The beautiful weather on Saturday begged for a cookout!  I had hamburgers on my menu anyway, so they got the royal treatment with this recipe for Herb and Cheese Stuffed Burgers. I shared this recipe with you last summer, but I had share it once again, just in case you didn’t try it then – or in case you forgot how good it is!
  

Ingredients
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
4 rolls, split
Lettuce leaves and tomato slices, optional

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon mustard; set aside.
In another bowl, combine the onions, bread crumbs, ketchup, salt, rosemary, sage and remaining mustard. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.
Shape into eight thin patties. Spoon cheese mixture onto center of four patties; top with remaining patties and press edges firmly to seal.
Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Serve on rolls with lettuce and tomato if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

I love this  side dish of Crispy Potato Wedges because the are super yummy, and because they are really fast.  When I don’t have time to bake french fries, this is my go-to recipe!  

Crispy Potato Wedges

Wash and pierce potatoes (one per person).  Place in microwave.  I found that if I do two potatoes I microwave them about 3 and half minutes.  Let set for about 5 minutes.  Cut each potatoe into four wedges.  Place in baking pan skins side down.  Brush potatoes with melted butter and then sprinkle with paprika and salt.  Place in 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Turn potatoes over and brush skins with melted butter and coarse salt.  Pop back into the oven for 5-10 minutes.  Serve with sour cream.

Now you’re ready for the next warm day that calls for a cookout!  

What is your favorite food to cook on the grill?

From my parsonage kitchen,

Money Saving Mom’s Challenge today was to either surface clean the living room or bathroom, or to clean the interior of the windows.  Just last week I had cleaned all the windows – inside and out – except for the basement windows.  And since I had given the other rooms a good cleaning this week, I vacuumed and dusted, then headed to basement where I found this mess!

Sad, huh?  The windows in the basement are up high and I’m down low.  =)  Who knew those little lady bugs had died in there? Not me!

How did you do today?  Did you accomplish a task or two?

Be refreshed,

I took 30 minutes one evening this week and made FOUR Swiffer covers!  No joke – this is a super simple task for even a beginning sewer.  These have elastic around the edges.  They kind of look like a shower cap made out of microfiber – only they’re oblong instead of round.  =)  When it gets dirty you just pop it into the washer.  No more buying the pricey disposable cloths!  The microfiber really grabs the dirt and dust!  I’m super happy with the results.

Refresh your mop AND your wallet by making some covers for yourself…and maybe a friend!

I’m doing the Money Saving Mom 30 Day House cleaning challenge and have made some great progress this week. So far I have surface cleaned the living room, bedrooms, bathrooms and laundry room.  Wow!  What a great feeling! I will be adding some photos as we progress.  Stay tuned!

Is anyone else doing this?  Will you leave a comment to tell me if you are taking the challenge?  By the end of the month our houses will sparkle!  

See you in church Sunday!

Be refreshed,

Yesterday floods of memories filled my mind. As a matter of fact, every year on April the 3rd, my thoughts go back to 1974 when a tornado came streaking through central Kentucky and took the entire roof off of our house. My poor mom was the only person at home when storm came barreling through our neighborhood. She was wise enough to tuck herself safely into the basement during the worst of the storm. Once downstairs, she heard the sound of the “freight train,” as the tornado whirled and swirled through our house. She heard the explosion of glass and the timbers being blown off the roof, then all was quiet. Very, very quiet.

During the time of the storm, my dad was at work and my twin sister and I were on a band trip in Pennsylvania. Our symphony band was playing with many other bands. It was a concert of sorts. We were loving the trip to the big city of Pittsburgh to see the sights, hear other bands play, and enjoy the  luxury of being in a beautiful hotel with our friends.

That morning, I had my devotions, as I was in the habit of doing. I can so clearly remember that I read Matthew 6 –

And also later in the chapter:

I tucked those truths into my heart and went about the day. News began to spread in our group about the storm that had hit our city of Winchester, even doing damage to our high school. All the other 100 students or so were calling back home to talk to their parents to be assured that all was well in their families. However, my sister and I had a problem – we couldn’t reach our parents. No matter how many times we tried, there was no connection to that land line. Worry began to creep in. Little did I know that in the hours to come, I would be feeding off of the truths that God had revealed to me in His Word early that morning.

To be continued…

Wednesday.  What does this day of the week conjure up in your mind?  Hump Day?  Middle of the week?  Almost the weekend?  For all my life Wednesdays were always connected with “prayer meeting.”  Through the years that also included other activities like Pioneer Girls, Awanas, Patch the Pirate Club, Sharing Group, or Teen meeting.    We never planned anything else on Wednesday night but church.  It would have been odd for us to have even asked what we were doing on Wednesday night; it was a given – we were going to church.  That was the case from the time I was a child through today.

I have always looked forward to the mid-week service. What a blessing to be encouraged with corporate time in the Word, prayer and fellowship in the middle of the week.  So many Christians miss this special service because they’re too tired, but honestly, when I’ve had a rough week and go ahead to Wednesday night services, I am energized!

Do your plans include prayer meeting tonight?  Why not decide right now to head to church this evening?  Extract something from your day, if you can, to make it easier to get to church.  Excite your children about going!  Perhaps you could: