Here’s a really neat Christmas song by Francesca Battestelli. I enjoyed it the first time I heard it and continue to enjoy it every time I hear it. I’ve posted the lyrics below so you can follow along. The song is sung from the perspective of a mother (Mary, the mother of Jesus).
You’re Here
Hold on now, got to take a deep breath. I don’t know what to say when I look in your eyes. You made the world before I was born, And here I am holding you in my arms tonight.
Noel, Noel Jesus our Emmanuel.
(Chorus) You’re here. I’m holding you so near. I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator. You could of left us on our own. But you’re here.
I don’t know how long I’m going to have you for, But I’ll be watching when you change the world. Look at your hands, they’re still so small. Someday you’re going to stretch them out and save us all.
Noel, Noel God with us, Emmanuel.
(Chorus)
Someday I’m going to look back on this, The night that God became my baby boy. Someday you’re going to go home again, But you’ll leave your spirit, And flood the world with joy
(Chorus) You’ll be here. I’m holding you so near. Oh, oh. I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator. You could of left me on my own. But you’re here. You’re here. Hallelujah, you’re here. Hallelujah, you’re here.
Well, we’re all still here and the Mayan calendar expired. There was so much hoopla around the “end of the world” being at hand and it wasn’t even a “religious” event.
As a Christian, it confused me when I heard other Christians asking “could this be ‘it?'”
No Christians — l refer you to the texts in the Bible that point to the time of the end but specifically to Matthew 24:36-42 where it says:
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
(Emphasis in black is mine.)
Things seem to be falling apart in our world and we keep rushing around trying to fix everything that is going wrong. But things happen much too quickly and there is just no way we can make provision to prevent every evil thing from happening.
So, we wait. Tears will be shed and hearts will be heavy with sorrow, but we still wait. We wait for the return of Christ so that we can leave this world and go to a place called heaven.
Yes, I know Christmas isn’t here yet but I like to enjoy the last week before Christmas without all the hustle and bustle that the rest of the days seem to embrace.
This year we purchased a different kind of Christmas tree — a white pine. It’s needles are longer and the color of the tree is a deep deep green. Very pretty. When we bought our tree a couple of weeks ago we were told that it is more “delicate” than the fir trees as the branches are a lot thinner. Sure enough, I had to use my smaller ornaments on this tree but did manage to place a few larger ornaments towards the middle of the tree where the branches were just a tad thicker.
White Pine Christmas Tree
The tree drinks a LOT of water. Every morning I pour three 16 ounce glasses of water in the tree stand. I had asked a friend of mine if this is normal (he’s 80 years old and has been around the block a few times) and he told me I was worrying about it too much. He said that he and his wife used to buy live trees 3 weeks before Christmas and they never watered them.
Oh — well, I guess I am worrying about nothing. It’s time to put my feet up, sit back and just enjoy the season, eh?
It’s not too late in the Christmas season to post another cookie recipe, is it? This recipe is one my son made last year and recently I decided to make it myself because I remember the smell and taste of the cookies. It was a very sweet memory.
With these cookies, the dough is frozen so you can make as few or as little as you want at a time. Hey, make them all at once and … no, no, no temperance is key here.
Ingredients
8 ounces unsalted butter (that would be 2 sticks)
1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 smalls eggs (at room temperature)
1/3 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Allow the butter to warm at room temperature (or soften in microwave)
In an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft
Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy
Add the vanilla and the eggs then beat until fluffy (fluffy seems to be the theme here)
Add the molasses (making sure you get every bit of it out of the measuring cup) and beat until everything is well combined
Combine the dry ingredients together, sift them, Â then add them to the mixture
On low speed, mix everything together until it is just combined
LIne a 9″x5″ loaf pan with plastic so that some of the plastic hangs over all 4 sides
Transfer the dough into the bottom of this pan and pack it down into the bottom of the pan (I used wax paper on the top then pressed my hand down on it)
Try to make the dough as level as possible
Cover the dough with the plastic overhangs
Freeze the dough until its very firm, preferably overnight
When ready to use, unwrap and remove the dough from the pan
Slice the dough into thin slices, no more than 1/8″ thick (just eyeball it)
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the slices of dough on it being careful not to place them too close to each other
Bake at 350 degrees until the edges turn dark brown, about 12 minutes. For softer cookies, bake for approximately 10 minutes. Keep in mind that every oven is different, eh?
