Risting up and blessing

As I mentioned in a previous post I want to reflect on some wonderful things about my mother this month.

I want to look at amazing passage of scripture that stands out to me in so may ways. Go with me to Proverbs 31 verses 10 -31

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Who is this amazing woman so revered in the Word of God. What was her life truly like? She was not an idle woman, by any means. What sticks out to me is that she was a woman of virtue and honesty, a woman who did her best and gave what she had to give. She served her family and worked with her hands doing all she could and using what God gave to her.

I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman. I want to exemplify the character which this woman beheld, and I want to bless my husband, to be a helper to him and to lift him up. I want to see my children thriving because of values that were passed on but more so because they are walking with the Lord, and yes.. I want to see them fulfill verse 28. "Her children rise up and call her blessed."

I am blessed. I have wonderful children and a son who makes it his mission to call me blessed whenever he sees me. Even though they are imperfect and have flaws all their own, they are unique and complete in who God intends them to be. My mom saw that in me and my brother. She looked past the difficult aspects of my personality and embraced me. She has my alter personality.... which often caused a bit of conflict in our house. Yet, she was constant. She did her best. I am thankful for my mom and for what she gave me of herself.

She taught us to respect our elders. She taught us to love each other when we didn't want to be together. I know, now, how much she used the chance to have us mad at her rather than each other so that we never misunderstood the value of being a family. She gave up so much for us, and I realize that is not rare for a mother, but as a mother myself I see how much she really did.

I respect her for the hard choices she had to make to make sure her family was whole, as best she could. I admire the fact that she was the first to go without so that we would be blessed. It wasn't that we didn't have much or that we had a lot, but I didn't know how little she had to give till I was older. She was in essence walking by faith.

She told us of the Lord and of what she learned in her own journey. She encouraged us to ask questions and rarely did I hear her respond with impatience with my many questions, and they were many. She didn't always know the answer and wasn't aftraid to say so. She had a sweet spirit that I rarely ever saw disrupted, even when she had every right to be down.

My mother always smiled. The one vivid memory is of her laugh and smile. I was never like that and for all my life I have admired her ability to be free and unreserved with her love and joy. In all my seriousness she would always tell me, I love you like you are. ha! I used to get so upset thinking she meant there was something wrong, but she didn't.... she meant she truly appreciated who I was and what God had put in me to be.

She encouraged us to be real and to be sincere. She taught us that family is the most important relationship. She taught me of sacrificial love, and as I look at her I see how much like Jesus her love was to us: Unconditional, forgiving, and full. She rejoiced with me when something good happened. She cried with me when my heart broke. She gave me wings to fly and courage to jump. She gave me a heritage.

And now.. I need to rise and call her blessed, because she is blessed indeed. She is a gift of grace and a wonderful grandmother, a friend and a reminder of the blessing it is to have my mom close by. I am blessed to be her daughter and thankful that my children can have the chance to be loved by her,too.

So to my mother today I say, " You are blessed".

My Mom's Wonderfully Yummy Chocolate Surprise Cake.

1 box chocolate cake

1 box of chream cheese

1 egg

1/2 c. sugar

1 small bag of chocolate chips

Frosting

M ix the cake according to the directions on the box. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.

Mix the cream cheese, egg, and sugar. Then add the chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the top of the cake batter in the pan. OR... you can make individual cupcakes and then put a dollup of the cream cheese mixture into each cupcake.

Bake as directed. ( You may have to extend time with the extra, but just watch it.)

Cool and frost with your favorite frosting flavor. My mother prefers chocolate, while I prefer cream cheese frosting. :)

Enjoy!!

Here are some on-line Bible Studies and book suggestions on studing Proverbs 31.

http://proverbs31-woman.com/category/bible-study/

http://weblog.tfalg.org/christian-devotions/proverbs-31-a-strong-woman/

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/homefam/prov31.htm

http://www.amybayliss.com/2008/09/in-pursuit-of-proverbs-31-bible-study_341.html

I have subscribed to this devotional and it has been a blessing to receive new insight and heartfelt encouragement daily .

http://www.proverbs31.org/

Books by Elizabeth George:

Beautiful in God's Eyes

Discovering the treasures of a Godly woman: Proverbs 31 (A Woman After God's Own Heart)

http://elizabethgeorge.com/george/default.asp

The Proverbs 31 Woman by Tiffany Chen

http://www.amazon.com/Proverbs-31-Woman-Tiffany-Chen/dp/160604625X/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255814794&sr=8-12

Donna Partow has a book called: Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be A 90 Day Guide to Living the Proverbs 31 Life

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Woman-God-Wants-Me/dp/0800730720/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255814716&sr=8-1

Apple Cake

My mom makes some of my most favorite things. Isn't that how it is supposed to be? My sweet son has made a definite declaration of devotion and admiration for many of my recipes with a fervent desire to never leave the house unless he can find a wife who can cook. ha!ha! He's too funny.

