Dutch Oven

 

Favorite Recipes

                                       Coffee Cake

 Coffee Cake Recipe

  Roadhouse Butter

Bay Leaves

 

Thank you Dorris for sharing:

These are called "Bay leaves"

Many people add bay leaves to foods especially jollof rice(Nigerian), red meat and poultry but do you know why bay leaves are added to food?

When asked why, some reply: to add flavor to the food👐

Do you know that If you boil some bay leaves in a glass of water and taste it, it will have no flavor?

Now why do you put bay leaves in the meat?

The addition of bay leaves to meat converts triglycerides to monounsaturated fats, and for experimentation and confirmation:

Cut the chicken in half and cook each half in a pan and place on one bay leaf, and the other without bay leaf and observe the amount of fat in both pans.

If you have bay leaves, there is no need for a pharmacy. Recent scientific studies have shown that bay leaves have many benefits & helps to get rid of many serious health problems and illnesses.

The benefits of bay leaf are: -

*Bay leaf treats digestive disorders and helps eliminate lumps, Heartburn, Acidity & Constipation.

*It helps regulate bowel movement by drinking hot bay tea.

*It lowers blood sugar and bay leaf is also an antioxidant

*It allows the body to produce insulin by eating it or drinking bay tea for a month.

*IT eliminates bad cholesterol and relieves the body of triglycerides.

*It's very useful in treating colds, flu and severe cough as it is a rich source of vitamin "C", you can boil the leaves and inhale steam to get rid of phlegm and reduce the severity of cough.

*Bay leaf protects the heart from seizures and strokes as it contains cardiovascular protective compounds.

*It's rich in acids such as caffeic acid, quercetin, eigonol and bartolinide, substances that prevent the formation of cancer cells in the body.

*It eliminates insomnia and anxiety, if taken before bed, helps you relax and sleep peacefully.

Drinking a cup of boiled bay leaves twice a day breaks kidney stones and cures infections ...

Just like garlic and ginger are a must find amongst my collection of spices, Bay leaves are a must see in my collection of spices too(my little spice secrets to good aroma and flavor) 

Brown Sugar Dumplings

Dumplings: 

2 c. Flour

1/2 c. Sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp soft butter

1 c. Milk

 Pecans

Optional: can add cinnamon & raisins to dumplings

Mix well and set aside

Syrup:

2 1/2 c. Brown sugar

2 c. Water

1 tbs.  butter

Heat syrup on stove, pour 1/2 of syrup in 9 x 13 Pyrex dish

Now add dumplings by the spoonful, sprinkle with pecans, pour remaining syrup over top of dumplings

350 in oven for 30 - 35 min

Sprained Ankle's & Ageing

 When I was a young adult I sprained my right ankle, it healed and on with my life I went.

Now that I'm well into my 60's I'm having 24/7 weakness and pain in the same ankle. ARTHRITIS has settled into my ankle and reminds me of a lesson I had to learn the hard way.

Last fall I started having weakness and pain in my ankle, I thought it must be the colder temps however I've never had trouble before so why now. ALL winter I lived with this pain & weakness, and into spring, and then fall again this year again... ARTHRITIS has attacked the weakened ankle, and although all these years I've lived pain free, now would be the time when I will struggle with the weaken area that I believed had healed completely 45 years ago. It did heal all those years ago as it turned out, it's just that this is an easy spot now for ARTHRITIS to attach, and it did.

Take care of your body everyday of your life, no matter how old you are. If your lucky to live into your senior years you don't want to live with daily reminders of stupid childish accidents you went through as a child and young adult. Pain is pain, and daily I fear my ankle will give out and break, so I must always be on guard...

Jeanarie's X's & O's Baby Hat (C)

                          "JMSQ "Copyright 2020

100 hundred hats ready to be donated to Children's Hospital.

Donated on 10/15/2020 and as soon as the lady saw us, she said your the ones that made that donation last year to us, I smiled and said yes, she then said she loved seeing all the colorful hats and toys in the wagon for the children... It truly made us feel good deep inside.

Here's that link for this pattern

https://jeanariespatterns.blogspot.com/2020/10/jeanaries-xs-os-baby-hat-c.html

Pattern: https://jeanariespatterns.blogspot.com/2020/10/jeanaries-xs-os-baby-hat-c.html

ZAKWAS Soup

 I was reading this book about wilderness and living in a cabin, and they kept mentioning ZAKWAS soup. At the end of the book was the list of all ingredients. So I wrote them down and tonight I made. All afternoon our home smelled like heaven... Truly is Outstanding 

Now because they only listed the ingredients I’ll share what I did.

I cooked ours in the crock-pot on low  for 8-10 hours

ZAKWAS Soup (Polish Soup) (CHOWDER)

1 pkg of Kalbaski cut into bite size pieces

1/2 pkg bacon, cooked and crumbled

3 - 4 c. Chicken broth

1 onion diced

1 carrot diced

2 stalks diced celery

3 or 4 potatoes cut into bite size pieces

1/2 Tbs Marjoram

16oz sour cream 

My Optional: 

hand full of dried. Tortellini’s

Put all in crock-pot EXCUPT sour cream, Kalbaski & Tortellini’s, and cook on low...

1 hour before finished, add Sour Cream, Kalbaski, & Tortelline’s,  mix, turn to high and cook for last hour.

Serve with fresh bread

Scam Alert

On June 24,2020 I ordered the above 17" Journey silicone doll with real hair for $37.98 plus postage & handling coming to just under $50.00.
[ buymybestitem.com ] "one of many names" they are using to SCAM people, and are using facebook to advertise there scam. {buy my best item . com} yes, they even have a web page on facebook so it all looks legit, but it's a SCAM

{another name they are using - cargadgetss.com these dolls are coming from viet nam}
{another name goodgiftsrus} same dolls

On July 6th, I wrote to  the e-mail zhouzhouhuan@kokoerp.com on my recipt and asked when I might expect my doll. On July 7th, I got a responce saying it could take up to 30 day's for delivery as it's coming from china.  I thanked them and went on my merry way
e-mail zhouzhouhuan@kokoerp.com

7/14/2020 This is the trash (photo's below) they send to me. a 7" blob of a so called  baby doll. a hole behind the ear, chewed up neck and looks like a dog had fun with it before they sent it to me. I was so heart broken to say the least.

I have contacted the company and asked for my money back or the doll I ordered. They offered me 10% of my money back and just keep the doll I recieved. I said no, I wanted a full refund of purchase price PLUS shipping and handling. They set out to lie to me and cheat me and that's the least they can do to right the wrong they have caused.

7/20/2020 - Today they contacted me and offered to send me $13.00 period as they had to pay for postage of the little doll and they were also ast a loss

So any chance I get to keep someone else from being SCAMMED from this company I will jump on it....

Do Catholic’s Worship Mary

By: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen:

Do Catholics worship Mary?

No, but like Jesus we love, honor and venerate His Blessed Mother. Catholics do not worship Mary. Catholics worship God and God alone.

Heaven is not a “dead” place. Catholics believe people in heaven are very much alive. (Mat 19:29, 25:46, 10:17-22, Mk 10:30, Lk 10:25-30, Lk 18:18-30, Jn 3:15-16). We think Mary is totally alive, and is praying for us the way a faithful pastor would pray for his congregation, except much more so. She’s interceding for the unborn, for mothers contemplating abortion, and for many others who are experiencing sorrows in our world, and who want to grow closer to Jesus.

Why do we as Catholics honor, love and venerate her so deeply? We love Mary first of all because Jesus did. As Saint Maximilian Kolbe said, “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” What better way to imitate Jesus than to love His mother?

Catholics do not put Mary on par with God. Mary is certainly worthy of reverence, but not worship. Catholics believe that Mary is the highest of God’s creatures because of her exalted role. Yes – Mary, a woman, is considered by Catholics to be one of God’s greatest creations. The Holy Trinity chose Mary, from all eternity, to be the mother of Jesus.

But of course, like any other human being, Mary had to be saved by the mercy of God. She herself said, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:47). We believe that God saved her by taking away all stain of original sin at the moment of her conception (the Immaculate Conception). The very fact that God took on flesh and became man (Jn 1:1, 14) indicates that He wished to involve human beings in His plan of salvation for mankind. Mary was a key person for this purpose, so this is why Catholics honor her so highly.

Think about how sacred God must view the unborn child in the womb. God, the creator of the universe, chose to come dwell among us through the womb of a poor, humble young girl. If you think about it - Mary's womb was the first Tabernacle that held and protected the Christ Child. A mother's womb should be the safest and most sacred place on earth. Tragically, too many people, including way too many Catholics today think otherwise, due to abortion the womb is one of the most dangerous places for a child to live and grow.

The Hail Mary is not a prayer of worship, but it is a recitation of Scripture and then an asking of her to pray for us to God; much like asking our other Christian brothers and sisters to pray for us. The rosary (Saint John Paul II’s favorite prayer), is a Christ-centered prayer. It is like holding the hand of Our Blessed Mother and walking through the gospels and she leads us gently to her Son.

The Gospel of Luke 1:48 says, “Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.” Any time the Bible uses the word “behold” it means pay attention because what is about to be said is very important. In Luke 1:42 Elizabeth calls Mary “Most blessed among women” Mary is ‘most blessed among women’ and ‘highly favored’ by God. Elizabeth also refers to Mary as the “Mother of my Lord.” How many other people in Scripture have received such designations? None.

Mary knew she was called by God to be the Mother of Jesus. If Jesus chose to be born into this world through Mary how much more do you and I, “all generations”, need her to help us draw closer to Christ in our daily lives. What human on earth knew Jesus best? His mother. Mary’s sole purpose is to bring us closer to her son. You honor Jesus more by loving His mother.

We also love Mary so much because she was given to us as a gift. When Jesus was dying on the Cross He chose to give His mother to us. He could have given us any gift, but the Gospel of John tells us He gave us the gift of a Mom:

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

Think about it, if Mary had any other children, it would have been scandalous in Jewish culture for Jesus to entrust Mary to a friend. Jewish tradition was for a child to care for a widowed mother, not a friend. From the cross when Jesus uttered, “Behold your mother” (Jn. 19:27), she became not only the mother of John, but of all whom Christ redeemed through the crucifixion. She is the mother of the Church – the mystical body of Jesus.

Since Mary is Jesus’ mother, it must be concluded that she is also the Mother of God. (Jesus is God.) Although Mary is the Mother of God, she is not His mother in the sense that she is older than God or the source of her Son’s divinity, for she is neither. Rather, we say that she is the Mother of God in the sense that she carried in her womb a divine person—Jesus Christ, God “in the flesh” (2 John 7, cf. John 1:14)—and in the sense that she contributed the genetic matter to the human form God took in Jesus Christ.

Catholics believe Mary’s soul still “magnifies the Lord” for Christians of our generation who choose to relate to her. Currently, Catholics continue to honor, love and call her blessed, which was intended for all generations, and for all Christians.

Our dear Blessed Mother, pray for us! 

John 19:26-27

Today's Scripture: John 19:26-27 (NIV) - Jesus Words in [ ] in Capital letters

When Jesus saw His mother (Mary) there, and the disciple (John) whom He loved standing nearby, He (Jesus) said to His mother (Mary), [DEAR WOMAN, HERE IS YOUR SON], and to the disciple (John), [HERE IS YOUR MOTHER]. From that time on, this disciple (John) took her into his home.

NOTES:
John 19:25-27
Even while dying on the cross, Jesus was concerned about His family. He instructed John to care for Mary, Jesus' mother. Our families are precious gifts from God, and we should value and care for them under "all" circumstances. Neither Christian work nor key responsibilities in any job or position excuses us from caring for our families. What can you do today to show your love to your family?

