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.

warm meal on a COLD day!

Well, its cooooooold here in north Texas!  we have wind chills into the below's :)  .  The kids are out of school and it is crazy around here.  We have done our traditional making donuts out of canned biscuits and home made hot chocolate for breakfast.  We have not been able to make it to Starbucks (our other fun tradition for the first snow of the season) because the roads are too bad.  Everyone is still in pjs and we are looking forward to having a warm dinner, sitting by the fire and watching the school closings in hopes of another day tomorrow (ok...they are...not necessarily me--just being honest :)).

One of my favorite cold weather meals is beef stew.  I have made it for years, and it was *ok*, but when we lived in McKinney, we frequented the pantry, a homestyle cooking restaurant.  The food served was, again, *ok*, but the desserts were to die for  good and I loved going in the afternoons during nap time, when the older ones were finishing school work.  I could just escape for a bit and breathe.  They have a cookbook that I honestly got for some of those yummy desserts, but after looking through it, decided to try some of the other recipes...oh, so glad I did....this one is one of our favorites out of the book.  Once we tried it, my old way of making beef stew became a forgotten memory...this is how it is done from here on out....enjoy!  oh, one of the main tricks to this recipe (and any like this using potatoes) is to cook the potatoes ahead of time...what I do is have a baked potato dinner the night or two before, making enough for this meal...once cooled, they are a cinch to peel and cut up and they don't dissolve in the cooking process....makes it really, really yummy!!!

beef stew

• 1 1/2 lbs stew meat
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, diced coursely (if you have read earlier posts, you know I blend these up in the liquid that is used--much more accepted by the kids)
• 3 Tablespoons beef base or beef broth ( I ALWAYS keep chicken, beef and veggie base on hand)
• 2 Cups celery, sliced
• 4 potatoes, baked and cooled overnight--then on cooking day, peeled and diced
• 4-6 carrots, sliced (depending on how much you like)
• 1 can peas ( I never use these, since if I did not one person would TOUCH the whole meal--I put in corn, either canned or frozen--I like frozen better)
• black pepper
• kitchen bouquet (i don't use this--I add a couple of tablespoons of worcestershire sauce instead
• 6 Tablespoons flour
• 1/2 Cup butter, melted

In a large pot, cook beef in oil until browed on the outside.  Add onions, beef base and about 4-5 cups of water.  Cook on low heat for about 1 hour. Add celery, carrots, potatoes and corn, if desired.  Continue cooking until vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes).  Stir flour into butter.  Slowly whisk into stew, until desired thickness is achieved.   Add peas.  Season with pepper, kitchen bouquet and /or worcestershire sauce.

I always make these yeast rolls with this stew...it is a given now...to be able to sop up the juices and gravy with these rolls and then to eat them for dessert with butter and honey.....ewwww weeeeee!

I actually think I got this recipe in Home Ec in High School....YAY, Mrs. Clark.  Thank you!  I think they are the little angle biscuits we made first year, but no matter...they are so good!  We have them now at most Holiday meals because you can make the dough ahead and pull it out when you are ready.  SOOOO good!!!!

refrigerator yeast rolls

• 1 package dry yeast (I use bulk and use 1 Tablespoon)
• 1/2 Cup warm water
• 1/2 Cup shortening, melted ( I use butter)
• 4 1/2 Cups flour
• 1/2 Cups sugar
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400*.  Dissolve yeast in water and let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in butter.  Combine dry ingredients in another bowl.  Add to yeast mixture.  Mix and turn dough.  Knead on a floured board until a good texture (don't ya love detail--its from high school...sorry)....I just knead until its easy to handle and not too gooey.  Shape dough into ball, place in a greased bowl and cover till ready for use.  When ready, make small balls (size depends on your need and desire--we have had them the size of golf balls and the size of softballs :) ).  Put on a 'pammed' cookie sheet ( I put them just barely touching to make them rise up and be soft on the sides).  Bake for 8-10 minutes in 400* oven.   Sometimes, I will brush them with butter as they get out of the oven.

