Category Archives: Recipes

Fall For Relative Race This Season On BYUtv

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It’s time to break out a box of tissues. A new season of Relative Race premieres on BYUtv Sunday, September 22nd at 8pm ET/6pm MT. Also found at RelativeRace.com and BYUtv.org, the show brings together the power of DNA and documentary evidence to find family members for 4 teams that have never met them.

Just as seasons change in a temperate climate zone, Relative Race has modified the formula for team success each season. Nevertheless, the basic premise has remained the same. Relative Race is a 10-day race that takes place in real time for each of 4 teams. They meet a DNA relative each day. This season only married couples are represented so they will not know until they arrive at the house whose relative it is. Some team members hope to meet a biological parent. Others hope to meet whatever family they can! 

When teams arrive at their destination, they must take a city selfie and complete a challenge before they receive the address to their new relative’s place. Challenges have varied over the seasons, but they spark great ideas for family reunions.

Each team travels with a production crew and time is strictly kept. According to Dan J. Debenhem, host of Relative Race, the cameras roll from about 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. For accurate race times, the clock is stopped whenever a crew decides to interject with a reaction shot, but the clock never stops for team-chosen breaks, such as when Joe of Team Black season 4 *needed* to wash their car…lol :-) 

Additionally, travel times are determined by estimated times provided on map apps that are not accessible to the teams. The final outcome is based on how close each team comes to their allotted time. Under or over time, the teams are ranked. First place receives a benefit for the next day, such as 5 minutes of GPS or immunity, or a 10-day benefit that can help them in the final competition. The chances of making it to day 10 is a gamble, but it is the most popular choice. The team that comes in last each day receives a strike and, after 3 strikes, that team is out of the race. 

Through the seasons of Relative Race, different combinations of family relationships have been represented as teams: married couples, brothers, sisters, brother/sister, father/son, and father/daughter. Just in case Dan or BYUtv reads this post, may I suggest a mother/son or mother/daughter team in an upcoming season? I might even know someone who’s interested. :-) 

Season 6 Teams are as follows:

  • Team Red: Ray and Nicole Campbell describe themselves as opposites. Ray is adopted and hopes to meet some of his biological family. The other teams voted that this team is “Most Likely to Trash Talk.” 
  • Team Green: DeShae and Chris Pardon have been together for 10 years. DeShae has never met a biological family member and hopes to do so during the race.
  • Team Blue: Anitra and Paul Lewis say that their strengths are also their weaknesses. Anitra was adopted and is looking for biological connections, too. She and Paul are the parents of 5-year-old Ava and hope to adopt another child if they win the $50,000 prize. 
  • Team Black: JD and Jenn Barnes have been married 29 years. As an adult JD learned a family secret from a photograph that would send anyone on a quest. JD and Jenn hope to meet as many people as possible and have fun doing it.

Now that you’ve met the teams, pop some popcorn, make a pizookie, or gather your favorite snacks Sunday night and tune in at 8 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. MT for the premiere of a new season of Relative Race! (And, don’t forget the tissues.) 

P.S. Just in case your significant other prefers Sunday Night Football, Relative Race posts the episodes soon after they air to be viewed on demand *or* subscribe to NFL Game Pass and the significant other can catch any of the games on demand in timesaving increments of about 45 minutes each. Just sayin’

 

©2019 Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.

It’s the Relative Race Season Finale!

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Relative Race has become tradition at our house. When I learned at RootsTech 2019 that the season 5 premiere was going to conflict with our own family’s 10-day journey to Italy, I had to think about it…lol :-) You probably guessed that, hands down, the plans for our Italian journey won. Nothing compares to meeting new found family or returning to see family members that have been recently discovered.

In contrast to the premiere, the Relative Race finale will air TONIGHT at 9pm ET/7pm MT on this rainy evening and our family will gather here at home. This year my son requested that the theme for dinner reflect our heritage—Zuppa Tuscano. The recipe is found at the end of this post.

Season 5 was filled with so many choice moments. From Team Red’s (Maria and Elizabeth) gratitude tour on a quest to find their biological parents to Team Blue’s (Chonta and Demetrius) desire to meet and greet Demetrius’s biological father, a box of tissues was required in large supply at times when viewing these episodes. A good cry, especially happy tears, is good for the soul. 

