Cora: Monthly Calendar

Hello ladies!

Just to help you out a little, we have decided to post a monthly calendar to help you keep track of upcoming events.

Here it is for October:
October 9 - Titus Study 1 - Church Office at 6:30
October 23 - Titus Study 2 - Church Office at 6:30

Keep in mind that our annual mini-retreat to the Lights of Christmas is November 30 through December 1. I will be posting more details for this on our November calendar.

Looking forward to a wonderful year together!

Laurie: Pretzel Turtles

For all you busy moms, I found this recipe in a magazine and thought, Christmas is just around the corner. It seems like it would be an easy, good gift for family and friends. Wrapped up with love and a little colored cellophane, tied with a ribbon and gift card and it's all ready to give.

Pretzel Turtles

Makes 24

24 small pretzels
24 Rolo candies
(caramel-covered chocolates)
24 pecan halves

1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2 Arrange the pretzels in a single layer
on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Place one Rolo on each pretzel.
3 Bake for 4 minutes. While candy is
warm, press a pecan half onto each candy-covered pretzel. Cool completely,
then enjoy or store in an airtight
container.

Laurie: Quick-Fix Beef Burrito Skillet

This is really good and so easy. Sue Wendt gave it to me.
Beef burritos reinvented.

Quick-Fix Beef Burrito Skillet

Prep: 10 min. Total 35 min.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (1 1/4 oz.) Taco seasoning mix
1 can (19 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
1 cup Mexican style shredded four cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 1 large)

Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain.

Add seasoning mix, beans, salsa and water; stir. Bring
to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min.

Stir in tortillas; top with cheese. Cover; let stand
5 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour
cream and onions.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each.

Jazz it up: Top with your favorite mexican-style
toppings just before serving, such as shredded
lettuce, chopped tomatoes and/or chopped avocados.

Sue said she liked taco chips with it instead of the
flour tortillas as well. It Gives it crunch.

Sylvia: Contentment

As a stay-at-home mommy this late in my life, I find myself being tempted from time to time to be discontent. Truth be known, I'm probably not the only one. It is so easy to find ourselves wishing for a better this or different that, isn't it? The world around us is saturated in discontent and it's so easy to be influenced and drawn into it. All we have to do is watch a few TV commercials and soon we can want what we can't afford and desire to be who we cannot be.

Any time I find myself in this state for whatever reason, mommyitis or restlessness, I have to come back to the place where I know that the deepest longing of my heart is for a closer relationship with Jesus. He is the true longing of my soul. Nothing or no one else will ever fill the yearning and desires of our hearts. Not works, power, position, food, men, drugs, booze, jewelry, clothes, cars or mansions. And the list goes on.

The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11 that he learned to be content in any situation, whether in plenty or not enough, humbled or exalted. He knew his strength to endure and overcome came from the Lord. In Hebrews 13:5 we are challenged to be content and given the reason why ... because Jesus said that He would never leave us nor forsake us. My desire is to be content in Jesus, in the life that He has given me and the calling that He has placed on that life. I desire that for you too because that is where peace and joy are found--in contentment.

I read a poem the other morning that so touched my heart that I really wanted to share it with you. Whoever wrote this poem seems like a Godly woman. She just wanted to serve her King not realizing that she was doing just that, right in the place where he had her. Discontentment had come in and robbed her of her peace and joy. It was only when she accepted His will for her life that she became still.

I longed to walk along an easy road,

And leave behind the dull routine of home,

Thinking in other fields to serve my God;

But Jesus said, "My time has not yet come."

I longed to sow the seed in other soil,

To be unfettered in the work and free,

To join in other laborers in their toil;

But Jesus said, " 'Tis not My choice for thee."

I longed to leave the desert, and be led

To work where souls were sunk in sin and shame,

That I might win them; but the Master said,

"I have not called thee, publish here my name."

I longed to fight the battles of my King,

Lift high His standards in the thickest strife;

But my great Captain bade me wait and sing

Songs of His conquest in my quiet life.

I longed to leave the uncongenial sphere,

Where all alone I seemed to stand and wait,

To feel I had some human helper near,

But Jesus bade me guard one lonely gate.

I longed to leave the round of daily toil,

Where no one seemed to understand or care;

But Jesus said, "I choose for thee this soil,

That thou might'st raise for me some blossoms rare."

And now I have no longing but to do

At home, or else afar, His blessed will,

To work amid the many or the few;

Thus, "choosing not to choose," my heart is still.

-Selected.

God bless you, dearest ladies.

