Monthly Archives: October 2012
DIY Monday: Scented Pine Cones
Since the weather is beginning to turn into fall (Well kind of for me ~ I do live in Florida – LOL), I have been itching to put some touches of fall around the house. I love the rugged look and smell of scented pine cones. Not to mention the fact that you can find them everywhere and for FREE! So this year I thought it would be fun to make my own scented pine cones and use them as fall decorations. It is quite easy to make and the kids can even join in on the fun. So let get Crafting!
Here’s What You Need:
Pine cones
Glue
Foam brush
Spices
Mixing bowls
Plastic bag
Spoon
Clean the Pine Cones – If you collected the pine cones yourself, you should clean them so you won’t have trouble with insects or sap. Wash them in the sink.
Clean the Pine Cones Pt. 2 – Place on a foil-covered cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour at 200F. Stay in the kitchen to watch for any smoke or fire, as there is a small chance due to the sap.
Prepare the Glue – Mix together equal parts of glue and water in a bowl.
Mix the Spices – Place your desired spices into a plastic bag and mix together. Some suggestions: Cinnamon, Allspice, Ground Cloves and/or Nutmeg.
Coat the Pine Cones With Glue – Dip a foam brush into the glue mixture and paint onto the pine cone.
Add the Spices – Place the glue-covered pine cone in the spice mixture bag, then shake.
Dry the Pine Cones – Allow the pine cones to dry in the bag at least overnight. Tap them when you take them out of the bag to remove any spices not sticking to the glue.
* Designer’s Tip – These pine cones can also be added to a fire to fill your home or campfire with a lovely aroma.
Source: About.Com
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes.
2. Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender. Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened. Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in cheese, allow to melt.
3. Serve & Enjoy!
Loaded Cookie Dough Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
- 1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 Cup Oats (regular or quick)
- 1 Cup Miniature Plain M&Ms
- 1 Cup Miniature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
1. Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in brown sugar and powdered sugar, mixing well. Next fold in oats, m&ms and chocolate chips.
2. Serve with pretzels or graham cracker sticks or your favorite dippers.
Baked Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 3 large fresh rosemary sprigs, cut in half
- 3 fresh oregano sprigs
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 large lemon
- 2 lbs. extra-large shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.), preferably wild, peeled and deveined
- 2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut the lemon in half top to bottom (tip to tip), then take one half of ther lemon, place it on its flat (cut) surface, and slice across into thin half-moon shapes. Take the other half of the lemon, place IT on its flat side, then cut it top to tip to tip again, then across into 10-12 chunks.
3. Place the peppercorns and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle and crush until well cracked and broken.
4. Pour the oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add the herb sprigs, pepper and coriander, and the lemon chunks. Bake until the oil mixture is fragrant, about 12-15 minutes.
5. Add the shrimp to the dish and toss with tongs until coated, and top with the half-moon slices of lemon. Bake the shrimp until pink and firm, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Remove the dish from the oven, add the vinegar and kosher salt to taste, toss well, and let rest at room temperature until the oil cools slightly, about 5 minutes, before serving.
Source: Fine Cooking Magazine
Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
for the cake
- 4 large eggs
- 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, soften
- 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package Jell-O lemon gelatin mix
- 1 (18 1/2 ounce) package Betty Crocker Lemon cake mix
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon extract
for the glaze
- 5-6 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- grated zest of 2 lemon
- 6 tablespoons canola oil
- 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray bunt pan with cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, gelatin mix, cream cheese, eggs lemon extract and oil; blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Place waxed paper underneath to catch any drips.
4. To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
Spoon or drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake while it’s still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible.
5. Serve & Enjoy!
*CHEF’S TIP – For an extra boost of lemony flavor; Poke holes in the cake and pour 1/2 of the glaze over the cake while still in the pan when it comes out the oven.
Change Your Environment
Today’s Scripture:
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. – Mark 1:35, NIV.
Today’s Word:
Are you facing challenges today or feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances? Perhaps what you see on the outside doesn’t match what God has placed on the inside of you. The key is: don’t sit around in self-pity, depressed or discouraged. Go out and find someplace you can dream and connect with Almighty God. Go to the park and watch the sunset. Look up at the stars and think about His goodness. Take a break from the environment that seems to be holding you back. Find a place that inspires you, a place where you can meditate on His Word and let your faith be elevated. Stay in a good, Bible-based church where people are going to build you up and not tear you down; a place where people are going to challenge you to rise higher and become all that God has created you to be.
I know people who get home from work every night and watch the same depressing TV shows week after week. Don’t let that be you! If you’re going to enlarge your vision, you’ve got to get out of a limited environment. Put yourself in an atmosphere of victory and success and move forward in the good things God has prepared for you!
Prayer for Today:
Father, today I choose to separate myself from my circumstances and from my environment so I can set my heart and mind on You. Show me Your ways. Reveal Your love to me. Give me Your vision of victory for my future in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Copyright © 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
You’re In The Driver’s Seat!
