I have a heart to come alongside and mentor young girls (or boys), new brides (or husbands), new mom's (or dad's) or the seasoned cook who needs fresh, new ideas for creativity in the kitchen, where I LOVE to be, whether it be time and budget friendly recipes and ideas or spicing things up and growing and taking your cooking to another level. There's something for everyone...the teen learning how to cook, the young adult or college student moving out to live (and cook) on their own, the new bride (or groom), mother (or father), the working person who needs 30 minute meals to the homeschooling family (well, that also needs 30 minute meals)! :) Enjoy as I open up my kitchen and creativity to you sharing recipes from my kitchen to yours from every level of experience - entry level to seasoned chef extrordinaire. I LOVE to cook (& bake) and have been told that I do it well - I don't know...I guess we'll see what you think! :) My recipes are inspired from everything to confections I just make up on my own, to family recipes, to my favorite cookbooks, to cooking along with my favorite peeps on Food Network! I learned to cook alongside my grandmother and mother and have grown through experimenting, attending cooking shows, cooking with friends, and well, watching a whole lotta Food Network, HGTV, & TLC!! As a busy mom who has been "on my own" since the age of 17, when I graduated from high school and moved 3 hours away from home, I have been cooking for a long time and have learned creative solutions in every season of life, from being a career woman, balancing work and home, homeschooling my children, requiring a lot of crock pot cooking where you sort of throw it all in 1st thing in the morning and let it cook itself all day, to now being a full time stay at home mom with children in school where I have more time to have fun and experiment and try some new skills. Due to time and budget constraints during various seasons of life, I have also taught myself, received ideas from gifted friends and mentors, and attended workshops on couponing, menu planning, time savers, etc., that I hope will serve you as I share from time to time! So welcome to my kitchen! I hope you enjoy this new section from my kitchen to yours as we Walk In Victory together over, "What's For Dinner Tonight!" :)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Here's a quick, simple, delicious, and nutritious meal for those nights when you need to rush out the door for church, small group, soccer games, school events, etc. There are 2 different recipes that I use:
Recipe #1:
What you'll need:
*Canned Chicken Salad, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, or Rotisserie Chicken (depending on what youI have time for - Chopped)
*2-3 Hard Boiled Eggs (Peeled & Chopped)
*1-2 Stalks of Celery (Chopped)
*Sweet Relish (To Taste)
*Mayonaise (To Desired Consistency)
*Salt & Pepper (To Taste)
*Whole Wheat Bread, Rolls, or Croissants
Prepare the chicken you choose to use (ie. drain canned chicken, broil and chop chicken breasts, or remove and chop Rotiss. Chicken from bone. Mix together in medium to large bowl the prepared chicken, eggs, celery, relish, and mayo. Spread a heaping amount on bread or roll. You can toast the bread in a toaster oven, under the broiler for a minute or two, or butter the back of each side lightly and grill in a pan until warm and golden. Garnish with Romaine or Green Leaf Lettuce.
Recipe #2:
What you'll need:
*Canned Chicken Salad, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, or Rotisserie Chicken (depending on what you have time for - Chopped)
*Red Seedless Grapes (washed & sliced in 1/2)
*Slivered Almonds (Optional)
*Mayonaise
*Salt & Pepper (To Taste)
Prepare chicken depending on which kind you choose, then mix all ingredients together in medium to large bowl. Spread a heaping amount on bread or roll. You can toast the bread and garnish with Romaine or Green Leaf Lettuce.
Optional Add-In's for either Recipe: Chopped Apples (Green, Red, or both, and feel free to mix up any combination of the two recipes). Have fun and experiment with the ingredients mentioned and you can't go wrong!
Serve with Fries, Chips, Salad, or Fruit and you have a well rounded, wholesome, time savy, tasty meal!
That's what's for dinner tonight!
Recipe #1:
What you'll need:
*Canned Chicken Salad, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, or Rotisserie Chicken (depending on what youI have time for - Chopped)
*2-3 Hard Boiled Eggs (Peeled & Chopped)
*1-2 Stalks of Celery (Chopped)
*Sweet Relish (To Taste)
*Mayonaise (To Desired Consistency)
*Salt & Pepper (To Taste)
*Whole Wheat Bread, Rolls, or Croissants
Prepare the chicken you choose to use (ie. drain canned chicken, broil and chop chicken breasts, or remove and chop Rotiss. Chicken from bone. Mix together in medium to large bowl the prepared chicken, eggs, celery, relish, and mayo. Spread a heaping amount on bread or roll. You can toast the bread in a toaster oven, under the broiler for a minute or two, or butter the back of each side lightly and grill in a pan until warm and golden. Garnish with Romaine or Green Leaf Lettuce.