Shannon: Blue Letter Bible links

Tonight at our women's ministry kick-off, I'll be referring to the Blue Letter Bible site and specifically, to this first link--a lexicon page, where you can type in an English word and it will tell you the various Greek or Hebrew meanings to that word, as well as all the occurrences in Scripture.

Rather than trying to spell out the addresses, I'll link to them here and refer the women to our site.

Blue Letter Bible--Lexicon (for when you don't know the Strong's number--just the English word)

Blue Letter Bible--Strong's (for when you do know the Strong's number)

Blue Letter Bible--Word Search (type in a word at the top of the right-hand menu and it will search the dictionary information from Nave's, Vines, Torrey's, Hitchcock's, Easton's Dictionaries, and the Thematic Subject Guide)

I hope you're all planning to be there! I'm looking forward to another wonderful year with our ladies.

Kim: Garlic Lime Chicken

The title of this recipe is deceivingly bland. Trust me, it's not. Just typing the ingredients makes my taste buds water. This is my family's favorite chicken recipe. I could serve this a few times a week and Mike would be happy.

Garlic Lime Chicken

1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your family's tastes)
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (fresh or defrosted)
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
4 TBS lime juice (lemon juice works too)
1/2 cup chicken broth

On a dinner plate*, mix together the first seven ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.

*Kim's Time Saving Tip: Double (or quadruple if you end up loving this recipe) the first seven ingredients. Pour into a small tuperware container, close the lid & shake. Label container and store in your spice cabinet.

In a skillet heat butter & olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and add lime juice & chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan and thoroughly coat and serve.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, or baked sweet potatoes. Cut leftover chicken into strips and place on a nice green salad. Mmmm!

Serves: 6
Fat: 11.0 g
Calories: 343

Recipe from Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely with minor alterations.

Kim: Silky Garlic Mashed Potatoes

These go perfectly with Garlic Lime Chicken. Yum!

Silky Garlic Mashed Potatoes

6 boiling potatoes (2 pounds)
6 garlic cloves, peeled or 3 tsp. minced (The potatoes are yummy without garlic too!)
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Scrub potatoes. Leave skins on, if desired, or peel thinly and remove eyes. Leave whole or cut into large pieces. Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Place potatoes and garlic in 2-quart saucepan. Cover with water; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes. Shake pan gently over low heat to dry potatoes if desired. Mash until no lumps remain. Add milk in small amounts, beating after each addition. (Amount of milk needed to make potatoes smooth and fluffy depends on kind of potatoes used.) Add butter, salt and pepper. Beat vigorously until potatoes are light and fluffy. If desired, dot with butter or sprinkle with paprika, chopped fresh parsley, watercress or chives.

Left-overs? Use them to add thickness—and flavor—to your next vegetable soup.

For a "no last-minute" mashed potato casserole, spoon prepared potatoes into greased 2-quart casserole; cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. About an hour before serving, heat oven to 350°F, drizzle potatoes with 2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until hot. Stir potatoes before serving.

Fran: Spice of Life

Well, actually it's "How to clean the spice cupboard" but "Spice of Life" sounds a whole lot more exciting! ;) Warning; this is a little bit long but I wanted to do it in one post so you read it in order. Here goes:

Periodically I go through my cupboards to clean and organize them. I try to hit each cupboard at least twice a year when I’m ruthless about what stays and what goes in the trash. Recently I tackled my spice cupboard. For some reason I haven’t done this particular cupboard for a very long time (so you can imagine the condition it was in!)

Cleaning your cupboards may seem like a no brainer but I’m going to post some of my rules anyway. These are specific for my spice cupboard but they could easily be adapted for any other cupboard (pantry, fridge, etc).

1. Know you’re going to have a bigger mess than you started with but that it’s a temporary mess. Do not let yourself get overwhelmed by this!

2. One cupboard at a time! You are not allowed to even open another cupboard until the first one is done! (If you’re like me you’ll open the cupboard to put something away, see that the other cupboard is a mess, pull everything out of that one thinking you’ll get two done, see something else that needs to go in yet another cupboard and on and on and on…. Yes, I do have cleaning ADHD! If you’ve got something that goes somewhere else, put it on the table and deal with it later! A cupboard will probably take you between 10-20 minutes depending on how bad it is. If you take all the other cupboards apart too it’ll take you all day. You shouldn’t have to send the kids to grandma’s to get organized.)

3. Do one shelf at a time; take everything off that shelf, put what you don’t need in a discard spot (more on *discarding in a minute), wipe the shelf clean and replace what you’re keeping. Most used items in front, least in back. You shouldn’t have to go on an archaeological dig every time you need the cinnamon.

