January Menu...Better Late Than NEVER?

 

Menu for January...After a day in the snow, this dinner will be sure to warm your family, friends and neighbors!


Grammy’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Northwest Hazelnut Salad

Kangaroo Cookies





Grammy’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese...Mac'n'Cheese is NOT just for the kiddies anymore!
Serves 4


Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounces) elbow macaroni

¾ cup fresh bread crumbs (about 1 ½ slices of bread)

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon flour

¼ teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 ½ cups milk

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

* Cook macaroni as directed. Drain well.
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch square baking dish.
* In a small bowl, toss bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter until moistened. Set aside.
* Place remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat, Add onion and cook until tender. Add flour, mustard, salt and pepper; stir until blended. Stir in milk, cook, stirring, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.
* Spoon macaroni into prepared baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Northwest Hazelnut Salad...Enjoy the added protein that hazelnuts provide!

Salad:

1 big bowl of mixed salad greens, torn into pieces

2 avocados, peeled and sliced

1 cup blue cheese

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped


Dressing:

Whisk Together:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

Sea salt and freshly and freshly ground pepper to taste

Set aside.



Directions:

* Just before serving, arrange greens in a bowl.

* Arrange avocados slices on greens.

* Add dressing and toss lightly.

* Crumble blue cheese over top.

* Sprinkle with nuts and serve.



Kangaroo Cookies...Warm those little tummies with these itty bitty yummies!


2 cups regular oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted
6 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Cane Syrup



Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Add Earth Balance, water, and
syrup; stir well.

Drop by level tablespoons, 2" apart, onto SILPAT. Bake at 325°F for 12 minutes or until almost set.

Remove from oven; let stand 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies
from baking sheets. Place on wire racks; let cool completely.

Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

Birthdays

 

Killing the Fatted Calf

Okay, that is a graphic description for today's society, but in Bible times...the fatted calf was saved for celebrations worthy of the very best!

Several years ago, my hubby gave our daughter a very special family heirloom ring that belonged to his grandmother. She was ecstatic! She loves it and wears it all the time. Anyway, last week Laurissa took it off for basketball and misplaced it.

On Sunday evening, we were laying in bed and she asked me to pray that she would find it. That was her way of breaking the"news" to me. I was calm (for once in my life) and we did pray that she would find her special ring from her Daddy.

She went to bed after texting her friends to ask them to look around in their things to see if maybe it had ended up in their stuff. Today at school, she asked all of her teachers if they had seen it. Caleb made a clean sweep of her car, but to no avail it seemed to be gone...forever.

After she got home tonight, she went to her room and a few minutes later, we heard a squeal of JOY! There it was... somewhere in the bottom of her bag. The ring had been found! We celebrated with our RED PLATE...not quite the fatted calf, but we were CELEBRATING with our very best celebration plate... and one of their most requested dinners which was already on the menu for tonight! It is yet another tangible way to know that God is very real and He alone answered the desperate prayer of one broken- hearted girl.

My favorite picture in my very first Bible was a picture of Jesus holding the Lost Lamb. I LOVED looking at it! I even remember tracing it (DURING BORING SERMONS) but I could never quite get the facial expressions right. My drawings of Jesus as The Shepherd always looked angry, but in the original drawing, Jesus had the most loving eyes. I asked my parents if that was what Jesus realy looked like and I was so disappointed to know it was only an artist's view. In my mind, though, I wanted Him to look JUST EXACTLY like that...and I wanted the lamb, too.

As an adult, I still love the story of the Lost Lamb. It depicts Jesus as the ONE who is determined in His pursuit of me. Last night as Laurissa was so concerned about her ring...I knew she would be devastated if she would have truly lost it. It was her determination to go back, trace her steps, ask anyone and everyone if they had seen her prized gift...that reminded me of my Shepherd.

We lose our way. We want to do things our way. We want to be independent. We think we know what is best for us.

I don't know about you, but at times I feel like the Lost Lamb, but I wonder if there was one lamb that was constantly going off...never learning from its mistakes? I wonder how many trips the Shepherd made in the middle of the night or early in the morning...times of inconvenience?

Tonight I am happy to know that no matter how stormy, cold and trecherous it may be...I can trust in the fact that when I am lost He is going to be on that very path, tracing my steps to find me and the best part is being carried back to safety in His strong, safe arms all the while listening to His heart beating with sheer JOY...that right there in His arms He is carrying His most prized possession...well worth the pursuit!



 

Shared with: women living well

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