Soup's perfect companion: part two

Since so many of you told me you love homemade bread on my post the other day, I thought I would share another of my favorite "soup's companion" recipes with you!

I had never thought of any other type of bread going as well with soup as just plain ol' normal white/wheat bread. But then a couple of years ago at our small group (Bible study group we meet with once a month), we were planning the following meeting's meal and decided to have chili. Someone mentioned bread -- which I jumped on :) -- and someone else mentioned cornbread. Cornbread? With soup/chili? I have a great cornmeal muffin recipe that I got years ago from my mom, so sure! I'll make cornmeal muffins too.

I grew up with cornmeal muffins as a treat. We would take them fresh from the oven, tear them up into smaller pieces in a bowl, and drizzle them with maple syrup. That's my memory of cornmeal muffins!

But now I've come to really enjoy them with soup -- usually chilis or spicy tortilla-type soups -- smothered in butter. Or plain. But then I can also have one with maple syrup for dessert. :)


Without further ado, here is my mom's recipe! The best part? These should all be basic ingredients you have on hand already. Except maybe the cornmeal -- but I keep a small container on hand specially for these muffins and for homemade pizza...

Cornmeal Muffins 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 4 tsp baking powder 1 cup milk 2 eggs 4 Tb melted butterStir dry ingredients together. Add the rest. Stir quickly until just moistened. Bake in greased muffin tin (or use paper cups) at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until tops have turned golden brown. Makes 12 muffins.

And I love how this recipe only makes a dozen muffins. Just enough to fill one tin. Of course, it can easily be doubled or more to feed a larger crowd.

Do you like cornmeal muffins/cornbread/johnnycake/whatever you might call it?? :)

Linking up to:

Book Talk Wednesday: Just in Case You Ever Wonder

When I worked at Family Christian Stores, I never had reason to spend much time in the Children's section. Yes I stocked books, and sorted and organized toys, but never had a personal attachment to the products. Even for the last few months I was there, while I was pregnant with Abby, I didn't see it as a section for me to shop in.

(Now I would love to go back and spend all of my time there... :)

Some of the most popular children's books we carried were the ones by Max Lucado. From the Hermie series to the Wemmicks collection, to many stand-alone books, he always had something in the top ten. When Booksneeze offered Lucado's book Just in Case You Ever Wonder, I jumped at the chance to review this one.

Just in Case You Ever Wonder is a book I think my daughter will appreciate more in the years to come. It's not the best book for a 17-month-old to sit still through, but the message is very powerful. It tells your child that no matter what happens as they grow, you will always be there for them and will always love them. "I'll always love you. I'll always hug you. I'll always be on your side. And I want you to know that... just in case you ever wonder." The images are in soft colors, which again I think will appeal to my daughter more when she's older.

Overall, it's a book that I personally appreciate very much, but will need to wait a couple of years for my daughter to appreciate it.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Soup's perfect companion

Now that it's November, I'm feeling the transition from fall to winter starting already. It's time to move past the pumpkins and harvest-y things toward frost and (dare I say it?!) snow, and pine wreaths and white lights...

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. I love Christmas. I should do a post about that sometime, similar to this one.  But not today. Maybe a
week or twoday or two from now. :)

Today it's about transition. That sort-of-chilly, no-snow-on-the-ground-but-frosty, no-more-leaves-on-the-trees time of year. Bring on the soups!!

I love making soup in the crockpot. Unfortunately you will probably never see a soup recipe posted here. That's because I tend to start with a written recipe, then as the day goes on and I continue to taste the soup, I end up adding things. A dash of this, a sprinkle of that. Until finally when dinnertime rolls around I've created the perfect soup recipe that I will never be able to duplicate.

Now bread, on the other hand... I love bread. And I think every soup should be served with some type of bread. One of the things I put on our wedding registry 7 years ago -- one of those if-I-get-it-great-but-if-I-don't-I'm-not-buying-it-for-myself -- was a $100 breadmaker. Guess what? I got it. And IT'S PROBABLY MY MOST FAVORITE WEDDING GIFT.



