Month: January 2015

Daily Thoughts

Listening

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

I have just returned from attending a Women’s Retreat at a local church where one of my favorite people, Debbie Stuart, led the sessions. Not only is she one of my favorite people, but probably my favorite speakers. She is real. She speaks Truth from God’s Word. The topic this weekend was on Listening. In todays world, we don’t have too many opportunities to truly experience quiet. We have sounds all around us. There is even a free app that we can download on our phones that gives us NOISE, as if we don’t have enough around us as it is. We find ourselves turning on either the radio or the TV the minute we wake up or as soon as we walk in the house. We don’t turn either of them off until we climb into bed. In fact, some of us listen to music as we sleep or have the TV on as background noise while we sleep. We complain that we don’t ever hear God speak to us. How could He and when He did, how could we expect to hear Him?

There are 143 Million people that spend at least 15 minutes a day on Face Book; 13 million spend 15 min have a quiet time with God. We wonder why our lives are hectic, confused and troubled. We spend more time in our closets picking out the outfits we are going to wear for the day than with God. Why is this? Is it because we feel that we don’t need Him? Is it because we feel that He doesn’t care about the everyday details or our lives? Or is it simply that we justify our actions by declaring that we just don’t have time.

She gave us some pointers to learn how to listen if we simply just take a few minutes and ask the Lord to pour out His wisdom to us.

Lean In Psa 119:32 “If you will help me, I will run to follow your commands”. We must invite Him into our lives.

Implement A System. Gather your Bible, writing journal & pen and have them together. Sit Still, Read & Write.

Show Up…meet God when you are at your best, whether it be in the morning or in the evening. Give HIm the best of your day.

Teachable Spirit-Do you come to Him with a harden heart or with a humbled heart?

Eliminate Distractions Hosea 4:6 “my people are being destroyed because they do not know me.” We wonder why our lives are a mess and we think God has deserted us. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. We are the ones who have pushed Him away.

Nnow It..He talks to those who talk to Him. Which voice do we listen to? Who are we trying to please; the world or God?

We wonder where to begin? There is no wrong place to begin. Open your Bible. Your Father would like a Word with you!

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” Hebrews 12:25

Could your life use some guidance? Are we willing to turn aside and LISTEN?

“We need to realize that unless we leave some time for God, we can’t live the lives that He created us to live…the lives that bring Him glory and become lights that shine in the darkness.” (Debbie Stuart)

“We have two choices:

1. We can whine and forfeit my usefulness or

2. We can pray and worship and fulfill our destiny.

The only thing worse than waiting on God is wishing you had. In order to know God’s will for our lives, we need to learn to listen and obey. Don’t get ahead of Him.

Though you cannot go back and make a brand new start my friend, you can start right now and make a brand new end.

What are you doing with your time that keeps you from listening?

Talking, searching the web, reading, shopping, gardening, baking, crafting, regretting, blaming, wishing?

Given Him 10 minutes today,

But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord. Acts 20: 24.

*(These  points and quotations are taken from our worksheet this weekend from Debbie Stuart, Hope For the Heart)

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Super Bowl Whoopie Pies

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Since Whoopie Pies are one of the best inventions EVER, I decided that they would make a great dessert for the Super Bowl Party. So I just made chocolate whoopee pies and made the frosting in the navy blue and green of the Seahawks for between the cookies. I just ate 3 of them. Hopefully there will be some left for Sunday. They are easy to wrap individually in Saran and then in a baggie to stay fresh for Sunday. Very easy make-ahead dessert.

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teas vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 1/2 teas baking soda

1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1 cup milk

Filling

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

1/2 cup shortening

1 teas vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Drop dough by tablespoonful (I used a medium size cookie scoop) 2″ apart onto greased baking sheet. (again, I use a coated sheet, so if you use them, do not grease the sheet) Bake 6-8 min or until set and tests done.

Remove from pans onto paper towels or wire racks to cool completely.

For Filling

In a large bowl, beat marshmallow cream and shortening until blended. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. I add food coloring to a little milk and beat into mixture. Spread on the bottom of half of the cookies and then top with the other half. Wrap in plastic and keep in sealed container for up to 3 days.

Makes about 2 1/2 dz.

appetizers · Breads · Super Bowl Recipes

Mushroom Bread

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Looking for a filling meatless appetizer for Super Bowl? This is taken from Taste of Home and sounds like a great one.

