REFLECTIONS OF THE WEEK PAST!

Good evening!  Well - I was definitely ready for a new week when this Sunday morning rolled around!  Of course --last week was a wonderful week and I am thankful for it and for all it represented --- but I need a week of rest!  That is probably a joke!!  Michelle had a wonderful birthday - complete with beautiful and delicious cake from Chez Bazan to all kinds of special foods her Mom tried out on her friends!  One of the favorite dishes was a dip that I had received at Sweet Gourmet when I purchased some of the ingredients!   Everyone that tried it - really enjoyed it!   It is called Sweet Pepper Glaze and I will only share the recipe because I altered it a tad - and if you want to make it - you will need to go to SWEET GOURMET AND BUY THE PEPPER GLAZE!

SWEET PEPPER GLAZED CHEESE SPREAD

1/2 Cup Mayo
8 oz. package of Cream cheese
2 Cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped with green ends
8 slices of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 bottle of Heritage Sweet Pepper Glaze

Combine Mayo (try Dukes - also can be bought at Sweet Gourmet), cream cheese, grated cheese and green onions.  Spread into small baking dish and top with Panko Bread Crumbs.  Bake 15 to 20 minutres at 325 degrees.  Take out of oven, top with crumbled crumbled bacon and half a bottle of Sweet Pepper Glaze.  Put back into over for 5 minutes.  Sherve hot and bubbly with crackers!

I did a lot of Paula Deen cooking this past week -- never have before but her recipes in her new Christmas book inspired me!  They all turned out great!  Most especially - the beef tenderloin I bought and cooked for Thanksgiving.  I googled "How to cook a tenderloin" and watch a short video by Paula Deen.  I didn't rub mine with bacon fat - but I did do as her Aunt Peggy said, I wrapped it with bacon slices and put on the salt, pepper, and garlic.  If it had been any better, I am afraid my nephew would have killed himself on it!  IT was a rewarding dish!!!

My nephew wanted my Mom's Chicken and Dressing recipe (the same as I make) and I told him it was posted in my blog on January 4, 2010.  Lol - it was not there.  It seems the first 7 days of the blog have been wiped out!  Thankfully I have copies of those posts and will recycle them -- maybe beginning January1, 2012!  However, since the dressing is so delicious - I am going to give you that recipe tonight!

Mark's lesson today was so great - it was about Jesus' example of a servant's heart and how that is what God wants from us!  The story, of course, was about Jesus washing the disciples feet and how forgiving Jesus was of Judus -- even knowing that he would betray him.  He gave him a place of honor to sit - and gave him every chance to repent of the deed he planned to do.  My goodness, if Jesus could forgive Judus - how can we have the audacity to not forgive our enemies?  Sure makes you think, doesn't it??  So our question is -- how can we make sure we not only have the heart to serve others, but that we do?
 I am also going to give you my Thanksgiving/Christmas Sweet Potato recipe.  A sweet friend of ours said today, "Those potatoes had a more taste - the more you eat, the more you want!" 

So here are the two promised recipes for the evening!

Mom’s Chicken and Dressing

                                                                         Jon Carole Gilbreath
Take one cut up chicken and boil in water until tender.  Save the liver, gizzard and back for later for giblet gravy.  Allow to cool until you can work with it and remove from bone.    Use two pans (9 inch round) of cornbread (I use Jiffy but Mom likes her homemade – she says Jiffy is too sweet!)

Crumble the cornbread into small pieces; add 6 to 8 slices of white bread torn into small pieces.  If you have any left over biscuits – break a couple of those in it too. 

 Cook 1 cup chopped celery and 1 cup onion, and several (3 or 3) fresh green onions in the broth from the chicken until translucent.  Remove from stove and pour over bread – stirring until moistened.  Add more broth (You will want to have on hand 1 large container of bought broth in order to have plenty) until thinned.  Add about 8 eggs and stir until they are broken in and mixed well.  Add black pepper and salt to taste (probably 1 tablespoon salt, and black pepper until you can taste it.  Pour about 1 to 2 cups 1% milk into mixture – mixture should be juicy – but not very soupy.  (The milk and the thinness will give you a tender dressing.  Stir in the chicken you removed from bone.  Taste again to make sure flavor is good with right amount of salt and peppers.  Pour into greased pan(s), and Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour – or until set.

GIBLET GRAVY FOR DRESSING:  Take the parts that were saved for gravy (liver, back, gizzard) and up into 2 cups chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to about 1-1/2 cups. 

