Each morning that greets me is full of hope.
Not because I am successful at what I am doing,
Or because the people near me appreciate me,
Or because circumstances are easy,
But because God is, and He is my Father.
To look at the morning any other way
Is to believe a lie.
To live in hope is to live in truth;
To live in truth is to bring Him glory;
To bring God glory in my daily living
Is the highest form of worship.
- taken from How People Change by Paul Tripp and Tim Lane.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Just Desserts
Five Minutes to Chocolate Bliss
I think every woman needs to be empowered to meet her own chocolate needs when they arise. And, let’s face it, sometimes a bite of Dove or a Kiss from Hershey just won’t do. We need something freshly baked, gooey, warm and chocolaty to calm and inspire us. With little time to bake though, we settle for an Oreo or a handful of chocolate chips. No more.
Get out 2 mugs. One is for your coffee; the other is for your chocolate cake! A friend gave me this recipe you just must try. When I read it I thought, “no way; it can’t be that good if it’s that fast and easy.” Wrong. You have got to try it. It’s amazing, delicious and simple.
I’m just doing my part to spread the chocolate love and help the sisters out! Try it.
Ingredients:
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
Instructions:
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (This can serve 2 if you want to but no one has to know but us-I won’t tell if you won’t!).
I think every woman needs to be empowered to meet her own chocolate needs when they arise. And, let’s face it, sometimes a bite of Dove or a Kiss from Hershey just won’t do. We need something freshly baked, gooey, warm and chocolaty to calm and inspire us. With little time to bake though, we settle for an Oreo or a handful of chocolate chips. No more.
Get out 2 mugs. One is for your coffee; the other is for your chocolate cake! A friend gave me this recipe you just must try. When I read it I thought, “no way; it can’t be that good if it’s that fast and easy.” Wrong. You have got to try it. It’s amazing, delicious and simple.
I’m just doing my part to spread the chocolate love and help the sisters out! Try it.
Ingredients:
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
Instructions:
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (This can serve 2 if you want to but no one has to know but us-I won’t tell if you won’t!).
What's For Dinner, Mommy?
Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
•1 lb. spaghetti, fully cooked and drained
•1 – 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
•salt & pepper, to taste
•2 c. chicken stock
•8 oz. cream cheese
•1/4 c. hot sauce (more or less, depending on desired intensity. 1/4 c. will be mild to medium in flavor.)
•1 c. Ranch or Bleu cheese dressing
1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a skillet with chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken and reserve 1/2 c. cooking liquid.
2. In a saucepan, combine the cream cheese, hot sauce and reserved cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted. While the sauce is cooking, shred or cube the cooked chicken.
3. Add the dressing and chicken to the saucepan, stir to combine, and then toss with the cooked spaghetti.
I tasted this right after I made it and noticed that the heat increased a little after it had been sitting in the refrigerator for a few hours. So if you are making this ahead of time, you might want to keep that in mind.
•1 lb. spaghetti, fully cooked and drained
•1 – 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
•salt & pepper, to taste
•2 c. chicken stock
•8 oz. cream cheese
•1/4 c. hot sauce (more or less, depending on desired intensity. 1/4 c. will be mild to medium in flavor.)
•1 c. Ranch or Bleu cheese dressing
1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a skillet with chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken and reserve 1/2 c. cooking liquid.
2. In a saucepan, combine the cream cheese, hot sauce and reserved cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted. While the sauce is cooking, shred or cube the cooked chicken.
3. Add the dressing and chicken to the saucepan, stir to combine, and then toss with the cooked spaghetti.
I tasted this right after I made it and noticed that the heat increased a little after it had been sitting in the refrigerator for a few hours. So if you are making this ahead of time, you might want to keep that in mind.
Coffee and Chat
Looking ahead to the Mommies' Night Out at Starbucks, here are a few recipes to get us through the week until Friday night.
