Recent Recipes

Ok, instead of grading papers, I decided that I really, really needed to bake some cookies--[for my next-door neighbor who just had surgery, of course!!  Not for us--;)  ]   This is my newest favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe--I'm making the pretzel/chocolate chip variety with some toffee bits thrown in for good measure.  I love the salty/sweet combination, and these are delicious!

Another yummy recipe I've tried lately is Sloppy Chicken.  It's a great crockpot dinner and is super easy:

Take 1 lb. of chicken, 2 cans of chicken broth and 2 cans of reduced sodium/low fat cream of chicken soup and throw it in the crockpot on high for 4-5 hours.  Just before serving, shred chicken; then crumble a sleeve of crackers and toss in with the chicken.  This can be served on buns or with rice, noodles or potatoes.  

Finally, here's a recipe that I've promised to send to several people:

Poppyseed Ham and Cheese Melts

1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 packet Lipton onion soup
1 1/2 lbs.  thinly sliced deli ham (turkey works well, too)
1 lb. Provolone cheese, sliced
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
pinch of salt and pepper
1 package Hawaiian sweet rolls

Poppyseed sauce:  Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir in brown sugar, poppy seeds, garlic powder, soup mix, salt/pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  Layer meat and cheese on buns and place in baking dish.  Top with poppy seed sauce and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Uncover and broil for 1 minute.

These are so good.  They would be perfect for a luncheon or shower.

Book Review: Fearless by Max Lucado

In Max Lucado's book Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear, Lucado examines thirteen of the most common causes of fear for Christians and provides a Biblical perspective for dealing with them.  In characteristic Lucado style, the book deals head on with issues such as "Fear of Disappointing God" to "Fear of Worst-Case Scenarios." Although the book is not terribly in-depth, I appreciate Lucado's reminders to turn my eyes back on the Savior in times of distress.  Lucado also emphasizes that while Jesus never promised Christians a comfortable life, "[w]e can trust Him.  'Everything will work out in the end.  If it's not working out, it's not the end'" (160).


Thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing a review copy of this book.