That’s it! So simple, so good, so yummy, so … well, you get the point.
IngredientsAdd dry ingredients together then siftCombine dry and wet ingredientsLine a pan with plastic wrapAdd mixture to pan and press it firmly downBake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes
(Notice that some slices came out a wee bit thicker than others. Aim for perfection when slicing but don’t stress if you miss the mark. They’re only cookies, after all.
Gingersnaps
Fresh out of the oven, small glass of milk in hand … delicious!
Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!
(Note: Not sure exactly where this recipe came from as many “stories” abound. I do know that they were served at the Chez Panisse restaurant at one time.)
What is there to say about the tragedy in Connecticut? Words simply can’t convey what the heart feels in instances like this.
As I listened to the news on my way to the store, my eyes welled with tears and my stomach felt as if someone had punched it.
What words would I be able to use in instances like this? I’m sorry? That seems so inadequate.
In times like these I believe the best thing to do is say nothing, hold the person who this has personally impacted, cry with them, hold their hand and simply allow touch to give whatever healing it can give. And if we’re not around to do this, all we can do is pray and hold those we love closer to us because we never know when this will happen to us.
A friend once told me that she appreciated food that we had left for her and her family after her mother passed away. This can also be helpful, but most times eating is impossible as the mind simply can’t wrap itself around the tragic events.
This tragedy is horrid! Seeing pictures of children with their faces wincing and crying in anguish — what could bring more pain to our hearts? Those who saw images of the carnage will never be able to remove the picture from their minds and it may forever haunt them.
Words of encouragement? All I can say is that there is a place that we can look forward to where pain and suffering do not exist. I can hardly wait for that day.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.† Revelation 21:3, 4
May the families, friends and all of us who are impacted by this take some comfort in these words. Come Lord Jesus, please come!
Yes indeed — that was the total number of inches we received in Lake Elmo, Minnesota — 17 inches of snow. It’s been 4 days now though and things are starting to melt.
The snow plower we hired last year came late in the day and plowed the very heavy snow to wherever he found space. All of a sudden, I felt very short next to the piles of snow.
First, let me remind you what the snowfall looked like when it started.
Red Bridge
With the snow softly falling, the red bridge looked beautiful in contrast to the white fluff. But wait. Where did it go?
Snow Buried Red Bridge
The snow plower really did a great job moving the snow around.
By the 2nd day, the sun had come out and the blue sky lifted my spirits.
Living in Minnesota is great in the winter because, not only do you have snow but there is sunshine most days which makes for cheerful moods.
Winter Blue Sky, Minnesota
Simply gorgeous!
The weather folks are now saying we may have more snow on Saturday but it will not be “pretty” as it may come with sleet. We’ll see how accurate they are. Perhaps the wind will shift and we’ll miss that storm.
This butternut squash, mushroom, kale and sausage frittata came out pretty good except for “cook” error which you’ll see at the end of the post. (no peeking!)
The frittata was quite filling and I absolutely love the taste of the squash in it which gave it a hint of sweetness. Very very good!
Ingredients
2 large sausages, I used the chicken ones from Trader Joe’s that don’t have the pork casing
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups butternut squash, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, diced
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup kale, torn into bit sized pieces
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk or cream
1 cup gruyere, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook the sausage over medium-high heat in a pan, remove the sausage, set aside and reuse the pan for number 2 below.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the butternut squash to the pan and cook it until its tender, about 7-10 minutes, then set this aside in a bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan again then add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onions are tender and the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the kale to the above mixture and saute until wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
Mix everything in a large bowl, pour it back into the pan and cook over medium heat until the eggs are almost set, about 7-10 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a preheated 400F oven and bake until the eggs have set, about 10 minutes.
IngredientsAfter preparation, mix all ingredients in a bowlAllow the mixture to “almost set” before putting it in the ovenButternut Squash, Mushroom, Kale and Sausage FrittataButternut Squash, Mushroom, Kale and Sausage Frittata
Below is the “cook error” that I referred to. I allowed the frittata to “set” on the stovetop a little too long and the bottom got a wee bit burnt. Lucky for us it was still edible and didn’t taste burnt.
