German Style Oven Fries

This recipe is courtesy of Rachael Ray from TV Food Network. I'll admit I haven't made this variation, exactly, but they look DELICIOUS and I will be trying them out this next week with dinner!

Hope you enjoy!

German Style Oven Fries

Ingredients

* 4 medium to large Idaho potatoes
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 slices smoky bacon, chopped
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Parboil potatoes for 4 minutes in a large pot over medium heat, or pierce with fork and microwave for 6 minutes. When ready, cut into 8 wedges each and sprinkle with vinegar.

In large skillet, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels and reserve. Toss potatoes in the bacon drippings and season with sugar, and salt and pepper. Scatter onto a baking sheet and roast, in the preheated oven, until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl and toss with the parsley and the reserved bacon.

















Happy Cooking,

Sun Stand Still Book Review

Wow! I just finished an AMAZING book! It's entitled Sun Stand Still, written by Steven Furtick. Steven is the lead pastor of a church called Elevation in Charlotte, N.C. The book is a MUST READ for anyone willing to step out in faith and ask God for the impossible.

This book challenges readers to consider living with what he calls Audacious Faith. It's explained this way... "What you consider possible for your life will expand beyond anything you've ever imagined. Radically, suddenly and irreversibly."

The book is based around and Old Testament story that we all know probably from Sunday School "back in the day". The story is of Joshua tucked away in Joshua 10 and tells about this type of audacious faith. "As the chapter opens, we read that five opposing Amorite armies were planing to attack. Having decided to strike first, Joshua led the entire army toward the Amorites on an all-night march. Sometime during that march, God spoke to Joshua. He told him, 'Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.'" "Victory wasn't complete, and once it got dark the rest of the Amorites would slip away... but Joshua was determined to fight on." There's more to the story that I am leaving out, but what's most important to this section of the book is that Joshua wasn't like most people. He realized that the enemy must be destroyed and even though the sun was going down - he was determined to keep fighting until he won. This is where his audacious faith began. As the book reads, "Joshua sized up the situation, summoned all his available courage, and delivered one of the most gloriously unorthodox prayers in the entire bible:

'O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.' (verse 12)

Joshua had the audacity to ask God to make the sun actually stand sill... to freeze time on behalf of his people. And guess what? God did just that:

'The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since... Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!' (verses 13-14)

I'm telling you that I believe this single book has the potential to change the way we look at our faith, our prayer life AND the amazing plans God has for our lives!

Here are some my personal favorites. I'll admit there's a LOT. I think I highlighted more in this book than in any other book I own and I guarantee it will be re-read over and over again. I hope you enjoy...

"If you're not daring to believe God for the impossible, you're sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian life."

"If the size of your vision for your life isn't intimidating to you, there's a good chance it's insulting to God."

"If you want to experience God's blessings, audacious faith is not optional."

"Accomplishing the impossible is all about seeing the invisible."

"When God speaks, He does not stutter."

"How would your general outlook shift if you woke up every morning, not just to a to-do list, but to goals and activities that flowed from your vision?"

"Extraordinary moves of God begin with ordinary acts of obedience."

In regard to God igniting a vision in you... "Stop waiting around for the big bang. Pay attention to the subtle clues and the still, small voice (of God). God lives in that place too."

"If God is calling you to make a big difference, he usually starts in a small way - a flaming bush that only you will notice."

"God longs to pour out on all of us if only we'll get serious about using everything we've got for His glory."

"But when you give all you've got for the cause of the One who gave it to you in the first place, the effects of your investment will literally reach the heavens."

"Before you swim out any further, be sure that God is the One leading you out into the deep waters."

"A lot of times, out greatest fears are rooted in personal insecurities. The perspective of faith enables us to see who we truly are in Christ. God is on our side. Through Jesus, we are righteous. We are cleaned. We're accepted."

"Audacity isn't the absence of uncertainty and ambiguity. Audacity is believing that God's promise is bigger than my perhaps."

