"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government.

It can only exist until the people discover they can vote themselves largess (gifts, money, favors, etc.) out of the public treasury. 

From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy==to be followed by a dictatorship. " --Lord Woodhouselee

A Prayer for our Nation based on Psalm 69

(David's Urgent Plea for Help)

O God, You know my foolishness; 

and my sins are not hidden from You.

Let not those who who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me;

Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, of God of Israel.

But as for me, my prayer is to You,

O LORD, in the acceptable time;

O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,

Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

Deliver this country out of the mire,

and let it not sink;

Let this nation be delivered from from those who hate it,

and out of the deep waters.

Let not the floodwater overflow these United States,

nor let the deep swallow this nation up.

And let not the pit shut it mouth on us.

Hear me, please, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;

Turn to us according  to the multitude of Your tender mercies.

And do not hide Your face from Your children, from this nation that You

founded for Your children.

For we are in trouble;

Hear us speedily.

Draw near to our souls, and redeem us;

Deliver us from our enemies who live among us and seek to destroy the foundation upon which this country was formed.

Deliver us from the vain philosophies that permeate our culture, but are contrary to Your precious Word.

Let them see that YOU, O LORD, Live and that YOU, O LORD still take care of YOUR  children.

"Do the next Thing."

"Do the next Thing."

I am into soups lately.  They are quick and easy to prepare and a relatively light meal.  They are especially good for lunch.  I am adding three of my newest favorites.

Chicken Dressing Soup

Chop onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to your liking

Heat a little oil in the bottom of a soup pot

add your choice of chopped vegetables to the oil and saute

Add 2 quarts of chicken broth (1 use water and broth powder)

Add 2 cups already prepared and shredded chicken

Add salt, pepper, sage and parsley to season

Serve with corn muffins.

White Bean Chicken Chili

Saute boneless, skinless chicken tenders in a little oil in a soup pot.  Add 1/2 cup water and put the lid on and let simmer until chicken is easily cut up.

OR

Use 2 cups already prepared chicken

Add to chicken:

1 can rotel tomatoes or 1 cup salsa

1 can Salsa Verde (green salsa)

1 can white beans

 4 cups chicken broth

Salt, pepper, cumin,

Serve with corn muffins or tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese and sour cream.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Begin with already prepared chicken, around 2 cups

Add:

3 cups chicken broth

1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup (optional)

2 cans Rotel Tomatoes

Chopped onion and bell pepper (about 1/2 of each)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 pound of Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes (have substituted real cheese for this, the Velveeta gives a better texture, but the other tastes just as good.)

1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence (or your favorite spices) 

Serve with tortilla chips.

"Do the next Thing."

My family went to see "Expelled" the other night.  We highly recommend it!!  It is an excellent documentary...somewhat sad in it's contents, but very informative! 

"Do the next Thing."

    We have puppies!!  Precious live toys from the Lord.  Don't we have such a fun Father.  Beanie Babies just do not compare to the real thing.  Man can make some pretty fun things because we are made in our Father's image.  But man cannot create life.  That is a special gift from God. 

"Do the next Thing."

True fellowship is something we all desire.  Something truly amazing I have discovered recently is that true fellowship happens in the "processes" of life.  By "processes,"  I mean, in life happenings and events.

This concept began to develop as a group of ladies were working together to minister to other ladies.  We were planning fellowship activities for ladies to get to know one another and develop friendships.  The true fellowship, though, happened with those doing the planning more so than with those attending. 

When ladies gather together to minister to others, they reap true fellowship with their fellow workers.  Thus, the message that keeps recurring is "be involved."  Don't wait for others to do for you.  Jump in there and work beside and with each other.

At our church, I have seen the Lord blend together a beautiful tapestry of women of differing talents, differing ages and differing life experiences.  These ladies work together so beautifully, ministering to others in a variety of ways.  

Some recent examples:  We love to bless and shower people at our church.  When the ladies do a shower, they take turns doing the menu planning, buying the hostess gift and doing the decorating.    Everyone contributes, bringing all the little details together.   In the process the ladies are fellowshipping together in ministry and growing in their relationships with each other.

Planning Bible School is a similiar process as is hosting Bible conferences and planning meals for different activities and events.  True fellowship, I believe, is the result of sharing life experiences.  :-)

Just a thought for today:

"You trust Him for your life, that is, your eternal life after death,

but,

do you trust Him with your life, that is, your life on this earth?"

We rest in our assurance of life everlasting, but are anxious over little things in our dailyness. 

