shredded beef tacos--or fuzzy's tacos :)

i found this recipe in the dallas morning news a loooooong time ago....we have adapted it {of course} and now it has a life of its own....what i love about this recipe is that it is a crock pot recipe....so i can fix it and forget it :) we have also found one of our favorite eating out places....fuzzy's.  they have great queso and wonderful shredded beef tacos.  well. one day, we decided that we could recreate fuzzy's tacos with our own shredded beef recipe.  the secret is the toppings on the taco.....

shredded beef tacos

• 1 roast (i use whatever kind is on sale and big enough to feed the masses
• 1 large onion, cut in quarters
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 jar salsa (we use Joe T. Garcia's)
• shredded cheese
• crumbled feta cheese--THIS is the secret ingredient to copying fuzzy's
• chopped cilantro--this is the second secret ingredient
• tortillas--either flour or corn (corn is our preference for this recipe)
• thinly sliced purple onion
• shredded lettuce
• additional salsa--either jarred or homemade {see this post for my homemade version :) }
• fuzzy's style garlic sauce--recipe to follow :)

i put the onion, garlic and water in the crock pot and then lay the meat on top.  i cook on warm if we want it for dinner the next day....or low if we want it for lunch after church.....when the roast is tender, take it out and shred it.  dump the crock pot drippings out and put the roast back in with the jar of salsa.  mix well and cook until warmed.  meanwhile, i cook our corn tortillas in a skillet with a little olive oil.

to serve, we spread the garlic sauce on a hot tortilla and put the the meat in the tortilla and start adding your favorite toppings.

Creamy Garlic Sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tb. butter
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Sauté garlic in butter over low heat until golden (about 5 minutes).  Add garlic/butter to 1 cup mayo and blend.  Add pepper and garlic powder.  Put on your taco first thing and enjoy!!!

so yummy!!!

its fall, y'all

i wish i could say i have a really good reason for not blogging lately--or on a more regular basis.  and i am hoping to get some accountability in my writing, but until then...you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.  hehe...i have been wanting to say that all week. we have been busy....my sweet hubby and i have both served at several ministry opportunities...some of them have been 3 and 4 days long....we have had 4 birthdays, school starting, schedules changing, kids leaving home which means rearranging rooms..then there are the clothes to get switched out....oh, and we had a small fire in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago....after a hail storm and water leak had already had our home under construction to a degree.....

can i just say that i am glad fall is here.....a new season.  fall has to be my favorite season {if you take out allergies}....i have lots of fun recipes to share and was very faithful last year to take pictures of all of our holiday favorites...i will begin posting those next week.

until then...enjoy the color, enjoy the cool, enjoy all the great things god has given us this day!!!

can't see the forest

i have been wrestling lately with seeing the big picture.  i was talking to my kids about this and the word perspective came up ;)  i was explaining to them how when i am in the middle of a challenge that all i can see in front of me is the challenge...or the rejection or correction or mistake or, or, or.... that in these times i have to remember the trees.  trees for me take on many different personas and meanings, so i will explain this one....

when all i can see in front of me is the {ahem} challenge.....it seems so big, so not overcomable, so in front of your face.  to me, that is like being right in front of a tree, not seeing anything but the bark or the ants crawling on the bark. its pretty (in its own way) but not the picture i really want to see.....i have to back up....to get a better perspective on the situation.....to get God's perspective on the situation.

its like standing in the forest and you can't see where to go next, but if you were in a helicopter looking down, you would be able to see exactly where you were, where you were going and what to do next.  i don't always get a good picture of all of that, but what happens when i ask to see things from his perspective, is that it all starts to make sense (even when it doesn't, i know that it will) and it begins to flow...and i quit trying to study the bark and see the trail that winds between the trees to another place.

if i can keep his perspective, the whole picture changes......