"Hearing from God is terrifying. If He wrote His will in the sky with fire, and airlifted you through the clouds to the completion of your assignment, obedience would be natural. But then faith wouldn't be necessary, would it?"

"When you reflect on God's vision for your life, you should be overwhelmed."

"The great things God will do through you are going to grow in the soil of persistence, obedience, and sacrifice."

"Before God can bring His promises to pass in your life, He has to strip away all the stuff that keeps you from trusting Him wholeheartedly."

"When God takes something or someone out of your life, He's just clearing space on your hard drive for an upgrade."

"The key to unlocking your audacity is not to take the most bizarre risk you can think of, then blame the outcome on God. The key is getting a clear and correct view of God, believing that God is actually who He says He is. And that He can do what He says He can do."

"I've noticed that most of us don't have a hard time believing that God's grace is real - we just have a hard time believing that it's really available to us."

"Many people would say God can still use you despite your failures. I want to take it a step further. God's grace is so audacious that He will use the failure itself to show off just how capable He is."

"Nothing you've ever done is so repulsive that God can't redeem your potential and love you through it."

"Audacious faith does not guarantee a crisis-free life. But audacious faith does enable you to seize the opportunity to see God's glory in the midst of every crisis in your life."

"The glory of God often shines the brightest when the sun goes down... and we keep our eyes on Jesus anyway."

"You'd never see how strong God is if there were no opponent for Him to overcome in your life."

"God didn't send Jesus to throw in the towel and call off all our fights. God sent Jesus to step into the ring and fight our battles."

"Sometimes God lets the sun go down so that He can be our only light."

"Maybe the greatest Sun Stand Still prayers God will answer over the course of your life will be the audacious prayers of faith you pray for others."

"If you're going to have the audacity to ask God for something, you'd better be ready to act!"... "No wonder so many of our prayers aren't answered. We pray for a miracle, but we fail to make a MOVE!"

"Hope is a desire. Faith is a demonstration. Hope wants it to happen. Faith causes it to happen and acts as if it's already done."

"Vision begins when you hear the sound of God's voice speaking something to your heart."

"What God has done among us is so big that there's nobody to blame but Him!"

Now.. go. Get the book. You won't be disappointed!




http://www.amazon.com/Sun-Stand-Still-Happens-Impossible/dp/1601423225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293473228&sr=8-1

Guest Recipe: Banana Cookies

Had to share this delicious treat with you. These were made at my Annual Cookie Bake last weekend. The recipe is courtesy of my friend, Shelly and they are yummy! They are super moist and a great alternative to the classic Christmas cookies we normally see.

Enjoy!

Frosted Banana Cookies

Cookies:
3/4 cup margarine
3/4 sugar
1 egg
1/2 mashed banana
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 c sifted flower

Cream shortening. Add sugar and blend.
Add egg, vanilla and bananas.
Sift together flour, salt and soda.
Place by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. (These brown only the edges.)

Frosting:
6 T brown sugar
4 T margarine
4 T evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Confectioners sugar

Place in pan and bring to boil the brown sugar, margarine and milk.
Remove from heat and add enough powdered sugar to make runny, but spreadable.
Add vanilla.
Keep pan over warm water to keep frosting soft.
If frosting gets thick, add a little hot water.
Frost cookies while they are warm.

Cookie Bake 2010

Had a great day yesterday sharing laughter and recipes at our Second Annual Cookie Bake! LOVE hanging out with these ladies! Oh - and we even did some Christmas Caroling too! :)

Can't wait until next year. Bigger and better every year!

Thanks to Michele, Faythe, Shelly, Mom (Janet), Hanna, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Chloe and Miranda for coming out to spend a snowy Sunday afternoon with me! I am blessed!

Love you guys!

Merry Christmas!

Chicken and Bows

I have made this a number of different ways - but I will note that I don't personally like peas - so I add broccoli instead. :) And I love, love, love bowtie pasta! Yummy! Hope you enjoy!