Posted by Victoria Osteen on 10/9/2012
I can remember being a teenage girl and finally getting the keys to the family car. When my father handed me those keys for the first time, I felt so important. I knew I had earned my father’s trust. Those keys, though very small, represented power and new found freedom. Those keys gave me options that I didn’t have previously. Those little keys literally put me in the driver’s seat of life!
Well today, your heavenly Father has given you some keys, too. Scripture tells us that He has given us the keys to the kingdom. That means He’s given us access to His principles. He’s given us authority; He’s given us permission. He’s placed His trust in us. The problem is that many people have those keys in their hand. They say, “Yes, I have the keys! God is good; He wants to bless me. He is faithful. He loves me!” However, they haven’t started the engine yet. They haven’t activated His power. They haven’t put the car in gear by faith, and then they wonder why they aren’t going anywhere in life.
Today, if that’s you, take those keys and turn on the power of God by declaring His Word over your life. Put gas in your car, so to speak, by praising and thanking Him all throughout the day. Put your car in gear and steer clear of strife and division. Stay on the path He’s laid out before you by following His commands. Remember, you have the keys, you have the authority, and you are in the driver’s seat. So keep moving forward on the road of blessing and victory He has for you today!
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 16:19, NIV)
Copyright © 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
Our Daily Bread – Panic Or Pray?
Read: 2 Chronicles 14:1-11
An 85-year-old woman, all alone in a convent, got trapped inside an elevator for 4 nights and 3 days. Fortunately, she had a jar of water, some celery sticks, and a few cough drops. After she tried unsuccessfully to open the elevator doors and get a cell phone signal, she decided to turn to God in prayer. “It was either panic or pray,” she later told CNN. In her distress, she relied on God and waited till she was rescued.
Asa was also faced with the options of panic or pray (2 Chron. 14). He was attacked by an Ethiopian army of a million men. But as he faced this huge fighting force, instead of relying on military strategy or cowering in dread, he turned to the Lord in urgent prayer. In a powerful and humble prayer, Asa confessed his total dependence on Him, asked for help, and appealed to the Lord to protect His own name: “Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude” (v.11). The Lord responded to Asa’s prayer, and he won the victory over the Ethiopian army.
When we are faced with tight spots, meager resources, a vast army of problems, or seemingly dead-end solutions, let’s not panic but instead turn to God who fights for His people and gives them victory.
me to rely on You and draw close to You. Then I
know I’ll be able to stand strong in Your power
and won’t be dependent on my own strength.
Suspicious of Suspicion
by Joyce Meyer – posted October 11, 2012
These words about love are familiar to most of us, but I can honestly say that living them has not always been easy for me. As a child, I was not exposed to this kind of love—in fact, I was taught to be suspicious of everyone. I was told that the motives of other people were not to be trusted.
As I got older, I encountered people whose actions confirmed in my mind that my suspicions were justified. Even as a young Christian, I experienced disappointment because of the obvious motives of some people in the church. While it is wise to be aware of people’s motives, we must be careful that we don’t allow our suspicious nature to negatively affect our feelings about everyone.
An overly suspicious nature can poison your mind and affect your ability to love and accept other people. Consider this example.
Suppose a friend approaches you after a church service, and says, “Do you know what Doris thinks about you?” Then this friend tells you every detail of the things Doris said. The first problem is that a true friend wouldn’t share such information. And the second problem is that with an already suspicious mind, you now believe secondhand information.
Once your mind has been poisoned against someone, suspicion grows. That’s when Satan gains a stronghold in your mind. Every time Doris says something to you, you are automatically suspicious, thinking, What does she really mean? Or if she’s nice to you, you think, I wonder what she wants from me.
That’s how Satan works. If he can make you suspicious of others, it isn’t long before you don’t trust anything they say. And if you’ve been hurt like this several times, the devil can poison your thinking to the point that you start wondering who else may be talking about you behind your back.
Let’s continue the example. Suppose that one day in church, Doris is sitting just a few rows in front of you, clapping her hands and praising the Lord. Immediately you think, She’s such a hypocrite.
Then the Holy Spirit directs your thoughts to your own condition, and the fact that you were clapping and praising the Lord while harboring bad feelings toward Doris. Didn’t Jesus tell us to make peace with others before we present our gifts to Him? (see Matthew 5:24).
Convicted by these words of Jesus, suppose you step forward and apologize to Doris for the bad feelings you have toward her . . . and she stares at you in absolute shock. Then you realize your mistake. You misinterpreted the information your friend had shared with you about Doris, allowing the devil to turn you against a wonderful, godly woman.
This is a good example of how suspicion can cripple relationships and destroy our joy while it leads us astray. This is why learning to develop a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love is so important.
It took me a while to overcome a lifetime of suspicions, but I finally learned that when we love God’s way, we have no place for suspicion of others.
Lord, I thank You for showing me how to overcome my suspicious nature by teaching me how to love others with Your kind of love. Thank You, Jesus, for being patient with me and for being my great example. Amen.
From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
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