Anticipating Spring

 

We are warming up and the first buds of wildflowers are beginning to bloom.  Trees are budding and I'm itching to make my annual trip to the Hill Country to photograph our amazing Texas Wildflowers.

These are some photos from past seasons.  I hope that they bring you joy and get you excited about new possibilities in your life. Remember that you can find God's beauty all around - in the local fields, a neighbor's yard or in the midst of a prickly, thorny place. How is your season of Lent doing?  Are you finding time to draw closer to God, deepening your relationship and renewing your faith journey? The Bible tells us that God's mercies are new every morning. 

Additionally we are not to worry because God cares for us much more than the lilies of the field - which He clothes so beautifully.  I pray that your days are blessed as we move through the dark days into the light of His resurrection days.

Pepper-y Salsa

For over 25 years, we've loved the salsa at a favorite Tulsa eatery.  It is a slightly sweet heat that is consistent year round.  Well, recently we were in Tulsa, visiting and partaking of this yummy treat - and I suddenly realized the secret!  This is a versitile recipe which can easily be made year-round as it makes use of canned vegetables rather than fresh.

Here is my take on their Pepper-y Salsa.

* 3 heaping Tablespoons dried Cilantro flakes
* 3 Tablespoons onion powder
* 3 Tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 cup sugar
* 29 ounce can tomato sauce
* 28 ounce can peeled crushed tomato

* 14.5 ounce can diced tomato (saved until last)
* 12 ounces sweet jalapeno slices

Put all the items, except the diced tomatoes, into a food processor or blender.  Pulse to chop and blend into a fairly smooth blend and the tomatoes and peppers are the size you like to eat.  By hand (well using a wooden spoon), mix in the diced tomatoes.

Put the mix into containers (even re-use the pepper jar), seal and refridgerate.  After a couple hours of the flavors blending, the salsa is ready to eat!  Grab your favorite chips and go for it.  The hardest part is stopping.

If you can't find sweet jalapeno peppers in your store - make your own.  Open the jar of pepper slices and add as much of a 1/4 cup of sugar as you can fit into the jar.  Reseal, shake, turn upside down for a few minutes then shake again.  Repeat a couple times until sugar is disolved or filters down through the juice.  Refridgerate for a week or more (shaking occasionally) then your peppers are ready to use.

Our Hood's Red Headed Girl

This red haired girl rules the hood!
I wanted to introduce you to a frequent visitor at our home.  Suzi is a darling little girl who loves special treats. She lives across the street from us and has a direct line of vision. She watches us constantly.  When she sees us step outside, that's her cue to come running!  She gets so excited and her personality is such that we find we just can't refuse her.

She doesn't like to overstay her welcome, so she usually takes her treat and heads home to enjoy it (or more likely to rub it in to her brother, Jack).  On occasion, when to weather is nice and there isn't much going on at home, Suzi will find a spot in our yard to picnic.

Of course, there are times when Suzi feels a bit jealous of the food left for the wildlife and makes every effort to be the only recepient of our special treats.

Still, this charming red haired girl openly shares her thankfulness with a sweeping wag of her tail, warm sloppy kisses and even a wonderful loaf of fruit bread at the holidays.

Easy-Peasy Italian Meat Patties

Here is a recipe you can put together and have in your oven in a matter of moments!  It has 3 ingredients, needs no additional seasoning and bakes in the oven low and slow (best) or can be ready to serve in an hour, should you be in more of a hurry.  This also makes a great meal to put together and take to a family if they are dealing with an issue in their life which makes sharing a meal a blessing. If you make this for others, consider using a foil baking pan and remind the recepients to run hot water over the pasta to re-heat.

Italian Meat Patties

*Beef Cube Steak Cutlets
*Motzerella Cheese
*Pasta Sauce (whatever is your favorite)

Grab your favorite baker. Layer the beef patties on the bottom.  Cover with pasta sauce.  Sprinkle shreadded, or sliced, cheese on top.  Cover and bake at 300º for a couple hours or at 375º for an hour.  When you start cooking your pasta, uncover the baking dish to allow cheese to brown. 

