Quoting Pastor Greg
After this year's Harvest Crusade at Angel Stadium, Pastor Greg Laurie was quoted as saying, "Life is messy and life is painful but God is great and God is good." He added, "And there are answers in the Bible." Truer words were never spoken.
We Just Love Each Other
Dave was loading his kids into the truck last Sunday after a weekend at our house. "Bye, Gramma, I love you," says four-year old Gianna, "have a great day at work tomorrow." "I love you too, Gianna," I answer as I'm hugging and kissing everyone. She says it again, "I love you Gramma, I'm going to miss you. Have a great day at work tomorrow." I wave, "I love you too, honey, I'll see you soon." She says it again and Gavin looks at her, "Okay, Gianna, that's enough." She stops waving, looks at him and says, "I can't help it. We just love each other so much."
4th of July Party Parfaits
2 boxes of Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding
32 ounces (2 lbs) of Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt
11 ounces of fresh Blueberries
16 ounces of fresh thinly-sliced Strawberries
10 Sandies Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Whipped Cream
Crumble cookies onto a large sheet of baking/wax paper. Put another sheet of paper on top and, using a rolling pin, crush the cookies. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, make 1 box of pudding following the directions on the box. Chill until set. Add yogurt and mix well using a whisk. Add the other box of dry pudding mix to the yogurt & pudding and whip with the whisk for 2 minutes. Chill. Fold in blueberries leaving out a handful for assembling.
Assemble in individual cups by placing 1-2 teaspoons of crushed cookies into each cup. Add desired amount of parfait mix, top with a few blueberries. Add a few spoonfuls of sliced strawberries. Finish with whipped cream and decorate with a small American flag. Makes 10-12 desserts.
Baked mmmm...Mostaccioli
1 lb. box of Barilla Mostaccioli
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 (24 ounce) jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook mostaccioli according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until meat is crumbly and no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce.
Drain the mostaccioli. Spread 1/2 cup of the meat sauce into an 11 inch x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the mostaccioli, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Add a second layer of the remaining mostaccioli, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (dish will be full).
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Makes 6-8 servings.
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 (24 ounce) jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook mostaccioli according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until meat is crumbly and no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce.
Drain the mostaccioli. Spread 1/2 cup of the meat sauce into an 11 inch x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the mostaccioli, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Add a second layer of the remaining mostaccioli, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (dish will be full).
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Makes 6-8 servings.
Baby's Bassinet
My mom bought a white baby bassinet for me when I was expecting my first child. Made from a wicker like material and draped in white lace it was passed down, throughout the family, from one expectant mother to another, the name and birth date of each child that slept in it carefully recorded on the bottom. First Tommy, then David, Steven, Danielle, Denys, Amy, Evan, Christopher, Cody, Brandon, Richard and Tyler. Then Gavin, Gabriel, Gianna and Travis. I've always loved the sentiment of this tradition.