Anyway.. my sweet mom will be celebrating her birthday at the end of this month and I want to share one of my favorites from her cookbook. I need to make a sidenote here.. My mom, while an awesome cook and baker in her own right, does NOT like to spend time in the kitchen cooking. Infact, she has the personality where she will tell you how much she dislikes it. However, there are a few things this wife and mom, who loves to be in her kitchen, just can't make like mom. It is those few things which my mom has mastered that provides little bits of comfort for me when I want a good dose of pampering, as we all do once in a while, from our moms.

This will be one of a few posts that I am going to dedicate to my mom this month. In honor of those things that bless me so much about the precious woman God blessed me with.

My Mom's Apple Cake

4 c. apples, cut in small pieces
2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 c. milk or buttermilk

Grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan. Sift together 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp. soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 salt. SEt aside. Cream 1 1/2 c. sugar with 1/2 c. butter ( or shortening). Add 2 beaten eggs. Add apples. (My mother insists that you must beat the mixture here rather than stir it because it breaks the apples up a little more and causes the cake to be moist) Pour into the cake pan.

Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix well, sprinkle on unbaked cake. (You may need to add more sugar and cinnamon if you want a thicker crust.)

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Here is the most important part. Cover the cake immediately after you pull it out of the oven. I use ( as my mother did) a metal pan with a metal lid that fits on top. You can use aluminum foil or a cookie sheet laid on top of the warm pan too. Let it sit till it cools down a bit. The heat from the pan will make it steam and the topping will be amazing. :) Trust me.

So if you are out visiting the apple orchard this fall or taking advantage of the deals on apples at the grocery store, try this recipe out and treat your family to a good dose of love.

Enjoy!

Harvest Tales ( and recipes)

It's not the typical fall weather, 40 degrees in October, yikes! But.. the leaves are off the trees and the kids are having a blast raking them up and jumping in. I'll let them do that while I share some yummy recipes.

It has been a great year in my garden. Each year I learn something new about how to make my garden more fruitful, how to keep the weeds under control or perhaps a new way of preserving what I get out of my garden.

I am not, by admission, a fan of canning. Oh, yes.. I did say that. However, this year I have found much more enjoyment in this act of domestication and frugality. :) So, without sounding as if I am bragging I do want to share some of the accomplishments as a result of God's blessing and my willingness to receive of that blessing!

I was able to put up peaches, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato soup, pickeled beets, zucchini relish, dill cucumer relish, dill pickles, peach jam, grape jelly,apple juice, sliced apples and applesauce. I was able to freeze lots of green beens, corn, zucchini and green peppers. I still have 2 bushels of apples left from our tree that I hope to make some apple pie filling with and set that aside too. This has been my most abundant year of preserving (I do not have any space left in my fruit cellar)and I have come such a long way. The food actually either tastes edible or the cans are truly sealed. ha!ha! Our first year in attempting to can produced mushy dill pickles and green beans I was too afraid to eat.

Below is the tomato soup recipe I used and it is absolutely awesome. Perhaps a bit too late for those of you who can, but save it for next year.. .it is a winner.

I was given a new cookbook for my birthday this summer by my mom. :) Thanks Mom! As I sifted through the pages I found a recipe for Homemade Tomato Soup that can be canned. Before I go any farther, I want to share that this is from the Gooseberry Patch Summer in the Country cookbook. You can find that book and many others on their website at www.goosberrypatch.com.

Homemade Tomato Soup
from Helen Braley - Plymouth, ME.

1 peck or 15 lbs. of ripe tomatoes 1 1/4 c. flour
4 onions, chopped 1 c. sugar
6-8 whole cloves 7 t. salt
4 t. celery salt 1 t. pepper
3 bay leaves 12 1 pt. canning jars & lids,
1 c. margarine ( I used butter) sterilized


Combine first 5 ingredients in a large soup kettle; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer for one hour. Remove from heat; run mixture through a food mill. Process until smooth. Pour mixture back into kettle; add margarine, stir until melted. Revove 4 cups mixture to blender; add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth; pour back into kettle. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Spoon soup into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 in. headspace. Wipe rims; secure with lids and ringsl Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes; set jars on a towel to cool. Check for seals. Makes 12 jars.



