A couple new recipes and a few old friends…that’s a fun combination.  We asked some “old” friends to eat dinner with us yesterday, and what sweet fellowship we enjoyed!  Old friends are special, aren’t they?  You can be relaxed and comfortable together as you eat and visit.  The laughter was good medicine (I think we overdosed a few times!), and the conversation was encouraging and uplifting.  Thanks for coming, Friends!  We love you!

I made a “normal” meal – shocking, isn’t it?  By that I mean it was standard fare. 

The dish of corn isn’t very attractive, after getting all bubbly in the oven, but don’t let that fool you or discourage you from trying this simple side dish.  It’s on the order of a special creamed corn.  Very good!  I mixed the whole thing up on Saturday night, then popped it into the microwave a couple of minutes, then the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Corn Cheese Bake
1-3 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 T butter or margarine
1/2 tsp onion salt
1-1lb. can whole kernel corn, drained (or 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen corn, thawed) I used a frozen bag of corn and one can and it was plenty of cheese to cover it.
Paprika

Combine cream cheese, milk, butter and onion salt in saucepan, stir over low heat until cheese melts.  Stir corn into cheese.  Pour into small casserole.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Cook uncovered until bubbly, about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I love to make bread and I especially love the smell of yeast rolls in the oven!  This was a really simple recipe and didn’t take lots of time to rise.

Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls

Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls
Ingredients


•1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

•2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)

•1/2 cup sugar

•2 tablespoons butter, melted

•1 teaspoon salt

•4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour


Directions


•In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, butter, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

• Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide into 16 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

• Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 16 rolls. – I made mine a little smaller and got 2 dozen rolls.

We had gotten some local strawberries this weekend, so for dessert I just did a simple version of Strawberry shortcake and ice cream sundaes combined. One of my guests can’t eat strawberries, so I also had bananas and caramel as an option. 

Dessert doesn’t always have to be pie or cake that you’ve made.  Simplify things and just put together a dessert like this and watch how much time it will give you! (I’m preaching to myself!)  =)

I have to share another new recipe I made on Saturday for a great side dish.  This is a Green Bean Salad.  You know that we LOVE Southern style green beans, which means they’re cooked to death, but this recipe uses fresh green beans, but only requires you cook them for 3 minutes!  It is a delicious change and a great salad.  My husband cooked Turkey Burgers on the grill and I made this to go along with them.  It was a great accompaniment to that meal!

Green Bean and Walnut Almond Salad
1 lb. fresh green beans
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped (I have learned that it’s best to grate the garlic so you won’t get a bite of raw garlic.)
4 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped walnuts or almonds, to garnish

Dressing
6 T olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon (didn’t have this and it was still good!)

Trim the beans, and snap into bite sized pieces.  Cook for 3-4 minutes in salted boiling water.  Drain well, refresh under cold running water, and drain again.  Put into a mixing bowl and add the onion, garlic, and cheese.

Place the dressing ingredients in a jar with a screw-top lid.  Shake well.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Give them a quick stir.

Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until they begin to brown.  Sprinkle the toasted nuts over the beans to garnish before serving.
Serves 2-3 Maybe 4…but my husband liked this so well, that he had a few helpings!

What’s been cooking in your kitchen?

From my parsonage kitchen,

P.S.  I’m serving lemon squares and brownies tonight at Ladies’ Bible study.  Hope you’ll be there to study God’s Word, hear from Gracious Designs, and enjoy a little snack at 7 pm!

I’m always on the lookout for a little touch of “me” when I’m out shopping. By that I mean, things that will complete the look I enjoy in my home.  I love to find things on clearance that have either been on my list of needed items, or something whimsical, like this lamp that adds the perfect touch.  Sometimes it’s those things that you weren’t necessarily looking for that add just what you need to add something extraordinary to a room.  Even if you’re not positive about where you’ll put it, I’ve learned the hard way that it’s better to buy it and return it if it doesn’t work, than to get home, realize it would be perfect, and find it’s gone when you go back to get it! 

I keep a list of things on my phone that I need for the house – whether it’s light bulbs, a new mattress pad,  washcloths, or a small clock – I write it down so when I’m out and find some good deals, I’ll remember what I’m looking for!  Keep things fresh in your home by making a list. No matter how slowly you replace worn things and add new updates or pretty touches, each “touch” will help you create a place you’re glad to come home to.

Decorating a house is a work in progress. It’s work that is rewarding when you love your home, and your family and friends come in and immediately feel at rest.

Do you keep a list of items you need?  Have you found any super deals recently?

Speaking of decorating your home:

This coming Monday night, April 30th at 7PM, we are having our monthly ladies’ Bible study.  We will continue our study,  Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Our chapter is on “Living room Intimacy.” It’s a special chapter.  I pray you’re planning on attending and being challenged by God’s Word.

