The flowers were a lovely hostess gift from my thoughtful daughter!

The chicken can be made ahead of time, which makes it a great Sunday dish.  I just use the timer on my oven and get the oven hot so I can pop the dish back into the oven to crisp up when I return from church.  That creamy cheese in the middle of the chicken makes it so moist and flavorful!  This is a special company dish!  They’ll think you really fussed, but it’s a simple recipe to put together!

Herbed Chicken Breasts

6 pieces Boneless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme – (I like to use a little more than that)
1 Tbl. lime juice
8 oz pkg. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs (I use Panko)
1/2 stick margarine
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 beaten egg and 1 tbl milk added
1 tsp salt

1.  Cut pocket in boneless chicken breasts. (If the breasts are thin, I put the cheese in the center and roll them up, then secure with a toothpick.) Add herbs to cream cheese and blend in lime juice.  Put cheese mixture into each pocket of chicken breasts.  Dip each piece in egg wash, then roll in soft bread crumbs.  Lightly salt.  Brown each breast in skillet with melted margarine and oil until nicely browned on both sides.  

2.  Transfer to baking sheet and bake 40 to 45 minutes in moderate oven – 350 degrees.

To make this dish for Sunday dinner, I do all of #1 on Saturday night.  On Sunday morning I bake the chicken and let cool a bit, then return it to the fridge.  I put it back in the oven to reheat, (uncovered) when I return home from church.

Our first fresh Strawberry Pie of the season.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Here’s my recipe for this wonderful dessert…

Strawberry Pie
1 Cup sugar
3 1/2 Tbl. Cornstarch
2 Tbl White Karo Syrup
1 cup water

Bring to a boil and cook until thickened (Stir constantly). Remove from heat.
Add 2 heaping Tbl. Strawberry Jello.  Stir.  Add 1 quart fresh diced strawberries.  Pour into a baked pie shell.  Chill until set.

I love using my good dishes and silverware on Sunday.  I do it just to make the meal more special for those I have in.  They are worth it!  So is my family, and so is yours.  I hope you pull out “the good stuff” frequently and use it!  Sure it will get chips from use, but it sure is better than storing it in a china cabinet untouched!

Do you use your good china?  When?

With love from my parsonage kitchen,

Today’s 30 Day House-Cleaning Challenge was to  clean out a closet or two, surface clean an extra room, or deep clean a bedroom. I opted for a closet since I had a busy day planned.

“Before”

“After” One day I’m going to have matching hangers! I think it will help with the looks for the closet!

How did you come along with today’s challenge?  

It feels great to know that these 12 projects have been checked off my list and that things are getting cleaned out!  You know, cleaning and organizing is really a part of being a good steward of what the Lord has given us.  By maintaining organization, we are also practicing temperance, as mentioned in II Peter 1.  So, it’s not about having OCD; it’s about learning to be orderly, like our God.

Have a great weekend!

I downloaded a free book onto my Kindle yesterday.  It has grabbed me right from the start.  It’s entitled, “What’s It Like To Be Married To Me?” by Linda Dillow.  In the book, she asks hard questions to wives.  She’s trying to get us to understand what kind of wife we are to our husband.

I’m reading this book, not because my marriage is in trouble or there’s a crisis.  I’m reading this book because it’s my goal to frequently read books, articles and blogs that will encourage me in my role as a wife.  It keeps me on my toes.  It reminds me of where our love started and where I want it to end up.

This is the question I want to ask you today:  Where do you want your marriage to end up?  Think about what you want your marriage to look like in 5, 10 or 20 years.  Do you want to be close, communicative with one another, sharing wonderful times as a couple that parallels to no other human relationship?  Then how will you get there?  What are you actively doing today to make that happen?  It won’t become a reality without effort!  Consider today what you could do to take a step forward in your marriage relationship – a step towards a deeper love and intimacy.

Consider..

Today is Day 12 in the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge.  We’re to clean out the closets.  It’s gonna be a busy day!  I think I’ll pick one.

This is embarrassing!   But here are the pictures of my good accomplishments of my house cleaning challenge today.  Look if you dare!

The challenge was to clean the bathroom.  My main focus was on the linen closet because the bathroom itself just needed to be surfaced cleaned.  I couldn’t believe what a mess this had turned into!

I got rid of LOTS of old towels and other linens that had seen better days.  Then I organized things into places and spaces that makes it much easier for me to get to them.  I dust mopped the closet floor as well.  Here’s the full shot…

Gasp!

Now it looks like this:

I placed the folded sheets inside their pillowcase.  They’re much easier to store that way!

I may just go stand in there and stare!  It feels so good to know it’s straightened up and only holds the things that I really use!

The drawers got cleaned out too…

Light bulbs dusted, sink and mirror cleaned.

Dusted table, shook rug and cleaned bathtub.

I’m thrilled at the progress my house is making!  Did you do today’s challenge?

See you tomorrow for Freshen Up Friday!

When I was a little girl, my grandparents lived near a “corner store.”  It was a small grocery store at the end of the street that sold all the essentials – milk, bread, eggs, canned goods, etc. But the best thing to me was the PENNY CANDY!  My grandfather would give me and my sisters a dime each and send us to the corner store to get a “sack-full” of candy.  We would come back with a little brown sack teeming with Mary Jane’s, licorice, bubble gum, Slow Pokes, Smarties and other sweet treasures!  That brown sack was so appreciated!  We enjoyed each treat, savoring them as long as possible!

Recently I was reading the familiar story of Joseph in Genesis 43.  In this chapter, his brothers are headed back to their father with food provisions, made possible by Joseph’s generosity.  Then the brothers discover that the money they had paid for the food was found tucked into each of their sacks!  They were alarmed and afraid that they would be in trouble with Joseph. Would he accuse them of stealing the food?  When they told Joseph about it upon their return to Egypt, he said,