Ahhhh. I am in heaven. Tonight I snagged myself this cd whilst perusing the offerings at Barnes & Noble. I. Love. Christmas. Music. And I love well done choral music so of course I’m a Mormon Tabernacle Choir fan. These guys put the Joy in Joy To The World. So much satisfaction for only $6.98!

Tonight I am going to begin to tackle some of those questions my faithful readers have asked.

Sanisi asked:

Is there a meal you make that you think you make really well? (Your best dish.)
What’s your favorite boardgame/card game? Any related memories?
What was your first job?

I make many things very well, but this is the current big hit:

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken Soup.

It is a very simple recipe, and quick but it is a huge hit at our house. Here is the recipe; please note that I never measure, so these measurements are guesses and can be adjusted for taste.

Chop and saute 1 cup carrots & 1 cup onion in a few teaspoons of olive oil. Pepper and salt to taste.
Zest one lemon into the veggies while you are sauteing.
Add about 3 cups of cooked chopped chicken.
Add appx 2 table spoons of basil and 1 tablespoon of oregano
Squeeze 3 lemons over the veggies and chicken.
Add 3 cans of chicken broth and 2 cans of cream of chicken soup.
Bring all of this to a slow boil then add in about 2/3rds cup of rice.
Simmer all of it until the rice is cooked.
We really like to eat this with a dark rye bread.
Also, this makes a huge pot, and the leftovers freeze really well, so save some and have it again next week. (This is my improved version of a similar receipe by Pampered Chef to give credit where credit is due).

My all time favorite board game is Encore. If you like to sing or know the lyrics to lots of songs, this game is awesome! You divide into two teams and draw cards with different words on it, then you sing songs back and forth using that one word- whoever runs out of ideas first loses that round. Now, I used to actually own this game, but I had a kid disaster and the board broke, so now it is back on my Amazon wishlist waiting for me (or someone else) to buy it again. I also highly recommend Frog Juice and a family classic, Trivial Pursuit.

Trivial Pursuit is almost like a religion in my family. I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where every holiday or family gathering meant that after we all ate really good food, we all pulled out games and played for hours. I used to live for Christmases with my Gramma Phyllis. Everyone would stay up until two or three in the morning playing games, eating M&Ms (usually tossing them into each other’s mouths from across the room!), and we always had so much fun. Some of my very best memories revolve around those games and the silly things we would say and do. What a treat to grow up not glued to the televison or dependant on materialism as so many people seem to be. I can’t wait until Jonas and Maggie are old enough for real board and card games. We are going to have a blast!

My first job was babysitting. My first real job where the government took a chunk of my paycheck was working at a TCBY selling frozen yogurt. It was mundane, but it kept my pockets padded during high school. It also kept my butt padded, and I am here to tell you today that even an ice cream treat that says 98% Fat Free will make you gain weight if you eat it nonstop.

More answers to come!