What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015 RefreshHer3 Comments

Cooking for One or Two

We are so blessed to have so many great resources for wonderful, yummy recipes to fix, but there is a problem. Most recipes make enough to feed a whole family. Therefore, if you’re a single person, empty-nesters or a young couple without children, you can end up with enough leftovers of that one dish to make you never want to eat that food. ever. again!

I thought it would be good to give those needing smaller portions some ideas today to help cook great meals without having leftovers for a week. Ready?

Taste of Home is a great resource. They have recipes especially suited for one or two. Look at this great recipe for Crumb-coated chicken with Blackberry Salsa!

Crumb-Coated Chicken & Blackberry Salsa Recipe — Photo: Taste of Home

Stir-Fry is an easy one to get carried away with and have enough to feed all of China! But here they give exact amounts so you’ll end up with enough for ONE!

Stir-Fry for One Recipe — Photo: Taste of Home

How about Apple Cobbler for two?! Obviously if you’re single, you’d just have to cut the recipe in half to end up with only one serving (but since it’s dessert, it would be nice to have one for tomorrow, too, right?!

Individual Apple Cobbler Recipe — Photo: Taste of Home

You can go to this page for the list of other recipes including, side dishes, breakfast, appetizers, soups, and so on! It’s a great list of recipes! They even have a magazine for Cooking for Two that you could subscribe to, if you desired that.

Kraft has a page for Recipes for Two that look good. I haven’t tried theirs as I have the Taste of Home, but it looks like something I’d like to try!

From my own experience, I’ve found that it’s best not to make casseroles dishes. I choose to make a meat that I can portion out for us – Two chicken breasts, two hamburger patties, half a pound of Kielbasa, etc.

Other tips:

Avoid using jars of things that have to be used up at one use.
Buy tomato paste in a tube so you can just squeeze out what you need and not have a can half full left over.
Make your own sauces and cut the recipe in half or even fourths so you won’t have excess.
Use fresh vegetables, rather than canned, so you can cook only what you’ll eat at that sitting. (My mom freezes the leftover spoon or so of vegetables in a bag, mixing the different veggies, and then adds them to soup when she has enough!)
Make salads on individual plates or bowls, rather than a serving bowl so you can see how much you need to make.
Here is a great chart to help you know how much pasta to cook!

I hope that helps and keeps you from dreading to get in the kitchen because you only know how to cook for an army. Cooking for one or two can still be delicious and easy, without a week of leftovers!

Anyone have tips on how they cook for one or two?

With love from my country kitchen,

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Freshen Up Friday

May 15, 2015May 14, 2015 RefreshHer11 Comments

Now that the warm weather is here (woo-hoo!), I have been trying to get my front and back porches in shape so we can enjoy them.

I had added a few touches last year like white lights around the porch ceiling, but I had a couple of other projects I wanted to tackle. For one, there’s nowhere to set a glass of tea or cup of coffee when you’re on the swing, so I was determined to be on the lookout for a table at a yard sale or Goodwill. Since it’s going to be on the back porch, I didn’t want to spend a lot on it. Then, my dear friend posted on Facebook that she had a coffee table she was giving away to the first one who spoke up for it. Free was in my budget and I was the fortunate receiver!

I LOVE painted furniture, so I knew I was going to paint the table, but other than that, I really didn’t have a plan. Enter Pinterest. I found an idea there to paint the top of the table with chalkboard paint! Genius! Since it’s going to be outside, it would be a perfect finish for it! How fun to let children draw or play tic tac toe on it!

Here’s how I tackled the project:

PicMonkey Collage table redo — Click on picture to enlarge.

1. The before picture.

2. I covered the table with Kilz, an oil based primer that allows the paint to adhere.

3. I taped off the edges then rolled on the chalkboard paint. I did four separate coats, allowing it to dry in between. First I went one direction, then the other.

4. I spray painted the rest of the table the aqua color. I covered the table top so as not to get blue on the chalkboard.

5. The next step is to season the chalkboard after the paint has dried sufficiently. You cover the whole top with chalk, then wipe it off. This is crucial for the board to be usable.Here’s what it looks like to “season” the board…

Here’s the reveal of the refurbished table:

If you need some furniture for outdoors, don’t overlook Goodwill, yard sales, Craig’s list, or freebies from sweet friends! A little time and some elbow grease may be all that piece needs to freshen it up and make it the perfect piece for your porch or patio!

Is anyone else out there a lover of painted furniture?

Have a great weekend! Be sure to get refreshment in God’s House on Sunday!

Stay refreshed,

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Marriage Memories

May 14, 2015May 13, 2015 RefreshHer9 Comments

I love old, historic homes and the stories behind them. While on Edisto Island recently, we took a fabulous tour of Botany Bay. It was a cotton plantation owned by the Townsend family who were renowned for the quality of their sea island cotton. On this plantation stands the ruins of Sea Cloud, the home of the Townsend’s. It was a brick, three-story home. The treasured memories of the estate tell of carriages pulling up in front of the estate where people would then head up to the third floor to the ballroom to attend a regal event!

I sat in our car while on our driving tour and envisioned the beautifully dressed men and women waltzing in that ballroom, the women’s long dresses swaying as they danced to the music. I could hear the laughter and chatter, and I smiled at the thought of the memories that house had created for those that lived there or had attended a gala event like we read about in our guide book!

We pulled away from the remains of the house and were headed to the next marked spot on the tour map, when my husband put the car in reverse and returned back to the house’s ruins. He put the car in park and told me to meet him outside. When I got to the back of our car, he held his hand out to me, and said,

“Let’s dance.”

My heart leaped. I took his hand and we did just that (in our own fumbling style). No one was anywhere near us and we had the “dance floor” all to ourselves! We laughed and embraced, and we made a memory, thanks to Mr. Townsend’s influence!

