Getting Ready for Easter

I love Easter.

It is my favorite holy day. And Lent is my favorite season.

Lent invites us to think. To pray. To ponder. Then pray some more. Lent asks us to give of ourselves the way Jesus did...

And to deny ourselves little pleasures, remembering the sacrifice of 40 days in the wilderness/desert, being tempted by the Evil One.

Lent draws us to be better people. To relish God's word. And beg forgiveness for whatever we might have done.

A different time of year, set apart from any other.

But all of this gets us ready for a beautiful, wonderful, glorious celebration of Easter! He is risen! Alleluia!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia! :)

Such joyous words....

We have a series of beautiful services during Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday, the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday... a poignant and tear-filled prayer service on Good Friday.... and then the celebratory Easter Vigil on Saturday night, a true nod toward the catechumens receiving sacraments and the catacombs... where people gathered in hushed secrecy, praying in silence under penalty of death.

I love making feast food for Easter! We make Easter bread, a sweet bread, frosted and decorated with jelly beans or coconut or hard boiled eggs.... I don't do the hard boiled eggs, my sweet tooth would object!   The recipe using the adapted sweet bread recipe from Grandma Eichas (first generation German immigrant) is HERE!!!!   I must have forgotten to take a picture before we gobbled this up, but what a treat this is... head over to the recipe and see.

Crepes for Easter morning..... RECIPE HERE!

And I like to have lamb on Easter but very few in our house like lamb, so ham and beef take the honors..... Beef for the farmer guy, ham because it just feels right.

So what are some of your Easter favorites? I'd love to hear about them!

Ruth Logan Herne loves to cook and bake and play with cute grandkids any chance she gets, but she mostly loves to write great books with unforgettable characters that grab heart... and soul. Find her on facebook, follow her on Twitter, Amazon or Bookbub.... and may your day be filled with faith... hope... and love! 

Spring Break at the Ranch, aka Cute Kids and Good Eats Part 2

by Mindy Obenhaus

Oh, what a week it has been here at the ranch. Max and his sister couldn't have asked for a better spring break. Lots of sunshine had the wildflowers blooming - 

The fish biting -

The weather was perfect for taking walks in the woods.

 Down by the creek.

And out to the pasture where we discovered four new calves taking a nap together. Isn't that the cutest thing?

Max didn't spend any time in the woods, but he still did plenty of exploring. He loved the drums, also known as tables, on Grammy's deck.

However, a loud moo kind of startled him. Especially when we looked up to see at least half the herd rushing across the pasture at the front of the house.

Do you remember that little guy I showed you last week? The one that had just been born? This is him now, with his mama bringing up the rear.

Max was ready to move on, though. There were adventures to be had and he wasn't about to let sissy drive the UTV without him.

The riding mower appeared to be right up his alley, too.

He even helped in the kitchen.

With Grammy at his side, he whipped up some of her favorite peach cobbler. You can find that recipe here. 

But at the end of the day, a boy always has time for his dog.

And, sometimes, even goes so far as to crash in the dog's bed.

Yes, it was a busy week here at the ranch. A fun week. One I wouldn't trade for the world. But now it's time to get back to work. There are books to write and, contrary to popular belief, they do not write themselves.

I am pleased to announce, that after a chaos filled year of surgery, moving and renovating, I am finally writing in earnest again, thanks to a new contract with Love Inspired Books. Best of all, I have a new office to do it in. A place where I can close the door and play with my imaginary friends, all while enjoying the view I've looked forward to for years.

Now it's your turn. Have you ever taken a sabbatical from your job, writing or otherwise? Were you eager to return to said job? How did you get back into the swing of things?

Three-time Carol Award nominee, Mindy Obenhaus, lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com

 

A Look Back to Five Years Ago... and Cinnamon Swirl Cake

Jan here, suffering from a little bit of spring fever....

Last Wednesday our temperatures reached 60° with sunshine, birds singing, and beautiful blue skies. Then on Friday, we got nearly a foot of snow.

MUCH needed moisture, so I'm not complaining...

Wynter loves the snow. This is in April 2013, during
a lull in a record-setting spring blizzard.

But it made me think of other spring snow storms, especially the one five years ago. That was the beginning of a beautiful summer with plenty of rain...and led up to our October 2013 blizzard that was so devastating.

And that took me to thoughts of what else happened five years ago...

This was Thatcher on his "choosing day," when we visited the breeder and picked out our my puppy. Wasn't he a cutie? He shares a birthday with Ruthy's Jeter, and both pups are turning five years old at the end of the month. Time flies!!!

Thatcher now - I love how his face
has changed!

What else happened five years ago?

You can order the e-book here:
The Prodigal Son Returns

My first book was released! Yes, time flies!

It was also five years ago this spring that I shared this recipe. I was looking for it the other day, wondering if I should make it for Easter brunch. I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I shared it here!

This is a gooey, buttery, almost pastry-like cake that is absolutely delicious! Expect to wow your friends :)

Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake (Pampered Chef recipe)

Ingredients:

For the batter -
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted

For the cinnamon swirl (think Cinnabon....mmmmm.....):
1 cup butter, soft to the point of being almost melted
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla


In a large bowl, mix all the batter ingredients together except the butter. Once mixed, pour the melted butter slowly into the batter, stirring as you go (I had my mixer running on low as I poured the butter in). Pour the batter into a 9x13 baking dish.

