A couple of weeks ago, I was having lunch with a friend who began to tell me about this Casserole her adult kids always request when they come over for dinner. I was curious to see if it was the same chicken and rice casserole that my mom used to make so I ask her to tell me about it. It was very different from my moms, but I liked the sound of it and decided to make it for some family coming to dinner. It was a great dinner and we served it with fried squash cubes, avocado/tomato salad with purple hill peas. Thanks Janet for a great chicken rice casserole that is easy to make and delicious to serve!

Boneless chicken breast or boneless thighs

1 pkg Liptons dry onion soup ( sometimes I put 1 1/2 pkgs (I used 2 whole packages)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 can cream of mushroom soup

11/4 cup of boiling water

1 1/3 cup Minute Rice

2 Tsp pimentos (optional)

Mix dry onion soup, mushroom soup, rice and boiling water in glass casserole dish 13×9 (I think)

Place chicken on top. Pour a little melted butter on top.

Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Pour a little more melted butter on top when it comes out of oven!

Most of you know that several year ago, we had a season that the Lord provided us with so many funny happenings that gave me a lot of blog stories. With Randy having Parkinsons, our season of life is quite different from years gone by. Our days have changed but our humorous attitudes have not! Still, so often there comes a circumstance that just, well you just have to laugh at it because some days become routine with us staying home so much more than before. Saturday was one of the days that just caused us both to not be able to quit laughing. We were headed to Target to get a SIM card for his phone when I realized that we were near the Outlet’Mall. It has been several years since going out there and there are stores I love to go to when we go! Well, we used our brand new handicap permit and parked right in front of the first store I wanted to visit. Randy got his Walker out of the back seat and proceeded to go sit in the nearest bench while I went in to spend his money. I’ve so very good at doing that. It is a wonderful talent of mine! So when I exited the store with a bag in my hand with my new purse, he told me he wanted to go to the Columbia store which was just a few stores down, so off we went with him and his Walker which we have named Speedy, and me limping since I was not able to go until this morning to get a steroid shot in my knee! Advil only works so well! We slowly make our way to the next store which is about 10 stores down from where the car was parked. Once again he finds the nearest bench and waits for me. I came out after a few min and he looked shocked when I didn’t carry any new bags with me! When I told him I really wanted to go to the Chicos store he just looked at me and said “of course you do! I knew we wouldn’t get away from here without going to Chicos” When I backed into the street to see if I could find it, I still didn’t see it but I knew it was on this side of the outdoor mall! But I also knew my knee had gone as far as it could go! It was already swelling and I knew that even if I could walk to Chicos, Randy would have to be lifting me up on the handle bars of his Walker to take me back to the car! So it was then that he said, “why don’t I go get the car and come back and pick you up and drive you to the Chicos store?” And you wonder why I love him so!!!

Well I argued for a minute with him about that as I knew it was hard for him to walk all the way back to the car, half of the way in the parking lot and half on sidewalk. Walkers are not made to be used in rough parking lots ! We found that out the hard way!

But then the talent part of me where I spend money, kicked in and I agreed! So off Randy goes pushing the Walker (while his wife who looks like she isn’t hurting or has any problem walking (when I sit down I look pretty normal) into the parking lot at a very slow pace, toward our car while I sit and watch him, All the while picking up the Walker to lift it over the speed bumps and uneven cracks. When I began to think of what it just look like to anyone watching this, they must have thought how horrible to have such a spoiled wife who sits with the items she had bought with his money, while she makes her husband who has to use a Walker, go get the car for her! When he got back and I waddled and limped to the car, I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t tell him why! Finally seeing the Chicos store I was able to tell him why all the laughter. What people must be thinking, made us both laugh and it just felt so good! As we go through some difficult days with health issues, the Lord is so gracious to give us special days of laughter and be able to find joy in the most unexpected places. While I was in Chicos, Randy found the most comfortable patio chair under the shade and just enjoyed the sunshine and wind. I had already prepared him not to expect me to come out of Chicos without bags. And I didn’t disappoint him! I had 2 bags of goodies to show him! He just smiled and told me I could go get the car this time! Laughter and shopping….so good for the soul! And today is our 27th anniversary! God has truly blessed our lives with so many wonderful days, even in the midst of a few valleys! Happy Anniversary to a most loving and precious husband who continues to love me no matter what!