My favorite breadmaker recipe (from the book that came with the maker) is simply called "White Wheat Bread". It goes great with any dish, as it's not seasoned or flavored in any way, and turns out perfect each time. Except when the yeast is getting old, but that's more my fault...

White Wheat Bread For 2 lb. loaf: 1 1/4 cups + 2 Tb warm water 2 Tb oil 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsp salt 2 Tb dry milk 3 1/2 cups bread (white) flour 1/2 cup wheat flour 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast Add ingredients in order to breadmaker. Select Basic White Bread Cycle.

If I tried a little harder, I could probably get away with never buying bread from the grocery store. But I just have not gotten into the habit of making this bread consistently, and I always manage to find store-bought bread on sale. So this bread has become more of a special treat.

I have honestly never made bread truly from scratch. I've tried some roll recipes, but have never been able to get the rising stage correct. I love how the breadmaker does it all for me! It's definitely an appliance worth investing in, or asking for for Christmas... :)

Do you like to bake homemade bread?

The Liebster Award

I learned a new word today. It's "liebster." I was told by both I Luv 2 Save and Cute Coconut that they were passing on to me the "Liebster Blog Award"!

Being the dork that I am, having never heard of that term before, I did a little googling... (yes, I do use google as a verb) And I discovered that the word liebster is actually German for friend, love, or dearest. How sweet! The goal of this award is to spotlight up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.

So let's spread the love! Here are the "official" rules for this award:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog


2. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you


3. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog


4. Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers

Thank you again Ola and Rina!!!

Here are five up-and-coming small blogs that I think you should all check out:

1. Romance on a Dime - "As a newlywed, my 3 newest passions are healthy cooking, couponing (saving money), and making my house prettier/more organized! I love to share as I learn and discover more ways to save money and make my home beautifully organized."


2. My WAHM Plan - "Putting the focus on Home on my daily adventures in Wahmdom."


3. View Along the Way - "This tiny corner of the web is where I chronicle our attempts to fix up our beaten-down home on a teensy little budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way..."


4. Family Brings Joy - "There are very small & simple things we can do, no matter your family’s shape or size, to build unity & joy... I like to write about those particular interests that make me happy. These include (but are not limited to) Crafts, Music, Photography, Reading, Running and Blogs."


5. Cheap Wine and Cookies - Not your "typical" mom blog... "Marine. Lawyer. Mommy. Wife. I have an opinion on everything."

Go visit them! Now! Pretty please! Spread the love. :)

The Saturday 7: October 22-28

Whew it's been a few weeks since I posted a Saturday 7! Some of these notes might go back more than one week...

1. Update on Abby's teeth: The last time I checked she still just has the top 2 incisors, bottom 3 incisors, and THREE MOLARS! Crazy kid... hurry up and get the other two top incisors so your buck teeth don't look so silly...
2. We went to a Halloween party last Saturday night. We were given a cow costume for Abby, so we based our outfits around hers. :)
3. I think Abby's teeth were the cause of her miserable-ness earlier this month. This week she has been so fun to be around. She's actually starting to truly "play". She'll get her little barn and animals out and make them run around the room. Or try and stack blocks. Or lots of other things -- sometimes involving me, but also playing well on her own. I'm going to ask soon what toys she likes to play with in the church nursery and at our Friday daycare friend's house, to get some Christmas ideas...
4. Abby is also working on expanding her vocabulary. I have to listen really hard to understand what she's saying, but some words are pretty clear -- up, cracker, apple/waffle... And every so often she'll mimic what we say. Not very well, but it's a start!
5. Our first GEMS fundraiser of the year was a huge success! This was the third year we've participated in Hand 'n Hand, and it was our best one yet. The best part is that 30% of the money taken in stays with our club, and the rest goes to help GEMS clubs in Africa! And the money we raised for our club? This one fundraiser will easily pay for one of our leaders to go to next summer's Annual Leadership Conference in Chicago!!
6. Our church is in the process of getting a new pastor. We've had a "specialized transitional minister" for about 2 years, and his purpose has been to help us heal from some of the issues and divisions we've been having, and guide us toward a place where we can call a new permanent pastor. The next 3 Sundays we have potential candidates coming to preach, and so hopefully we'll be able to extend a call to one of them before Christmas! 
7. Our small group went on a date night last night to a movie and dinner. We saw Courageous. It's made by the same people who did Facing the Giants and Fireproof. It's a great movie for couples to see together, and even moms or dads with their teenage sons. I was glad someone told me ahead of time to bring some kleenex...