....into something of beauty, order and that brings hope and the promise of  purpose.

my very {p} interesting life

 

I had no idea how boring my life had gotten until i found pinterest.  i didn't realize how much i had been just surviving and getting by.   this has been the shot in the arm i needed to get back to creating.  we have had so much fun with this.  the first big push came with back to school.  my youngest daughter had this idea that if she gifted her new teacher, she would be able to sail through 2nd grade.....so she decided to peruse the back to school teacher gifts....and we found one :)

we will have to wait awhile to get the results on this :)

the next thing on the schedule was changing rooms around....well, actually, it was changing kids from the rooms they were in....we have had kids move in and move out this summer, so we had rooms that needed occupying and redecorating.....so on to pinterest we go....we found this really cute idea for decorating on a non existent  tight budget.  it worked!

next...as you have figured out by now...i like to cook!  i love recipes.  i love to try the ones that sound like they actually may be liked here in my home with all these picky eaters food critics.  i have found some YUMMY things on here. there will be recipes coming!

what i have found through pinterest is that my desire to create and be creative has come back with a vengeance.  i have found a great place to feed that motivation that many times lags behind the push of everyday life.

i love pinterest.  i found this 'definition' of it...and while it would be easy to waste a lot of time, i do think its like everything else....take the good, throw out the bad.....

are you a member to pinterest?  how are you using it?  have you tried anything?  what has been your most successful or favorite venture?

I'd love to hear what your experience has been with it!

ch-ch-cha-changes!

i don't look like a proud mama, do i?  

Christian HS graduation 

and i love this picture! it shows so much of christian's personality

wow...so much has happened in the span of 4 weeks!  i am one whooped mama.  each one of these deserves a post of itself and i will get to it as soon as i can. 

i am so incredibly blessed and proud of each of of my children and the milestones they are jumping over.  from a 1st grader going to 2nd grade to some of my kids learning hard adult responsibilities and choices to the joy of stepping into marriage.  i never knew when god gave my 9 children how much more was involved after diapers and bottles.

stay tuned........

an a-HA moment

with school almost out, its time to be planning vacations.  for us, this year, we are not able to go on one :( BUT i have this cool tip....its like one of those aha moments that are in the simple magazine....i saw this in a magazine and thought it was a great idea.  traveling with a large crew brings its own challenges.  we have a 15 passenger van and that means 4 bench seats.  we usually keep the 4th one out, if at all possible--to keep all the 'needed in the car' things--but it still means some of the kids have to have the {much hated} middle seat.  we don't have those cute little cup holders or even seats that can hold those over the back fun little things.

this is what we do!  each person has their own and they go down both side of the van.  the {poor miserable} middle seat person has to reach {OMG} to reach theirs, but it can hold dvds, hand held games, drinks, books, candy,  ipods, phones, crayons, phones, etc....

i got them in the bathroom/shower department at walmart.  i keep them in our coat closet when not in use.  the kids know when the stacks start for our trip that they are to bring those out, wash them up and put them in the pile.

i have lots of other things we have discovered and tried for large families traveling.....lots of fun traditions that make them all say 'remember when we did.....'  and 'you know how we always do.....'

I LOVE IT!

homemade yogurt

im taking a break from the trees story....i found my journaling from that time frame and have been reading through.  it is bringing back some memories and thoughts that i would love to express all of it accurately...so this is something that i have wanted to post for a while.  I have several other 'homemade' recipes; bread, mayonnaise, granola, pancakes and the like that are really, really good and easier than you would think. we LOVE our yogurt.  we use it as a base for smoothies, we eat it with granola and fruit and have it with sweetener and sometimes instant coffee mixed in to make a coffee yogurt.  i also use it when buttermilk is called for and we don't have it.  i use it in my pancake recipe when i need to.  it is so easy to make.  the hardest part is keeping it warm for a long enough period for it to get as firm as we like it.  i use a heating pad and it has an automatic shut-off.  that is a pain.

i used to make yogurt a long time ago with a yogurt maker.  it made too small of containers of it for the amount we eat.  i make a gallon of yogurt at a time now.  I also used to make it with a yogurt base as a starter.  that was also a pain.  it can be done, but lots of times, i am not thinking ahead to keep some to make more.  i found this yogurt starter at sprouts and it works great!