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) :)

here comes Santa!!!

one thing we {try to} do each year is get the kids picture made with Santa.  this has taken a life of its own now :)  When my 1st was born, i was allllll into the santa thing.  after my second was born, i had come into the belief that to believe in santa was a sin and to tell you kids a lie about santa was an unpardonable sin :(  so, i began telling my kids there was no such thing as santa from birth, pretty much. well, the kids have decided their own path with santa.  Some totally don't want to believe in him and some, no matter how much they are told he is not 'real' still want to make cookies for him and want to talk to him every year.

My {ex} mother-in-law LOVES to have Santa pictures of the children,so we started out getting santa pictures done for her--but of course, I had to have one, too :) .  On a trip to a friends house during the holidays one year, i noticed that she had all her kids' santa pictures in a basket as part of her Christmas decorations.  I LOVED that idea.  I hate to have pictures that aren't useful or don't document a passage of time or a moment.  so.  I decided i wanted them displayed.  I started hanging them on a big red ribbon and hang them on the wall.  we are now up to 4 ribbons about 4 feet long.  we have had santa pictures made every year but two.  i have no idea why that didn't happen, but it was during a very hard time as a young, homeschooling, wife of a pastor, mom.  this has become the highlight of our decorations with our family and guests.  the only thing that comes close at our house is the fact that each child receives an ornament each year and our tree is heavy laden with ornaments.

the oldest picture is 26 years old, made with a polaroid camera and are beginning to lose their color and sharpness.  I decided this was the year to digitalize them....here is a slide show of the pictures.  the last few years, though, we have found a santa that camps in his front yard each and every night for pictures.  we LOVE it :).  no lines, no crowds.  we have a tradition of going out to eat dinner--at a nice place :) (which for a large family is a huge deal...financially and practically) and then go get our pictures made.  it is one time when all the kids are committed on being here!  We do have one picture where the 2 oldest just could not make it home from school/work.  each picture has its own story with it and there are some that are my absolute favorite pictures.  the kids LOVE to gather round them and talk about all the special memories--most funny, some not....one of my most favorite things of the christmas season.....

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

these hands....

this picture of these hands will always bring tears to my eyes.  these hands taught me so much.  i learned to watch these hands work in the kitchen making jellies and jams and buttermilk biscuits and cornbread dressing.  i saw these hands hold my newborn babies with the same loving care that i would--the kind that a nurturing woman would show to anything and anyone precious to God.  i saw these hands turn so many pages on the same story books over and over and over through the years.  i have seen these hands lose their ability to cook and to hold and to do the basic things in life.  these hands held my children as they were growing from babies to children and then hold their hands.  these same hands held my children's daddy when he was fresh from God and then his hand as he grew into adulthood.  I love these hands.  they speak of what should have been....to grow old together....instead, sin and selfishness and old age and circumstances have kept us apart.  these hands will always hold my heart as i hold hers.....

this is who we, in our home, call Whiz.  Her name is Eloise, but my oldest was 3 when we met her and she could not say Miss Eloise :)  so she called her Whiz-- and it stuck...for life.  Whiz has loved on me like a mom would.  she has come to help me when i had all 8 of her grandbabies.  she taught me many things.  I will be sharing a few things she taught me in the kitchen.  i made my first Thanksgiving dinner the first year she was my mother-in-law.  she walked and talked me through the different aspects of the dinner.....and it is a true southern Thanksgiving dinner.  I would be greatly remiss if i didn't honor the woman who gave me the courage to face that first dinner :)  I love you, Whiz.  Thank you so much for ALL you have done through the years.