You may use your pasta as a side or as a base for your meat patties and sauce.  Put some dressing on some pre-packaged salad greens and your meal is ready to enjoy.

A Timely Tale for Valentine's

Long, long ago (well at least 30 years ago) a young woman worked in a store surrounded by many shining and sparkling things of beauty.  One day, the young woman discovered her dream come to life in the form of a spectacular wrist adornment
which had the added bonus of keeping track
 of time.  Unfortunately, the authorities who ruled the land required the young woman to relinquish her dream to one who offered a good deal of paper currency in exchange.  The woman never forgot her dream and has always looked for it whenever the opportunity presented itself. 

In our present day (last Fall actually), the woman traveled to a land known to many as Canton Trade Days.  To her great joy, there in the locked confines of a local merchant's
stand in the middle of the market, she rediscovered her dream.  Upon inquiry, she learned that it was a dream up for purchase and that the cost of her dreams had depreciated because it was now a used dream. 

The now-not-as-young woman immediately brought her beloved to see her dream.  She shared her desire that this dream become her own reality, and to her delight, her beloved agreed. 

This is the the Baume & Mercier watch (well maybe not THE one, but the same style) that I sold for what was then the same amount as more than half a new car.  My sweet husband placed it on lay-away (I'll explain this concept to the young people at another time) and retrieved it as my Valentine's gift.  There are over a carat of diamonds and a sapphire on the stem of this gold "cocktail" watch.  I'm so blessed to have a husband who not only wants to make my dreams come true but who is my true dream.  Happy Valentine's Day, Kelly. 

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes

 Shrove Tuesday is the last "free" day for many people as it relates to their diets.  Also called Fat Tuesday, this is the day when we all feast, or pig out, or fill up on all which we love and usually deny ourselves once we enter the religious season of Lent.  Pancakes are a traditional fare because they are filling, easily adapted to contain lots of "goodies" and are relatively inexpensive to prepare in large quantities. 
(This is our Sasha, decked our in her royal jewels and ready to celebrate!)

When I got married (over 30 years ago), my mother and mother-in-law put together some of my husband and my favorite recipes.  These include a pancake recipe from my MIL.  In a time when most of us prepare our pancakes with two ingredients (water and a mix), this is a reminder of the humble start to this versitile meal.  We love breakfast foods more as our evening meal than our morning one. This means we are awake and able to follow the instructions of the recipe - and these are easy anyway. 


Pancakes from Scratch
What you need:
* 2 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 cups milk
* 3 Tablespoons oil



Sift flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add sugar.  Beat in (lightly beaten) eggs, milk, and oil until just blended.  Spoon out onto medium hot griddle. Flip cakes when surface is bubbled and dry in appearance.





Want to jazz up your pancakes - try adding chocolate chips, blueberries or other berries, nuts, orange zest or lemon.  Now I must confess that my favorite pancake is none of the above.  I love lemon or pumpkin - with pumpkin being my ultimate choice.  If you want to try getting fancy without putting in too much effort, check out this recipe for Silver Dollar Pumpkin Pancakes from Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman.

Lent is a season of 40 days, excluding Sundays which are treated as "little Easters" leading up to Easter Sunday.  This is the season when many fast, or sacrificially give up something, in order to spend that time and money on strengthening their relationship with God.  For some it is sweets, or one meal a day or meat on Fridays.  Remember to consult your doctor if you make a serious effort at fasting in a way that changes your dietary requirements. I offered to give up exercise, but it was pointed out by my pastor/hubby that this would be neither sacrificial nor beneficial to deepening my Spiritual discipline. 

Enjoy your meal as you eat, drink are make merry - for tomorrow we attempt the discipline of Lent.