The Many Faces of Prayer

Here is a peek into a typical suppertime prayer with Isaiah.


He's been working hard at trying to keep his eyes shut.
So far so good.

Oh, it's getting hard!
When is this going to end!
Oh good! It sounds like Dad's wrapping it up.
Nope! False alarm.
Gotta focus.
I can do this.
I wonder what propitiation means?
I don't know, but I hope it's yummy.

Amen!

Mommy! I kept my eyes shut!

Chicken Skillet Stew

A nice, hearty, cold-weather meal.

Chicken Skillet Stew

8 chicken thighs
salt
pepper
thyme
oregano
parsley
olive oil
-
garlic, diced
onion, chopped
red pepper, chopped
4-5 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 c baby carrots
2 T flour
2 c water

Heat oil in large skillet.
Season chicken with salt, pepper and herbs.
Cook chicken until browned on both sides.
Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add garlic, onion, red pepper, potato, and carrots to skillet.
Cook and stir about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with flour stir and cook another minute.
Add 2 cups of water and scrape up bottom of pan.
Season with more salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Place chicken back in pan and cover.
You can either continue cooking on low on stove top or place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
If it is too saucy, place on stove top and remove cover and cook on high until some water evaporates and sauce is thickened.

Fudgy Pecan Pie Bars

Here's another big pan bar recipe good for feeding a crowd. It's like a pecan tassie, but in bar form and then you add some cocoa to the crust. Oh, and throw in some chocolate chips on top. It's a keeper!

Fudgy Pecan Pie Bars

crust:
2 c flour
3/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c cocoa
1 t vanilla

filling:
4 eggs
1 c sugar
6 T butter, melted
2/3 c molasses
1 t vanilla
2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c chocolate chips

Combine crust ingredients until crumbly.
Press into cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat eggs, sugar, melted butter, molasses, and vanilla until smooth.
Add pecans and chocolate chips.
Spread evenly over baked crust.
Bake again for about 15 minutes or until set.
Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Company Cresent Rolls

These are fun to make with the kids and taste really good.
They are just a little bit sweet and buttery.
The dough turns out so nice, even softer than a baby's....you know!
You don't even need extra flour when you roll it out.
Can you tell which ones Isaiah rolled up?
Give these a try next time you want some rolls.

Company Cresent Rolls

1 pkg yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 t honey

3/4 c hot water
1/3 c butter, melted
1/3 c honey
1 egg
1 t salt
3 c flour

Soften yeast in 1/4c warm water and 1 t of honey and set aside.
In large bowl, combine hot water, butter, 1/3c honey, egg, salt, and half of the flour.
Add the yeast mixture.
Add remaining flour.
Knead until smooth.
Remove dough, oil bowl and return dough, rolling it around to cover with oil.
Cover dough with saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Divide dough into 2.
Roll out into a circle.
Spread butter on top.
Cut with a pizza cutter into 8 triangles.
Roll up starting with the outer wide side.
Place on a greased baking sheet and let rise until doubled.
Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes.

Strawberry Scones

This is the original recipe that my orange scones is based off of. But I had never made the original. I know, I'm weird like that. I like to tweak. About a month ago I thought I should try the strawberry version. It's good to have some variety. And now, I think I like these better than the orange. Don't get me wrong, if you placed a strawberry scone and an orange scone in front of me and I had to choose which one.....I'd eat both!


Strawberry Scones

1 egg
1/4 c cream
1/4 c buttermilk
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1/3 c brown sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
6 T butter
2/3 c strawberries, hulled and chopped

Combine wet ingredients into a 1 cup measuring cup- egg, cream, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Top off with cream or buttermilk or milk till you reach 1 cup.
Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl - flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.
Cut in butter.
(You can put these both in the fridge at this point if you are wanting to make these ahead of time.)
Pour the wet into the dry and stir just until all is moist.
Carefully fold in strawberries.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out 12 scones and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Top with glaze made from 3/4 c powdered sugar, 1 smashed strawberry and 1-2T milk or cream.

Taylor's Falls October 2010

So last weekend after snapping some family photos, we sat down to eat a picnic lunch and guess who came driving up?
My oldest brother and his family! They were camping at the same park the night before! Neither of us knew the other was there, until we bumped into each other. We were both about to go on a hike in the same spot! Crazy! God's cool like that! You should have heard the screams from the cousins when they recognized each other!
So we did some hiking.
Found a cool waterfall.

Some rested.
Played in the water. (It was cold!)
Practiced silly faces.
And just enjoyed God's creativity and artistry of the beautiful day!

What a mighty God we serve!

Fall Family Picture

October's weather has been AMAZING!

This past weekend we decided to get out and enjoy it.
So we headed to a nearby state park and thought maybe we could snap a family picture while we were there.

I think it was like 86 degrees! Unreal for October in Minnesota.

I think we got the perfect shot!