I love to go fingering my way through my recipe box until I come across one of my treasured dishes that I’ve made for my family for years and maybe haven’t made in a long while.  This is the case with Colorful Kielbasa, a recipe I found in Taste of Home YEARS ago!  My family likes it because we could eat the Turkey Kielbasa, which has less fat, and the recipe has all the components for a filling meal – meat, starch and vegetable. Add a slice of bread and a salad and supper is ready in less than 30 minutes!  By buying Kielbasa on sale and freezing it, I can have everything on hand for this meal anytime I need to get dinner on the table in a hurry.

It also lives up to its name in being colorful on the plate!  I served it with a version of this watermelon salad and it was a great meal served out on the patio.

Ingredients

• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound smoked kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
• 1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a large skillet, combine the soup, water and butter; bring to a boil. Add kielbasa and rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 18 minutes or until rice is almost tender.
2. Stir in peas and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender and peas are heated through. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand until melted. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Here are pictures of the simple process:

I like using fresh mushrooms, rather than canned.

I love having tried and true Thirty Minute meals on file for those busy days!  What do you make when you’re in a hurry for dinner?

With love from my country kitchen,

My mom is very organized in her home.  Every closet, drawer, room, or cabinet are all in order so that you can find every item because it’s in a logical place.

The same goes with the way she keeps record of things – like the perennial plants in her yard.  She has a special Gardener’s Journal where she records any plant, tree, or bush that  put in their yard.  She cuts out a picture of the planting and adds it to the page, along with:

• When it was planted
• Where it was planted
• If it was moved to a different spot
• If it was removed completely and why

How clever is that?!  This would really refresh your gardening.  A book like this helps you to remember:

• the specific name of each plant or tree out there
• how to care for the plant
• if you are able to get a refund for it because it died.

If you happen to move from that place, you could leave the journal for the new home owners so they’ll have that valuable information!

I usually snip those tags off the plants and bushes when we put them in the ground.  Now I know what to do with them – they’re going in my Gardening Journal!

Are you a gardener?  Do you keep track of your plantings?

Have a wonderful weekend!  Refresh your heart by being in church Sunday!

Stay refreshed,

I’ve really missed my husband this week while I’ve been visiting with my family in Kentucky, but it’s been good for us.  As a matter of fact, if I were to give encouragement about two simple things that you could do that would strengthen your marriage it would be:

1. Spend a little bit of time apart.  It’s easy to get into ruts and take one another for granted.  You get used to having him take out the trash or open the stuck pickle jar lid.  He gets used to you doing the cooking and cleaning.  You forget what a blessing it is to have your man around, and he takes for granted the luxury of your feminine touches in the home.
   A short outing like a retreat, or a visit with family is time enough away to renew your love and appreciation for one another.  You go home not so agitated about his socks in the floor because you’ve been reminded that it was him you love and married – not a spotless house.
   Another suggestion along these lines is to make sure you’re getting some “girl time” with friends.  If the only adult you talk with is your husband, its possible that you’re talking his ears off.  Ask the Lord to give you a good, godly friend and have a weekly time to get together and gab the lunch hour away!  Your husband can’t be everything to you; make sure you have some good friends with whom you can chat and spend some “girl time.”
2. Make sure you’re sleeping in the same room, in the same bed.  So often I talk to women who admit that they and their husband separated rooms long ago.   It happened when one or the other began snoring, or they had a disagreement, or they couldn’t sleep well…all issues that have a remedy;  Breathe Right Strips, a humble heart or a king-sized bed!
   Sleeping together keeps your hearts knit together.  It keeps the physical relationship what the Lord intended in marriage.

   Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, I Cor. 7:5

   It wards against a wedge from being built between you.  It draws you close.  If you feel far away when you’re sleeping in the same bed as man and wife, someone needs to do some humbling, and if you’re aware of the wedge, then that someone is you.  Apologize for the distance.  Ask forgiveness for the cold shoulder.  Reach over and hold his hand and offer to pray before you drift off.  These gestures alone will unite your hearts.  It will be the beginning of what should be constant in your relationship.  Remember, however, it won’t happen if you’re in separate rooms.

Time apart and time together – it’s a good thing for a marriage when done wisely.

With love,