A NIGHT OF REFLECTION

I hope all of you are looking forward to a great week!  That is how you have one - you think it is going to be - you pray for God's guidance - and then wake up with expectation!!  Easy to do -- not without God's help - but with Him in your heart - how could it be any less! 

Today was awesome -- Mark did another couple of great lessons - and there is a certain young lady at church that is facing some serious treatments - but it does my heart good to just be around her.  She is so positive and has so much faith - we all could learn lessons from her!  She is a precious example of living the Christian life. 

I think I've mentioned that Michelle has alapecia and it seems to have taken a stronghold and she is losing lots of her hair.  She is getting shots in the scalp and hip - and we take a step forward and two backwards.  A couple of Sunday's I stood behine her trying to fix her thin hair the best I could and stood there crying -- and later that morning a family came in and sat down -- and I was brought up fast - there I had been crying over thinning hair - and I looked at the family - and they had a daughter that was facing radiation and chemo!  I felt so shallow - but of course it is my daughter and I love her so much!!!

Have you ever been to Sweet Gourmet -- if not - then you are missing a treat!  I just need to get busy and use some of the many products I have bought there.  Just doesn't seem to have the time to cook that I used to have!  They have this great San Saba products and one of them is their River Pecan Preserves.  They gave a recipe with the preserves.  Very simple - but delicious!

MARBLED FRUIT MUFFINS

1 Yellow or White cake mix
1 Jar of San Saba River Pecan Preserves

Prepare the cake mix as instructed on the box but reduce the water by 1/2 cup.  The batter will be thick.  Pour into muffin cups 2/3 full.  Add 1 tablespoon of preserves over the batter and use a knife to marble the fruit into the batter with one or two swirls.

Bake approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees until done. 

Another recipe she served us at our Pilot Club meeting was an avacado tomato salad.  Very simple but delicious!  Peel and cut up a couple of avacados; a carton of the cherry tomates cut in half or quarters, and about 1/2 of a cucumber, diced small.  Drizzle the salad with Canyon Foods Sweet Chile Lime Sauce -- also can be purchased at Sweet Gourmet.  Absolutely Delicious and if you "don't do" cucumber - then try red onion or whatever other veggie you want!!!

An old, old recipe that used to be a "stand-by" for chuch potlucks, etc. was this one:

LAYER CHESTNUT SALAD

(BE SURE ABD CRISP GREENS FIRST)

Layer in order given:

Lettuce
Large onion, ringed
1 Large bell pepper, ringled
1 Can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 Small can English peas, drained
1 Cup Hellmann's mayonnaise

Seal layered ingredients with mayo.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheeese.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours!
This is one of the salads I was going to give you last week when my computer crashed.. This week it seems to be my fingers!!!!

Here is a great reminder that my cousin sent me!

             “The Devil After the Dove” Principle

                                                 Ephesians 4:27

                                  “Neither give place to the devil.”

Have you ever gotten into an argument with a family member on the way to church? (Notice I didn’t say Husband or Wife) Don’t act so pious! Ever preacher knows that the devil will try to attach God’s children right before church, or after church—on the way home in the car! There is a spiritual principle here that we need to learn. It is what I call “the devil after the dove principle.”

Just as when Jesus was baptized and a dove descended, then right after He was led into the wilderness and temped, so it will be with you. When God does something great or when you get the approval of God about something, you can expect the attack of the enemy.

Leonard Ravenhill said, “When God opens the windows of heaven to bless us, the devil is going to open the doors of hell to blast us.” Have you had a wonderful spiritual experience recently? Then you better not start coasting. If the devil temped Jesus, be sure he will temp you as well.

“Blessed are those that can give without remembering and can take without forgetting.”

 Have a blessed week!

TRYING TO RIGHT THE ERROR ON SUNDAY EVENING!!

Good evening!  Just wanted to update Sunday's pitiful blog - no recipes - cute short because of a malfunction!  Let's get right to the recipes:

Mitzi's Green Salas ( named for a dear friend who shared this with me)

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh leaf lettuce
Red Onion
1/4 Cup butter
1 pkg. Ramen Noodles - uncooked and crunched (discard the seasoning pkg.)
Feta Cheese
1 Cup chopped Walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter, and add the walnuts and Ramen Noodles.  Slowly brown over low heat.  Let drain on paper towels.

DRESSING

Combine the following:
1 Cup Canola Oill
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Red WWine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
Large ground pepper to taste
Blend all together and refrigerate - you won't need it all - but don't worry - it keeps a long time!