Recipe #2:
What you'll need:
*Canned Chicken Salad, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, or Rotisserie Chicken (depending on what you have time for - Chopped)
*Red Seedless Grapes (washed & sliced in 1/2)
*Slivered Almonds (Optional)
*Mayonaise
*Salt & Pepper (To Taste)
Prepare chicken depending on which kind you choose, then mix all ingredients together in medium to large bowl. Spread a heaping amount on bread or roll. You can toast the bread and garnish with Romaine or Green Leaf Lettuce.
Optional Add-In's for either Recipe: Chopped Apples (Green, Red, or both, and feel free to mix up any combination of the two recipes). Have fun and experiment with the ingredients mentioned and you can't go wrong!
Serve with Fries, Chips, Salad, or Fruit and you have a well rounded, wholesome, time savy, tasty meal!
That's what's for dinner tonight!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Walking In Victory With Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes!
Rachael Ray's Leftover Stuffing Waffles
I caught just enough of a snip-it of The Rachael Ray Show on Wednesday to share with you this amazing idea and recipe that I thought was a genius and delicious way to help you Walk In Victory with those Thanksgiving leftovers - rolling over your Thanksgiving dinner into brunch over the weekend with this dish! Don't worry if you don't have a waffle maker! Neither do I (although I sure would LOVE to have one if anyone is thinking of Christmas gift ideas...jk - sort of)!!! :) I'm pretty sure you can still Walk In Victory w/this recipe with a good ole' frying pan! Use the same concept, just modify and make the stuffing into patties and fry in a frying pan w/melted butter rather than in the waffle maker! :)
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 3 to 4 cups leftover stuffing
- 1/2 cup leftover cranberry sauce
- 1 cup maple syrup
- A few slices of leftover turkey
Preparation
Preheat a waffle maker to medium-high heat. Once hot, brush with melted butter. Press a few cups of stuffing into the waffle iron, filling from corner to corner. Put as much stuffing into it as possible. Close the waffle iron to press it into the mold. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until the waffle is golden and crispy on top. Open waffle maker and let cool in waffle iron for 2 minutes and then remove.
While your waffle is cooking, combine cranberry sauce and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine. Once hot, remove from heat.
To serve, place a few slices of leftover turkey on top of the stuffing waffle and drizzle with cranberry maple syrup.
ENJOY!!!
Heck, why not?! Let's make this Walking In Victory Leftover Recipe serve triple duty!! (1) A great new recipe; (2) What to do w/all those Thanksgiving Dinner Leftovers; (3) A Walking In Victory In Marriage Idea!!! :)
K - So to use this Triple Play to Walk In Victory In Marriage:
Husbands or Wives (guys - this recipe is simple enough for even YOU to impress the apple of your eye)! Get up early and whip this up and serve to your lovey in bed!! OR...make it together (a couple that cooks together, stays together), and take it back to the bed and have breakfast/brunch in bed together!! OR...get up and set the patio table (or kitchen/dining table) and have a little breakfast/brunch date for two!! Get out your wedding wine glasses and serve this dish with a breakfast Mimosa (O.J. & Champagne - or a non-alcoholic version w/sparkling cider)! Be creative! Just make one another feel important, cherished, and special and keep daily marriage life fresh and exciting!! :) If you're married w/children, just get up extra early and spend time together on this breakfast date (with no child care expense btw...) before the kid-lets get up!! :)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Changing seasons of this journey called life.....
