JIFFY COOK

9/7/11 A gourmet cook I am not. I'm more the "easy" recipe type, especially if I can experiment without much fear of messing up. It's really just toast (of the burnt variety) that gives me such a bad name.
Lately I've had to cook to make room in my pantry. Remember my hubby is a bulk shopper, so we can end up with a couple of cases of dry goods rather than just a few boxes. Thus yesterday's "Jiffy" cooking spree. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; (Ecclesiastes 9:10) The banana bread made with the biscuit mix provided 3 small loaves to share with friends, though its texture was a little too cake-like for me. The corn muffins made enough to share with a friend & her hubby---though my favorite use for that muffin mix is as an addition to the corn pudding recipe that the kids love. I even made muffins for neighbors but their flight was delayed so......they're gone now.
All of this to say that even if one isn't a great cook or doesn't have a pantry of gourmet goodies, one can still share from her larder. Sharing pleases Him. Impressing man would mean I would have to wait until I had gourmet recipes (and the ability to follow them) with exotic ingredients on hand. (And that's probably not going to happen at this house, where creative concoctions are more of the norm, as is using whatever is on hand,---especially if there's lots of it.) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (Colossians 3:23)

Friends take warning, if you have a September or October birthday you might see "Jiffy Mix" in your future. But.....it will be packaged with love and sent with a birthday prayer.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31)

“POT PARTY”

2/11/11 Snow Day # 4 was reminiscent of “pot party” days of years gone by. Not the kind attended by hippies in the 60s, but ones where the Gurners, Higgs and Templetons with kids in tow, would come to our house with a “pot” of soup or spaghetti or chicken & dumplings or “whatever” was available from the pantry. Following sledding at the street hill on Lancaster, we’d come back to warm up and chow down. What fun that was!

So yesterday when I cooked, as I pridefully reported in a previous blog, I pulled out the big pots. Actually it was a lot like those former pantry raids. A recent Kroger sale had netted lots of stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce, so spaghetti was concocted. The potatoes were sprouting so I boiled ‘em in a pot and made potato salad. I had chicken left over and Velveeta in the fridge so HHS teacher, Debbie Gann’s, Tex Mex Cheesy Chicken Chowder was thrown into the mix. (*recipe below by request of the lunch bunch) A pecan pie was added “just because” (translated craving) and though I didn’t have those Pillsbury “unroll, fill and bake” refrigerated pie crusts, that I could borrow from neighbor Gayle in those days, I had the necessary ingredients in the pantry to make a crust using oil. (Certainly didn’t taste as good as when Elnora makes it----but eating around most of the crust and adding ice cream produced a tasty dessert.

But……the “fun” was missing. There was no one around to share it with---especially family and good friends. I’d gone through all the steps as in years past, but our home is an empty nest now---no little ones to share the joy. Isn’t that the way it is when you have something really good, you just want to share it, especially with kids. I want to be alongside my "grands" encouraging them in life----to create a meal from a pantry surplus or leftovers or to be with them at their first sports banquet. I want to watch them as they begin to “taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8) I want them to know I Corinthians 10:31….”whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”----even if it's just eating ordinary food out a big old dented pot at their Shug's house.

*Tex Mex Cheesy Chicken Chowder

(a big pot full that serves 16)

1 lg. onion chopped (I used ½ bag of frozen ones b/c that’s all I had.)

1 c. thinly sliced celery

2 cloves garlic, minced (NA so I just sprinkled in the garlic powder from pantry.)

1 T. cooking oil

1 ½lb. cooked boneless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces (I had bone–in and flavor was great.)

2 14ox. Cans chicken broth (I added a little extra broth from my chicken pot.)

1 32 oz. frozen hash browns, loose pack in frozen foods. (I only had 30 oz. & that was plenty.)

1 2.64 oz. Country Gravy mix (Only Pioneer brand pepper gravy in my pantry but it tasted like country.)

2. c. milk (I only had ½c. of skim so I used 1½ c. of half & half for the rest.)

1 8 oz. process cheese cut in chunks (My left over Velveeta was perfect.)

1 16 oz. chunky salsa (Available brand on my shelf was Kroger.)

1 4 ½ can diced green chili pepper. (NA I used 4 left over pepperoncini from the Papa John’s pizza box.)

1. Sauté onions, celery & garlic in oil until veggies are tender.

2. Add broth and potatoes Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 5-7 min., stirring occasionally.

3. In medium bowl, dissolve gravy mix into milk. Stir in cheese, salsa and chilies. Add to “pot” along with the chicken. Reduce heat to low. Cook until cheese melts.

ORDINARY THINGS---to think about

6/21/10 Washing Dishes. Sharpening pencils---but that’s probably only ordinary for me. Folding clothes. Changing diapers. Cooking supper. Ironing. All ordinary things---though for me, ironing is somewhat extraordinary since I don’t do it often, except for my pillowcases. A few days ago I did some “getting ready for trip” ironing. It’s one of Mother’s rules. Ironed things, pack better but need a few days to hang before packing---never pack (or wear) clothes still warm from the iron. Still hearing her voice as if she were beside me, I did just that.

Standing there at the ironing board, I noticed I had some straight pins stuck in the end---just like Mother used to do. I had them there because I had just unwrapped a new shirt for Larry and they were part of the packaging. For Mother, she used them to pin her skirts to hangars---maybe they didn’t have skirt hangers in the 50s, or maybe that would have been considered a luxury by her. Mother's ironing and care of clothes was extraordinary and not because of infrequency but because she did it well. Daddy probably had creased underwear---for sure, they were ironed.

Yesterday, Pastor Cole, reminded all of us to pay attention to God in the ordinariness of life. To pay attention and be responsive to Him in the “routine.” Significance is not the standard---attentiveness to His directives is.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
I Corinthians 10:31

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” To me, that verse implies that when I seek Him with the right “heart” attitude, I will find Him even in the ordinary. My significance will come from Him, not from "great tasks" that I have initiated and just stamped His name on.

To that I say, “Hooray for the ordinary!”