Boil 2 eggs and when boiled – peel.  Slice into gravy mixture.  Continue to slowly cook and when dressing is partially set, dip out about 2 to 3 tablespoons and put into gravy.  Let cook and if too thin – add a little more dressing or make a thickening by adding 2 to 3 tablespoons corn starch to ½ cup very cold water and stir well and slowly add to gravy!  Serve over dressing.   (Now don’t go adding Cream of Mushroom soup or Cream of Chicken soup or sage to this dressing or giblet gravy – OR YOU WON’T HAVE MY MOM’S CHICKEN AND DRESSING!!!  Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS TO BUY:

1 WHOLE OR CUT UP CHICKEN (If cut up, you might not get giblets so you might want to buy some livers or something.)

Corn bread mix
White bread
Celery
1 yellow onion
1 pkg. fresh green onions
1 large container of chicken broth
1 Dozen eggs
Milk 

SWEET POTATO RECIPE

Jon Carole Gilbreath

TO SERVE 12 to 15.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 6 TO 8 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped into chunks

1 stick butter + 1/2 stick
¾ cup brown sugar + ½ cup
1 scant teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
½ tsp. vanilla
½ cup pecan halves
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boiling stage.  Add chopped up potatoes into boiling water and boil until very tender when pierced with a fork.  Drain well and add salt, baking powder and butter.  Mash the potatoes until there are no chunks.  Add brown sugar and vanilla flavoring.  Mix well with mixer – until creamy and smooth.    Taste to make sure you have enough salt, sugar, etc.  Pour into large casserole dish. 

Combine ½ stick butter, ½ cup brown sugar and pecans into an electric chopper and chop and blend until all ingredients are blended together and pecans are in small pieces.  Then spoon this over the potato casserole.  Bake for about 15 minutes and then remove from oven and spread the pecan topping over the entire casserole.  Bake another 15 minutes and then remove and add enough marshmallows to cover top of casserole dish.  Return to oven and allow marshmallows to brown.   Remove from oven and enjoy!!!

Well - that is it for the evening!  Hope you try the recipes and enjoy them!   

Now let's all - get up in the morning, pray for God's guidance on how we can serve someone else this week - and then get busy doing it!

Good night and God Bless each of you!

ANOTHER WEEK - ANOTHER BLOG

Good evening!  Already after 9:30 - but just had to tell you again about the impact the two speakers I heard last week have had on me!  Both talked about us doing what we can for others - spiritually - by either telling someone "our story" or "Jesus stories that relate to their situation," and the other about the seeds in us that need to be sowed.  He said each of us had something (a talent) that we might not even recognize or realize we had - or have refused to use it because we are either afraid or lazy.  That has haunted me -- I know there is more I could do!  I love to cook - and want to do a cookbook - but not just a cookbook but one that will be used!  If you have read of much of my blog - you know I love to write - I am sure I am not the best - but words do seem to flow through me.  Sometimes I don't even know what I am going to say and then the words start to come!  So I've been thinking about "our story" and how our life with Michelle might help others.  I certainly have made many mistakes during this life of raising her -- but I feel we have done a lot right too!  So I've started writing the story - amazing how the years melt away and memories of even the first months and years come flowing back!  I am not sure how long it will take - but if the blogs are shorter - time is divided!

Michelle's birthday is Tuesday and I am planning a small party for her.  I want it to be special though and am pulling out all the recipes - old and new to make lots of goodies. Of course the cake needed to be a decorated one, so Chez Bazan is doing it - but I am doing the rest!   Several of the recipes are coming from Paul Dean's new Christmas book.    Michelle had said she wanted red punch so I am making Cranberry - Pomegranate Punch from Paula's book.

CRANBERRY - POMEGRANATE PUNCH
  (Makes 17 servings )

Ice cubes:
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Distilled water.

Punch:
1 - 64 oz. bottle cranberry pomegranate juice, chilled
1 bottle sparkling apple cider, chilled
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup tonic water, chilled*

(1) To prepare ice cubes:
Divide pomegranate seeds and cranberries between 2 ice cube trays.  Add distilled water to trays until nearly full; freeze for 8 hours or until solid.

(2) To prepare pnch:  Unmold ice cubes into a punch bowl.  Add cranberry-pomegranate juice, apple cider, pomegranate juice and tonic water, stirring gently to combine.  Serve immediately.
* I don't really like the taste of tonic water, so I will probably substitute ginger ale. 

Another recipe I am making is:

SAUSAGE AND APPLE BITES

2-1/2 cups baking mix  (Jiffy is good as well as Bisquick)
1 pound raw bulk breakfast sausage, hot or mild
1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons grated onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 medium apples, finely chopped (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped finely)

Preparation: 
Combine all ingredients, knead until well blended.  Form into  1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet.  Bake in 20 minutes, or until browned; turn after 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.

