24 Memory Verses in 2011

Beth Moore Memory Campaign 2011

I am going to participate in Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory Verses.  You can find out how to join (if you like) by clicking on the above link, or just read along.  I have been reading off and on all 2010, and I feel led to participate for a goal for 2011.  I have many goals for 2011, but this one will be a priority.

What goals do you want to meet?

Blessings.

Jerry Ann

Tuscan Dip

I found this recipe over at Kraft Foods.com...

It was really, really good.  Very simple, and I only varied it by the tomatoes.

1 small can of olives (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped purple onion
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (reconstituted), I used tomatoes in olive oil drained and patted dry.
some pepper
1 brick of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sour cream

Mix together and serve (suggested) Wheat Thins.  I used Staceys Pita Chips (simply naked).

Let it set for at least a hour.  It is even better the next day.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Everyone has both happy and sad memories at Christmas. 

Holidays bring out the best and worst in people, 

stress doesn't seem to help matters either.

I love having people over...I just need someone to cater it for me...

and have a complete staff to clean, and serve those I love.  

Ya, right.  Dream on eh?

Well, that would be a gift in the future maybe?

I love having the house clean, and cooking for people.

I love Christmas.  

My babies, Stephen and Carmen at Christmas 1998.

2010 picture for my Christmas cards...!  I had to make them stand in 

front of the tree, and had to force the smile!  Ugh.

I love them.  Always will.  I love how they get at Christmas. 

How all of us get during Christmas.

There is nothing wrong with the world.

We get gifts.

Hello.

"And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth." Luke 1:14

Joy.

Merry Christmas.

Blessings, 

Jerry Ann

Maple Sausage Dip

This is one of the easiest recipes ever!

Jimmy Dean Maple flavored sausage (brown, and drained)
2 bricks of cream cheese
2 cans of Rotel - mild
Tortilla chips

Okay, brown the sausage and drain.  

Add the cream cheese and Rotel (I used the mild) and mix together.

Heat through until cream cheese is melted, and serve with your favorite chip.

I mixed all of it together in my large crock pot.

I was serving 30+ youth (for our progressive supper), 

and ended up serving 53 adults and youth.  Yep, I had enough food.

This was a good dip to serve.  You can add more cream cheese or Rotel

depending on how you like your dip.

Enjoy!

Barbara's Squash Casserole

Over Thanksgiving, my Aunt Barbara made this squash casserole that I fell in love at first bite.  It was spicy, but not really, and crunchy, yummy goodness in each bite.

Barbara's Squash Casserole

1 lb yellow squash
1 lb zucchini squash
1 large onions, chopped
3 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine, just drain them)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregeno
1 teaspoon basil

Cook squash until tender, drain.  Mix together and set aside all spices and brown sugar.  Saute onion and bacon until bacon is crisp.  Mix in spice mixture to the onion and tomatoes and cook ten minutes.  Lay squash in a casserole dish. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until heated through.  (Bake at 350 or 400 degrees)

When Aunt Barbara sent this to me I thought I had all of the spices.  I didn't have the cumin.  So I substituted red pepper flakes, and David liked it sweeter, so I added 1 cup of brown sugar. 

squash and zucchini

bacon!

going to the oven

Yummy bits of goodness.

This is really good, and not at all difficult.  

Enjoy!

Positive Thinking

Stress causes me to think the worst.  I am really quite a positive person.  I am a glass full, not even half full, but full full.

What we see and hear, and how we react to it, is directly connected to everything we are and do.  Positive thinking is a very real and powerful thing.

"Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."  --Mark 11:24 KJV

Believe it, live it.

Yep.  That is all.

Candied Pecans

My version of candied pecans...

Sort pecan halves.

Measure out 1 cup granulated sugar.  I also use cinnamon, allspice and a pinch of salt.

Whisk two egg whites and one Tablespoon of cold water until frothy.

Pour in sugar, spices and salt into egg mixture.

Add pecans, and stir until pecans are coated in mixture.

Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Try to spread out in one even layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven, and let cool.  Once they are cooled, break apart, eat and enjoy!

 Lots of yummy sugar bits.

Caution:  these are very addictive!

I normally give these away as gifts during Christmas.  

I have named them:  Jerry Ann's Nuts

Yes, it can be taken that way.

Enjoy!

Oma's Kraut

My Mom cooked this more often than any other German dish.  It was an automatic dish for New Year's Eve and Day, you are to eat some for good luck in the next year.  In the South you are supposed to eat black eye peas.  I don't care for those as much.

I crave kraut, almost as much as chocolate, okay maybe not that much - ha.

Oma's SauerKraut

1 large jar of sauerkraut (rinsed at least 3 or 4 times)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 of an apple (any kind), chopped

 

 pork bones, or sausage or smoked ham

Caraway seeds

Place the pork or meat choice in large pot.  Add rinsed kraut, onions, and apple.  Add the caraway seeds.  Add water (just to cover the meat and kraut), and bring to a boil.  Lower the temperature, and simmer all afternoon, or day, or two days.

 Stir, cover with water.

 Enjoy! 

Split Pea Soup

I thought that I had posted something about Split Peas before, and I thought I had cooked it for David ---apparently not.

So...I didn't take during cooking photo's...

But here is the recipe.