Here is a recipe for Apple Pie Filling:
18 c. peeled apples slices
3 Tb. lemon juice
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. cornstarch
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
10 c. water

In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice; set aside. In a Dutch oven over med. heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add water; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 min., stirring constantly. Add apples; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until the apples ar tender, about 6-8 ninutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Ladle into freezer containers, leaving 1/2 in. headspace. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours. Seal and freeze; store up to 12 months.
Yield: 5 1/2 qts. ( enought for about 5 9 in. pies.)


Just a quick tip that I feel is the most important suggestion I could ever give to anyone who puts their food up or anyone thinking about it. If you do not have a saucemaker... GET ONE! Next to my canner and my boiling pot it is the single most important tool I have for preparing to preserve food. I get the work done in less than half the time it would take otherwise. I reccommend the Back To Basics Food Strainer and Sauce Maker.
You can see it on this website, http://www.focuselectrics.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=3134.
I know you can also find it at Farm and Fleet for around $40. When we bought one, around 10 years ago I paid $20. I would still consider it worth it for the extra $20.

Ok.. that's all I have to share on canning today!

Blessings to you!

Bees, Beans, Berries and More

Well.. I have been reminded that I have been neglecting my blog recently. I extend my most sincere apologies.. my dear friends.

Life seems to, at times, overwhelm me with more to do than I can actually accomplish in a day. Ah, so we are thankful for his grace and mercies that are new everyday.

Well..what have I been doing?

The end of June and beginning of July found us picking berries, berries and more berries. Black Raspberries that is. Yumm! Oh, and I will share a wonderful recipe for my black berry cobbler. It is delightful.. but that will wait a bit.

God has so blessed us with the priviledge of being out in the country. A great place to raise kids and a few chickens, 1 very ambitions golden retriever, a large bunny, many adopted frogs, some cats and often kittens who choose to stay, and we can't forget the bees! Quite a diverse little "farm" we have here but we are supremely blessed. Besides the passle of kids and critters we have an abundance of vegetation, both planned.. and planted and many that are volunteer. Our Black Raspberry bushes are all volunteer, along with our grapes! So, in an effort to be a good steward of all that He gave to us, we endeavored to be extremely diligent and pick with fervency. I still have scratches to show for it! :)

I believe we gathered well over 3 gallons of black raspberries this summer. I can't remember ever pulling in such a large bounty before. I decided to clean and freeze them as soon as we picked them to keep them both fresh and in one piece. The berries are so fragile that it is hard to mix them w/o completely smashing them. What will I do with them? I plan on making jam out of some of them, use them in smoothies and ofcourse.. the occasional pie and cobbler are a must. It is so good to partake of God's grace and goodness when he shares of His abundance.

Beans! Yeah!My green beans are growing profusely in my garden. I love to freeze my beans rather than can them. I am not a fan of the mushy version of this delectable green delight. ( hee-hee) :) And it takes a lot longer to can them and so much more work. My husband blessed me with a wonderful boiling pot last year that has made my life so much easier. It has a wonderful colander that sets inside and when my water is ready, I plunge the beans into the boiling liquid..... wait 3 minutes and pull them out. I have a sink full of cold water waiting and go straight from the pot to the sink. Voila! I let it sit to cool and put it in the freezer bags and I am done.

My garden is always a deligthful escape for me. It is the most effective therapy I have found so far, next to prayer. I think I am much more up to the weeding than the harvesting but I am learning something new each year with regards to putting food up or preserving the harvest.

Our onions are huge and I love being able to go down to the garden to get what I need. It is so refreshing. The beets are ready and I will can them this year. My husband says I make some of the best pickled beets he has had. I'll take his word for it though, I haven't the desire to try them. I like beets, but I haven't tried the pickled version yet.

Our turnips are ready. This is the first year I have grown turnips. I will attempt to blanche them as I did with my green beans. Again, being purposeful to be a good steward with what I have.