Part of the table will included Sue's wonderful Chocoate Covered Strawberries and my sister is making a Chutney Chicken Salad to be served on Pita chips!   The rest of it will be decided by how long it takes for me to make the other six or seven things!!  I know - I am crazy - but I love that daughter of mine!!!

Ok - so start thinking about "your story" or the seed you are keeping hid that just might help someone else if you let the seed grow!  Even today coming home this morning from church - there was a preacher from a cowboy church that was saying "Each of us has a talent - and we need to use it!" 

So have a great Thanksgiving week, remembering to thank the ONE that gives us all we have - all the blessings!!!

SUNDAY NIGHT THOUGHTS

My goodness - it sure gets late fast.  It is already 9:21 but just wanted to say:  Get moving - Christmas is right around the corner!  My house is almost completely reflecting Christmas except for a couple of wreaths for outside and lights on the house!  It really is festive in a subdued way.  Not as many trees and stuff -- just really great where it is!  Thanks to Angie Hines and her amazing talent!!!

Do you ever shop at Dollar General?  Well I do!  I always try to make a trip when I need washing detergent, softener, that kind of things.  But this week I found more neat Christmas things - little gifts, Christmas trivets -- got carried away!!! 

I bought a new Paula Deen Christmas book - just like a needed another one -- but it really has some fun recipes in it!!!  Can't wait to try a few of them out on friends at work! 

Here is a little recipe sent by Pillsbury.  Sounds pretty goode -- but when we googled Dried Figs - we found that Walgreens has them -- but none in Tyler.  Kilgore was the closest -- just happens a friend at work was going this weekend -- so she said she would pick us up some!

Fig and Blue Cheese Appetizer Tarts

3 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel; from 8 oz. pkg), softened
2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (3 oz.)
1/4 cup Smucker's Sweet Orange Marmelade
2 Tablespoons Balassmic vinegar
16 dried Mission figs, coarsley chopped (1 cup)
1 can (12 oz.) Pillsbury Big and Flaky refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/2 cup Fisher Chef's Natural Chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In small bowl mix cream cheese and blue cheese with fork until well blendfed; set aside.
In one quart saucepan, stir marmalade and vinegar over low heat until mixed; stir in figs.  Cook over low heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until figs are softened.  Remove from heat.

Remove crescent dough from package, but do not unrol.  Cut roll of dough into 16 slices.  On ungreased cookie sheets, place slices 2 inches apart.  Press center of each slice to make an indentation, 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Place one heaping teaspoon cheese mixture into each well.  Top cheese with about 1 tablespoon fig mixture and 1/2 teaspoon pecans.

Bake 15 to 19 minutes or golden brown.  Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack; cool 10 minutes.  Serve warm!

Well - I have a busy week coming up - but I really want to start blogging more -- so I will try. 

Today we had a guest speaker and he was really dynamic - but everything he said made sense!  I will try to get back on really soon and share some of his message!  Until then, remember:  God made a perfect world, we messed it up, and Jesus came to fix it!  So if you've messed up, let Jesus fix it!
Have a good evening!

oA WEEK OF WORK - ALL WORTH IT -- FOR THE INSPIRATION THAT CAME AT THE END OF IT!

My - what a busy weekend this turned out to be!  Busy but rewarding -- in more than one way!  My weekend actually started last weekend - when we started gathering groceries for cooking for Wednesday night at church.  Tuesday night we started making chili - which the finished product is worth the trouble -- but when you are doing six times your original recipe -- cooking 22 lbs. of meat is an overpowering job.  Then there are all the onions to chop, the cans to open, the tablespoons to measure!  Oh well, we had some compliments -- the real compliments come when you get asked for the recipe - and that happened too.  This was posted way back in either October 2010 or November 2010 -- so I am going to post it again tonight.  It is just too hard to find something published that far back!!  Then on Thursday evening, I went to get the groceries I needed to make 6 times my recipe of Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup. (posted September 11, 2011)  Cooked it on Friday evening for a Ladies Day event at church on Saturday.  An awesome day -- it was a true reward to all who attended -- well, if they were affected like I was!  The morning started with a little ice breaker and then Amy Clem gave a very inspiring and thoughtful devotional.  Amy is one of our young ladies at church and it is so wonderful to see a young person with a heart like hers - so devoted to loving the Lord and willing to share that love through her delightful personality and talent.  As she continues to grow, she will be an awesome and inspiring speaker for the Lord.  As the morning progressed Melody Parker, daughter-in-law of John and Janet Parker brought a wonderful lesson.  We had heard her before and were definitely blessed by her coming back to discuss "Recipes for Life."  She reminded us of how important it for us to take care of our bodies and how what we do at one age will affect how our bodies hold out for years to come.  She stressed proper rest, diet and exercise, and prayer.  But with prayer, she brought home our responsibilty to do our part - such as teaching our children properly, taking care of them, etc.  Here I have to say, I was guilty as sin of taking on more than I should, and certainly of not taking care of myself - after finding out I have several cracked ribs.

