heritage

I was called to serve in the Young Women's Pres. in my ward last August. It's been a great calling and has been really good for me. It's a lot of fun teaching and interacting with the girls. One of the things I love about being in Young Women's are the fun activities we have each Tuesday night. Tonight was "Around The World" cultural night, where we celebrated everyone's different heritages by sampling different foods from around the world.

I thought that it would be fun to share a little bit about where Dave and I came from....Dave's mom, Janet, was born and raised in Biddulph England. Janet visited the United States in her early 20's where she met and fell in love with Dave's dad, Max. They married, and she has lived here in the U.S. ever since. She is such a wonderful woman and very proud of her English heritage. I remember the first time Dave's family had me over for Sunday dinner Janet had prepared Yorkshire Pudding. If you guys are like I was, you will have no clue what Yorkshire Pudding even is! Well, it's an English dish that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Armitt family. Dave's "Grand-dad" would always make it for them whenever he visited from England. I liked it alot when I first tried it, and I was surprised that I had never tasted anything quite like it before. It's pretty easy to make and tastes great with pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy!! Janet makes it way better than I do, but the picture above is my attempt at it. I think I did pretty well for my first try ;) It was fun to share this recipe with the young women who loved it, and ate every last bit!

My maiden name is McGarvey, and my heritage stems from Ireland. St. Patrick's Day has always been a BIG deal in my house. The leprechaun always came in the night and turned all our food green and left us little surprises and treats :) Attending the St. Patty's Day Parade is also a tradition in my family. My mom, Karie, makes the best corned beef and cabbage!
Some of the other heritages that were celebrated tonight was China (ham fried rice), Holland (fruit danishes), Puerto Rico (tostones?), Germany (sweet breads), and Mexico (guacamole, chips and salsa). It was a fun night, and also very interesting. I think that it's important for everyone to first of all know what their heritage is, and to second be proud of it! I am definitely grateful for my ancestors, who because of them I am living where I am today...and I am definitely proud to be an American!!

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups milk

3 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large baking dish on top of the stove. Beat all the ingredients together very well. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil into the hot baking dish and immediately pour batter into dish. Let it sit for about 1 min. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 min. (or until golden brown).