a snack and meet us on Friday night (Oct. 9th) at 7:00 at the church. Ward game night promises to be a fun night out. Hope to see you there.

Monday, October 5, 2009

October Presidency Message...

In April 1992, President Monson gave a talk called "An Attitude of Gratitude." He first summarized the story from Luke 17 of the 10 lepers who begged to be healed. Jesus told them to go to the priests and it recounts that when they did, their disease was taken away. One of the lepers, a Samaritan, was so grateful that he fell down and glorified God. Jesus wondered what happened to the other nine.
Pres. Monson states, "Through divine intervention, those who were lepers were spared from a cruel, lingering death and given a new lease on life. The expressed gratitude by one merited the Master’s blessing, the ingratitude shown by the nine, His disappointment. Like the leprosy of yesteryear are the plagues of today. They linger; they debilitate; they destroy. They are to be found everywhere. Their pervasiveness knows no boundaries. We know them as selfishness, greed, indulgence, cruelty, and crime, to identify but a few. Surfeited with their poison, we tend to criticize, to complain, to blame, and, slowly but surely, to abandon the positives and adopt the negatives of life."
He further encourages us; "We can lift ourselves and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. He reminds us of that "favourite hymn (which) always lifts
our spirits, kindles our faith, and inspires our thoughts:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done... So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end."
President Monson highlights 6 things for which we should especially be grateful: mothers, fathers, teachers, friends, our country, and most importantly, our Saviour. He concludes by advising us; "Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude. My sincere prayer is that we may, in our individual lives, reflect that marvellous virtue: an attitude of gratitude."
During this Thanksgiving season, we encourage all of our 9th Ward sisters to think about and contemplate this message. Each of us can ask ourselves: When we are blessed are we like the one; or, like the nine? May we always be ever grateful for ALL of our many blessings!!
We are most thankful for how you, the sisters, bless and sustain us!
Love, Margaret, Tara, Kristin and Marie