John 19:27
Jesus asked His close friend John, the writer of this Gospel to care for Jesus' mother, (Mary), whose husband must have been dead by this time. Why didn't Jesus assign this task to his brother? As the oldest Son, Jesus instrusted His Mother (Mary), to a person who stayed with Him at he cross - and that was John.

"ALL" Notes were taken from NIV Life Application Bible

~~~ MY NOTES: ~~~
I have been struggling with the the "understanding of the rosary", Hail Mary, Holy Mary - worshiping Mary, etc. NO I'm not nor ever have been Cathloic, but I have been friends with several Catholics and listen to their love and devotion of the rosary and love for Mary as "their mother". They believe when Jesus said unto John here is your mother, He meant to all of us here is your Mother. We should love and honor her giving her high place in our lives. - They believe when Jesus said to Mary, here is your son, that she now became the mother of all us.

Frankly no where in the bible have I found this. They believe they are showing the way to Jesus by repeating the rosary over and over again and Praising Mary as their mother as well.

Personally, I hold God My Father in Highest regard. Dueteronomy 20:3 "God said,You shall have no other God before me"; Matthew 4:10 "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only" ...I live to please Him and walk according to His Word & Will. I Live for Jesus, His Son and my Saviour.

Mary in my opinion must have been a truly faithful young woman, and (My feeling here), I'm sure God saw that she would not turn from Him God as she delivered and raised "His Son" and she her son. I'm possitive she was a beautiful mother, wife, & friend, servant of God. But she is not my mother. I believe she was a perfect part of God's plan, and once Jesus was born, raised, died, and rose from the Grave her mission was now over. No where does it say in the Bible were to call her our mother and accept her as our mother. - I have always told my children you can have many wonderful people in your lives, take to possitive from each of them into your life and rebuke the negative. use the possitive to build your character & intergery and be the very best you can be.

Elvis

(By: Larry Geller Official Fan Page FB)

I was stunned and outraged to read that there is some talk about removing Elvis’ statues – what the…?! Elvis Presley did not have a shred of prejudice in his whole body; his only bias was against people who hurt other people.  Growing up in the deep South, Elvis saw firsthand and understood how awful and even deadly racism was. Elvis was proud to announce the authentic influences at the core of the heart and soul of music. I was there; he and I spoke of this many times in private over the years, and he spoke of it to his audiences, as many of you know.

I posted this story before – but now it is more pertinent and timelier than ever.

 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
 It was sometime during our hiatus in June of 1965, at Graceland – Elvis’ refuge and sanctuary. He thrived on the long, lazy humid Memphis days. Soon we’d be off to Hawaii to make “Paradise Hawaiian Style.”

Most afternoons the two of us would retreat upstairs where I would take care of Elvis’ hair. The ideal setting to relax and talk before our midnight run to the Memphian Theater with everyone to watch movies til the wee hours of the morning. Our days were filled with laughter, excitement, and exuberance. Life was radically amazing - could anything be any better than this?

One afternoon Elvis decided to stop by the office in the back of Graceland to visit for a few minutes. When we left he grabbed a stack of the fan mail that poured in every day from around the world before we retreated upstairs to his dressing room.

As I was brushing Elvis’ hair he began reading a few letters. He came to one letter and shook his head, “No, this girl has it all wrong. I’ve heard all this before, but I wasn’t the one who invented Rock ‘n Roll. No way, no way!”

“Larry,” Elvis began passionately, “let me tell you the truth that most people have no idea about, how the whole thing really happened.”

Elvis was silent for a moment, as his mind wandered back over the years. He stared into the distance and began to point with his index finger, indicating the stretch of time.

“It all began not too far from where we are right now, in the heart of the deep ol’ South. Man, back in those days the poor ol’ colored slaves were forced to work their asses off. I mean they had to, or they’d be whipped, tortured or raped, even killed by the sons of bitches in charge. Those slaves really knew what pain and suffering were, more than most people can ever imagine. From the time the sun came up til it went down, they worked in the fields picking cotton, or whatever else they had to do. It broke their damn backs and bodies, bending down and working all day long in the hot blistering sun. But it didn’t break their spirit. I mean they would drive those slaves half to death whipping them until their bodies were streaked with blood. I know…I’ve been told some horrible things about what happened back then that you wouldn’t believe."