Wow!! Listen! Do you hear that beautiful sound of silence?! :) What is this new season of life I just stepped into?! For the very first time (I think EVER in 19 yrs), I just sent ALL the kids (that are still school age) off to school, the hubbie off to work, & other than the dog, I have this entire house to myself!! In my near 40 yrs existence on planet Earth, I have either been a student, an employee, self-employed, a homeschooling mom, or a stay at home mom w/at least one child (if not ALL 4 children) home with me full time, with the exception of the years I worked out of the home full time, in which case, the whole career/family balancing act was a huge challenge for me. In fact, if I think back over the last few years, this would have described a typical day in my life...dialing the number of one of the dear women in my life who have mentored me along in this journey called motherhood (Debbie, Jill, Shelly, Allison, Lisa - to name just a few); Ring, ring..."Hello?" Background noise - baby screaming, dog barking, kids fighting, doorbell ringing...(and if I go back just 2 years ago and really wanted to be transparent - police at the door w/a rebelling 18 yr old)...Me: "Hello _____, (any of the above mentioned poor souls), I can't take it anymore! I have let this baby cry it out like you said for 45 minutes and she is NOT giving up, I've just finished teaching the 7th grader's Algebra lesson, simultaneously ALL WHILE nursing a baby on one side and pumping on the other, and after 21 problems wrong, we are BOTH in tears! Oh, and while I was teaching Algebra the last 2 HOURS of my life, the baby that won't stop screaming that you told me to let cry it out, has ripped ALL of the next chapter's pages out of our History book, which is likely the trigger that threw the 7th grader into a complete tailspin, hence likely the precise reason my neighbor just left after stopping by to check on us after hearing blood curdling screams of the spawned off temper tantrum from not only finding her History book otherwise vandalized, but you know the old excuse of the dog ate my homework? Well, ours actually just did and do you know where the nearest emergency vet is because I don't think it's digesting very well, just a guess, based on the projectile vomitting from BOTH the homework eating dog and the acid reflux, colic, screaming baby!! Oh, and speaking of this acid reflux, colic baby who has very literally screamed non-stop for 9 straight weeks, the "white noise" of rocking her next to a running vacuum cleaner or setting her bouncy seat next to the washing machine doesn't seem to be producing the desired effect!! And speaking of electronics, do you know what would take the red SHARPIE MARKER off of the letters on my computer keyboard and monitor that my 4 yr old just used as a canvas for her artistic imagination?! And while I'm thinking about the artistic 4 yr old, who by the way is NOT picking up on this whole learning to read thing and insists that the letter D says, d-d-d-PIZZA, the bath she is soaking in doesn't seem to be removing the ENTIRE TUBE OF DESITIN she painted her ENTIRE body with right before she walked in saying, "Booooo, Mommy....I am a ghost!" And speaking of ghosts, I think we may possibly be housing a few, because my house looks like we've been robbed and ransacked and NONE of my children seem to know who is responsible!! Hold on, the police are at the door AGAIN!! I wonder what my 18 yr old did THIS TIME!!! Then again, maybe they're not here on his account! Maybe this has something to do with the fact that someone at Michael's turned me in as unstable as a result of not knowing what the YEAR was to include on the check I wrote yesterday for baskets to organize all this homeschooling stuff that is overtaking my household!! Oh, and did I mention that this baby will NOT stop screaming???!!!!
Oh, it sure is funny to reflect but I am not even kidding when I say that in those moments, you honestly feel like you will be nursing that colic, screaming baby for the rest of your days on earth. I can also tell you that out of all of the Homeschooling Conferences and Parenting Workshops I've attended and all of the books I've read, research I've done, etc., no advice has been as meaningful to me as this...."This too shall pass! You will not be nursing that colic baby through high school, that mischievous toddler will one day learn more appropriate things to color, that 7th grader may not end up a math scholar, but she will in fact one day graduate, and this strongwilled 18 yr old may have to learn some hard lessons from his own mistakes, but God is in control! Second to those nuggets of wisdom from other moms who were just a little ahead, a little behind, and some right exactly in the thick of the same exact season as me, was just knowing that I wasn't alone. God sent just the right people at just the right seasons to come alongside me and mentor, support, encourage, and love me through the victories and the heartaches!
That is my heart, passion, and vision for this next season of this journey called life. To be that Titus 2 model, to mentor, train up, support, encourage, and love on every person God Sovereignly places in my path, and pass it on so that each of them can do the same! I shutter to think about where I would be without those people in my life; where my marriage would be, where my children would be, where my spiritual journey would be, how selfish I would be, how I would have otherwise succumb to trial, etc. I certainly don't have it all figured out! That's the great news though. We don't need to have it all figured out. We need each other. No matter what season of life we are in, we can't do it alone.
We experience the things in life that we experience not only for our own personal development and growth, but to use those experiences to relate and help others do the same. My vision for the child, to the teen, to the single adult, to the newly married, new parents, empty nesters, widowers, etc., is that we not just exist and get by as we pass through the changing seasons in this journey called life, but that we live the abundant life intended for us and walk through each and every season, embracing every success and every challenge victoriously!