Heading to a ladies dinner/Bible Study, we are having Italian theme dinner tonight. I was ask politely if I would mind bringing some sort of Italian casserole, knowing someone else was making spaghetti and meatballs, I decided to make something with an Alfredo sauce! We love the Rana brand of pasta in the cold deli section! Decided on the Italian Sausage stuffed ravioli and layered it with sautéed fresh spinach, onions and mushrooms, the. Poured the Alfredo sauce over the top and sprinkled Italian 3 cheeses over the top. Using whipped cream to thin the Alfredo sauce makes it extra creamy! It is a wonderful dish for company and allows you to put it together in the afternoon then bake right before you serve it. Make a loaf of butter garlic bread and a salad and you have a great dinner

Ingredients

2 bags family size ravioli (sausage, or spinach or cheese filled, your choice)

1 package fresh spinach

1/2 medium size white or yellow onion chopped (or 1 cup)

1 8 oz package white mushrooms

2 jars of your favorite Alfredo sauce

Garlic herb seasoning

Red pepper flakes

Black pepper

1/ 2 teas thyme

1 8 oz Italian shredded cheese

Grease a 9×13” Pyrex dish with butter & set aside

In a skillet, add 2 tables butter and add the onion, mushrooms and spinach. Sprinkle some garlic powder or garlic herb seasoning on veggies. Stir and cook until spinach and mushrooms are tender and onion is clear. Set aside

In large boiling pot, bring (shoot i forgot to measure how much water but I filled pot a little more than half full) water to a boil and drop in the ravioli and cook for 4-5 min or follow directions on package! Drain when done. Spoon an little of the Alfredo sauce on bottom of casserole dish and thin with about 1/4 cup whipping cream. Sprinkle pepper and garlic herb seasoning over the sauce. Add ravioli and then the spinach onion mushroom mixture and spread it over the top of ravioli. Top with Alfredo sauce until mixture is covered with the sauce. Sprinkle the Italian cheese mixture on top. Bake in preheated 350 oven until mixture is bubbling and heated throughout. About 25-30 min! Remove from oven and let it sit while you are calling everyone to the table and pouring sweet tea in their glasses. They will love you forever!

And there you have it!! An Italian dish that is easy and scrumptious!

Yesterday began like most! Got up, had a cup of hot tea, had devotion and prayer, no breakfast and the doorbell rang! It was one of my sweet DIL’s dropping off my favorite chocolate she had picked up while on a layover in Vegas. It was then I decided that maybe having chocolate for breakfast would give me the energy I needed for the day! And it did! Going into the kitchen to make two chocolate cream pies with whipped cream was next on my agenda so I went to work. A friend I had not seen in quite a long time was coming over in the afternoon for a visit and a piece of pie and I was thrilled we would have a chance to catch up after such a long time. But before I could finish the pies I received a phone call from another friend who I had not heard from in a while! We had the opportunity to just visit and it was just an encouraging conversation to me! After we finished talking, I finished the pies and put them in the fridge. One pie would be going to our 18 yr old grandson. Chocolate pie is his favorite and I had promised I’d make him one on Monday after he helped me hide eggs on Sunday for our young grandkids. About 3 in the afternoon, the precious friend who was coming over arrived and we quickly began to share what had been happening in our lives the last couple of years! While carrying on this interesting conversation, another friend texted and ask if she could stop by to pick up some ham! There was so much left over from Easter dinner and her husband has been in the hospital and rehab since December! So I had told her on Sunday to stop by when she wanted and take some of the ham and baked beans. Well now there are 3 of us and we are having a great time just laughing and catching up! Before we knew it it was 4:30 and the friend who arrived at 3 said “oh my gosh, I’m suppose to meet a friend at 4:30, let me text her and tell her it will be 4:45”. I said why don’t you just tell her to come on over here and have pie with us! So that’s what she did! I had not had that much fun in so long. It was just the most amazing day of sweet friends laughing and filling each other in on what our lives had been like the last couple of years! Some circumstances were hard struggles, some circumstances were just what the Lord had done for us! When they all left, I was on such a high from thinking of the goodness of God and how He gives us precious moments like these when our days seem so ho hum and routine! We had our fill of iced tea and pie and all of us had smiles on our faces and in our hearts, ever so grateful for friends that God had given to us! Sometimes the unexpected blessings are the best of all! When I tried to think of words to text each of them how thankful I was for each of the friendships, I couldn’t think of enough words other than just to say “thank you” for the very special day! I began then to think of sometimes how hard it is to find just just the right words to thank the Lord for all He does for us when no words seem enough! Am so so glad that one day we can see Him face to face and be able to tell Him we love Him and thank Him for all the unexpected blessings He showered upon us!