And my favorite crop of all.. POTATOES! I love to grow potatoes. They are so easy to grow and to harvest. By far one of the most rewarding crops. We have 3 plots this year of potatoes. My grandmother always told me to plant them on Good Friday. So.. we have aimed for that each year but have not always been able to make that possible. This year, however, we did and they are wonderful. We had about 4 or 5 volunteer plants growing in the zucchini and beet patch. I pulled them early and we had new potatoes. yumm.. So tender and delicious.

My husband came home and told me that the father of a friend used to say " Plant your potatoes on Good Friday and never let the August sun touch their leaves." I am not sure how relevant or truthful that is, but I tend to believe those who have gone before us and worked this earth often have a better advantage when it comes to wisdom and farming. We were able to plant our potatoes this year with the left over potatoes from last year. That was a great joy. It felt good to know that we were able to plant a crop from our previous year. Now we just have to find a place to store them!

Lastly, my bees! Another source of therapy for me. I have loved my bees. I will write more about my bees in another post but let's just say that these resourceful animals have taught me so much about patience and hard work, perserverance and ingenuity. This little creature is one of the most amazing aspects of God's wonderful creation that I have had the pleasure of witnessing. I was able to put another super on tonight and pray that we will have a great honey harvest this year. Yumm.. now that sounds delicious.

We are enjoying our last days of summer before school starts for us. We're busy but blessed.

Thanks for letting me share some of our fun with you.
Here's the recipe!
I have not always had the best luck with my cobblers. So I began searching for a better recipe.. one that would make a light dough, a luscious filling and the combination of the 2 together a desert that makes your mouth water. A friend who lived in Texas raved about the cobbler she had there and so I purposed to find a good Southern recipe for a cobbler. So.. I found one in my Southern Living Cookbook.

Enjoy!

Black Raspberry Cobbler
(note: the actual recipe was for black berries by I used black raspberries instead, I think you could substitute any fruit you like)

5 cups of fresh black raspberries or 2 packages of frozen berries, thawed and drained.
1 c. sugar
3-4 Tb. flour
1 Tb. lemon juice

Crust

2 Tb. butter, melted
1 tsp. sugar

* Combine the 1st 4 ingredients; toss well. Spoon into a lightly greased 8 or 9 in. square pan. ( I used a round pan or a pie plate)
Prepare Crust, and spoon 9 mounds over berries. Brush with butter, and sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar.
Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 30 min or until brownee and bubbly. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.
Yield:9 servings
* If you use frozen berries, increase the flour to 1/3 cup.

Crust.
1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. shortening ( I used butter)
1/3 c. whipping cream
1/3. c. buttermilk


Combine 1st 4 ingredients; cut in shortening( butter) witha pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. ( I used my kitchen aid with my whisk attachment.. it works slick) STir in whipping cream and buttermilk just until blended. This yields enough topping for 1 cobbler.

*Note.. I didn't have cream or buttermilk so I used my substitute for buttermilk. 1 cup of milk + 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice will give you a substitude for 1 c. of buttermilk. I used 2/3c. of my homemade buttermilk in place of the other liquids)

Frugal Meals

Have I mentioned I love to cook? :) I do!I love to feed people. It is so gratifying to see someone enjoy something you made for them.

It isn't always cheap to bake and cook and have perhaps a little variety in your meals if you are cooking three times a day. Even those who love to cook sometimes get a bit burned out. But.. one thing I have really enjoyed doing is to try to make things last and just get creative with what I have. I think some of my best meals are the ones I have to "make-up" when I have only a limited number of ingredients. Now.. that said.. there have been quite a few times where we have had to dismiss my creative inhibitions as simply experiments to never try again, but.. for the most part... we have come to enjoy the little bits of creativity in the kitchen.

So.. back to frugal meals. I can't say I am by definition a frugal person. I am trying to learn to be. God has blessed me with some amazing friends who are so good at saving money and finding good deals ~that it is starting to rub off... a little. :) Bless their heart they try so hard to teach me.

One thing I have learned do is to make a meal last more than once. Not just reheating and eating left-overs but using the left-overs to create an entirely new meal. For example.. my very favorite is to take a Roast and reuse it through the course of the week by creating extra meals from the left-over meat. There are times I will actually take some meat out before I serve it so I will be assured there will be some left-over. Now that my kids are growing they eat more than they used to. But.. I have found a few things that help when I don't have as MUCH of the main ingredient as I used to.. like adding rice, noodles and extra veggies. I try to serve other fillers when I set my table. ie: my canned applesauce and/peaches, salads, cottage cheese, and of course.. bread. We love bread.