Chicken and Bows

Ingredients

* 1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
* 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
* 1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
* 1/4 cup butter, cubed
* 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
* 2 cups frozen peas
* 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

* Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook chicken and red pepper in butter over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
* Stir in the soup, peas, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in cheese. Drain pasta; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.
* Serve half of the mixture immediately. Cool remaining mixture; transfer to a freezer container. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months.
* To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 3-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until heated through, stirring once. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

From a Child's Perspective!

It's amazing to me the wonder of a child's perspective on things. Oh to be able to see the world through their lens!!

I was reading this blog post to my mom on Thanksgiving when I realized that Chloe was listening in. She was taking it all in and I believe, experiencing the pain all over again. I wasn't trying to be insensitive, I just didn't realize the impact on her little life and forgot, for a moment, that she, too, endured some tough nights as we prayed for a miracle.. for her daddy.

Unbeknownst to me, she's been writing a story, similar to mine, only from a 10-year-old's perspective and I'd like to share it with you, exactly how it was written in her own handwriting, spelling errors and all! I think it will touch your heart...

This is My Story (by Chloe Bender)
I will never forget my last Christmas. My dad had just went on a work trip and was spost to be there for a week or so. So we knew he was going to be home in time for Christmas or so we thought. He called us to tell us he was not feeling well. He thought it was some bad Mexigain food he had the night before. The next thing I know is that called us the next day to say that he had gone to the hospital. Three days later we left to go to Arazona where he had been staying. When we got there I could not go in because of the H1N1 but the sichuation was so bad the nurse came downstairs. I got upstairs and the nurse said I had to go back down. I thought it did not make any sense. Every day we went there. Finally my dad called us and said I could come in his room. I went there and as soon as I walked in that room I could tell he loved me!! I still had to wear a mask because of the H1N1. I felt safe and warm with my dad in that hospital bed. That night in the hotel I felt lost, and alone. The next say when I went to see him again it was wonderful. Then came Christmas and me and my mom were in my dads hospital room eating a big Christmas dinner, and my dad is there eating jello. That night before me and my mom had went to go get my dad a stocking and a Christmas tree. He opened his stocking with joy and happiness. That night I was in the hotel again and felt a lot more safe. My dad got better and out of the hospital, but could not go o the plain yet. So it then felt like we were on a vacation. When we got home our house had been cleaned by some friends and we had cookies and wine on the table and presents under the tree! My cousin bought me a dress. I was so thank-ful for safety and just about everything else. And that's my story!

Oh how I love that girl!! Reading this has been a gentle reminder of the tenderness and sweetness of our children. THEY have a voice too and even when we think they couldn't possibly be mature enough to handle certain situations - they surprise us with a unique perspective on life and love.

Mark 10:13... “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

Discovering God's Purpose

Finding God's purpose for your life! Do you ever feel as overwhelmed by this as me? I find myself constantly dissatisfied with what I'm doing. Okay - maybe not truly "dissatisfied" as much as "restless" about the purpose and direction God has for me. I think it has a lot to do with my impatience.

I find myself continually praying a prayer that goes a little something like this, "God, please show me the plan and purpose You have for my life. Reveal Your will to me. Show me the unique destiny You have created just for me."

But here is how I think it comes out (or at least how my heart is revealed through this petition), "God, please (pretty please) show me the plan and purpose you have for my life (as soon as possible). Reveal Your will to me (making it as comfortable as You can please). Show me the unique destiny you have created just for me (and if you can do this by next Monday, that would be just perfect)."

Does anyone else feel as though SOMETIMES this is how your prayers really sound like?

I have good intentions. I really do. I believe my motives are right. After all - the sooner the plan and purpose is revealed to me - the sooner I can get on with making a real difference in this world.

But... God is not interested in giving us what we want when we want it. I believe He's more interested in giving us what we need when we need it. In other words - in His timing.