Just before serving mix and noodle mixture with lettuce and onion.  Mix and toss well.  Add approximately 1 Cup dressing.  Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Enjoy!!!

LAYER CHESTNUT SALAD

(Be sure and Crish Salad Greens First!)

Layer in order given:
1 Head of Lettuce
1 large onion, ringed
1 large bell pepper, ringed
1 Can Water Chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 small can English Peas, drained
1 Cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
Serve ingrediens with mayo.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours!!!  Wonderful salad!!!

Here is one more!  Not a salad - but sounds delicious!

CHILLED SESAME ASPARAGUS

Cook asparagus is a quickly chilled and then toss with a simple soy-sesame vinaigrette for a tangy side dish to serve at pot luck gatherings or with cold cuts and sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 - 2  pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 Teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

PREPARATIONS:
Cook asparagus in boiling water about 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp tender.  Plunge asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain, cover, and chill 2 hours.

Whisk together sesame oil and next 3 ingredients.  Chill 2 hours.

Arrange asparagus on a serving dish;  spoon dressing evenly over top.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Southern Living MARCH 2003

These are great recipes and I hop you will try them!

\We had a Pilot Club meeting at Sweet Gourmet today and it was awesome!!  Pam Gabriel went all out and  treated us to a Mexican luncheon!  It was unbelievable.  I had told the Pilot Club members we would have a light treat - but we had a freast!!  All of it was explained and we were told how to make it - using many of the wonderful products carried at the store.  Besides treating us to lunch - we were given a 10% discount on anything we purchased!!  Another plus - her store is absolutely adorable right now!  I took a couple of great pictures to share with you - but right now my phone is in the hospital - so I will probably share them on Facebook in the next few days!!

We definitely need to give these hometown owners our business.  There are not that many left - but of what treasures they are!  My favorite shops are the ones that began here and stayed here!  Check them out - you will be pleased!!

Back in 2010 I posted a blog that contained a story entitled "Clay balls!"  I put it on our March 2012 Pilot Light back page and the more I think about it - the more I think it is worth repeating.  If you read it the first time - I thank you for being a follower for so loyal - it would be great to know who you are - but if you have not read it - take it to heart!!!

CLAY BALLS

Have you ever read the email about CLAY BALLS? I want to give you a short version of it!  A man was exploring caves by the seashore and found a canvas bag of clay balls.  They intrigued the man so he took the bag with him.  As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time into the ocean as far as he could throw!  Eventually one of the clay balls dropped and cracked open on a rock.  Inside was a beautiful, precious stone. Excitedly he opened the remaining clay balls and each one contained a similar treasure.  He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the remaining 20 or so clay balls.  Then it struck him – he had thrown away over 50 clay balls.  Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands of dollars, but he had just thrown it away!  It is like that with people.  We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel.  They don’t look like much from the outside.  They aren’t always beautiful or sparkling with personality so we discount them.  We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy.  But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside of the person.  There is a treasure in each and every one of us.  If we take the time to get to know that person, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.  May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay.  May we see people in our world as God sees them!

Have a wonderful rest of the week - and I'll visit soon!  Everyday presents an opportunity to do something for someone else - pray for someone - when there is nothing you can physically do - cook a meal - buy a hamburger - clean a house - wash some clothes - smile at a stranger that looks like they need one --- think of something you can do1!! 

Good night - God Bless!!!

ANOTHER SUNDAY - GONE AGAIN!!

Good evening!  It has been a good weekend - no wonderful trips like my friend just back from Cancun or Florida - or all of the other wonderful places people have just returned from!  Now they all have to go back to the same hours I kept last week while they were sunnning, skiing, hiking, etc.
Well - guess what - I got published -- not exactly how I wanted to but anyway I did!  A week ago today, Clyde Nelson - editor of the Tyler Paper in his article "Is It Just Me?" he did a spoof about a woman he saw at a redlight applying her makeup!  Having always wanted to write for the paper, I wrote a rebutal entitled "The Other Side" and emailed it to him.  Well - to my surprize this morning, my letter to Mr. Nelson was in the paper - beginning on the the front page!  Oh me!!  Maybe if it causes some response - he will want me to write again!  Ok - girl - dream on!!!  For the time being - I imagine I had better stick to my blog!
Our preacher just keeps knocking out those great sermons - sometimes I am not sure exactly where he is going - but he always has a lesson that we all needed!  Thanks Mark - just keep up the good work!

