Amen and again I say Amen - Thankful Thursday

Today I posting an email I received, I take no credit for it but I do agree with it wholeheartedly.

I am Thankful My Father in Heaven and of us all is so incredibly awesome.



RECENT VIRGINIA CHURCH

SERVICE-STIMULUS SERMON
Genesis 47:13-27
I would love to give the Pastor of this predominantly black church in
Virginia a hug and a high five. This guy is obviously a leader
Perhaps we should each decide who our
real leader is.....It is amazing to see that very little has
changed in 4,000 years.
---------------------------------------------------
Good morning, brothers and sisters; it's always a delight to see
the pews crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into
God's Word. Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will to the 47th
chapter of Genesis, we'll begin our reading at verse 13, and go
through verse 27.
Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us?
....(reading)...
Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray... So we see that
economic hard times fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to
the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh
nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses
that he had built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a
great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And
this went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again.
So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their
livestock -their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey -
to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through
the end of that year..
But the famine wasn't over, was it? So the next year, the people
came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except
their land and their own lives. "There is nothing left in the sight
of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before
your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food,
and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh.." So they
surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to
Pharaoh's government, and then sold themselves into slavery
to him, in return for grain. What can we learn from this, brothers
and sisters?
That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider
in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes.. That the only reason
government wants to be our provider is to also become our master?
Yes.
But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel
settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen .. And they gained
possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly." God
provided for His people, just as He always has! They didn't end up
giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained
possessions! But I also tell you a great truth today, and an ominous
one. We see the same thing happening today - the government today
wants to "share the wealth "once again, to take it from us and redistribute
it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken
control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government
rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and
what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will
wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years
ago - as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders.
What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what
Pharaoh's government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of
people like to call Mr.. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a Messiah?
A savior? Didn't the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves,
"You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"?
Well, I tell you this -
I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine;
and Mr. Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters,
if Mr. Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh.
Bow with me in prayer, if you will.
Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone.
We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will be.
We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people
of what a ruler would do, where it says "And in that day you will cry out
because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but
the LORD will not answer you in that day." And Lord, we acknowledge
that day has come. We cry out to you because of the ruler that we have
chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this nation. We pray
for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who would be our masters.
Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your people
from the atrocities of Pharaoh's government.
In God We Trust...
****************************************************************
You may consider sharing this with others.
If you don't agree .... just ignore.
Have a nice day.

Birthday Dinner at JaJa Bistro

Last year my birthday was a disaster. My husband is very afraid of ever letting that happen again. To me, birthdays are more sacred than the other holidays, because that is MY day. All year long we celebrate (or get the day off from work) for every other reason. Don't get me wrong, Christmas and Easter rank at the top, but come on, my birthday means alot to me. Some think it's just another day, and others never made much of a stink about it, but to me, it is worthy of waiting all year long for.

One year several years ago, my entire home family forgot it was my birthday at all. Of course my mother never forgets, but husbands and kids sometimes do. I was devastated.

This year my darling husband took me to Fresh Fish Company for lunch, where they have a discount for Birthday people relevant to your age. Needless to say, my meal was very cheap this year! We had Clam Corn Chowder, Oysters on the half shell, Crab stuffed Mushrooms, and a very awesome sourdough bread to start. Hubby is going to try to replicate the sauce on the mushrooms, it was to die for!

Then we had Pistachio Pesto Sea Bass with garlic mashed potatoes, and Crab Cakes with steamed veggies. When we went home, I took a two hour nap, I was so gosh-darn sleepy. I thought only Turkey did that to a body.

We had made reservations for JaJa Bistro, a wonderful French restaurant that we frequent. Our friend Sue is the waitress, our friend Rick is a chef, and we know the owners Stephan and Janelle too. Stephan was wonderful and came to the table to personally wish me a happy birthday and a happy new year!

