Foody Friday Teriyaki Chicken

The theme for Foody Friday is "Simple". To see more simple recipes go to A Latte Talk and check it out. The recipe I am going to share comes from the time I was pregnant with my daughter and did not have a lot of energy to cook but wanted something yummy. So I made this up. Now we have it once a week and haven't gotten tired of it yet. All the ingredients you can get at your local grocery store :)

Teriyaki Chicken

4 Chicken thighs

1 can of fruit cocktail

3/4 cup Yoshida's Marinade and Cooking Sauce (you can get it at your store where all the marinade sauces are)

1 tsp fresh ground ginger (you can get this in a jar where the minced garlic is. Usually in the produce department)

Put the fruit cocktail, Yoshida's Sauce and ginger in a blender and blend it up until a smooth sauce it formed. Put the chicken in the bottom of a crock pot and pour the sauce over the top. It does not need to cover it completely. Put it on medium heat and let it cook for 3 hours. You can serve it over rice.

We had it for dinner last night. So, I took a picture of it so you can see what it looks like.

Growing Like a Weed!

I thought I would post Mary's progress in her weight and height. It is as follows:

Birth 6 lbs 15 oz, 20 in
2 mos 11 lbs 8oz, 23 in
6 mos 16 lbs even, 27 in
12 mos 19 lbs 14 oz, 31 in
18 mos 24 lbs even, 33 in

So far she is tall for her age, but she comes by that honestly :) I am 5' 10" and Rich is 6' 3". I'm sure she will have to put up with all the comments that I endured as a child. Like "you need to put a brick on that kids head!" or "When is she going to stop growing?" or "How's the weather up there?" The other problem was that I was very, very skinny and that made me look even taller! But, I had a wonderful mom who always encouraged me to stand up tall and be proud of how the Lord had made me and she would always sweetly tell me the advantages of being tall, if I felt sad or a little out of place because of my height. So, we plan on doing the same for Mary. She is already getting people telling us that she looks like a 2 year old instead of 19 months! The Lord designed Mary to be tall and we are happy about that!

Memorial Day

This is what we did today. We are making this a family tradition so that Mary will learn to remember those who have gone before and she will know of the blessed hope of those who are in the Lord.

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Foody Friday Indian Summer Salad

I was going to share a potato salad for this week, as the theme is pic-nic, but the host of Foody Friday, Jenny, at A Latte Talk has already entered one. So, I will do another recipe. The only thing unique about my potato salad is that after you cook the potatoes instead of cubing them you smash them with a potato masher until they are chunky/lumpy (not completely mashed) then you add your ingredients and the flavors blend really well with the potato. Hence the name "Smashed Potato Salad". This recipe came from my husband's family. His aunt perfected the recipe and it is my husband's favorite. Now on to the recipe I am going to share:

Indian Summer Salad

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive or salad oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse-ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

3 cups cooked fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels

2 firm-ripe tomatoes (1/2 lb. total), rinsed, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped sweet onion rinsed and drained

1 green bell pepper (1/2 lb) stemmed, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup chopped parsley or fresh cilantro

salt

1/4 pound (about 6 cups) baby spinach leaves, rinsed and crisped

In a large bowl, mix vinegar, oil, pepper, basil and garlic. Add corn, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and parsley. Mix well. If desired cover and chill up to 4 hours. Add salt to taste. Line a wide bowl with spinach. Pour corn salad into bowl; mix.

Fruitful Vine

We have an amazing grapevine that is just outside our kitchen patio door. I bought it for my hubby when we lived in California. It never had fruit on it while we lived there... and then we moved to Oregon. In it's 2nd season here, it had fruit, big beautiful bunches of rosy colored seedless grapes. I made juice with them and then made jelly from there. What a joy to see this vine flourish. It grows so fast!! Every morning it looks like is grows an inch. It comes from a small bundle of twigs and within a month it has this glorious thick foliage going everywhere! It makes my husband so happy! He doesn't have a lot of time to grow things because his job is so demanding. I love to garden and have time since I am home with Mary to take care of this vine and it brings him so much joy to see it grow. I think of the words that Jesus said that He is the Vine and we are the branches. The Lord is so good and I pray that our lives are like this vine, fruitful and flourishing.