So.. what are some things I can do with my left overs.

Roast ( with potatoes and carrots) can also be then used to make :
Pot Pie
Beef and noodles
Beef Stew and or Vegetable Beef Soup.

Barbequed Beef ( shredded and simmered in sauce .. YUMM!)

Nothing is wasted.. or atleast hopefully nothing. With most of the recipes above, save the BBQ, I keep the broth from the roast and let it sit in a canning jar over night in the fridge. Doing this allows the fat to rise and I can skim it off. The broth is my base for just about anything I make and then I cut up the meat, left over veggies and throw it in the broth to cook .

Spaghetti
I usually don't mix the sauce and noodles together because I have a few who just prefer noodles so I store them separately.
I have made spaghetting salad with the leftover spaghetti by adding cut up veggies and italian dressing. I will do this when I have made meatballs and use the sauce and meat to make meat ball sandwhiches.
Baked Spaghetti

Ham
Scalloped Ham and Potatoes
Ham and Bean Soup
Ham Balls

Chicken ( roasted as the beef roast was done above)
Chicken Soup
Pot Pie
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken w/ rice
Chicken enchiladas
(I use the base for my enchiladas to make Chicken Tortilla Soup)


Leftover Rice can be thrown into soups to add more depth to the soups or broths when you have only a little meat to put into it. ( I use this a lot!)

When I make Stuffed Green Peppers.. I acutally cut the peppers up and put them all in a pan to bake. With what is left over I will freeze it and make cabbage rolls later.


Ofcourse.. noodles add depth to your dishes as fillers.

Other times I have taken veggies that were not finished at dinner and put them in the freezer for days when I need just a cup of vegetables to add to a meal, not a normal serving portion.

Those are just a few things I can think of right now. I'll add more ideas when I think of them.

Below is my recipe for Pot Pie:

1-2 quarts of beef broth ( cooking juices from the left over roast.. then I add water to get the amount I want and sometimes add some beef boullion to give it flavor)
Carrots and potatoes from roast.
Other veggies I want to throw in. Usually something that was left over from dinner in that week or perhaps something I have frozen previously for such a time as this.
Rice ( can be either cooked or uncooked)
Diced meat

Corn starch to thicken
Spices ( salt, pepper, garlic and whatever I feel like at that moment)

Once the broth is boiling, I add the meat and any veggies that are not already cooked, I add rice now as well. When tender I add the cooked veggies and then thicken with corn starch.

Pour into the pie crust and bake at 400 for about 30 min.

Pie Crust:
4 c. flour 1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c. cold water
1 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 1/2 c. shortening

Mix flour, salt, sugar and shorening together to form crumbs. Beat egg, water, and vinegar; add to crumbs and stir with fork until mixture forms a ball. Roll crusts out and place in pans. Makes 5-6 single crusts

*note: I use lard when I have it and LOVE the result. Also.. the extra crusts freeze well. I roll them out and then fold them into half twice so they open nicely when I pull them out.I put them in plastic wrap and freeze.


You can substitute any meat in this very easily.

Fruit Salsa

Here is an absolutely WONDERFUL recipe I tried today!

Fruit Salsa

1 lb. strawberries cut up
2 apples peeled and diced
1 -2 c. frozen black raspberries
3 TB apply jelly
1 TB sugar
2 TB brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Cut up the apples and strawberries, mix with the black raspberries. Toss with the lemon juice.
Mix the jelly and the sugars and toss with the fruit. Set aside

Take flour tortillas spray with cooking spray or coat with butter, shake cinnamon sugar over them. Cut into triangles or wedges. Bake at 350 for 10-15 min.

Let cool and use to dip into the salsa.

YUMMM!! Enjoy~

Chocolate Trifles!

Yesterday I made a yummy new trifle to share with my dear friend. It started out as a volcano cake but then became Chocolate Cherry Trifle. Yum.... I am glad I went with the trifle. As per a request from my girlfriend I am sharing this recipe.

Chocolate Cherry Trifle

1 box chocolate cake

1 can cherry pie filling

1 container of Cool Whip

Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Sauce.

Make the cake according to the directions on the box. Let cook and cut.

When the cake has cooled enough to touch it crumble a layer of cake in the bottom of a trifle bowl. Add a layer of cherries, then follow with a layer of cool whip, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Continue until the cherry filling and cool whip are used up.

* I did not use the whole cake, infact.. I used the outside edges for the trifle.. since I have so many fans of the "middle" pieces. :)

Drizzle Chocolate Sauce over the top.

