Quote o' the day...

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot

Poached Chicken Breast with Spinach Garganelli

Necessity being the mother of invention, I invaded my kitchen to try to find something that would serve up chicken a little differently.

I panseared three boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a frying pan that had been sprayed with cooking spray. After browning them on both sides, I added dried sage, dill, rosemary, and a couple of cans of mushrooms. Then I doused it all with some leftover white wine and covered it, simmered for fifteenish minutes.

Meanwhile, I cooked half a bag of this lovely spinach garganelli (from Target! on closeout!).

After checking the chicken for doneness, I removed it from the pan.

Then to the pan juices I added some more of the leftover wine, and a cup or so of light sour cream. I'll bet nonfat yogurt would give a similar result. I also added a dash of chicken base (I love this stuff), and salt and pepper. After it was bubbling merrily, I added some cornstarch that had been incorporated into a small bowl of cold water with a fork (the way to avoid lumps).

Once the sauce had thickened, I added the cooked and drained pasta to the pan.

My hubby was duly impressed, and said "What did I do to deserve a gourmet meal? This is really good, and I'm guessing that you made it so it's good for me."

I said "Well, if it tastes good, that's okay, right?" *L*

Healthier Banana Bread that the dudes actually liked

If you are looking for healthy recipes you may want to sign up for Dr. Weil's email recipes. This one is very good indeed. I was skeptical since it didn't have any butter or eggs, and didn't have a lot of oil, but the honey works really well. And it's even vegan, if you are willing to eat honey. The recipe specifically asks for whole wheat pastry flour. I didn't have that so I whirled some regular whole wheat flour in the food processor for a while. Maybe I did nothing to it, but perhaps it made it lighter. It seemed to, anyway.

Overly ripe bananas are placed in plastic bags (without the peels of course) and frozen around here. A quick microwave and maybe a few pulses with a stick blender will prepare them for this recipe. Frozen bananas are great for things like smoothies as well.

The main thing was that this actually went over well at home with the dudes. I have often made banana bread for the kiddo because he frequently requests it. Now I can do it with a pretty clear conscience! :-)

Could it be?

Possible positive news for kiddo.

Lord, thanks. But also thanks for understanding my high levels of doubt.

Interesting stuff

Mother Teresa's crisis of faith is actually encouraging and instructive for me. Here are some of her quotes from the article...

[Jesus:] Wilt thou refuse to do this for me? ... You have become my Spouse for my love — you have come to India for Me. The thirst you had for souls brought you so far — Are you afraid to take one more step for Your Spouse — for me — for souls? Is your generosity grown cold? Am I a second to you?
[Teresa:] Jesus, my own Jesus — I am only Thine — I am so stupid — I do not know what to say but do with me whatever You wish — as You wish — as long as you wish. [But] why can't I be a perfect Loreto Nun — here — why can't I be like everybody else.
[Jesus:] I want Indian Nuns, Missionaries of Charity, who would be my fire of love amongst the poor, the sick, the dying and the little children ... You are I know the most incapable person — weak and sinful but just because you are that — I want to use You for My glory. Wilt thou refuse?
— in a prayer dialogue recounted to Archbishop Ferdinand Perier, January 1947
On Sept. 10, 1946, after 17 years

"I want to love Jesus as he has never been loved before."

If this brings You glory — if souls are brought to you — with joy I accept all to the end of my life.
— to Jesus, undated

Around here, it's all about the orange...

But at my house, we are Drake blue.

We'll enjoy it while it lasts!

And you know what's the best part? These students are actually STUDENTS. You have to be a real student to survive there.

The bad part: these kids were born AFTER we graduated from Drake. Ah, yes, get us walkers and wheelchairs, we are ancient...*L*

Oh, and BTW, last year's Masters champion was from our little university. (Yeah, as in golf and the green jacket.) So, HA! as the kiddo would say.