I ponder why this is so.

I so want to trust Him in my dailyness with as much assurance as I trust Him for my salvation.

Tortillas are a relatively new staple at our house.  It has taken me a while to realize all the meal options from a simple tortilla.

Wraps

Aside from the obvious role of the tortilla in a burrito, we make wraps from a variety of ingredients.              I have found that keeping condiment tray in the refrigerator makes for quick wraps at meal times.

The condiment tray I use is a round divided tupperware dish with a securely fitting lid.

Options for the condiment tray:   Shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, black olives, bacon bits, chopped onions, zucchini cut into small pieces, squash cut into small pieces

Meat options:  any type of sandwich meat, cooked ground beef or shredded chicken, left over roast beef or steak pieces,  chicken nuggets [frozen chicken breasts can be thawed, cut into strips and stir-fried in a matter of minutes--season with your favorite spices and you are good to go :-)]

Dressing options:  Our favorites are spicy ranch dressing, ranch dressing and creamy Italian dressing.

Individual Pizzas

>Spread your favorite pizza or spaghetti sauce over tortilla.

>top with your favorite meats, cheeses, and/or veggies.

>Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Breakfast Wraps

>Scramble or fry eggs.  Add your favorite breakfast meat and cheese.

>Wrap it up and serve with a side of fruit.

Dessert Tortillas

>Quick-fry a tortilla in a very small amount of oil.  Add cinnamon-sugar and drizzle with honey.  YUM

Now some uses for the already cooked chicken:   (canned chicken can also be substituted)

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

>thaw frozen chicken

>mix together:  2 cups chicken, 1 can Cream of Chicken soup, 1 can drained mixed vegetables

>season with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and a little dry mustard

>pour into prepared pie crust, cover with another crust and cut slits for ventilation.

>Bake @ 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until crust is golden.

Serve with a tossed salad.

Poppyseed Chicken

>Thaw chicken.

>Mix together:  chicken, 8 oz. sour cream (or 1 cup mayonnaise), 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup cooked rice.  Pour into casserole dish.

>Crush one stack of buttery, round crackers.  Pour one stick melted margarine over crackers and mix together.  Layer on top of chicken mixture and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of poppyseeds.

>Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Chicken Salad

> Thaw chicken.

> Mix together:  Chicken, 3 finely chopped green onions, 2 finely chopped stalks of celery,  2 tablespoons chopped pecans, and 1/4th to 1/2 cup mayonnaise.  Salt and pepper to taste.

>  Serve on mini crescents with raw carrots and ranch dressing. 

More forthcoming.  Please share any recipes you have that are indeed Quick-Fixes.

Same concept as the quick-fix ground beef ideas. 

I shop for boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale.  When they go down to the right price, I purchase as much as I can.  You can use any type chicken you prefer.  Whole chickens work fine.  They just have to be skinned and deboned after-the-fact.

To cook:  put chicken into a large stock pan, cover with water.  Add, chopped onions, carrots, and celery.  Salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Let cook until the meat can be easily pulled apart.

Remove the chicken and tear, shred, or chop.  Put into freezer bags in around 2-cup proportions, reserving two cups for today's meal.

OPTION FOR TODAYS MEAL:

Hot Chicken Sandwiches

>use about 4 cups of the cooked chicken

>Cover with broth just enough to make the chicken mixture somewhat thick and spreadable.

>Slice rolls enough to form a pocket and fill with chicken mixture.  Makes a fun mini sandwich.

Chicken and Dumplings

>Leave broth as is

>Add some poultry seasoning and some chicken broth powder.

>Add two cups of the chicken back into the broth.

>Add dumplings*

*make your own or cut flour tortillas into strips and drop them into the hot water.

Chicken Rotel Spaghetti

>Leave broth as is.

>Cook spaghetti noodles in chicken broth.

>Add two cups of chicken.

>Add 1 can Rotel Tomatoes and 1 can small peas

>Add 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.

>Add 4 to 6 ounces of Velveeta cheese or your favorite type of cheese sauce.

>Layer in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.

Chicken Soup

>Add 2 cups chicken back to the broth

>Add a cup of rice and favorite seasoning.

MORE IDEAS FOR THE ALREADY COOKED CHICKEN FORTHCOMING

I have been deceived by a friend and by a philosophy.

Now this happened many years ago, but the prayers and ponderings of the incidents have continued and I have learned much from them.  Such attacks left me feeling a little vulnerable, but gave me an awareness that I must walk close with my Father.  He has taught me much through these experiences.