Have a great week!

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The Saturday 7: Post seven things that happened to you this week. Just a quick summary. Things you might not necessarily write a whole blog post about. Idea taken from Sadie's Lovin' Life with Lucy.

They grow up so fast...

Yesterday morning I happened to look out the window just as the mail carrier drove up to our box. And I saw him deliver a bright orange package. Ahhhh! Yay! I know what that is!! I grabbed Abby and hurriedly put on some shoes and rushed out to the mailbox to find this:

I'd had some photos printed for Rocky to take to work, and a few for me to pin up behind the computer where I work too. And then I'd printed the remainder I needed to accomplish this:

Finally, a way to fill up that big empty wall space! I had started taking monthly pictures of Abby on the couch when she turned two months old. For her first birthday I'd printed those first 12 months and strung them up at her party:


But then they just sat on top of her dresser. Until this week, when I got this idea. All it took was a ruler (to get a consistent distance from the ceiling!) and a pack of poster putty. After her 2nd birthday I'll probably move everything up and put the first row against the ceiling. Not sure if I'll keep both the full body pictures and the head shots, or just do one or the other.



It's fun to see how she's grown in 17 months. But then I can REALLY see how she's grown... Sigh. My little girl isn't so little anymore...

Beauty

Last night around 9:00 my husband got a phone call from a fellow astronomy-buff. He told Rocky that there was a good chance to see the Northern Lights that night. Rocky was at a stopping point in writing his grad school paper, and Abby was sound asleep, so we put on our coats and hats and walked down the street to the darker part of the neighborhood.

We didn't see much of anything except a greenish haze across the northern sky. We knew it was more than just the lights from the next city north of us, but said "if this is the Northern Lights, it's pretty boring." We stargazed for a couple minutes, then turned around and headed back to the house.

We were literally in the driveway, about to go inside, when we both said "what's that?!" as a long streak of greenish-white shot up from the horizon. We backtracked a few yards into the street and watched as the streak grew bigger, then turned red, then watched the entire northern sky come ablaze in greens and reds. We felt like little kids, full of giddiness and adrenaline as we hurried back to the part of the neighborhood without street lights. We sat on the curb, facing the northern sky, watching the colors slowly come ablaze, then fade, then come ablaze again. We quickly called our closest friends and family and told them to "look outside!!"

Even now I get shivers thinking about what we saw.

The display lasted about 10-15 minutes, and I tried to get a few pictures. My point-and-shoot camera doesn't have quite enough settings to get the desired result, but I adjusted the colors and contrast a bit in photoshop, and here is the best I could do:

And these were taken towards the very end of the display, so it barely even captures what we saw...

Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? This was the first time for both Rocky and me. Cross that off our bucket lists. :)

I'll leave you with the words a friend of mine posted on Facebook this morning, after having seen the lights last night.

We climb mountains and say that God is majestic.
We walk along a beach at sunset and proclaim that God is an artist.
We see amazing sites like the grand canyon and announce God's power.
We see the Northern Lights and declare it the glory of the Lord.
Now if only we could look in the mirror and see the same thing as we do when we look at the rest of God's creation.

Have a beautiful day!