it is so easy...I buy a gallon of my choice of milk...you can use full fat, 2%, low fat or fat free.  its easy to make a quart of it at a time, also....i make it in a dutch oven, bring it to a boil then let it cool down.  add the powder, stir well and turn the heating pad on it until it is as firm as desired.  we like it really thick, so it stays in there at least 24 hours.  once the heat of down, the fermenting and thickening stops.  i then put it into mason jars and refrigerate.

what's in a name?

several years back, during our homeschooling season, we went to a conference.  at some point in the conference the subject of names came up and the meaning of them.  the point was made that parents prophetically name their children...more times than not, without realizing it.  I was captured by this thought.  i knew god had given me the names of my children, but i didn't really see how it was prophetic.  i won't go into the details of what he showed me about my children.  no....this one's about me :)

we have been going through some fiery trials of late.  i am sure i will be sharing all that god is doing through them, once i can process it all, but one thing that has been huge through this is my identity....seeing myself as god sees me.  i am sharing 'my story' at a ladies retreat coming up soon and to share it all--putting it all out there--is a bit of a shock to the system.  all of a sudden i see myself through the eyes of what {i think} others must see when they hear my story.  it is a story with an ugly beginning and middle, but the end is and will be the most beautiful story ever told.  because it is of his redemption.

this week, during our devotional times before school, i read to the kids about how peter was named peter, which means 'rock'.  he was anything but that in the natural...to the naked eye.  but god saw further than that.  he saw his heart.  he saw the man he first thought of when he created peter.  this brought me back to the original thinking that we are prophetically named.

now, my parents were not following god, not listening to him or even interested in him as far as i can tell.  but god had them name me.  as much as i have toiled through the names of my children, i have never EVER thought of what my name meant.  yesterday i looked it up.  it brought me to tears.  see, this is who i want to be.  and it the natural, it looks like a joke.

i have to trust who god says i am.  i know he saw in me my heart and my heart's desire before i was even born.  he had my mom name me what i would become.....through him....

the snow slow down

i don't know about where you are, but here in north texas, we have had our share and more of snow this past two weeks.  well, i guess i should say ice and snow.  the past 2 days have been somewhat  back to 'normal' {whatever that is} and i find myself frustrated with all the things i didn't get done during the days when everyone was home from school.  i had all kinds of plans.  but they went by the wayside.  and i am walking in the consequences of that now.  feeling blue, down, behind and like i can't accomplish much. i ran across a scripture that a friend posted on Facebook last week when it snowed big time {for us}.  God reminded me of it this morning when i was beating myself up for not getting more done and feeling so far behind.

He says to the snow, Fall on the earth,

and to the rain shower, Be a mighty downpour.

So that everyone he has made may know his work,

he stops all people from their labor

~Job 37:6-7

ok.  now i see.  this is one reason god made the snow and the rain--for us to slow down and stop our work!!!!  hmmm......i have always felt guilty when i didn't want to go out in the rain.  well, now i know its biblical :D

here are some pictures of our days of doing nothing around here....

an apple

humor me.  sometimes i am very simple and some times i am even more simple.  depends on how you look at it.  god speaks to me through some of the silliest things!

it was grocery shopping day...i was asking the kids if there was anything i needed to add to the list.  reagan asked me if i would buy those yummy apples that i got the other day...'you know, mom' she said, 'the ones that smell like apples'.....i thought about how she noticed that in those apples versus the ones i usually get.  I have been trying to get us better quality foods when we can afford them...i had bought some organic apples.

i knew there was a lesson in this....god spoke and asked me if I was like those apples?  come again?  he said...was I known by the fragrance that He gives...he then began telling me we were all like apples....sometimes {most times} apples look good on the outside, and its hard to tell what they are really made of on the inside unless they are cut...but the good ones...they smell good on the outside and you KNOW they are good on the inside.

the ones that look good, but don't smell good are {almost always}not the organic ones. they have wax all over them to make them look all shiny and good.  the organic ones are still pretty--and it is more of a natural beauty to them..nothing put on them to make them look good or look better than they are.  they just are.  the organic ones take more money to buy because it takes more money to make them.  maybe not MORE money, but more trouble and more time...and yep, probably more money.

We are like that.  sometimes we have to put 'stuff' all over us to make us look good...whether it be make-up, clothes, activities, achievements, or positions.  we think we are not good enough unless we have all that 'stuff'.  BUT...if we truly have the lord in our hearts and are listening to and obeying him, then there will be a beauty that nothing can take away or change. and we don't need anything to enhance what we are--we just are.  and if that is showing on the outside, then our insides must be really, really good.....

just like that juicy, pretty, smell good apple.

Finding joy.......

This past month or so has been CRAZY!  With Thanksgiving, Christmas, 3 birthdays (including mine) and 5 kids sick, it has been enough to make my head spin.  It has all been {maybe not all} good, but it will still wear you out with all the needs and responsibilities.

This past week, I have had 4 kids home with HIGH fevers, I have also been sick, and sometime during the week, my husband {self-employed} told me that we had no more work coming in....it had all dried up and blown away..... YUK!

One of my needs for sanity is solitude.  I have not had, really to speak of, any since the Holidays began.  I have been craving it.  I have been angry for not having it :( .  I have had to get to the place of finding joy in the midst of the storms....I am still looking.  But I am looking.  I am {most of the time} not swallowed up in self pity.  I am learning to make my own solitude.

Actually, I think that was a survival trait I learned when I was a little girl.  It comes second nature to me to shut everyone and thing out for a bit and recharge.  But there is still something about being completely, COMPLETELY alone for me.

It has been a long time, with most everyone home, but this morning....I let the pooch out--early--and saw this picture.  It immediately brought a calm to my heart.

Lately, I have been missing the sunrises {which I LOVE} as they are at the same time we are doing our morning Bible reading.  Sometimes, I can see one out of the corner of my eye (when I am supposed to be reading) and I will run out to take a picture.  I haven't been able to catch them lately....but this morning, in the midst of the storms swirling around me....ahhhhh......beauty.  A breath of fresh air.  It brought joy to my soul.

my {not hair} roots are showing.....

its new years day and how i grew up that means one thing--well, two--black eyed peas and football...not necessarily in that order.  my children LOATHE the idea of peas for ANY meal, but we do have them offered :)  I eat them, my hubby eats them and anyone who joins us that day usually does, too.  I have found a great recipe to make them a bit different that the usual--mexican black eyed peas.

I also grew up on turnip greens.  LOVE them :) .  get them any time i can at a home cooking kind of place.  i have never cooked them and they have always intimidated me, but yesterday at the grocery store, there was one bag left....and that was too much of a challenge to pass up.  i brought them (and the peas) home and the kids all went bonkers.....'what are those?  do we have to eat them?  when are you fixing them?  what else can we have with them (meaning what can we cover the flavor with)'...

today, i cooked the greens, peas and cornbread....YUMMMMMMMM!  here are the recipes.....

black eyed peas--mexican style

• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 slices bacon
• 16 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbl chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cups black eyed peas--today i used the frozen bags of them and put it all in together at the same time...

This is what I do: (because I rarely follow the directions given, nor do I remember them or keep them)

Cook black eyed peas til almost done. Fry bacon til crispy. Add onion and garlic and cook til tender. Add to the black eyed peas and stir in tomatoes and spices. Finish cooking until peas are tender.

turnip greens

I got this recipe from a southern cooking google search....

