June 23, 2017
comment 0

Of Falling Objects and God’s Protection

Fallen Treehouse

A couple of months ago we noticed that our very well built tree house was starting to lean. Every day it seemed like it leaned a little more and then a little more.  We were pretty sure the large tree stump that it was built around was rotting.

One morning I woke up to a semi cloudy day and wondered if I might be able to pull weeds.  Heading outside, I looked towards where the treehouse was and noticed there was weed pulling that needed to be done around and underneath it.  But then I looked at the sky and talked myself out of it.

Heading back inside the house, I started doing chores when suddenly I heard a loud swish and thump. It had been a little windy earlier and I thought “which tree fell this time?” Looking out the living room window, I noticed the tree house lying on its side on the ground with the tree trunk attached to it.

Fallen Treehouse

And … that’s where I had considered working.

There have been so many times when God’s protection shielded me and I was thankful that today was another one of those times.

Looking at the treehouse, a vivid memory came back to me of a movie I had seen several times called The Wizard of Oz.  In one scene, because of a tornado, a house is flying through the sky and then lands squarely on the body of the “wicked witch of the east.” But the only thing you see of her is part of her legs sticking out from under the house.

I shuddered to think that I could have been killed under this treehouse in the same manner.

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”  Psalm 5:11

 

Print Friendly
June 16, 2017
comment 0

Paleo Beef Shish Kabobs

Paleo Baked Beef Shish Kabobs

I’m still trying to keep my meal planning very simple so I can spend more time in the yard this spring/summer.

So ~ I made these marinated paleo Beef Shish Kabobs that took absolutely no time at all.  You don’t have to marinate the meat, however, if you do the meat will be a lot more tender.

But, first things first ~ I used wooden skewers and they have to be soaked so they don’t burn in the oven.  I soaked them in cool water for about 20 minutes.  That did the trick. (The knife was to hold them down as they kept floating.)

Soak Wooden Skewers

Now, besides onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, I use white vinegar to “soften” the beef. The longer you can marinate the beef the more tender it will be.  Today I only marinated the beef for a couple hours and it didn’t come out as tender as my mouth was watering for ~ I think my problem though was using too little vinegar so the recipe below uses more than what I used.  It will also depend on how much meat you have to tenderize so if  you use a little bit of beef, don’t use as much vinegar ~ more beef, more vinegar.

The pieces of beef below were marinated, trimmed of fat and then cut into smaller pieces for the skewers.

Tenderize the Beef

I only used peppers and onion to accompany the beef. Simple, right?

Vegetables for kabobs

Since I had cherry tomatoes on hand, I added them on the side so they could roast. I could have put them on the skewers but that sounded messy to me.

Cherry Tomatoes

The shish kabobs should bake for about 20 minutes IF you like your meat medium well. I took them out at 10 minutes just to see what they looked like ~ a little to red for me:

Medium Baked Beef Shish Kabobs

These came out much better ~ don’t you agree?

Paleo Baked Beef Shish Kabobs

Now for the recipe ~

Print
Paleo Beef Shish Kabobs

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Category: Entree

Cuisine: American

5 Skewers

Serving Size: 1 Skewer

Paleo Beef Shish Kabobs

Paleo Baked Beef Shish Kabobs

Ingredients

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar (depends how much meat you have)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 - 3 peppers, cut into pieces to fit on the skewers
  • 2 medium onions, cut into pieces to fit on the skewers
  • Cherry tomatoes (optional)
  • Wooden skewers

Instructions

  1. Prepare the beef stew meat by cleaning it, trimming the fat and cutting it into bite sized pieces.
  2. Season the beef with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper then toss this all together.
  3. Add the vinegar to the seasoned beef, toss then cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours to marinate.
  4. Once the meat is marinated remove it from the refrigerator and allow to come it to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
  5. In a flat medium container, add cool water and soak the wooden skewers for approximately 20 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Prepare the vegetables for the skewers.
  8. Add pieces of beef and vegetables to the skewer alternating as you wish.
  9. Place the skewers in a casserole dish or a small oven rack to bake in the oven.
  10. If you're roasting cherry tomatoes, add them to the side of the dish next to the skewers.
  11. Bake for approximately 20 minutes (ovens bake differently so check the meat for doneness at 15 minutes).
Recipe Management Powered by Zip Recipes Plugin
http://www.simplynorma.com/2017/06/16/paleo-beef-shish-kabobs/

Then ~ enjoy!