Musical Mondays: How Great

The Glory Revealed projects are two of my most favorite cds. Sung by a collaboration of Christian artists, each song is taken directly from Scripture. This particular song is from 1 John 3:1. This is probably my favorite style of music too -- a sort of folk, Americana feel. May this song lift your spirit and fill you with joy today!




How great is the love the Father has poured out on us
That we should be called the children of God
How great is the love the Father has poured out on us
That we should be called the children of God

How great how great
Is God's amazing grace
That we should be called the children of God

How great how great
That we believe our faith
And we can be called the children of God

How great is the love the Father that he sent his only Son
That we could be called the children of God
We will never perish if we believe in him
And we can be called the children of God

How great how great
Is God's amazing grace
That we should be called the children of God

How great how great
That we believe our faith
And we can be called the children of God 

That is what we are
Sons and daughters of God
Oh by this we know love
That he laid down his life for us

How great is the love the Father has poured out on us
That we should be called the children of God

How great how great
Is God's amazing grace
That we should be called the children of God

How great how great
That we believe our faith
And we can be called the children of God 
Yes we can be called the children of God


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Musical Mondays -- Pick a song, post the song, tell why you love the song!

Get more use from your candles

Rain rain go away... It rained ALL day yesterday and it's going to be raining ALL day today. They're talking 2-3 inches by the time this system moves out. You know what I love on rainy days? Blankets. And hot cocoa. And candles.

I love candles. My hubby doesn't. So I never burn them while he's home, but while he's away at work...

I do enjoy dollar store and other cheap candles. But nothing beats a Yankee Candle. I've received a number of them as gifts over the last few years, mostly the small ones but occasionally the bigger ones too. I love so many options of scents, and I rotate them throughout the year. But eventually this happens:

• 


• 

It burns out. Sad day. :(

But look how much wax is still in there!! I love this candle! I'm not ready to be done with it!!

Enter the greatest-invention-ever in candle-burning: the wax warmer! There are so many different styles available. I was given one as a gift a number of years ago, along with 3 "tarts" of different scents. I've since purchased a few, found a few at a yard sale, and made my own.



I took a spoon and scraped all that Harvest Candle goodness out of the jar, lit a tea-light candle, and let the wax warmer do it's work. A few minutes later, my house was once again smelling like that beautiful candle...



So now I can enjoy another couple of weeks days (you know I'll go through it quickly... :) of this smell!

One secret about the tart warmer, that I didn't discover until I'd had it at least a year: If you want to switch tarts, all you have to do is stick the whole warmer in the freezer (after the wax has cooled and solidified of course!) for about 10 minutes, and the tart will pop right out!



Store the label and the tart in a plastic bag. So easy!

What is your favorite candle scent?



**I am NOT writing this post for Yankee Candle. I have NOT received any compensation, or free products, from writing this post. I just love this stuff. :) **

Faith and Deeds

It's always interesting to me when something I've been reading about in my own personal quiet time gets emphasized Sunday morning. It makes me stop and listen more closely, and roll things around in my head.

I've been part of an online Bible study the past month where we're going through the book of 1 John a verse or two each day. Two weeks ago we were in the beginning of chapter 2, and the verses that stuck out to me specifically were verses 3-6:

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

I liked what my Life Application Study Bible had to say about v.6: "To 'walk as Jesus did' or living as Christ did doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified... To talk today as Christ did we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people."

Then in church we're going through the book of James, and yesterday's message was about chapter 2 verses 14-26:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Some of these verses seem to walk a tricky line. Works (deeds) are not required for salvation -- belief in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross for our sins and his resurrection are all that is needed to spend eternity in heaven.

Yet James says faith without deeds is dead.

image source

Maybe it has to do with the word "complete". It appears in both the 1 John passage: "If anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him." and in James: "His [Abraham's] faith was made complete by what he did."

The life of a Christian is a process. When someone makes a decision to follow Christ, believing in His death and resurrection, that is the beginning of the process -- it doesn't end there. The actions and deeds and obeying God that follow are what show that our commitment to God is real. They help complete our faith -- they alone don't define it.

Thoughts?