• Thoroughly wash 2 pounds of greens. Two or more washings may be necessary. ( I bought already cleaned and torn greens)
• Trim tough stalks and tear or cut large greens in pieces. Cut thick veins out of collard greens. (I like some of the stalks, it gives more fiber :))
• In a large pot, bring 6 to 7 quarts of water to a boil. ( i put the greens in at the same time as the water and used 9 cups and a table spoon of chicken base)
• Add a ham hock or a 4-ounce piece of salt pork to the pot. ( i put in a lb of cooked bacon with some of the renderings)
• Add a tablespoon of salt. ( also added 1/2 a chopped onion, a Tbl of vinegar and 2 cloves of garlic)
• Continue boiling for 10 or 15 minutes.
• Add the washed greens to the pot.
• Cover and simmer until greens are tender. Depending on the type of greens used, this might take an hour.
• Makes enough for 4 people.

Tips:

1. Crushed red pepper, a few tablespoons of bacon grease, chopped onion, or other seasonings can be added to the pot for more flavorful greens.
2. Serve with cornbread and pepper sauce or cider vinegar.
3. If desired, serve with chopped hard boiled eggs, bacon pieces, or sliced green onion for garnish.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Mary pondered these things in her heart.....

of course this season brings all kinds of thoughts....most of them around what there is still to do, but every once in a while, when i can make myself get quiet and still, i can think of the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  i think of mary, and what her life must have been like. one thought that has plagued me for a few years now is how she kept quiet about carrying the christ child.  I don't know about you, but when i get  {good or bad} news, I usually want to share it with someone.  if know something or discover something, i am BUSTING at the seams to tell someone of my information.  I know if i was in mary's spot, i would be sharing....saying something like 'now don't tell anyone, but......'  .  i can not imagine carrying news of that magnitude and not being able to share it with the world....

AND....God is teaching me such a lesson.....

I have always been one to be known as someone who speaks her mind, so to speak.....I am also pretty good about wanting to share my opinion when i see something that i really don't agree with--rightfully so {or not}.  I am {slowly} learning how to let things flow through my heart before I speak.  If my heart is where jesus lives, then to allow everything to flow through him first, puts me in a much better position of taking every thought captive, having the mind of christ and living from my heart. it has become a discipline for me to stay in my heart and to hear things through his ears and see things through his eyes and think his thoughts..

i am also learning that when there is something of utmost importance, it is imperative that i sit still and wait on him to speak through me.  now, when i say utmost importance, of course, i am not speaking of carrying the christ child :)  AND, i am learning that my husband's heart, my children's hearts and the hearts of those around me are of the utmost importance.  to speak rashly can sometimes speak dishonor, disrespect and lack of value of what is being said or done by another.  i am learning to wait....for permission to speak.  and when i do that, the words i speak are spoken in love. when i wait, i am waiting for his timing also--a word aptly spoken is like apples of gold.....

i used to see this a manipulation...and maybe it was--used to be, but now i truly see the wisdom of holding my tongue, holding the words in my heart, waiting for his timing and permission and then share.  it has become the opposite of manipulation....it is submission--to my king.

I am learning to ponder these things in my heart......

linked up today with sweet shot tuesday (even though its Friday) :)

clean cribs

Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. proverbs 14:4

Hehe...this is a small portion and a very conservative look of what my house looks like when i am trying to cook for the family.  heck...this is what it looks like most days...when i'm not cooking :)

it is so easy for me to get so down on myself for not having a clean house.  for living life in my home.  for years, my home needed to look like a model home. there was some outside influence in that pressure, but i succumbed to it....no ones fault but my own....

i had a friend one day tell me this little thought and i adopted it for myself.  it is this:  i see my primary ministry as for anyone who comes into my home....they automatically feel better about their own.  how true it is.  sadly or not.

then this scripture came across my eyes as i was reading one morning.  it freed me up.  i have a lot of oxen.  a.lot.  and we are pretty productive.  we are all pretty {messy} creative.  I have to realize that if we are neat and clean and everything is in its place, nothing productive can be happening....or not too much.

so....my crib is NOT clean....and we have much increase.....come join the mess :)

linked up today with chatting at the sky

pecan cranberry biscotti.....YUM!!!!

