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When our daughter Whitney and her husband, Paul knew the Lord was leading them to adopt, I wondered about how myself and others could help provide for their needs. We all know what happens at a birth – a shower is given where the parents are, well, showered with all the necessities.
But what about a couple who’s been married 12 years and are adopting older children? I went searching the Internet looking for ideas, and came up with little help.
We are traditionalists on most holidays. The same foods are usually served each year on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But you know what? Sometimes it’s really fun to break out of that “mold” and do something completely different! That’s what happened this year.
My daughter hosted us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and she and her sister did all the food. Not only did I not contribute to the meal, I wasn’t allowed to lift a finger. That was a gift in itself. They are the sweetest.
Here are the meals they planned and prepared.
Christmas Eve night, they had all appetizers. (BTW, This would make a great menu for New Year’s Eve, too!)
From Monte Cristo Sliders, Chicken sliders (something like these), Cocktail Wieners and Pizza Dip it was a delicious spread.
We had a mid-morning brunch on Christmas morning. The egg casserole Whitney made was a.maz.ing! It had all the brunchy feels to it and balanced out the sweetness of the Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls that Alli and her husband made! What a way to start the day!
Here was the menu for supper
Steak with Texas Roadhouse seasoning, and Crispy Onion Straws
Roasted potatoes with Blue Cheese
Caesar Salad
Learn from a 5-year old how to eat a cookie. Fill your plate with your favorites. Look carefully at the cookie to decide which corner to attack first. Then go in and nibble away until completely devoured!
After church yesterday we were blessed to host everyone for Sunday dinner. It was very impromptu, but I made a simple meal everyone loves – Soup beans and cornbread. I used the simple recipe I’ve shared here. This is such a great meal for ease and for comfort. I served it with roasted potatoes, cornbread, and cooked apples. Even our little guys love this meal.
All these meals were great, yes, but the best part was sitting around the table as a family, thanking the Lord, chatting, laughing, listening, watching, loving, caring and serving. That’s what mealtime is all about.
Plan something simple this week and invite others to join around your table. Eat slowly. Make conversation. Serve them. Love them. There’s nothing that tastes any better!
What kind of foods did your family share over Chrismtas?
I have an old recipe for you today that can serve as either an appetizer OR a side dish. It can be served any time of the year, but because it’s served with a (red) marinara or spaghetti sauce, it makes a great accompaniment to a Christmas menu! This is also a budget-friendly recipe!
This Toasted Ravioli is super fast and easy, and is a true crowd pleaser. I discovered this recipe years ago in my Southern Living Cookbook. Being crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside, makes it irresistible! It’s a perfect finger food appetizer, but you can also serve it alongside a meal, as I did recently.
Toasted Ravioli
Instructions:
I made this French Bread to go along with the meal. I broiled it until it was lightly browned and crisp. This has come to be one of my favorite breads to make because I can have bread in two hours from start to finish.
I hope you’ll add this ravioli recipe to your menu soon, then let me know what you thought about it!
It’s crazy how our taste buds “grow up” as we do, isn’t it? I feel like I’ve ventured out a whole lot more in recent years, enjoying more spice than I ever would have tolerated. My husband has definitely branched out in his food choices. He grew up on the basic meat and potatoes diet, and then he married a girl who loves to try new recipes each week! He’s been so accommodating and has willingly tried everything I put on the table.
One area we’ve both grown to appreciate is sushi – him even more so than me. I love the fish – I don’t always love the additions. Knowing his love for sushi, I decided to venture out and try an easy “sushi” kind of appetizer for our Valentine’s dinner. Wow! We both LOVED it!
This recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs – Skinny Taste. She calls this a Spicy California Shrimp Stack. It’s not wrapped in the sushi paper – instead, you pile each ingredient into a measuring cup, pack it in, then flip it over onto the plate. It’s then topped with a drizzle of soy sauce and Sriracha Mayo. If you don’t have Sriracha, don’t worry – I used hot sauce in its place and it was delicious!
My stacks aren’t quite as pretty as hers, but my measuring cups aren’t straight sides – they’re sloped, so my are more like “domes” than stacks! It didn’t change the taste, and that’s all that matters!! Here’s the simple recipe and instructions I found on her site:
Spicy California Shrimp Stack – From Skinny Taste
Directions:
This was a great appetizer, but would be a wonderful lunch, too! I’m still dreaming about the way it tasted with that spicy mayo on top. Mmmm. I can’t wait to make it again!
Are you a sushi eater? If you like shrimp cocktail, I think you’ll love this recipe!
What food do you eat today that you wouldn’t have eaten in years past?
Creamy hummus. I learned to love it when we went to Israel. Not only does it taste great as a dip, it actually has lots of good health benefits. I had only purchased it in the store until I recently watched Girl meets Farm on Discovery plus. She made the process look easy…and it really is! It’s a little time consuming, but most of that time is just letting the Chick peas soak overnight! There is very little hands-on time! (I have some lovely pictures of my hummus that I hope I’ll get to finally upload for you to see how creamy this recipe turned out!. In the meantime you can go to my Instagram and see my pictures there. You’ll find me at RefreshHerblog.)
Like any recipe, one benefit of making it yourself is that you can control all the ingredients, adding what you like. The other blessing is the cost. As I figured it, it was at least half the cost of purchasing it, and maybe even a third! This recipe cost me about $3 total and it made a huge bowl of hummus!
My notes: The recipe calls for one cup of chickpeas – I went ahead and cooked the whole bag at one time, then I froze the other half so the next time I need hummus, the chick peas will be ready to process!
This is a basic recipe that needs a little flavor. Adding a sprinkling of paprika on top is good, or adding in sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers would also be good additions!
Here’s the recipe from Girl Meets Farm ~
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, optional
1/4 cup cold water
Olive oil, for serving
Finely chopped onion (for topping) or onion wedges (for dipping)
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Fresh pita, for serving
Add the lemon juice, tahini, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the garlic, if using, and blend until very smooth, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in the water and continue to blend for 1 more minute. Taste and add additional salt to taste. Transfer to a serving dish and top with a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped onion and parsley. Serve with fresh pita and onion wedges and enjoy
You can serve hummus with vegetables or dip pita bread in it. I found lots of recipes using hummus here. If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to try it with the veggies and then branch out.
Are you a hummus lover?
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