For more paleo recipes, click here.

Print Friendly
June 6, 2017
comment 0

Of Ticks and God’s Protection

Backyard

I dislike working the outside perimeter of our yard because of the possibilities of ticks and mosquitoes. But this morning I said “I can do this. I will not be afraid.” And I prayed really hard for courage and protection. So, with weed whacker in hand, I headed out.

When I came back in, I showered and checked for ticks and found none so I made lunch, sat down and watched a little TV.

Then I happened to glance down at my arm and very quickly heading up my arm was a HUGE tick (well, okay, since I dislike them so much they look huge – this one was the size of a pregnant ladybug). I quickly brushed it away from me. Had I been smart enough (no comments here, hehe) I would have killed the evil creature.

So I spent the next hour vacuuming/hunting for the tick but it was not to be found. Fortunately, they die within 24 hours if they don’t have a water source.

I’m glad I prayed for and received God’s protection. I’ve come to realize that God doesn’t always part Red Seas for us as most of us don’t have those kinds of experiences. In the every day, mundane kinds of experiences ~ that’s where I see God at work.

Print Friendly
May 17, 2017
comment 0

Spoofing

I received a call yesterday from a number I thought I had seen before that was a telemarketer. They called twice and left a message the second time that said “Stop calling me. I’m going to report you. Remove my number from your list.” The woman sounded upset.

So – I called her. An odd thing to do since she said “stop calling” but I hadn’t called her so wanted to see what she was talking about.

Come to find out the woman has been getting 6 calls or so a day from “my” number from telemarketers and collection agencies. She was so frustrated and didn’t know why they kept calling her.

I later found out that people can use other phone numbers besides their own to show up on someone’s caller id. It’s called spoofing and they even have apps for it.  What an unfortunate thing to have in our world ~ another tool for deception and pranks.

Bottom line: the number you see on your caller id may not be the number that’s actually calling you. You might be “spoofed.” So if someone calls you upset because they think you’ve been calling them, keep this in mind and be gentle with them.  Imagine how frustrating this can be.

I was able to calm this woman down and we talked for awhile. I’m thankful the situation worked itself out but imagine if I had reacted with an angry tone.  We both would have been upset and for no good reason.

Spoofing ~ man’s NOT best friend.

Print Friendly
May 5, 2017
comment 0

Spring Arrival in Minnesota 

Last week I was lamenting the light snow that was coming down from the spring sky. Yet looking back on some of my posts, late spring snow is not uncommon.

Unfortunately, the older I get the more cloudy sky’s seem to affect me.   Cloudy skies bring me down.

Yesterday I worked outside for a few hours in spite of the copious amounts of tree pollen.   Then I noticed these beautiful flowers that have erupted into their beauty.

First, the daffodils. Daffodils are one flower that the deer don’t appear to like or eat – which is good because I haven’t found very many flowers that deer won’t eat.

Aren’t these daffodils beautiful?   They bring sunshine right into the heart.


I was surprised to see so many different colored tulips which I don’t remember planting.

Deer love tulips.   Fortunately the deer have not been around lately.   I do spray them with Deer Stopper and since the deer don’t like the smell they tend to walk on by.

But look at these tulips.   First there are the red tulips.


This yellow and red tulip makes me think it’s part daffodil and part tulip.  I wonder if they’ve ever combined the two and made a hybrid?   Hmm.


And then … a gorgeous yellow tulip.   Wowser!


But not to be outdone is this magenta tulip.


These tulips give me some ideas for possible quilt colors.

Are you enjoying your spring yet? Colors sure do lift my spirit.

Print Friendly
April 28, 2017
comment 0

Baked Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes

Baked Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes

I always seem to have a hard time baking salmon so it doesn’t come out dry.  Does that ever happen to you?

Well, this recipe, adapted from a Martha Stewart one, is the absolute best salmon I’ve ever had. Seriously!  The salmon came out moist and perfect.  Moist and perfect baked salmon ~ what more could I ask for?