"Biggest vindication: Drake 71, Butler 64. Just because Drake doesn't have many star players -- or much rebounding or shooting defense, for that matter -- doesn't mean it is not a very real Sweet 16 threat. In case going 14-2 so far in the RPI's No. 8 conference wasn't impressive enough, Drake's egalitarian, methodical, no-foul and no-turnover approach beat No. 8 Butler at its place. This team, which starts two walk-ons, was picked ninth in the MVC at the start of the year; so much for conventional wisdom. "

"Drake is for real. I know the Bulldogs had lost two of three in league play before beating Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday night, but those losses were by five points combined. Adam Emmenecker is so solid at both ends, and he slyly creates for Josh Young in what seems to be the best backcourt no one talks about."

"'Drake' is the new slang for 'unselfish.'"

Thanks, Phil

We had a guest speaker today...he reminded me that

*God shows up in the midst of my weakness. Wow, God must really be showing up about now, although it seems like he isn't.

*So I'm weak. So what? I want to live life fully and embrace God's plan for me fully anyway. If I were strong, I would probably live under the false assumption that I could make it quite fine on my own. Yeah, as if.

*Who can I love well around me? That's easy. I know who. And I want to, please help me.

So it's okay that I am where I am. Hey, I knew that already, but I really need people to tell me that. Someone close to our family reminded me that it was wise to stay away from the extremely toxic person(s) in my life. It's one thing to hear professionals say it, but to hear a believer who is dear to me say that is an important reassurance. It's hard to be estranged, but there is no other choice at present and it is better than the other option...to bow to the relentless abuse. Can't do that, no way, no how, not again.

Quote o' the day

If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
-- Thomas Fuller

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
--Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,
but a sudden good break can turn life around.
--Proverbs 13:12 (The Message)

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
--Mark 9:24b (NIV)

Please, Lord. Thank you for listening. Please help.

White Bean Dip with Herbs

I made this dip with a little trepidation. After all, I had gone for the tofu pepperoni in the store the other day (hey, it was on sale!), and made a couple pizzas with it. My hubby grabbed a leftover piece and said "what's with this pepperoni?" Then I had to fess up. Once he took the "pepperoni" off, he would eat the 'za. Oh, well, that's okay.

So I saw this recipe for bean dip and thought "gosh, my luck wasn't too good this week, is this too weird to try to foist on him?"

Actually, no. He liked it.

Instead of actually doing the sauteing of garlic and all that, I just used great northern beans, garlic powder, and the other spices listed. I also added some freshly ground italian spices. I mixed it up with what Emeril calls the "boat motor": a stick blender. Hey, every soaper I know has at least one stick blender. Don't worry, I have a different one for my soap.

This dip was tasty right after making, which I didn't expect. I figured that it would be good only after a few hours of blending, but you don't even have to wait. With great northern beans, this is a very cheap and tasty dip that is even good for you, and goes together really quickly if you just use garlic powder instead. Go figure. I served it with Triscuits and should work great with fresh veggies. Very tasty.

Another crocheted rug

This is a variation on the bath rug I previously made. I used the same technique as described there, but with an acrylic/wool blend gifted to me by a fab chickadee. It was perfect to do during this last week when I was a sickly girlie. This one's going in the downstairs bath so I can get rid of a truly threadbare rug in another part of my house.

The two color thing just kind of came together, partially because I didn't have enough cream, and partially because that bath is basically cream colors and black.

The dimensions on this rug are around 24"x36". To make this rug, I used a double strand of the yarn. As a result I needed tons of yarn. I'm guessing it was around 2800 yards. Can't believe it took that much, but it did!

Peanut Butter Muffins

These are really good and super easy. I just put around 1/2 cup raw baby carrots, a full banana, a dash of applesauce, the peanut butter, and the egg whites in the food processor and pureed them in one fell swoop.

I have a feeling this link won't be available for long, so here's the recipe...


PEANUT BUTTER MUFFINS

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup natural peanut butter

½ cup carrot puree

½ cup banana puree

2 large egg whites

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.

2. In a large bowl, mix ½ cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, carrot and banana purees and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.

3. Put the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl and mix. Add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine (batter will be lumpy). Add the remaining ½ cup of brown sugar and stir once or twice.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

Apparently this is an adaptation from the cookbook listed in the story. I will have to check it out of the library and give it a looksee.

Quote o' the day

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."