“Ultimately it’s all about family.” —Dan J. Debenham, host of Relative Race

Tonight Team Red and Team Blue face off in western challenges to compete for the $50,000 prize. Team Red is competitive and athletic. They came in first a number of times during the past 9 Relative Race days. Team Blue are former Marines. To say they are competitive would be an understatement. They too have come in first a couple of times. Both teams have received mystery boxes whose worth will be revealed at the end of the competition. I think the winner will come down to who had the best night’s sleep the day before the finale. Every team I have ever interviewed mentioned the demand of the 10-day schedule. [Although this season travel to the teams’ first destinations were given 2 days. Team Black had over a 17-hour allotted time to reach Davie, Florida. Exhausting!]  

Relative Race is fun and engaging. It changes lives on and off the screen. I was recently among a group of parents. When Relative Race was mentioned, I was not surprised by the show’s popularity. One set of parents shared the joy Relative Race brings into their son’s life. One Sunday night the family was visiting grandparents and returned too late to watch the show when it aired live on BYUtv. This son has autism. If you understand autism, you understand the importance of routine. Because BYUtv makes the show readily available online once it airs, the family watched the show and the boy didn’t have to miss a thing!  

Michael and Austen, Team Red, were the winners of the $50,000 prize on Season 4 of Relative Race.

Relative Race is about families and friends watching families find and connect with one another. There is something magical and meaningful about the shared experiences of Relative Race. I hope that you’ll take time to watch the season finale with your family tonight at 9pm ET/7pm MT on BYUtv or at byutv.org. If you’re reading this at a later time, no problem. BYUtv.org has you covered. You may watch all episodes from seasons 2-5 on demand. Relative Race is a great show to binge-watch on a rainy day or if you need an afternoon break from the heat of the day or any time you have a reason to chill. 

While in Italy, our family took the time to watch the Relative Race premiere, but not live TV at 2 a.m. With a cousin that asked to take a selfie, I have a feeling that he too may have seen the show. Maybe it’s time for Relative Race to go global. It’s a thought.

As summer approaches, if you’re planning such a journey, take the advice of Michael of Team Red from Season 4. He told me at RootsTech to make sure that I “pack my patience.” I did. Fortunately, I didn’t need it—at least this time around.

P.S. Here’s our recipe just in case you, too, are experiencing colder than normal and/or wet, cloudy days.) :

Zuppa Toscano

1/2 lb. Italian sausage (hot or sweet)

4 cups chicken broth

2 large potatoes washed and diced

3 cloves or 1 tsp. minced garlic

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

1-2 cups kale, chopped

1 cup of half & half or milk of any percent or just leave it out (that’s Italian!)

salt and pepper to taste

a sprinkle of red chili flakes (if you like it spicy)

  1. Fry the sausage until brown and drain off excess grease.
  2. Add chicken broth and potatoes and bring to a boil.
  3. Add garlic and scallions, boil until potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes).
  4. Add kale and boil for 5 more minutes.
  5. Add half & half, or milk, on low for another few minutes (or skip this step).
  6. Salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Add red chili flakes, if you like it spicy.

Makes about 6 cups of soup. One cup is approximately 280 calories.

 

© 2019 Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.

A Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Pizookie — A Pizza-Cookie Recipe

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A few Relative Race days ago, Joe Henline of Team Black asked on Twitter what snacks everyone would be enjoying for that day’s premiere. Our family has a tradition of baking pizookies each Relative Race night. A bit of interest was shown in the recipe, so here it is with a holiday twist:

Preheat oven to 400º F.

Whisk together in a bowl —
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Set aside.

In another bowl mix together —
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup white sugar
Add —
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 whole egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup canned pumpkin (or your own pumpkin puree)

Beat until creamy, then add —
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix in the dry ingredients.

Fold in —
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, and/or milk)
1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Add 1/4 cup of mixture to each 1- or 2-cup ramekin, small baking dishes. Press down. Bake through until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Add toppings as desired.

Yields about a dozen.

© 2018 Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.