The profound thing that I learned is this:  I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DECEIVED HAD THE DECEPTION NOT BEEN SO CLOSE TO THE TRUTH.

Now that sounds elementary, but i don't think we believe it.  We expect bad to look bad and good to good. Unfortunately, the appearance of good is not always rooted in good.  Thus, "good" can be sin.

We know that if a statement is not 100% true, then it is false.

It is harder to be deceived by a statement or a person that speaks 50% truth and 50% false, than a statement or person that speaks 90% truth and 10% false.  So the most difficult of all deceptions are those that are 99.9% true, and .1% false.

More later.

Ok, let's cook.  All my life it has been a goal to try to accomplish more than one thing at a time.  I love multipurposed plans.  It's like you accomplish more with less time.  Albeit, that is not always a good thing, but in the realm of cooking, hey, whatever makes a meal quicker and easier to accomplish is worth a little extra thought.

With that in mind, as I am learning this "blogging thing,"  I thought it might be fun to post some recipe ideas I am putting together into a little cookbook for newlywedded friends.  It will be a series of posts, thus giving me something to write about for a few days. :-)

The cooking concept I wish to offer differs from that of "one-day cooking" for many freezer meals in that we are not setting aside a day to cook everything.  I did that ONE time.  It was too much for me.  I have adopted the following cooking method for around 15 years now and it works best for us.  I can usually pull together a meal in a matter of minutes.  The key, of course, is a well stocked pantry.  Personally, I find it a little difficult to plan meals on a weekly or monthly basis.  Our life just is not that routine.   

Here is the idea.  We will begin with Ground-Beef.

Quick-Fix meal ideas for cooked Ground-Beef

Buy 5-10 pounds at a time. (Not only do you get a better price, but you have the means for many meals.)  Refrigerate or freeze the meat until you choose to cook a meal with ground-beef.  When you cook this meal, go ahead and cook all the ground beef at once. 

Set aside the amount needed for the night's meal.   Portion the remaining cooked meat into freezer bags, label, date and put into freezer.  Portion sizes will vary per family size.  I usually use about 3 cups of cooked beef per freezer bag.  This measures out to a little more than a pound.

Now you have several meal starters ready for days to come.

Add your already cooked meat to one of the following recipes and you are "good to go" for a quick meal:

 Tacos

>add taco seasoning, or just salt and pepper to your already cooked meat.  Heat in skillet or microwave.

>serve with hard or soft corn tortilla or flour tortillas.

>topping options:  shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes (drained canned tomatoes work in a pinch), chopped onions, chopped green chilies, taco sauce, salsa verde

>side options:  refried beans, Spanish rice (this is easy--in place of water, add tomato juice, tomato sauce or tomato soup and taco seasoning to your rice before cooking.  Just make sure your liquid is 2 cups to 1 cup of uncooked rice.)

Spaghetti

>add cooked meat to your favorite sauce, warm in saucepan.

>cook your favorite pasta, drain and set aside.

>mix pasta and sauce or serve separtely.

>top with parmesan cheese or mozeralla cheese.

>serve with an Italian salad and garlic bread.

Chili

>Add cooked meat to your favorite chili recipe.  My quick favorite is the Chili O seasoning package.  I add 28 oz. of petite chopped tomatoes to the meat and seasoning package.

>topping options:  shredded cheese, crackers, crumbled cornbread, corn chips of any shape or form, sour cream, black olives, green olives, chopped onions.

Briarpatch Casserole (a family favorite)

>In skillet, warm meat--add enough of your favorite BBQ sauce to thicken the meat.

>Prepare one package of macaroni and cheese according to the directions on the package.

>Pour half of the macaroni and cheese into a casserole dish.  Top with the cooked beef & BBQ sauce mixture.  With the remaining macaroni and cheese make a border around the casserole, leaving the middle portion of the casserole open.

>Serve with Green Beans (dress these up by adding a can of mushrooms, drained.)

Sloppy Joes or BBQ Buns

>Warm meat in skillet.  Add your favorite Sloppy Joe ingredients (we prefer the prepackaged seasoning mix, adding 1 can tomato paste and 1 1/4 cups water) or add your favorite BBQ sauce.

>Serve on hamburger buns, toast, or  rolls (mini joes--my kids favorite).

>Side options:  raw carrots & celery with ranch dressing, coleslaw, potato salad or chips & salsa.

Hamburger Soup

>Brown a chopped onion in a tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven.