Matthew 6:30-33 ("The Message")

Another flashback

Many years ago, when kiddo was probably seven or eight, he incessantly watched television at my home while I worked. The cable was probably the first draw, and I'm sure the food and the lack of screaming and drama in our home was also a plus.

We started to realize that kiddo never laughed at words or signs in cartoons, like the Road Runner. Also, kiddo would stop on commercials like "The Phonics Game" and watch the whole thing rather than abruptly changing the channel like usual. Eventually we realized this bright kid couldn't read, and that Metro would never help him learn to read.

So one day I said "If you're serious about wanting to learn to read, we will help you. But I don't want an answer from you right now. I want you to think about it overnight. Then you can tell me what you want to do."

The next morning kiddo pounded on our door like usual, but when I opened the door they were wearing a shirt and tie. This kid lived in sweats and t-shirts, so this was quite a shock. I still remember the monster trucks all over the little kid tie.

I said "wow, you look nice, why are you so dressed up?"

Kiddo said "I wanted you to know I'm serious."

How could someone not spend tens of thousands on a kid like that. And read he did, and does. At the time his test scores in reading were in the single digits. After two years of the right instruction, he tested average in reading--a 600% increase.

If you teach a smart kid the right way, they can learn. I wish metro tried. But I will never regret the money we've spent on someone else's kid. What an amazing kid.

Hey, are you slow or what?

Ole Chuckie Swindoll had a message that I didn't even completely listen to, because I had heard enough. One day the disciples saw Jesus feed a horde of people (5000?8000? They just counted the men, apparently...hey, us chicks count too!). Then right after that they were in a boat in a storm and Jesus was coming to them on the water, and they were STILL afraid. You would think that after they saw him feed that many people that they would be a little more confident in the storm.

So I don't feel so bad about riding a rollercoaster of trusting, and then not trusting. I guess they did it too. Hopefully I can keep learning to trust.

I don't know what you're doing, God, and often I don't like it, but I still trust you as best I can. Help me with my lack of trust sometimes.

Apricot Almond Muesli

I didn't think I'd like Muesli, as I usually like my cereals really crunchy. But after reading about Muesli in the Mediterrasian Cookbook, I decided it was worth a try. I changed it, of course.

Here's my version:

One whole box of Nature's Path Heritage Flakes. You could use Wheaties if you prefer.

Four cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup diced dried apricots

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Mix it all up in an airtight container. Then when ready to eat, pour some in a bowl, douse it with soy milk to keep that perimenopause gremlin from messing up your day (well, at least for me that does seem to help) and let it soak a little bit before eating. It was actually good, which to me was a big surprise, and it was way easy to make.

Pesto Chicken Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper and Broccoli

This is from the Mediterrasian Cookbook. I can't find the recipe at their site, but it is based on the diets of mediterranean and asian cuisine as the name suggests, making note of the fact that these cultures are usually WAY healthier than ours here in the US and talking about the straightforward and not incredibly difficult changes that we need to make in order to follow this way of dining. I mean, how hard can it be to eat pizza and have it be okay? Alright, the pizza has less cheese and more veggies, and little or no meat, but hey, it's still pizza.

Anyway, I'm putting this on my blog because my hubby really liked it, and I figure any recipe that the hubs likes is worth posting because he usually doesn't like anything that is remotely healthy.

Cook one pound of pasta in boiling water. I used rotini, and I use either whole wheat pasta, or one of the "white" pastas that has extra fiber and protein. I can sneak the latter on the "boys" that eat here and they seem to be none the wiser.

Close to the end of cooking, add four cups of broccoli florets. I just used frozen ones. When both the pasta and broccoli are cooked, drain and return to the pot. Add a jar of roasted red peppers (drained and cut up into small pieces), threeish cups of cut up chicken leftovers or chicken breast pieces (you could just use that chicken in a can if you wanted, or use up what you have left), and pesto (I just used a 10 oz jar of ready made pesto but of course you could make your own).

So darned easy and fast.

Do you want to get well?

A little ditty about John 5. Or read it here in the Message.

