In the Kitchen: Autumn Cooking and Baking

Autumn cooking and baking is the best! Sharing a few from my kitchen from the past few weeks/months. 

A new recipe for me in recent weeks ... Chicken Parmesan. I had made a different Chicken Parmesan recipe in the past, but this one from a favorite food blogger caught my attention, and it did not disappoint! It was delicious, and I think it looks especially beautiful during the autumn months.

Soup season is here! I usually try to serve a soup menu once each week during the fall and winter. My very first one for this season was Best-Ever Potato Soup! I often even double the recipe for just the two of us, as we like to freeze it in meal-sized portions to use on days when I don't have the time to cook a meal from scratch. 

I haven't prepared this delicious Hot Spiced Cider yet this season, but just had to share it here. Whenever I serve it, it fills the kitchen with the warm aroma of autumn ... and tastes like autumn, as well.

The Apple Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Filling shown above is made in my kitchen most every year at this time. We enjoy it as a dessert, often served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top, or sometimes a dollup of Cool Whip.

Pumpkin Squares are a dessert that I make every autumn season, as well. It tastes just as delicious as pumpkin pie, and is even easier to make than the pie. I make a 9x13 pan of it to serve for guests, and then freeze the remainder in meal-sized portions for the two of us. 

A November Collection: Our Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, A Good Book, and a Blessed Thanksgiving Day

Closing out the month of November with a little collection of memories from this beautiful time of year ...

This is the weekend where the fall decor will change to winter/Christmas decor. But some things do not need to change. I love these words (from Ann Voskamp) that I read this Thanksgiving week:

“Our Thanksgiving could be more than a holiday, but a lifestyle for all our days - our thanksgiving could become thanksliving - all our honest sacrifices of thanks to God moving our hearts closer to God, who is our very greatest good.

You get to just keep coming with your sacrifice of thanksgiving which gives you more of God.”

“We can be at rest right where we are because our ability to ‘be still and know that He is God’ (Psalm 46:10) is not dependent on whether our circumstances feel restful or light. It’s wholly dependent on where we turn for true rest. God made us to need Him, to turn to Him for the rest we seek … We are made by God, for God, and to be satisfied in God.” (Ruth Chou Simons)

These words have been so very good for me to read this month; it has been a month filled with many things. And I am learning and relearning to turn my heart and eyes to the source of true rest. It is so easy to look for rest in other places. But there is only one place to find real rest. And I am grateful.

We were blessed to have nine precious family members around our table for Thanksgiving Day! Whether it's our whole family home, or those who live close nearby, it is always such a treat, and a gift. We are so very thankful ...

Thanks-giving Prep for the Heart and the Table

Oh, it has been so long since I have posted here ... not since the beginning of September! And what a whirlwind it has been since then. A four-week trip to Oregon to be with my dear siblings (first time in almost five years), and also a concentrated time of packing up and helping my youngest brother (suffering from Parkinsons) to move to an assisted living place, just two blocks from our home! 

And after the four weeks in Oregon, we have been involved for seven weeks now, helping our dear brother settle in ... in a new state, and into a new life with assisted living care. It has been quite intense, and also, it has been filled to overflowing with God's daily strength and care as He has opened up doors for this big move. We are thankful.

And now, this week ... another gift from God has been for me to start reading through Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always. Click here to see this brand new book by Ruth Chou Simons. Yes, it is not the advent season quite yet, but I am so very thankful to start reading this book a few weeks before Dec. 1st.

In the midst of a very full and busy season, it is exactly what I am needing. Slowing down the 25 daily readings so I can savor each one more deeply. Here's a quote from the reading for Week One: Day Two ...

Worship begins when we bow our hearts before Jesus

and trust Him for all that we can't fix on our own ...

which, as it turns out, is everything.

This is so true for us all as gals -  wives, moms, gramas, singles - all of us who are caregivers, life-givers, as we are in need daily of God's loving care and strength. And maybe especially so, as we approach the holiday season. 

I know that I have been in such great need of His care these past few months. And in the world and times that we live, we find ourselves so often helpless, and in need. Feeling completely inadequate to keep up. We are often tempted to try to do things on our own, to rely on our own strength. To trust our own wisdom for impossible situations. 

Where in reality, these situations are all opportunities to realize our need, and to draw close to the only One who can meet us right where we are, and give the strength and wisdom needed each day. Challenges and busy times can become opportunities to grow in deeper trust and peace. So true each day of this whole year, and also as we enter the holiday season.