This recipe calls for the frittata to be cooked in an oven proof fry pan before transferring it to the oven.
You can also put the frittata in a casserole dish and bake it that way. In this case, the eggs will have to bake more than the 10 minutes so keep an eye for when they are “set.”
Note: Special thanks to a fellow blogger who I follow, Closet Cooking, for this recipe.
Have you finished your Christmas shopping already? I haven’t but I’m well on my way.
I thought I’d let you know about a product that I received for my birthday this past year. It’s called the Prepara Power Plant.
I saw it advertised on TV, looked at my husband, pointed at the TV and said “I want that for my birthday.” No guesswork for him this year. For some husbands, I think that’s the best way to handle gift giving — just tell them what you want because otherwise you might get pink fuzzy socks that you’d never wear in a lifetime.
Anyway … I used the Power Plant for 3 months and liked it. It did NOT however make the plant as large as the picture shows but that was fine with me as I used it to grow basil and liked the smaller leaf pieces. I do have to say though that I did not have much sunlight on my south window because of our treed property so that could have been a factor.
Prepara Power Plant
Here’s what mine looked like after a month or so …
Prepara Power Plant
The plant comes with its own liquid fertilizer that lasts awhile and I still have half a bottle left as it uses very little. So — no bugs, no dirt, no problem! And you can use whatever seed you’d like to grow.
Oh – one last thing … because it’s plugged in, you do hear light noise when its quiet so consider what room you might want to put it in if you decide to get one for yourself or for a friend.
Yes indeed, I’ll be growing more basil soon. Or perhaps I’ll try growing something else this time.
Winter’s approach means soup time! Served with warm bread and a crisp salad, I could live on soup all winter.
This soup was tweaked just a tad because it assumed you had leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and since we didn’t have to cook for Thanksgiving we had no leftovers.
If you have leftover turkey, great! Otherwise, I have a workaround for you to try. Oh — I highly recommend getting a meat thermometer so that you know when to take the meat out of the oven without it being overcooked and tough. My sister-in-law gave me one a few years back that has worked great. Click here to see one that’s similar.
Oneida Digital Probe Thermometer
Okay then — onward and upward!
First, let’s work on getting some turkey ready for this soup. I bought 2 large turkey thighs and baked them for an hour and a half at 350° Fahrenheit. I used my thermometer and made sure that the inside temperature was no less than 165 before I took it out of the oven.
Uncooked Turkey Thighs
Here they are all baked and pretty looking …
Baked Turkey Thighs
I let the thighs cool for a bit and literally tore the meat off of it with my hands. How’s that for heading back to caveman, uh, woman, days? The meat pulled off pretty easy and I tore it into small pieces.
Okay then! Now onward to the soup!
Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (original recipe calls for a full lemon but that was too much so add a little at a time and taste it as you go along)
Strips of lemon zest, from one lemon (make them large so you can take them out later)
6 cups turkey or chicken stock (I used chicken) plus the drippings from the baked turkey
 1/2 cup to 1 cup barley (more barley will yield a thicker soup)
2 cups chopped turkey
1/4 cup chopped parsley or 2 tablespoons dried
Directions
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy pot.
Add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the chopped garlic and cook another minute.
Mix in the turmeric, cumin, ground ginger and salt (to your taste).
Add the lemon juice, turkey stock and the strips of lemon zest.
Bring to a simmer then add the barley.
Simmer gently until the barley is cooked, about 20-30 minutes.
When the barley is cooked through, add the chopped turkey and the parsley plus the salt and pepper (to your taste).
Cook gently until the turkey is warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Remove the lemon zest strips before serving.
This soup was very good (although I should have used less lemon than the original recipe called for). It’s nice ‘n thick also (for those people — like my husband — who don’t like pureed type soups).
Ingredients
Add onion, garlic, turmeric, cumin, ground ginger and salt then stir all.
I used a reamer to get the juice out of the lemon.
 Get yourself some fresh bread and it’s really all you need. I didn’t serve a salad with this soup as it was substantial enough with the barley and turkey.
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