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!!!!

trick or treat???

growing up, Halloween and trick or treating was a favorite memory and tradition. once i became a christian, it became the 'bad' holiday....there was no way i was going to participate in it--to the point of hiding in the backest bedroom with the shades drawn and a small tv brought into the room for us to watch a movie, eat popcorn and try to drown out the ding dongs of the door bell. our children were taught to be afraid--very afraid of halloween, people who dressed up and anyone who came to the door. NOW...I am not saying it is something to be celebrated like easter, but to be afraid of it??? My mindset was challenged with a 'light up' campaign our church did...and i was challenged! once we embraced the idea {a year or 2 later} we had a blast! We had an old victorian home with a HUGE wrap around porch and we had a party-bringing tv and veggie tales out, gladly handing out candy, chatting with the neighbors and telling all who came by that jesus loved them. we did that for a few years, but there was still a spirit of fear around the day and night, until.....

4 years ago, on the 31st, I was running errands with my 2 littlest girls. the others were in school for first time--ever. Their dad had moved out months before and it was a dark time in my life and i am sure the children's. as i was running errands, this little girl--4 years old--from the her car seat in the back of the van, asked what it meant to ask jesus into her heart. WOW...talk about making a mom's heart stop and do a flip flop. I talked her through it, while looking through the rear view mirror. She told me she wanted to pray and ask him to come inside her heart, and pray we did!!! I asked her older sister if she wanted to, too and she said no :) {she did about a year later}. As we were finishing up our running around, i heard god say to allow the kids to trick or treat tonight and take back ground that the enemy had taken....I will say, I still do not understand why god said that and what good will come of it...BUT...I will also say, we had THE.MOST.FUN. that night. We did not have costumes to speak of, and when I told the kids they could go, they ran upstairs and made the most creative costumes out of pjs that I have ever seen :) . They could only stay on our street (about 20 houses long) and they had a blast!!! I wish I had taken pictures, but my heart was really not in it and i was not thinking of the memory we were making. I hate that.

one of my older children called my oldest and said ' you would not believe what mom is letting the kids do'...i took the phone and my oldest was crying. i asked why...was she angry with me? she said 'no, mom, i am so happy for them. they have a new mom....one i didn't have'.....oh, man...broke my heart! And made me rejoice at the same time....

this year it may look different. This will be the first year the children are 'with' me, as they have been with their dad for halloween since that first one. God told me to not do the same thing out of default--out of being on automatic :) . we are contemplating celebrating all saints day instead.

talking to one of my older daughters, though, she has very fond memories of 'hiding out' and loves telling all her trick-or-treating friends of her different experience.

our first trick-or-treating experience will always hold a special place in my heart...and I know HIS

grace for me

God extends his grace to me in so many, many ways....here is just one.  to have a plan, and know that he has another, and to go with that other one takes his grace.  grace to accept my children for who they are and not who i would want them to be (we all know how well that works).  grace is staying in the moment and enjoying it....knowing that it will never come packaged exactly like it was today. our my feeble attempt at a family picture.....

sharing today with chatting at the sky

my version: III forks salad

alright.  you can know that god is leading me to do this when i share some of my 'secret recipes'.

i had this salad at III forks, in dallas.  it was one of the best salads and dressing i.have.ever.had.  i think i have said before that one of my favorite things is to have something really good in a restaurant and then try to recreate it.  the salad was easy....just pick it apart :) .  the dressing was another matter.  i asked our waiter what kind of dressing it was and he told me that i could find something very similar at central market.  i immediately went and purchased 4 bottles :)  yep...4.  it is a bit on the pricey side and we went through it like water, so i decided i would try to recreate that.  it worked!!  I made it!!  and for less than half the cost of the bottle of dressing at the store!  the one at the store is called Monica's maple balsamic vinaigrette.  its in the refrigerator section.  you do have to look for it, it is not an easy find.

III forks salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette

• mixed baby green salad mix
• toasted pecans (either with a flavored coating or not--we use plain)
• sliced pears, granny smith apples, strawberries or dried cranberries (we LOVE it with any of these)
• crumbled feta cheese, gorgonzola, or bleu cheese
• dressing (recipe follows)

Toss all together.  drizzle dressing over it.

maple balsamic vinaigrette

• 2 tbsp olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp grainy mustard
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper until blended.  I have one of those shaker/blender cups and usually double or triple this.