Because I have become quite obsessed in recent years with discovering God's purpose for my life, I have purchased just about every book on the subject I can get my hands on. So much so that I've often chuckled upon checking out at the bookstore glancing across the book titles I have chosen... 'A Call To Die', 'Redefining My Identity', 'You', 'Its Not About Me', 'Gifted To Lead', 'My Destiny' and just about every book ever written by the great John Maxwell!

Honestly... I've become a regular self-help junkie who sincerely longs for the "Ah Ha!" moment to arrive.

Over the past few months I have been on a journey. Scratch that, a roller coaster really. A roller coaster of emotions. A roller coaster of dreams and desires. And I really feel like God is revealing some things to me. And I am SUPER excited about the direction He is leading. I really am. But we're not there yet... and so, my spirit is still... restless.

I picked up a short booklet the other day by Beth Moore entitled, "Discovering God's Purpose For Your Life" (well - of course I did!). The booklet is only 58 (short) pages long, but WOW - chock full of all sorts of wonderful nuggets of inspiration! The entire booklet is centered around one passage of scripture... Philippians 3:10 (Amplified)... "My determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person."

Here are some of my highlights from the book:

He is determined to purse you because He knows the greatest joy in your life will come from His plan for you.

You and I were created to be a people who seek purpose.

If you are to live out God's purpose for your life, you must come to a place where you determine a focus for your life.

Our determined purpose is to know God.

Giving your life to knowing Christ more intimately is worth it because of the wonders of His person. Sadly, we don't believe this because we have compared and measured Christ according to a human standard.

We will never to able to fulfill our purpose if we do not turn from our practices of sin.

We stay tucked in our offices, drive in and curse the traffic, get overwhelmed by the rush of life and never look up to behold the sunset before us and shout to God, "What glory! What a glory we behold!"

We can know who He is even when we don't have a clue what He's doing.

God is not going to forget our concerns. God knows what worries you. God knows what scares you nearly to death! God knows what's on your mind... let it be on His.

Beth also quotes George Bernard Shaw...

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one... the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."

WOW! That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? Talk about IN your FACE!?

Beth suggests in this small little booklet that you begin to discover your purpose by being most concerned with KNOWING God. She even suggests that you consider thinking about your own book - of life. On the front of your book is a title and that title should be the same for all of us... "Knowing God". Then under the title would be a line that says, "by..." with your name name. Now.. every single chapter of that book should be focused on that ONE thing... Knowing God. Period.

She wraps it up by encouraging us to think about what our chapter right now would be called. Maybe it's.. 'Knowing God - Through the Storm'. Maybe it's... 'Knowing God - Through my Infertility'. Whatever it is - it HAS to begin with Knowing God.

What God really spoke to my heart as I read this booklet was that His timing is perfect - and I that I need to continue to seek to KNOW Him better. Perhaps God is not quite ready to use me for the purpose He's created me for, but it doesn't mean He's finished and it's certainly not time to give up on pursuing a deeper, richer and fuller relationship with Him.

I believe to be as effective as I can for the calling He's chosen for me, I have to commit to Knowing Him more. And by Knowing Him more, I will be closer to discovering the thing that He's created me to do for Him.

I believe you cannot begin to know the plan and purpose He has for you, until you are willing to get serious about Knowing Him more. I've determined that even though the intentions of desiring to know His plan and purpose may sound sincere, we can twist and turn it into something more selfish by demanding we know before it's our time to know.

I was just talking to someone today and I explained it this way, "I'm very impatient when it comes to knowing what God has in store for me. It's like I've started the bus and I'm outside of it screaming, 'Come on let's go, let's go!'. My intentions are good, my motives are right, but God's telling me to turn off the engine! It's not time yet." Just because I want to know (right now) doesn't mean I'm ready to know (quite yet).

But, in the meantime, I'm going to spend my time getting to Know God better!

I believe - the best is YET to COME!