I got this recipe from a friend, who when one day, I went into her home and she had biscotti laying around EVERYwhere!  I took a bite and was smitten.  She graciously gave me a bag to take home and i took it along our trip to Tennessee for Christmas.  I had to fight for every piece I wanted...the kids LOVED it, too.  it has become a holiday tradition and favorite.  its a lot of work, but soooo worth it!  i make a quadruple batch, freeze most of it and give it in mugs to the kids' teachers--ok, what we don't eat first.  it is so yummy in coffee, but as you can read below, really, REALLY yummy in hot chocolate which you can find an amazing recipe here :)  .  when my friend sent the recipe to me, she included her own notes, which i have posted below the recipe with my additions.  ENJOY!!!

Pecan cranberry biscotti

Makes 24

• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• Zest of 1 lemon--I have used orange it is just as good.  neither one overpowers the cranberries or pecans.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Finely chop half the pecans, and leave remaining ones in halves; set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine baking powder, flour, sugar, and salt. In a bowl, beat eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; mix on medium low until sticky dough is formed. Stir in pecans, cranberries, and zest.

Turn dough out onto well-floured board; sprinkle with flour, and knead slightly. Shape into 9-by-3 1/2-inch logs. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 275 degrees.

On cutting board, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Return pieces cut side down to baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes. Turn over. Bake until slightly dry, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container.

SIDE NOTES:

1. this is not worth making in a single batch. I usually make a quadruple
2. it will burn out most hand mixers. I would tread very carefully, turning it on and off smelling for the smell of burning motor. I do not trust it for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. It could probably handle it, but if not, I am out a bunch of money. It is beyond sticky. The only liquid is eggs and some of those are only yolks.  note from me:  I use my Bosch mixer and it works very well.
3. Do not forget to toast the pecans. There are very few ingredients and each one is very important to the taste and the difference betweentoasted pecans and non toasted pecans is amazing.
4. when you cut them into strips there are end pieces that I do not toast and my girls think they  are better than the toasted ones. They are cooked, but not toasted.
5. they are even better in hot chocolate than coffee in my opinion. yep
6. About 6 pieces and 2 individual bags of gourmet hot chocolate mix are a great teacher present.

she's all that {and a bag of chips}

sassy picture, huh?  sassy post title, huh?  well, part of it came from my kids...who are loving having a mom who is free :)

on the other part......

i read in a blog a few days ago (wish i could remember where so i could link up to it, but can't).  this post was talking about our insecurities of being too much or being too little--saying too much, or too little.  this spoke to a deep place in my heart.  there are so many times when i don't feel like i measure up--like i am not enough.  i can usually deal with those thoughts pretty quickly and fairly completely . i kind of know i will never measure up to other people's expectations, but as long as i am being who god called me to be, i am walking in obedience.  especially because he is the one i will answer to.

the harder part to accept is when i am too much.  i can not tell you how many times and ways i beat myself up over being 'too much'.  so many days i have walked out of a meeting, a discussion, a dinner or even church...and regurgitate how i coulda, shoulda, and woulda done things differently...and how next time, i will keep.my.mouth.shut.and.my.hands.to.my.side.

god has done a great work of healing my broken heart....i am more free than i have ever, EVER been.  and with that freedom should be the freedom to be me.  not sure how others see it in me, but sometimes, i feel i am just too much.  laugh too loudly, share too much, cry too easily, worship with my whole being....just too much sometimes.....

and yet....i know god wants me to be who he created me to be....laugh from deep in my belly :D, share my heart of hearts with those who are safe, shed tears of joy and of grief and to worship HIM, who did it ALL....HE made me....ALL of me.....and HE wants me to share everything he has given.  even when it seems like it is too much :)

linked up today with chatting at the sky and sweet shot tuesday and life with kaishon