Just Like Starbucks Molasses Cookies
•3/4 c. butter or margarine
•1 c. brown sugar
•1 egg
•1/3 c. blackstrap molasses (or 1/2 c. plain molasses)
•2 1/2 c. flour (You can use any combination white/whole wheat flour)
•2 t. baking soda
•1 t. cinnamon
•1/2 t. salt
•1/2 t. nutmeg
•1/2 t. ginger
•For rolling dough – 1/2 c. white sugar
1. Cream the butter or margarine and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat for an additional minute.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Sift or stir with a fork or whisk for 30 seconds.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours, until firm.
4. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into a ball, then roll through white sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
This process will result in light, cake-like cookies. If you prefer crispier cookies, flatten the sugar-coated balls of dough slightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
•1/4 c. pumpkin puree
•1/4 c. sugar
•1 t. cinnamon
•1/4 t. nutmeg
•A pinch of both allspice and ginger
•1/2 c. milk or cream
•1 c. strong coffee (I brewed 4 cups of coffee using 7 scoops of ground coffee)
•Whipped cream for garnish, optional
1. In a small bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons to the bottom of a coffee mug. Add 1/4 c. milk or cream and stir to combine. Top off with about a half cup of coffee, or until mug is filled. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
This is enough for two regular coffee-mug sized pumpkin spice lattes.
Just Like Starbucks Molasses Cookies
•3/4 c. butter or margarine
•1 c. brown sugar
•1 egg
•1/3 c. blackstrap molasses (or 1/2 c. plain molasses)
•2 1/2 c. flour (You can use any combination white/whole wheat flour)
•2 t. baking soda
•1 t. cinnamon
•1/2 t. salt
•1/2 t. nutmeg
•1/2 t. ginger
•For rolling dough – 1/2 c. white sugar
1. Cream the butter or margarine and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat for an additional minute.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Sift or stir with a fork or whisk for 30 seconds.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours, until firm.
4. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into a ball, then roll through white sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
This process will result in light, cake-like cookies. If you prefer crispier cookies, flatten the sugar-coated balls of dough slightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
•1/4 c. pumpkin puree
•1/4 c. sugar
•1 t. cinnamon
•1/4 t. nutmeg
•A pinch of both allspice and ginger
•1/2 c. milk or cream
•1 c. strong coffee (I brewed 4 cups of coffee using 7 scoops of ground coffee)
•Whipped cream for garnish, optional
1. In a small bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons to the bottom of a coffee mug. Add 1/4 c. milk or cream and stir to combine. Top off with about a half cup of coffee, or until mug is filled. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
This is enough for two regular coffee-mug sized pumpkin spice lattes.
Parenting Tips
Be Careful How You Handle Your Child's Pain
When children get hurt they need love and compassion. They need to know that they can come to Mom or Dad for comfort. But sometimes parents, in an attempt to show love to their children, end up compensating for the pain by withholding discipline.
When children experience pain or disappointment, they often become self-focused. That can be normal and healthy so that they seek help. However, some children overdo it and become demanding and even hurtful. Parents sometimes don't know how to respond. On the one hand they would normally discipline for this kind of behavior, but on the other hand, they want to be sensitive to the child and not heap on any more pain.
Jimmy doesn't get picked for a project at school and because he is disappointed, he starts treating his mom unkindly. Charissa sprains her ankle in soccer and becomes demanding, ordering people around to serve her. Children in these kinds of situations need comfort but they also need firm discipline to deal with the way they're relating to others.
This reminds me (Joanne) of what happens in the hospital with children who are seriously ill or who have been sick for a long time. Sometimes parents spoil their kids. They say to themselves, "This child has been through so much, I just can't discipline him." And that parent gives and gives and overlooks and overlooks and the child becomes more and more demanding and unhappy. That's not productive and it contributes to unhappy, unhealthy kids.
Remember that love doesn't just give but it also sets limits so that others can grow. When your child is feeling hurt or disappointed, empathize with and comfort your child. Comfort is important, but don't allow your child to be demanding or manipulative in the process. Point out the unacceptable behaviors and encourage a more helpful response such as gratefulness and peace.