Chicken Noodle Casserole

One of my all time favorite comfort foods is Tuna Noodle Casserole. Chloe likes it too. However, it's not one of Trevor's favs. So - since we are a chicken family primarily, I decided to change it up a bit and incorporate chicken instead of tuna - made the same way I've always made it with tuna.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

2 chicken breasts (poached and shredded)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 c bread crumbs (I like to use Panko breading)
1 c shredded cheese (I use cheddar)
1 c broccoli (chopped into small pieces)
1/2 c milk (I like to use Half and Half)
6 small squares of butter
1/2 pound (approx) Penne pasta noodles (This is our family's favorite noodle)

Poach the chicken breasts for approximately 10 minutes on medium-high heat until cooked through. (Chicken should be 180 degrees with meat thermometer.)

Shred the chicken using a fork and then sit in a bowl to cool for a bit.

Cook the Penne pasta for approximately 10 minutes in boiling water. (I like to use the pasta when it's still al dente and not too soft. The sauce tends to stick better that way.)

In a separate bowl, combine the soups, bread crumbs, cheese and broccoli until well combined. Add the chicken to the bowl. Stir. Add the pasta to the bowl. Stir. I finish the dish off by adding the milk. This is just to bind everything together. Using Half and Half will make it a little richer and thicker. Add enough so that the noodles won't be hard, but not so much that your dish is drowning in the liquid.

Place all of the ingredients in a greased 9x12 pan. Add the squares of butter to the top.

Bake at 350 for approximately 20-25 minutes until golden bubbly.

Serve.

Hope you enjoy!! :)

Christmas Traditions

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmastime! What a wonderful time of the year! I have always believed that the entire month of December is... just... magical!

I was thinking the other day about Christmas traditions. We all have them. And maybe some we aren't even aware of. Here are some of ours:

We always put out Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Always. I can't even allow myself to compromise on this one. It simply MUST be up. Heck - it's hard enough for me to wait THAT long!

For years Chloe and I have gone out Thanksgiving weekend to pick out a new snow globe to add to her growing collection and a new tree ornament. It's been pretty fun to see some of the ones she's chosen over the years! One year it was a pink star, one year it was a cow sitting on a log and this year it was a light-up angel. :)

For the past few years Chloe and I have decorated a ginger bread house. It's a hoot to see! Frosting everywhere. Fun memories!

Throughout the month of December we read Christmas stories from various Christmas books we've collected over the years. Some include devotions, which are fun for Chloe.

We host a Cookie Baking Day with our friends the middle of December. This is an old tradition that my family used to do when my grandmother was alive and we just re-vamped it and included it in our new traditions last year. SO much fun!

This is a little silly - but growing up we had a Golden Retriever as our family pet. We (Trevor, Chloe and myself) now have one in our family. They are indeed our favorite little creatures. So - each year I purchase my mom a new Golden Retriever calendar for the new year. Silly tradition - but it's still a tradition, right?

On Christmas Eve, our family's tradition is to drive around town looking at all the Christmas lights. We LOVE to drive with the windows down, blankets tucked around our bodies warming up with a thermos of hot chocolate oohing and ahhing over the house and yard displays.

Every year, two days before Christmas, we bake and decorate a birthday cake for Jesus. During our families dinner on Christmas afternoon, we sing Happy Birthday to our Savior. What a sweet time this is!

Special notes...

We have five Christmas trees: Two in our living room, one in our entry way (Chloe's tree decorated with recycled Happy Meal toys), one in our master bedroom and one on our front porch.

I'm obsessed with snowmen!

Oh - and I DO start listening to Christmas music in mid November.

Stockings in our family have always been a BIG deal. They usually include a variety of candies, books, magazines, perfumes, lip glosses, gum and small pieces of jewelry wrapped and sitting alongside of the stocking demanding to be opened first. :)

Christmastime... for sure the MOST WONDERFUL time of the year!!

What are some of YOUR Christmas Traditions?? I would love to hear about them!