Christ is Risen

Been on my heart today....

Mondays

I am with you, little kitty. I am with you.

photo credit: Clean Funny Pics

The Cure

Respect and Relationship

A couple days ago I wrote "Chick Flicks and the Single Girl" and have gotten a lot of feedback from friends and have had some excellent conversations that have led me to want to follow up some.

VerticalFocus17 commented on the post and said, "I would recommend this for girls in a relationship as well. It's easy to become dissatisfied with the mate God chose for you when you compare him to the romantic heroes of chick flicks. God's love story is always the best one, but it's easy to set yourself up for discontentment when you live in Hollywood Fairy Tale Land."

She is absolutely correct. Not only is it unfair to the man God prepared just for you to compare them to men that exist only in fiction, it is disrespectful to both he and God, ungrateful, and unloving. And it brings up some more thoughts. I wonder if secular romantic portrayals are not indicative of the attitude people have regarding relationship and marriage which, in turn, leads to the large number of broken and failed relationships and marriages. That attitude being this: relationships should be easy and happy all the time. If they're not, it's ok to bail. The primary function of a relationship is my fulfillment and when he doesn't live up to my (unrealistic and ridiculously high) expectations then he has become worthless, etc., etc., etc. This is, of course, not the way it is supposed to be at all. We live in a fallen world and marriage is the joining of 2 broken sinners so how on Earth can we expect a blissfully perfect relationship? And while husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loves the church, we are never to expect fulfillment from any place but from God. Furthermore, the goal of marriage, as with every other part of our life, is to bring glory to God.

That being said, I want to go even further. I am not sure that chick flicks are the only media-based indication of brokenness in our society. Those who know me well know that one of my hottest button topics is feminism and the lack of respect shown men. I like to say I am a "Jo March" feminist. Those of you who are fans of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, may understand what I mean. To those of you who are not, I explain it like this. In its original form, the women's right movement had merit. Women should be allowed to vote. Women should be allowed to own property. Women should receive the same wages as men for the same work. Women should not have to tolerate abuse, be it physical, emotional, etc. Women should have the abilities and rights necessary to pull themselves and their children out of those abusive situations. Women should be on equal legal footing with men. Does that mean I think we are the same? Heck no. Men and women are entirely different in so many ways. What it should mean is embracing those differences and the strengths and abilities each sex brings to the table and working as partners. Unfortunately modern feminism has perverted this and instead of bringing women from being second class citizens to being equals, it has swung so far over to the other extreme that now I see the emasculation of men in the name of equality.

Don't believe me? Turn on the TV. Watch “The Simpsons,” “Still Standing,” “The Proud Family” (I don’t know if that is that even still on but I hated the few episodes I saw because of this). The husbands/fathers are portrayed as slovenly, pig-headed, lazy, dimwitted, and clueless. The wives/mothers, on the other hand, are portrayed as well put together, intelligent, witty, individuals who hold the family together and tolerate their idiot husbands with condescension. Now, is media focusing just on tearing down men? No, they aren’t. In discussing this with my friend Chris, he pointed out that women are demoralized even more prominently than men. And it’s true. Women are put in positions of inferiority constantly. And in commercials? Women are constantly being put in slutty outfits to appeal to men and get them to buy their products (though in effect this is disrespectful to both women and men, but I’ll get to that in a minute).

Additionally, man-bashing has become a national past-time and, I'll tell you, it makes me MAD. There is absolutely no cause and no excuse for speaking that way about our brothers and especially about your spouse. And I don't mean the good tempered joking about the reality of the differences between the genders and the resulting confusion it inspires, I mean the mean-spirited, condescending comments that I hear women use to make themselves feel superior to men or their man. What I’d say it boils down to is respect.

