Lay kale leaf flat tearing off stem
Place generous dollop of roasted garlic hummus in the center
4-5 slices of roast beef
2 slices of tomato
2 slices of hot pepper jack cheddar
1 tsp. of horseradish (optional)
Wrap contents in wax paper tightly and weight a heavy book or marble if you have it for just a minute or two.
Place contents in egg roll wrap (wheat)and brown slightly in pan with just a drop of vegetable oil.  Substitue any meat, vegetable, evoo, or spring roll wrap (rice) would do nicely also.

After chicken is strained and in the frig.  Bring water back up to a boil and add dumplings one at a time. Turn heat to low, cover and cook 30 minutes.

I’m setting the atmosphere and tone of the meal, by serving dinner on a low table over our Persian rug. Our friends the Riemann’s were over for bible study one night and Curt had a stunned look as he looked at our sofa.  “I have the perfect rug for you in our garage, it matches nothing in our home now that we’ve redecorated.”

Hence our most lavish material gift given by dear friends lays under our feet every day. Heather and Curt brought me a chocolate cake late one evening on my birthday. There was a soft knock at my door, my daughter asleep, husband on a trip and there they were. I cried I was so overcome they knew my birthday. I was new in town and felt very alone. Heather  is one of my favorite people to cry with, our hearts break for the same things, we also laugh, but many tears, so many tears.  She and Curt are living treasures who love well with Christ-like love.  The most lavish of gifts.

The three wise men and their lavish gifts must have been familiar with the Davidic promise to know to travel to Israel.  It seems they knew the Scriptures better than the Jews themselves, certainly better than King Herrod.  Perhaps they were  Persians, descendants of the great empire of Persian King Cyrus who granted permissions centuries earlier to some of the Jews to return and rebuild their holy  temple in the city of Jerusalem fulfilling the prophecy. ( Ezra 1:1-3) But the Bible does not state where they came from, only that they came from the East.  Resting our feet on our colorful persian rug and enjoying a traditional Middle Eastern meal of lamb, we will read about these Magi, wise men, scholars from the East, remembering that where Israel missed the birth of their king, these men went to extraordinary lengths to come and worship him.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory – this was during Herod’s kingship – a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on a pilgrimage to worship Him.”  Matthew 2: vs. 1-2  The Message

My main dish is the lamb.                                                

Rub lamb with kosher salt, olive oil and coat with minced garlic.

The next layer is mint. Completely coat over the garlic with mint. A jar of dried mint will do if fresh is not available.

Place lamb on a roasting rack in the oven at 425 degrees , reduce heat to 325 and continue to cook till internal temp is around 165-175 degrees.

Serve garnished with rosemary or mint sprigs.

A simple and quick dessert.
1 cup of peanut butter crunchy or smooth, and 10 tablespoons of butter or margarine adding a tablespoon at a time while mixing. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix till well blended. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Roll into balls and dip in melted chocolate. I use 12 ounces of Ghirardelli premium baking chips in semi-sweet and a 1/2 bar of Gulf Wax or paraffin.  My double boiler broke so I’m making do with the mixing bowl above my pan.

My Mom and Todd’s Mom made these and they are perfect to give as gifts for Christmas or Valentines Day.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,600 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 27 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Psalm 1 is a place to start.

The Hebrew word ashrei, or blessedness comes from living out your life in accordance with God’s will.

How do you know God’s will?

Everyday wake and immediately meditate on God’s word.  Praise Him!  Begin your day in adoration of  God the Creator of all.

Pray about it, pray the verse for anyone your Father has placed on your mind.

This morning I prayed for Todd and our daughter.

Here’s how it would sound…. Happy is Todd who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the paths of sinners.

Prosperity and happiness depends on your willingness to live in obedience to scripture.

But the humble will inherit the land and enjoy abundant prosperity.  Psalm 37:11 HSB

Humble in the Greek is translated poor in spirit – to be impoverished of self and concerned for the things of God.  What is God concerned about?

The world will tell you it comes from a  cooked pot of black-eyed peas.  Our tradition in families differ, but cooking up a pot of these lovely legumes are a non-negotiable in southern families, ours is no different.  I’ve misplaced my cookbook so this is my twist on the tradition.

1 pound of black-eyed peas

Soak and cook a couple of days earlier tossing off the dirt (your old self) and discard any particles(regrets) in the water.

1 large can of chopped tomatoes

1 small onion finely chopped and sautéed in evoo

1 large garlic clove finely chopped and sautéed and evoo

Pepper to taste

Add a few small pieces of the leftover Smithfield Ham (Salt cured) before placing bowls on the table for your New Years Day Dinner.

The simple dish is accompanied with yeast rolls, and a salad. Pull out all the stops with linens, candles, crystal and setting.   A humble dish and a table set for a King.

May you be favored and prosper in the New Year.

Trish

Morning came early today at the Southard household. My small claim to fame with my family are my hot breakfasts. Our daughter’s tennis tournament meant leaving the house at 6:45 this morning.