Chocolate Sauce

3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 c. milk

3-4 Tbsp. butter.

Melt the chocolate and milk together. Then add the butter.. mixing well. If you do this and let it sit it will thicken. I didn't have the patience to do that so I added some powdered sugar to thicken it. :)

I served it w/o the chocolate drizzled on top but as an add on when served. It was really yummy.

Another awesome trifle I make once in a while I found on All Recipes.com. called Brownie Trifle. ( or they list it as Chocolate Trifle)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Trifle/Detail.aspx

I made this last week and had a few fresh strawberries on hand, so I tried to be creative and make a "flower" on top with strawberries and chocolate chips. Next time I may just add the strawberries into the desert.

Enjoy!

Father's Day Memories

I didn't get on to post a Happy Father's Day wish so I will share a day late! :)



My kids were so excited that Father's Day was coming you would think that it was my husband's birthday. I think the kids made him well over 10 cards and they were still making them on Sunday. I tried not to be jealous of the exuberance displayed over Dad's special day, I don't remember that much of a fuss made on Mother's Day, but I was so blessed by the love they showed that it was ok. And, I wanted to bless him too. He works so hard to provide for our family. I am so thankful to be able to stay home and raise our children, though some days I don't show it. I am thankful that his heart is sure in the course that raising our children in a home where they can and should learn about God is important to my husband.

Later in the day we invited our fathers over for dinner. It was nice to be with my dad and my father-in-law in a very simple and enjoyable meal. And it is really nice to just bless these two men who are an imporant part of our lives.

We can't speak about Father's Day and not mention how amazing and blessed we are to have a Father in heaven who is so good to us. He is Love. (1 John 4:16) He lavishes His love upon us in many ways each day. His greatest display of love was in His Son. John 3:16 says, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He has so much for us, hidden in the very depth of His Holy Word and all we have to do is receive His gifts.

My awesome pastor delivered a message this weekend that spoke about Spiritual Fathers. The importance of having those in our lives, ( and Spiritual Mothers, too), and how God uses these amazing servants to show us His heart. He reminded us of the need to see God for who He is ~not who we think he is. Either because we maybe didn't have the greatest relationship with our own earthly father or for whatever reason, often our view of just who God is can be altered.

My Dad is a man, not perfect... but he is my dad and I am thankful for him. We are called to honor our Father and Mother, it doesn't stop when we leave home. My husband, also a man, while not perfect is a good Dad and I want my children to understand the need in their life to honor him. It is the only commandment with a promise. Exodus 20:12 says, " Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long on the land which the LORD your God gives you." Another translation says.. so that all may go well with you. I often ask my children... " Do you want all to be well with you?... then honoring your parents is the key. " ;)

I had a wonderful pastor in my early Christian walk who took the time to show me who God is as my Father. He pointed to those times where love and discipline went hand-in-hand. While he is no longer my pastor, God appointed that time in my life as an opportunity to know His love as a child of the Most High God. So now when I come to him my whole heart longs to just climb into his lap and hold on tight. He gave us his Son for that privilege. What a blessing that we are chosen by Him to inherit all that was promised through His Son and we are called His own.


So this Father's Day remember to go to the One who has fashioned your heart and knew your end from your beginning. Make Father's Day an every day occurence in your heart where you can honor Him with true reverence and humility but don't hesitate to run with passion to the throne of grace and seek His marvelous face!

Blessings in Christ!

Dawn

Here is the yummy breakfast I served my family on Sunday.

Buttermilk Waffles
(from the Joy of Cooking Cookbook)

Use 4 Tbsp. butter for a reduced-fat waffle, 8 Tbsp. for a classic light and fluffy waffle, or ½ lb. ( 2 sticks) for the crunchiest, most delicious waffle.
Omit sugar sugar if serving with sweet and rich food.

Preheat waffle iron. Whist together in a large bowl:
1 ¾ c. flour
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt

Thoroughly blend in another bowl:
3 eggs
¼ - 1 c. butter, melted. ( see description above to determine measurement of your choice)
1 ½ c. buttermilk.
*( note: I actually used about 2 c. buttermilk because we like a thinner batter.)

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Combine with a few swift strokes of the whisk.