So now what? It's almost a little too quiet around here! I never thought I would say that!! :) Well, for the immediate future, I'm going to finish an entire cup of coffee while it's still hot, take a full shower without having to tend to someone or something in a towel still suds up, spend the next week or 2 unpacking all of these boxes, decorating and making our new house our home. I may just spend the next couple of months milking it for every single thing it's worth!! :) Doesn't this sound wonderful? Finishing a cup of coffee, actually taking a shower, getting dressed and putting on a little make-up every single day, keeping a pristine home, no more ransacked effect here, laundry that is caught up rather than overflowing, a trip to the grocery store without bribes, threats, and temper tantrums over the type of cereal everyone wants, being able to cook along with my favorite Food Network celebs and decorate with my favorite HGTV peeps, heck I think I'll even plant my own herb garden and finally take my Ninja out of the box! Did you hear that?! Adult TV stations?! Food Network, HGTV, Days?! No more Nick Jr.!! OMGoodness, I might actually even be able to get back to my Zumba, Pilates, and Kickboxing classes, attend some morning ladies bible studies, meet up with a friend for lunch, and even stroll around Target just because I can!!! :)
Then I guess after the 1st of the new year of this new season, I'll gradually stop milking it and here's a little snapshot of what's to come....finishing up my Life Coach Certification Classes and finally after all these years, launching my vision and dream!! Having a career that allows me to be a full time wife and mother, using everything I've learned from all of those years of being a wife, mother, homeschooler, full time paralegal attempting to balance career and family, owning my own businesses, etc., I've tried it all, to mentor others on how to do the same. Here's what to look forward to: (or maybe dread, idk...)!! :) A new website where you can access way more than a blog! Personal house calls to walk alongside you in everything from marriage to parenting to career to home and time management, budgeting, couponing, meal planning and preparation, home decorating, home organization, teen challenges, fitness, fashion, beauty, etc. Walking in Victory Life Groups and Life Shops, A Walking in Victory Walking Club. For all of you that do not live in the immediate area, don't worry, I'm planning to have phone and email consults and ways that you can participate online!
Stay tuned and in the meantime, remember you are not alone, this too shall pass, and life is a journey with different chapters and seasons along the way. God is not finished with you yet. Embrace today with all of it's joys and challenges. For the teen - enjoy these years. They will pass quickly! Enjoy all of the opportunities that this season holds to learn, grow, mature, build friendships, develop into who you were placed on this earth to be. Don't waste precious years getting caught up in things that will hinder you from becoming all you were created to be and don't go to the ocean with a teaspoon! You were created for greatness! For the young mother - rock that baby. Slow down and enjoy this season. They won't be small enough to hold on your lap for very long. For those waiting for a report from the doctor or waiting up for a wandering child, what will one hour of worry add to your life? Trust God. For the grieving heart - you will never forget but it will get easier with time. Take care of yourself, take each day as it comes, don't look too far behind or too far ahead. Take each moment with the grace available for that moment. There isn't grace available right now to worry about what you will do 5 minutes from now, but His grace is sufficient for you and is available to you for this very moment. For the man who just lost his job, struggling to provide - do all that you can do to provide and then let go and let Him do the rest. If He takes care of the birds in the air, will he not take care of you?! Fill in the blank with your name and your circumstances and declare to yourself that this is a short season in a big journey called life. This too shall pass, you are not alone, you are not defeated, you were not designed to just get by but to live life abundantly, to it's fullest! Your steps are ordered by the Lord - walk them victoriously!!
Oh, it sure is funny to reflect but I am not even kidding when I say that in those moments, you honestly feel like you will be nursing that colic, screaming baby for the rest of your days on earth. I can also tell you that out of all of the Homeschooling Conferences and Parenting Workshops I've attended and all of the books I've read, research I've done, etc., no advice has been as meaningful to me as this...."This too shall pass! You will not be nursing that colic baby through high school, that mischievous toddler will one day learn more appropriate things to color, that 7th grader may not end up a math scholar, but she will in fact one day graduate, and this strongwilled 18 yr old may have to learn some hard lessons from his own mistakes, but God is in control! Second to those nuggets of wisdom from other moms who were just a little ahead, a little behind, and some right exactly in the thick of the same exact season as me, was just knowing that I wasn't alone. God sent just the right people at just the right seasons to come alongside me and mentor, support, encourage, and love me through the victories and the heartaches!
