Tasty Tuesday: Cranberry Sauce

I can hardly believe Christmas is JUST 25 days away! I am so excited!

This thanksgiving my Uncle was in town and he gave me a HUGE hand in the kitchen. We were expecting 22 guests from my side of the family. But my husband's grandfather had passed away the previous Saturday, so the funeral fell on the same afternoon as our big Thanksgiving Dinner.

Luckily my Uncle saved the day and did nearly everything in the kitchen while I followed him with the camera! One of the recipes he made was this cranberry sauce. It was my first time to ever seen cranberry sauce made (who knew the cranberries actually pop!) and it was delicious, so I thought I'd share it with all of you. It will look gorgeous on your Christmas dinner table!

Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
12-oz bag fresh or frozen cranberries (3 cups)
freshly grated orange zest

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Preparation:
Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries just pop, 10 to 12 minutes. Then cool. It will gel and get thick.
Cooks' note: · Cranberry sauce may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.

I am participating in Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Dining With Debbie , Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tuesdays at the Table recipe exchanges. For more blogger recipes go to these links.

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Video Blog: How To Deal With Difficult People

Don't forget to pause the music on the sidebar!

"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves." - Saint Francis de Sales


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Shop To The Glory Of God

Shopping is a necessary part of a woman's life. We must shop to provide food, clothing, gifts and more for our families. It is hard work when we do it to the glory of God. I respect women who are willing to take the time to find a deal, stay within a budget and apply wisdom to their shopping. As you shop today - remember to shop to the glory of God!

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men."

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From My Family To Yours - Happy Thanksgiving!

My family celebrated Thanksgiving a day early - so here are our pictures from a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! Enjoy your families today as we give thanks to God for our blessings!


This is a picture of my husband and my brother-in-law who didn't want his face on the blog! lol!

But I caught him in action eating pie! So his face is revealed!!!

This is Lexi in the kitchen with me getting her 4th cookie!
This is my mom with my Aunt Lori who traveled all the way from Colorado to be with us for the holidays!

This is my Uncle Wayne from Colorado. Lexi was thoroughly enjoying his visit! She's a people person like mommy!

We did the "Giving Tree" (I posted about this idea here) and had a meaningful time of sharing, laughter, tears and a prayer time at the end. I'll post more pictures of this time in a later post.


From My Family To Yours - Happy Thanksgiving!

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Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving!

For a Christian everyday should be thanksgiving as we daily celebrate God's goodness in our lives. Here's a poem with that reminder:

I love the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

I love the taxes I pay because it means that I'm employed.


I love the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.


I love a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.


I love all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.


I love the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.


I love my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.


I love the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear.


I love the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.


I love weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.


I love the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I'm alive!
- Author Unknown

I Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

We have so much to be thankful for - we just need to adjust our perspective and open our eyes to all the many many blessings that we have been given - then our hearts will overflow with thanksgiving. What are you thankful for today?

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Tasty Tuesday: Dinner Rolls in the Shape of a Turkey

Look at these adorable Turkey Dinner Rolls!!! These only take a few simple ingredients and will surely be a dinner conversation piece!

Ingredients:
2 Rhodes Texas™ Rolls or 2 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold

1 egg , beaten

sliced almonds, slivered almonds, chopped pecans, pepper corns


Instructions:
Flatten one roll for the body and place on a large sprayed baking sheet.

Cut a narrow piece out of the remaining roll to be used as a head and neck. Roll it into a rope shape and place on one side of body to form a slight curve. Cut head piece on an angle and pull down against neck to form a wattle.

Flatten the rest of the roll into a half circle. Cut about ten long slits to form feathers. Place on body opposite head and neck. Brush with egg.

Place peppercorn on head for eye and push a slivered almond into the head for a beak. Decorate body and tail with nuts as desired.

Let rise 15-30 minutes. Bake at 350°F 15 minutes or until golden brown. And enjoy!!!

I am participating in Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Dining With Debbie , Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tuesdays at the Table recipe exchanges. For more blogger recipes go to these links.

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Thanksgiving Traditions

The word "tradition" is not found in the Old Testament but God does give instructions for remembering works that God has done through practices that are called traditions. Exodus 12:42 is speaking about the Passover and says "Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come."


Here's how we are to practice traditions:

1. Use them to remember what the Lord has done for us - "Because the Lord kept vigil".

2. Use them "to honor the Lord".

3. Teach them to your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren so they too will honor the Lord - "for the generations to come".


Noel Piper says "A tradition is a planned habit with significance."

Do you need an idea for a tradition to start? Here's a few ideas:

1. I bought a notebook that has fall colors on the cover last year and began a "Thanksgiving Journal". Each family member wrote a paragraph in the journal of things we were thankful for. Already just one year later I delighted in reading about the kids favorite toys, friends, teachers and trips! I know that in 20 years this journal will be priceless!

2. This year we are reading The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. After we read it, all the guests in our house for dinner (22) will be asked to write on a paper leaf one thing they have been given this year that they are thankful for. Then we will take turns sticking our leaves to a tree trunk...and we will have created our own Thanksgiving Giving Tree!

3. My friend Karen shared her tradition: "This isn't a family one (I'm single), nor is it especially meaningful, but it's fun. Each year I have my preschool students tell me how they would cook Thanksgiving dinner. (The hardest part is not chuckling as they very seriously tell me just how to make each thing). I put them all together in a little "cookbook" to give to their families. The parents always enjoy reading their children's creativity! My extended family loves to read them every year, too, so I make sure that I always bring a copy of the book to Thanksgiving dinner."

4. My friend Kelly shared her tradition: "We are doing something new this year. I'm having the kids take their little kiddie cameras and take pictures of things they are thankful for (before Thanksgiving). Then I'm going to print them out and on Thanksgiving (after dinner when we are just hanging out with the family), they can make a "thankfulness collage" with the print out pictures! It will keep them busy and will also keep their minds and hearts in the right place! They are already chomping at the bit to take pictures!"

5. A Women Living Well reader named Brooke wrote "I just received the book "Growing Together in Gratitude" by Barbara Rainey. It is a book with stories of faith for families. I heard about it on the radio through Family Life. We are reading one story as a family every week and then we share what we are thankful for that week."

6. And finally, make a turkey body out of construction paper. Give each person in the family a construction paper feather and have them write on it one thing they are thankful for. Then stick all the feathers on for all to see and rejoice in!

I hope this stirs in your heart a desire to make Thanksgiving meaningful for your family. If you have a family tradition you'd like to share please share it in the comment section!

Walk with the King!