Christi, our daughter who lives in NC just sent me this recipe! She had received it from a friend of hers living in Orlando! She is making it for Easter and I can’t wait to make it. Sounds like such a light and not so sweet cake! Thanks Christi. Happy Easter to all and remember He is Risen for we serve a Holy and living God who loves and sacrificed His life But rose after 3 days for each and every one of us, giving us Eternal life, if only we believe!

This morning I woke up to an email from a friend who works at our church that answered a question that had been on my heart. How to use our home for Gods Glory. In years past, our home had housed interns who were working in our church for the summer. We had fed countless women and couples over the years who God had put in our lives for many different reasons. But now that we are living in a smaller home plus dealing with some health issues, we have felt that we had not been offering, not only our lives, but our homes as well to be used by God. Both Randy and I have been praying and thinking about how can we serve Him at this time in our lives! Other than the times when our families come together or a couple comes to gather together around the table with us for a meal, how can we offer our home to others? When a widow moved in behind our home, it dawned on me that I didn’t need to cook her a 4-5 course meal to be of help. Why couldn’t we just either invite her over to join us for dinner or if she was unable to come, just take her some of what we were having? No matter if it was just beans and cornbread! This past Sunday at church, talking to a friend who has been on a “no sugar” diet, I had mentioned to her that I wanted to have her over for dinner or make her her most favorite dessert to celebrate her bday but knew she wasn’t eating sugar! She proceeded to tell me that no matter the diet, if I made a chocolate cream pie, she would just run around the block an extra time in order to be able to have a piece! She told me “for a piece of your chocolate cream pie, I’ll run an extra mile”. It was then that it dawned on me!!! We don’t have to cook an elaborate meal or a whole cake to share with others to bless their day!!! Sometimes all they want is a piece of pie or cake or a bowl of homemade soup to feel loved on! Anytime you feel led to love on others with a simple act of kindness, don’t hesitate because you feel you aren’t doing enough. Scoop up that bowl of soup or beans, throw in a corn muffin or take a piece of cake or pie and they will feel loved on! Sometimes the simple things say more to them than what we feel is needed! God is pleased by our willingness and obedience rather than our desire to show what we are capable of! Friday I’m taking a piece of chocolate cream pie to my friend and maybe I’ll join her on the walk around the block!

Scrolling through FB looking at recipes, I came across this one. We just took a bite and Randy . Looked at me and said, “ok. This is delicious, it is the lightest pound cake ever!” So we have declared it a winner in our books. It was easy and made 3 (7”) ” bundt cakes! It is good enough to eat with no frosting or anything! Just keep slicing a piece with every trip thru the kitchen and it won’t last long enough to cause any weight gain. Disappears to fast! So two in the freezer for when I need a dessert ! One on the counter for after Sunday night dinner tonight of pork chops and mashed potatoes! (Doesn’t sound too much like I am too worried about weight gain anyway.)

Preheat oven to 325

1 cup unsalted butter at room temp

2 cups sugar

4 eggs at room temp

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teas baking soda

1 cup whole buttermilk

1/2 teas salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled (or two 4 oz bars of semi sweet chocolate, I just didn’t have any so used chocolate chips)

2 teas vanilla extract

Beat butter for 2-3 min and add sugar and beat until sugar is dissolved. set aside

Add baking soda to buttermilk and stir! Set aside. In another bowl combine flour with salt! Set aside! Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time mixing well. Beginning and ending with flour mixture, add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to butter/sugar mixture.

With mixer on low, mix in cooled chocolate and vanilla. Pour batter into greased and floured bundt pans and bake in preheated 325 oven until cakes test done.