Remember that verse I referenced earlier about men being called to love their wives as Christ loves the Church? It is in Ephesians 5 and it says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,...He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church (5:25, 28b)." This speaks of cherishing and nourishing and giving up of oneself. This love is  protecting, providing, etc. While men are called to love, cherish, protect, and nourish, what are we as women called to do?  "Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. (5:33)" Notice the difference? Men are called to love and cherish their wives and women are called to respect their husbands. Women want and need affection. Men need to be respected. To love them well, you must respect them well. Does that mean they don't want affection or that women don't want respect? Of course not. And does this apply only to marriage relationships? No, I don’t think it does. The roles of the genders in marriage speak to the basic definitions of biblical masculinity and femininity.

So what does respecting well look like? Well, it has many faces. It means not undermining, not emasculating. It means accepting their leadership graciously. It means supporting them in the decisions they make. Does that mean always agreeing with them regardless? No I wouldn’t say so. Sometimes support means being the Genesis “helper” and gently bringing forward your concerns but supporting them regardless of the decision they make unless it causes you to be in sin. It means being careful of yourself and your decisions and how they affect your brothers.  It means being conscious of their weaknesses. An example would be not dressing in a revealing and provocative way that would cause them to fall into sexual sin. It means the word that modern women recoil from: submission. Biblical submission isn’t something to be afraid of though (I mean to discuss this further at some point in the future, but in the mean time look into the Biblical roles of women – I also highly recommend reading the book Let Me Be a Woman by Elizabeth Elliot).

Beyond even that, I’d say respect is something that goes many ways. Men should be respecting and honoring women also. And we should respect ourselves because of our Creator if for no other reason. If a woman really had a grasp of the fact that God created her in His image, that she is His daughter in whom He delights, that men are her brothers and that relationship should be protected and built, would she ever become a Playboy girl? Would a man who understood the heart of his Heavenly Father and how much he is loved and protected shirk his responsibilities as a father himself? It becomes a vicious cycle because then it becomes almost a self fulfilling prophesy; men who are not respected eventually become men who do not deserve it and their sons turn into those men. Their daughters get involved in unhealthy relationships and end up giving themselves up to men over and over, often becoming ensnared in abusive relationships, becoming pregnant outside marriage, both, or worse because they were not fathered well. They are not shown how men should treat them and how much they should respect themselves and the men in their lives. They in turn become mothers who are bitter and angry. They man-bash and become critical shrews. Their daughters see this and adopt their attitudes. Their sons see this and become the men their mothers gripe about because that’s what a man “is”. This is only the tip but I don't have even a fraction of the time and space here necessary to fully analyze the long term consequences.

So where do we go from here. Women, respect the men in your lives and give them reason to cherish you. Men, cherish the women and be men worthy of respect. But most importantly, all of us, seek after the Lord in your relationships and seek to honor Him through them. Be a light to the world through how you live your relationships and how you love each other well.

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35

Gratitude

Tonight, I am grateful.

Every moment of every day I should be grateful. Good, bad, ugly, whatever the situation, I should respond with gratitude. But I don't. Then, there are nights like this when I realize my sin in not keeping a spirit of gratitude and suddenly I'm overwhelmed by the voice of the Lord whispering, "Oh, sweet baby girl, I forgave you for that before you ever did it. And guess what? I love you so much and look what I'm doing for you now!"

Yes, dear ones, tonight, I am grateful.

I have been so incredibly blessed by the people God has placed in my life. I have amazing parents, the coolest brother known to mankind, a wonderful church family that I have been a part of since I was 18 months old, and friends who are constantly loving me, encouraging me, amusing me, challenging me, and teaching me.

Tonight I had the opportunity to see one of my dear friends who had experienced the sort of bad day you couldn't make up if you tried. The sort of day that would have left me on the verge of bursting into tears at any second. Yet my friend chose to respond in gratitude. She chose to look at each thing that happened and realize how much worse it could have been and how God provided through her through it all. He had it covered. We spent an hour and a half laughing together, discussing God's faithfulness and provision, processing through what He was teaching us, and basically solving the problems of the world. :-D This friend, I can be completely transparent with and fear no judgement from. This friend  is wise beyond her years and has such a heart for loving people well. This friend brings her own personal sun with her wherever she goes. How blessed am I?

