Along with this new school thing, comes another new thing for us –
UNIFORMS!!! Seriously!!??!! Now for J this is a blessing! He loves that he
doesn’t have to ever face the dreaded question of, “what shall I wear today?”
No more guess work! Wake – shower – dress mindlessly – breakfast – brush teeth
– school. Morning routines couldn’t be more fitting for my boy child… My girlie
girl on the other hand… not so much! We’re talking about my child who longs to
wear patterns of many types all at the same time! I mean seriously – look at
this outfit! So tame compared to most – and yep – it was like 105-degrees when
she wore this!
Last night, however, Z put on one of her outfits and danced around
with joy! She enjoyed putting together fun combinations, and discovered that
accessories are the new passion of her life! Initially we thought we were going
to have to be uniform down to the hair bows, but have since found out that she
can be as funky as she wants where that is concerned – “holla!” She has ordered
a few fun scarves and has purchased a crafting kit from “Little Miss Match”
that is full of fun do-das to attach to carabineers and then clip on to her
backpack for as she says, “fashionista flair!”
RELIEF!!! SWEET RELIEF!!! All that panic for nothing!! This of course
reminds me greatly of one of my favorite verses in Philippians, seeing as I am
the worry-wart queen!!
“Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God” Phil 4:6
I seriously take my worrying too far so much of the
time. And I know this is a verse that we hear about and talk about all the time
in the church… I hate to drone on and on about the same ol’ thing but when I
find myself plagued with the same problem time after time, I know that I’m most
likely not alone in the struggle – that there are others out there who are
worry-warts like me!
This verse is freedom folks! It is the solution to
being bogged down in the “what ifs…” of life and the giving in to the “but
wills…” that immediately follow. Worry - we don’t need to and are in fact told
straight up not to do it! We are instructed on how to correct our hearts –
PRAYER!! The simplest, most important thing we can do as mothers, wives,
sisters, daughters, friends, individuals in Christ! Without a healthy prayer
life the worry takes over, the depression sinks in and the negativity takes
root. From that nothing but bitterness, sadness, and dissatisfaction can grow…
I don’t want that in my life – and I certainly don’t want that for my kids!
Resolution – as a devoted mom – I want to pray for my
babies – and let’s face it that’s what they will always be to me. I want to
pray for them to love where they are – they’re city & school, yes, but more
importantly where they are in life. I want to pray that they feel covered up in
love every day! I want to pray for them to have the confidence and self
assurance that comes from knowing Jesus – which is certainly more confidence
than wearing just the right dress! And at the end of the day, I want to be so
covered up in Jesus that they are bathed from head to toe in His presence, and
not just the Dial Gold I hope they remembered to use in the shower (come on,
you know you wonder sometimes too! They’re 9 & 10 – priorities are not
always on hygiene!) As this new school year starts I vow to pray more for these
cuties I’ve been given on loan, for however long God allows, and worry less…
And in that worrying less I say, “Let them eat
comfort food!” Comfort in the Spirit & comfort in their bellies… so we
start the school year with a week of our FAVORITES!!
Also – here’s how awesome they look in their uniforms
as they boldly go into this brave new school year – because every mama’s gotta
brag a little ;-)
Monday – Croque
Monsieur Mac & Cheese (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/croque-monsieur-mac-and-cheese-recipe/)
This
may quite possibly be the most labor-intensive mac & cheese you will ever
make, but friends, it is SOOOOO worth it!! This is a recipe from the Food
Network and I certainly want to make sure the credit goes where it belongs so
follow this link to the recipe. I will tell you, however, that I have used
sliced, sautéed mushrooms instead and in addition to the ham and if you could
see my face right now you would know that it tastes like heaven!! This is a bit
of a pricey recipe too so watch for the gruyere to go on sale – and oh my! You
will be so glad you did!!! Can’t wait for dinner!!!
Tuesday - Top
Of the Ridge Chicken: a Momma Hartsell Recipe
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 stick (1/2c., 8Tbsp.) butter, melted
1c. crushed herbed bread crumbs (I use Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing)
1 clove garlic, minced or 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
3 oz. parmesan cheese – I use the can stuff (1 small can = 3oz.) and
it’s just fine, but, if you’re a foodie,
go for the real stuff…
Put butter in a shallow dish and microwave to melt. Place bread
crumbs, garlic & cheese in a gallon size zip-top bag. Dredge/dip chicken in
butter and then place in gallon bag with all the goodness. Once all chicken
pieces are in the bag, shake to coat. Line cookie sheet with foil and place
chicken on it. Bake at 375-degrees for approximately 45 minutes, a little less
if you’re using the thin cut breasts… THIS IS SOOOOOOO GOOD!!! This is my
hubby’s favorite thing that my mom makes – better than her amazing cheesecake,
better than Christmas standing rib roast dinner, better than ANYTHING!! Yep –
it’s that tasty!! (Did you know that mom?!)
Wednesday - Moravian Chicken
Pie: a Momma Hartsell Recipe
4 poached chicken breasts, roughly chopped (or 1 rotisserie chicken,
or leftover chicken… you want
about 3-4c.)
2 cans, cream of chicken soup
1c. self rising flour
1 stick butter, melted
1c. milk
In a small bowl, mix together chicken and soup. Pour into a 9”13”
casserole dish. In a separate bowl, combine flour, butter and milk. Whisk
together until smooth. Pour over top the chicken mixture already in casserole
dish. Bake at 400-degrees for 45 minutes.
You’ll note that this does not have any vegetables in it – if you were
lucky enough to visit the Tavern in Old Salem (Winston-Salem, NC) when it was
open (I heard it closed recently – boo!!) you could have ordered “Moravian
Chicken Pie” and it would have come as a slice of pie without veg. We were
blessed when we were at The Salvation Army Training School to have a wonderful
chef who had once been at the Tavern and for special Sundays she would make
this dish!! As a child I refused to eat veggies so when Momma made chicken pie
she was particularly sweet to me and would make an extra dish just for me
without those little “beasties.” I adore chicken pie of all varieties these
days, but when I want good ol’ comfort food – this is where I go!!
Thursday – Homemade Pizza
& CRACK Bread (http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/07/cheddar-bacon-ranch-pulls.html)
OK – so I may totally cop out and buy a DiGiorno this week (budget
allowing) because my J informed me that he doesn’t feel like any of my homemade
pizza attempts have ever come quite up to par – yes, those were his words! But
I will be making Crack Bread. I absolutely adore a blog called, “Plain
Chicken,” and if you have never visited it you need to go straight over there
after reading this entry! Soooo many great recipes and ideas!! My favorite
recipe thus far, however is the one for Crack Bread, aka Cheddar Bacon Ranch
Pulls. It’s got bacon. It’s got ranch. It’s got cheddar. It’s got BUTTER!! Do I
seriously need to go on? This stuff is positively addictive! The first time I
made it we went through the whole loaf in like 5 minutes – I wish I were
kidding but no – our faces and hands were covered in scrumptious, buttery
deliciousness. This is the perfect food for football parties, church
receptions, slumber parties, movie nights, celebrations, rough days, rainy
days, TGI-Thursday parties… you get the picture – there is nothing, and I mean
nothing, that can’t be made better with a bite of this amazing, awesome-sauce
edible!! As a quick note – I do usually make it with a French loaf because by
the time I get to the bakery, they’re usually out of the round loaves for the
day – bummer, I know, but the flavorful goodness is still there!! Oh – yeah!!
Friday – Empanadas! (http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/beef-empanadas/c660cfe7-83f1-4830-a246-b9bc3f9bb318?src=SH)
I love a money saving meal!! I really love it when it tastes good to
boot!! This recipe from Pilsbury does not disappoint. I have modified it by
making it even cheaper – I make my own pie crust using Melissa d’Arabians super
easy recipe found here (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/potato-bacon-torte-recipe2/index.html).
Yes, I know the link takes you to her potato torte, and no I have not tried
that although it is on my list!! The pie crust here couldn’t be simpler or
tastier – try it – you’ll see!!! The
other modification I do to this recipe is to make smaller, individual size
empanadas- it makes the food more fun if you can eat it with your hands, right?!
Just reduce the cooking time slightly – the best thing to do is to keep an eye
on it and when they start to brown pull them out to cool. Seriously – you need
this empanada in your repertoire for those days when a taco just won’t do! It
feels really special to have this little baked pie of deliciousness!! YUM!
