dessert · grilling · Main dish. · summertime

The Grill’s Not just for Hot Dogs!

We’re in the middle of another session of Apples of Gold – the cooking/teaching mentoring ministry for ladies that I’ve had the privilege of being a part of the last three years.  Each week we learn cooking techniques, study Titus 2, and fellowship together around a home-cooked meal.  It’s a wonderful, encouraging and fun time!

Last Saturday the meal was all about the grill.  Here was our menu:flatbreads.jpg

 

Grilled Prosciutto, fig and Gouda Flatbread
Rosemary and Sea Salt Flatbread
Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken Salad
Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Whipped Cream

For Flatbreads:
Ingredients
  • For the flatbread:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup warm water, plus more if needed
  • Olive oil for brushing
  • 6 ounces Gouda cheese, grated
  • A handful of arugula
  • 8 slices of Prosciutto
  • 8 fresh figs, cut into quarters – I used dried figs and they were just as delicious!

For the balsamic glaze:

  • 1 cups balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey

Instructions:

For the flatbread:
To a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder, mix well.
Add the olive oil and mix.
Add the water and mix until the dough comes together, either using your hands or a wooden spoon.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge about 10 minutes before using to allow to come to room temperature.

Preheat your outdoor grill.
Divide the dough in fourths and roll out onto a floured cutting board into your desired shape.
Brush with the olive oil on both sides.
Grill on each side for about 2-3 minutes until you have good grill marks and the dough is crispy.
Remove from the grill and add your toppings.
Return the flatbread to the grill and grill only long enough until the cheese is melted.

For the balsamic glaze: – Make this while the dough is in the fridge

In a medium saucepan, add the balsamic and stir in the honey.
Bring the vinegar to a simmer over medium heat.
Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the vinegar has reduced by ½, keep an eye it and check until it has the consistency of molasses.
Drizzle over the finished flatbread.

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For Rosemary/Sea Salt Flatbread – 

Combine 1 tbl. finely chopped fresh rosemary and about 2 tsp sea salt.

Brush flatbread with olive oil and grill until browned.  Remove and brush with more olive oil.  Rub Rosemary and salt mixture over oil.  Serve warm.

Griled chicken salad

Honey-lime Grilled Chicken Salad

Ingredients

For Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken
  • 4 small chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • zest from a lime
  • juice from a lime
  • salt and pepper to taste

instructions

  1. In a bowl add the Honey lime chicken ingredients; olive oil, honey, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
  2. Place each chicken breast between plastic wrap and gently pound using a meat mallet until chicken is about ½ inch in thickness. Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Marinate overnight.
  3. Grill chicken over medium high heat until cooked through.

For Salad:

Ingredients:

Spring Mix
Sliced Strawberries
Blue Cheese

Place salad ingredients on plate, top with grilled chicken.

Honey-Lime Dressing – 

1/4 Cup olive oil
Juice and zest of a lime
2 tsp Honey

 In a small bowl, whisk the juice of the remaining lime, the honey and 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Now for dessert:

Pineapple

Grilled Pineapple

  1. Slice fresh pineapple in one-inch slices.
  2. Sprinkle with a cinnamon/sugar mixture
  3. Grill on medium high heat 2-3 minutes or until soft and pineapple has grill marks.
  4. Garnish with whipped cream, and fresh mint.

Coconut Whipped Cream

Ingredients

Full Fat Coconut milk
Vanilla
Sugar

Place coconut milk in fridge overnight. The next morning, put mixing bowl and beaters into freezer for ten minutes.  Turn milk can upside down, open and pour off liquid.  Pour rest of milk into chilled mixing bowl.  Beat until whipped up.  Add 2 tbl sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

This meal is so delicious!  Fire up the grill and get some restaurant worthy foods cooking on your back porch!  

With love from my country kitchen,

 

outfits · Pastor's Wife · summertime

What the Preacher’s Wife Wore

Well, friends, here it is – the first clip of “What the Preacher’s Wife Wore.”  It may be the last, but I had fun putting it together.  Bear with me – the videos aren’t the best – they’re dark, jiggly, wiggly and all over the place!  But I hope it will provide you with a little inspiration for your wardrobe and maybe a laugh or two!  Let ‘er roll…

Some of the store/sites I mentioned were:

Cents of Style – Great deals – Friday’s they send out emails about special deals!