Because the Lord wasn't done showing me His love, I got to have another blessing encounter. I had a conversation with another wise and godly friend whose opinion I wanted about a post I am in the process of writing that examines and discusses relational issues as it pertains to women interacting with and caring well for men. Since I am writing in a public forum, it is no longer just me ranting and I felt the need to make sure I was being responsible with what I was saying. He graciously and gently pointed out and explained areas that he disagreed with or that could be misinterpreted by those who don't have a good idea of what I'm getting at. Our conversation made me realize I have a lot to learn. :-) LOL. But it also made me realize how blessed I am to have a friend who is willing to have these sort of conversations with me and lead in that way.

That's just two things. I have so much more to be thankful for and am praying for a greater spirit of gratitude.

Thank you, Father! Love you too!

Chick Flicks and the Single Girl

Once upon a time there was a magical, though rather disillusioning, land called Hollywood.

Seriously, we all know the basic plot line for the standard "chick flick." Boy and girl meet, boy and girl fall in love, a problem/obstacle arises, love conquers all, and they both live happily ever after. Forgive me for saying so, but what a load of bull. Don't get me wrong, I am a hopeless romantic, but that's not how life works. And there are some wonderful stories out there also. As a single woman who wants to be married, it is easy to get sucked into these stories. Then one day I realized something. I had started shying away from these movies and watching more action, comedy, war, and other non-chick flick genre movies. And I was happier. I was more content. I began to realize that when I watch chick flicks by myself they do to me emotionally what porn does to men physically. They leave me emotionally down and discontent, frustrated, and yearning for something that is not what God has for me at this point in my life. Yes, I still desire a relationship and marriage and my own family, but it is different. Watching these movies I come away going "Ugh. I want a man like _*insert leading male name here*_," which, of course, I don't actually want. So I have mostly cut these movies out of my life, though I do occasionally watch one with friends. Am I condemning these movies and saying it is sinful to watch chick flicks? No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I think the effect of these movies varies from girl to girl, I am just making observations based on my own heart.

There is, however, one movie that I would put in the romance category that is an exception. This movie, I love. It is called One Night With the King. It is the story of Esther. Now, most people don't think of the story of Esther as a love story and judging it by traditional standards, it isn't terribly romantic. In fact, it was terrifying and painful. When King Xerxes queen was banished and he needed a new queen, Esther was ripped from her home and forced to live in the palace and prepare for the selection process. After weeks and weeks of beauty treatments and lessons each candidate was given one night with the king in which to try to win him. What you may not think about is this: whichever women had their night with the king but were not chosen were no longer maidens and therefore no longer marriageable. Those who went before the one that was chosen became royal concubines. They never saw their families or had their own lives again. Terrifying. But God left His divine fingerprints all over this story. He knew what evil stirred in the heart of Haman and how driven he was for vengeance against the Jews. He brought Esther into the palace, opened the heart of the man in charge of the candidates and made him favor her, and stirred in the king's heart to choose her. He brought them together as husband and wife and later when the Jews were in danger, he moved in the kings heart to spare Esther's life, hear her story and request, and believe her. There was fear, there was anger, there was betrayal, there was misunderstanding, there was terror, but there was also faithfulness. Through their love story, God saved an entire people. I watch that movie and instead of thinking "Ugh I want a man like that," I am thinking, "Oh Lord, I want you to write my love story." Do I want the lives of an entire people group relying on it? No, most definitely not. Do I want the fear, the agony, the misunderstanding, the betrayal? Well no, but that's part of life. Marriage isn't happily ever after. Yes, there is happiness and there is blessing, but there's rough stuff too. Do I want the opportunity to engage in that ministry and the strength and courage to be faithful in every way to my God and my husband? Absolutely. I don't want Esther's story, but I want her Author.

So which would you rather have? A love story written by the Hollywood folks or one written by God Himself? One where the goal is to sell the story or where the goal is to work all things for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose? One where the aim is to make money or to give glory to God? Which one do you want?

