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What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage? A Guest Blogger Shares

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One thing I loved about having girls was teaching them to cook. We shared many hours together in the kitchen. I was determined that with the Lord’s help, I would prepare them to have a home of their own. I desired to see them be able to fix a complete meal, bake, and be able to be a blessing to others with meal preparation. Both of our daughters have turned out to be great cooks!

God has provided a lovely home for Whitney and it’s been a blessing to my heart to watch her open her home to others, whether it’s for a meal, or for a snack. She’s prepared food gifts for friends to say thanks, to help with a meal, or welcome them home from vacation.

Now she’s using her cooking skills on her boyfriend who, I’m sure, is really glad she’s a good cook! She recently made her famous muffins for him. She’s served them to us when we’ve visited, and we loved them, but I’ve never gotten the recipe, so I asked her to share it with all of us here and be my first official guest blogger! Here’s her post:

Happy Monday everyone! I know you all love reading my Momma’s blog as much as I do. I am super excited to get to be her first guest blogger! =) My Momma taught me that serving good meals is a way to express how much you care for the people in your life. Here are two of my favorite recipes that (even as a single person) have helped me do just that.

This chicken dish is one of my favorites from growing up. Mom made it for Sunday dinner – probably because you can make it ahead of time and put it in the oven before church (if your oven has a self-timer). I like it for weeknights because I can make it the night before and put it right in the oven when I get home from work. I usually serve it with white rice and green beans.

No Fuss Chicken

1 bottle (8 oz) Catalina Salad Dressing

1/3 C apricot preserves

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or cut up fryer)

In a bowl, combine dressing, preserves and soup mix. Place chicken in ungreased 11” x 7” x 2” baking pan; top with dressing mixture. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, baste. Bake 30 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear.

These muffins never last long! The craisins absorb the liquid in the batter, so they are actually just as good the 2nd day as they are straight out of the oven. I’ve made them for people coming home from vacation, taken them to Nana’s for holiday breakfast, and served them to my boyfriend, who has declared them his absolute favorite muffin. =) I love this recipe because it’s so easy to keep all the ingredients on hand. Watch for the Krusteaz muffin mix to go on sale at Publix!

Cranberry Walnut Muffins

1 ½ C craisins

1 package cinnamon muffin mix (my favorite is Krusteaz)

1 egg

¾ cup milk or orange juice

½ C chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 14 muffin cups or line with paper liners. Empty muffin mix and half the brown sugar topping mix into medium bowl. Add egg and milk. Stir until moistened, about 50 strokes. Stir in craisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle with the other half of the topping mix.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes, remove to cooling racks.

I want to thank Whitney for sharing her recipes. Try them both – I think you’ll love them!
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Just a note today to encourage you home schooling moms. Most everyone loves Fridays because it means the busy week is coming to an end and there are a couple days coming in which we can have a change in routine. It’s kind of a reward from working hard. Who doesn’t need a break from dissecting frogs… or doing science experiments…
 or working math problems, or sounding out big words, or learning where the seven continents are?

I tried to make Fridays a day to look forward to. At lunch time we would fore go the “no television during meals” rule and watch Andy Griffith while we had ate. Those are good memories!

I also usually made Friday Craft Day. The craft might be an art project, or it might include baking something creative together. I remember making popcorn balls one Friday in the fall. Here are a few other suggestions of things you could do:

  • Paint with an apple – Cut an apple in half, paint it with red acrylic paint, then blot it once on a paper towel. Then stamp the apple on a note card. A stack of cards like this would make great Christmas gifts for Grandma! After the red or green paint dries, the child can go back and use a marker to add the apple seeds to the middle of the apple print.
  • Make Caramel apples – The caramel wraps make this a cinch if you don’t want to melt the candies down. If you do melt caramel, provide toppings for the apples – nuts or crushed M&M’s.
  • Make paper Jack O’ Lanterns – Cut two matching pumpkins out of orange construction paper. Cut out the face of the Jack O’ Lantern (both at the same time), then put red tissue paper, cut the same size as the pumpkin, between the two pumpkins and glue in place. Hang the Jack O’ Lantern in the window – it will look like the pumpkin is lit up.
  • Go outside and collect fall leaves – iron them between sheets of waxed paper to keep them supple,then hang them on the window or refrigerator.

Adults need a change in routine – children need it even more! Why not make today a Fun Friday?

Tell me and the other home schooling moms who will read this what you do to keep the school week from getting in a rut.

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Sugar Cookies

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Who says sugar cookies have to wait until December? Not me! I love soft sugar cookies in the fall with a cup of coffee or glass of milk, and I’ve been so hungry for them! I made up a batch yesterday – pumpkins and leaves. Yummy and so cute! I have a recipe that I’ve used for years that is my favorite. They mix up in minutes. I love to under bake them just a bit so they’ll stay soft. Then when they’re cool I ice them with a powdered sugar glaze. I put a few cookies on a plate to eat and the rest go into the freezer to bring out on another day. You see, I have a Cookie Monster that lives in my house! He loves cookies and could easily make haste of these in a couple days.