Digging for Gold

Honestly I was just taking a picture of Mary's hair and then it progressed into the following. They were so funny I couldn't resist sharing them =)









She is going to kill me for taking these pictures when she gets to be a teenager! LOL

Foody Friday Barbecued Ribs

It's Food Friday again and the theme is barbecue! For more yummy recipes go to A Latte Talk and check it out. My recipe comes from my husband who is in my mind, The King of Barbecue. We have been married 5 1/2 years and every time he barbecues something it is so yummy! One of his favorites is Barbecued Pork Spare Ribs. Before he fixed them for me, most of the time ribs were hard to eat because the meat was hard to get off the bone but not with his, the meat just falls off the bone. His secret is pressure cooking them first. Here is the recipe:

Barbecued Pork Spare Ribs

2 racks of ribs
favorite barbecue sauce

Put the 2 racks of ribs in a pressure cooker and cook for 30 minutes. Let it cool and remove from cooker. Coat with favorite barbecue sauce and put them on the grill to get that wonderful smokey taste and get a few burn marks on them. Then put them in a low pan, cover with foil and let them rest in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes.

The Harvest

This is a picture of the farm lands near our house. I go by this often as Mary and I love this drive. It is just so pretty and Mary usually falls asleep and I can take her home and put her in bed for her afternoon nap. Seeing the hay bails the other day reminded me of a dream I had when I was a teenager. I dreamed I was in a freshly mown hay field, sitting on a hay bale. I saw a flat bed truck approaching with people sitting on the back. When they stopped they asked me if I wanted a ride. I asked them where they were going they said they were going to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. I said, "Sure" In a little while I could see huge pavilions set up with the white tent tops reaching to the sky. When we arrived I jumped off the truck and ran up to the tents. I asked someone, "Have you seen my grandma, Clara Davis?" They said, "Oh yeah she just got here and she is right over there." My dream ended. I have never met my grandma, because she died in 1948, 12 years before I was born. It made me think that when we are with the Lord that time will be no more and we will be reunited with all our loved ones! Also, that the harvest is going on and people are needing salvation. We need to be diligent to share our faith. When the Lord returns the fields will be harvested and we who believe in Him will be with Him.

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Luke 10:2

Mother's Day Memories

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Happy Mother's Day

This is a poem from our collection of poetry that my husband and I have written. Happy Mother's Day!

Mother

The world is She, the blinding light of life resides within her warmth.

This gleaming love surrounding me that smiles and knits her heart to mine.

For through the water we have shared a deep abiding love that binds,

And soul to soul it pours within, creating heart and limb and mind.

This magic bond, this thread of love that weaves itself within my frame

Moves back and forth with peaceful waves of life for me on velvet main,

And though my life, it somehow hangs upon the balance of her fears.

The thread I hold within my hand will not erode away with years,

For when the sound of life breaks forth from me with voice so small and fine,

Then pulls the thread tied to the heart and brings her shining face to mine.

Two loving hands I’ve never felt, will hold me close and cup my head,

And ever shall she stir in me the warmth of water and the thread.

Richard Cardwell, December, 2000

Foody Friday White Chili

Here is my Friday recipe, to see more yummy recipes go to A Latte Talk and check it out. White Chili was a favorite recipe of a friend of mine in Southern California. She loved to cook for large groups and did all the food for our 350 wedding guests and did a wonderful job! She made White Chili for several staff lunches at the church that I worked for and it was excellent. This was her recipe:

White Chili
6 servings
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon salad oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup dry white wine (optional)
2 (15-once) cans of white beans rinsed and drained
1/4 cup lime juice
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
1 small jalapeno chili, seeded and minced (optional)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup shredded jack cheese

1. Bring broth and 2 quarts water to a boil in a 5 to 6 quart pan. Add chicken, and simmer until the thickest part is no longer pink. Remove chicken and cool; cut into chunks. Boil broth in a pan about 30 minutes to reduce; set aside in a bowl.

2. Wipe pan clean. Pour in oil, and place over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute, stirring often, until onions are golden and taste sweet, about 20 minutes.

3. Add 2 to 3 cups of the reduced broth, wine, beans, lime juice, green chilies, jalapeno, cilantro, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes.

4. Stir in chicken and cheese; heat until hot. Ladle into bowls. If desired, garnish with diced tomatoes, shredded jack cheese, sliced ripe olives and fresh cilantro.

