Recipe Reviews! Week 2

This week's recipe choices stemmed from the ingredients I had leftover from Week 1, which was mainly turkey, cabbage, celery, and rice. I'll begin the recipes with...

Stuffed Peppers

The recipe on the left was my Grandma's; the recipe on the right was one Jason found online when he decided to make Stuffed Peppers last year. The recipes are very similar, although Jason and I didn't think the online recipe to be that good when he made it a year ago. I did deviate from Grandma's recipe and used

What Motivates Our Food Choices?

Have you ever noticed that different people tend to have a food "style?" For example, I grew up with the "meat and potatoes," and "casseroles" style of meals. Some of the food "styles" I have run across are: very little meat, but not vegetarian; strictly vegetarian; heavy on the meat- no veggies; no processed foods; pretty much all processed foods; lots of fat- as in everything fried and greasy; mainly casseroles; heavy on the carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, breads, pastas, etc.); no dairy, but not vegan; doesn't need food to survive; must have food to survive (know any "hangry" people?); and sometimes a mix of several styles. Oh, and don't forget the "food snobs."

For our family, we tended to be a bit of a mixture of styles. We like trying new foods; we like meat; we like a variety of ethnic foods; we like dairy; we use processed and un-processed foods; we love bread; we love desserts (but apparently I'm the only one that craves chocolate...); we (or maybe just "I") have tried the no meat thing temporarily. And, most of the foods we make are made from scratch, although Jason occasionally begs for instant mac-n-cheese, or instant turkey stuffing from a box, and the like. We are far from being a "no processed foods," or a "whole foods only" family.

Little Miss Pumpkin helping to make Christmas cookies.

For myself, I would admit to being a bit of a food snob.

My Pantry-Turned-Recipe Project

A few weeks ago I started a bit of a rash project. The project was to not buy any groceries until we had used all of the food items we already had in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. Surprisingly, the project didn't stall half-way through.

This is what our pantry looked like at the end of that project. No joke.

We had some rice, some ancient quinoa, a box of mac-n-cheese, a very old can of

Why Do We Teach Obedience?

For a few months now, I have been pondering a Bible verse that I think has been a common quote by adults to kids. (At least, in the Christian setting.) And, I know that this verse is sometimes used as a memory verse for young kids. I will be upfront and say that this is one of the memory verses we say every night with Pumpkin after our Bible reading. The verse is Colossians 3:20. This is what I remember hearing from this verse in my previous years: "Children obey your parents." I think that is all I ever heard whenever the verse was quoted.

Brief Side Note: Something I have learned over the years, and try very hard to practice, and be conscious of, is that context is very important in learning the Scriptures. Context is very important in understanding the Scriptures. And, I think context is very important when quoting Scriptures for the purpose of making a point. Let me also say this: while context is very important, I will be the first to admit that it doesn't always make it easier to understand, or eliminate any and all questions one might be struggling with.

The first time I looked up Colossians 3:20 to start saying it with Pumpkin, I learned something new. (And, if you are prone to judging people on their lack of Bible knowledge, here is a good opportunity for you to practice not judging. Just a thought.) The entire verse says this: "Children obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." (Col. 3:20, NIV)

Hmm. How had I never heard, or maybe I had heard it but it didn't stick, the "...for this pleases the Lord" part? That puts a whole new spin on things.

I think for myself, I just assumed that the "Children obey your parents" teaching was simply just because you were the kid, they were the parents. End of story. Do what your parents say just because it is what the Bible says. Where's the motivation in that? Maybe for some folks, that is enough motivation. Maybe just because those four words are written in Scripture casts out any need to question the "why," or the desire to try and reason out how it does, or does not, apply in a situation. But I think we are missing out on something huge if we just leave it at that.

For what purpose are we, as kids, supposed to obey our parents? Because it "pleases the Lord." Not simply because we are the kids and they are the parents. Not just because they are the authority figure that God placed over us as we grow up. It is to honor Him - Jesus Christ; God. As I said, it puts a whole new spin on things.

When I think about how to go about instilling in my child the responsibility to obey, it seems to be a daunting task. The perception that she seems to have inherited

Recipe Reviews! Week 1

I have been working on a recipe project for a couple of weeks now. The project hasn't stalled and been stuffed away on a shelf, which is an accomplishment! As a result of my recipe project, I am now making a wider variety of recipes for our daily meals than before. And, I thought maybe I should share my recipes and reviews with you guys. (Actually, it should be "our" reviews, as Jason is supposed to give me his honest opinion of each recipe.)

Part of this recipe project is to clear out the recipes that we really don't care for. (I'm hoping to do a post, soon, of how this recipe project was instigated....) My goal is to do a "Recipe Reviews" post once a week. So, if you're interested in keeping up with my cooking, and our thoughts on how it tastes, if you check back next Wednesday, there should be a new "Recipe Reviews" post waiting for you!

First, a few disclaimers on my cooking and recipes:

• I am not trying to offend any of the recipe authors with my reviews.
• I'm trying very hard to stick to the recipes, and not make substitutions, or additions, until after we have tried the real deal.
• Some of the recipes are meant to feed an army; in those cases I will usually make a half recipe, or freeze the leftovers for later.
• I am trying to take photos of the finished product, but don't always succeed. (Definitely didn't this week!)
• My food rarely looks like food from a magazine; if you're looking for pretty foods, go see my sister, Miriam.

This week's recipes began with...

Braised Pork Chops with Cabbage and Apple

I honestly have no idea where this recipe came from. I thought Jason had printed it off the internet at some point, but he denies ever seeing it before. I questioned the recipe when

Stepping Out Once More

Before our Little Pumpkin was born, I had finally stepped out of  my comfort zone and started attending the women's Bible study at our old church. We had only been attending there for 2 or 3 years, so it was time, right? I was hoping to get to know some people, to learn and increase my Bible knowledge, and hopefully grow my heart knowledge and boldness in my faith. The study was on the book of John and it was a really good, in-depth study; I really enjoyed the homework and hearing from the other women when the group met. There were a few ladies in particular that I was really enjoying being around, wondering, "How do I become more like her," and was excited to spend time in the future getting to know them better.

Then I had a baby.

And then we moved.

All of my aforementioned hopes -get to know some people, learn and increase Bible knowledge, grow in heart knowledge and boldness in faith-

Reviving the Blog

It has been over a year since I have posted anything on my blog. I will be upfront and say that a lot of stuff has happened since that time. And if you have any imagination, you may guess that "stuff" isn't the first word in my mind when I think over the past 15-ish months. Things have changed. Actually, EVERYTHING has changed, myself included. One of my last posts was in September of 2016, Little Jo's Room, and if you used to read my blog back then, you know that I was expecting a little girl and we were doing some remodeling of our house. So, yeah, everything has changed since then.

Allow me to give you the Cliff Notes version of what all has happened between September 2016 and February 2018:

We finished the house remodel and got most everything put back together and in it's new place(s).

Our beautiful daughter was born, and I quit my job.

Our Little Pumpkin

2 weeks later, Jason flew to