That is my heart, passion, and vision for this next season of this journey called life. To be that Titus 2 model, to mentor, train up, support, encourage, and love on every person God Sovereignly places in my path, and pass it on so that each of them can do the same! I shutter to think about where I would be without those people in my life; where my marriage would be, where my children would be, where my spiritual journey would be, how selfish I would be, how I would have otherwise succumb to trial, etc. I certainly don't have it all figured out! That's the great news though. We don't need to have it all figured out. We need each other. No matter what season of life we are in, we can't do it alone.
We experience the things in life that we experience not only for our own personal development and growth, but to use those experiences to relate and help others do the same. My vision for the child, to the teen, to the single adult, to the newly married, new parents, empty nesters, widowers, etc., is that we not just exist and get by as we pass through the changing seasons in this journey called life, but that we live the abundant life intended for us and walk through each and every season, embracing every success and every challenge victoriously!
So now what? It's almost a little too quiet around here! I never thought I would say that!! :) Well, for the immediate future, I'm going to finish an entire cup of coffee while it's still hot, take a full shower without having to tend to someone or something in a towel still suds up, spend the next week or 2 unpacking all of these boxes, decorating and making our new house our home. I may just spend the next couple of months milking it for every single thing it's worth!! :) Doesn't this sound wonderful? Finishing a cup of coffee, actually taking a shower, getting dressed and putting on a little make-up every single day, keeping a pristine home, no more ransacked effect here, laundry that is caught up rather than overflowing, a trip to the grocery store without bribes, threats, and temper tantrums over the type of cereal everyone wants, being able to cook along with my favorite Food Network celebs and decorate with my favorite HGTV peeps, heck I think I'll even plant my own herb garden and finally take my Ninja out of the box! Did you hear that?! Adult TV stations?! Food Network, HGTV, Days?! No more Nick Jr.!! OMGoodness, I might actually even be able to get back to my Zumba, Pilates, and Kickboxing classes, attend some morning ladies bible studies, meet up with a friend for lunch, and even stroll around Target just because I can!!! :)
Then I guess after the 1st of the new year of this new season, I'll gradually stop milking it and here's a little snapshot of what's to come....finishing up my Life Coach Certification Classes and finally after all these years, launching my vision and dream!! Having a career that allows me to be a full time wife and mother, using everything I've learned from all of those years of being a wife, mother, homeschooler, full time paralegal attempting to balance career and family, owning my own businesses, etc., I've tried it all, to mentor others on how to do the same. Here's what to look forward to: (or maybe dread, idk...)!! :) A new website where you can access way more than a blog! Personal house calls to walk alongside you in everything from marriage to parenting to career to home and time management, budgeting, couponing, meal planning and preparation, home decorating, home organization, teen challenges, fitness, fashion, beauty, etc. Walking in Victory Life Groups and Life Shops, A Walking in Victory Walking Club. For all of you that do not live in the immediate area, don't worry, I'm planning to have phone and email consults and ways that you can participate online!
Stay tuned and in the meantime, remember you are not alone, this too shall pass, and life is a journey with different chapters and seasons along the way. God is not finished with you yet. Embrace today with all of it's joys and challenges. For the teen - enjoy these years. They will pass quickly! Enjoy all of the opportunities that this season holds to learn, grow, mature, build friendships, develop into who you were placed on this earth to be. Don't waste precious years getting caught up in things that will hinder you from becoming all you were created to be and don't go to the ocean with a teaspoon! You were created for greatness! For the young mother - rock that baby. Slow down and enjoy this season. They won't be small enough to hold on your lap for very long. For those waiting for a report from the doctor or waiting up for a wandering child, what will one hour of worry add to your life? Trust God. For the grieving heart - you will never forget but it will get easier with time. Take care of yourself, take each day as it comes, don't look too far behind or too far ahead. Take each moment with the grace available for that moment. There isn't grace available right now to worry about what you will do 5 minutes from now, but His grace is sufficient for you and is available to you for this very moment. For the man who just lost his job, struggling to provide - do all that you can do to provide and then let go and let Him do the rest. If He takes care of the birds in the air, will he not take care of you?! Fill in the blank with your name and your circumstances and declare to yourself that this is a short season in a big journey called life. This too shall pass, you are not alone, you are not defeated, you were not designed to just get by but to live life abundantly, to it's fullest! Your steps are ordered by the Lord - walk them victoriously!!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
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