Josh and I decided to dine from the appetizer menu, since we were still full from lunch. We started with Apple stuffed dates, wrapped in cured apple wood smoked bacon. The sauce is wonderful, and great for dunking chunks of French bread into! Then we were served a whole head of Roasted garlic on a plate with Kalamata olives and an oil/vinegar mix. The garlic was like BUTTA. Dipped in the oil and vinegar, it was so sumptuous.

Then came the "two medallions of Imported French goat cheese topped with Herbes de Provence and lavender served with thinly sliced Parma Prosciutto and an organic baby green salad tossed in hazelnut raspberry vinaigrette."
Very yummy. It also had Cornichon pickles, a tiny French tangy pickle, which I found to be very yummy, stretching the tastes from sweet to savory to tangy and back again.

Sue talked us into ordering the Lamb Shanks for dinner as she felt we would be okay and it sounded soooo tempting. Next came a "Pear braised in spiced Burgundy wine over puffed pastry topped with Blue d'Auvergne sauce and sprinkled with roasted walnuts. Served with artisan lettuce and chilled raspberry wine sauce. When Josh took his first bite, his eyes rolled in his head, I knew it had to be awesome! The sauce and the walnuts had a certain spice that didn't hit until you had swallowed and enjoyed. Kind of an afterthought of taste!

Our final appetizer was a Sea Scallop in a Hazelnut Parsnip sauce, which was more like a soup. There were thin sliced onions which were sauteed in wine (very tangy) and I did my best to like the dish. I do not like Scallops, but did try two bites to be sure. The sauce/soup was awesome.

Since we had decided earlier that we would try the Rack of Lamb with homemade Gnocchi as our main dish, and which we would share, we were skeptical that we would be able to finish it. By the time it came, we were both stuffed and only took two tiny tastes apiece, which were again so amazingly delicious! We opted to take the entree home and have it for lunch the next day. This was my first taste of Lamb, and I must say it, combined with the mint was a very decadent flavor. The gnocchi had a curry flavor, which I thought was more Middle Eastern, but I loved it all the same.

After we had rested a bit, we had Grapefruit Cello as an after dinner drink. It is made with Grain Alchohol and the entire fruit, pulp, pith, seeds, skin and all. It is a process that takes some time, but the end result is very delicious. It is the only Grapefruit drink I will partake of.

Finally! I know, you are thinking how could she eat any more? I ordered Creme Brulee for my dessert. Hubby only took a small bite, I ate the whole topping and part of the custard. They served it with three itty bitty candles for me to wish upon.

Everyday should be like a birthday, but if it were, I would surely be 500 pounds. What can I say? I am a dedicated Foodie, through and through.

Carne Adovada courtesy of CooknKate

This stuff rocks! You really should check out Kate's blog, because she is an awesome blogger, whereas I am getting sleepy and trying to do my best. The Pork is so tender and perfectly seasoned, you can eat it as tacos, burritos, in a bowl, or however you wish! We just scooped it up with tortillas and went to town. The chunks with fat on them are the best!

Ingredients

Red Chile Sauce
¾ lb dried chile peppers; ancho, New Mexico, guajillo…..you pick your heat level.
1 lrg onion, chopped
8 cloves fresh garlic, smashed with skins removed
2 teasp dried oregano
2 teasp ground cumin
2 teasp kosher salt

Carne Adovada
3 - 4 lb pork shoulder or butt, cut into 1/2″ cubes and trimmed of most fat.
4 cups Red Chile Sauce (just use the amount a batch would make)
2 New Mexico dried chile peppers, destemmed, deseeded and crumbled
4 teasp red pepper flakes
2 sticks cinnamon

Method

Red Chile Sauce

De-stem and de-seed chile peppers; place in large stock pot and cover with hot water. Soak for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to pot, bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for half an hour. Drain off solids, reserve liquid. Allow to cool slightly, then process solids in batches in a food processor using reserve liquid for proper consistency. Strain through a wire sieve, pressing on the solids to extract the liquids. This should make about a quart.