Breakfast Pizza Skillet
( Adapted From Taste of Home’s 2000 Quick Cooking Annual Recipe Book)

1 lb. sausage
2- 3 potatoes cut and diced
¼ c. chopped onion
¼ c. green pepper
1-2 Tbsp. red pepper
4 eggs
1 med. tomato diced (optional)
½ - 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook sausage in large skillet until done. Add veggies, then season with salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are browned. Beat eggs and pour over the meat and veggies. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 min, or until the eggs are set. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or the diced tomato.

Blueberry Granola

When I find good breakfast recipes I use them often. I have found a good way to have oatmeal w/o the typical groans that accompany this filling breakfast meal.

I have played with this recipe using peaches and apples in place of the blueberries but the blueberries are by far my favorite.

Blueberry Granola

Mix together:
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. corn starch
1-2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries. ( mine are often frozen)

Let this sit a few minutes to let the juice mix with the sugar and thicken. Then pour into an 8x8 baking dish. ( note if you want to use a 9x13 pan double the ingredients)

Mix in a separate bowl:

2 c. oats
1/2 c. brown sugar ( can increase if you want it sweeter)
4 Tbsp. softened.. ( not melted) butter.

Mix together well until the mixture is saturated. Pour on top of the blueberries.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. (* till the berries are bubbling and the oatmeal is crisp)

Let cool for a few minutes. Serve with cream or milk.

I put any leftovers in a tupperware container and store in the fridge. It is wonderful cold or warm. I often make this to replace the cold cereal for breakfast.

Great Muffin Recipe

Here is a wonderful muffin recipe I make for my family often. It makes for a quick and easy breakfast and snack throughout the day. When I make them I find that they last only 1 day, 2 at the most.

Muffins
From the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners or grease muffin cups

Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
(1/4 tsp. nutmeg)
Whisk together in another bowl

2 large eggs
1 c. milk or cream
2/3 c. sugar or brown sugar
¼ to ½ c. ( ½ to 1 stick of butter) melted, OR
¼ to ½ c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla


Add to the flour mixture and mix together with a few light strokes just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over-mix; the batter should not be smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, about 17 minutes ( or longer with variations of fruit). Let cool for 2-3 min. before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack. Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours.

** I use this recipe to make my Chocolate Chip Muffins. Sometimes I use cinnamon instead of the nutmeg. I usually use the brown sugar or honey as my sweetener and I tend to favor the butter vs. oil but they both work well. I add 1 cup of chocolate chips and then bake. I made them the other day and instead of putting them into individual muffin cups I poured it into a 9x13 pan and cut into squares.

Note: I was being lazy and I didn’t have any liners. This worked really well and was much easier to clean than my muffin pan. J

I have also added blueberries to this recipe and it was wonderful~

Enjoy!

I had a sweet friend over for lunch the other day. We had "my version" of the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup. I found a recipe on line but as expected I didn't have all the ingredients. Not a problem! I rarely follow the recipe as it is.. I tend to be more of a "little bit of this and a dash of that" kind of cook. :)

So.. here is the link with the recipe for those of you who like to have exact measurements.
http://olivegarden-soup-recipes.blogspot.com/2008/12/olive-garden-toscana-soup-recipe.html


Here is the version I made. :) Equally yummy in my humble opinion.

1/4 c. butter
1 lb. pork sausage
1 package of cream cheese
2 c. milk
3-4 c. chicken broth( I used 3-4 c. water + 4 cubes of chicken boullion)
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
chopped onion ( I used 2 Tbsp. minced onion)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
salt and pepper to tase
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 c. fresh kale or greens of choice. (* I used kale and swiss chard)


Directions:
Cook the sausage in your soup pot. Drain and set aside. Add the butter to the pan along with the cream cheese. Melt and mix well. Whisk in the milk a little at a time to make a base for your soup. (* I used the cream cheese because I did not have cream) Add 2 cups of chicken broth and whisk together. Add your potatoes, onions, spices and sausage. Then I added more broth and milk to suit my taste. Use your judgement here on what you like.

Shortly before I served the soup I added the fresh greens and cooked till they were limp, but not over cooked.

We had freshly baked wheat bread and homemade applesauce and my special brownies :) Yum!


Special Brownies
1 box of brownie mix
1 c. chocolate chips

Make the brownies as directed. Sprinkle the chips on top and bake. They are always a huge favorite wherever I take them. It is funny how people rave and all I did was add 1 c. of chocolate chips to the top.

Enojy!