With plans for 21 precious family around our table for Thanksgiving this year, I wondered how I would possibly have time to prepare. And it has been so amazing for me to see and experience God's care in the midst of this very full fall season for us. Our sweet daughters are helping by bringing multiple food items for our feast, and I have also been greatly enjoying preparing food, as well. Always choosing to do as much prep ahead of time as possible, I have prepared the pie crusts for pumpkin pies (ready, in the freezer, for baking this next week).

And also this Pecan Pie is ready, waiting to be pulled out of the freezer next week. Click here for this new-to-me recipe.

Also I tried out another new recipe, for a sweet potato side dish ... click here to view the recipe. I tried it out earlier this week on the two of us, and will be preparing it next week for our big group. It is delicious, and beautiful! I also have prepared the mashed potatoes already with an amazing make-ahead recipe ... click here for the recipe.

Preparations for the heart and for the table ... both are critically important. And both are needed and are essential for a memorable time with family and friends, and most of all, for us as we grow in trust and love with Emmanuel: God With Us.

In the Kitchen: For the Love of Cooking

I've always enjoyed cooking to some degree, and especially have loved trying out new recipes. And I do love to prepare a special meal, and create a warm atmosphere for people to gather together around and connect deeply together. But for the most part, if I were given the choice of being in the kitchen for an afternoon or spending time focusing on some of my other interests, I would say that the other interests would take first place. 

At the start of this calendar year 2019, though, something changed a bit. Somehow, a love of cooking and baking has bubbled up in my heart, and I will often choose being in the kitchen above some of my other interests. I do have quite a few interests/hobbies that I absolutely love (writing, reading, working with photos, etc.). And now at the end of 2019, being in the kitchen preparing delicious and fun recipes also fits into one of my favorite things to do! 

Here are just a very few of the things that have happened In the Kitchen in recent weeks/months ...

It was fun to try out this new Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes recipe a few months ago ... so very good! They freeze well, too, and I put extras in the freezer to pull out one at a time for a quick breakfast. I especially like them smothered with butter and pure maple syrup, with also a dollop of vanilla yoghurt on top.

The fall season cannot go by without making Pumpkin Pie, and I always use the same recipe. Why look for another when you already love the one you have? Click here for the recipe here on my blog.

Another new recipe for me in the past few months is this Taco Soup! So very good! I like the combination of the kidney beans, corn, and black beans ... so very tasty. I love that it also freezes very well. I made a larger batch after trying it out, and froze some to give to a daughter when we visited her the beginning of December. (See photo below.)

It was a delight to find another great new recipe this past month ... this time, a very delicious Christmas bread! Not only delicious, but beautiful, as well. 

This recipe, as well as the Taco Soup recipe, are from Tastes Better from Scratch, a food blogger that has become one of my favorites in recent months. I am loving many of the recipes that I find on her site.

Cranberry Orange Bread is a joy to make, and is a treat to share with others. The colors and the scents of the food ingredients are just a delight.

It is fitting that my last post of the year 2019 is a food related post! This has been a year of falling deeper in love with cooking! And I look forward to sharing more food-related posts in the New Year 2020!

On My Heart: Gratitude

It is good to give thanks. 

At Thanksgiving time, and all through the year. 

Even every day.

All through the day.

"Make thankfulness your 

sacrifice to God."

(Psalm 50:14a)

"Giving thanks is a sacrifice

that truly honors Me."

(Psalm 50:23a)

What makes thankfulness so essential, so important?

Is it really that crucial? Why are we prompted to hold

thanks in our hearts and to speak it, to give it away,

to bring honor to God, to bless others with it?

Could it be that it also holds the key to a deeper,

life-giving relationship with our Creator, our God?

"When we thank and praise God, 

His presence inhabits our lives more and more.

We might think of thanksgiving as a portal

to the presence of God."

(From Survival Guide for the Soul) 

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him and bless His name."

(Psalm 100:4)

What could this look like for me, for you?

At the start of the day, as we come to Him, come with

thanks on our lips. Develop a habit of praise, of thanks.

In my journal, it has become my habit, to start out

with thanks, to write out my thanks. A record of thanks.

A gift to Him of my thanks. And it fills me up

with His presence, with joy. A gift to Him that brings joy

to Him ... and also to me. Lifting my thoughts off of the

concerns, the tasks; lifting my heart to Him, to joy.

As we practice this giving of thanks, 

"our minds are primed to notice good things, and so we

become more grateful, joyful, and content". 

(From Survival Guide for the Soul)

And in honoring God with our praise, and in becoming more

aware of His presence and His gifts through our thankfulness,

we become a blessing to others. Gratitude overflows in thanks

and words of affirmation and love to those around us.