"It takes the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the honor of kings to seek it out." I want God to conceal and guard my heart. And honestly, I can't wait to see the man He has chosen for me who has the honor of a king.

Fun with Fizz

I love Pinterest. I love it so much, in fact, that it has become something of an addiction, I'm afraid. But it pays off fairly frequently! The other day I saw an activity that I had a feeling the kids I babysit would LOVE. And they did. It kept them both (2 & 4) busy and entertained for a good 45 minutes.

For each child, fill the bottom of a pan or tupperware type container with baking soda. In small bowls mix white vinegar and food coloring. Give each child a medicine dropper or, if you don't have enough, a spoon. Let them drop colored vinegar in the baking soda and watch as it fizzes and makes a colorful creation.

Prolific Posting - The Previous Posts

Just so y'all know, I didn't do all of this today. I'm pulling all my posts over from my old blog. Enjoy! These are delicious!

Garlic and Soy Grilled Pork Chops and Summer Squash Casserole

This is my mother's favorite way to have pork chops so it was only appropriate that we had this on Mother's Day! It is from The South Beach Diet Cookbook by Dr. Arthur Agatston, M.D. This recipe is delicious and only 70 calories per chop. The Summer Squash Casserole recipe came from a friend of my grandmother. It is so yummy, however the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of butter and I have tweaked it some because it is soooo greasy. By the way, in the interest of full disclosure, Kenneth and Dad did the grilling for me since I was working in the kitchen! :)

Garlic and Soy Grilled Pork Chops

4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed of visible fat
2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients except pork and put in a ziplok. Place pork chops in the bag and allow to marinate for 4-24 hours. Grill 20-25 minutes until center is no longer pink.

Summer Squash Casserole

6 c squash, sliced                                   1 c shredded carrots
¼ c onion, chopped                               1 8oz stuffing mix
1 can cream of chicken                          1½ c butter melted***
1 c sour cream

Cook squash and onions in a skillet with a little water for 5 minutes and drain. Mix together cream of chicken, sour cream, and carrots. Fold into squash. Mix together stuffing and butter. In a 9x13 dish layer ½ stuffing, all of the squash mixture, and remaining stuffing. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

***I think instead of using all three sticks of butter, you could use 1 c chicken broth and 1 stick butter. I think this would moisten without it being so greasy and would still taste good. I haven't tried this but I plan to. If you do, let me know how it turns out. 

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

I made this as the dessert for our Easter dinner. I found it in the May 2011 "People: Country Special;" it is a Trisha Yearwood recipe. I have tweaked it somewhat. Enjoy!

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

4 c all purpose flour
2 TBS baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 c plus 2 TBS sugar
2/3 c cold butter, cubed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c milk
2 TBS melted butter
2 lbs fresh strawberries

Whipped Cream:
1 pt heavy whipping cream
3 TBS sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 450. Grease the bottoms of 2 9" round cake pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 c sugar. Cut butter into the mixture with two knives or a pastry blender until crumbly. Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Gradually add to flour mixture, stirring just until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times. Divide dough in half and pat into prepared pans. Brush tops with melted butter. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.  Turn out onto wire rack immediately and allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, wash berries. Reserve 3 for garnish. Cap and slice remaining berries.Place them in a bowl with 3/4 c sugar and let stand 30 minutes or until sugar dissolves and berries are syrupy. With an electric mixer beat cream, sugar, and vanilla on high until it has formed a stiff whipped topping. When cake layers are cool, spread about half of the whipped cream on the top of the bottom layer and top with half of the strawberries. Place the next layer of cake on top and repeat layers, reserving enough whipped cream to put a large dollop on top. Garnish with whole berries.

Slammin' Salmon

Yum. That's all I have to say. This is so yummy. It's a little spicy but also sweet. I deviated from the original recipe a bit and it was supposed to be grilled, but the way I cooked it, the marinade turned into a glaze almost. My family members all loved it. We've discussed other ways to use the marinade and I think it would be delicious on chicken, flank steak, or pretty much any other meat. We also thought it would make an awesome sauce for a shrimp or beef stir-fry!