2 medium onions, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 package split peas (dried, rinsed, and soaked-no more than 30 minutes)
2 containers of chicken stock
pork neck bones (the only smoked pork I had)

Place the pork and onions in a dutch oven.  Sweat the onions until almost translucent.  Add the carrots and the peas.  Add the stock next to cover the peas.  Bring to simmer and continue simmering until pork is cooked through, and peas are mush.  Yes, mush. 

I love them this way.

And Dexter (the dog) loves the bones. - ha

Yummy, no blender needed.  Chunky carrots, and bits of pork, lots of creamy peas. 

Enjoy! 

Country Pork Ribs

Country cut pork ribs..we had these a while ago when I was MIA...so...

Two packages of country cut pork ribs.

A rub of Morton's Season All (the sauce is for later).

Place ribs in a large dutch oven, coat in the seasoning.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.  Drain off fat (please be very careful when draining).

Pour BBQ sauce over ribs, and place back into the oven for another 2 to 3 hours.  

Remove when ribs are cooked through, and still moist.

Serve with whatever you choose, or nothing at all but maybe a 

good piece of bread (for sopping)!

Enjoy!

Travel and Weather

Oh my...in the travel to Houston from Florida...we went from 70/80 degrees temperatures to a 20 degree decrease in about 5 minutes.  We could "see" the front come through.  Remarkable.

On Friday in the drive home, it didn't get above 40 until past Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The water ways, in the "coastal plains" were covered in a fog or mist.  The rivers and lakes that we passed were all like this picture.

This was taken at a rest stop outside of Lake Charles.  Foggy, cloudy, rainy and cold are the adjectives to describe our drive.

I really like this shot.  It was at the same rest stop, and this was across the lake. It was a really good drive.  Rainy, and cold but we had heated seats!  We are from Florida, and we did NOT take jackets or regular shoes (I wore my flip-flops!!).  These were a real blessing.  The conversations that David and I had were wonderful, and I will treasure that time alone with him.

Blessings.

Hutch

Origins of this hutch are unknown.  My mother had it shipped (bought approximately in 1955 - Germany) when she moved to my father's family home in Texas.  It was part of a set with a credenza (which she had, and I have now).

Mom left it with my grandparents when she moved.  It is 7 feet by 5 feet and inches, and approximately 25 inches deep.  So considering its size, I can understand why it wasn't moved.  After time, she couldn't move it (my grandmother used it). When Mamaw passed, Mom wanted it shipped, but it was too costly.  Time passed, and Katrina and Ike hit Houston.  A tree fell on the home and due to many reasons the hutch was exposed for the past 5 years.

My Uncle and Aunt sold the land that the house is on, and my Uncle Jake graciously offered to take it apart and store it until I could travel with a vehicle large enough to accommodate it.

We decided to rent a large enough SUV or mini-van so that the hutch would not be exposed to the elements any further.  We rented a Ford Flex.

I have to say, that this is one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ridden/driven in a long time!  It is very boxy looking from the outside, but oh, the inside...7 passengers...and all could have the same amount of leg room---it isn't tiny!  Oh, and the heated seats and Sirius radio are wonderful extras. 

Hutch....sections of it laying in our garage.  After hearing about this for the majority of my life, and not remembering what it looked it, I could not stand it any longer ----we started cleaning it and trying to find a wall to place it against.  

It has two drawers that were lined with felt and blocks positioned so that your silver could be stored.  It was too far gone, and we decided to remove the felt lining.  It was a tedious task, but well worth it.  We took care to remove as much of the glue as possible.  

This is the base.  We cleaned the pieces with Murphy Oil Soap mixed with hot water.  The interior pieces were gorgeous, and showed what the piece should look like without the exposure.  We moved around the dinette table in the kitchen (it has drop sides) and moved it against a short wall.  We placed the base piece along the largest part of the wall.

 Hutch empty with side doors opened.

Doors opened and loaded with the majority of my Mom's table linens, and china.  

It needs to be cleaned again, and I will more than likely clean it with the oil soap several times before applying anything else to it.  I am in awe of its size, and every time I walk into the kitchen I touch it.  I can't help myself.  I am thrilled that David and I took the time to clean it and reassemble it.  It has meant so much to reconnect with my Father's family, and for me to connect in a different way with my Mom.  I  don't know what she went through, and only she and the Lord Almighty will ever know.  But I love that I can pass this down to Carmen and Stephen, and share a story of family. 

Blessings.

Family

David and I traveled to Texas over Thanksgiving.  It was a great drive, enjoyable for both of us. 

Discovering family, meeting cousins - lots of cousins, great food, and conversation of past lives was wonderful for me.  I hadn't realized how much I needed family. 

 David at Andy's home (beautiful patio - beautiful home)

 Josh and Garrett

 Aunt Clariece, Aunt Barbara (Jake's wife), and me.

 Trish, and Allison

 Jordan, David, Susan, Josh, and Cathy

 Garrett and Julie (who is pregnant with twin girls!)

 Andy, Jordan (back of him anyway), Garrett and my Uncle Jake (with Coco)

Sitting out around the fire pit.

me, my Uncle Jake, and David

Sorry about the picture quality ---copied over from Facebook.

This was a wonderful visit filled with regret, love, and new beginnings.

Family is important, years and excuses shouldn't get in the way.

I can offer this from now on...no more excuses for keeping in touch.

 Blessings!