Sometimes you just wake up and think “cereal, or fruit shakes, or eggs, toast, just doesn’t sound good today! maybe an old fashioned popover with fresh fruit will hit the spot!” And spot it did hit. Had not made them since last winter, but they were so good and with the fresh blueberries and maple syrup drizzled on top with (of course) pats of butter….well, it always Makes my mind wander to making a chuck roast with potatoes , carrots and Yorkshire pudding with gravy. But until I buy a roast, popovers for breakfast was a great way to begin a Thursday! The recipe is taken from my old but grand Betty Crocker cookbook I’ve had since the 70’s. Easy to make, yes it does take more time (because of bake time) but oh so worth it! Instead of heading out the door to IHOP one morning, try these! You will love them!

We go downstairs to play Mexican train sometimes on Tuesday , so it isn’t fun to sit there with a stuffed tummy while trying to choose the right domino! Besides I’m taking down some of the lemon minis I made yesterday for us to snack on! So today since I didn’t want to go down feeling like a stuffed toad, I thought about how good soup would taste and then to make enough to last a couple of days, so After looking in the fridge, I found a bag of 3 cheese tortellini in the freezer and went to work!

Sautéed some Mild Italian Sausage with 1/2 onion, chopped, 2 stems of celery and 1/2 green bell pepper! Cooked until meat was done! Added a slice carrot, 1 can of petite diced tomatoes and 1 can of chicken broth! Added:

1-2 teas Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Sprinkled Lawrys Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked ravioli according to the directions for frozen ravioli in a separate pan and as soon as it was done, added the ravioli (after draining it) to the soup mixture!

Sliced some garlic herb French bread, buttered the bread and warmed it in oven! Spooned up the soup and sat down to a bowl of wonderful Italian ravioli soup with garlic bread!

Randy and I stopped for a Pink drink today (well he got a mocha Frappuccino because he can afford to do so. His cholestrol is 177 and mine is 310 but I’m not the least bit bitter even though we eat the same things) but as we drove off I began to regret that I had not ordered a slice of their lemon loaf! So as soon as we got home a couple hours later, I quickly got a lemon cake mix out and decided that I would make my own lemon cake! These little gems are so moist and so lemony that I could eat about a dozen. Good thing I used the large mini pan and had enough batter left to make a dozen regular size cupcakes. Because they are so moist and have so much flavor using the cheesecake instant pudding, it isn’t necessary to use a lot of frosting. Just a quick glaze is sufficient! These are so perfect to pop in your mouth as you sit and watch House Hunters or a Hallmark movie! You will never need to go to Starbucks for lemon loaf again! Well unless you don’t like to bake or just don’t want to wash baking dishes! Then head to your nearest Starbucks!

1 Duncan Hines Lemon Cake mix

1 small box of cheesecake instant pudding

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/2 cup veggie oil

Mix all ingredients together until well blended for about 2 minutes

Using a medium cookie scoop fill greased mini muffin baking pan (mine holds 24 minis) half full bake In preheated 350 degree oven for about 12-15 min depending on your oven. Do not over bake. Take them out just when top is soft and doesn’t look dry ! Cool and pour glaze over top or dip each mini in the glaze. I ended up nuking the glaze until it was thin enough to pour but found it easier to dip the tops of the minis instead of pouring it over them. I did the same with the 12 regular size cupcakes that I made with the left over better.

Glaze

2 tablespoons very soft butter (u can even melt it it that is easier)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teas vanilla or lemon extract

Water enough to make a thin consistency

Stir until no lumps remain and butter is complexity mixed in. Add extract of your choice. Dip each mini/cupcakes in glaze and slow to cook and glaze to set

For quite some time I have been searching for the perfect sour cream sauce to pour over chicken enchiladas! Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think this is what I have been searching for all my life! Ok maybe not all my life but for several years! Made this the other night and all I can tell you is this……it was amazing! We loved it and you would have thought our surname should be Cruz or Cortez, not Cox!!! We found it!! The best sour cream sauce and it was so simple! The picture below was our first chicken enchiladas that would make any Tex Mex restaurant proud! Found it on line but don’t remember the web site so forgive me whoever posted it for not acknowledging you!

I made 6 enchiladas with shredded chicken from Costco and sautéed 1/2 white onion in a little butter with some Lawrys seasoning salt! Put a little of the chicken, onion mixture and a sprinkle of the Mexican shredded cheese inside a corn tortilla that I had seared in hot oil 2-3 seconds on each side! Placed the enchilada in a greased pan and covered with the sour cream sauce and topped with sharp cheddar cheese. Baked in preheated 350 oven for about 25 min or until sauce bubbled and cheese was melted ! Ole’.

Make a roux with the flour and butter and then slowly add the chicken broth. Stir u til paste is smooth and add rests of ingredients. Stir until mixed.

Last couple of days Chuck Swindol has been teaching on KCBI about Jonah and his disregard for Gods instructions of going to Ninevah to proclaim Gods’ message! In this teaching, Pastor Swindol has shared that just like Jonah, all Christians sometimes get complacent in our obedience to God. Like Jonah, we think that we can hide from God when we don’t want to do what is ask of us! Our walk in faith becomes stagnant and we loose respect and fear of the Lord. Fear is not the same as being afraid of God! We are not to be afriad of Him, but just like parents want our kids to fear us enough to obey us, it is no different with God. Do we enter the church building with any thoughts to its holiness? Do we approach our quiet time with eagerness and desire to not only learn more of God but to have a heart of obedience that will strengthen our walk with him? Do we desire to fall in love with the Lord more each day? Today because the grocery store forgot to put in the 36 eggs I had ordered to be delivered yesterday I spent over 24 hours with no eggs, when I had planned to bake several things for needed people’s request and cookies for a birthday order! I know this sounds silly, but because I couldn’t leave to go to the store due of several reasons, I felt almost lost when I couldn’t bake! Made me a little mad that I didn’t have what I wanted or needed! As I thought about that, I began to wonder about how I felt when I skip a day of reading Gods Word! Do I miss that as much as I missed having eggs? Do I ever feel like I’m missing something important? Do I feel lost when I don’t take time to pray and talk to the person who is suppose to be my best friend, my Creator God and Savior? Or do I just go about my day with no regard to what I should have done to made it a priority? Like Jonah, I think that I can hide in activity or business. But God….He and only He can calm the stormy seas! He is always ready and willing to welcome us back when we try to run and hide!

Do we ask Him to give us more of a hunger for Him snd His Word? When God allowed Jonah to be in the belly of the whale for 3 days, Jonah came out with a new desire of obedience! It took a storm in his life to get his attention! Will God have to send a storm in my life to get mine?