Blessings Turkey

I've been re-reading through one of my favorite books, Treasuring God in Your Traditions by Noel Piper. It's a great read and as my boys get older I realize more and more how important family traditions are. This book not only talks about holiday traditions, but daily traditions (quiet times, devotions together as a family, bedtime rituals). I've been wanting to establish a tradition for Thanksgiving and my friend, Kristi, found a great idea by Debra P. from the site Familyfun.com.

You make a turkey out of construction paper (minus the feathers) and glue it onto a piece of white poster board. You then cover the poster board in clear contact paper (so it can be reused for the next year). Next you cut out orange, red, and yellow paper feathers--enough so that each family member has a feather for each day in November. At dinner each family member writes something that they're thankful for and tapes it onto the turkey.

What a great way to display all your blessings!! Thanks Kristi!

*picture of turkey courtesy of Kristi K.

Baked Cod with Crunchy Lemon-Herb Topping

We're always looking for a way to get fish into our diets. I'm not saying that this is a really healthy way, but it's a delicious way. This is from my favorite cooking magazine, Cook's Country, December/January 2006 edition.


Baked Cod with Crunchy Lemon-Herb Topping
Serves 4
Haddock, halibut, or bluefish fillets are good alternatives to cod (we've also used Alaskan pollock). If some of the fish pieces are very thin, fold them in half to make thicker pieces. If you like, substitute dill or basil for the parsley.

1 tbsp unsalted butter
24 Ritz crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley), divided
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 small garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp grated zest plus 1 tbsp juice from 1 lemon (don't use
the bottled stuff)
4 skinless cod fillets (about 2 pounds; I buy the frozen fish
instead of fresh because it's much more affordable, thaw before cooking)
salt and pepper
lemon wedges for serving

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease baking sheet (do NOT use a stone, it will be seasoned with fish) with butter. Toss cracker crumbs and 1 tbsp parsley together in medium bowl. Mix remaining 1 tbsp parsley, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice together in a small bowl.

2. Pat fish dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Place fish on buttered baking sheet, spacing pieces about 1/2 inch apart. Brush tops and sides of fish with mayonnaise mixture, then press cracker crumbs into mayonnaise.

3. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and fish flakes apart with fork, about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

I like to double the mayonnaise mixture and serve as a dipping sauce on the side. Here's the mayonnaise sauce for quick reference:

1 tbsp parsley
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 small garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp grated zest plus 1 tbsp juice from 1 lemon

Mix together and serve on side.

Enjoy!!

Mexi-Corn Dip

1 can Mexi-corn (corn with peppers)
1 small can green chilis
1 cup mayo
1 cup colby-jack cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind)
1 tsp cumin

Grease a 9x9 pan. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tips:
Can keep warm in a crock pot on low heat.
May add a small can of chicken breast.

This is a recipe I got from my friend Nichole. She brought it to Bunco this last month and I thought it was delicious. I'm trying to think of how I can make it a meal. ;)

I Got the Music In Me

Whenever Christmas comes around I get a little melancholy. Sure, I reflect on the joy of the season, but what really hits me is why this little Baby came to earth in the first place. I think about how Mary held Jesus after He was born and I wonder if she realizes what a special little Boy she's holding. I wonder if she realizes that He will change the world. I wonder if she really knows that there will be times in His life that He will just beam the joy of the Lord and at others there will be true sorrow.

My husband just got the new Chris Tomlin CD "Hello Love." It has my new favorite song on it, "Jesus Messiah." Here are the lyrics and I pray that as you reflect on them you can praise God for the joy in Christ's birth, the sorrow of His death and the power of His resurrection.

Chris Tomlin - Jesus Messiah

He became sin
Who knew no sin
That we might become His Righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing
Love so amazing

Chorus
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

His body the bread
His blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled
And the veil was torn

Chorus
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

All I hope is in You
All I hope is in You
All the glory to You, God
The light of the world

Chorus
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

Jesus Messiah Lyrics - Chris Tomlin Song Words

Song Words by Artist / Band : Chris Tomlin
Song Lyrics Title : Jesus Messiah
Taken from Album : Hello Love
Single Released : -
Music Genre : Christian Music

(Music Song Data Information taken from : wikipedia)

Papa Fajita's

Yummy! Papa Fajita's was my favorite restaurant while in Houston. It was delicious! Jonathan had beef enchiladas but I wanted to try something different...and it was. I ordered a grilled chicken avocado enchilada. As I was eating, I was thinking this sauce is so rich and thick. I asked the waiter what was in the neon-green/yellow sauce and he said he had no idea but would ask in the kitchen. Turns out it was only tomatillos and milk. It was so tasty. I want to try and replicate the sauce and will let you know if I ever get that accomplished.


Homemade tortilla's filled with grilled chicken. Topped with cheese, tomatillo sauce and avocados. Yummy!!

Back to Blogging

After a week of relaxation and refreshment in Texas with my husband and a few stressful days/nights with my family and the boys (mostly due to the boys not sleeping well at night), I'm back to the blog world. We had a great time on our trip and had some wonderful food. At home with my mom we did some window shopping at some consignment stores and home decorator stores. I gleaned a lot of ideas from the shops and am ready to share!!

But first I want to let you know about CouponBug. CouponBug is a great place to get coupons because you don't have to sign up for any emails and you put in your zip code so you only get the coupons that are relevant to your area. Really nice! If you want to bypass the membership, click on the "Get My Coupons Now" in the upper right corner and enter your zip code. Then you just click on the coupons you want. It's great!! The coupons are updated weekly.

The Latest Flicks and Movie Info

My husband got me hooked on The Internet Movie Database (IMDB). It's a great resource for checking out new releases, what films your favorite stars have appeared in, and summaries of movies so you know what you're getting into. We use it in cooperation with our library movie requests. We find out what movies are being released soon on DVD, hop on over to our library website and check if they will be getting the movie. It's a great way to get new releases without paying a thing.

IMDB is also a great place to check out the voices in animated movies. They also give you a picture of the actor/actress and other movies they have been in.

The Library

We love our library! It's a great place to save money. We have yet to take full advantage of all the services our library offers, but this one is our favorite: reserving movies! Yes, you can reserve movies at the Ames Public Library. It's really simple to do:

1. Enter your Borrower ID number (it's on the back of your card)
2. Enter your PIN number. This should have been assigned to you when you received your card, but you can call the library to get a PIN.
3. Now go to the online catalog and type in a title. Choose a movie (or book) from the list by clicking on it.
4. Next you'll be at a page with the movie's information and scroll to the bottom. Click the button, "Place Request to Hold Item for me" at the bottom right-hand side of the page.
5. You will be shown a page that tells you how many people are in line to reserve this item before you and you have the option to "Cancel" your request or you can "Request".
6. The library will contact you (via email or phone) to let you know when your item is ready to be picked up. If there is a Bookmobile stop near you, you can also request to have the item brought to the Bookmobile location and you can pick it up there.

It's that easy! The Ames Library has new releases and a wide selection of films to choose from. You get them for one week and they're FREE as long as you return them on time. You can request more than one item at a time.

** Sometimes you have to be careful with children's movies because they can receive a lot of scratches and the DVD will skip around a lot.