Tonight I made roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy for supper. I tried something new with my vegetable dish. I made roasted carrots with garlic, butter and fresh rosemary. I was really pleased at the flavor the rosemary gave to the carrots. Now, I seemed to be the only one to truly appreciate it, but that is only an observation.

My goal this week is to use up all that I have here before I go to the store for anything new. I'd like to make only 1 trip to the grocery store every 2 weeks in an effort to reduce the cost of our food bill here. My goodness, when we look at what we spend in food it is astounding. So, what does that mean? It means no snacks unless they are homemade, which is fine it just takes more effort on my part. It also means I need to be creative. But I really enjoy that and I find my meals are much more fun when I have to scrounge for ideas.

Well, my desert for tonight was Sweet Pear Cake. I took a recipe for a sweet bread and gave it a twist here and there. I had some pear sauce that I canned last fall with pears from my brother's pear tree so that is what gave me the inspiration for the cake.

Sweet Pear Cake
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. pear sauce ( or you can use fresh pears chopped)
2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar

Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
*Mix well. If you need to add more powdered sugar to make it thick you can do that.

Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square cake pan. ( I used one from Pampered Chef perhaps 8x8 or 9x9... you could use a 9x13 it just won't be as thick or a bundt pan would be very pretty too.)

Mix your flour, soda, and salt together and set aside.

Beat the butter in the mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and mix well. Beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla. Then add the pear sauce and mix well. Stir in the flour mixture.

Pour into a prepared pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 40-50 min. or until done.

After the cake is done. Poke holes in the top of the cake ( I used a meat fork) and then spread a thick glaze over the top while it is still warm. Let cool and serve. :) Yumm!

I have to share a funny thing.. Though at first it was not so funny. :)

I made a wonderful loaf of bread last night for our supper. I was so pleased at how it turned out and my husband commented on how nice it would be for sandwhiches. I had enough to make one large loaf for supper and two loves of cinnamon bread for breakfast. I carefully covered my cinnamon bread last night before going to bed but completely forgot to wrap the loaf from supper.

This morning: I usually make my husband's lunch in the morning before he leaves and as I was looking around he reminded me I didn't need to make one today. However, through my looking... I realized I couldn't find the bread.

My son quickly deducted that the bread was stolen and the single most probable subspect would be our golden retriever Rachel. After deciding it was now his mission to search and rescue he came to me with minscule particles of my once beautiful loaf of bread which he found in her "hiding spot". So.. the lost is now found.. or should I say the evidence of what was lost has been found. :)


Here is the recipe for my bread:

2 cups warm water
5 tsp. yeast
4-6 TB brown sugar
2 TB Dough enhancer ( optional but it really helps make the consistency)
Mix this together and let it bubble ( proofing stage)

When the mixture has proofed ( approximately 5 min.) then add:

6 cups of flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 c. oil

Mix and knead for 10 min. ( rely on my wonderful Kitchen Aid Mixer for this)

Let rise till doubled. Punch down and form in to loaves.
For my loaves I split the batch in half. I rolled both loaves out into a rectangle then rolled them up tightly tucking the ends under. With the cinnamon loaf I coated the dough in butter first and then sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon on top.
Once the loaves were formed, I let them rise again till double in size. Bake at 350 about 35 min. or till done.

It was cloudy and hazy today but the gift of friendship brought the sunshine into our day. We had so much fun sharing food and fellowship and enjoying the blessing of being with friends. I am truly blessed.

A new blog today! This is a big step but I am looking forward to sharing things from my heart and my kitchen with my friends and family.

We are going to continue to homeschool through the summer. Giving us a more relaxed opportunity to keep working on skills but also have fun learning new things. We are looking forward to a study of The Mississippi, maybe a little latin and of course History. The children will each have a new devotional to read through the summer, hopefully to begin touching those areas that will encourage them to grow and expand in God's Word.

Today I made Potato Leek Soup for lunch! Yumm!
Here is the recipe:

1 stick of butter
2 leeks ( washed and cut up)
5 lb. bag of potatoes( peeled and diced)
Water
Salt

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the leeks to the melted butter and cook until they are well done. I acutally cut up my potatoes while they are cooking. Add potatoes and enough water to cover them. Cook until done. I use my hand blender to blend the soup and make it into a wonderful creamy soup. If you don't have one, fill your blender full of the cooked potatoes and water... blend and then put back into the soup. I had quite a bit of salt to the soup, but since I am don't really "measure" anything I would suggest you add the salt to your taste. :)

Enjoy!