Let me begin this post telling you first that to be honest, I began to think of that question of what the church really means to me. This week I had a conversation with someone very close to us, who was sharing a very hard struggle in their life. As I listened and heard them talk about this, I felt that it would help to tell them that if they could be a part of a church family to have people who could rally around them and walk with them through this storm, it would help! My advice fell on a heart that is questioning to believe in being a part of a traditional church now and said that because I am legalistic, I believe in The Church! This caught me by surprise as I had never thought about myself being legalistic! Yes I believe In Jesus Christ and His church and I believe that The church is part of what Helps us to grow spiritually and helps us to be a part of what Christ instituted for us, as well as share the spiritual gifts He has given us! TAnd yes, I know I have a long way to go, but as I sat there and began to think about why I do love The Church, it became so clear of what it means to me! So these are my thoughts and maybe they will fall fresh on someone that might be struggling with what God has for them and what it could mean to their lives! I know this is long but it contains a little of my life’s story and what God has done for me!

From the very beginning , Church has been a part of my life. My parents raised me and we were there every time the doors were open. I didn’t complain about going because it was always such a sweet time of fellowship and all my friends were there so I looked forward to going. I loved learning about the Lord and it was just always a huge part of my life. It was not until my early 20’s that I began to think I didn’t need church. After all, life was so good, I had a good job, cute little car. Dates every now and then and lots of friends. So who needed to go to church all the time. Then marriage, babies and time went quickly! My husband went to church because be wanted to play baseball for the church team and church again became our social life as well as what we felt we were “doing our duty to bring up our kids in church!” So we went when it was convenient, got involved in Sunday school, I helped with the youth and life was pretty good! Then things began to unravel! The marriage dissolved, our sweet children went through some very hard years of trying to deal with their their dad and I living apart and the divorce! I felt so guilty getting a divorce and worried about what friends at church would think if they knew our problems. So I quit going for a few years, other than the occasional visit when I missed being in church!

In 1996. Randy and I married and (many of you know this story but it is worth repeating. ) We had began our marriage deciding that we both knew we needed to get back in church and we joined First Bapt Dallas. One Sunday as we listened to the sermon that Dr Hawkins preached on marriage, Randy leaned over to me and said, “with our history, it’s going to take more than love to make it work, we need to dedicate our marriage to the Lord”. So that is exactly what we did! That was about 28 years ago. As we got involved with different aspects of the church, we met friends who we have walked through life with for all these 28 years. We have prayed for prodigal children! We have sat at the bedside of friends who have passed away! Taken meals to friends who had surgery! Spent hours encouraging and praying with people in the waiting rooms of many hospitals! Opened up our homes to young ministers to stay during the summer months when they were interns! Given luncheons for ministers wives and small groups who needed to get to know other new people who were just joining! Allowed women who had had abortions to heal, to meet in our home! Had Bible Studies and fellowships and gathered new members around our table to share meals! I’m 2012 living in CA, and new to our Sunday school class, new friends came to the hospital to sit with me while Randy had brain surgery!

This is the church to me! Apart of all the things that we know the church stands for, sharing the gospel and sharing in the Lords Supper, preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ! Hearing Gods Truth preached! Yes all these things are the church, but in our days of struggling with marriages, prodigal children, losing jobs, diagnosis of Parkinson or cancer, the church is what allows us to have hope and strength and to remind us to keep our eyes on the One who is the Church!!! Jesus Christ! To have dear friends pray for us and encourage us to keep the faith! To walk besides us in those hard times! To laugh with us and share in the joyful times of blessing!

Today if someone is reading this that might be walking through a difficult season, remember that Christ died to give us eternal life! Choose Christ, choose His church and know that inexpressible joy can be found! Celebrate that and join with others that have found Him and worship corporately with other believers! None of us are perfect, but we can place our faith in the one Who is….Jesus. “And on this rock. I will build my church!”

Ephesians 3:15,21 “from Whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.Amen

Upon this rock I’II build My kingdom

And on this rock forever and ever it shall stand

And all the powers of Hell itself

Shall never more prevail against it

For Satan’s thrones are built on sinking sand

Upon this rock I’II build My kingdom

And on this rock forever and ever it shall stand

Upon this rock of revelation

I’II build a strong and mighty nation And it shall stand the storms of time, Upon this rock! (Sung by Sandi Patti)

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!