(L)Oven Monday 30-Minute Meals for Sunday

March 6, 2017March 6, 2017 RefreshHer3 Comments

Happy Monday and Post #4 about Successful Sunday Dinners!

I’m posting late today because I got home from Michigan very late last night and couldn’t finish this post until today! I can’t wait to tell you about my special weekend, but let’s move on with Sunday dinner!

Today I’m going to give you some 30-minute meal ideas for Sunday’s. Sometimes having a meal in the oven or crock pot isn’t feasible, so these menus are a great option!

Things to remember when making 30-minute meals:

As with any other menu, you should still prep anything ahead of time that you can. You may even reduce the time to under 30 minutes!
- Marinate meat
- Chop veggies
- Get ingredients together so you can grab them easily
Set the table ahead of time.
Find make-ahead sides
Make a dessert before-hand, if that’s part of the menu

Here are some ideas to get you thinking…

Stir Fry – Stir-fry is cooked very quickly, making it great any time you’re in a hurry. This recipe for Orange Chicken was new to me and we loved it! I used her Original recipe she mentions, because I wanted lots of orange flavor! It was super good! This picture does NOT do it justice, so please try it anyway!!!

Brunch foods
- Waffles – How about making these waffles up ahead and freezing them. Then after church, toast as many as needed and having all kinds of fruit toppings for them! Add a side of bacon and you have a great meal!
German Pancakes – These are a nice twist on regular pancakes and they are soooo good!
- Roasted Vegetable Fritatta – This egg dish is full of great flavors and would be another good make-ahead kind of Brunch dish!

So, step out of the traditional Sunday dinner mold and fix a new kind of menu for your family after church. This could become a family tradition that everyone prefers! It’s certainly one they’ll all enjoy! Who doesn’t love waffles and pancakes?!

I hope these dinner ideas are helpful for you. Let me know if I’m aiding your abilities, or if I still need to address other areas for Successful Sunday dinner!

Lovingly,

Denise Signature 150 px f

Uncategorized

Spring Storm Warning

March 2, 2017March 2, 2017 RefreshHerLeave a comment

spring-storm

Winter in the south is kind of funny to northerners. When we get even a forecast of snow, meetings are cancelled, schools are shut down, grocery stores are emptied and everyone pulls into their home for fear of having to drive on the slippery precipitation.

Yesterday was a first for me with another kind of storm – an early spring storm with high winds and strong rain. I don’t mean that I’ve never been in it, of course I have, but the new situation came when I heard schools were having early dismissal, ball games had been rescheduled, and folks were sending out the, “be careful out there!” messages on Facebook. I’m as cautious with spring storms as anyone, after living through a tornado that hit our home when I was a teenager, but it seemed a little “over the top” to go to such extremes when there was yet a tornado warning, much less a watch. I was kind of like,
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

To a meteorologist or someone who keeps a constant check on the weather app up on their phone, my casual approach to the weather would probably seem foolish. I don’t mean to be, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a real threat.

It’s made me wonder if a person who hasn’t received Christ as their Savior has the same type of response when they hear folks say that the Lord Jesus said He’s coming back in the rapture, and those that have not trusted Him as Savior will go through a horrible time of tribulation. Do they look around them and see the calm, watch their days and weeks go by as normal as the last years have, and say,

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever.”?

I’m afraid that’s probably the way Satan lures them into his lies.
“Come on,” he says, “Your grandmother said Jesus was going to come back, and look, it hasn’t happened yet! Live your life the way you want, and don’t listen to those fanatics!”

More sure than the bread shelves clearing out in a Tennessee snow storm, the Lord made a promise that He will return to gather the Christians in the air and take them to heaven, and it will happen! Then those that are left will go through seven years of tribulation – worse than anything this world has ever known. There will be some that are saved during that time, but they will suffer great persecution as a result.

It doesn’t have to mean you, my friend. Turn to Christ and receive Him and the suffering He endured on the cross for your sins so that you could be forgiven. Tell Him you believe – confess your sin and your need of a Savior. Turn from anything you are trusting in to get you to heaven – good works, religion, your own merit, and trust Christ alone. Not only will you be safe from the tribulation and an eternity of suffering in hell, you will begin the most wonderful relationship with the One who loves you and died for you.

The wind is really kicking up outside as I write. I think I’d better check my weather app and keep an eye on the brewing storm – it really could happen as they have warned. I know I’ll be thankful I heeded the alarms.

I pray you have listened to the the Scripture’s warning – it will happen as the Lord said, and it could happen today. Are you ready?

Lovingly,

Denise Signature 150 px

home · Home decor · refreshment at home

Refreshing Your Home with Simple, Inexpensive Touches

March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 RefreshHer3 Comments

It’s often helpful at home to look at your house through the Eyes of a visitor. We see the limp, faded dishcloth, the worn-out dish towels and potholders every day and get used to them. We need to step back and look at the things we use everyday to see if they need to be replaced and refreshed. Let’s face it, they get weary looking after a while!

I wash our dish drying mat often to keep it looking its best, but recently noticed that it had gotten old looking and pilled. The next time I was at T.J.Maxx, I looked for a replacement. I couldn’t believe the difference a simple little change like that made in the kitchen!