A Crown of Glory

After taking the pictures of Mary’s wild hair and putting them in my prior post, it got me to thinking about my hair. When I was in my early thirties a few gray hairs began to creep into my forehead area. My first attack was to pluck them out and then I had to stop or I would be getting bald. My next step was to dye my bangs with a semi permanent dye and then that progressed into dying all of my hair. I didn’t make a lot of money working for the church, so I would dye my own hair and what a chore! No matter how hard I tried I usually got dye on something I didn’t want to and I usually got one or more of my finger nails dyed! But I kept up my vigil because I thought that men thought gray hair was unattractive and I was waiting for my prince charming and certainly did not want to drive him away with my gray hair! Then my prince charming came on the scene and he had a crown of glory! The first time I met him I thought he was about 10 years older than he was, but as I began to get to know him, the gray hair did not matter. He had a heart of gold and I soon learned that he began graying in his early thirties and was not the age I thought he was. When we started dating I continued to dye my hair and then one day he said,”You know Elena, I just love gray hair, if you want, you can just let your hair go natural! I was so happy to hear those words. I am pretty much a natural girl, loving the outdoors and being simple in my dress. So, I let my hair go gray. At first young kids thought it was cool because I had a gray streak in the front and they thought I dyed it that way on purpose. I was perfectly content with my hair until I had Mary. Then the thoughts began to creep into my mind, “Maybe I should dye my hair, to look younger.” I would think this when I would go out into public with Mary. I had fears of people looking at me, like what is that old lady doing with a baby? Is that her grandchild? As I contemplated dying my hair, the Holy Spirit spoke to me so gently and said, your hair is a testimony. It is a testimony of God not forgetting His promises. He promised me a husband and a family when I was young and he did not forget. We may think God is too late, but he is always right on time. So, now if someone asks if Mary is my granddaughter, I say, “No, actually she is mine. “I thought I might not have kids, but I was blessed in my later years with her.” I always get a smile from people and they think that it is wonderful.

A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

Wild Hair

Mary's hair just cracks me up. She just got up from rolling around on her blanket. Then she turned around and looked at me like what's so funny?

I love the innocence of childhood, where a bad hair moment doesn't matter!

Fun in the Sun

This weekend my hubby took down my greenhouse for the summer. This was our first year for it and it kept our avocado trees very healthy and safe from the cold weather. My husband has started 2 avocado trees from pits. One is about 4 foot tall that he started the month after we were married and the 2nd one he started a month after Mary was born. One is our married tree and the other is our Mary tree! We are hoping some day they will bear fruit. Before he took the greenhouse down, he took Mary and I to this huge outdoor ceramic pot outlet. I picked out 2 pots. They are the 2 I have in the pictures above. The blue one has a rose bush in it that Rich gave me when we were dating. It was a tiny little thing that you see in the grocery store. The flowers have stayed tiny but the bush gets pretty big. The other pot I put Mary's tree in. It was a beautiful day and I worked in my garden. I got the soil ready for planting cosmos and zinnia seeds. I got to experience one of my favorite things... the smell of wet earth=)

Foody Friday Choco-Holic Cake

Jenny is hosting Foody Friday today. So I am contirbuting this cake recipe which is my husband's favorite. He really, really loves chocolate. His love for chocolate came from his childhood. He had asthma as a kid and many food allergies which included chocolate, but when he was 16 he outgrew all that. So, he just loves chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake! When I ran across this recipe and made it for him, it became his favorite. The picture comes from last Valentines Day when I made it for him. I added the candy hearts in the center and called it a "Volcano of Love!" You can add whatever candy you want or just decorate it with the chocolate glaze.

Cake
1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 large eggs1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips



Glaze
1 bar (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking bar
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cake:

Preheat oven t 350 F. Grease and flour 12- inch bundt pan or other tube pan.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, milk, sour cream and eggs in large mixer bowl. Beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in morsels and nuts. Pour into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

For Glaze:

Melt baking bar and butter in small heavy-duty saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar alternately with water until of desired consistency. Stir in vanilla extract. Poor glaze over cake.

Caranavi, Bolivia

I went to the mail box yesterday and there was a large brown envelope from World Vision in Bolivia. I carried it quickly back into the house and my husband and I opened it. It had pictures of the family that we help through World Vision. A few months ago we had the opportunity to send them some extra money to buy things that they needed. We support their son, Marcos, every month so that he can go to school. We were so blessed to see the pictures. For the money that would buy a nice pair of tennis shoes here, they were able to buy 5 pairs of shoes and 5 items of clothing plus the school was able to purchase 6 text books! Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. The town Marcos lives in is high up in the Andes Mountains. His father is a carpenter and there are 6 children in the family. It is such a joy to see him grow. He is in the 6th grade now and was 5 years old when we started supporting him. If you would like to sponsor a child just go to the World Vision website and sign up! You will be so blessed to help those in other parts of the world that have so little.