(Follow-Up) Recipe of the Week - Pumpkin Bread French Toast!

This just screams, "Yummy Fall-time breakfast!" to me!  Let me know what you think, if you make it! ~angie

You will need:

4 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 slices of day old pumpkin bread (recipe above), cut into ½-inch thick slices

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large baking dish. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until combined.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat. Dip the pumpkin bread into the egg mixture and soak both sides for about 30 seconds. Place 4 slices of the bread into the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a platter and repeat with the remaining butter, oil and bread.

Recipe of the Week - Pumpkin Bread

I have actually made this Bobby Flay recipe before (I know there are some really shocked people out there right now).  It turned out great and it was pretty easy to make, too!  There is an amazing follow-up recipe to this that I will post before next week, in case anyone decides to make it this week! ~ angie

 You will need:

• 2 cups AP flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• ½ teaspoon ginger

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans or cranberries, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla in separate large bowl until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts.
 
3. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

 

(Bonus) Recipe of the Week - Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.

Gifts from God - Angie Palmore

What would you think if you gave your child a gift they refused to use.  It would probably be frustrating and disappointing, to say the least.

Do you ever wonder how God feels when His children refuse to use the gifts He has given them?

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

"I'm too shy."

"I don't have enough time."

"I don't have any talents or a spiritual gift."

I don't believe that God puts anyone on this Earth without giving them a gift.  Your gift may be your testimony of what God has done in your life.  If you've been saved you have a testimony!  Your gift could also be organization skills, working well with children, teaching, your great smile and outgoing personality, musical abilities.  There are so many possibilities!

Still think you don't have a gift?  Pray.  Ask God to reveal your gift to you.

Know your gift?  Pray.  Ask God to reveal how you can best use your gift to glorify Him.

We can always use more childcare workers, choir members, greeters, security . . . you get the picture. 

What's your gift?

Recipe of the Week - White Chicken Chili

I love fall.  As the weather changes each year I can't wait to make chili to celebrate the chilly weather. This is a very easy recipe, and the results are delicious!

1 pound cooked, chopped chicken
4 cans Northern Beans
1 can corn, drained
1 16 oz. jar salsa (I use mild, but you could spice it up more)
8 oz pepper jack cheese
32 oz carton chicken broth
1 packet of McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning mix

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook for 4 hours (or simmer on stove).

A few tips you may want to consider:

You can use the meat from a rotisserie chicken.
I added a few drops of lemon juice and cut avocado to my bowl of chili, and it added just a hint of flavor that was delicious.

Count Your Blessings - Angie Palmore

I'm thankful to Pastor Tim for reminding me in a recent sermon how important it is to be thankful and to count my blessings one by one. Since that sermon my six year old son Aidan and I have been counting our blessings on the short ride to school each morning by saying all the things we are thankful for. Our days have been so much more positive since starting this. I challenge each of you to count your blessings each day, and include your family if you can.

This song by Kari Jobe is one of my favorites. He really is SO GOOD to us.



This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 NKJV

Recipe of the Week - Hot Ham and Cheese Rollups!

Thanks to Kim Wright for sharing this delicious recipe!

 You will need:

• 1 can refrig. pizza dough 
• 2 tsp. dried basil 
• 4 oz. thinly sliced reduced sodium deli smoked ham 
• 3/4 c. finely shredded mozzerella cheese 
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Roll out dough to a 12" square.  
3. Sprinkle w/ basil to 1/2" from edges.  
4. Top with ham slices, sprinkle with cheese to 1/2" from edges.
5. Roll up dough, jelly roll fashion.  
6. Place seam side down on a foil lined baking sheet, coated w/ cooking spray. 
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min. or until golden brown. 
8. Cut into 1 1/2" slices.

Yield:  6 servings (serving size=2 roll ups)

WW points:  5/serving

He's Still Speaking - Kim Wright

The following devotion was written by Kim Wright.  She and her husband Larry are members of our church and have nine beautiful children.  

 

He's still speaking...

This morning I was reading in Exodus 3 & 4 about Moses' encounter with God in the burning bush. In this passage, God tells Moses that He has a special task for him. He wants Moses to speak to Pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites. Moses responds that he could never do that! Speaking was not his "gift"...in fact, he was downright terrible at it! God's reply was this: "...Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now, go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (Exodus 4:11)

Now, I have read this passage many times and chuckled at Moses' lack of confidence. Surely, if God called me to do something, I would respond the right way...right? WRONG! In fact, God has called me to be a wife to my husband and the mother of 9 children. To be honest, I am not very good at it. Organization does not come naturally to me...neither does cooking...or housekeeping...in fact, like Moses, I often tell God that "I can't do this job!"

God gently reminded me this morning through this story that He is the One who made me. He knows my weaknesses. He will help me accomplish what He has called me to do.
"...If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ..." (I Pet. 4:11)

Recipe of the Week - Chai Tea Mix

You will need:

• 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
• 1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.
2. To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.

Helpful note:  "Cardamom" is not a necessary ingredient. 

Overwhelmed! - Christie Smith

Christie Smith is a member of our church. She is the mother of five beautiful children.

I woke up at 5am with an overwhelming sense of thankfulness (& I havent had a pain pill since yesterday, so I know its not drug-induced ;). You ever have those days...those moments? Times where everything seems perfect? I remember having those times a lot as a kid. & Ive noticed those times are a lot fewer & far between since I became an "adult". But, is it because my life has become less perfect or is it that my view of life has changed. Without the responsibilities of life, the bills, the chores, the constant questioning of "what am I supposed to be doing with my life?"... without the 'have-to's'... I was able to just live day-by-day, enjoying each day as it came without worrying about tomorrow. I was able to see how God had blessed me, able to truly enjoy my life. So now, with so many more blessings to enjoy, why do those "perfect days" seem to come less often?
I know the answer. I know that its not my life that has changed or become any less perfect. I know that its all in my perspective. I just wish I had better control of that perspective. This is my new mission! Focus more on the perfectness of my life (& yes Mrs. Stephenson, I know that's not an actual word!) Im going to use my own words against myself & stop worrying about the things I can't control. Stop focusing on the things I dont have that I think would make my life better. Thinking back over the last 10 years of my life I can see so much that I've taken for granted, so many opportunities wasted worrying about things that are out of my hands, wishing for things that I thought would make me happier when the truth is God has given me EVERYTHING I need to be truly happy!
I'm sitting here in the early morning hours, overwhelmed at His blessings in my life, holding my 1week old baby girl & wondering what kind of person she will become. Thinking about each one of my kids & amazed at the unique people they are becoming. Thankful for the role God is allowing me to play in their lives, but fully aware that He has more of a role in who they will become than I ever could (thank God for that!)
Today I am thankful for the peace that He has given me and I'm going to try to hang on to this peace with everything I have! Im not going to let the duties of everyday life steal my peace! Because I know if I concentrate on the "what if's" & "have to's" of this life, the list of "what if's" & "have to's" will NEVER end! But, I also know that if I concentrate of everything God has given me, the list of blessings He bestows on me will also NEVER end!!!