Talbots – I miss the Lexington, Ky outlet, but they have some good end of the season sales! I love the classic styles.  Their clothes are a great quality and last a long time!

TJMaxx – I love the things I find there!  You just never know what will be marked down for a super-duper price!

Ann Taylor – I love their outlets!  Great petite selections!

Dillards – Man, when they have a sale, you can get some great deals!

Charming Charlie – Love their sale racks! I’ve gotten clothes, shoes, purses, scarves and jewelry in their stores!

My pendant necklace with the “A” came from a local gift shop – The Gift Box – a sweet store full of fun finds!

Versatility in a wardrobe is important! If/when I do another video, I think I’ll take the pieces from this first movie and mix them up for different kinds of outfits.  Maaaaybe  What do you think?

Refresh your wardrobe!

P.S.  The last slide on my video says RefreshHer..com – of course there’s only one .  !

 

 

time

How List-Making Can Be a Game Changer

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Let me start today’s post with three questions:

  1. Do you ever feel frustrated that you’re not accomplishing the tasks you need to do each day/week?
  2. Do you feel like you don’t have enough time to get everything done?
  3. Do you make a list of your tasks and needs?

If the answer to the first two questions is “Yes,” and the answer to the last one is, “No,” I want to give you some encouragement that will be a true Game-Changer!  What is a game changer?  It’s a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way.  Making a list of tasks, things you need to remember – dates, items at the store, special events, etc. will keep you organized and help you to accomplish more than you ever thought possible; it will “change your life in a significant way!”

I’ve always been the type who has made lists.  Even as a child, I would write down what I needed to pack in my suitcase, or what was to be completed before a party or upcoming event.  However, there have been many days as an adult that I set my lists aside and just figured I had in my head what I needed to do.  It was on those days that I floundered.  I’d start one task and find another one that needed my attention.  I’d waste time doing things that should have been the last item on my list.  I’d forget to take a borrowed book back to my friend at church, or I’d forget to purchase a birthday card for a family member. Then I’d realize my problem – I had no real direction for my day.  Here’s what works best in my world; maybe it will help you, too.

  1. Start the day out by getting up with the alarm.
  2. Make time in God’s Word my priority.  Read Scripture and pray, asking God to direct my steps.
  3. Check my list that I made the night before of what needed to be done today.  It’s written in order of priority.
  4. Start with number one and don’t move on to #2 until the first task is completed.
  5. Continue through the list until everything is finished.
  6. Then I can add on Facebook or Instagram time, hobbies, books, etc.
  7. Keep a list of extra tasks to be done by the end of the week.  As I have time, I may be able to work ahead on one of those tasks.
  8. Check the list before leaving home – or I might even take the list with me!  See if there’s something I need to take as I head out the door.

Another list that is important is a menu for the week.  That way I can write on my daily tasks to take the chicken out of the freezer, or marinate the steak first thing in the morning.  If supper is started early in the day, it’s another great boost of accomplishment!

Even if you’ve never been a list-maker, I encourage you to give it a try.  You could start with any kind of pad of paper – it doesn’t have to be a fancy planner.  Make a list and keep working until every job is crossed off.  There’s a great feeling of accomplishment to see a check mark by six or eight items and it’s not even supper time yet!

We’re instructed to number our days and apply our hearts to wisdom (Ps. 90:12).  I think numbering the tasks that need to be done each day is a wise way to do just that!

Do you keep a list?  If not, will you start and let me know how it goes?

 

Christian Life · trials

Dealing with the Storm

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Yesterday the Jeep had just been pulled inside the garage and the groceries delivered to the kitchen when I looked out the kitchen window and saw a storm brewing.  The angry clouds were followed by huge pieces of hail bouncing onto the roof, windows and sidewalk, making me feel like I was inside a popcorn machine with hot kernels.  Then as quickly as it came, the storm was gone, leaving soggy grass and misplaced mulch as a reminder that it had indeed come.

