Good Sunday

Here are the latest pics of the black eye.

Day 3. Ouch! That purple is SO dark.
It's pretty amazing to watch the healing process, though.

Thankfully, the worst bruising is right on her eyelid,
so it's doesn't look as bad to the casual observer.

Today was the Primary program at church. I felt like the pressure was on for me. I was the counselor who was in charge of writing the script, but then when I got released I was called as the Primary chorister--in charge of all the music. So, if things went crappy there really was no one to blame but me.

We had 4 practices before the real deal. The first practice went GREAT. The second was so-so. The third and fourth were pretty bad. I was starting to get worried. I've heard so many stories about how the kids always pull through for the program and bring a special Spirit with them. I was beginning to wonder if we'd be the first ward to have a horror story instead.

Phew--add us to the list of wards who witnessed miracles. The kids performed better than they'd ever practiced. They did well on their lines and sang SO WELL. They even choked me up on the last song, "Holding Hands Around the World." (And I'm not the kind of girl who gets choked up easily!)

I tried a new recipe for dinner last night: Quick and Easy Stuffed Peppers. I loved them. Andrew thought they were pretty good. The kids pretty much refused to eat them. Even though they don't have rave reviews from the whole family, I thought I'd share the recipe for anyone who's interested. It's all done in the microwave and is really fast. The stewed tomatoes were too chunky for my taste. I think I'll chop them up a little when I make them next time. Also, it only makes 4 half-peppers and since it's done in the microwave, I don't know how easily it could be doubled.

Quick and Easy Stuffed Peppers

Submitted by: Jen

"This microwave recipe is quick and very simple, and is a good meal for a busy work week. You can use any color peppers you like. Try using garbanzos instead of the kidney beans for a variation on this recipe." Original recipe yield: 4 servings. Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 (8 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
• 1/3 cup quick-cooking brown rice
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
• 1/2 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Arrange pepper halves in a 9 inch square glass baking dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap for vents, and heat 4 minutes in the microwave, or until tender.
2. In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes and their liquid, rice, and water. Cover with plastic, and cook in the microwave for 4 minutes, or until rice is cooked.
3. Stir green onions, corn, kidney beans, and red pepper flakes into the tomato mixture. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Spoon hot tomato mixture evenly into pepper halves, and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic to vent steam, and heat in the microwave 4 minutes. Remove plastic, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese, and allow to stand 1 to 2 minutes before serving.