It might just be one of my favorite memories of our marriage. Here’s why:

It reminds me that fun times and special memories don’t require anything but a heart that says, “yes.” Yes, to your spouse, yes to their whims, yes to their desires, yes, to having fun wherever you are.
It is a picture of a husband who is willing to humble himself to make a memory for his wife. My husband is not a dancer, but he was willing to do something that might seem silly, in order to be romantic and create a time we’ll both treasure.
It wasn’t done in front of anyone to impress anyone; it was just for us. (Okay, now all of you know about it, but you didn’t see it. Whew! That’s a good thing!)
Memories are about touching the heart, and this one did just that!

I’m not sharing this with you to brag, but to encourage you to do what you can today to create a memory in your marriage. It doesn’t just happen on vacation, it should and can happen every single day. Memories are just moments that are captured briefly. Our little dance only lasted a few minutes, but it will be forever ingrained in my heart. it’s the little things like

A wink across the room
A squeeze of the hand
Stopping him at the door for a kiss
“Your” song played and enjoyed in the car or at home
Seizing the moment when an idea strikes you.
Impulsively pulling off your path and taking a detour

The Townsend’s gave us a great idea on that day! Could someone pull up to the memory of your marriage and do something romantic just because of the legacy of a memory you’ve left? If no one else needs to see this, your children do!

Stir up some fun and a special memory will follow! Create a marriage memory today!

With love,

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A Peek From My Porch – Utilizing Beach Souvenirs

May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

Vacation is over for us leaving sand in the floorboard of the car, tan marks on our skin, and a smile in our hearts. However, I have a few tangible reminders around me of our time away and they are sweet blessings!

Like thousands of other beach combers, I came home with a little stash of beach treasures. I usually only get one or two shells and tuck it into the car for a sweet remembrance of our time away. However, this time, I had a bit of a plan in mind of how I’d use some extra shells. So, as we walked along the seashore, I looked for certain shapes and sizes for my projects.

Before I left for the beach, I had drawn this beach theme on my chalkboard. Of course the quote I wrote on there isn’t true, but we do love the beach and I thought it communicated that! I decided I needed to add some shells and also some other touches to complete the “Beachy look” of my mantle.

I found the sign with the starfish on it and the blue conch shell at a cute little gift shop on Edisto Island.

I scattered some of my larger shells on the mantle, below the chalkboard.

I filled a glass jar about 1/3 of the way with sand and added some of the shells I collected, and then I set the jar on top of a small stack of books. The second book in the stack is my very old copy of “The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore.” I’ve had that book since my elementary school days! I think it’s called an antique now!

The last use for my shells was for a Christmas ornament. I saw lots of ornaments like this for sale in high end shops, and decided I could make it for pennies! I filled a glass ornament (I had purchased some glass ones last year) with a little sand, then added tiny shells that would fit into the opening of the ornament. After securing the top of the ornament back on, I used a Sharpie and wrote, “Myrtle Beach 2015” on it. It will be a great reminder at Christmastime of the wonderful vacation we had this year!

I’m thankful that though my vacation to the beach is over, I have pretty reminders of our time away around me in the house. It makes me smile while I get back into my normal groove once again!

Thanks for coming to take a peek!

With love from my country porch,

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Using Mother’s Day as a Measuring Stick

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 RefreshHer7 Comments

I have a question for you moms. Are you ready?

How was your Mother’s Day?

If you can rejoice and share about the gifts, cards, flowers, meal and attention lavished on you, I rejoice with you. I also encourage you to lift your eyes to heaven and thank the Lord for this grace gift.

You see, for many Mother’s Day is yet another day to be forgotten. It’s another special day that should have been recognized, but it is overlooked, like it was last year, and the year before that.

The truth is that we really put too much stock in Mother’s Day. I’m afraid for many it has become our measuring stick. Moms line themselves up next to the day and measure themselves by the response they get from their husband and children. If they’re forgotten, then they’re a bad mom. If their picture is posted on social media with praise in the caption, they feel a greater measure of success. “She’s the best mother a husband could want for his children” or “She is always patient and kind” make us over the top happy.

For years I put so much stock in Mother’s Day that when my husband failed to recognize my sacrifice and service to our family, it not only ruined my day (and theirs!), but it destroyed my confidence that I was even a woman fit to be a mother! Pretty sad.

Then one sad Mother’s day years ago, when I was reading my Bible and brooding, the Lord sweetly reminded me that my expectation was not to come from my family, but from Him alone.

It may seem “only right” that a family would express appreciation to mom, but that is our expectation. It may seem “only right” that we could have the day off, but that is our expectation. We could continue to list other things we expect, like gifts, praise, or attention, but all each one of those things does is to imprison those with whom we live! Each one is its own prison bar, capturing our “prisoners.” (our family).

My soul, wait thou only upon God,

for my expectation is from Him.

Psalm 62:5

When I let the Lord be my expectation, I will never be disappointed. I need instead to look into His lovely face and ask the question, “How am I doing, as a mom, Lord?” When He gives His gentle approval or rebuke, we will know that it is given rightly. He always judges correctly.

We also need to remember that Proverbs 31:25 reminds us that the virtuous woman will rejoice in time to come. Our praise will come at another time. It might not be until we see the Lord in heaven, but there will be a day for rejoicing. It will come because we’ve been faithful to the task of motherhood, and it will be given by the One Who gave us the privilege to be called, “Mom.”

Don’t give up, moms! Keep your eyes on the finish line – the Bema!

So, if last Sunday was a bummer day for you, drop to your knees and get your approval from the One who loves you unconditionally and knows you better than any husband or child ever could. One Day it will be worth it all and you will be rejoicing as never before!

With love,