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

2 cups thinly sliced fresh mushrooms

1 tables butter, melted with garlic powder tailored to your liking

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teas Italian seasoning

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. On an ungreased baking sheet, unroll crescent dough into one long rectangle; press perforations to seal. Prick dough several times with a fork. Bake 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, toss mushrooms with melted butter (with added garlic powder); arrange on crust. Sprinkle with cheese and seasonings. Bake 12-14 min longer until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Cut into 12 pieces.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

SUPER BOWL DESSERT!!! Perfect for the dessert table Sunday. I was needing one more recipe other than the pecan pie bars and oatmeal cookies and Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies and here it is. Love love love the flavor of peanut butter and chocolate.

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cocoa

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teas vanilla

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup milk (add gradually as it might not require the whole 1/2 cup)

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13×9″ baking pan. In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, peanut butter and cocoa; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 min or until cake tests done.

Prepare frosting while cake is baking. In a large bowl, beat the powdered sugar,  butter,  peanut butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. Remove cake from oven when done and place on wire rack. Immediately spread with frosting; sprinkle peanuts over top if desired. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Daily Thoughts · Super Bowl Recipes

Scratch Super Bowl Recipes!

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

I have found my new favorite lunch place. Went for the first time today to Bread Zeppelin on Park in Plano and I have to say that I am ready to just throw away all the recipes that I wanted to make for Super Bowl Sunday (which now will be written SBS, which could also be used for Southern Belle Society, but this week I think we all know what it stands for) and just go buy their wonderful sandwiches. My friend and I go to lunch every Wednesday after our art class and today she told me that she wanted us to go to a new place that she and her hubby have fallen in love with. (That is probably a bit too much, but us Southerners do love our foods, don’t we?). Anyhow, as we stood in line to order, I noticed that they were carving out the middle of each loaf of bread and stuffing something in them. OMGosh, that space is made to stuff the salad of your choice. The bread was just amazing. It is crusty on the outside and so soft on the inside. I can’t wait to go back to try more of the salads. I came home and told Randy that this is going to be our new “go to” place when we aren’t craving greasy hamburgers or Mexican food, or pizza, or the nights when we have Hot Fudge Sundaes or Banana Splits for our dinner. But…the other nights that we eat out, you will probably find us at Bread Zeppelin.

Before I close, I just want to tell you something that happened to me yesterday that will make all of you feel very smart.(and young)  Having noticed that I am tending to do a “few” things that might cause anyone under the age of 50 to say that “the ole girl just needs to be put away before somebody gets hurt.”… made me realize that I should go and be sure my cabinets are in alphabetical order and I have each piece of furniture tagged as to who gets what in a few years, before I totally loose it. Jodi, our daughter who lives in Phoenix calls each morning to catch up on the exciting events that might happen in our lives each day. I have told her that when I start to tell her how many dr visits we have scheduled that day or what kind of bowel movements we have had, to just shoot me. But  I’m sure we are YEARS away from that. Each day she calls and we talk about grandkids and her exercise class and she tells me that if I would start eating a little more healthy and work out, that maybe, just maybe, I might have a few good years ahead of me before I am sitting in a wheel chair with my hair colored blue (which would at least match my car right now, and no, it is not a Buick, yet) and the highlight of my day would be go to the dining room at the nursing home an hour early to wait for my mashed peas. So we are talking and after a little while, she ask me what I am doing, as I sound out of breath. I told her to just keep talking with I continued to look for my phone, that I was pulling the cushions out of the chair and on my hands and knees looking under the chair in case it had fallen through to the floor. She begins to laugh and I tell her it’s not funny, I have GOT to find my phone, my whole life revolves around my phone. How would I know which dr visits I had this week without my phone?  Through her laughter she proceeds to tell me that I might want to add another dr appt to my calendar. Why? What does she think is wrong with me that I need to go to another dr?  She then tells me to just stop and think about what I am talking to her with? Can I just tell you that we laughed until our sides hurt. But I got off the  “lost” phone and reassured myself that it had just been a crazy week and I’m sure that if I double up on my Gingko, I would be fine, if I could just remember where I last put it. I had better get Randy to Bread Zeppelin before I forget where it is!