Safe under the dome! Not really!

Here’s my recipe:

2/3 Cup shortening
3/4 Cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
4 tsp. milk
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add egg and milk; beat till light and fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients; blend into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Wrap in waxed paper or syran wrap and refrigerate at least an hour.
On lightly floured surface, work with half of the dough at a time*. Roll to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cutters. Bake on ungreased cookies sheet at 350 degrees about 7 minutes. Cool slightly; remove. Makes about 3 dozen.
*Chill other half till ready to use.

For the glaze, I use about 1 cup powdered sugar and a few teaspoons of milk, adding slowly and mixing so as to have a thick glaze. After icing cookies, sprinkle with decorations. Let set so the icing will harden.

What fall treats do you enjoy?
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Looking Forward to Tomorrow!

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We glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience and experience hope:
and hope maketh not ashamed…
Romans 5:3-5a
The hope that we have as believers is that one day we will be glorified; we will be like Christ! This hope “maketh not ashamed”. In other words, it does not disappoint! Why not? Because it is based on Jesus blood and righteousness, because God cannot lie, because God is God and He could never disappoint!
A little boy and his father were planning a fishing trip for the next day. That night the father was tucking his son into bed and the little fellow reached up and threw his arms around his daddy’s neck and said, “Thank you for tomorrow, Daddy!” That little boy had a hope that his father would carry through with his plans, and he knew he would not disappoint him.
You and I have an even greater hope if we know Christ as our Savior. We, too, can look into our Father’s face and say, “Thank you for tomorrow!” “Tomorrow” I will not be disappointed because my Father promises to meet my needs, because my Father has gone before me, because He’s leading me home, because all His promises are true. All my tomorrows are secure in Christ.
Whatever it is today that has you a little shaken, concerned or worried, think about what your Father has planned for you tomorrow, then bow before Him and tell Him thank you!
P.S. If a person is trusting in anything other than Christ to get them to heaven, they are being deceived and this deception will lead to a tragic end – hell! Dear Friend, have you placed your faith and hope in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Living Lord Jesus Christ which is evidenced by a definite change in your life? If not, trust Him today and rejoice in the hope that does not disappoint!
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Lessons in a Death

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This weekend my husband and I attended the funeral of the 25 year-old brother of our music leader who died in a motorcycle accident. Our hearts hurt so for the family…I cannot imagine the loss they are feeling right now. However, because this young man, Troy, knew Christ as his Savior, as does his family, there was a tremendous display of the grace of God at work in each of their lives. Christ was magnified in the service and the Gospel was shared.

I don’t think it’s possible to witness a funeral without being touched by it; I’m sure there are some who harden their hearts, but the Lord spoke sweet things to me as I sat there. I write them here so I won’t forget.

I was reminded that if a person knows Christ as their Savior, there’s nothing to fear in death. Because Christ died and rose again, He conquered death. It is only a shadow now, and a shadow cannot hurt us.

As the siblings sang “Amazing Grace” I heard the words of the verse that said, “He will my strength and portion be, as long as life endures, and I was reminded of my life’s verse – Psalm 73:26. The verse says, “My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” He is my portion now, as long as life endures, and throughout eternity. He will be enough when I face death. He will be enough when I face the death of a loved one. He is exactly what I need – He is my portion.

As I sat there and listened to Troy’s friends stand and share memories of him I wondered what people would have to say about me when I’m gone. Will there be anything of eternal worth? Will I have made an impact on others’ lives? I long so much for my life to count for Christ. It was a sweet time of asking the Lord again to use me and make my life count for Him.

My husband was seated beside me of course, and I became very aware of his hand in mine, the sound of his voice singing the hymns we sang congregationally, and the comfort of his presence. How easy it is to take for granted just being with the ones we love. We walk out the door with a quick goodbye and seldom take the thought that we might not return. This was a reminder to buy up every moment with my loved ones and not take our time together for granted or leave with words I would regret if they were my last to them.

Troy’s father made a statement that will forever be stamped in the memories of my husband and me. He said, “You prepare your kids to live, but not to die! But yet they’re never really ready to live until they’re prepared to die.” The most important thing we can instill in our children is a love for God so they will accept Him as their Savior and be prepared to meet Him in eternity. If they never excel at math or sports, but have a relationship with the Lord Jesus, we will have equipped them to really live!

While our hearts are broken for this hurting family, I pray I can apply to my heart what the Lord wants to teach me, and make even this moment, this day count for Him.