I had a fantastically fun Pampered Chef party last night! Thanks to all the ladies who could make it. Here are the recipes that Shelly fixed for us.
Also, if you weren't able to come but you would like to place an order, go to www.pamperedchef.biz/shellynelsen. Just enter my name as the hostess and I will get credit for your order! The party closing date is 2/18.
Enjoy!
Colossal Chopped Salad
1 package uncooked penne or bowtie pasta (12-16 oz)
1 head romaine lettuce - thinly sliced
1 cup fresh broccoli - chopped
1 large carrot - cut into julienne strips
2 tomatoes - sliced or diced
1 can olives - drained and sliced
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Italian or Ranch salad dressing
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place on large platter or in large bowl. Add lettuce and top with remaining vegetables and olives. Drizzle dressing over top and toss pasta. Grate cheese on top and serve immediately. Makes 16 one cup servings.
Cherry Chocolate Brownie Squares
1 Package 19.8 oz Brownie mix (and ingredients for cake like brownies)
1 small jar maraschino cherries (no stems)
1 package cream cheese (8 oz)
2 tbs. powdered sugar
1 container cool whip (8 oz)
2 tbs milk chocolate chips or 1 small Hershey's candy bar
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix following cake like directions. Bake in Stoneware bar pan - spraying first with vegetable spray. (Or line bar pan with parchment paper and you don't need to spray. Be sure to leave enough parchment paper to go up the ends a little so you can lift it out of the pan when it's cool.) Bake for 28-30 min. Cool completely.
Place cream cheese in medium sized mixing bowl and allow to soften. Mix in powdered sugar. Pour juice from cherries in with cream cheese and mix until smooth. Chop cherries with food chopper (watch out its messy) add to cream cheese mixture. Add half of the cool whip and fold in gently. Fill Easy Accent Decorator with remaining cool whip. Spread cherry mix over cooled brownies. Slice into squares with pizza cutter. Top with cool whip on each square. (just use a spoon if you don't have an easy accent decorator.) Grate chocolate chips or candy bar over top using deluxe cheese grater.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Design Your Husband
This is an activity that we did for our YW this week. The idea came to me while I was serving in YW in our last ward. It was complete inspiration and both times it has been a lot of fun! I originally presented it to our Mia Maids to help them prepare for dating. This week I presented it to all our YW.
The premise of the activity to help the girls make decisions about what types of young men they will date. I repeat several times the saying: "you hang out with your friends, you date who you hang out with, and you marry who you date." I want to impress upon the girls that while it is ok to date a variety of people, if you have a certain standard for who you want to marry (ie someone who can take you to the temple) that you need to be friends with someone who is worthy to take you to the temple.
I start by listing the qualities of several men from the scriptures (Nephi, Laman & Lemuel, King Noah and Captain Moroni) but I don't tell them they are prophets. I ask who they would want to date? Then I reveal who they are. Read Alma 48:17. Then we discuss the importance of setting your standards and we read the Dating section from the Strength of Youth about not dating before 16.
I also discuss why it is important to date a variety of different guys. I relate it to ice cream flavors - brings a little fun to describe your perfect guy as an ice cream flavor. (Mine happens to be vanilla, chocolate sauce, and sprinkles. Ask me about the story!)
Then we discuss the importance of deciding what types of guys they will date. When I was a Mia Maid, there was an experience in the Personal Progress program that had me list the qualities I wanted in my future husband. I still have my list and I bring it to display when I present this lesson. I give the girls some boy paper dolls to color (to keep them entertained and get them thinking). We talk about if there is a certain physical characteristic that is important to them - they have to marry someone who is blond - to color their paper dolls like that.
We discuss that physical attraction is an important part of marriage - the prophets have said so too. You don't want to have to roll over every morning and have to say "Quick, bear me your testimony!" :)
While they are working on this, and their thoughts are (hopefully) figuring out some of the things that are important to them, I give them a worksheet to list the physical characteristics and personal qualities that are important to them. Ideally, this is the sheet that they will keep and look at often while they are dating. (My version of this is what I have on display).