Then it was time for lunch - a lunch of soup, salad and desserts.  Billie Usrey made a wonderful Cheese Tortellini soup and I made my Creamy Broccoli Cheese soup.  Barbara Warner made a deliciously mixed green salad filled with fresh apples, cranberries, and walnuts.  Then several ladies brought scrumptious cakes for dessert.  The room was transformed into a beautiful fall setting with very pretty rented table toppers and decorations borrowed from Prime Timers, Billie, Barbara, and Beth.  All and all it was a wonderful combined effort.  We had prepared for the 90 people that signed up - we rented 100 china bowls, 100 forks, spoons, and tablecloths to cover tables for 100.  We used glass plates and glasses.  Of course, we were very disappointed by only 50 showing up.  We had paid for at least half of what we didn't need.  We understand that some emergencies occur, but 40???

After lunch Melody spoke to us again - taking us through a couple of exercises to give us practical ways to alleviate tension and clutter.  She was as amazing and inspiring in the afternoon as in the morning.  She is an amazing young woman with six children, the oldest 14 and the youngest only 5 months old.  She teaches, does inspiring talks, cooks, takes care of her family, and finds time to read and study her Bible, other family enrichment books,  and be good friends with many! 

The only other thing I want to say about our Saturday event - is that I felt so privileged to get to help with the food and just thank Barbara Warner for allowing me to help.  I also truly enjoyed working with Billie.  She and I have the same philosphy - "Do it right or Don't do it at all!!"

If you have seen us lately, you will have noticed that Michelle has lost weight and looks so cute -- but all of her pants are almost falling off - they are just way too big.  So I took her shopping this afternoon -- and in our quest - we shopped 4 different stores - but she came home with some really nice and cute size 6 Petite pants - and a cute top!  Yes - Mom was in pain - but determined she would have pants that fit!  SHE did this all on her own - slowly - just cutting back on her food and being more picky about what she ate.  I am so proud of her!

Ok - here is the recipe I promised:
REAL TEXAS CHILI
                       Jon Carole Gilbreath

 3 Lbs. Ground meat (I like to mix really lean meat half and half with chili meat – you get better chili)
1 Cup Flour
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Teaspoons black pepper
Work the above ingredients together until all of the flour is worked into meat.  Saute` slowly in a large, heavy pan until meat begins to change color – then add:

2 Medium onions, chopped

3 Tablespoons minced garlic
Allow to cook until done, but not brown, stirring frequently.

Then add 2 quarts hot water and simmer one hour.

Next – add:
4 Tablespoons Paprika
6 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Cumin
2 Small cans tomato sauce
Simmer for 1 hour, stirring gently, but often.  Add more salt, pepper, or some Tabasco sauce to taste.  Best when made 24 hours before serving. 
Freezes well – makes great enchiladas too!!

Here is the other recipe some asked for:  The drizzle of salad dressing on the salad both on Wednesday night and Saturday.  They were made without measuring - but this is the measured recipe:

DRESSING
Combine:
1 cup Extra virgin olive oil ( or canola oil)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 minced or pressed fresh garlic cloves or 1 tablespoon of dried minced garlic or omit salt and use 1 T garlic salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4th teaspoon cayenne pepper

Wisk together the sugar and remaining six ingredients together until sugar starts to dissolve.  Then while wisking, slowly add olive oil, continuing to wisk until it begins to slighly thicken.  Wisk really good again before drizzling onto salad.  NOTE:  It will not take all of this for a salad with even 5 to 6 cups of mixed greens.  Go lightly!!!  Enjoy!!!

I hope you enjoyed my journey back through Saturday as much as I have.  IT is good to have a reminder about how inspiring these young women were!!!
 Well - I had something really inspiring to give you tonight - but I will save it and go get some of that rest that Melody said we need!

I hope each of you feel as blessed as I do - to have a wonderful family - and to have the privilege of a good deed now and then!  May God bless each of you and your efforts!