When I got married I decided to use one of the black tablecloths from the reception for our dining room table since I bought them all. I didn’t want everything sitting up somewhere boxed up, deteriorating and never be used I wanted to look at it every day and remember when I married my awesome husband.
I love the tablecloths, but food can get messy so I decided to make some placemats to protect the tablecloths. Since I decided at the last minute, I used 2 old sweatshirts as the batting in the middle, because let’s face it, we’re gonna be washing these placemats so we might as well quilt them.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
2 Colors of Fabric
Matching thread
Scissors
Pinking Shears (optional for fabrics that fray)
Batting or old sweatshirts (1 sweatshirt = 2 placemats)
Invisible marker
Binding Clips or pins
Dowel rod for turning corners
I have family members who are diabetic, and some are borderline diabetic, so I decided to start making some recipes that would be easy for them to make and healthy too.
The first recipe is this Sausage Egg Cheese Frittata. The difference between the frittata and the quiche is that the quiche is made with a crust and the frittata makes its own crust.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
6-8 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
¼ red bell pepper
¼ cup red onion
1 clove garlic
½ pound precooked turkey sausage
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ cup cheese for topping
½ cup cheese
don’t forget the parchment paper
Instructions:
Add a little olive oil to the pan and add the precooked turkey sausage. I make my own and it is amazing, but I can’t take the credit for it. I found this awesome recipe at Architecture of A Mom website and the only thing I do differently is I crush the fennel seed before adding it to the meat. And you can find it here too.
Add bell pepper, onion, garlic to precooked turkey sausage in the pan and cook until veggies are tender. In a bowl, whisk eggs, cream, nutmeg and half of the cheese. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the baking pan and pour the mixture in and put the rest of the cheese on top. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes.
This dish is so easy to make, and so forgiving meaning you can add more or less of an ingredient and it still tastes great. I am cooking for 2 so I used 2 chicken breasts sliced thin. This gives me 6 thin slices and that is enough for dinner and for my husband to take some to work tomorrow. It is hard to give exact times for cooking this dish because everyone slices their chicken breast different, and some won’t slice it. If you get yours presliced from the store, your cooking time will be more similar to mine because they are pretty thin. If you don’t slice it, just cut into your chicken to make sure it is done. I like to cook with a lid over my pot to keep the moisture and heat in so the food will cook faster and more even. So let’s get started.
What You Will Need:
Thinly sliced chicken breasts.
3 oz bottle of capers (you’ll need the brine too)
¼ cup white wine ( you can also use a tbs of freshly squeezed lemon or omit and taste to see if you like it)
1 ½ – 2 cups chicken broth (low sodium or regular)
Salt and pepper to taste
And a little olive oil for your pan.
Read the instructions below or watch it on YouTube
Once the chicken breasts are sliced place them in a pan with a little olive oil and let them start cooking. Add salt and pepper to one side. I do this because this is the perfect amount of salt and if I salted both sides I may need to add more broth or a little water. (But that is my preference you may like it). When chicken is done, (7-8 minutes) it’s time to turn. Add wine, broth, capers, and brine and simmer until chicken is done. Don’t overcook, this should be a tender dish. Make sure you taste the juice, you may want to add more pepper at this time, or a bit more broth, trust your taste buds.
This dish is great paired with lots of veggies. Please leave a comment below.
It’s the middle of April and you may be wondering why I didn’t share this post at the beginning of the month. It turns out that someone in my immediate family was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a couple of days ago. While I did some research on how I could help, by offering simpler recipes that don’t take much work, exercise to help with balance and coordination I found a list of diseases in order of awareness month along with the ribbon color. You can find it HERE
People never think they have Parkinson’s, why would they? It happens to others, right? Parkinson’s is so sneaky though, people usually don’t know they have it until they can’t move their arm, their leg is dragging and they are falling down when there are no obstacles.
It usually starts with a tremble in the thumb and is very slight. Most mistake it as a symptom of stress, or too much caffeine so it is usually ignored.
Parkinson’s disease is an illness that affects the part of your brain that controls how you move your body.
You’re more likely to get it when you’re 60 and older but it is possible for it to start when you’re younger, although it is rare. Michael J. Fox a Canadian-American actor was diagnosed in 1991 at the age of 29. He starred in the TV hit series Family Ties. I loved that show. Since then he has been a major voice in finding a cure for Parkinson’s. You can read more about his life, work and The Michael J Fox Foundation HERE
There’s no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but there are treatment and support to help manage the symptoms. A neurologist, Dr. James Cook in the PA area told me that exercise is better than medicine. The reason is that one medicine that works for some, does not work for all. It is trial and error in finding the right combination of medication and then tweaking the potency.
If you have Parkinson’s, it is important to be proactive. There are exercises you can do, like tai-chi, boxing, lifting weights and more. There may be programs in your own community that offer Tai-Chi classes at a local gym or boxing therapy for those with Parkinson’s called Rock Steady Boxing.
Find clinical trials for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s on the Michael J Fox Foundation website HERE
Fundraising Event ideas on the Michael J Fox Foundation website HERE
Create a Tribute Page Michael J Fox Foundation website HERE
My disclaimer:
I receive nothing for referring readers to the Michael J Fox Foundation or posting about the site or any other information on this page. I found the Foundation site and felt it has so much to offer people diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Caregivers that I felt I needed to share it.
Today I had my Bible time on based on a plan by Rev. T. D. Jakes about turning pressure into power and the difference between pruning and punishment is intention.
I see things like this: If you did something wrong/bad you are being punished, if you are doing something right, you are being pruned. But how do we know if the suffering we are going through is punishment or pruning?
When my mom died at the age of 54 I was devastated, but I knew God wasn’t punishing me. I was able to look at my mom’s life and see that she wasn’t being punished either. My mom talked to people about God all the time, she gave godly advice to those who asked, and she prayed with everyone who asked her, she was never too busy for others. My mom went through a lot of heartaches in her life and I know she was pruned because of the fruit she bore. But my mom won her race, she is at peace. Some people live long lives and die an old age without trying to find out what their purpose is on Earth. Jesus died in his 30’s. But he had a purpose, and he completed it, Jesus didn’t die old, he died finished. I don’t want to live a long meaningless life and then die old, I want to be pruned and live a fruitful life in Christ, I want to die finished.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
John 15:2 “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
When Mary saw her son dying on the cross, she saw two men being punished, and one being pruned. I believe Mary was being pruned as well.
What are your thoughts on being pruned or punished? Comment below. Thank you for reading.
Stepping Into The Life 