4. Do each shelf; leave all the things you’re getting rid of on the counter until you’re done with the cupboard and throw it all away at once. For some of you this part may be difficult because you’ll feel like you’re being wasteful. I have two reasons for doing it this way.

1. So you can quickly (and I mean quickly!) glance at the throw away pile and make sure you’re not tossing something you use. (Don’t take your time on this! You’re not saying goodbye to a loved one, you’re cleaning the cupboards. Be ruthless! Do you really need that third bottle of whole cloves that you’ve had for ten years and never used?)
   


2. I want you to see just how much junk you’re getting rid of. Seriously, you are unloading stuff you don’t need! Let yourself heave a sigh of relief and look at all the real estate you’re just opened up in your cupboard! Doesn’t that feel good?
   

5. Wipe down the outside of the cupboard and pat yourself on the back! (You are not allowed to get frustrated that you have ten more to do! You have completed the task in front of you and the next task is only one thing. )

*Guidelines on what to discard:

1. If it was once a spice but is now a solid brick, get rid of it! You should not need a chisel and hammer to get it out of the jar!

2. If you have more than one bottle of the same thing pare it down to one. (The exception being if it’s something you use a lot of. Not something you’ve carried around for the last 8 years because you got a 15 pack at Costco!)

3. If it’s more than six months old “they” say to replace it. Now, I use a lot of spices and I do go through some of them more quickly than others but I don’t keep this rule myself. (Spices are expensive!) That said; if you bought curry powder three years ago to try out one dish and haven’t used it since perhaps it’s time to let it go. Fresh really does taste better!

4. Stop keeping empty containers with the idea that you will refill them! I’m not sure if that was my intent or if I just didn’t know they were there but I had six (yes, six!) honey containers with one tablespoon of honey in each! I had a whole family of honey bears and they were still having babies! They have now been evicted. :)

5. Consolidate. I have a method for monthly menus that keeps me from having duplicates but if you should find three boxes of raisins in your cupboard, put them together. (This is assuming they’re fresh enough to eat without it ending in a trip to the dentist.)

I love, love, love using spices in my cooking. Cayenne, curry, Chinese five spice, sage, dill; I could go on and on! With as many as I use my cupboards can get overrun if I’m not keeping up with it. It may seem a tedious task but you’ll feel better when it’s done and if you need me to, I’d be happy to come over and help you! (But be warned, I will be ruthless. :) )

Cora: Pizza Porcupine Patties

This is my family's absolute favorite! Hope you enjoy it, too.

Pizza Porcupine Patties

1 pound hamburger
15 oz tomato sauce
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/3 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon
1 cup boiling water
1 cup pizza cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Reserve 1 cup tomato sauce.

Mix remaining sauce, ground beef, rice, salt, garlic salt and oregano. Shape into 6 patties. Place into ungreased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove patties from oven and drain.

Dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Stir in reserved tomato sauce. Pour mixture over patties. Cover and bake for 35 minutes.

Spoon sauce over patties. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shannon: Grandma always said ...

You all know how much I love to cook (and bake). I can't ever remember a time when this wasn't true. When small, I used to climb up on a chair and watch my grandmother making Poor Soup (I'll post the recipe for that later) or red beans or breaded tomatoes. "How come you put that in there?" I'd ask, wondering at the giant scoop of bacon grease that went into just about every savory dish. "There's nothing like bacon grease for bringing out flavor," Grandma would say. I've thanked the Lord a hundred times that no one knew anything about cholesterol back then. I can only imagine what I would have missed.

Grandma was the one to teach me to cook. As she got older and I got tall enough to ignore the chair, more of the cooking duties fell to me. By the time rheumatoid arthritis had her firmly in its grip, all she'd have to say was, "Wouldn't scones be good today, Honey?" or "Boy, I've got a hankering for Rosettes," and off I'd go.

What I wouldn't give to hear about one of her hankerings just one more time.

Besides being grateful to Grandma for sharing her love of cooking with me, I'm also thankful that she taught me the most important of kitchen tips: Clean up as you go.

Doesn't that sound simple? And it really is, but for some reason, not everyone does it. If I could sit down with every young bride, every starting-out-new cook, this would be the one bit of advice I'd share (aside from a given: don't be afraid to deviate from a recipe. Experiment until it tastes good to you.).

If you don't already have this bit of wisdom tucked away in that brain of yours, start today. Go ahead and get the salt down to measure out a bit for your soup ... and then put it away. Pull the flour down from the cupboard. You can't make biscuits without it. But the second you've spooned that one and a half cups into your bowl, put the flour away. You might as well take a second to wipe up that light coat of dust you scattered in the process.

Clean up as you go. It works well with relationships, too.

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