I was soaking up every word Elvis spoke, his entire body reflecting the deep, overwhelming emotions he was experiencing. He looked down for a moment - then his eyes carefully looked into mine.

“And do you know how they survived, Larry, how they got through it? They sang. It was their music and their faith, that’s how. Slavin’ their lives away they did what came natural to them; they sang. They sang their hearts out, from deep down in their guts, their souls. All day long slavin’ in the fields they would all sing, crying out to God together, makin’ up the words as they went along. And some of those songs from back then are still with us today.

What blows me away is that during all that, they never lost their faith in God. Their faith was something else, and that’s what got them through it all. Man, a lesson for all of us, that’s for sure. What a message! They brought their music right into their churches, and then white people started copying what they did. As time went by their music spread outside the churches to become honky-tonk and ragtime in places like New Orleans, and Beale Street right here in Memphis. Later it became the birth of the blues in St. Louis, Chicago and New York; then it eventually evolved down to our times in the form of rhythm and blues.”

I pretended not to notice as Elvis brushed his hand across his eyes.

“Look, real truth is that I wasn’t the one who invented Rock ‘n Roll. I was just lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time. All I did was to introduce their music to a white audience, an’ I owe them a hell of a lot. And right there is why I love this country so much. I mean, no matter who you are, or where you came from, or even if all the odds are all against you to making it, you can dream the impossible dream and get the chance to achieve it. That’s what America is all about. Believe me, I know; I’m so damn grateful - because I’m living that dream.”

Grandmas Wisdom

" Grandma how do you deal with pain?"

" With your hands, dear. When you do it with your mind, the pain hardens even more."

“With your hands, grandma?"

" Yes, yes. Our hands are the antennas of our soul. When you move them by sewing, cooking, painting, touching the earth or sinking it into the earth, they send signals of caring to the deepest part of you and your soul calms down.

This way she doesn't have to send pain anymore to show it.

" Are hands really that important?"

" Yes my girl. Thinking of babies: they get to know the world thanks to their touches.  When you look at the hands of older people, they tell more about their lives than any other part of the body. Everything that is made by hand, so is said, is made with the heart because it really is like this: hands and heart are connected. Masseuses know this: When they touch another person's body with their hands, they create a deep connection. Thinking of lovers: When their hands touch, they love each other in the most sublime way."

" My hands grandma... how long haven't I used them like that!"

" Move them my girl, start creating with them and everything in you will move. The pain will not pass away. But it will be the best masterpiece. And it won't hurt anymore. Because you managed to embroider your essence."

~ Elena Barnabé

Art by Beatriz Maciel

Today's Scripture - Romans 8:28

Today's Scripture: 

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

And we know that in "ALL" things God works for the good of those who love Him (God), 

who have been called according to His (God's) purpose.

NOTE:

God works in "all things" - not just isolated incidents - for our good. 

This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent 

in our fallen world, but, God is able to turn every circumstance around 

for our long-range good. Note that God is not working to make us happy, but, 

to fulfill His Purpose. Note also that His Promise is not for everyone. It 

can be claimed only by those who "Love God" and are called according to His 

purpose. Those who are "called" are those the Holy Spirit convinces and 

enables to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new mind-set 

on life. They trust in God, not life's treasures; they look for their security 

in Heaven, not non earth; they learn to accept, not resent, pain and persecution 

because God is with them.

(Notes By: NIV Life Application Bible)

Mom’s Prayer Veil By George Bower