Gleanings of Wheat

I experimented last night, it was pretty interesting and tasty. I don't even like vegetables that much, but this turned out pretty well I thought. 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh per person 1 bunch of fresh asparagus 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 5 pearl onions evoo for coating pan approx 3 tbsp soy sauce salt & pepper Preheat evoo a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the onions, bend the bottom end of an asparagus head until it snaps then cut all the rest of the asparagus at that same point. Add asparagus, garlic, soy sauce and onions to the skillet; cook until the onions are tender. Remove and keep warm. Leaving the juices from the asparagus mixture in the skillet next add the chicken. Dribble more soy sauce on top. Cook until juices run clear - about 5 minutes per side. Serve chicken on top of the asparagus with some garlic and onions on top and white rice on the side.

So, my car broke down again about a month or two ago and I couldn't afford to have it towed to the mechanic because of the holidays and the kid's birthdays. I was waiting for my tax refund to come and use part of that to get it fixed. I got the money, and as some of you know my mom ended up being out of work for a week with a torn cornea so I had to pay a lot more household bills than I was planning on so I ended up waiting a few more weeks. I dropped off the car last week and the next day our furnace broke down. GREAT. I paid half that bill for my mom (I like to be warm so its only fair I chip in) - but now I don't have enough money pay to pick up my car from the mechanic. I get paid on Friday and child support on Saturday, but it is either pay for the car or have child support to pay the preschool, put gas in the car to go to school, and be able to pay the phone bill on time. I can't leave the car at the mechanic because eventually they'll start charging me stora...

I got the croissant recipe here ** and my inspiration from Arby's Chocolate Turn Over . 1 cup warm milk 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp yeast 1 cup flour 3/4 cup milk at room temperature 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup sugar (second amount) 1 beaten egg 1/2 cups melted and cooled butter 4 cups flour 1 cup cold butter (second amount) 1 egg beaten with cold water for wash Stir warm milk and sugar together. Add yeast then let stand 10 minutes. Stir well. Add flour; beat well. Add milk, sugar and egg. Beat until smooth. Add butter; beat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, place the 4 cups of flour and the chilled butter. Cut butter into flour until pieces are the size of beans (not too small). Pour the liquid batter into the flour mixture; stir until moistened. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator. Press into a compact ball on a floured board and divide into 4 parts. Roll each into a circle 12" or 16". Cut each circle into 6 ...

There is a ministry in my area that produces a newsletter about every other month and then they drop off a few copies at my job. We don't hand them out, first it was just because we're not authorized to do so by the owners but now we don't hand them out for the fact that they're just not Biblical. The first newsletter I read essentially said that the genealogies of the New Testament were inaccurate, and worse the New Testament itself had been corrupted and "doctrines of men" had been introduced. They gave their reasons why they didn't believe the genealogies to be authentic, but offered absolutely no evidence as to their other claims. This newsletter, and its follow up which sought to prove that Christians are disobeying God by not keeping the Law, irritated me to say the least. I've heard the arguments before, there is never any compelling evidence and what passages of Scripture that are used are almost always taken out of context. What struck me, how...

My dear sweet children came home from school today loaded up with candy, temporary tattoos, and balloons. I, being the protecting and loving mother that I am, subjected myself to removing some candy so that they would not be tempted (particularly Julianne) to dump it on the floor. To further prevent my children from having to face such great a temptation I scarfed downed ate the candy. It was a trying time, but by golly I joyfully rose to the occasion. I should win an award for protecting my kids so well.

But only because I'm struggling with it. I barely pulled off a C last semester, and surely wouldn't have if not for extra credit worksheets that had nothing to do with math, and this semester I'm sure I'll struggle to get the C that I need. I know it sounds like I'm shooting low, but I really would be happy with a C. I don't pretend to imagine that I'll pull off a B in this - I'll do my best, but I'm expecting to get a low C again. Thankfully if I pull it off I won't have to take any more math. So what does a girl who hates, and is struggling in, math do? Dig in, of course. I'm off to lern me sum numbers, ya'll.

A lot of time when we I read the Exodus account I marvel at the powerful, crystal clear ways in which God showed Himself to be Lord to the Israelites. I often find myself astounded at how foolish these people are - God delivered them in a mighty way from their oppression and how do they show their gratitude? By worshiping a golden cow while God is personally instructing Moses on how they are to live and to worship. It is easy to look down on them, to shake my head in disbelief at their behavior. After all, if God revealed Himself to me in those ways surely I would be faithful. I think it is common among Christians to long for God to reveal Himself as He did to Moses in Exodus 34:5-28, on some level I think a lot of us envy Moses, that God allowed Himself to be seen by such mortal eyes. We think that if we had a Mount Sinai experience that we'd never stray, because we would really appreciate what God has shown us. But you know what? I think we're the blessed ones, the fortuna...

I found this one over at Seriously Good . I served it up with some warm bread and Tuscan Encrusted Shrimp . 3 lb boneless chicken breasts (or tenders) 1 c white wine* 1/4 c olive oil 2 ea lemons -- juiced sprigs fresh thyme and rosemary 2 cloves garlic -- crushed salt and pepper If using whole breasts, cut into strips. Mix all ingredients in a plastic bag and refrigerate for eight hours. Drain marinade from chicken, strain, and cook over medium heat until reduced by half. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken strips on both sides until done. Deglaze pan with additional wine and add to reduced marinade. Serve chicken drizzled with sauce. *I used red wine because I'm out of white and I'm still a Floridian at heart - 9 degrees is just to cold for grocery shopping with kids.

David poses this excellent question and then follows up with a passage from Nehemiah and a link to an article by Greg Gilbert that is well worth reading. Notable quote: I am really afraid that we’ve managed to create a generation of anemic Christians who are spiritually dependent on excellent music. Their sense of spiritual well-being is based on feeling “close to God,” their feeling close to God is based on their “ability to worship,” and being able to worship depends on big crowds singing great music.

Ok, not a real recipe, but still. It is NUTELLA...on BREAD. Toast up some bread, grab your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread and go to town.

A couple years ago my favorite Mexican restaurant closed, taking with it incredibly large chicken burritos and sweet corn cake. It was a very sad day. But weep no more, my fellow Chi Chi's fans! I've found a copy cat recipe for their corn cake! 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup corn flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg, beaten 1 cup sour cream (can use non-fat) 1/3 cup milk 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine egg, sour cream, milk, and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened; pour into greased 8" square baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.