Once a year the paper carried another story about the New London blast that hit a junior high school back in 1937.  Each year it brings back chills as I read the stories and remember that over 300 - mostly children - were killed because of an illegal tap into residual gas.  The gas became trapped underneath the school.  So very sad.  We do need to be reminded that none of us have the promise of tomorrow - and we should live each day the very best we can!

Tonight I was going to give you two great salad recipes - and I promise I will get back on tomorrow and give them to you.   I had already typed one of them - but some burp in the system - would not let me save the blog and it only  saved down to" Once a year the paper!"

So - it is after 10 and I am going to sign off -- so instead having the rest of my blog to read - go to tylerpaper.com and catch my debut! ha.
Have a great week and remember - we need to love our neighbor as ourself - you know why -- God told us to!!!

DOESN'T THE WEEKEND FLY BY!

Another one has almost passed by again!  Time does fly by! I never get all the things done that I really want to do!  I make a list and then I get distracted by something I decides needs attention first!  Oh well, the one thing I don't replace is our being in worship and taking that time to be renewed and trying to make someone else feel better too!  We had two great sermons - Mark just keeps getting better and better!  Maybe his lessons just speak to me more - and that is what we all need!  Lessons that reach our conscious and make us reevaluate our lives! 

When I started the blog on the last day of the year 2009 - I had no idea how long it would last - but I find I never run out of ideas I want to share or recipes that I want to share.  One that I think will be delicious is on my menu for tomorrow night!  It is in the March Southern Living -- only I will make a couple of additions! 

CHICKEN AND VEGGIE STIR-FRY

1 LB. Skinned ad boned chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 tablespoons olive oil (changed from vegetable)
1/2 lb. Broccolini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup chicken broth, divided
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced into half moons
1/4th cup sliced green onions - may use a red one instead
2 galic cloves, minced (I added)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tso, Asian chill-garlic sauce (didn't find this!_
Hot cooked rice  (WILL COOK BROWN RICE)

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt; toss with 1/4 cup cornstarch
2. Stir fry chicken in 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown and done.  Transfer to a plate, using a  slotted spoon; keep warm.  Add Broccolini and 1/4 cup broth; cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp tender.  Transfer to plate with chicken, using slotted spoon. 
3. Add remaining 1 Tablespoon oil to skillet.  Saute bell pepper and next 3 ingredients in hot oil 2 minutes or until crisp tender.
4. Whisk together 2 tsp. cornstarch and remaining 3/4 cup broth until cornstarch dissolves.  Add broth mixture, chicken, and Broccolini (with any accumulated juices) to bell pepper mixture in skillet.  Cook, stirring often, 1 minute or until liquid thickens.  Stir in lime juice and next 2 ingredients.  Serve over hot cooked rice!

Back in January, 2010 - I posted a recipe that I had almost forgotten - but it is so easy I want to share it again!  Ladies or gentlemen - make it for your family.  They will love it - and it won't wear you out doing it!

APPLE ENCHILADA DESSERT OR APPLE TORTILLAS

8 Flour tortillas
1 Can Apple Pie Filling
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine sugars, butter, water and cinnamon in suacepan and heat until boiling.  Add red cake coloring if desired.  Place one or two tablespoons of pie mix into each tortilla and roll up.  Place in a 9 X 11 Pyrex dish.  Pour hot mixtures over tortillas.  Sprinkle a tad more cinnamon on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 35 minutes.  Serve hot with ice cream or cool whip - if desired!!  Mainly - Enjoy!

My cousin puts out some pretty powerful lessons and when there is one I think we all could learn from - I like to share it!  Here is another one:

            “The Devil After the Dove” Principle

                                                  Ephesians 4:27

                                  “Neither give place to the devil.”

Have you ever gotten into an argument with a family member on the way to church? (Notice I didn’t say Husband or Wife) Don’t act so pious! Ever preacher knows that the devil will try to attach God’s children right before church, or after church—on the way home in the car! There is a spiritual principle here that we need to learn. It is what I call “the devil after the dove principle.”

Just as when Jesus was baptized and a dove descended, then right after He was led into the wilderness and temped, so it will be with you. When God does something great or when you get the approval of God about something, you can expect the attack of the enemy.

Leonard Ravenhill said, “When God opens the windows of heaven to bless us, the devil is going to open the doors of hell to blast us.” Have you had a wonderful spiritual experience recently? Then you better not start coasting. If the devil temped Jesus, be sure he will temp you as well.