Holiday Turkey

ok...this has to be one of the best turkey recipes I have Ever found....and the story behind it is pretty good too :) I had a friend (i say had because I haven't seen her in YEARS)...who was single. cooking and the kitchen were not really her specialty.  one year, she came home from visiting family boasting about this magnificent turkey recipe....she cooked it for us on New Year's day...I asked for the recipe...she said no, it was a family secret and I could not have it....ok...I don't know about you, but when someone tells me that, I am determined to find it or figure it out :D.   She would not tell me ANYthing...I remember it tasting almost cajun, and it was soooo yummy.  I tried to  let it go.   Fast forward a year or two down the road.  She was moving.  Needed help with packing.  She put me in charge of packing up the kitchen, 'since I was a natural in the kitchen and all'.  well, I was packing away, just minding my own business, and went to the top of the refrigerator.  ALLLLL these papers came pouring down...and wouldn't ya know it?  that recipe for the turkey was RIGHT on the top of the stack....ah, my luck.....well, I knew she did not want me to have this recipe, so copying it was out of the question...so I wrote the main parts on my hand...yep...I was determined to get it....but what i didn't count on was the sweat washing some of it off.....when I realized that had happened, I read it and re-read it and repeated it to myself so much I memorized it.  I went home and quickly wrote it out.  I didn't make it until the next Holiday season, so I was going off a pregnant and nursing mama's memory...not much there--so it became my own rendition...

I did change the original recipe a tad bit...it called for 2 bottles of squeeze margarine....YUK!!!!! (in my humble opinion)....so I used butter instead....and when we had it, it was not as cajun tasting as I remember, but it was a HIT...and we have it EVERY Thanksgiving and EVERY Christmas....almost without fail....we are not even turkey eaters and my kids BEG for this turkey.  the leftovers are not your typical make-a-soup kind.  BUT, we hardly have any left overs after one meal after Thanksgiving.

Holiday Turkey

• 1 turkey, thawed (we use a HUGE one)
• 4 heads of garlic
• Lawry's seasoned salt--must be Lawry's
• 1 lb. butter
• 2 bottles of white cooking wine (you could use just 1, but it makes more gravy and we never have enough--or you could use regular wine--I don't know how to buy that, so I get this)

Peel all the cloves of garlic.  Take a knife and pierce the meat of  turkey and put cloves, one at a time into the meat.  Cover the turkey with the inserts of cloves of garlic.  It will look like it has mumps or something.  Rub the  inside of the turkey with some of the seasoned salt and put into roaster.  Pour the wine in the bottom of the roaster and place all the butter in bottom of pan.  Cook at 325, basting every 15 minutes with  wine, butter, and drippings,  and then sprinkle with seasoned salt, until  tested done.

Gravy

Pour all juices from pan into sauce pan.  Blend 1/4 c. cornstarch and  water together and blend with juices.  Cook over medium heat until thickened. I slice turkey and put some of the gravy over meat and leave extra on  table for potatoes and biscuits.  YUM!!!!!!!

linked up today with chatting at the sky and sweet shot tuesday

its NOVEMBER!!!!

this has to be one of my most favorite times of the year.....the first frost has killed most of the allergens :), the temps are at a more comfortable place to enjoy the outdoors (especially for Texas), and we are headed to Thanksgiving!  I LOVE this Holiday.  I love having my family ALL home.  I love opening my home to those who don't have family to share Thanksgiving with.  I love fixing all the holiday favorites that my kids just rave over.  and I love thinking about all God has done for us to be able to celebrate it.

I will be sharing lots of recipes this next few days and weeks.....and some Holiday traditions that we have either adopted or created for our family.  All done in the heart of enjoying Him, who gives all things...works everything out for our good and His glory!

I am sharing today on chatting at the sky.  Go have a look at her site and then, when you have time, peruse through the other bloggers who have linked up with her today....you will be blessed!!!!