"But I will sing of Your strength

and will joyfully proclaim

Your faithful love in the morning.

For You have been a stronghold for me,

a refuge in my day of trouble."

(Psalm 59:16)

Cranberry Gelatin Salad

This recipe has been in my collection for quite a few years, but I have never posted it here. Often my days are so full around the holidays, that I don't have the time to post some of my favorites.

I've used this jello salad for both Thanksgiving, and also Christmas. This year I made it for Thanksgiving, and I was reminded how easy and good it is. Sharing it here for my own records, and also in case, you are looking for a recipe like this to use for Christmas!

Click on the "Source" link under the photo (below) to print recipe.


Cranberry Gelatin Salad

Source: tasteofhome.com

Course: Salads

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 10 min

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz. pkg. cherry gelatin
• 1-¹⁄₂ cups boiling water
• 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple undrained
• 1 16 oz. can whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1-¹⁄₂ cups seedless red grapes halved
• ¹⁄₄ cup pecans chopped

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in water. Stir in pineapple and cranberry sauce.
2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Stir in grapes and pecans, and pour into a 2-qt. serving bowl.
4. Refrigerate until firm.
5. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Powered by

Quieting My Heart: Give Thanks

“Give thanks

to Him alone

who does mighty miracles.

His faithful love

endures forever.”

(Psalm 136:4)

A day does not hold

enough moments

to look back

and to look around

at all the gifts of love

and all the miracles

that God showers

on His children -

on you, and on me.

So each day of the year

can be a counting,

and a treasuring

of His gifts and miracles.

Each day can be 

filled with thanks-giving ...

recorded in our journals,

spoken to Him as we

live, work, and play -

and shared through

our words and our joy

to those around us.

There is no end 

to our thanks-giving,

for we will have

a forever eternity

to give our thanks … 

His Greatest 

Gift of Love.

(free photo from pixabay)

Quieting My Heart: Thanksgiving Week

Today,

at the start of

Thanksgiving week

and all the year through ...

This is true -

“you were created

on purpose, and

for a purpose.”

(Ruth Chou Simons, in Gracelaced)

There’s only one of me

and only one of you -

created by God,

to be loved deeply,

to love Him completely,

and to reflect His love,

for His great purposes.

“For everything

comes from Him

and exists for His power

and is intended for His glory.

All glory to Him forever.”

(Romans 11:36)

May we beautifully

and completely,

rest in His love

and live from His love -

this week of Thanksgiving

and each day of the year.

(free photo from pixabay)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day ...

A day to remember,

with thanks, 

and to be reminded 

to make thanks 

a part of our everyday.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to the Most High.

It is good to proclaim

Your unfailing love in the morning,

Your faithfulness in the evening ...

(Psalm 92:1-2)

Wishing you a 

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Welcome November

As far as blogging goes, I'm not sure what happened here last month - only one post the whole month! It was a month filled with family, Cru ministry/responsibilities, and many other things. A good month, but I just did not get to blogging ...

A sweet memory from October ...

My hubby and I had a lovely trip to Colorado in October - for a Cru regional conference in Colorado Springs, followed by a few days as a couple in beautiful Breckenridge. We loved it all - our time at the conference, listening to the speakers, and the connections we had with other staff fed our souls ... and the few days away as a couple was just we wished for! 

Sharing two of my digital scrapbook pages from our trip ...

And as always, a brand new month brings fresh opportunities to follow God each day and to focus on the people and responsibilities He has for us!

Sharing my heart at the beginning of November ...

For me and probably most of us, the beginning of November means a focus on preparing for special holiday times during these next two months. I love the holidays! And at the same time, I am very aware of my need to completely depend on God to accomplish all that needs to be done to prepare for family being home. This year, we anticipate having 24-25 family members here in our home for Family Christmas!! The preparations need to start early, as we all know as moms and grandmas. 

And I am very aware that I cannot do everything that I would love to do. And more importantly, I am very aware that the things of most importance - relationships and love between family - are gifts from God. 

So my main focus as I enter into the holiday season is to enter in with an attitude of prayer and dependence on God. He alone can do the things that we long for most of all. And I desire to choose present over perfect, being available to listen and love our family and friends - above trying to do everything perfectly. 

We need to keep our priorities right, even through the holidays - and this involves choosing carefully to focus on what is most important ...

But you can't have yes without no. Another way to say it: if you're not careful with your yeses, you start to say no to some very important things without even realizing it. In my rampant yes-yes-yes-ing, I said no, without intending to, to rest, to peace, to roundedness, to listening, to deep and slow connection ... (From Present Over Perfect, by Shauna Niequist) 

Just sharing a few things that are on my mind, things that I need to be reminded of, things that I need to keep before me at the start of this holiday season. And maybe you are the same?

