Sister Envy

Our first Sunday here in Utah, in our new home and in our new ward, my sister Pamela was introducing me to her friends and people she knew, when one of her friends said, "I'm so jealous - I totally have sister envy!"

Being away for seven years, I totally had sister envy too! but now I'm happy to announce that for the most part that craving has been fulfilled now that I get to be just a few blocks from my sister Pamela, and just a few miles from my sister Jill.

I have so many fond memories of Jill and her family. Even though Jill is 16 years older than me, and we, in large part, did not grow up together, I had the fortunate opportunity to visit her during the summers of my middle and high school years. One trip I remember in particular was when we went to Southern Utah, sailed on a river boat to learn the history of the town and hiked through the arches. I love the feeling of belonging I have whenever I am with Jill, and she never ceases to impress me with her inviting and captivating spirit. (I would include pictures, but we don't have a scanner yet!)

On the drive home from that trip, her eldest Whitney, (she and I are only seven years apart) and I were sitting in the back seat while the twins, Darrian and Danica, and the youngest, Connor, were in the seat in front of us. Whitney and I were in possession of the Oreo's and were doling them out to the rest of the kiddos as follows: Seperate Oreo chocolate cookie ends, lick off frosting entirely, stick chocolate cookies back together, then... hand them off. We were halfway into the package before anyone noticed!

On Monday, we invited Jill and her family over for dessert and Family Home Evening. Naturally, our theme was Independence Day. Aside from sharing our admiration and love for this beautiful country and for those who have fought and defended it, Gabriel and I regaled them with tales of our spectacular evening with the Jonas Brothers. Of which, by the way, I'm a complete fan of now!!


I just have to tell you, the girls with these signs were sitting right next to us, and they were just the most darling little girls you have ever seen. They were so excited to be seeing the Jonas Brothers, and screamed and laughed and cried through the whole concert. They also helped me understand all the pertinent details which make up the Jonas Brothers trio, such as, which brother is which, who the bodyguard was, which song came from which album or movie, why Nick is the favorite, etc. etc.

Pie: Chocolate Crumble

This recipe is adapted from The Chocolate Box cookbook, page 32.
The crust in this pie is delicate and flaky, adding just the perfect complement to the chocolate, which tastes like a baked version of your favorite mug of hot chocolate. The crumble topping will delight you with it's comparative taste to crushed Butterfinger... yet of course, beyond much better.

Crust:
1 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ powdered sugar
Whisk together and rub in ½ cup butter

Make a well in the center, add 1 egg yolk and enough water to help the dough come together

Knead for a minute or two, and place in fridge for 30 minutes

Roll out to ¼ inch on lightly floured surface and line 9" tart pan
Blind bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes, weighing the crust down with wax paper and baking beads

Filling:
⅔ cup cream
⅔ cup milk
Bring to a boil, and immediately remove from heat

Add 8 oz. chocolate and gently stir in chocolate until smooth and melted

Add 2 eggs and mix thoroughly until combined
Pour into crust
Bake at F350°, 15 minutes
Remove from oven and let sit for 1 hour

Crumble Topping:

1 package graham crackers
1 cup pecans
½ cup chocolate, or chocolate chips
½ cup brown sugar
Chop in blender or food processor until mixture resembles super fine bread crumbs

When ready to serve, spoon a heaving serving of crumble topping over each slice individually and serve. I also opted to include a layer of sliced strawberries between the chocolate pie and the crumble topping.