This fast, easy, and protein and carbohydrate packing breakfast recipe calls for a package of Sr. Schubert’ s rolls from the frozen food dept. and two frozen chicken breasts.
Heat frying pan with one tablespoon of oil. Grapeseed is best for flash-fry, but Wesson or evoo will work.

Microwave breasts for five minutes or less I cover mine with Saran wrap. Slice while hot and toss into hot pan and brown slightly. Rolls cook five minutes at 350 degrees. Slice roll in half, place a small pat of butter, salt and pepper chicken and serve as a sandwich.

Leftovers are perfect to wrap in foil and take to work for lunch.

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in god my Savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave…. Luke 1:46-48

Preparing ahead of time.  In life and with company meals, preparation ahead of time  allows  me to magnify Him to others, saving me time in the kitchen for time with family and friends.  I am prepared to be present.

Cook up a pot of black beans and a separate pot of rice 1-2 days before. The rice and beans both have standard recipes on the side of the bags. I follow those directions  and add a little e.v.o.o. and butter to both as they simmer.  Store cooked beans and rice in the refrigerator.
The day before cook up about 3 lbs. of carne picada or other meat of your choice sliced extra thin, seasoning to taste.  I boil mine in a cup of water and drain off before adding one small can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilis, and a nice dose of garlic powder, salt and pepper.

On the day of their visit, buy fresh ingredients:

Bag of limes

2 bags of cilantro

4-5 tomatoes

1 head of garlic

1 onion

fresh tortillas….watch for carts rolling into the bread aisle

1 head of lettuce

1 c of apple butter

Plate cilantro into a bowl tearing off leaves gently.  Slice limes in half and place on a small cutting board leaving a few whole for guests.

Make your pico-de gallo.  Finely chop tomatoes, garlic and onion, add salt, pepper and jalapeno pepper to taste…squeeze four to five limes and toss thoroughly.  Add some chopped cilantro.  Chill several hours covered before dinner.

Toss 1 c of apple butter  into carne picada and serve on a heated platter (hearth or oven works well)

Slice lettuce very thin and place on the table, along with your chilled pico- de gallo, tortillas, beans, rice and carne picada. Your feast is ready and your guests will enjoy your company as you join them at the table instead of speaking to them from your kitchen.

I would have missed the neighborhood girls and their four cans of empty shaving cream (pictured above) if I had stayed in the kitchen all evening.

I heard, and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for my day of distress to come against the people invading us.  Habakkuk 3:16 HCSB

My morning began with stubbing my pinky toe on a chair in the living room. Leaping to the sofa yelping and seeing blood trickle across my toes. My daughter  very softly and asks “Mom are you ok?”
Every fiber in my body seemed to hurt and I simply wanted to crawl back in bed. I did not know it, but my balance was off because the flu had hit our house. The  invaders were the viruses from the Mucinex commercial. We had gone to bed very late the night before, our throats were sore and we could not sleep. It hurt to swallow. I drove my daughter to school thinking in my head she should have stayed home, and praying she would decide to care for herself and call. I looked at her as she exited the vehicle and said “I love you honey call if you need anything.”

My one day off all week I dragged a huge basket of laundry next to the sofa and proceeded to fold laundry while lying down.  Folding was a bit tricky and placing the piles so they would not fall was unsuccessful as they slipped off the back off the sofa.  The phone rang.  Our daughter was coming home.

If you are swept off your feet, its time to get on your knees.  Fred Beck

Somehow a jolt of strength whipped into me as I stripped down her bed and blankets to give her clean sheets and warm blankets to crawl into.  Where did my strength come from?

My lips quiver with fear. my legs give way beneath me and I shake in terror.  Habakkuk 3:16 TLB

My flesh had no strength… I ached, but on my knees before the Lord he poured into me.

This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and doing your own work.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 TLB

(I keep this tucked in my pocket at work and it has been very helpful over the years.)

The base of this recipe comes from the “Joy of Cooking”. I received it from my Aunt Bernice as a wedding shower gift 25 years ago. I love the inscription inside….

A well prepared meal, graciously served will be helpful to Todd’s Air Force career.

This note will make a few of you gasp, but my Aunt was correct in coaching me. She was a great cook, I can still taste and see her crepes stacked 12 high with chocolate in between each one.  She was a Nurse anesthetist in the  Navy and married in her 50′s to our beloved Uncle Fred.  If you do not own the “Joy of Cooking” click on the GFCF Lady link on this website and order one from Amazon.

Turn to page 701 and use Brownies Cockaigne as your guide.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and get started early in the morning.  We have had over 70 days over 100 degrees and today is our first day we have been able to open the windows here in Texas.  (I have made dinner very early each morning and setting in the fridge given the extreme heat later in the day.)

In a double boiler melt 1 stick of unsalted butter, 4 tbsp. of evoo, 12 tbsp. of Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa and whisk till smooth.  Set aside to cool.

Beat 4 eggs and 1/4 ts. salt till light and frothy.

Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar and blend gently with a spatula.

Add 1 cup of flour, folding in carefully and taking the time not to over mix.

Bake in a 9 * 13 for 22-25 minutes.

The taste is not sweet and is a delightfully dark.

Serve in very small square servings with petite glasses of milk on a serving tray for your guests or family.