Alpine Hillside Neighbors

01/09/2022

I thought this was so important as we begin a new year! I hope you are looking forward to this new year.

As a new year begins, we should try to benefit from a view of what has gone before. I plead with you to remember that the past is to be learned from, but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences, but not the ashes.

And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we should look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.

Some of you may wonder—particularly as we live through the daily tumult in the world around us today—“Is there any future for me?” What does a new year hold for me? Will I be safe? Will life be sound? Can I trust in the Lord and in the future?

Please remember this: faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11).

Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep.

12/12/2021

Does anyone have any kefir grains that they would share?

09/26/2021

This is a great salsa recipe that we found in the newspaper of all places. It is simple and very tasty. We freeze it. GIve it a try and you will not be sorry!

Tomato Salsa
Serve this no-fuss, all-purpose salsa with chips or on nachos, or use it as the base for a killer chili.

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

MAKES: 2 quarts

CHELSIE CRAIG FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FOOD STYLING BY TYNA HOANG, PROP STYLING BY SOPHIE LENG
Ingredients

7 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes
1 pound ripe sweet peppers, such as bell peppers, seeded and stemmed
¾ pound onions, peeled and cut into large chunks
1-3 hot chiles, stemmed (we used one small Jalapeno seeded)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ bunch (2 ounces) cilantro
⅓ cup vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Ground black pepper to taste
Directions

Cut tomatoes in half or quarters. Use a blender or food processor to purée tomatoes in batches until coarsely ground. Transfer purée to a large heavy pot and set over high heat.
In a food processor, pulse peppers and onions, in batches if necessary, until chopped, then add to tomatoes. Pulse hot peppers, garlic and cilantro until finely chopped, then add them to tomatoes.
Add vinegar, salt, oregano, coriander, and cumin to tomatoes. Bring to boil, then lower heat gradually to bring down to a simmer. Cook until salsa thickens, stirring more frequently as tomatoes cook down, about 2 hours.
—Adapted from Ian Knauer

09/22/2021

Making cucumber chips in the dehydrator. When the garden produces too many cucumbers, squash or tomatoes you can dehydrate them into chips. Slice them in a uniform thickness and sprinkle some dry seasoning along with a little olive oil. Dehydrate them until they are crispy about 12 to 16 hours and they will be a delicious snack.

09/05/2021

Dehydrating cherry tomatoes from the garden. I have always had a garden when we lived in a home with enough land to plant a garden. My grandparents on my father’s side were English immigrants and I remember going to my grandfather’s garden and watching him dig up parsnips and potatoes and take them to the kitchen where my grandmother would prepare them. Many people in England have small home gardens. My father always had a garden so it is in my genes!
In 1976 President Kimball called upon Latter-day Saints everywhere to produce their own food. For several years, he asked each family to have its own garden. He said: “We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees - plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments. . . can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden . . . neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities “. Ensign, May 1976, 124.

07/18/2021

I discovered a wonderful book entitled Always Hungry which was a New York Times Bestseller written by David Ludwig, MD, PhD from the Harvard System. It has very good recipes for healthy eating.
I asked my wife to make the Chipotle Mayonnaise recipe. I was surprised that you can make your own mayo. We liked the recipe in the book, but Claudia tweaked it a bit and her version is better. I have included the improved version below. She learned about using an immersion blender and now she uses it frequently. Here is the recipe:
Chipotle Mayonnaise per Always Hungry Makes 1 1/4 cups
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup neutral oil like canola or avocado oil.
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon salt.

Blend all ingredients with an immersion blender. This emulsifies the oils into a consistency of mayonnaise. I think you really need the immersion blender to have it turn out. Good luck and let us know if you like it. We put it on just about anything. It is great with steamed summer squash or beans and on sandwiches. Also on fish and meat.

07/04/2021

These are pictures from our July 3 neighborhood celebration.

06/25/2021

We are hosting a neighborhood breakfast on Saturday morning July 3 to commemorate the Fourth of July. The breakfast will be held in the commons and will start at 8 o’clock. All of the food will be provided so please come and join us and bring your neighbor! The QR code takes you to the Alpine Hillside Neighbors page.

06/24/2021

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?
(Continued)
Swimming
Movie at Megaplex Theaters on $5 Tuesday or Water Gardens Theater in Pleasant Grove Summer Kids' Movies
Hike one of many trails up on the Alpine Loop; hike Horesetail
Falls in Alpine
Roast hotdogs and sm'mores over a campfire or fire pit
Play board games
Creekside Park in Alpine is great for riding bikes and scooters
Bake cookies or a cake

06/24/2021

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

(I don't know what happened to the first part of this post. I'm new at this!)
Lisa Macmillan's grandson came to visit this summer and she and Dave did some of the fun things with him. I asked her to share a few with us to give a few ideas of what to do with our kids and grandkids in the summer. Thank you, Lisa MacMillan!(

06/24/2021

Oh, what do you do in the summertime?(continued)

Outside games:frisbee, baseball, volleyball
Read together (Danny Martin's son has a little lending library!)
Visit pet stores: Lisa says there is The Puppy Store in Vineyard that lets you take out and hold a puppy if you intend to buy one.
Go get an ice cream cone
Biking
Feed horses on Blue Spruce Drove (half way down Lupine, turn right; the horse owner, Steve, allows neighbors to feed carrot and apples to Buster and Mocha, his two very friendly horses)
Watch fireworks on the 4th of July
Camp in the backyard together
Watch "Too Cute", about baby kittens and puppies on YouTube
Do something nice for a neighbor together like watering, share
baked goodies, visiting

For winter visits:
Go sledding locally or up Tibble Reservoir
Build a snowman
Build a snow wall and have a snowball fight
Roast marshmallow/make s'mores over fire pit or outdoor fireplace

Thanks, Lisa for the great ideas! Please add any ideas that you or your kids do for fun in the summer!