While they are doing this, I share my list of the qualities that I wanted and why I wanted them. I share a few stories that relate to why I chose that particular quality or what I learned while dating that may have influenced my list. The girls seem to enjoy this part a lot because I end up sharing some of my dating stories. I also encourage the other leaders to participate with any stories or anything that they feel comfortable with sharing.
Now that we have designed our perfect man, we talk about preparing ourselves. We talk about the importance of action. If you want a guy who is physically fit, but you enjoy lounging around the house, there may be some compatibility issues with this. :)
At this point I give the girls the girl paper dolls to again color and think about what qualities are important to them in themselves. We discuss that you tend to attract people who have the same standards as you.
The last thing we talk about comes from a talk from one of the Brethren (I'm sorry - I don't remember who.) I give the girls a worksheet that has their "Decisions to Make Before I Start Dating". Some of the questions are: Will I wait until I am 16 to date? Will I date someone who smokes or drinks? What are the levels of intimacy that I will set while I date? And more like that. And we discuss why these decisions are important to make now.
Then I share my testimony and encourage the girls to give this topic the amount of thought it deserves. I challenge them to keep their lists where they can find them and refer to them often to know if they are keeping to their standards and dating the kind of guys they want to marry. And to see if their priorities change as they experience life.
After I close, I give the girls an envelope to decorate with the paper dolls and to keep these papers in so they can refer to them.
Here's a picture of how I had decorated the room this week. I put up a variety of pictures from when I was dating, my husband's high school dance pictures, a picture of Dave and I at the temple on our wedding day. You'll have to ask me the story sometime about the shadow box with "Dave" spelled out in Baskin Robbins tasting spoons :) My counselors also brought pictures from dating and some wedding pictures to kind of set the mood.
We served ice cream sandwiches for treats - again going back to the variety of different flavors referenced earlier. The girls enjoyed looking at all our pictures and hearing our dating stories.
I hope this makes sense. I can email you my full lesson notes and the worksheets and paper dolls that I used. It is really a fun night, and the girls always love to hear the dating stories. My Laurels really enjoyed the activity and had already had some experiences they shared that influenced the kind of guys they wanted to date.
Oh - and PS - my list that I made as a Mia Maid about the guy I wanted to marry? Dave meets every single one!
The premise of the activity to help the girls make decisions about what types of young men they will date. I repeat several times the saying: "you hang out with your friends, you date who you hang out with, and you marry who you date." I want to impress upon the girls that while it is ok to date a variety of people, if you have a certain standard for who you want to marry (ie someone who can take you to the temple) that you need to be friends with someone who is worthy to take you to the temple.
I start by listing the qualities of several men from the scriptures (Nephi, Laman & Lemuel, King Noah and Captain Moroni) but I don't tell them they are prophets. I ask who they would want to date? Then I reveal who they are. Read Alma 48:17. Then we discuss the importance of setting your standards and we read the Dating section from the Strength of Youth about not dating before 16.
I also discuss why it is important to date a variety of different guys. I relate it to ice cream flavors - brings a little fun to describe your perfect guy as an ice cream flavor. (Mine happens to be vanilla, chocolate sauce, and sprinkles. Ask me about the story!)
Then we discuss the importance of deciding what types of guys they will date. When I was a Mia Maid, there was an experience in the Personal Progress program that had me list the qualities I wanted in my future husband. I still have my list and I bring it to display when I present this lesson. I give the girls some boy paper dolls to color (to keep them entertained and get them thinking). We talk about if there is a certain physical characteristic that is important to them - they have to marry someone who is blond - to color their paper dolls like that.
We discuss that physical attraction is an important part of marriage - the prophets have said so too. You don't want to have to roll over every morning and have to say "Quick, bear me your testimony!" :)
While they are working on this, and their thoughts are (hopefully) figuring out some of the things that are important to them, I give them a worksheet to list the physical characteristics and personal qualities that are important to them. Ideally, this is the sheet that they will keep and look at often while they are dating. (My version of this is what I have on display).
While they are doing this, I share my list of the qualities that I wanted and why I wanted them. I share a few stories that relate to why I chose that particular quality or what I learned while dating that may have influenced my list. The girls seem to enjoy this part a lot because I end up sharing some of my dating stories. I also encourage the other leaders to participate with any stories or anything that they feel comfortable with sharing.
Now that we have designed our perfect man, we talk about preparing ourselves. We talk about the importance of action. If you want a guy who is physically fit, but you enjoy lounging around the house, there may be some compatibility issues with this. :)
At this point I give the girls the girl paper dolls to again color and think about what qualities are important to them in themselves. We discuss that you tend to attract people who have the same standards as you.
The last thing we talk about comes from a talk from one of the Brethren (I'm sorry - I don't remember who.) I give the girls a worksheet that has their "Decisions to Make Before I Start Dating". Some of the questions are: Will I wait until I am 16 to date? Will I date someone who smokes or drinks? What are the levels of intimacy that I will set while I date? And more like that. And we discuss why these decisions are important to make now.
Then I share my testimony and encourage the girls to give this topic the amount of thought it deserves. I challenge them to keep their lists where they can find them and refer to them often to know if they are keeping to their standards and dating the kind of guys they want to marry. And to see if their priorities change as they experience life.
After I close, I give the girls an envelope to decorate with the paper dolls and to keep these papers in so they can refer to them.
Here's a picture of how I had decorated the room this week. I put up a variety of pictures from when I was dating, my husband's high school dance pictures, a picture of Dave and I at the temple on our wedding day. You'll have to ask me the story sometime about the shadow box with "Dave" spelled out in Baskin Robbins tasting spoons :) My counselors also brought pictures from dating and some wedding pictures to kind of set the mood.
We served ice cream sandwiches for treats - again going back to the variety of different flavors referenced earlier. The girls enjoyed looking at all our pictures and hearing our dating stories.
I hope this makes sense. I can email you my full lesson notes and the worksheets and paper dolls that I used. It is really a fun night, and the girls always love to hear the dating stories. My Laurels really enjoyed the activity and had already had some experiences they shared that influenced the kind of guys they wanted to date.
Oh - and PS - my list that I made as a Mia Maid about the guy I wanted to marry? Dave meets every single one!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Decorating
Conni has started to get into the fun of decorating our home for the holidays. She really enjoys the window clings. I know I have posted about this before.
Last night we got out the Valentine's window clings. Conni helped me wash the door. Then she proceeded to decorate. She would take each cling off the sheet without help, then come and put it on the door.
Well, she decided that every single one of our Valentine's window clings needed to be on the front door. She was so proud of her finished product! She did a great job!
The Prophet says...
Every night when I rock Conni at bedtime we listen to Primary songs. One of her favorites right now is called "Stand for the Right".
The lyrics are:
The Prophet has some words for you
And these are the words: Be True! Be True!
At work or at play,
In darkness or light
Be True, be true and Stand for the right!
Conni loves this little song. We call it the "Prophet Song". When the intro plays she gets an excited look on her face and says "Yay, come on momma! Proph Song!".
So last night I asked her what the Prophet says, trying to get her to tell me "Be True". Her answer to what the Prophet says?
"ROAR!"
The lyrics are:
The Prophet has some words for you
And these are the words: Be True! Be True!
At work or at play,
In darkness or light
Be True, be true and Stand for the right!
Conni loves this little song. We call it the "Prophet Song". When the intro plays she gets an excited look on her face and says "Yay, come on momma! Proph Song!".
So last night I asked her what the Prophet says, trying to get her to tell me "Be True". Her answer to what the Prophet says?
"ROAR!"
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