Chocolate · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Super Bowl Pie Bars

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

This Southern delight is perfect for a finger dessert since we like to have desserts that we can just pick up every time we walk by the table, as to not miss any of the great commercials that will be played on Sunday. When I saw these, I knew that it would be one of our desserts this weekend.

Makes 2 dozen

Crust

3 cups graham-cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Filling

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teas vanilla

1/4 teas salt

2 cups chopped pecans

1 (12 oz) bag mini-semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13×9″ baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Spray the foil with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and egg white, stirring until well combined. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 min; let cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and both corn syrups. Add melted butter, eggs, vanilla and salt. Whisk until well combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate morsels. Spoon mixture over prepared crust. Bake for 35-40 min or until middle is set.

Uncategorized

Hospital Chat

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

I thought it appropriate to reblog this as Randy will be going to to get the battery replaced tomorrow that was inplanted in his chest in Feb, 2012. We thank the Lord that the surgery then was such a success and we are grateful for the wisdom that the Lord has given to people who invent these wonderful “gadgets” for people with Parkinson’s. This story will let you inside the walls of our experience of them giving Randy a new lease on life with Parkinson’s. We are so grateful that we were able to laugh all the way to the operating room.

Chocolate Castles

As most of you know, my sweet husband has had to be in the hospital a couple of days last week and then today for some follow-up procedures. We are so grateful to family and friends who have sent us cards, emails, phone calls and prayed for us. Thank you for your love and caring of us. We truly realized how blessed and loved we are.

Knowing that we were in for another day of being in the hospital today, we both decided to go have a last great mexican food meal last night before being subjected to hospital food today, so off we go to Mijeras for enchiladas. Now, normally this would give us the little bit of sunshine that we needed to send us off to a dreaded situation, but last night, well, it was just too much and too loud. As we tried to order our meal…

View original post 1,044 more words

appetizers · Dips · Super Bowl Recipes · Vegetables

Mexican Corn Dip

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

1 can (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 regular size (I forgot to buy it today so don’t know the oz) can of black beans, drained

1/2 small purple onion, chopped

1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper

2/3 cup chunky style picante sauce (you might want to add a little more to your liking)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped black olives

As much chopped cilantro as your liking.

Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and let sit for at least a couple of hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve with chips of your choice.

appetizers · Daily Thoughts · Super Bowl Recipes

Artichoke-Parmesan Strudel

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Since I made a new tab of Super Bowl Recipes, I have been thinking all day about all the foods that would make up my perfect Super Bowl Party. This is what I would have.

Boiled Shrimp (which I know you don’t need a recipe for)

Hamburgers (grilled)

Stuffed Mushrooms

Garlic Cheese Ball

Fried Pies

Sugar Cookies made in the shape of footballs

Cream Cheese Brownies

And this Strudel which will begin the collection of recipes that will be posted this week.

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup butter,

3 (6 oz) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup cottage cheese

1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup cracker crumbs

1 teas garlic salt

1 teas dried whole margoram

1 teas minced fresh parsley

3/4 teas dried whole tarragon

15 (18 1/2 x 12″) sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed and divided

1 cup butter,melted

Saute onion and garlic in 1/4 cup butter in a skillet until tender. Add artichoke hearts and next 9 ingredients; cook over medium heat 5 min or until cheeses melt, stirring often. Set Aside.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a flat surface (keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel); brush with melted butter. Layer 4 phyllo sheets on first sheet, brushing each sheet with melted butter.

Spread 1/3 artichoke mixture crosswise, 1 inch from narrow end of phyllo. Starting at narrow end, carefull roll up jellyroll fashion. Tuck ends under. Carefully place on a lightly greased baking sheet; repeat procedure with remaining phyllo and artichoke mixture. Brush rolls with remaining melted butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut into 1 inch slices and serve warm.

Yield: 30 servings.

Breads · Breakfast · Super Bowl Recipes

Bacon-Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

The first of the Super Bowl Recipes.

3 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tables finely chopped onion

1 teas milk

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

5 bacon strips, cooked and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, onion and milk. On a lightly floured surface, unroll the crescent dough into one long rectangle; press perforations to seal.

Spread with cream cheese mixture; sprinkle with bacon. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal.

Using a serrated knife, cut roll crosswise into 24 slices. Place pinwheels on ungreased baking sheets, cut side down.

Bake 12-15 min or until golden brown. Refrigerate leftovers, trust me, there won’t be any.