for posterity...: Some of my Favorite Recipes

HISTORY

A Little History:

Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.

From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.

In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.

Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.

Our Mission Statement:

This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.

We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.

As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.

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Saturday, January 31, 2009

Some of my Favorite Recipes

I've had a few requests recently for some of my favorite recipes. So, here they are! Let me know what you think after you try them out. Enjoy!

Moroccan Soup or Stew
Serves 6 as a main course

1 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
2 carrots
2 tomatoes
2/3 c. cilantro
6-7 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry lentils
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
2 T. indian curry powder
1 t. tumeric
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. cinnamon or nutmeg (optional- I don't add either , but they do make the soup more Moroccan)

Brown chopped onion in olive oil. Chop carrots, tomatoes and cilantro into bite size pieces and combine all ingredients in a large pot or crock pot. If cooking on the stove in a pot, bring all ingredients to a boil and then simmer for at least one hour. If cooking in the crockpot, cook until lentils and vegetables are tender.

If you prefer a thicker stew type meal that you eat over rice, quinoa or couscous or with tortillas (Alex likes it that way), puree at least half of the cooked soup in a blender and then add it in again to the remaining soup.

The only fat in this dish is from the olive oil. Beans and lentils are a great source of protein, fiber and are high in vitamin B, folic acid and thiamin. Combined with the vegetables and maybe brown rice or whole wheat couscous this is a very healthy meal. So eat up!

Calypso Lime Chicken
Serves 6

5 T fresh lime juice, divided
2 T olive oil
6 5-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 T grated lime zest
3 T peeled fresh ginger, finely minced (optional- I don't add it, because I don't like ginger)
1 t salt, divided
1/2 t freshly ground pepper, divided
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
3 T shredded coconut, toasted for about 3-5 minutes in a dry skillet over low heat, stirring

1) Preheat broiler, or prepare grill.
2) In a large bowl, wisk together 3 T of the lime juice and the olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and toss them to coat. Let the meat marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3) In a medium saucepan, whisk 2 T of the lime juice with the coconut milk, cream, lime zest and ginger, 1/2 t of the salt and 1/4 t of the pepper. Heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan; set aside.
4) Remove the chicken from the marinade; sprinkle with the remaining salt & pepper. Broil or grill until cooked through (8-10 minutes). Transfer to plates or a platter; cover to keep warm.
5) Over low heat, warm the sauce. Spoon it over the chicken, then sprinkle each serving with the cilantro and toasted coconut. Serve immediately.
6) Eat over brown rice, whole wheat couscous or quinoa.

The Best Salsa Ever
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 medium size yellow onion
bottled/canned jalapeno peppers (to your liking)
1 small bunch cilantro
juice of 1 Lime
1 tsp. Pepper
healthy dash garlic powder
healthy dash onion salt
1-2 T. sugar
salt to taste

Finely chop onions, cilantro add to diced tomatoes in blender. Add all other ingredients. Zap it a couple of times. DON’T OVER MIX IT! Be sure to refrigerate immediately, to let ingredients blend. This is important, because it's much better if you let it sit for awhile before you eat it. The onions are too strong otherwise. Hint: You can add fresh tomatoes if you want more of a “pico de gallo”. Test out the ratio of jalapenos to sugar you prefer. This is delicious with tortilla chips (of course) or with quesadillas, burritos, tacos or anything Mexican.

Breena’s Mango Salsa
3 large ripe mangoes
2 limes
1 sweet walla-walla onion
1 small bunch of cilantro
4 serano chiles (finely minced)
2 cloves of fresh garlic (finely minced)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, cover and chill for at least 1 hour for spices to blend. (Is great on top of grilled mahi mahi). Warning- it is spicy!