Apple Skillet Cake

As I am typing this there is the best smell ever in my kitchen. The wonderful smell brings together all the feelings I have about Fall. I cannot describe it to you so that you can smell it too, so you will just have to make this amazing apple dessert. I ordered a cast iron pan just so I could make this. I ordered it from Wallmart online. It is a great price at $19.86. I like all of the Tramontina Cast Iron line. You can also make this in a 9x13 pan. It is a cross between apple cake and apple pie!

5 large apples , peeled, cored and sliced (or more if you want)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 Tablespoons boiled cider (boil 2 cups of apple cider down to 1/2 cup syrup) You may want to skip this step but it is the secret ingredient that makes this so wonderful. Keep the extra for the next time you make it.

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup warm milk

1 large egg

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the apples, brown sugar, boiled cider, spices and salt in a bowl. In another bowl combine the wet ingredients and then add the dry. You can mix in a mixer or beat by hand with a whisk. Pour the batter into a greased pan or 10-12 inch cast iron skillet, press the apple mixture on top distributed evenly. Bake for 1 hour. Cool and eat with whipped cream or ice cream.

OK is your mouth watering yet? Oh and Kelly--Jared wants you to make this for him!!!!

Dan's Best

So I just happened to be shopping at Costco on Friday and saw the new Dan Brown book "The Lost Symbol". I picked up a copy and thought maybe I'll read it next week. I had a lot to do but started reading it Friday afternoon. I picked it up again later that night and read until 2:00 am. I was having a dinner party on Saturday and needed to clean the house and make the dinner. I stole reading in whenever I could. I finished most of it at least to the climax before the sad, sad BYU game and the dinner. We didn't have dessert because I was too busy reading to make it! I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it. It is much more positive than his previous books and you just can't put it down. It has some interesting religious implications that I would like to discuss with anyone who has read it. So far I am waiting, that's what I get for reading it the day it came out.

Year's Best

I really think these are the best books I have read this year. Written with a strong heroine and an unforgettable story, they are written as young adult fiction but have multiple layers of meaning for any level of reader. Patrick has read them both more than once. Remember reading "The Lord of the Flies"? They should throw all the copies away and not assign students to read it in high school. This is so much better and still addresses similar themes. This is a trilogy so we have to wait for the last installment. Still---read them and let me know what you think. I think we will be seeing a movie deal at some point!

Great Diet Book

I normally would not review a diet book especially one that looks like a fad. Last year trying to lose 10 pounds before my 30 year reunion, I tried all kinds of diets. By the way I weighed more at the reunion than I ever had. These are a few of them.

Weight Watchers-I kept to the points but I guess it matters more what I eat and not so much focus on calories. I would save lots of my points for the evening and then eat cookies and candy.

Original Fast Foods Diet-This one was so far out of my comfort zone, but I was getting desperate. Ultra vegan and I did it for several weeks, gained weight and got stupid (seriously). I guess my brain likes dairy, meat, fat and grains.

Low Cal Diet-I wrote down everything I ate and stayed under 1200 calories. Again, I gained weight thus breaking the laws of thermodynamics.

Lest you think I should exercise, I did and I do. I try for about 15-20 miles a week mostly walking, some running.

So here we are a year later and a few pounds lighter but not close to the goal and I will be 50 in a few short months (EEEEEEEEK). I read this book twice--very unusual for non-fiction and I have to say it all makes good sense and I like the way it is written. The Treat Yourself Diet in the back of the book is my perfect diet (well OK not my perfect because I can't eat candy all day). It shows about 30 breakfasts, 30 lunches and 30 dinners and then 30 snacks to have twice a day. They are all normal foods and taste good and are very filling. I have experienced success and I am committed to stay on it. I have insulin issues and I think this is the way I should have been eating for a long time. It is not that hard because I am always full enough to not give in. I also like that it is all written out and I just look at it and decide what I want to eat right then. No room for switching my calories for sugar! So give it a try and let me know what you think.

Hula Surfing by Pat

Labor Day at Lake Powell

The group towing the bum boat behind us.

Kids having lots of fun.

A real fire!

We had a great time at Lake Powell this weekend. It was Jeremy's first time and we wanted to show him a good time. We had to borrow a friend's boat but unfortunately it didn't work and the boys spent a lot of time trying to fix the fuel system. Mark and Kevin figured out how to make the wake just right on the big boat so lots of surfing was enjoyed right off the back, which always makes me nervous but all who tried really had fun. Patrick was getting so comfortable surfing that he did a little hula dance while doing it! We went to Good Hope Bay and it was really pretty. We took a little trip up to Hite and the beginning of Lake Powell where the Colorado River comes in. We saw a river raft trip coming in from 5 days on the river. Natalie noticed that Neilson Fortier ( a good friend of Kevin's and Patrick's ski coach) was on the raft. We all yelled to him. It was pretty random to see him. The kids built several fires up the little canyons with dead tumble weeds. Mark wanted the beach all cleaned up. A boat full of people and two guys in red shirts came right over and told us "You can't do that". Mark and I were on the big boat and they told us fires were illegal and we said OK and they kept telling us we couldn't do that. The two guys hiked up to where the kids were watching a fire and poured a little bucket of water on a little part of the fire. They wanted the kids to get buckets and put it out. Parker was laughing so hard and Jeremy said "We have this under control". The kids had set up a big bonfire with lots of logs and weeds on the beach and were waiting to light that one when it was really dark. The two red-shirted guys walked by and seeing this told Mark and I we needed a permit to burn that. They kept talking about how the rangers were out etc. We just couldn't believe these people, I mean do they own Lake Powell? We had a lot of fun talking about them the rest of the trip. I asked the ranger about fires and he laughed when I told him about the people. He said some people just can't stop telling others what to do.

Almost Twin Families

Back in Fairfield when I was growing up, there was a family with almost the same names:

Eileen and Myron Meiners -- Ila and Byron Mineer

Lorna Meiners -- Linda Mineer

Kent Meiners --Brent Mineer

Rodney Meiners -- Rodney Mineer

What are the odds?

Last Saturday I saw Linda Mineer at a get together. It was fun to see her and her husband. And it reminded me of our similar family names.

The Fasting Project

My friend Lynn Johnson wrote an article about what we can all do on 9/11 this year. Check it out and pass it on!

http://thefastingproject.org/