Slammin' Salmon

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 TBS brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c chopped green onions
1/4 c olive oil
8 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless salmon fillets

Mix all ingredients except salmon together and put in a gallon ziplock. Place salmon fillets in the marinade. Put the bag in the fridge and allow to marinate for 2-24 hours. Pour all marinade and salmon in a large cast iron skillet and cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring the sauce and flipping the fish occasionally. It can also be grilled or baked.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slammin-Salmon/Detail.aspx submitted by Aytom

Limehouse Chicken

So you know how chicken breasts can be pretty dry? Well here is a delectable, moist recipe that my family LOVED. I served it with rice and asparagus but we decided that it would be amazing with squash and sweet potatoes. This is another Allrecipe.com recipe.

Limehouse Chicken 

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 sprigs fresh mint, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine the flour, salt and paprika in a large plastic bag. Sprinkle lime juice over the chicken thighs, then place them in the bag. Shake pieces around until completely coated.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook just until browned on each side. Transfer to a baking dish. Mix together the brown sugar and lime zest; sprinkle over the chicken. Pour the chicken broth and white wine into the pan. Sprinkle mint over the top.
4. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Chicken should be cooked through and juices will run clear.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
6. Combine the flour, salt and paprika in a large plastic bag. Sprinkle lime juice over the chicken thighs, then place them in the bag. Shake pieces around until completely coated.
7. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook just until browned on each side. Transfer to a baking dish. Mix together the brown sugar and lime zest; sprinkle over the chicken. Pour the chicken broth and white wine into the pan. Sprinkle mint over the top.
8. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Chicken should be cooked through and juices will run clear. 

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Limehouse-Chicken/Detail.aspx, submitted by LEAH_CHRIS

Chicken Parmesan Subs

This is a delicious, simple meal that is quick and easy to get on the table. I came up with this after visiting Subway with a friend and she requested grilled chicken with the meatball marinara sauce on it. I came home and thought up a yummier variation of the sub! I use Tyson Breaded Chicken Breasts from Costco (see below for image of the bag).

Chicken Parmesan Sub

Tyson Breaded Chicken Breasts
Sub rolls
Sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese
Jar of pizza sauce
oregano
grated Parmesan cheese


Cook 1.5 (if you can) chicken breasts per sub according to package directions. I tend to let it get on the crunchier side of done. When there are about 5 minutes left before the chicken is done, add a pan with the open sub rolls to the oven to toast them. Place 1.5 pieces of chicken on the bottom of the sub roll and cover with sliced provolone or mozzarella. Cook until cheese has melted. While the subs are heating, heat pizza sauce. When cheese has melted, spoon sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with oregano and parmesan, and serve!

 

(There really is no pretty way to photograph this!)

Best Tilapia Recipe EVER

Tilapia. It is a boring fish. There is NO way around it. However, tonight I made the most delicious tilapia I have ever had. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I served it with asparagus and I think it would be great if you had rice too.

Hudson's Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 F. Take four tilapia fillets and sprinkle salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning on each side and place in a baking dish. Slice a lemon into thin slices and place on top of fish. Bake for 15-20 or until fillets flake with fork.

While the fish is baking, make sauce. Mix together the following:
1/4 c light mayonaise
1/2 c light sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 TBS chopped fresh dill
Serve fish with dill sauce spooned over it.