This week's tip is from the CD series called Single Parenting: Bringing hope and practical help to single, blended, and reconstructed families by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
When children get hurt they need love and compassion. They need to know that they can come to Mom or Dad for comfort. But sometimes parents, in an attempt to show love to their children, end up compensating for the pain by withholding discipline.
When children experience pain or disappointment, they often become self-focused. That can be normal and healthy so that they seek help. However, some children overdo it and become demanding and even hurtful. Parents sometimes don't know how to respond. On the one hand they would normally discipline for this kind of behavior, but on the other hand, they want to be sensitive to the child and not heap on any more pain.
Jimmy doesn't get picked for a project at school and because he is disappointed, he starts treating his mom unkindly. Charissa sprains her ankle in soccer and becomes demanding, ordering people around to serve her. Children in these kinds of situations need comfort but they also need firm discipline to deal with the way they're relating to others.
This reminds me (Joanne) of what happens in the hospital with children who are seriously ill or who have been sick for a long time. Sometimes parents spoil their kids. They say to themselves, "This child has been through so much, I just can't discipline him." And that parent gives and gives and overlooks and overlooks and the child becomes more and more demanding and unhappy. That's not productive and it contributes to unhappy, unhealthy kids.
Remember that love doesn't just give but it also sets limits so that others can grow. When your child is feeling hurt or disappointed, empathize with and comfort your child. Comfort is important, but don't allow your child to be demanding or manipulative in the process. Point out the unacceptable behaviors and encourage a more helpful response such as gratefulness and peace.
This week's tip is from the CD series called Single Parenting: Bringing hope and practical help to single, blended, and reconstructed families by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
A Mom's Prayer
Let the words of my mouth be acceptable to you, O Lord.
A mom's words carry a great deal of power. How many times have our words calmed and soothed a baby's or child's cries? Words of affirmation bring smiles and beams of pride from our little ones. How often an "I love you" or "I am proud of you" feels a home with the warm feeling of acceptance and security. A mom's urgent and firm voice can bring to end misbehavior or stop a child in the middle of a dangerous or inappropriate act. However, words with sarcasm, irritation, and anger can crumple their spirits so quickly. It is important to remember that it isn't just the actual words that can build up and destroy but also the tone in which they are said and the body language that accompanies those words. If we can begin each day with this prayer, we may spare our loved ones from pain and ourselves from the bitter regret. Enjoy Jennifer's prayer- make it your own.
Remember to turn down the playlist below.
A mom's words carry a great deal of power. How many times have our words calmed and soothed a baby's or child's cries? Words of affirmation bring smiles and beams of pride from our little ones. How often an "I love you" or "I am proud of you" feels a home with the warm feeling of acceptance and security. A mom's urgent and firm voice can bring to end misbehavior or stop a child in the middle of a dangerous or inappropriate act. However, words with sarcasm, irritation, and anger can crumple their spirits so quickly. It is important to remember that it isn't just the actual words that can build up and destroy but also the tone in which they are said and the body language that accompanies those words. If we can begin each day with this prayer, we may spare our loved ones from pain and ourselves from the bitter regret. Enjoy Jennifer's prayer- make it your own.
Remember to turn down the playlist below.
Alien or Girl Called MOMMY!! ?
As the holidays swing into high gear and the little ones seemingly lose their minds with the excitement of the fat red-clad man's visit, we are going to need a little mommy up lifting. Jennifer is a sweet inspiration to me. Her story is wonderful- having been blinded in her childhood and now able to see again. She shares this funny story with us moms who count ourselves lucky to just have combed hair for the day. Grab some coffee and turn down the playlist below and enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- ml4estsmommy
- I am a very blessed SAHM. I am blessed with an abundant amount of grace from my Creator and Savior. He has blessed me with an amazing man as my life long best friend, husband and father of our two precious gifts of energy and life. My days are full with the activities of homekeeping, and the joys and adventures of two healthy and energetic kiddos. I am basking in His grace daily.
Posts
