Find refreshment for your heart, home and life
After a lovely six weeks of rest and time at home, D and D Ministries started back up the second week of January. We jumped in with both feet, hosting our first Refuge and Refreshment retreat. That means that we planned and hosted a two night, three day retreat at a retreat center. We had precious friends come and cook all the meals, our daughters and one son-in-law were there to serve alongside us, ministering to so many needs.
Imagine going to town this morning. You pull up to the red light and turn to see that the car in the lane next to you is someone that’s close to you – your husband, parent, pastor, or friend. You nod and wave, acknowledging their presence. The light turns green and you go on. When you arrive at the library to return your books, you open the car door and there’s that same person that was at the green light. They smile and watch as you go into the building. “I didn’t know we were going the same direction today,” you might think. You jump back in your car and head to the salon for your hair appointment. When you walk in, there sits that person again, reading a magazine. You laugh, perhaps, shake your head and walk into the room where your stylist is waiting for your arrival. Imagine that everywhere you went today that same person showed up. They didn’t threaten or frighten you, but you are very aware of their presence.
Continue reading “The Comfort of His Presence”There is something comforting to me about having my pantry and freezer well-stocked, ready to help me pull a meal together at a moment’s notice. However, after the holidays, I decided I needed to use up what is on the shelves so they don’t go to waste. That was when I told Dale, I’m only buying perishable items until I use most of what I have.”
It’s challenged me to get creative with my menus. I’ve taken a longer look in my pantry before deciding what we’ll have for lunch or supper.
Continue reading “A Grocery Challenge”For the most part I have always enjoyed working in the kitchen. It’s the art of creating something new that pulls me in. But as with any kind of creativity, I have found that using the right tools and ones in good condition make the work more like a fun outlet rather than work.
The right size bowls, pretty wooden spoons, a beautiful dish, wooden cutting boards, sharp knives, lovely linen towels, shiny canisters and herbs at my fingertips is what I’m talking about. When I go to cook or bake, it’s so much more enjoyable if I use my favorite bowl made in England that I found at a thrift store, or my cute little wooden spoon that reminds me of the spoon Goldilocks uses in The Three Little Bears.
The five main food groups include everything for a healthy life, but in my opinion, potatoes should perhaps be in a group all their own. Consider that they are served baked, French fried, scalloped, twice-baked, mashed, roasted, grated, as a salad, on top of casseroles, as the base of casseroles, and can appropriately served at all three meals. I’m pretty sure that no other vegetable can do all that!
Over the Christmas season, I was introduced to a new potato side dish via a couple of British people I follow on social media. Enter the Roasted English Potato. They require quite a bit of hands-on, but it is worth every minute! They are par-boiled, then roasted in the oven in a bit of oil for close to an hour, turning them every 15 minutes. The result is a crispy outside and a fluffy, tender potato on the inside. Potato Heaven!
Continue reading “Roasted English Potatoes”
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