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hudsons-Baked-Tilapia-with-Dill-Sauce/Detail.aspx submitted by KHUDSON3

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

One of my very FAVORITE cookie recipes is the Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin cookie recipe found under the lid on Quaker Oats™ oatmeal canisters. I've given it one little twist though: the one thing that could possibly be done to make this better. Any ideas? Anyone? Well I'll tell you, the one thing that makes all the difference in the world is using golden raisins instead of regular ones. They make these cookies AMAZING! I usually double the amount also. Sometimes if we have them on hand I do half golden raisins and half Craisins™. Those are also very good. By the way, HUGE shout out to Lori B who saw my Facebook lament and informed me that you can use 1c granulated sugar + 2 TBS molasses to make 1c brown sugar when you don't have any! Thanks, Lori! :-)

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 c butter                                 1 tsp vanilla                             ½ tsp salt

½ c sugar                                 1½ c flour                               3-4 c oatmeal

1 c brown sugar                       1 tsp baking soda                    1 c raisins

2 eggs                                      1 tsp cinnamon

Beat butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to sugar mixture. Add oats and raisins. Drop onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 mins. 

Sour Cherry Pie

This is the BEST cherry pie recipe I've ever tried! So delicious!

Sour Cherry Pie

1 pkg double crust ready-to-use pie crust

3 (15 ounce) cans pitted sour cherries, drained OR 45 oz fresh pitted sour cherries

3 TBS quick-cooking tapioca

1 ½ c white sugar

Preheat oven to 400°. Press one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie plate. Stir together the cherries, tapioca, and sugar. Let the mixture stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the other pie crust by either cutting it into 1/2 inch strips to make a lattice top or using a small cookie cutter. Pour the cherry mixture into the pie shell. Lay the strips across the pie in a lattice pattern, and pinch the edges to seal. Bake in the preheated oven 40 to 50 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sour-Cherry-Pie/Detail.aspx submitted by lisawas

Mocha Cake with Buttercream Icing

A few years ago a friend's mom made this for us on his birthday. I LOVED it so much and have been making it ever since! It's amazing! And I also recently discovered that it so much easier to make if you have a Kitchenaid.I sometimes make it in two square layers with these fruit by the foot ribbons (dampen with water and drag through sugar then form a bow using a toothpick) to make it look like a gift.

Mocha Cake with Butter Icing

Cake:  
2 c sugar                       ¾ c cocoa                     1 c milk
½ c butter, softened      1 tsp baking powder      1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs                           2 tsp baking soda          1 c black coffee
2 c flour                       

Cream sugar, butter, and eggs. Add alternately flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, milk, and vanilla. Add coffee. Baked in greased and floured pan on 325 for 35-45 minutes.

Icing:
3½ TBS flour                1½ sticks butter            1 tsp vanilla
¾ c milk                        ¾ c sugar                      pinch salt

Cook flour and milk to form smooth thick paste. Cool. Cream butter and sugar until sugar dissolves (5+ min). Add flour paste, 1 tsp vanilla,  and salt. Cream for 5 minutes.

Mojo Shrimp

Last year at my best friend's bachelorette weekens away, we went to a Cuban restaurant. I ordered shrimp mojo and was absolutely enthralled! It was AMAZING! When I came home I attempted to find a recipe for it on Allrecipes.com. I found something similar and adapted it to suit my purpose. You can use this on shrimp or chicken. It can be grilled, sautes, or baked. I prefer grilling it! Serve with rice and black beans cooked with garlic, onions, bacon, and lime.

Mojo Shrimp

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped             1 tsp dried oregano
½ c minced yellow onion                          ½ tsp ground black pepper
1 c freshly squeezed orange juice              1 tsp salt
½ c freshly squeezed lime juice                 ¼ c cilantro
½ tsp ground cumin                                  1 c olive oil
2 lb shrimp

Pulse the garlic and onion in a blender until very finely chopped. Pour in orange juice, lime juice; season with cumin, oregano, lemon-pepper, black pepper, salt, cilantro, and hot pepper sauce. Blend until thoroughly incorporated. Pour in the olive oil, and blend until smooth. Reserve ½ c mojo to drizzle on cooked shrimp. Put mojo and shrimp in bag and marinate for at least an hour. Skewer and grill OR cook on the stove in a pan.

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mojo-Grilling-Marinade/Detail.aspx submitted by UODUCK1978

Why I Don't Microwave

For years I've viewed a microwave as only a means of reheating leftovers. I refuse to actually cook anything in the microwave. Microwaved potatoes are not baked potatoes, they're microwaved potatoes. Snobbish? Perhaps. But now I have an example of why nothing good comes from trying to use the microwave to cook. The  other night I was making dinner to be eaten in shifts as family members come in and out from meetings, etc. My mom wanted potatoes. So, not having enough time to bake her any, I chopped a potato up, put it in a small casserole dish, and drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper over top. I put saran wrap on top and stuck it in the microwave. Well I apparently set the time for too long because all of the sudden the worst smelling, most acrid smoke I have ever encountered came pouring out of the microwave vent. Here's the end result.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I do not microwave.

The Best Chocolate Cake

Tomorrow is my baby brother's 20th birthday and we celebrated it tonight. He wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and, friends, that is what he got! I have never been a fan of making something from a mix when I could make it from scratch. It's a bizarre matter of pride for me. Anyway I found this recipe on Allrecipes and thought it looked delish! It was very easy to make (possibly the easiest icing I've ever made) and got rave reviews from my family. At Christmas I am going to replace the icing between the layers with raspberry jam and place some raspberries on top as well. I think that will be amazingly yummy! 


3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 1/3 cups boiling water

FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
5 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended. Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Cool several minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Frost cooled cake

Soup's On

IT IS FALL!!!!!







Okay, I know that you all know that but I felt the need to scream my joy from the top of someplace very high! Which I cannot do online so I went for ALL CAPS!

With fall comes beautiful colors, beautiful leaves, beautiful sights, beautiful smells, aaaaaaand beautiful FLAVORS! So, as we have established, it is fall. Enter my butternut squash obsession! I love the flavor, color, and smell that butternut squash adds to the season. It is like pumpkin, only better! So today when I got home from babysitting I decided I needed to make something yummy involving butternut squash. Well I found some wonderful recipes earlier this week but I didn't have everything I needed and no time to grocery shop so I did what anyone would do at this point. I winged it! The result was a delicious concoction that made me feel like I should be tucked away in a cabin somewhere in the mountains next to a wood stove with a big floppy dog at my feet! Enough waxing poetic. You should just make this and see for yourself!

Autumn Sausage and Squash Soup

1 lb spicy Italian sausage, scrambled and drained
1 lg can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can or 12 oz bag of frozen sweet corn
Approx 24 oz chicken broth (add more or less as desired)
1 can Cannelloni beans
1 can Great Northern beans
1 sm can sliced mushrooms
1/2 med butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2 in cubes
minced onion*
parsley*
oregano*

*I don't measure...

Mix and cook at least until the squash is soft. Enjoy! Since this is my original recipe, please let me know what you think whenever you try it!

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

I made this delicious sounding pull-apart bread that I found on Sunny Side Up in San Diego as a practice for Thanksgiving. It is delicious but suuuuuper sweet. Almost too much. It overwhelmed the flavor of the bread. I think next time I would cut out the icing all together. Despite following the recipe, mine was much thicker than hers looked.

I'm not as in love with this recipe as I expected to be but it is pretty good. I'd rate it a solid B. Enjoy!

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Buttered Rum Glaze


Ingredients
Bread2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour


1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter


Buttered Rum Glaze 
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp rum (I used vanilla instead since I am allergic to rum)

Directions


In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.


Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.


While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well. Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.


When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle. Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes. 

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 37 exactly) or until top is a very deep golden brown.


To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.