“Blessed are those that can give without remembering and can take without forgetting.”

Just one more thing before I sign off!  There is a precious young lady that is facing some serious concerns and must make some life changing decisions.  I want you to know that I have never seem anyone with a much peach and grace and faith as I've seen in her.  No matter what the outcome - her faith is making all of us examine our own!  She is total grace!  So precious!!!!

May you also learn to walk with God and trust Him completely!  May we all!

Good night!!!!

 

SPENDING THE WEEKEND IN THE KITCHEN

Not exactly what I had imagined the first weekend of March would bring - but it did - and it felt good - now tomorrow I may wish for a weekend of shopping and relaxing!  This past Wednesday, we fed about 100 at Church - Hamburgers, Savory Fries, Medley of Beans, Mixed Cobblers - and according to the amount of food that disappeared - it was good.  I will give you a couple of the recipes and then I will give you the cakes I made for Sunday lunch and Sunday night's fellowship after services!

The beans real title is Crock Pot Beans - and I've probably already given you the recipe but several have asked for it so here it is!

CROCK POT BEANS

3/4 LB. bacon, browned and cut up in small pieces
1 Cup chopped onion
1 Green pepper chopped
3 Tablespoons garlic seasoning
1 lb. can Pork and Bean
1 lb. can Ranch Style Beans
1 lb. can Kidney Beans, drained
1 lb. can Pinto Beans, drained
1 lb. can Garbanzo beans, drained
1 lb. can Northern Beans, drained
1 lb. can Butter Beans, drained
1 Cup Catsup
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
1 Tsp. salt
Tabasco (Several dashes to taste)

Brown bacon; drain off fat and save.  Put bacon in crock-pot.  Saute onion and pepper in bacon fat; drain and put in crock pot.  Stir well.  Cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours.  Will hold longer. 

Now even though this recipe calls for draining a majority of the beans, I didn't drain them - and they were rather soupy -- but very, very good.

We also had easy cobblers - or as some call them "Dump Cakes." 

CHERRY COBBLER OR CHERRY DUMP CAKE

PLACE IN 9 X 13 PAN IN ORDER LISTED:

1 large can Crushed Pineapple with juice
1 large can Cherry Pie filling
1 Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1-1/2 sticks melted Butter, drizzle over the top.

Bake at 350 until golden brown.  About 40 minutes.

Then I also switched Apple Pie Mix for the Cherry.

For Sunday's lunch I made a cake I had posted on February 12, 2010 - so I feel it is time to repeat it!

STRAWBERRY-JELLO CAKE

1 White Duncan Hines Cake Mix
1 Small box Strawberry Jello
1/2 carton small frozen strawberries
1/2 cup water
4 Eggs
3/4 cupCanola oil
2 tsp. Vanilla

Mix together and bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

ICING

3/4 Stick Butter
1/2 Carton Strawberries
4 to 5 cups Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla

After cake cools, mix the above ingredients and spread on cake.


CHOCOLATE CINNAMON CAKE

Bring to a boil:
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water.

Mix and add chocolate hot liquid
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
Then add:
1 Cup buttermilk
2 Eggs

Pour into greased and floured pan 9 X 12" and bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes .  While still hot put on icing.

ICING

Bring to a boil:
6 Tablespoons Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 Stick butter

Stir in:
1 Box Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Chopped Pecans, if desired.

There you have it.  I've been thinking about recipes and how they cycle and recycle.  I will make a recipe that we all love, maybe even more than once, and then it just fades away.  Maybe years later, something will make me think about the recipe and pull it out and it amazes us again.  Funny thing though, some of the recipes I used to think were great - now I look at them critically - and decide what would make them better.  Like now I like to add a tad of cayenne to many casseroles, salads, pimento cheese, scrambled eggs, etc., and that was never added to dishes a few years ago.  Garlic is something else that I use in almost all receipes - well except desserts!

I am looking forward to a calmer week - even though I am sceduled for a stress test on Tuesday - may have to reschedule to Friday -- just not enough time to fit it in!

There are some people hurting at our church and we are all hurting with them.  I think we are all getting on knees more often asking God to be merciful!  It is amazing to see an entire church praying for the same people over and over.  I know God hears our pleas and we just have to trust what ever the outcomes - God does know best.  That is hard sometimes to accept - but with faith we must.

Please have a blessed week - remember to do something good for someone else.

Good night!