Christmas Recipes {Part 3}

Spiced Tea!!!!! Heaven in a mug!!!!! (if you can't tell, we love this stuff around here!)

Spiced Tea:
2 cups Tang
1 cup lemonade mix
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup instant tea
3/4 T cinnamon
1 t ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.To serve, place 2 heaping teaspoons in a mug and mix with boiling water to enjoy!!!  : D


Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Christmas Recipes {Part 2}

Today is the Christmas Cookie day! This is one of my Granny's recipes. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Cream butter and sugar.

 Finished dough.

 El with her cookies...   : )

Finished cookies!

Christmas Cookies:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
3 cup flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
Combine:
1/4 cup sugar
1 t cinnamon
maraschino cherries

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, then add eggs one at a time. Then beat in the cream. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate about 3 hours. After it has chilled, roll cookie dough in cinnamon/sugar mixture, make a dent in the cookie with your thumb, and place a cherry half in the center. Bake at 375 F until brown. Try not to over bake them. Enjoy!


Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Christmas Recipes {Part 1}

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

Since Christmas is tomorrow, I have decided to break my blogging silence to bring some of my family's favorite holiday recipes! First up is homemade Chex Mix!

Chex Mix:
1 stick of butter
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
almost 1 Tablespoon of seasoned salt
3/4 Teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoon of onion powder
3 cups of Corn Chex
3 cups of Rice  Chex
3 cups of Wheat Chex
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup pretzels
1 cup Cherrios

Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Melt butter in a large roasting pan. Stir in seasonings and then the rest of the ingredients. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, and store in and airtight container.


Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Vintage Patterns

Happy Sunday! Long time no see (or write for that matter). I have brought out some of my patterns from my vintage pattern collection today. Enjoy and have a blessed Lord's day!

 

Fly with Christ!
Rachel  : )

English Muffins {and a SUPER easy breakfast}

Ever dream about the fabulous breakfast you could be eating if you only had the time.You know...eggs, bacon, toast, milk and juice, etc. In this day and age many Americans are constantly on the go. Many skip meals because of the "lack of time". That is NOT a good thing!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Lucky Charms, McDonald's sausage biscuits, and coffee won't give the body what it needs to start the day. So start you day right with an English muffin sandwich!
*Disclaimer* This recipe will take some time due to rising bread dough. DON"T try to make the entire recipe 5 minutes before you have to walk out the door!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c luke warm water
3 T honey
2 T yeast
2 T olive oil or melted butter
2 t salt
4 c flour (more may be needed)

Mix water, honey, yeast, oil, and salt and let it rest for about 10 minutes or until it starts to bubble.

Blend in flour until you have a soft dough. Knead for 8 minutes, and then cover and let rise for about 45 minutes.

Or until doubled in bulk.

Roll out to 1/2 inch thick and cut into 3 inch circles. Let rest for 15.

Bake muffins in an ungreased electric skillet for about 10 minutes on each side, turning once.

YUM!!! Split them with a fork and you're ready to go!

Topping them is the fun part. I like to put scrambled eggs and a cheese slice on the split muffin then broil them in the oven. You can also top them with sliced tomatoes, breakfast meats, etc, or just eat them plain with some butter!

Enjoy!

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Finally...

The ground finally dried up enough for us to plant our garden yesterday! Better late than never! I love gardening. There is nothing like the feeling of warm, freshly tilled dirt between your bare toes. Or the taste of vine ripened tomatoes still hot from the summer sun. No question about it. End of discussion. Period.

 

 Our Garden...

 Squash and Zucchini

 Sweet Bell Peppers

 Okra (my favorite!)

 Eggplant... If anyone has any tips about growing/harvesting eggplant, please let me know!  : )

 Jalapeno Peppers

Tomatoes!

And Blueberries!!!

 Here is Smokie playing in the dirt.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

SO Cool!

I just found this on Etsy. DIY marbled scarves: HOW CUTE!!! I will have to try this when I can get my hands on the supplies. Go check it out here.

Talk about a great start to summer! : )

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Summer...

THIS IS SO TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winter:
Cold...Dreary...Depressing...     : (
I hate the cold weather...bring on summer!

Summer:
Fun...Hot (I like hot weather!!!)...Sunny...Flowers...Fresh Produce...Swimming...Happy...Flip-flops...    : D

What more is there to love??? (besides Jesus, of course!)

Now I could be the only person who loves hot weather and sunshine. Not everyone loves summer. I TOTALLY get that! But whatever your love may be, enjoy every season while it is here.




Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Chickens...

I wrote this last fall. Tell me what you think.  : )

O.K. I'm not A.D.D.

Really, I'm not.(well maybe a little. . .)