Carne Adovada

Combine all ingredients in glass bowl and stir to mix. Cover and chill for 24-48 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove cinnamon before cooking. Cooking method: This can be done in a crockpot on medium for about 4 hours or low for longer; it also can be brought to a boil on the stove then transferred to a 350 degree oven and baked, covered, for 2 hours.
NOTE: When the meat is done, plenty of liquid will be in the pot with any fat that cooked off. Allow the meat to sit and cool, then pour off the thin liquid that has accumulated, leaving the solids in with the meat. If you chill it thoroughly, the fat will be easier to remove. This step is entirely optional if the fat content does not bother you.
Serve with tortillas, avocado, shredded lettuce, cheese etc…… or simply grab a spoon and shovel it in.

The 3:00 Recipe

Years ago I was treated to the best Prime Rib Recipe ever. As time went on it became known as the 3:00 recipe, because the gentleman who transcribed the recipe scratched out "at 3:00 preheat the oven to 450 degrees". The recipe is one from a local steakhouse who is well known for their Prime Rib.

Such was our Christmas dinner, along with green beans almandine, scratch stuffing from Ciabatta, yummy mashed potatoes to die for, seven layer salad and oh yes! the infrared roasted turkey which we used the leftovers today to make Grandma Gomez' taquitos! I am waiting patiently for the Wii Fit to arrive tomorrow to whittle my waistline back down into manageable proportions.

"The 3:00 Recipe"

1 prime rib roast, room temperature
garlic pepper, to taste
kosher salt, to taste
garlic slices, optional

Method

Mix spices and salt, rub on outside of meat. Make a thick crust. Place garlic slices in slits in meat if desired.

(Here is where the 3:00 part came in) Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, turn off oven.

One hour prior to serving, turn on oven to 325 degrees, bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit to redistribute the juices. This produces the most succulent rare roast you can imagine!

Slice and enjoy!

Seasonal JOY!

I was going through my recipes of traditional treats that I remember from my past, thinking how great it would be to bring them to my present and share them with my kids. One of them is Cheddar Cheese Spritz Crackers. Similar to Cheezits, but way better. So, my son JJ and I are making and baking fervently, when my other sons Aidan and Frank return from grub and a movie guys-day-out kinda thing. Frank has been MIA since his stint in Barcelona, Spain over a year ago. He then travelled throughout Europe until this past August, when he returned to college in Boulder. I was beginning to worry, but I know how twenty-something world travelers can be, and waited patiently to hear from him.

Well, as I said JJ and I were cookie pressing multiple batches of Cheese Spritz when Aidan and Frank return. Hot from the stone, I hand Frank a Spritz and he pops it into his mouth. He immediately asks for a drink of "anything". I'm thinking it's because it's so heat hot right? I offer him water and he graciously accepts, gulping it down. Not until a good ten minutes pass, do I recall that my number one son has a HUGE aversion to Cheese! He wouldn't even eat "the blue" as a child. I always thought the boy behaved that way because class mates made a spectacle of the whole lunchtime ordeal. Not so. He really, really, hates the taste of cheese. Could I be a worse mother ever? I apologize for having forgotten (afterall, it's been a couple years since he's been home) and I feel positively horrible. Being the good son that he is, he assures me he will survive. Shortly thereafter, he promises to come for another visit tomorrow ( I really hope he does). I told him I would make whatever his heart desires, but it seems he just wanted free of the Cheddar zone for now.


Cheddar Cheese Spritz Crackers
from Wilton Cookie Master Plus Recipes

1 lb natural cheddar, finely shredded (I used my KitchenAid for this)
1/2 c butter, softened
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot red pepper sauce (I used several dashes of Tapatio)
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika

Preheat 375. In a medium bowl, cream cheese, butter Worchestershire sauce and hot red pepper sauce until smooth. In separate bowl, mix flour and seasonings together. Gradually add to cheese mixture. Mix until dough forms smooth balls. Shape dough into small logs and place in cookie press. (I've been known to roll them into caterpiller shapes and cook as such.) Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet on cooling rack. Remove from sheet and continue to cool on rack. Makes about 8 dozen crackers.