Autumn Acorn Squash

• For years my  mom made a stuffed acorn squash recipe that was delicious. It, however, called for ham sausage which cannot be purchased anymore.  But we've been wanting some sort of stuffed acorn squash so I searched for one and found this! This is not exactly the original recipe as found on Allrecipes but it was delicious! We loved it!
• 
  
• Autumn Acorn Squash
• 
  
• 4 medium acorn squash
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1 cup chopped, peeled tart apple
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 
  
• Cut squash in half and discard seeds; set squash aside. In a skillet over medium heat, cook turkey until no longer pink; drain. Add rice,apple, cranberries, celery, salt, and allspice. Spoon into squash halves; place in an ungreased baking dish. Fill dish with hot water to a depth of 1/2 in. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until the squash is tender.
• 
  

Chinese Pot Roast

This is an absolutely DELICIOUS spin on the traditional pot roast. The flavors are amazing! I served this with rice and glazed carrots. The "gravy" (which is almost more of an after-the-fact glaze) is good on rice also. We had a ton of the gravy left over so I froze it to use as a stir-fry base. This is a variation of a recipe submitted by JDONNELLON on Allrecipes.com.

Chinese Pot Roast

1 (3-4 lb boneless beef chuck roast)
1 TBS garlic salt
1 TBS ground black pepper
1 tsp ground mustard
1 TBS canola oil
3 c water
3/4 c soy sauce
3 TBS white vinegar
1/4 c honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp celery seed
2 TBS cornstarch
1/4 c cold water

Mix together garlic salt, pepper, and mustard. Coat the chuck roast with mixture. Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the roast and brown on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). Remove roast from skillet and place in a crock pot. Mix together 3 c water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, and celery seed. Pour over roast. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. When it is done place the roast on a plate. Pour the pan juice into a stock pot. Heat on med-hi until boiling. Mix together cornstarch and 1/4 c water. Pour into saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has thickened. Pour some over the roast. Serve the rest in a bowl with meat, rice, steamed veggies, etc.

There really is no way to make that look appetizing! :)

Slow-Cooker Pulled-Pork Tacos

Ever notice how after awhile all taco things start to taste the same? Well here's the cure. My Aunt Frandee submitted this for our family cookbook a few months ago and I've been wanting to try it because it looked amazing. And it did not disappoint. You'll notice in the picture I added sour cream and salsa but I don't think it needed it! The meat is moist and delicious. So here you go!

Slow-Cooker Pulled-Pork Tacos

2 c salsa

2 TBS chili powder

2 TBS dried oregano

2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp salt 

2 1/2 lb boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

corn or flour tortillas (we use flour because we're not a fan of the corn ones - recipe calls for corn)

fresh cilantro

sour cream

lime wedges

In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and salt. Add pork and turn to coat. Cook, covered until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily: on high for 4-5 hrs or on low for 7-8 hrs. Twenty minutes before serving, heat the oven to 350. Stack the tortillas and wrap in foil. Heat the tortillas in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, using two forks, shred the pork and stir into cooking liquid. Serve with the tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, lime, and extra salsa. 

**NOTE: This was waaaaay too much meat for the tortilla - use less so you can roll it up. I ended up using a fork and knife because it is pretty juicy.**

Cranberry Cinnamon Bran Muffins

One of the widely used dieting strategies these days is eliminating carbohydrates. The thing is, it is never a good idea to completely eliminate a food category. As with all types of foods, there are good and bad choices. The trick is learning the difference. Rick Gallop's book Living the G.I. [Glycemic Index] Diet explains the difference. By choosing carbs that are harder to digest you can lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. The foods you want to avoid are "blonde" foods such as white bread and flour, white potatoes, white rice, etc which are easier to digest. Eating whole grains, brans, etc are better. One recipe Gallop provided in his book is for delicious, high fiber bran muffins. Each recipe makes 12 muffins, but I usually double it. Here's the original recipe.

Cranberry Cinnamon Bran Muffins

1 c wheat bran
1/2 c All-Bran or 100% bran cereal
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c boiling water
1 c skim milk
1 c dried cranberries
1/3 c sugar substitute (I use Splenda)
1 egg
1/4 c fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Combine bran, cereal, and salt. Add the boiling water and blend well. Add milk and cranberries. Set aside. In a smaller bowl whisk together sugar substitute, egg, and oil. Add to bran mixture. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add bran mixture to flour mixture and stir until blended. Fill muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.