My problem is that I sometimes have multiple thoughts running through my head at once. My thoughts and actions usually resemble the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". Sometimes it is a bad thing. For example :

     I sit down to read my Biology textbook and remember the dress that I am altering for a friend. I get up to go make sure that it is ready for her to try on and see the embroidery pattern that I started last night. I sit and work on that for a while until I either get bored, or remember a post that I am working on for this blog. So I get up to go finish the post, only to find my brother on the computer. I wrestle him off and start "Google-ing" whatever comes to mind, usually using key words like vintage, sewing, tutorials, and patterns. I find a random knitting pattern from the 1940's, print the pattern, and grab my knitting needles. I can't find a yarn that would suit the pattern so I put the pattern on my desk for "later". I see the Biology textbook on the desk but toss the knitting pattern on top of the open book. Now I'm starting to get hungry. One of three things will happen next. I will either 1) dig in the pantry to try to find a snack bar, 2) notice that I have access to all the ingredients for a new recipe that I found while "Google-ing" and try to convince my mom to let me make it (usually the answer is no), or 3) it is now so late that mom tells me to make supper. After supper mom reminds me that I still haven't finished reading Biology. I go back to the desk and fight the urge to attempt the knitting pattern that I tossed onto my desk. Since I am a morning person, I am to tired to read Biology at this point, but I force myself to read something(usually forgetting it thereafter). I then take a shower, crawl into bed, and read either the book that I got for Christmas but haven't found the time to read yet, or the book that I started reading a few months back but never finished.

My mom says that I waste a whole lot of time. And after reading this, you may think this, too. You may say that I waste a lot of my time every day. But the truth is I waste my school time doing projects and my project time doing school. This cycle leaves both myself and my mom very frustrated. I still struggle to control my thoughts and actions, but I am getting better, though. Trust me, it was a lot worse. At least I'm finishing my schoolwork.

I write all of this to say that it does get better. With time and patience it does get better.

Oh yeah! you may be asking yourself "what in the world does all her ramblings have to do with chickens?!" A good friend of my mom called it "chasing chickens". Jumping from one thing to the next. Sometimes when we say something totally random, my mom will say, "Oh look! It's a chicken!"


Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )
P.S. For those of you who think you are above those who have trouble controlling their thoughts, I personally think that everyone has those A.D.D. moments. Just my two cents!

Starting Your Day

Not everyone gets up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the mornings. Not everyone is a "morning" person. I get that, I really do! Although I am a morning person, I live with people who aren't. {like my sister} Not everyone can roll out of bed with a smile on their face and be ready to face the day. But there a few things that may help start your days better.

1. Have a quiet time with God. If you start your day talking with Him, it could help put your thoughts in the right frame of mind. Along with your Bible, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is a good book to read, but their are countless others.
2. Exercise! 30 minutes of exercise a day can get your blood pumping and your brain working better. {Speaking from personal experience here}
3. And lastly, eat a good breakfast. The say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your breakfast should not be too heavy because you are trying to "break a fast" after having not eaten for over 8 hours. But it shouldn't be too light, or else your brain won't have enough energy to start the day.

A good breakfast, like other meals, should consist of many food groups, not just one:
Fruit ~ Fresh fruit has a lot of natural sugars that are needed to help start your day. You can eat them whole, in smoothies, and juiced in a juicer.
Vegetable ~ Veggies can be for breakfast, too! You can eat them raw, or put them in something like a frittata. They can also be juiced.
Meat ~ Bacon and sausage aren't the only sources of animal protein that you can eat for breakfast. Turkey meats are much leaner and healthier than pork. Eggs are also a good option for breakfast. They can be prepared in many healthy ways. Some of my favorite are boiled, poached, and scrambled.
Grains ~ This is probably the most common breakfast item of the modern world. With many types of cereals, hot and cold, and baked goods, it easy to overload on this group in the morning, but they are a good addition to breakfast. REAL grits, oats, rice, and wheat are good choices.
Dairy ~ Dairy can be eaten for breakfast. Milk in your cereal and cheese in your grits (my favorite!) are good for breakfast.

Poached eggs on a bed of cheese grits

Waldorf Salad

Fresh orange juice

Fresh strawberries

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Crusty Bread

After a long day at work, I decided to bring you a recipe that I have been needing to share for a while. The recipe comes from Janet @ Simply So Good and will probably be the easiest bread recipe you will ever try. No kneading involved. (Really!) Three ingredients. (Yes, only three!) I told you it was easy. The hardest part of the recipe is waiting. After you mix up the dough, it has to sit on the counter for 12 to 18 hours. (talk about fix it and forget it!) With that said, here is the recipe:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. yeast

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt. 

Stir in about 1 1/2 cups warm water. 

Mix until a soft dough forms.

Place in a large, greased bowl and cover. Let rise for 12 to 18 hours on the counter. 

That's it, for now. Come back later. 

And now we're back. Long time, no see! Anyway... Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place you dutch oven in the oven to preheat for at least 30 minutes. 

Dump the dough onto a heavily floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Place the dough into the preheated dutch oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 30 minutes.

Take out of the oven and ENJOY! This bread also makes great french toast!

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Simple Italian Soup

Stephen once told me that our kitchen pantry to me is like his Lego box. I can look at the different pieces in the "box" and see what fits together well. Here is the latest result of my imagination.

Simple Italian Soup:
1 med. onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (or fresh)
1-2 tbsp. Pizza topping (see note)
1 can cooked chicken, drained
1/2 bag pasta (approx. 8 oz.)
32 fl. oz. chicken broth

 Chop onions and garlic.
 

  Saute onions and garlic in a little olive oil until soft. Butter or any other oil can also be used.
 

 Add tomatoes and pizza spices and cook for a few more minutes.
 

Note: We get this pizza topping at a store in Charlotte, TN. You might also be able to use an Italian spice mix instead.

 Add the chicken (break apart if the pieces are too big).
 

Add the pasta and chicken broth.

Cook until the pasta is done. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )