Six-Week Bran Muffins

1 large box Raisin Bran (15oz.)

1 cup melted butter or oil

2.5 cups. sugar (more or less depending on your sweet tooth)

4 eggs, beaten

1 quart buttermilk

5 cups. flour

5 teaspoons soda

2 teaspoons salt

Extra raisins, if desired.

Mix Raisin Bran, sugar, flour, soda, salt and extra raisins in a large bowl. Add eggs, butter or oil and butter milk and mix well by hand.
Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake at 375-400° F. for 10-15 minutes or until brown.
Store remaining batter in a covered container in fridge for up to six weeks.

Yield: 8 dozen tiny muffins or about 5 dozen regular size muffins

Last Week we got to go to our State's capital and this is me as we were waiting to tour the original Governor's mansion. What was funny to me was that the first few governors did not live there as they were wealthy enough to buy their own!

As I was walking through the house which I have no pictures of the inside, i was amazed at the beautiful work work, the glass, the carvings on the furniture and walls. They took leather in one room and covered the walls with it and it was painted green with decorative nails in squares, which does not sound pretty at all, but it was beautiful!!! They also had stretched fabric on the walls in one room where it looked like wallpaper.

But the most amazing was stepping into the kitchen! It was a tiny room, maybe 10x 10 feet with a wood cookstove in the corner, a one basin sink mounted on the wall with no counters around it, a small island/drop leaf table in the center of the room and a buffet with flour etc in it. There was also a butlers pantry where food was stored and dishes. That was it! They had to prepare meals to serve the governors and higher ups in a room we would barely feel like was suited for a shack!! It made me realize how blessed I am and how spoiled we can be too. Not that it is wrong to have a nice kitchen, I actually think they had things turned around a bit with a fancy parlour and shack kitchen!! But I think sometimes too we (or at least I do) look around our house and think of how much nicer someone else has it or if we did this it would be better, and instead of taking the time to be thankful. I came home and was thankful for my tile counters that are hard to clean, because I have tile counters! I have hot running water (which they also did not have) and a fridge (they had an ice box) to keep my food cold.

Lemony Chicken Popover

3 Tbsp butter, melted-divided
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs
1 cup milk

Filling:

2 carrots, chopped
1 cup fresh broccoli florets- chopped
1 small onion; chopped
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 mushroom; chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Garnish:
If so desired, garnish with extra shredded cheddar cheese.

Brush the bottom on a deep dish pie plate with 1 Tbsp butter; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Beat in the eggs, milk and remaining butter until smooth. Pour into prepared pie plate.

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350* and bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown and center is set.

In a microwave safe bowl (or steam bag) combine carrots, broccoli, onion and butter. Cover and microwave on high for 8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender; set aside.
In another microwave-safe bowl, combine chicken, soup, mushroom, red bell pepper, and lemon juice. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until red pepper is tender, stirring once.
Stir in cheese and half of the vegetable mixture.

Spoon chicken mixture into center of popover. Surround with remaining vegetable mixture.
Cut into wedges; serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings.

Taste of Redding recipe contest in the Record Searchlight.
June 7, 2009

Forget about whether or not others will be grateful for your selfless service, or whether they will even notice it. As God's beautiful women, you don't do what you do to get anything, you do what you do because of who you are, because of the person God is making you into---a virtuous women who is beautiful in His eyes!

~*~*~

Selfless service is the greatest beauty of all.

It's the beauty of our Lord~Elizabeth George

This is a quote I came across recently and I was so encouraged by it.

I know it has been while since I posted anything here. Life has been busy. We are still working on our new house, but I think we should be able to move within a month, Lord willing. We are also happily expecting baby #6 due in October. The girls are hoping for a girl, the boys a boy. We shall see in October what the Lord has blessed us with. Anyway, I hope to be around here a bit more often as time allows.

May the Lord abundantly bless each and everyone of you!

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake






Topping (Which actually starts on the bottom!!):

3 c. chopped fresh (or frozen) rhubarb
1 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. melted butter

Batter:

3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. melted butter
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 c. milk
(* 1/4 tsp. salt)

Topping: Arrange rhubarb in bottom of a 10" greased cast iron skillet. Mix together sugar, flour and nutmeg; sprinkle over rhubarb. Drizzle melted butter over all.
Batter: Beat together butter and sugar. Stir in egg. Combine flour, baking powder (salt) and nutmeg. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter, mixing well after each addition. Spread over rhubarb. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Immediately loosen edges and invert onto a serving dish. Best served warm. (* Note: Because of a lot of issues with high blood pressure, my family never had salt in the house. I still seldom use it, even in baking. I have the salt measurements added in the recipe even though I don't use them myself because I know other people think it's unbelievable to not use it. =D )

I planted three rhubarb plants three years ago and this is the first year I've felt comfortable harvesting from them. (I wanted to give them a couple of years to get well established first. ) We love rhubarb, so it's been fun to cook with it. Unfortunately, I have picked my three plants clean already and none of it make it to the freezer. =D I just bought roots for six more plants to put in. = ) This is one of the new recipes I found this year that we really like. It's very quick and easy, not to mention delicious!

An interesting quote...


"Remember this. When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold. When people choose to withdraw far from light, the lightcontinues to be bright in itself but they are in darkness.

This is also the case when people withdraw from God; and this is why
those who praise themselves cannot praise God."

-Augustine, Sermon 170, 11 

The End of the Road is but a Bend in the Road
by Helen Steiner Rice

When we feel we have nothing left to give
And we are sure that the "song has ended"--
When our day seems over and the shadows fall
And the darkness of night has descended,
Where can we go to find the strength
To valiantly keep on trying,
Where can we find the hand that will dry
The tears that the heart is crying--
There's but one place to go and that is to God
And, dropping all pretense and pride,
We can pour out our problems without restraint
And gain strength with Him at our side--
And together we stand at life's crossroads
And view what we think is the end,
But God has a much bigger vision
And He tells us it's ONLY A BEND--
For the road goes on and is smoother,
And the "pause in the song" is a "rest,"
And the part that's unsung and unfinished
Is the sweetest and richest and best--
So rest and relax and grow stronger,
LET GO and LET GOD share your load,
Your work is not finished or ended,
You've just come to "A BEND IN THE ROAD."