It's Crackers at Our House

Our dinners lately have been light and easy as it has been getting hot and we have been enjoying what I would call "Summer Buffet Meals" - they are mainly an assortment of goodies - nothing too filling and everyone helps themselves. I made some salmon spread and tabbouleh (with parsley, fresh mint and lemon balm from our garden...yum!!!) this week and we had watermelon, strawberries, olives, hoop cheese from a trip to Tennessee's Amish area recently and assorted veggies with homemade Ranch Dip. Add in some pita bread and tortilla chips and you have a feast fit for any appetite. Last night I still had plenty of tabbouleh and salmon spread and I had some twice baked potatoes in the freezer that I made a big batch of a few weeks ago but I had no more pita bread and was not in the mood for tortilla chips so I took a trip over to visit Laura at Heavenly Homemakers as I remembered seeing some kind of cracker recipe on her blog a while back. I found this recipe for Crispy Cheese Crackers and Wonder Boy and I set about our mission.........
I love using cookie cutters to make things more fun ;-) These were very easy to make - the hardest part was doing it with the cookies cutters rather than cutting the crackers in squares from a rolled out sheet of dough as the recipes instructs (I have a hard time ever following a recipe exactly) - in other words not hard at all ;-) They were quite good, for our tastes I would add more cheese next time - we are pretty cheesy folks in this house. They were healthy and easy and not over time consuming - win, win and win.

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Did I mention that I got a gain mill for Christmas ? I don't think I did - if you know me that may surprise you a little - it surprises me even a little still. I have always maintained a rule in romantic relationships that kitchen appliances would not and could not count as official gifts. Well this year I told The Principal that I wanted a grain mill....and I got one! I have wanted one for a number of years to work toward living a healthier lifestyle - so now I am off and running - and milling ;-) I have used it a few times in the past week and we have really enjoyed the fruits of my labors. Fresh milled flour really changes the taste of food and even better than that - it's so good for you!! So in line with the first of 3 things that I chose to learn more about in 2008 I am on my way to nuturing my family with healthy whole grain foods. My first endevor was last week when I made two loaves of whole wheat bread - they looked wonderful as you can see ........
I ran half a loaf across the street to my neighbor who thought I was nuts to be making a bread delivery in the rain - but I insisted she had to taste it warm from the oven. A few minutes later when my phone rang and the verdict was in between the sound of chewing and swallowing I knew I had a hit - and let me tell you how much it blessed me!!
Now, as for the connection of bread to all things good and Godly - I have also thought that when I get some free time (stand up comedy is one of my many side lines) that I would love to do an in depth study of bread in the bible.....for now let me share this


Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

Proverbs 30:8



He is all we need each day - He is our daily bread!! There is a theme emerging for me this year already.....HE IS ENOUGH....HE IS ALL WE NEED IN ALL THINGS. Now obviously this is not a new concept to me, however, there is a difference in knowing something and knowing that you know something. God is whispering knowledge to me in new and wonderful ways and I pray that as the year unfolds there are things that I feel released to share with you as well dear reader. For now let me tell you that I serve an amazing God and if you do not know Him - I would be honored to introduce you. Mere words cannot begin to explain how transformed your life will be when He is holding you in His loving embrace!! I wonder do you know Him?

One final note....as I was reading thru the recipe and trying to educate myself a little as to what I was about to get into with the task at hand, I came across an article that said a good way to know when your bread was kneaded adequately was to recite the Lord's Prayer twice, pressing and folding the dough on each word. Don't you just love to pray over the food you prepare for those you love? I pray over all kinds of things.....but more on that to come......

Trusting in Him,

Leisha