Gleanings of Wheat

I saw the title of this recipe and literally held my breath. I don't think I've been so excited over a recipe in a long time. 2 Tbs. unsalted butter 6-8 cloves garlic 1/2 cup chopped onion 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 2 cups water 9 oz. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, with the liquid 10 oz. fresh spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped 8-10 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped 1 egg 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste In large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and water, bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook halfway (about 5 min. if using frozen, less for fresh pasta). Add the tomatoes and their liquid, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook just until the pasta is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the spinach and basil and cook until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, parmesan, and salt and pepper. Drizz

My son likes to sit at my desk and "work" so last night I left the kids at my desk in my room unattended. Never again, my friends, never again. J found some safety scissors in the box that we keep all the colored pencils that I had forgotten was there and chopped up her hair. I should have known something was wrong when they weren't fighting. Because of how random she cut it I had to chop off all her curls. Thus she now looks like a very cute little boy. I'm very sad. While I was fixing J, W disappeared into his room. Apparently he decided he needed a haircut too. I'm outlawing scissors in my home from now on. I had to buzz him to fix it. He hated me for a few minutes then decided he loved the cut. He says it makes him look handsome. My kids are nuts.

I thought I'd share something interesting. Carla has a new design up. If you'd like to see the entire product line go here . I don't have much to add to this than a hearty "Amen."

Got it from here . Very easy to make, fast too! I picked this because I had some tortillas that were going to go bad soon and this way they didn't go to waste. 3 c. cooked, diced chicken 8 flour tortillas, cut in strips 1 small onion, cut in rings 2 c. grated cheddar cheese 1/2 c. chicken broth 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes 1 can diced green chiles Put chicken in bottom of casserole, then layer with tortillas, onion and cheese. In medium bowl whisk together the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles. Pour over top of casserole. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until bubbly.

Another one from Loveless in Nashville. 1 lb bag frozen shredded potatoees 2/3 c finely-diced onion 2 c shredded cheddar cheese 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup 16 oz sour cream salt and pepper to taste Mix all ingredients together. Place in oven-safe casserole dish and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

I have a get together with some of my former fellow employees tomorrow and I was planning on doing my normal hot chocolate recipe, but because one of the ladies is on weight watchers (and doing very well!) I wanted to find something that would keep the point/ calorie count down so she could enjoy it as well. Here is what I got. 2 tablespoons cocoa 2 cups milk 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornflour Combine the sugar, cornflour and cocoa, mixing until well combined. Add a little milk to get a runny paste, then add the rest of the milk. Stir over hear until it boils. Divide the hot chocolate between 4 mugs, top up with a little milk and dust with cocoa powder if desired. Nutritional information for one serving: Calories: 140 Calories from fat: 43 Total fat: 4.8g Cholesterol: 17mg Total carbs: 21.5g Fiber: 0.9g Protein: 4.5g WW points: 3

I got this off the Loveless website, I keep hoping they'll mess up and put their biscuit recipe up. 1/2 lb pork sausage 2 tbsp all purpose flour 1 c milk salt to taste 1/2 tbsp black pepper 1 tsp cayenne pepper In skillet over medium heat cook the sausage and crumble into small pieces. Add the flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Add salt, black pepper, and cayenne peper. Stir until blended. Serve with biscuits, grits, or both.

If you have read, are currently reading, or are going to be reading Owen's fine work on the mortification of sin and would like to interact a bit with some other people I would encourage you to head on over to my church's forum as we're just kicking things off and I'm hoping for some interesting and encouraging discussion. Calvary Baptist Forums

In keeping with my Indian theme here is another recipe I found at Food Network. 2 tablespoons ground turmeric 1 tablespoon crushed dried chili flakes 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds 1/2 tablespoon ground cloves 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces 2 cups chopped onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 hot pepper, such as Scotch bonnet or serrano, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste 2 cups chicken broth 1 can unsweetened coconut milk 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 1 recipe West Indian Bread for Roti, recipe follows, breads kept covered and warm In a medium skillet or saute pan combine the turmeric, chili flakes, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, ginger,

From Food Network. Grilled Nectarine-Mint Chutney: 4 nectarines, halved and pitted Canola oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 serrano chile, finely diced 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup golden raisins 3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves Skewered Lamb Curry with Grilled Pita: 1/4 cup coriander seeds 2 tablespoons cumin seeds 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder 2 teaspoons turmeric 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated 1/4 cup canola oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch dice 6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for 20 minutes Kosher salt Olive oil, for drizzling 4 pita breads, with pockets For the chutney: Heat the grill to

Food Network for the win! 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 medium onion, diced Salt and pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt 3/4 cup half-and-half 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add spices and cook until fragrant. Add yogurt, half-and-half, thawed spinach with its liquid, and drained chickpeas. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until heated through.

As I mentioned previously, I received two books for Christmas. Truth be told I purchased this one without really looking into it further than to see that it was John Piper's new book. From the moment I cracked open the pages I was challenged and encouraged. I don't mean for this to be a proper book review, but mearly a pointing out of a great resource. If you do read this book I would encourage you to not skip over the introduction because it gives a clear glimpse of Piper's hopes and intentions for the book. If you wonder how God can truly be sovereign over all in light of the seeming chaos that surrounds us, this would be a good book for you. If you wonder why God, if He is sovereign - and we know He is - would allow terrorists to fly planes into the Twin Towers, or bridges to collapse, or tsunamis to hit islands, or any other number of things then this is a great book to start with. An encouraging book. Piper exhorts us to not settle for wimpy theology because it makes w

Around Thanksgiving I had my first experience with Indian food, and I must say it was delicious. I went with a group of friends to a restaurant in downtown Chicago and they'd all had Indian food before so they picked the food so I really don't know what I had but it was YUM. Anyway, after that I decided to dig up a recipe for samosas. I found this one over at Food Network. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ghee, clarified butter or vegetable oil, plus 1/4 cup, plus extra, for frying 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 hot green chile peppers, minced 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 2 large baking potatoes, like russets, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice, and boiled until just tender 1/2 cup par-cooked and drained green peas 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves 2 t