Happy New Year!

 

Here I am to ring in the new year! 2013 was full of many new and exciting experiences for me like graduating high school and surviving my first semester of college! But now 2014 is here with even more challenges ahead. I hope that God will bless all of you in this new year!

Here are some New Year traditions: (found here)

1. Pork is a symbol of good luck because pigs root forward, which is obviously the direction you want to go in the new year. (Chickens and turkeys scratch backwards — so steer clear of the poultry aisle if you're superstitious.)
2. Black-eyed peas and other legumes symbolize prosperity because they resemble coins. For those who associate good luck with good money, be sure to add some peas to your New Year's dinner.
3. While you're at it, heap on some leafy greens like collards, kale, or cabbage, which represent paper money — and more prosperity. They're good for your health too, but the point is, the more foods that resemble money, the better. 
4. A New Year's smooch when the clock strikes midnight brings good luck in love for the year to come. So whether you're single or have a steady honey, prepare to pucker up.
Need more ways to court good fortune for 2014? Consider these traditions from around the world:

5. In Spain, wearing red underwear on New Year's Eve means that you will have prosperity and good luck in the upcoming year. 
6. Also in Spain and many Latin American countries, eating 12 grapes at midnight ensures good luck and health in every month of the new year. (The trick is to stuff in one grape for each strike the clock makes, so grab the smallest ones you can find!) 
7. In order to chase out the bad luck of the New Year, the Irish bang white bread against the walls.
8. In Ecuador, it's customary for each family to burn a scarecrow at midnight. The scarecrow represents the negativity of the previous year, so burning it ensures positive energy and good luck as the new year begins.
9. Brazilians jump seven waves for good luck — one jump for each day of the week.
10. In Greece, smashing a pomegranate outside one's door at midnight is said to bring good fortune. The red color and seeds of the pomegranate represent fertility, love, happiness... and a big mess on your doorstep.
11. If you're in Germany, be sure to find a chimney sweep or a fireplace, because touching ashes is the key to good luck in the new year. Like seeing Santa Klaus on Christmas, the appearance of the chimney sweep is a good omen.
12. In Japan, cleaning and sweeping on New Year's Eve is good luck, but doing so on New Year's Day could actually sweep away all of the good luck of the year! So consider this your free pass not to do any household chores after your New Year's Eve celebrations. (Better stock up on those paper plates.)

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Bean Soup

Let me introduce you to my latest interesting find: Bean flour. 

Sounds REALLY weird, I know. 

But it's very nutritional, and you can add it to breads or make it into sauces and soups.You can grind up beans in a grain mill or in a coffee grinder. White beans seem to make the best flour. I have also ground red and green lentils in a coffee grinder.

Here is what you will need for a basic soup:

Water

Bean flour

Spices

(That is all!)

For every cup of water use:

1-2 Tbsp. flour for thin

3-4 Tbsp. flour for medium

5-6 Tbsp. flour for thick

Boil your water on the stove. *Making this recipe in the microwave will kill all the nutrients.*

For my spices I put one bouillon cube and dissolve it in the water. You could add any spices you wanted: Mexican, Italian, or just salt and pepper.

Bring the water to a boil.

Today I used a mixture of white bean flour and ground red lentils.

Flour from white beans

Red lentils mixed with white beans

Whisk the flour into the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

 Top with cheese and more spices if desired. ENJOY!

Fly with Christ!

Rachel : )

Garden Pics!

Here are some pictures of our garden.

El's Carrots

Jet Star Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes

My poor little eggplant plants look worse than the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But we have eggplant!

Eggplant

Eggplant

Bell Pepper

We have picked over 17 gallons of green beans this year! God is so good! : ) We have recently had some rain here. I'm hoping that it will be enough to keep the plants alive.

Green beans

Bean plants

Squash and Zucchini

Blueberries

Pear

Let me tell you a little story about this plant. A few months ago, when we started to see life in the garden, we noticed these plants popping up in our compost pile. We had no idea what they were until we saw little pumpkins! We figured they were from last Halloween.

Smokie

Smokie in action.

Our lima beans are also coming in! We picked about four gallons so far. They taste SO good!

Lima Bean blooms

Lima Bean blooms

Lima Beans

God bless!

Rachel : )