What an interesting comment Jesus made. You would think that He would just assume that the person at Bethesda wanted this, surely, but He asks something important. Have we lost hope for things to get better? Obviously with God on our side, the truth is that yes, healing is possible. But our wanting the healing makes a big difference. Here's some good stuff from Ray Stedman...

"What did Jesus say to a man who had lost all hope, a man who had given up on himself? Did he say, "Oh, come on, I'll help you get into the pool the next time the water is troubled"? No, he did not say that. He did not offer that kind of help. He could have, but he did not. Did he say, "Hang on. Keep coming here. Perhaps some day you'll make it in time. Some day it will all work out. Some day you'll be right at the edge of the pool when it's troubled and all you'll have to do is fall in"? No, he did not say that either. Did he say, "Let's at least make you comfortable. Let's get you a new mattress to lie on, put a few flowers around you and bring you two meals a day"? No, he did not. These are the suggestions of men, what we say to people. But Jesus does not say any of those things to people who want to hear from him.

"What does Jesus say, then? Notice carefully his method: First, he asks an impossible thing; secondly, he removes all possibility of a relapse; and thirdly, he expects a continued success. All these are involved in the words,

"Rise, take up your pallet, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. {John 5:8b-9a RSV}

"That is a critical clue many miss when they are looking for help from God. There is always something God tells them to believe, and do, and act on. This is a word of action. Jesus does not say, "Try to build up faith in your mind. Try to fasten your thoughts on this or that." He tells them to do something: "Rise! Stand up!" Obviously it was Jesus' will that this man should do what he told him to do, and the moment the man's will agreed with the Lord's will the power was there. I do not know whether he felt anything or not. All I know is that strength came into his bones and into his muscles and he could stand. He knew he could stand, and he did."

I saw a very strange couple on Dr. Phil the other day. Yeah, Dr. Phil really rubs me the wrong way but the premise was interesting and for a while there, I thought the guy was an old boyfriend of mine from years ago...looked just like him and shared his name, Minnesota accent, everything. The couple had around seven kids, both were college educated, but neither worked, and were expecting to be foreclosed on any day. The guy was just full of excuses and kept saying that God would provide for them. Yeah, maybe, but are you doing what He is telling you to do? Doubt it. Sorry to be so crass, but when kids are involved, I get pretty "mama bear" about it all. Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you? Perhaps that is a summary of all this.

That guy needed to be part of the solution. Yeah, God could just drop a healing on someone, but our action in the midst of the pain shows that we trust Him and are willing to obey. I want to be a grown up, mature child of God and my actions can show my trust or lack thereof. I want to show I still trust Him even when things totally suck, as they have. I want to also acknowledge the good stuff going on too. These are small changes, but maybe more profound than I realize. I hope they are.

At any rate, I got some good encouragement from this passage to keep fighting for healing and working as hard as possible to get better, and be productive in whatever way that means. I want to seek the productivity God wants for me and pursue that. I don't want to be a people pleaser, I want to please God. Learning a lot about that along the way. Surely burning myself out caring for others because I didn't think I was worth caring for is not what God wants. I'm a slow learner, but the good thing is that I'm learning, so I'm encouraged about that.

Oh! One more thing!

Silly me, I thought Bev had mistakenly left a pin in the lovely craft/sewing case she sent me. Au contraire. It held this. Here is an action shot, commemorating the team that will surely go down in the national rankings this week... ;-)

Goodness gracious, bee lady, thou art kind. Your kindness resonates with me deeply, and comes at a time when we have had many struggles so it's particularly lovely! Thanks.

Lookie lookie at this beautiful stuff from the empress of creativity

Bev had a giveaway on her blog. Little old me was the recipient of some very, very nice stuff. You're going to want this, I'll bet she has some for sale on her etsy. Don't you think her combination of different fabrics is just over the moon? Well, I do! :-)

Those cuddly cat web sites have nothing on our felines

Our little meows can compete any day! :-)

Quote o' the Day

There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves.

--various verses from "The Message", Philippians

Quote o' the day

Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves.
William Davenant

Thanks, AKAPastorGuy....

Someone had to say it.

A flashback

When kiddo was quite young, they were at our home as they were virtually every day, all day long, all summer long. It had started getting to the point where my career was getting the life drained out of it because I was mothering this kid. Believe me, they needed it.

One day kiddo was watching TV as usual while I gamely tried to get some actual work done. I guess to understand this story fully, you need to understand that kiddo had probably been primarily reared at that point by being plunked in front of the TV as the real-life drama raged in their home. Something to do while others ignored them as usual. Kiddo was used to watching TV, and liked it just fine. At that time kiddo would say "when I grow up I'll probably work at McDonald's with my sister." Oh, to think of such narrow, dismal goals.

I knew at this point kiddo mostly came to our home for the cable, the food, and then gradually the conversation and learning that some people actually cared. But the TV was the big thing. Kiddo must have been around seven or eight at the time.

That day, a crisis of monolithic proportions took place: the cable went on the fritz. A snowy screen was the extent of the signal. An agitated young child, still trying to deal with all the justifiable anger and fear they felt about their life in general, doesn't need much to go over the top, and the cable situation agitated them no end.

So I said "okay, let me do something for you. I have a book here, and I'll read it to you." This was met with GREAT disappointment. A book? Why in the world would they want to hear a book? I wasn't very persuasive, I guess, but finally I said "let me read just one chapter to you, and then I promise I'll stop if you want."

I took a deep breath, gathered my composure, and opened "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." At the end of the first chapter I said "okay, that's the end, I promised I'd stop now." And kiddo said "Please read me the next chapter." And so I did. And again, I said "Okay, that's the end." And again kiddo would ask for another. And another. And another. I was quite hoarse by the end of the day, as I either read the whole book or close to it.

A world of imagination that kiddo had quite clearly never before experienced had opened to them, and I believe this was the day they determined that they must be able to open books for themselves. The spiritual aspects of the book weren't lost on them, either.

What I haven't mentioned yet in this narrative is that kiddo is dyslexic. Very dyslexic, if dyslexia can be measured in degrees. And did I say they are also sharp as a tack and an advanced math student?

There's so much more to this story, but this was the day that I saw clearly that hubs and I had to fight for this young person. We clearly believed in them, and their biological family didn't. This was one of the first times I realized that the word "family" didn't have much of anything to do with genetics, if at all.

Perhaps I'll tell more of this very moving story later. Kiddo's quite an amazing person. In spite of all the heartbreak and agony involved in the process (not dealing with kiddo, dealing with kiddo's familiy), we are blessed to be a part of that young person's life.

I don't know how they're surviving right now, with the stress on them, and I admire their strength. But of course I am so worried and dear hubs acts just like a doting father, that is, a father with no control over the current firestorm.

This kid is amazing.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Milady the Right Reverend Nashbabe the Tenuous of Chortling Chesterton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Feeling pretty small right now

Grateful for the good things that happened this week. We received some encouragement that we needed, and a positive outcome on something. Back into the rollercoaster, or through the wringer more like, we go. We're both so burdened by the big thing we learned about tonight. Seems like kiddo can't get a break to save their soul.

I feel really small, but at least I know I'm small and You are great. I'll try my best to trust you through this, we really need a bunch of wisdom right now, and provision. Thanks, God.

I Am So Small
FROM Higher Than The Heavens CD
By Troy&Genie Nilsson

Silently stars are rising in the endless night
As I walk in thought, lost in the moon's unearthly light
Wondering why the one who governs all I see
Would could care so deeply for a tiny being like me

I AM SO SMALL
YOU ARE SO GREAT
I KNOW YOU'VE GOT BIGGER THINGS TO ATTEND TO
YET YOU NEVER TURN AWAY
I AM SO SMALL
BUT I NEED YOU TOO
AND I KNOW THAT THE LITTLE THINGS
ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU

You send the currents swirling circling the seas
Making the atoms dance to mystic rhapsodies
'You flung the suns in burning radiance
Through silent fields of space'
And set my world spinning in its place

CHORUS

Sometimes I'm frightened by the power of your hand
But I know you understand
For you lived here as a man

Shepherd's Pie: or "I made gravy from scratch and it turned out okay!"

I made a triple batch of this recipe of shepherd's pie. The intent was to make a couple 13 x 9 pans instead of the square pan that one batch makes. One for dinner tonight and the next few days of lunches, and one to freeze for the weekly potluck.

Some caveats: I used ground lowfat chicken and those soy burger crumbles. For a recipe like this, that works just fine and is WAY lower in fat. I also used a combo of neufachel and fat-free cream cheese for the potatoes (fat-free cream cheese, on its own, is eeeeeeeeew! in my opinion). I think you will need more than three batches of potatoes to cover two 13 x 9 pans in a manner befitting shepherd's pie, so be forewarned.

Maybe this would take ten minutes to prepare, as advertised, if you already had all the components made. However, I don't think that's a good estimate of time...it took me considerably longer than that. But that's okay, I won't have to cook the next potluck day.

The other reason it took me longer was that I made beef gravy from scratch for this recipe. Yeah, me. I can't believe it myself. I went to the bible of cooking, "The Joy of Cooking" for inspiration. I didn't use any beef drippings because a.) I didn't have any, and b.) that's more fat added to the recipe that I definitely don't need.

For the gravy, I used a combination of light margarine (yeah, I know it isn't meant for this stuff) and olive oil that I melted in a sauce pan. Then I threw some all-purpose flour on it...recipes seem to vary about how much you need. For a cup of flour, they say two tablespoons of butter and one to two tablespoons of AP flour, but I was far from exact. Whisk that butter and flour together and cook it a brief period of time. After that, I dumped in some beef stock, and some leftover rose wine. Oh, and some pepper and thyme (there's enough salt in it already, probably). Cooked it down, and still had lumps. Instead of freaking out about the lumps, I got out the trusty stick blender and while you'll have to watch out carefully using a relatively thin liquid like this with a stick blender just to make sure you don't splash it everywhere, it gets rid of all the lumps like a charm. Hey, maybe everyone else knows how to do this already, but I didn't.

The upshot is, I am no longer afraid to make gravy that will taste good! I don't usually make it, but maybe I'll do it more often now.

The potatoes for this recipe would be nice just by themselves, with the cream cheese, garlic, and cheddar cheese. I used 2% cheese throughout, may as well save a few calories and fat grams.

This was WAY yummy even with the fat reducing changes.

Wow!

Our alma mater is nationally ranked! Not as high as Tennessee, but higher than Vanderbilt. Cool. This hasn't happened for probably what, thirty years now?

quote of the day

He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

Isaiah 33:16

Rants and raves

Rants: next door neighbors. Bring their dogs out for potty breaks several times a day. The dogs come over to my lawn, drop their poo, and then return to theirs. The neighbors never clean up after them. When the poo is fresh, or it rains, it reeks and sometimes gets tracked in the house. Being these are the neighbors that used to run their go kart through my back yard, there's isn't too much chance of it changing for good. I don't have a dog, but I have a pooper scooper. Kind of ridiculous, really. (I think my usage of the word "poo" is rivaling the frequency of Mike Rowe about now. :-)

Raves: good crossing guards, especially if they smile and wave during their competency. I like that. Also, three hilarious and cuddly cats, and the sound of my hubby laughing about silly videos on the computer and etc. And friends who listen and care. There are some out there, you know. I have to remind myself of that. And you, dear readers. I can't believe that people actually read my blog, but I have received about 1800 hits in a month and a half of tracking, from 42 states and six foreign countries. That blows me away. I am so glad to have a place to share stuff and crafty/foodie stuff, and have people actually want to read it. It's nice not being belittled for being me, as I have fallen into the habit of expecting and am having to learn otherwise.

Whack to the knees

I get disheartened when serious blows come raining down. I keep thinking I should do better with them.

The truth is, though, that I am doing better overall, and I guess I shouldn't expect to build Rome in a day. There's lots o' rubble to clean out of here first, I guess.

Always impatient wtih myself even when I shouldn't be. I guess I have that person to thank.

My hubs is great and supportive through all this. Thank God.

I thought I was over the pain that was dealt today, that I was past expecting anything to get better. Maybe in time I'll do better. But when someone I love is harmed repeatedly for years, it is perhaps appropriate to have a really, really tough time with it.