Combine the ingredients for the cinnamon swirl, and drop onto the batter, then swirl with a knife.





Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Mine took the whole 40 minutes to become brown and done in the center. Don't try the toothpick test for doneness - the cinnamon swirl will remain sticky. Look for slightly browned cake on the tops and sides.

After the cake cools slightly, but while it's still warm, drizzle the glaze on top. 

And the best thing about this recipe? It only took a few minutes to put together!

Can you remember five years ago? What's the best thing that happened?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Impossible Burger

Missy Tippens

When we recently went out to dinner for my son's birthday, he asked to go to one of his favorite places, Argosy in East Atlanta Village.

He and my daughter-in-law ordered some nachos for an appetizer. Now, my husband and I don't usually order appetizers. We're always taking home leftovers as it is. But it was a special night, so I was excited to try the nachos.

They were amazing. Yummy cheese and beef and--

Wait. Not beef? After I had eaten a good many nachos and bragged on how good that beef was was, my son informed me that there wasn't any beef on there. What??? How could that be?

The dish had Impossible Burger on top. My daughter ordered her burger made from it that same night. And when I tasted her leftovers the next day, I was blown away. So I went hunting for Impossible Burger.

Here's their website. No, I have no affiliation with the company. I just wanted to tell you about it. They make a plant based product using wheat, potatoes and coconut oil, and also a type of heme (which is an iron-containing molecule that's abundant in meat and gives meat it's flavor). Only, the company uses a plant based heme called leghemoglobin (from soy) that's produced using fermentation.

I was stunned by how much this burger tasted like beef! So flavorful.

So far, they don't sell it commercially. But maybe they will eventually. For now, we'll have to eat it at a restaurants in Atlanta. You may be able to find some locations near you (you can search on the website).

I'm sorry I didn't take any photos! Maybe next time.

I like eating vegetarian on occasion. I feel like it's good for my body and for the environment. So it's nice to know there's this option out there.

Have y'all ever had an Impossible Burger?

Since I have no food photos, I'll share my gorgeous camellia blooms from this year.

***********
www.missytippens.com

Shepherd's Pie Twice Baked Potatoes: a Taste of Ireland

I've spent most of the past three weeks in the hospital with my husband, so not much cooking got done. But when I can cook again, I totally intend to make this recipe.

So, I'm cheating by just posting a link, but I hope you'll forgive me because it looks that good.

Shepherd's Pie Twice Baked Potatoes

It's from the Food Network, and it's hard to go wrong with their recipes.

To make up for the copied recipe, here are some lovely photos of Ireland to appreciate her beauty in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day. It's been over 30 years since I was there, but it still feels like home.

Spring Break at the Ranch, aka Cute Kids and Good Eats

by Mindy Obenhaus

It's spring break time here in Texas and I love it when I get to spend it with some of the kiddos. 

Spring break is the perfect time for them to be at the ranch. There's so much to experience. Fishing, exploring in the woods and new calves. I love the white boots on this little guy.

And when you're walking in the woods, you never know what you might stumble across this time of year. Like a cow and her just-born babe.

It took us a minute to figure out why she was all by herself in the thicket like that. And what was she licking.

Then we spotted the baby. All the while we just stood back and watched, careful not to disturb them. I used the big lens on my camera to take these pictures. And, finally, she coaxed the little one to his/her feet.

Our eleven-year-old granddaughter loved it, but Max just went along for the ride.

All of that exploring can wear a little guy out, though.

Not that Grammy minded. Naps on the porch are the best.

But this might be even better.

No-bake Chocolate lasagna was our dessert that night. A weird name, I know, but oh, so good.

 It's all about the layers.

You can find the recipe here at I Heart Nap Time.

The granddaughter had requested jalapeno poppers, too, so she and Grammy set to work on those. We started by halving 12 fresh jalapenos and then cleaning out the seeds and white membrane which is where most of the heat is. 

Then we mixed 12 oz of softened cream cheese with approximately 3/4 cup of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

 And spooned the mixture into the jalapeno halves.

Finally, each stuffed jalapeno was wrapped in half a slice of regular-cut bacon and the bacon secured with a toothpick.

Place on a rack over a foil-covered pan (this makes for easier clean up) and bake in a 275 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of them cooked because everyone was so eager to dig in. But the bacon will be cooked and browned slightly. You may have a little bit of the filling oozing out the ends, but not near as much as when they're cooked at a higher temperature. Low and slow is definitely the way to go.

So that's a wrap on our first full day of spring break.

But we're just getting started. We've still got four more days to go. And with all the sunshine and warm temps, we're hoping to see some wildflowers, maybe even some bluebonnets, before the week comes to an end. I'll keep you posted. 

Now it's your turn. What are some of your favorite foods to share when family gets together for some fun? Do you prefer to go with the tried and true, like our jalapeno poppers, or do you like to try something new, like our Chocolate Lasagna? 

Three-time Carol Award nominee, Mindy Obenhaus, lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com