I’m not going to lie….I love the winter! It drives me crazy sometimes that I have all these recipes in my mind for really cold days, only to realize that maybe half of the “winter snuggle in and watch a movie” recipe will get made, due to us living in TX and we just don’t get that many winter weather days. BUT, this week is exciting that the temps are actually pretty chilly and hot bubbly casseroles or soups sound just perfect! Last night I made a soup that turned out delicious. I had a bag of cheese filled ravioli and a bag of fresh spinach. With the fridge door open and my mind racing, I pulled both bags out. As Randy was sitting watching the Cowboys, I took the opportunity to make us a soup that we loved so much, I added more ingredients today to allow us to have it again for lunch. It was easy and quick and the black olive bread we had bought from Trader Joe’s went perfectly with it. This is a great soup ladies and gentlemen! If you want meat, buy the Italian sausage filled ravioli and use it instead of the cheese filled.

The ingredients pictured below are what I used. Depending on how much soup you want, cut up: 1-2 carrots

1 small onion

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Garlic as desired With parsley, pepper and oregano or Italian herbs to taste

I don’t add Sat because of The boullion! No need. Sauté the onion and carrot in about 1-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add the spinach, seasonings, can of tomato sauce, 1 table each: tomato and beef (or chicken) boullion! Add about 2-3 cups of water to mixture. Cook until carrots are tender. When veggies are done, bring mixture to a boil and add ravioli and cook according to directions. Add enough ravioli to give you the servings of soup you want. I used about half of the large bag. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired. This is a great soup base that freezes well to just add tortellini or ravioli to when ready to use. I don’t freeze the soup with the ravioli in it. Just add it when you thaw and bring to a boil when needing a quick meal!

Like so many Christians. I began choosing one word for the year that leads me more into learning more of God through scripture. This year, I felt that my word was “wonder” and I began a quest of all the scriptures that had the word wonder in them. Each day I write one of the scriptures in my booklet and pray that God would help me to see His wonder even in the small things that already are and that happen around me! As Randy and I enter a new season of having to accept some changes in our lifestyles and get used to a more quiet day not going many places we use to go and be at home more than we would normally want!

Today He gave me a “wonder” that made me cry, as I sat and truly contemplated what He had just done. Not only was it a blessing to the lady that it happened, but to me as it was just so amazing to see that God is everywhere and in everything! This morning as Randy and I had our morning devotion, I ask the Lord to help me make at least 3 people smile today and to let me see His wonder in a way I had not seen before….and He did just that!!

Needing stamps. I made my way Into the PO in Frisco by our house. As normal, instead of standing in long lines, I just use the machines! When trying to insert my credit card to pay, the screen just kept saying “please remove your card”. I had not even inserted my card. After about 3 tries, I looked down to see that there was a card already in the slot! So I removed it and paid for my stamps with my card. Taking the card that wasn’t mine to the counter, I turned it in but not before looking at the name on it. Helena Marco. Well, I’ll just sit in my car and try to find this lady. So that’s what I did. I looked for her on Facebook, but only one I could find was in France. Looking across the street I noticed Marcos Pizza. So I called them to see if there was a family member whose name was Helena as I could tell her where her credit card was. No such luck. So I headed to a store to pick up items at Tom Thumb when I felt the urge to go ahead and go to Dollar Store first. I still had days to get what I would be going for, but just decided to go ahead and get that errand behind me. So into the dollar store I went. As I gathered 4-5 items i walked up to the checkout behind a lady who had a couple of items herself. When she pulled out her wallet to get her credit card, I heard her say “oh no. My credit cards not here”! As soon as I heard the words, I knew she was Helena Marco. I ask her if she was by any chance Helena and she said yes I’m Helena Marco before I could finish my sentence. I told her where her credit card was and she couldn’t believe the timing and what had just transpired. I told her “you know, Only the Lord could have done this!” She agreed and couldn’t thank me enough. I got to the car and just couldn’t control the tears that came as I thought of how amazing our God truly is and the wonders He does each day, if only we had our eyes and hearts open to not only see but expect these wonders! What a blessing it was to me to see how he orchestrated this! May His wonders never cease to amaze me and be grateful for His love and faithfulness, which in itself is a most wonderful “wonder”. He is, after all, the God of Grace!

If you have a book entities Tis So Sweet , you know the KBC recipe on page 113 is absolutely one of the easiest and best cakes. In fact, Randy told me last week that he thinks he now likes it better than the cream cheese pound cake he has always claimed was his top choice of cakes. I had baked several KBC’s last week to take to some sweet friends who are going thru a very difficult time! After I had dropped it off I received a couple of text from family members saying that this was the best cake they had ever had. So I think we do have a winner with the Kentucky Butter cake. But for those of you who know me, know that because it isn’t chocolate, it is not one of my favorites to eat. I love making it for people, I just prefer chocolate! Well this morning as I sat at my dressing table for an hr trying to look a la natural like I woke up looking like I did after spending an hour, I had time to think. All I could think of was “if the vanilla KBC is that good, how good would a chocolate KBC taste?” So I started to google different sites and ladies and gentlemen, I think we have it!!! I proceeded to the kitchen and made the recipe that I found and although I immediately wrapped them and froze them for several meals I need to deliver this week, I know it is a winner. The texture when I was poking holes to pour the chocolate syrup into was a very moist cake with a deep chocolate permeating the kitchen! It smelled devine. Am planning on making another recipe of it after I buy more ingredients and will make a video of baking it. But until then, do yourself a favor and make it. After all, if it’s chocolate, it has to be good. Found this on Pinterest.

Cake:

Add all cake ingredients together and mix well. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. (I actually use granulated sugar instead of flour as it gives a nice crunchy outside to the cake!) Bake in preheated 350 oven until cake tests done. While cake is in oven, place topping ingredients in saucepan except the vanilla of butter extract. Stir until sugar is dissolved! Add extract. When cake is finished baking allow it to sit in pan for about 10 min. Invert over serving platter and poke holes with a small round dowel or skewer! Drizzle warm topping in holes and cake. Cake will freeze well and keeps well at room temp, covered up to 3 days if not freezing. Top with ice cream or whipped cream or just slice a piece off as you pass by. The calories don’t count if you don’t eat it with a fork.

Sunday I learned that a dear sweet friend had passed away during December due to a stroke. This sweet lady who was so smart and efficient, was just a great friend who had encouraged me ever since I began to write Chocolate castles. She would aways tell me how much she enjoyed reading the blog and made several recipes from time to time. During the 15 or so years that I was blessed to know her, she and I began a joke of calling her Ms Green Beans. She would sign her emails Ms GB and that’s how I addressed correspondence to her. To be honest, I can’t truly remember the story of how she became Ms GB! For years when I was up at church all the time, I made sure to go by her office and take what I had brought up to church to share! She would always tell me “oh Trudy, I shouldn’t have that! I’ll put it in my drawer and take it home to Bill”. But when I passed back by on the way out, there seemed to always be a napkin out on her desk with half of the goodie already gone! I would just shake my head at her and smile and say “ poor Bill. He’s not going to get a bite of that, is he?” She was just one of those people who was like everyone’s grandmother. She loved the Lord and she loved the church. Ms Green Beans, you will be missed and one day, we will sit and share a big plate of green beans and I’ll bring the goodies!!! Gladys Heaton, you blessed so so many lives! So thankful for the memories I have with you!