>Add the following:         a large can (28 oz) of petite-cut tomatoes, an equal amount of water (28 oz),  2-3 teaspoons of dried beef broth, cooked ground-beef, one bag of frozen mixed vegetables.  Season to your liking.

Note:  One thing I have learned over the years is that cooking does not have to be an exact science.  The way we cook and the seasonings we like are as varied as the individuals who prepare them.  Thus, these recipes are open-ended for that purpose.  The goal is a quickly-prepared, healthy meal.

I would welcome hearing your quick-fix ideas.

Answers, Answers, I need some Answers

Fortunately, I know someone who has the answers!!!!  I love it!!

My Father, has all the answers!!!  And He is so good and so willing to share them!!!  He tells me to ask:

"Call to Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)

My problem is that I forget to ask and sometimes when I ask, I forget what I asked. :-)  I'm so glad he doesn't expect me to be smart, after all, He calls me "sheep."  Don't you just love it!  Don't you just love our Father!

Anyway, back to the point, Father has the answers.  I just have to ask.  He is always faithful to answer (even when I forget that I asked).  Oh, has He answered, showing me that His ways are Higher than my ways.  And His ways are so good.

He answers the big questions, "What is love?"/ "What does it mean to love?"/"What is grace?"

He answers the small questions, "Lord, I overbooked today, what do I do?" 

He answers the school questions, "What curriuculum do we use this year?"

He even answers the unasked, unspoken requests that I think are too vain to ask about, "I really need help fixing up this house."

His goodness awes me continually.  Oh so good, Oh so kind, Oh so merciful and Oh so Gracious!!

Paper here, paper there, paper, paper everywhere.  That's the way it is at my house anyway.

On top of all the "other" paper that comes into our home, the children generate mounds of "precious" paper that must be contended with.  What to do??

Several years back I read a wonderful series of books about notebooking.  Now, I cannot remember the name of the author, nor the books, but the books sparked some ideas for our school, our home office and our home library.  Notebooking has become a way of life for me and I absolutely love it!!  Gone are the file cabinets and endless rows of files that are rarely returned to after original entry.  In is a lovely little cabinet I purchased at Wal-Mart to hold my  notebooks.   Every item of paper that enters the house is accounted for in this little process.  If it is not trashed, it is notebooked.

"Notebook" refers to the white binders with clear overlays that hold 8 1/2 " by 11" sheets of paper.  I keep a three-hole punch handy and also use page protectors when necessary.  The goal is simplicity.  If it is simple it will get done.

The following is a list of  notebooks and how they are used:

Calendar Notebook:  This note book is divided into the months of the year.  Each division holds a monthly calendar printed out from the data on my palm.  The current month is always rotated to the front.  Following the calendar are activities that are occuring within the month (flyers, invitations, etc.), then printout receipts of items ordered online that are expected to arrive within the month.

Awards & Certificates:  These items just can't be thrown away!  Sheet protectors are handy here.  All awards, certificates, documents of achievement, ribbons, play lists, or any item that contains a famly members name goes into this notebook.

Newspaper Articles:  It is fun to see friends and family in the newspaper.  I used clip and file these away and promptly forget about them.  Now they are clipped, taped to cardstock or printing paper, placed in a sheet protector and into the Newspaper Article notebook. 

Collected Writings:  This notebook holds special writings of friends and family--poem, articles, etc.

Children's Art:  Each child's art is collected in his/her own art notebook.  Sheet protectors are great holding odd shaped materials and small thin objects.

Children's School Work:  Each child's work for the year is posted here for ready documentation.

Events & Entertaining:  This notebook is a place to keep notes and ideas for planning and executing parties and events--birthday parties, showers, receptions, etc.

Budget & Banking:  This notebook has dividers for the following categories:  checking statements, Saving statements, investments, insurance, curriculum and instruction, monthly bills.

Family Life:  This notebook is used to organize our daily affairs.  Some of the divisions are as follows:  Children's activities, Mom's activities, Church activities, Household Repairs, Home Decorating, Master Phone List, Business Cards, etc.

Collected Recipes:  Recipes from various sources collected here in their proper catagory.

Invitations & Announcements:  I hate to throw away those expensive graduation and wedding invitations.  Now I post them to card stock along with a picture of the individual, place it in a sheet protector and into the notebook it goes.  Baby announcements go here also.

I have found this a simple, quick way to deal with the paper clutter at my house. 

I would love to hear other ideas.

Mrs. McK