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As I looked out the window at the now blue skies, I thought of how often my emotions can do the very same thing.  In an instant, I can go from “sunny skies” to torrential rains!  Sometimes it’s an accumulation of dark clouds that descend and eventually bring the emotions, the tears, the discouragement to my heart.

I obviously have no control over the weather, but there are things I can do to calm the storms that touch down in my heart!  During the thunderstorm, I did what I could to be safe – I stayed inside, I closed the door, I kept on the alert.  There are things we can do during an emotional storm as well and I’ve made a list to review when I see the dark clouds gathering around my heart.  I hope this will encourage you, too!

Dealing with Emotional Storms

  • Spend longer periods of time in God’s Word (especially the Psalms).
  • Look up Scripture about my particular issue and journal my findings.
  • Talk to the Lord about my burden more than I talk with others about it.
  • Get to church services to hear how God will encourage me through the Word of God being preached.
  • Don’t isolate myself – Spend time with people who will encourage me.
  • Reach out to someone who I know will give me biblical counsel.
  • Ask people to pray for me.
  • Listen to uplifting music that will turn my thoughts to Christ.
  • If I’m able, get out of the house and go do something rather than sit and dwell on my storm.
  • Turn off television – especially shows that are on the negative side – reality shows, crime reports, etc.  Not that you can’t be informed about current events, but don’t watch it if it discourages you!
  • Work on memorizing Scripture concerning my storm.

If you have dark clouds gathering around you, protect yourself from real, destructive damage by taking action.  Just behind the clouds, the Lord wants to warm your heart with His sunshine and encouragement.

Refresh your heart in your storm!

What do you do when your heart is discouraged?

 

 

 

Parenting

Momma’s, Beware!

Last weekend I was with a friend who is a mom to three boys.  They were all attending a birthday party together and the boys were having a great time enjoying the carnival-themed games and food of the party.  There were corn dogs, popcorn, cake pops, nachos and cheese, and of course, birthday cake and ice cream.

The sons were enjoying all their carb-laden treats while their mom, who was going to be running in a race that evening  was eating very lightly because she  and knew better than to indulge in heavy foods before a race. She pulled out her banana that would serve as her lunch, when one of the boys saw her peeling the fruit and asked,

“Can I have part of your banana, Mom?”

Knowing it was all she was going to eat, the rest of us watching sympathized with her and wouldn’t have blamed her if she had denied him, but she rose with a sweet spirit , went to the kitchen and got a knife and sliced off part for her son.

What makes a mom sacrifice in big and little ways for her children?  It’s her mother’s heart.  When you become a mother your heart changes; it becomes mush!  You love your child unlike you ever knew possible.  God makes our soft heart, enabling us to give and give.  Our protective heart fixes problems by finding solutions, and our giving heart suddenly likes the burned toast, the  chicken wing, and the most uncomfortable seat in the living room.

We make sacrifices that other people may not understand.  A career is set aside to raise the child.  Monetary advances are unimportant.  Self-time is on the back burner.  Personal desires are squelched while the children are home.

But there is a danger with our heart – after years of that kind of motherly love, it’s oftentimes hard not to keep responding in the same ways when they grow up.  Though they are adults, when we see them struggling, we have the desire to jump in and provide for them, fix a problem they’re facing, or try to divert a trial in their life.

I have had that desire recently while seeing needs in my girls’ lives.  But before following through on my motherly instinct, the Lord stopped me, reminding me that it’s no longer my place to provide, protect or fix their problems.  How thankful I was to learn later of how they turned to the Lord in their time of need.  This hard time made them desperate for God’s comfort – the Real comfort that could help, provide and fix their problem.  Had I stepped in, they would never have seen what God would do for them.  It was a reminder that I needed!

When they come to visit, I’ll still give them the last piece of pie or my seat on the porch swing, but I’ll not be too quick to jump in to rescue them from the hard times that our wise God has sent to refine them.  God is more than enough – it’s a lesson we both need to learn.

Banana anyone?

When is it the hardest for you to not rescue your adult children?