This paleo Baked Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes was also a welcome addition to my recipes as I had purchased a large container of cherry tomatoes from Costco (a warehouse store) and needed to use some up.  It was a fantastic way to use up a large amount of extra cherry tomatoes.

Cherry Tomatoes

It always helps when a recipe has garlic too.  Eh?  The original recipe called for one garlic clove.  Can you believe that?  Only one.  But not for me!  I crushed three garlic cloves in with the halved tomatoes that included cherry tomatoes, garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and dried basil.

This mixture will be baked in the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes.

Baked Cherry Tomatoes

I use a convection oven at home and it cooks a lot faster than a normal oven.  In this case, it was a total of 10 minutes less from the original recipe.

I served this meal with a salad, steamed carrots and half of an avocado.  It was delicious and filling.

So ~ are you ready to see this scrumptious baked salmon recipe?  Enjoy!

Print
Baked Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes

Baked Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Salt and ground pepper
  • 2 skin-on wild-salmon fillets

Instructions

  1. Preheat the convection oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a small casserole dish, add the oil, tomatoes, garlic and basil then toss together.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again.
  4. Bake the tomato mixture for 10 minutes then remove it from the oven.
  5. Lower the oven heat to 275 degrees.
  6. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
  7. Add the salmon, skin-side down, to the casserole dish with the tomatoes.
  8. Take a little bit of the juice and tomatoes and spread it over the salmon.
  9. Bake the salmon for 15 minutes (a thermometer inserted in the salmon fillets should read 120 degrees when it's cooked thoroughly).
  10. Note: If not using a convection oven, add 5 minutes to the times listed above.
Recipe Management Powered by Zip Recipes Plugin
http://www.simplynorma.com/2017/04/28/baked-salmon-with-cherry-tomatoes/

For additional paleo recipes, click here.

 

 

Print Friendly
April 11, 2017
comment 0

Mountainous New Mexico 

While visiting friends in Las Cruces, New Mexico, I was surprised at how many mountains are in the area.  

Below is a picture of the Dona Ana Mountains.  

Dona Ana Mountains, New Mexico


From our friends house, we can see the Organ Mountains in the distance and the Las Cruces valley in the foreground.  

Organ Mountains, Las Cruces Valley


Quite pretty, don’t you think?

Print Friendly
April 9, 2017
comment 0

The New Mexico Sky

The Organ Mountains, Las Cruces, New Mexico

The sky in New Mexico has so many varied colors that appear right before the sun sets.  The photo above of the Organ mountains was taken in Las Cruces.

Simply brilliant!

New Mexico Sky Colors

I can sit and stare at the different hues of Organ Mountains forever – if they were to last that long.

New Mexico Sky

Yes indeed, the New Mexico sky has brilliant colors to calm the nerves and settle one in to mediate.

Print Friendly
March 16, 2017
comment 0

The Cardinal

Three inches of snow had fallen overnight.

As I looked out the upstairs window, I saw that our snow plower had come that morning.  The driveway was cleared of snow. Heading downstairs, I walked to the laundry room window and peeked to see if my husband had had a chance to shovel the walkway.  Ahhh – I had to add this to my list of things to do.

After breakfast I headed to the garage and grabbed the snow pusher. I was glad that my brother-in-law had told me about the difference between a snow shovel and a snow pusher.  This pusher made my job a lot easier.

Opening the side door in the garage that led to the outside, I was greeted with a beautiful blue sky. Stepping outside, I shoveled a pathway to the front of the garage doors and over to the front walkway. I was glad that this snowfall was light because it made my life much simpler.

Once the snow was shoveled, I headed indoors, went to the kitchen and started preparing my husband’s lunch for the next day. With the ingredients out on the counter top, I turned around and happened to look out the window where a cardinal was staring at me.  The cardinal kept still then looked this way and that.

I wondered if I could quickly grab my camera to take a picture of him. Moving slowly away from the window, I grabbed my camera, focused and started taking pictures.  “He” kept still with the exception of turning his head this way and that ~ as if he was posing.

I felt blessed by the opportunity to view and take pictures of this beautiful bird.

Approximately 30 minutes later, he flew away.

It has been said that “When cardinals appear, angels are near.”  So glad I had angels visiting me.

 

Print Friendly