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!!

gail's garlic cheese bread

as promised....here is the recipe {or lack thereof} for cheese bread.  I have to put the story of this here, first though.  I was catering a men's group of about 30 men for a weekend.  i had some recipes and food ready to go and my friend, gail, came in from louisiana to help me.  she has this recipe for garlic toast that is wonderful!!!  I have another cheese bread recipe that we used to always have with lasagna but after we had this, the kids decided they like this much better.  this 'recipe' is totally up to each individual taste...you can personalize it to your family's likes or dislikes.  you start out with margarine...I like country crock because i can get a large container of it at sam's pretty cheaply.  you need margarine instead of butter so that it doesn't soak into the bread the way butter does.  I am a true butter lover, but this does make a difference.  the measurements are not exact, and to some that may be a bit unsettling...gail will tell you...she used to HATE me telling her how to make something because i don't have recipes for most of it....and i am so proud of her for having this {un} recipe.

garlic cheese bread

• 1 container margarine (I use country crock and i get a really big one--and freeze the remainder between uses)
• parmesan cheese--either fresh shredded or dried stuff (not sure what that's called) :)  I have always used fresh, but use what you have and what you like
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Laurey's garlic salt
• garlic powder, as desired

What I do is put all the margarine in a big mixing bowl.  add as much of the cheeses and garlic salt as you desire.  mix well, taste and keep adjusting...if it gets salty enough, add garlic to it instead of the salt mixture.  its just a mix/taste/mix/taste project.  experiment with it...you might like more cheese on it.  we have even added cheddar to one batch we made and it was wonderful.  once you get it to your liking, spread liberally on bread.  Any kind of bread will do, but we use the big loaves of french bread from wal-mart ;) and slice horizontally.  bake at 350 until lightly browned on top.

the remainder of the butter mixture can be put back in the container and frozen until the next use.  I usually take a big hunk out and put it back in the freezer.

i know this might be a bit vague and a little confusing for those who like exact/precise recipes.  if you have any questions...ask gail :) .  I am happy to give more direction if this is not clear enough.  try it and let me know how you like it!!!

sweet 16

my miss madeleine rose is 16 today.  it is hard for me to put into words the changes that this little girl brought to me -- and to the family in general.  it was never intended or thought out before hand, but this sweet girl is the 'middle child'.  now when you think of the 'middle child' do you just automatically go to the 3 kid thinking?  well, with 9 kids, she had 4 older and 4 younger....and she has had a hard time finding that place...is she one of the older ones or one of the younger ones? well, now that she is 16 she is definitely one of the olders....although they are all getting there much sooner than i really thought it would happen :(

madeleine came at a time in our lives when we had decided to let god have our family size.  we had had 4  children and all 4 kinda ruled the roost, so to speak.  I was quickly fading and knew we needed a new plan in parenting....thus, with her birth, we began a new season of parenting--with purpose.  schedules, routines, and consequences became a new friend....and what was so amazing is that Miss Madeleine was such an easy baby....i thought it was all my hard work....NOPE...it was this easy going baby girl.

she was also the first 'intentional' home birth...i say that because of my last birthday post...a baby girl born in the car :)  we realized that it would be easier and less stressful for us to stay home.  her birth was the most relaxed, easy birth i had.  again, just a sign of this precious baby...just going with the flow and not getting too upset over too much.

i heard a teaching one time on how parents prophetically name their children--without realizing it :)  Well, her name means 'a strong tower' and of course 'rose'...I asked god one day what he saw in her with that name...that she was such a strong person, but with a soft beauty of roses.  this girl--MAN...she can hold her own with her older brothers and is one strong lady...and you never forget she is a lady....such femininity!!!

madeleine is such a gifted artist.  she amazes me with her ukulele  playing!  She has become my 1st choice in second shooter when i need one.  her photo editing is incredible, too!  and, of course she is a beauty!  not just on the outside, but she has such a beautiful heart.  her heart overflows with all the beauty that she graces us with every day....we are so blessed to have her in our family....in our home....i am a blessed mom to have a daughter, friend and helper like she is.  We love you, Madeleine Rose!  Happy Birthday!  You bless me beyond measure!!