Easter Story Cookies—A Baking Activity in Remembrance

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The Resurrected Christ by Wilson Ong

The year 2018 has not been easy for many within my social circles. I have learned about the death of someone’s loved one about every week since January and I have attended a number of funerals. It is a time of loss and separation, but it has also been a time of peace and reverence for many of my friends who are of the Christian faith, especially my Latter-day Saint friends, who trust in the promise that families can be together forever. In their minds there is comfort that, although they may be separated from that loved one for a time, the individual that has passed is being reunited with loved ones on the other side of this mortal life.

Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared a story of one of his ancestors who had a visitation from the other side about what life was like there. He told this story during the opening session of Family Discovery Day during RootsTech 2017. [The story begins at 15:27.] It is edifying, uplifting, and reassuring to hear such testimonies during times of loss. President Nelson is also a retired cardiologist who spoke as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ at the April 1987 General Conference on this topic titled, Life after Life. [This weekend is General Conference for all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Whether or not you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are welcome to view the proceedings at churchofjesuschrist.org.]

On the eve of this Easter weekend, I am reminded of a kitchen activity for children that strives to represent the Easter story. It’s a recipe of unknown origin.

Each of the approximately 18 cookies will crack in a unique way. This is just one example.

If you would like to try it, you will need:

  • 1 cup of whole pecans or walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar (I’ve used white, apple cider, and most recently, cherry, which worked well.)
  • 3 egg whites
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • electric mixer
  • a plastic bag (A quart-sized freezer zip-lock bag works well.)
  • tape (I use painter’s tape to avoid any residue, but clear tape works as well. I haven’t known it to leave residue but I cannot guarantee it.)
  • scriptures
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. Explain with scripture how Jesus was taken and mistreated. Place the pecans or walnuts in the plastic bag, seal it, and allow the child to break them into pieces with the wooden spoon. [The scriptures tell of the violent treatment of Jesus in Matthew 26: 67-68 & 27: 28-31; Mark 14: 65 & 15: 16-20; Luke 22: 63-65; and, John 19: 1-3]
  3. Tell how Jesus’s need for thirst on the cross was met by posting a sponge with vinegar. Allow the children to smell the vinegar and place 1 teaspoon in the mixing bowl. [Matthew 27: 46-48; Mark 15: 34-37; and John 19: 28-30]
  4. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave up his mortal life so that he could give greater life to us and hope of eternal life with Him. Add the egg whites to the vinegar. [Matthew 20: 28; Mark 10:45; John 10: 10-11]
  5. Tears were shed by many of the people. Tears are salty. Allow children to taste the salt. Add a pinch of salt to the vinegar and egg mixture. [Luke 23: 27-28]
  6. As the Psalmist said, “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” [Psalm 30: 5] Add 1 cup of sugar to the mixture. Share scriptures that relate the love of God, such as Psalm 34: 8—”O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
  7. To represent the tomb, for these meringue cookies, beat the mixture at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 10-15 minutes. Fold in the nuts. Drop mixture by teaspoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or similar. These mounds each represent the tomb cut out of rock by Joseph of Arimathaea in which Jesus was laid to rest. [Matthew 27: 57-60; Mark 15: 42-46; Luke 23: 50-56; & John 19: 38-42.]
  8. Put the baking sheet in the oven, close the door, and turn the oven off. Allow each child to seal the oven door by a piece of tape representing the sealed tomb. Leave the baking sheet in oven until morning. [Matthew 27: 65-66]
  9. On Easter morning open the oven door and find a crack in each of the cookies (hopefully, but not always). This, of course, represents the empty tomb and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. [Matthew 28: 1-7; Mark 16; Luke 24: 1-9; & John 20: 1-16] Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

Copyright © 2018. Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.

How To Preserve A Husband*

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Be careful in your selection. Do not choose when too young. When once selected give entire thought to preparation for domestic use. Some insist on keeping a husband in a pickle, others are constantly getting one in hot water. This makes him sour, hard and sometimes bitter. Even a poor variety may be made sweet, tender and good by garnishing him with patience, well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses. Wrap one in a mantle of charity and keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion and serve with peaches and cream. Thus prepared, one will keep for years.

* This recipe was found handwritten among an ancestor’s papers. Further investigation revealed that it was commonly printed in regional cookbooks. The earliest reference I found was published in 1907.

Copyright ©2018 Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.