The Circle of Life

The circle of life continues today.   I'm am attending my second official DUP meeting.  I am officially a Daughter of the Utah Pioneers.   It's true!  I signed up.  I even tried to recruit a friend but she in her kindest of rejection voices pretty much told me Heck no!  Oh well, I go alone with all of my fellow DUPPERS.  Actually it is quite fun.  Interesting too.

For years I have been one of a few ladies in Paradise that put on a monthly luncheon for all the widows in our little town.  I loved the job!   I will never forget the story that my favorite Marie told me the first time I met her.  She told me how she met her husband in a train station in Missouri during WWII. A few months later she was headed for Utah with her new husband.  She had enough money sewn into her purse lining for a bus ticket home if, when she got here, her husband already had a few wives.  I laughed my guts out.   Marie became one of my favorite friends instantly.  She died last Dec. at the age of 90.  I will miss her cute Southern accent, and witty sense of humor.

Slowly over the years, most of these woman have died and we found that our little group of "Golden Girls" had dwindled and we were feeding more "help" than widows.  Last Jan. we sadly stopped the monthly golden girl luncheons.  I will always love these little old ladies.  I have lost a dear friend each time one has passed on.  I will miss our lunches together.  This is where DUP comes in.  It is filling my need for older ladies.  Some are a bit older, and a hoot to listen to!  But for the most part they are regular Paradise women that I love.  Not Golden Girls by any means yet, but still wonderful.

So now I've moved on into the shoes of my Grandma Barker, and mother dearest.  They are DUPPERS too.  I think my granny was the secratary for her unit for 250 years.  Truly!  My mom signed up not to many years ago and is now in charge of the lesson each month.  I just go and enjoy.  I am on the luncheon committee this month, and boy did I use up a lot of my Bountiful Basket goodies.  I made a yummy Minestrone Soup and the best Everything Salad.  I am using my Persimmons in the salad.   I'll try to make my Utah Pioneers proud today.  I know Marie would like what I fixed.


Lisa's Minestrone Soup

8 c. chicken broth
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 T. fresh rosemary
2 potatoes chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 c. fresh green beans snipped
1 bunch of kale chopped
1 15oz. can white bean rinsed and drained
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 fresh tomato chopped
8 oz. small pasta
salt and pepper to taste
1 large shredded chicken bossom

Bring all the ingredients together except for the pasta and bring to a boil.  Boil until potatoes are tender.  Add the pasta and cook another 10 mins.  Serve with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and fresh pepper.  I also like to add fresh corn and edamames if I have them.

Everything Salad

Dressing

1/2 c. vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1 c. oil

Mix together and pour over salad.  You can add variations to this dressing.  Add some raspberry jam, or use lime juice, lemon juice or orange juice for some of the vinegar.  Improvise.

Salad

Spring salad mix (I buy the big container at Sam's.  It will feed a crowd!)

1 green apple

1 red apple 

1 c. craisins

toasted nuts

shredded cheese of choice

I actually love to use pears instead of apples, but today I'm using a couple of persimmons, pears, blue cheese, dried blueberries, and sugared pecans.  To sugar your pecans I just place about 1 c. of nuts in a dry fry pan and add about 1/4-1/2 of sugar.  Turn on the heat and let the nuts sit until the sugar starts to carmelize.  Stir a lot so the nuts don't burn, but make sure most of the sugar is melted.  Pour the hot nuts onto a greased plate.  Immediately sprinkle with salt and a little chili powder.  Let cool and chop and place onto of the salad.  People love this salad.  It's always a huge hit!