Following our lesson, a guest from Gracious Designs in Jonesborough will be with us to talk about creating a beautiful porch and entryway.  You won’t want to miss this!!!!  There will be items on display that will also be available for ordering.  Lots of fun is in store! Plan to join us!

With love,

Things were a bit abnormal for a few days in the parsonage.

We sipped on an afternoon cup of coffee and enjoyed visiting while looking out at the yard.

  Some pastors and wives are near their family, but most are not; my parents live four hours away.   I’ve tried to make a trip by myself each spring to spend time with them.  When I was homeschooling, I needed the break away.  Though the girls are gone from home, I’ve continued the tradition, and enjoy it so much. We spend lots of time sitting and catching up.  We’ll visit in the sunroom or library.  We may go to town and shop a bit and also stop for an ice cream.  It’s usually just done on the spur of the moment – doing whatever we feel like doing. 

Being at my parents’ home is so relaxing.  It’s not just that they’re retired that makes their home inviting, though that is a part of it. It is also the quiet setting and location of their house, the lovely set-up of each room so that you can sit comfortably to chat and also view their beautiful yard.

We also watched a pair of finches on the windmill and also on the birdbath.  To have time to sit and watch God’s creatures enjoy the outdoors while I sat comfortably and unhurried was a blessing.

I spent a good deal of time looking through old photo albums.  Oh, my!  My dad also played a video of years ago.  I snapped a picture of the screen…

Being at my parents also means enjoying their touch of beauty inside their home.  It is clean (spotlessly so!), organized and decorated better than a Southern Living model home!  My mom has always had a way of making simple things beautiful – whether it be a meal, an outfit, or a cabinet. She has an eye for beauty, and it shows in every room.  I love sitting and soaking in all the touches that make their house a home.



My mom’s table and red roses.



Doesn’t this just say, “Come on in!”?

 

Of course one blessing of going away from home is coming back!   Here was my view as I drove through the Cumberland Gap:

Then this was waiting for me on my kitchen table…

Yep, I think the parson missed me!  Though I had a great time, I missed him greatly too.  I know how lonely the parsonage can be when you’re the only one occupying it! 

Since I got home, my husband’s phone has rung several times, things are pressing in on the agenda for tomorrow, as well as the next few days.  Yep, things are back to normal, and that’s okay because this is our life – our shared life in the parsonage.

What do you love about your own home or that of your parents’?

Back at my parsonage windows,

I took about 2 1/2 days and dashed to Kentucky to have a visit with my parents and sister this weekend.  What a creative duo my parents make!  My mom will find a lovely idea, show my dad and then he puts it together.  Their newest project was creating tiered serving trays.  She selected the plates and the hardware, then my dad did the drilling and assembling.  Here is the result:

Lovely, huh?  I was excited to learn that they made one for me…

The top and bottom plates are special because they’re made by Cunningham/Pickett, Inc. from Alliance, Ohio!  The pattern is called Yellow Rose.  I know I’ll get lots of use from it.  (I’ve been collecting some cool ideas on Pinterest!)

When I was growing up, Sunday night after church we always had a traditional kind of “lunch.”  We had things like cold roast beef sandwiches (using the leftovers from the roast at dinner), chips, and a slice of pie (also leftover from dinner) and hot tea.  Sometimes we had crackers and peanut butter, slices of cheese, canned peaches and hot tea.  Being English may have called for the tea, but what family of girls doesn’t enjoy a cup of hot tea poured from a beautiful tea pot and sipped from a pretty cup?  This was our family tradition and I always looked forward to it each week.

So, while I was home this weekend, I got to enjoy our family lunch, served on the new tiered tray.  Mom made Cucumber sandwiches from Southern Living.  These were so good!

See them nestled on the bottom plate?  This isn’t just “girl” food – with cream cheese and mayo in the mixture, it really is filling.  Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and finely chopped cucumber

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup minced red onion

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Stir together softened cream cheese, cucumber, mayonnaise, red onion, basil, freshly ground pepper, and salt.

Spread on: white bread; sandwich with diced fresh strawberries. We didn’t use the strawberries on the sandwiches, because we were having them with lemon cake, but I’m anxious to try it!

Something as simple as a square of pound cake placed inside a paper holder, and topped with a beautiful strawberry makes a perfect dessert for a tea!

Probably more important than delicious food and pretty serving pieces is the memories that family traditions make.  I’ve spoken about this many times, but it’s a passion with me, because I was blessed to experience it growing up and know how special it is.  You don’t have to have tea – it can be popcorn every Friday night when your family plays games together.  You could have pancake breakfast made by dad on the weekend or your special homemade pizza on Saturdays.  The point is, find something that you can make as a tradition for your family.  It will bind you together and help everyone look forward to that family meal that you “always” have.  You’re filling more than hungry tummies – you’re filling their heart with family love and memories!

Do you have a special meal you serve each week?

From the parsonage kitchen,

Denise