Don't want to share this hurt with friends, knowing it is part of a serious wound that has lingered, festered, gotten WAY infected over eight years. I just pray I get past this as much as is possible. My expectations are tempered, and that's probably good/appropriate.

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. --Philippians 1:6, Amplified, translated by J.B. Phillips, a man who struggled mightily with depression, but yet was used by God.

Monster Lasagna

I have a friend we call "Mrs. Fezziwig." If you remember the Scrooge story, then you understand that we are paying a deservedly huge compliment to a friend who opens her home to partiers and potluckers on a regular basis. It's far more like a family gathering than anything else. In many ways, this group is my family far more than at least some of my biological family.

Mrs. Fezziwig, per your request, this one's for you.

I got a request for my lasagna recipe from a couple people at the Super Bowl party. I was tempted to say it was just off the back of the box, but thinking back over what I did, I guess it really wasn't. This makes a huge lasagna (I used one of those large pasta pans from Wally World to bake/transport it), and it's pretty dadgum heavy, so bring a strong dude with you to carry it so you can boss them around. ;-)

One 16 oz box of regular lasagna noodles, cooked, drained, and sprayed with Pam so they won't stick together
Two pounds ground chicken, 91/9 (or I'm sure other items will work just fine, but I saved some fat grams this way)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes whirled in the blender and a small can tomato paste, or a big can of crushed tomatoes would probably be fine
Italian or Pizza seasoning
Fennel Seed (I think this is pretty good and important in italian tomato sauce type recipes)
Salt for the ricotta/mozzarella mixture
4 lbs ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
4 slightly beaten eggs
4 cups shredded mozzzarella cheese
A whole bunch of grated or shredded parmesan
Basil and/or parsley

Cook ground meat until browned, in a big skillet. Reduce heat to low and add the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste/obliterated tomatoes, italian seasoning, and fennel seed, and warm the whole thing up. I also threw in some leftover rose wine because I had it around, and I think it adds a nice flavor.

In a huge bowl combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, most of the mozzarella cheese (3 cups or so), and around a cup of parmesan.

Spray the bottom of the pan with Pam. Put several ladles of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, big glops of the mozzarella/ricotta mixture, and then more meat sauce. Repeat this whole layer thing again. Then put the rest of the noodles on it and cover with meat sauce. Add mozzarella cheese, parmesan, and basil/parsley. Cover with foil.

I put mine in the freezer then, because I made it ahead of time.

On Super Bowl Sunday, I took it out of the freezer several hours ahead of time and put it in a 350 oven with the foil still on. All this did to the giant mass of lasagna was thaw it out, as I suspected. Then I cranked my oven up to 400ish and baked for another hour and a half or so (check on it regularly). I took the foil off the last twenty min or so.

If you want a regular 13 x 9 size lasagna, just cut the recipe in half. If you bake it right away without freezing it, it will take 40ish minutes at 350, then remove the foil and bake maybe another 10 min.

Or just make two at once in separate 13 x 9 foil pans. It's not a whole lot more work to make one than it is two, and you'll be glad when you can just pull one out of the freezer some day instead of cooking. Or you'll have one handy to send to a friend who has a hard time, or a baby, or an illness, or just needs some blessing. You know who they are. Lasagna love, I would think, would go a long way to help many situations... *L*

It's best if you let it sit for maybe ten or fifteen minutes before you cut into it.

This lasagna was super yummy, held together well, and wasn't runny.

Smiling...

Don't usually comment about sports around here, but I am a football fan. It's not as strong as it used to be (my beloved team has done me wrong too many times), but I enjoy it more than the average chickadee.

I am SO happy that the Patriots lost. They done me wrong. I was so impressed with them, their coaching, their team ethic, their individual skills. But then I learned that they cheated. Probably more than once.

Congrats, Giants. I don't care who beat the Patriots, but I'm ecstatic that you did.

Dude, what is going on?

I said I wasn't going to do a "quote of the day" every day, but here I go again. Yikes. ;-)

This isn't word for word, but Ravi Zacharias gave this one...

"Jesus didn't come to make bad people good, He came to give dead people life."

Okay, now I'll go several days at least without another quote of the day...*L*