Maybe I'll be able to keep in touch here a bit more this month - sharing ways that God encourages me during this busy season, also sharing some recipes, and quotes from a few good books I've read recently. 

Baked Ham with Orange Glaze

Our traditional main dish for Thanksgiving is usually turkey, and for Christmas it is usually ham. But this year, I had the idea to serve both turkey and ham for Thanksgiving Day! With our whole family home - 22 around our tables - I figured that having both would be a fun thing to do!

I found a new recipe to use for the ham ...

Baked Ham with Orange Glaze

Source: www.tasteofhome.com

Course: Main Dish

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 45 min
Total Time: 2 hr

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 1 fully cooked bone-in ham (6 to 7 pounds)
• 2 cups apple cider or unsweetened juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• ¹⁄₃ cup orange marmalade
• ¹⁄₄ cup packed brown sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup Dijon mustard
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes 1/4 in. deep. Add cider and orange juice to pan. Loosely cover ham with foil; bake at 325° for 1 hour. Combine remaining ingredients; brush some over ham.
2. Bake, uncovered, 45-60 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 140°, brushing occasionally with glaze. Serve with remaining glaze. Yield: 15 servings.
3. MY NOTE: THANKSGIVING 2015 - I prepared just the ham itself in oven bag the day before Thanksgiving, then cut into slices and put in slow cooker adding the juice, and glaze topping. Refrigerate overnight. On Thanksgiving Day cooked in slow cooker (alternate high/low) for about 3 hours.

Powered by

I purchased a spiral-sliced ham (about 12#), and though my oven is a convection oven with multiple racks, I knew that there would be a problem with oven space on Thanksgiving morning. 

Putting a few ideas together, I came up with a plan that worked well. I baked the ham for about an hour in an oven bag (to keep it moist) the day before Thanksgiving. I then sliced it and put the slices in a slow cooker, adding the juices, and also adding the glaze on some of the layers of the ham slices, then refrigerating it for night. The next morning I heated the ham up for about 3 hours in the slow cooker ... it turned out moist and delicious for our Thanksgiving Dinner, and freed up my oven for the turkey and other hot dishes! A great idea to use for Christmas Day, as well, if serving ham. 

What will you be serving for Christmas Dinner?

In the Kitchen

Taking time for my once-a-month post - In the Kitchen - covering some of the things that happened in my kitchen - this time, in November!

THANKSGIVING month is the time for giving of thanks, and for celebrating with the gifts of FAMILY, and of FOOD! And, of course, for those of us who are responsible for the food prep in our homes, November was a busy month in the kitchen ...

As I planned for our Thanksgiving feast with our whole family home (22 in all for Thanksgiving Day!) ... I knew that I needed to prepare as much as possible ahead of time. My heart is so full when all our kids and grandkids are home, and I want to be able to focus on them as much as possible, so there were many dishes I prepared ahead of time: breakfast scones, appetizers, side dishes, pies and other sweets, snacks, and also one of the main dishes, ham. And I am also blessed to have four daughters who are great cooks ~ they helped by bringing side dishes, as well as appetizers and desserts for our evening snack spread!

Sausage Wonton Cups was a new recipe that I tried out - perfect, as it could be made ahead of time and put in the freezer to be heated up when needed.

Pumpkin Spice Scones was another new recipe for me - they freeze well, and are easy to thaw and microwave for a bit to serve warm. They were great to use for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning.

Delicious pies are such a great part of a Thanksgiving feast! I made three of my traditional Pumpkin Pie recipe, and daughters brought three more: Apple Crumb Pie, Apple Pie, and a Coconut Cream Pie ... all so delicious! I prepared my pie crusts a week ahead of time using my Make-Ahead Pie Crust recipe, froze the pie crusts already rolled into the pie plates, then thawed them and filled to bake a day or two before Thanksgiving.

Our Thanksgiving Dinner

A few of the other dishes that I prepared ahead of time, 

ready to be put in the oven or slow cooker the morning of Thanksgiving:

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potato Casserole

Herb Stuffing

Baked Ham with Orange Glaze

    (check back for this new ham recipe, as I hope to post it next week)

Our Thanksgiving Evening Snack/Dessert Spread

We were so very blessed to have our whole family home for Thanksgiving - 

click here for a few photos (in digital scrapbook form). 

I am treasuring the memories - such a wonderful time together!

And, we were so very blessed to have beautiful, delicious food to enjoy together! All a gift from God ... I am so thankful!