Another easy change that I made was taking out the dark red shower curtain and replacing it with a bright, springy Paisley printed one. I love the brightness it brought to that room!

Of course a kitty cat will make any room beautiful!

Take a hard look at the things you use everyday and see if they need to be refreshed! You’ll be amazed at how little money it takes, and how simple the project can be! Consider:

Bath towels (but 1 or 2 at a time)
Wash cloths
Kitchen linens
- Towels
- Dish cloth
- Pot holders
- Aprons
Entry rug
Curtains

Refresh the things you use every day – it will perk things up without breaking the bank!

Denise Signature 150 px

Christian love · friends

Put Some Hope In Others!

February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 RefreshHerLeave a comment

gas-pump

My husband went through a month-long series on Sunday nights of this past month entitled, “Be a Hope Put’er In’er and Not a Hope Take’r Out’er.” All his messages were to put hope in marriages. It was so practical and good!

As I went through my week after those messages, I thought about others who need hope. Everyone is going through something difficult from time to time.

We all deal with:

Illness
Personal trials in relationships
Financial struggles
Heartaches
Dealing with others’ sin that affects them
Death
Current events

So how can we put hope in and not take it out of folks?

You know how you pull up to the gas station and insert the nozzle into your car and then pump in the gas? That’s how we should be spilling into others’ lives and giving them hope! Pull the trigger and pour it in!

One of my favorite verses in Scripture is Romans 15:4

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

What a good Father we have, Who gave us the Scriptures so that we could live lives that are hope-filled! We look in and we find promises that we can claim. We read psalms and we are comforted. We learn of people in the Bible like, Job, David, Jeremiah and Peter who went through hardships and we are encouraged by their lives and victories. Jesus is all through the Bible, and we remember that He came to live, die and rise again to give us the best kind of Hope!

So when we bump into others who are going through a difficulty of small or immense proportions, how can we put hope into them?

I think the best answer is pretty clear – give them God’s Word. Any hope I can give is temporal – but God’s Word will be lasting and it will give hope that meets the soul’s need.
I’ve found that giving my human input, my stories of similar trials, my humanistic opinion, are empty and can even be hurtful. When I don’t know what to say, I can open the Scriptures with promises that will be just the balm that will instill the hope that is necessary. I do that for my own heart, and I must learn to do the same for others.
After the Scripture is given, and you pray with that person, touch them. Put your hand on their arm, or around their shoulders. Human touch is comforting.
Look for a need that they might have.
- A meal
- A load of laundry done
- A caregiver for their child for a couple hours so they can nap
- A gift card for coffee
- A change of scenery. Invite them out!

Let’s be on the lookout this week for times when we can pump Hope into others, rather than draining it out of them!

Maybe you’re one who needs some hope today. Let me remind you that God sees. God is bigger than your trial. He is at work even when you can’t see it. Keep your eyes upward at a God Who is your hope!

Denise Signature 150 px

Crock Pot · Dinner · main dish · Make-Ahead

(L)Oven Monday – Successful Sunday Dinner with Delicious Sides!

February 27, 2017February 28, 2017 RefreshHer4 Comments

Yankee pot roast a.jpg

Welcome back to the Successful Sunday dinner series! Today I want to address two more questions/problems people mentioned in regards to Sunday dinner –

How can I have everything done at the same time?
What sides can you make that will be ready for a Sunday meal after church?

An easy way to answer both of those issues is to make a dish where the meat and the veggies are one dish in themselves. They are baked/roasted together, so they’re finished at the same time. That doesn’t mean it has to be a casserole! Here are a few suggestions of those kinds of meals:
- Lemon Greek Chicken – Chicken, Potato wedges and Red onions make up this delicious meal – all in one dish!
- Baked Chicken Fajitas – No grilling needed – the chicken, peppers and onions are all cooked together and are ready to get wrapped in a tortilla shell!
- Yankee Pot Roast – What would a Sunday menu be without a Pot Roast recipe? This one is so delicious with not only vegetables, but also a gravy that is effortless!
- Short Ribs and Limas – Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! I don’t like limas unless they’re in this dish! There’s a scrumptious gravy that covers the meat and the beans, making it so savory!

The main idea with the recipes above, and ones like them, is that all you need to add is a salad and perhaps bread. If the salad is made ahead of time, your meal is ready within minutes of your arrival home!

If you have a meat in the oven, but also need a potato, you could make your baked potatoes in the crock pot. Here’s how:

Spray the inside of your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Clean potatoes really well, rub with olive oil and then coat with kosher salt. Place in slow cooker. Cook on high for about 4-6 hours.

Another suggestion I would make is, find a couple recipes like these that you can master. Stick with them until you get the hang of getting it all ready ahead of time, then move on to more challenging menus. Find one your family loves and that you do well. It will be your signature dish!

If you missed any of the other posts for Successful Sunday Dinner, you can find them here and here.

My menu yesterday was:

Beef Enchiladas ( All done the night before and baked once I got home),
Refried Beans – Done in the crock pot during church
Banana – Pineapple Salad

Who’s attempting Sunday dinner? I’d love to hear what you made yesterday!

With love from my country kitchen,

Denise Signature 150 px