I love this song - Vice Versa Love by Barrington Levy

Vice Versa Love

Whoa... hello,hello,hello,helloooooooo.
Please give a helping hand oh jah
to guide all of us together
people are straying and straying
dividing themself's from each other
there's to many hopeless souls and ragamuffin souljahs
what we need is love and what we need

[Chorus:]
Everybody wants vice versa love
to all the hungry,vice versa love
come on and get some,vice versa love
come on and gett it vice versa love

[Verse:]
To all the rude boys put down all your guns,
The only amunition we need is love
love for everyone, mothers tell your daughters,
fathers please tell your sons, just warn them,
teach them,tell them, show them, that what we need,
that what we need is everybody wants vice versa love,
to all the hungry, vice versa love to all the rejects vice versa love,
come on and get it.warn them.

[Chorus:]
Please give a helping hand oh jah to guide all of us together,
people are straying and straying dividing them self from each other,
what we need is love that's what we need,
everybody wants vice versa love,to all the hungry,vice versa love,
to all the rejects,vice versa love come on and get it vice versa love.
Warn them,teach them, tell them, warn them,warn them,
tell them,warn them,warn them,warn them,teach them,warn them,teach them
warn them, tell them.
[speach]
WARN THEM.

Absolutely THE BEST Brisket Marinade Ever!

So I had this huge 15 pound beef brisket, and I wasn't sure what to do with it. The trouble with brisket is that it's a tough cut and takes marinating or long slow cooking to make it chewable. I'm not overly fond of BBQ, and all of the internet searches seemed to be pointing that direction. Then - yeah for me! I found this marinade recipe that includes red wine and horseradish. Sounds like Prime Rib to me, so I tried it. Let me tell you, I rarely make a dinner that doesn't end up with leftovers. Which is fine by me, because I have no bones about eating leftovers. My kids on the other hand, refuse to eat anything more than one meal. They didn't even eat Thanksgiving leftovers. Anyway... There were two measly slices of brisket left for my lunch today. They ate the entire thing and didn't say a word while doing so. I once read on a blog where a woman knew when dinner was a success because the family would applaud when they were finished. I say if you hear nothing but chewing and flatware scrapes, you've achieved success! In fact it was gone so quickly, I didn't have time to take a photograph, so just trust me on this one. You're gonna love it!

Brisket Marinade
adapted from About.com

1 1/2 cups red wine (be sure to use something you would drink yourself - the flavor is so much better)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard (I used French's, but next time I'm trying a good stone ground)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon wine vinegar (I substituted sherry, it was what was on hand)
1 tablespoon horseradish (I doubled this, John said it needed more kick!)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together. Pour over brisket and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. Remove brisket from marinade and boil remaining marinade for 5 minutes to use as a mop.

I put the whole shebang in the slow cooker and let it simmer on low for 10 hours. It was done before that, but I insisted on making Scalloped Potatoes as a side. The brisket was so tender you could cut it with a fork. The marinade thickened up as it simmered, and we used it as a gravy over the meat.

Here is the recipe for the scalloped potatoes I served, Au Gratin would do just as nicely.


Scalloped Potatoes
adapted from The Pillsbury Cookbook

4 medium raw potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
1 small onion, sliced, optional
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups milk

**I doubled the sauce ingredients, I really like my potatoes soupy!

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes and onion in greased 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole. (I use a mandolin to ensure even slicing of onions and potatoes). In medium saucepan, melt margarine. Make a roux by blending in flour, salt and pepper; cook until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the potatoes are tender.

I have added diced ham to this dish with great results too. But that's another post.

Enjoy!