REMINDER FROM GOD:

Ask the Blind Man—He Saw It All

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."1

Down the long, dusty road on their way from Jericho to Jerusalem, some two thousand years ago, trod Jesus with His motley band of twelve disciples, followed by a huge crowd.

They were probably already hot and sweaty. The dust clung to them, but, because Jesus was at the height of His popularity, the great crowd of people pressed close to Him. They were jabbering endlessly. Asking questions. Seeking favors. They could be heard a mile away.

"Hey, what's all the noise?" blind Bartimaeus asked his friend as they sat by the roadside begging.

"I don't know," answered his friend with a puzzled tone in his voice.

"Let's ask somebody else," they agreed.

"It's Jesus," a passer-by informed them.

"You mean Jesus of Nazareth, the fellow they claim can heal the sick and the blind?" Bartimaeus excitedly asked.

"That's the One," he replied, "and I'm not going to miss seeing him for anything."

The crowd came closer and closer. Excitement filled the air. The noise became intense. "I can't believe it," shouted Bartimaeus to his friend. "This just has to be my lucky day. I've got to get to Jesus. I know He can heal me."

"Hey, Bart, there He is," cried Bartimaeus's friend, "but how will you ever get his attention?"

"This is it," said Bartimaeus. "I may never come close to Jesus again. I want to be healed."

With dignity dismissed, Bartimaeus, seeking to be heard above the rowdy crowd, yelled at the top of his voice, "Jesus, have mercy on me! O Lord, son of David, have mercy on me!"

"Cool it, man! Calm down! Shut up!" retorted some of the crowd to Bartimaeus. "You're making a fool of yourself. There are so many others here you don't stand a chance of getting to Jesus, so just relax and keep quiet!"

But Bartimaeus was all the more determined to get to Jesus. He couldn't see with his eyes but he sure could with his heart … and he could yell. He cried out all the louder. Hear his voice rise above the din of the crowd. It rang out like a great clarion call. "Jesus, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

And Jesus stood still.

And the crowds stood still.

And a great calm settled down over them all.

Imagine it. The winds and the waves couldn't stop the Savior. Neither could angry mobs. Crowds of people couldn't stop him either. But the call of one lone, blind beggar did.

And Jesus with his great heart of compassion called for Bartimaeus to be brought to him. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked.

"Lord," Bartimaeus replied, "please give me my sight."

And Jesus did. "Go your way," He said, "your faith has made you whole."

Immediately Bartimaeus could see and he followed Jesus along the way.2

Most of us are not physically blind, but many of us suffer from spiritual blindness. If we are as determined as Bartimaeus was to reach the Savior, Jesus will stand still for us too-when we call upon him from a determined heart-and our spiritual eyes will be opened.3

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a determination such as blind Bartimaeus had and open the eyes of my understanding so that I will know and understand your Truth and, as a result, become a genuine follower of you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Mark 10:51 (NIV).
2. Mark 10:46-52.

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WORD FOR THE DAY:

     scaramouch
    audio pronunciation
    SKAIR-uh-moosh

    DEFINITION

noun
a : a cowardly buffoon b : rascal, scamp

    EXAMPLES

Dorothy was wary about lending money to her uncle, a scaramouch who never took responsibility for his actions.

"The mischievous Scaramouche dances beneath them, flanked by a chorus of provocatively clad statues that seem poised to descend from their pedestals…." — From Caroline Van Eck and Stijn Bussels' 2011 book Theatricality in Early Modern Art and Architecture

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4 Easy Steps Towards Achieving Your Desires
 
Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours. ~ Dale Carnegie
Stuck. Trapped. Lost. Miserable. We have all felt this way at some point. Some of us may make it to the “other side” and then find ourselves right back where we began… or worse. It can actually be a beautiful, transformational process if we have the tools to guide us through. I recently read and article in Success Magazine that 1/3 of Americans feel stuck. People find that they are not living to their potential, acting on their dream, having the relationships they want, fulfilled by work….they’re in a RUT. Although I find the statistic disheartening, I can relate.

I’ve been there more than a few times in my life. One of the most significant times for me was just prior to leaving Corporate America and starting my business. I was anxious and felt like “there just has to be more that I should be doing.” It took a lot of introspection, reflection, work and being in the fetal position on my couch, but I finally broke through. You may be thinking, “Ok, that’s nice but how do I get clear?” Good question! I’ve outlined a few steps below to help simplify the process. It’s important to recognize that although they are simple, they are not easy. Otherwise 1/3 of us wouldn’t feel stuck, would we?

1. Accept that you are stuck
The first step in any processes is acknowledging that you are stuck and think of what is it that you want or need to do in order to make a change in your current circumstance or situation.
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. ~ Apple Inc.

 2. Get Clear about what it is that you want
At first that seems easy, doesn’t it? It’s not. It can be a very difficult and daunting task to decide what it is you want, long for, dream of or desire. In fact, this step can appear so hard that most people stop at this step and continue to live less than fulfilling lives. Not fun.
Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what he loves. ~ Blaise Pascal

3. Take Action
Any action. This is a vital step, and again, one of the hardest. If you persevere through Step One and Two then it’s likely that you’ve already experienced some sort of resistance (or perhaps you’ve already decided, “this is ridiculous” and you’ve given up). Your ego has one primary mission and that is to keep the status quo, the status quo. So, anything that remotely seems like change, or stepping out of your comfort zone is an enemy to be attacked. Your mind will procrastinate, justify, find excuses, come up with conditions and create a number of brilliant tactics to keep you exactly where you are; stuck. It’s really important to understand this, but even more important to take action no matter how inconsequential you feel that action is.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. ~ Aristotle

4. Have a Practice
Our nervous system cannot tell the difference between something that we are making up or are remembering as an actual experience. Employ practices such as conscious breathing, visualization, affirmations, dream boards etc. to reinforce your efforts and accelerate having what it is you want. Understanding these steps will help to incorporating desire, discipline and personal accountability to begin to take consistent actions toward your  desires.Go after what you desire. Your whole world and everyone in it is waiting!
With self-discipline most anything is possible. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

This article was written by Deseri Garcia,

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RECIPE:

Coconut Shrimp Wontons

These wontons make the perfect appetizer or addition to a buffet table.

Serves: 60 appetizer servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
1 cup shrimp, cooked and chopped
1 cup coconut, flaked
1 package 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 jar (9.75 ounces) seafood cocktail sauce, divided use
60 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey

COMBINE shrimp, coconut, cream cheese and 1/2 cup shrimp sauce in mixing bowl. Place about 2 teaspoons shrimp mixture onto one corner of one won ton wrapper; moisten edges with water. Fold in half to form triangle; press firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining won ton wrappers and shrimp mixture.

POUR oil into large skillet to 1/4-inch depth. Heat over high heat for 1 minute. Fry won tons for about 30 seconds on each side or until light golden brown. Remove from skillet; drain. Combine remaining shrimp sauce and honey in small bowl. Serve with won tons.

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 BBQ Bourbon Ribs

time
prep: 15 min
total: 1 hr 15 min
servings
total:   5 servings


    What You Need
    3    lb.  pork baby back ribs
    2    Tbsp.  brown sugar
    1    Tbsp.  paprika
    2    tsp.  garlic powder
    1-1/2    tsp.  black pepper
    1/2    cup  orange juice
    1    cup  BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce
    2    Tbsp.  bourbon

    Make It

    HEAT grill to medium heat.

    PLACE half the ribs in single layer on center of large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Mix sugar and seasonings; rub half evenly onto both sides of ribs. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and one end to seal packet. Add 1/4 cup orange juice to packet through open end. Double fold remaining end, leaving room for heat to circulate inside. Repeat to make second packet.

    PLACE packets on grate of grill; cover with lid. Grill 45 min. to 1 hour or until ribs are done. Remove ribs from foil; discard foil.

    RETURN ribs to grill; brush with combined barbecue sauce and bourbon. Grill 15 min., turning occasionally and brushing with remaining sauce.
  
 Kraft Kitchens Tips

    Serving Suggestion
    Serve this special entrée with a hot baked potato and crisp mixed green salad tossed with your favorite KRAFT Lite Dressing.
 
  Use Your Oven
    Heat oven to 450°F. Assemble foil packets as directed; place on baking sheet. Bake 45 min. to 1 hour or until ribs are done. Remove ribs from foil; discard foil. Heat broiler. Place ribs on rack of broiler pan. Broil, 4 inches from heat, 15 min., turning occasionally and brushing with remaining sauce.

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Fried Green Tomato BLTs

You might call this southern inspired sandwich comfort food with a twist. The Chipotle mayonnaise adds a delicious kick, while the peppered bacon really punches up the flavor.

This recipe is:

Quick
    Prep/Total Time: 20 min.
    Yield: 1 Servings


Ingredients

    1 package thick-sliced peppered bacon strips (24 ounces)
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 cup cornmeal
    4-1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning
    1 teaspoon pepper
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1 cup buttermilk
    8 medium green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
    Oil for deep-fat frying
    16 slices Texas toast
    1/2 cup reduced-fat chipotle mayonnaise
    8 Boston lettuce leaves

Directions

    In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. In a small shallow bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, seafood seasoning, pepper and salt. Place buttermilk and flour mixture in shallow bowl. Dip tomatoes in buttermilk, then coat with flour mixture.
    In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry tomatoes, a few slices at a time, for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
    Serve tomatoes on Texas toast with mayonnaise, bacon and lettuce. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 sandwich equals 648 calories, 33 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 29 mg cholesterol, 1,519 mg sodium, 70 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 20 g protein.

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Game-Night Nacho Pizza

Some like it hot with jalapenos; others like it cool with a dollop of sour cream. But one thing’s for sure: This is “nacho” ordinary pizza night. —Jamie Jones, Madison, Georgia

    Prep/Total Time: 20 min.
    Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

    1 prebaked 12-inch pizza crust
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 cup refried beans
    1 cup refrigerated fully cooked barbecued shredded beef
    1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
    1/2 cup pickled jalapeno slices
    1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
    Shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa, optional

Directions

    Place crust on an ungreased pizza pan. Brush with oil. Spread beans over crust. Top with beef, tomatoes, jalapenos and cheese.
    Bake at 450° for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with lettuce, sour cream and salsa if desired. Yield: 6 slices.

Nutritional Facts 1 slice (calculated without optional ingredients) equals 370 calories, 13 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 30 mg cholesterol, 1,103 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 18 g protein.

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 Bacon-Wrapped BBQ-Shrimp Kabobs

The smell of bacon is wafting through the neighborhood, the shrimp are getting plump, the veggies smoky and tender. And the family? Just trying to be patient.

time
prep: 20 min
total:  20 min

servings
total:  5 servings

    What You Need
    10    slices  OSCAR MAYER Fully Cooked Bacon, cut in half
    20     uncooked medium shrimp (3/4 lb.), peeled, deveined
    2     zucchini, trimmed, each cut into 10 slices
    2     yellow peppers, each cut into 10 pieces
    1/2    cup  BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce
  
 Make It

    HEAT grill to medium heat.
    WRAP 1 bacon piece around each shrimp. Thread 2 each shrimp, zucchini slices and pepper pieces alternately onto 10 skewers.
    GRILL 3 to 4 min. on each side or until shrimp turn pink, turning and brushing occasionally with barbecue sauce.
  
Kraft Kitchens Tips
    Variation
    Prepare using your favorite cut-up fresh vegetables and flavor of BULL'S-EYE or KRAFT Barbecue Sauce.

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Banana Bread


Rich buttermilk, crunchy nuts and flavorful, ripe bananas make this banana bread tops.

    PREP TIME 15 Min
    TOTAL TIME 2 Hr 30 Min
    SERVINGS 24
 
1 1/4    cups sugar
1/2    cup butter or margarine, softened
2    eggs
1 1/2    cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2    cup buttermilk
1    teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2    cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1    teaspoon baking soda
1    teaspoon salt
1    cup chopped nuts, if desired


    1 Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
    2 Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
    3 Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Expert Tips

Mini Banana Breads make great gifts! To make, grease bottoms only of 10 miniature loaf pans, 4 1/2x2 3/4x1 1/4 inches. Divide batter among pans (about 1/2 cup each). Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

Stir 1/2 cup chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips into the batter for mouthwatering flavor combinations.

Rise to the occasion! If using self-rising flour, there is no need to add baking soda and salt.

No buttermilk on hand? In an emergency, you can mix 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1/2 cup. Or substitute 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

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JOKES:

President Obama goes to a primary school to talk to the kids. After his talk he offers question time.
 
One little boy puts up his hand, and Obama asks him his name.
 
" Walter," responds the little boy.
 
"And what is your question, Walter?"
 
"I have four questions:
 
First, Why did the USA Bomb Libya without the support of the
 
Congress?
 
Second, Why do you keep saying you fixed the economy when it's
 
actually gotten worse?
 
Third, Why did you say that Jeremiah Wright was your mentor,
 
then said that you knew nothing about his preaching and beliefs?
 
Fourth, Why are we lending money to Brazil to drill for oil, but
 
America is not allowed to drill for oil?"
 
Just then, the bell rings for recess. Obama informs the kiddies that
 
they will continue after recess.
 
When they resume Obama says, "OK, where were we? Oh, that's right: question time.. Who has a question?"
 
Another little boy puts up his hand. Obama points him out and asks him
 
his name.
 
"Steve," he responds.
 
"And what is your question, Steve?"
 
Actually, I have two questions.
 
First, Why did the recess bell ring 20 minutes early?
 
Second, What the f*#k happened to Walter?"
 
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Four guys have been going to the same fishing trip for many years.
 
Two days before the group is to leave, Nick's wife puts her foot down and tells him he isn't going.
 
Nick's mates are very upset that he can't go, but what can they do?
 
Two days later the three get to the camping site only to find Nick sitting there with a tent set up, firewood gathered, and dinner cooking on the fire.
 
"Nick, how long you been here, and how did you talk your missus into letting you go?"
 
"Well, I've been here since yesterday evening.  I was sitting in my chair and my wife came up behind me and put her hands over my eyes and said, 'Guess who?'"
I pulled her hands off, and she was wearing a brand new nightie.  She took my hand and pulled me to our bedroom..
The room had candles and rose petals all over.  On the bed she had handcuffs, and ropes!  She told me to tie and cuff her to the bed, so I did.
And then she said, "Now you can do whatever you want."
 
 SO HERE I AM!!!

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The Pregnant prostitute

Doctor asks a pregnant prostitute in Come-by-Chance, Newfoundland....

"Do you know who the father is?"
 
"Lard Jasus By'e, when ya eats a tin of beans would
ya know which one made you fart?!"

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Naughty Joke !

 

Harry and his wife are having hard financial times, so they decide she'll become a hooker.

She's not quite sure what to do, so Harry says, "Stand in front of that bar and pick up a guy. Tell him a hundred bucks. If you've got a question, I'll be parked around the corner.

She's not there five minutes when a guy pulls up and says, "How much?"

"A hundred dollars."

"Damn. All I've got is thirty."

"Hold on," she says and runs back to Harry. "What can he get for thirty dollars?"

"A handjob," Harry replies.

She runs back and tells the guy all he gets for thirty dollars is a handjob.

He says okay, she gets in the car, he unzips his pants, and out pops a simply HUGE male unit.

She stares at it for a minute, and then says, "I'll be right back."

She runs back around the corner and says breathlessly, "Harry, can you loan this man 70 bucks ? "
 
Llew.  Alive n kickin'  :~)

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An elderly lady was standing at the railing of the cruise ship,
holding her hat tight so that it would not blow away in the wind.
A gentleman approached her and said,
"Pardon me, madam..
I do not intend to be forward but did you know that your dress
is blowing up in this high wind?"
"Yes, I know," said the lady.
"I need both my hands
to hold onto this hat."
"But madam, you must know that you are not wearing any panties
and your privates are exposed!" said the gentleman in earnest.
The woman looked down, then back up at the man
and replied, "Sir, anything you see down there is 85 years old.
I just bought this hat yesterday!"

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Pun ishment
 
When chemists die, they barium.
 
Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.
 
I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.
 
How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.
 
I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.
 
This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.
 
I'm reading a book about anti-gravity.  I just can't put it down.
 
I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
 
They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Type-O.
 
PMS jokes aren't funny; period.
 
Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.
 
We're going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz.
 
I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
 
Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?
 
When you get a bladder infection urine trouble.
 
Broken pencils are pointless.
 
I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.
 
What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.
 
England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.
 
I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.
 
I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.
 
All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on.
 
I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.
 
Velcro - what a rip off!
 
A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.
 
Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!
 
 
Life is too short for drama and petty things, so kiss slowly, love truly, laugh insanely and forgive quickly.

Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

Joshua 1:9 (KJV) Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Matthew 28:20 (KJV) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

We do not face the future alone; we face it together with Jesus Christ by our side. Let’s commit to follow Jesus without any fear or reservation and share the Good news with all people!!! Prayers going up

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WORD FOR THE DAY:

poetaster • POH-uh-tass-ter  • noun
: an inferior poet

Example sentence:
"Germaine Greer, Chair Of Judges For The National Poetry Competition 2000, Invites Entries From Readers, But Be Warned: Poetasters Need Not Apply" (Headline, The Independent, May 7, 2000)

po·et·as·ter (po'it-as't?r)  
n. A writer of insignificant, meretricious, or shoddy poetry.

[New Latin poetaster  : Latin poeta , poet ; see poet  + Latin -aster , pejorative suff .]

Word Origin & History

poetaster

1599, from M.Fr. poetastre  (1554), from L. poeta  ( poet ) + -aster,  diminutive (pejorative) suffix.

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RECIPE:

Mexican Rice

A 'side of Mexico' sure to enhance any Mexican meal.


Serves: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

     
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 16-oz. Jar ORTEGA® Thick & Chunky Salsa, medium
1 1/4 cups water
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

MELT butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice, onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until rice is golden. Stir in salsa, water, carrot and peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

*

Notes: For a quick-cook Mexican Rice, use 4 cups instant rice instead of 1 cup long-grain white rice, and 2 1/2 cups water instead of 1 1/4 cups water. After salsa mixture comes to a boil, cook for length of time recommended on instant rice package.

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Greek Chicken Wrap

Try this lovely, refreshing wrap made with grilled, marinated chicken.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 min.
   
INGREDIENTS     
 
4 Mission® Burrito Size Flour Tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream, mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed garlic and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 can (4 oz.) Early California® chopped black olives, drained
1/2 cup peeled and seeded cucumber, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cups assorted greens
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS:

1: Marinade chicken in dressing 2 hours to overnight.
2: Combine tomatoes, olives, cucumber, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the sour cream mixture. Grill chicken, let cool, and cut into very thin strips.
3: Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon sour cream mixture. Lay one quarter of chicken strips on tortilla, top with 1/2 cup of vegetable mixture and 1/2 cup of salad greens. Fold in sides of tortilla and roll up tightly. Cut on a diagonal and serve.

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Chicken & Stuffing Skillet

This delectable one-skillet dish uses cream of chicken soup to make a family-favorite dinner that's ready in just 30 minutes.

Serves: 4 servings (1 chicken breast & 1/2 cup stuffing ea
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
   
 
1 tablespoon butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound)
1 box (6 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® One Step Stuffing Chicken Mix
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 15 minutes or until it's well browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Prepare the stuffing in the skillet according to the package directions except let stand for 2 minutes.
Place the chicken on the stuffing. Stir the soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken. Top with the cheese. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a vegetable combination. For dessert serve Pepperidge Farm® cookies and ice cream.
Substitute Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery or Cream of Mushroom Soup for the Cream of Chicken Soup.

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Apple-Filled Sweet Potato Nests

A great new way to serve healthful, yummy sweet potatoes any time of year. Served with roast turkey, chicken, or pork, these are sure to become a family favorite.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
     
1 package STOUFFER'S® Harvest Apples, defrosted
1 can (22-oz.) sweet potatoes or yams, drained
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg


DEFROST Harvest Apples in microwave on MEDIUM (50%) power for 6 to 7 minutes. PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

WHIP sweet potatoes until smooth in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla extract and nutmeg; beat until well combined. Season to taste with salt.

SPOON mixture onto prepared baking sheet, forming 6 mounds, 2 inches apart. Make a depression in each mound using back of a spoon to form a shell. Fill centers of shells with escalloped apples.

BAKE for 30 minutes.

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 Greek Antipasto


Can't make it to Santorini? You'll get halfway there with each bite of this zesty, Mediterranean-inspired app.

time
prep: 15 min
total:  1 hr 15 min
servings
total:  24 servings

    What You Need
    1    pkg.  (4 oz.) ATHENOS Crumbled Feta Cheese with Lemon, Garlic & Oregano
    1/2    cup  chopped kalamata olives
    1/2    cup  chopped red onions
    1/2    cup  chopped roasted red peppers
    1/2    cup  KRAFT Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
    2    Tbsp.  lemon zest
    1     baguette (12 inch)
    2      Tbsp.  chopped Italian parsley
 
   Make It

    COMBINE feta, olives, onions and peppers in medium bowl. Add dressing and lemon zest; mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour.

    HEAT broiler. Cut baguette into 48 (1/4 inch-thick) slices. Place in single layer in baking pans or on rack of broiler pan. Broil 1 to 1-1/2 min. on each side or until lightly toasted on both sides.

    ADD parsley to feta mixture; mix lightly. Spoon 1 Tbsp. of the feta mixture onto each toast slice just before serving.
    Kraft Kitchens Tips
   
Special Extra
    Feta mixture can be stored in refrigerator up to 24 hours before using as directed.

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Hot Muffuletta

Serve this for lunch or dinner. It's delicious, filling, and a nice change from the expected.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
   
     
1 ten-ounce jar green olives with pimientos, drained and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 crusty rolls, large, split
1/2 pound sliced hard salami
1/2 pound packaged ham, sliced
1/2 pound provolone cheese, sliced


Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the chopped olives with the oregano, garlic, oil, and parsley. Spread some of the olive mixture on the bottom half of each roll.
Top the olive salad with the salami, ham, and provolone. Cover with the tops of the rolls and then wrap each sandwich in aluminum foil. Bake until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes.

Wine Recommendation: Beaujolais has been called the perfect picnic wine. An exuberantly fruity bottle suits this jazzed-up ham-and-cheese sandwich perfectly.

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JOKES:

You might be a REDNECK if... 
    ...you have to throw down a rope ladder to get out of your truck.

THING TO PONDER:  If the universe is everything, and scientists say that the universe is expanding what is it expanding into?

You might be a REDNECK if... 
    ...you use a weedeater in your living room.
 
CONFUCIOUS QUOTE:  Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods

"You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony
with your dominant thoughts." - Brian Tracy

There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.
  - John Adams

Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine.
  - Fran Lebowitz

I love acting. It is so much more real than life.
  - Oscar Wilde

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to
self-confidence is preparation." - Arthur Ashe

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A Dog's Purpose?
   (from a 6-year-old).
 
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
 
 I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
 
 As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
 
 The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

 The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''
 
 Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.
 
 He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The Six-year-old continued,
 
''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

 Live simply.
 
 Love generously.
 
 Care deeply.
 
 Speak kindly.
 
 Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
 
 When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
 
 Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
 
 Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
 
 Take naps.
 
 Stretch before rising.
 
 Run, romp, and play daily.
 
 Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
 
 Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
 
 On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
 
 On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
 
 When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
 
 Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
 
 Be loyal.
 
Never pretend to be something you're not.
 
 If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
 
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
 
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

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An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession.  Like many young men his age, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it.  One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment.  He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects:

1.  Bible
2.  Silver Dollar
3.  Bottle of Whisky
4.  Playboy magazine

'I'll just hide behind the door," the old preacher said to himself. "When he comes home from school today, I'll see which object he picks up"

"If it's the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a blessing that would be !

"If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a business man, and that would be okay, too.

"But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a no-good drunken bum, and Lord, what a shame that would be.

"And worst of all if he picks up that magazine he's going to be a skirt-chasing womanizer."

The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's foot-steps as he entered the house whistling and heading for his room.  The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table.  With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them.

Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm.  He picked up the silver dollar and dropped into his pocket.  He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink, while he admired the magazine's centerfold.

"Lord have mercy," the old preacher disgustedly whispered, "He's going into politics".

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The mother of a 17-year-old girl was concerned that her daughter was having sex.

Worried the girl might become pregnant and adversely impact the family's status, she consulted the family doctor.

The doctor told her that teenagers today were very willful and any attempt to stop the girl would probably result in rebellion. He then told her to arrange for her daughter to be put on birth control and until then, talk to her and give her a box of condoms.

Later that evening, as her daughter was preparing for a date, the woman told her about the situation and handed her a box of condoms.

The girl burst out laughing and reached over to hug her mother, saying,

'Oh Mom! You don't have to worry about that! I'm dating Susan!'

-----------------------------------------------

 
A man went to church one day and afterward he stopped to shake the preacher's hand. He said, 'Preacher, I'll tell you, that was a damned fine sermon. Damned good!'

The preacher said, 'Thank you sir, but I'd rather you didn't use profanity.'

The man said, 'I was so damned impressed with that sermon I put five thousand dollars in the offering plate!'

The preacher said, 'No shit?'

----------------------------------------
 
Brenda and Steve took their six-year-old son to the doctor.

With some hesitation, they explained that although their little angel appeared to be in good health, they were concerned about his rather small penis.

After examining the child, the doctor confidently declared, 'Just feed him pancakes. That should solve the problem.'

The next morning when the boy arrived at breakfast, there was a large stack of warm pancakes in the middle of the table.

'Gee, Mom,' he exclaimed. 'For me?'

'Just take two,' Brenda replied.  'The rest are for your father.'

-------------------------------------------
 
One night, an 87-year-old woman came home from Bingo to find her 92-year-old husband in bed with another woman.  She became violent and ended up pushing him off the balcony of their 20th floor apartment, killing him instantly.  Brought before the court, on the charge of murder, she was asked if she had anything to say in her own defense.  'Your Honor,' she began coolly, 'I figured that at 92, if he could screw, he could fly.'
 
---------------------------------------

A Doctor was addressing a large audience in Tampa .  'The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful.  Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG.  High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water.  However, there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have eaten, or will eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?'  After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front row raised his hand, and softly said, 'Wedding Cake.'
 
-------------------------------------------

Bob, a 70-year-old, extremely wealthy widower, shows up at the Country Club with a breathtakingly beautiful and very sexy 25-year-old blonde-haired woman who knocks everyone's socks off with her youthful sex appeal and charm and who hangs over Bob's arm and listens intently to his every word. His buddies at the club are all aghast.  At the very first chance, they corner him and ask, 'Bob, how'd you get the trophy girlfriend?'  Bob replies, 'Girlfriend?  She's my wife!'  They are knocked over, but continue to ask.  'So, how'd you persuade her to marry you?'  'I lied about my age', Bob replies. 'What, did you tell her you were only 50?'  Bob smiles and says, 'No, I told her I was 90.'
 
---------------------------------------------

Groups of Americans were traveling by tour bus through Holland .  As they stopped at a cheese farm, a young guide led them through the process of cheese making, explaining that goat's milk was used. She showed the group a lovely hillside where many goats were grazing.  'These,' she explained, 'are the older goats put out to pasture when they no longer produce.'  She then asked, 'What do you do in America with your old goats?'  A spry old gentleman answered, 'They send us on bus tours!
 
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 WORDS OF WISDOM FOR THE FIRST OF AUGUST!

 
Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, 'Lillian, you should have remained a virgin.'

-   Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)

  

I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: - 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall.' 

- Eleanor Roosevelt 

 
 
 
Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement..

- Mark Twain

 


 
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible

- George Burns

 

Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.

- Victor Borge

  

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

- Mark Twain

 

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

- Socrates

  

I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.

- Groucho Marx

  

My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.

- Jimmy Durante

 

I have never  hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.

- Zsa Zsa Gabor

 

Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.

- Alex Levine

 
>  

 
My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.

- Rodney Dangerfield

    
 
Money can't buy you happiness .... But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.

- Spike Milligan

 
  

 
Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP .

- Joe Namath

 
  

 
I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.

- Bob Hope

  

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it..

- W. C. Fields

 
    

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.

- Will Rogers

 
 

 
Don't worry about avoiding temptation.   As you grow older, it will avoid you.

- Winston Churchill

 
  

 
Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty .. But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out..

- Phyllis Diller

 
  

 
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.

- Billy Crystal

   
 
And the cardiologist' s diet: -  If it tastes good spit it out.



May your troubles be less, may your blessings be more, and may nothing but happiness come through your door.

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Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

Jude 1:3

(3) Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
New King James Version   Change Bible versions

Following his opening, he begins his letter by saying, "I really wanted to write something theological to you, something about our salvation, but this matter came up, and I feel that it is more necessary to write to you about this more pressing problem."

In the strongest possible terms, he tells them to fight, to strive, to struggle for the truth as it had been given to them by the apostles, who in turn had been taught by Christ Himself. The word translated "contend earnestly," epagonizomai, is very interesting and picturesque. We have a word in English that derives from its root: "agony." Epagonizomai means literally "to agonize about," thus "to contest" or "to contend." It describes the efforts of an athlete to win his particular competition in the midst of the games, whether it was running, javelin throwing, discus, or whatever the particular sport. An athlete who is truly devoted and focused on winning gives his every ounce of strength to come out on top. Jude uses epagonizomai to demonstrate how we should be exerting ourselves in keeping the truth pure and practicing it. It suggests a person straining for all he is worth to ensure the faith's purity in both its principles and practices. This struggle is hard and painful at times—sometimes even deadly—but the truth is that important to God and to our brethren, the church.

Jude also affirms in this verse that the truth we need for salvation has already been given once for all. This is a very important distinction because it lays the foundation for what he writes later. The truth was given—and that is that! There is no continuing revelation, no evolution of truth. It was closed by the passing of the apostles, specifically the Twelve.

We could paraphrase this with, "Beware of those who say they have 'new' truth." Refinements of or gleaning deeper meanings from an "old truth" are fine, but claims of new truth should raise red flags. They should sound sirens and flash lights in our mind. The truth, the faith, has been delivered once for all. We should cling for all we are worth to the Scriptures and should not listen to those who claim to have special revelation. The Bible should always be the basis of our belief in anything spiritual. If a teaching does not square with the Bible, we should reject it; anything contrary to the faith once delivered should be thrown out as soon as possible.

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WORD FOR THE DAY:

    wiseacre
    audio pronunciation
    WYZE-ay-ker

    DEFINITION

noun
: one who pretends to knowledge or cleverness; especially : smart aleck

    EXAMPLES

A few wiseacres in the audience began heckling the young comedian after his first couple of jokes fell flat.

"Following the stuttering relationship between Billy Crystal's smart wiseacre and Meg Ryan's prim moralist, the film undoubtedly owed something to Woody Allen's Annie Hall." — From an article in The Irish Times, June 28, 2012

 
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RECIPE:

 Easy Baked Tomatoes

We've said it before—less is more. And it doesn't get any simpler than these better-for-you Parmesan and balsamic-topped tomatoes, toasted on the grill.

time
prep:  10 min
total:  25 min
servings
total:  4 servings


    What You Need
    4     tomatoes, halved crosswise
    1/4    cup  KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
    1/4    cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

    Make It

    HEAT grill to medium heat.
    PLACE tomatoes, cut-sides up, in disposable foil pan. Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with cheese.
    PLACE pan on grill grate; cover with lid.
    GRILL 15 min. or until tomatoes are softened and cheese is lightly browned.

    Kraft Kitchens Tips
 
  How to Use Your Oven
    Heat oven to 350ºF. Place tomato halves, cut-sides up, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with dressing and cheese. Bake 15 to 20 min. or until tomatoes are soft and cheese is lightly browned.
 
   Special Extra
    Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or parsley before grilling as directed.

    Substitute
    Prepare using KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing.

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Cowboy Kabobs

Everything—maybe especially steak—tastes better on a stick. These kabobs are marinated in two sauces, plus horseradish, for a smart dish your posse's gonna love.
time

prep:30 min
total:1 hr 36 min
servings
total:6 servings


    What You Need
    1/3    cup  A.1. Original Steak Sauce
    1/3    cup  KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
    2    tsp.  KRAFT Prepared Horseradish
    1     beef top round steak (1-1/2 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
    9     pearl onions
    1    large  red pepper, cut into 9 strips

    Make It

    MIX first 3 ingredients until well blended.
    THREAD meat onto 18 skewers; place onion or pepper strip at end of each skewer. Place kabobs in shallow glass dish. Pour steak sauce mixture over kabobs. Refrigerate 1 hour to marinate, turning occasionally.
    HEAT grill to medium heat. Remove kabobs from marinade; discard marinade. Grill kabobs 4 to 6 min. or until meat is done, turning occasionally.
 

  Kraft Kitchens Tips
    Use Your Broiler
    Broil kabobs, 6 inches from heat, 4 to 6 min. or until meat is done, turning occasionally.
    Substitute
    Substitute a green pepper for the red pepper.
 
   Note
    If using wooden skewers, soak skewers in water for 30 min. before using to assemble kabobs to prevent them from burning on the grill.

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 Turkey Cobb Sandwich

Breakfast and lunch on one bun, this indulgent take on Cobb salad stacks avocado, blue cheese, turkey, crisp bacon, and a gently cooked egg, which bathes the layers in rich golden goodness.

    Yield Makes 1


Ingredients

    3 slices applewood-smoked bacon
    1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for roll or bun
    1 brioche roll or hamburger bun, split
    1/4 ripe avocado
    1 teaspoon crumbled blue cheese, such as Roquefort
    2 thin slices tomato
    1 medium egg
    4 thin slices cooked turkey

Directions

    Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, and wipe skillet clean.
    Butter cut sides of roll or bun. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Place roll or bun, buttered sides down, in skillet, and cook until golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes.
    Mash avocado and blue cheese in a small bowl. Spread mixture on bottom half of roll or bun. Top with tomato and bacon.
    Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add egg, and cook until white is set, about 1 1/2 minutes. Gently flip egg, and cook until yolk is runny in center but slightly set around edge, about 30 seconds. Remove from pan. Add turkey to pan, and heat through.
    Place turkey and egg on top of tomato. Top with remaining half of roll or bun, and serve immediately.

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Candied Walnut-Camembert Puff Purses

So sophisticated and so delicious...these bite-sized, cheesy puffs are both sweet and savory.  Minced fresh rosemary is the ingredient that gives these appetizers exquisite flavor.

Serves: 32 pieces
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
   
 
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
2 ounces Camembert cheese, cut into 32 (1/2-inch) cubes


Heat the oven to 400°F.  Stir the walnuts, brown sugar and rosemary in a small bowl.
Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square.  Cut into 16 (3-inch) squares.  Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet, making 32 in all.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon walnut mixture in the center of each pastry square.  Top each with 1 cheese cube.  Brush the edges of the pastry squares with water.  Fold the corners to the center over the filling and twist tightly to seal, fanning out the corners.  Place the filled pastries into 32 (1 1/2-inch) mini muffin-pan cups.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Let the pastries cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Easy Substitution: You can substitute Brie cheese for the Camembert in this recipe.

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 Barbecue Chicken and Peach Kabobs with Bacon


Use fresh peaches that are firm. They soften on the grill and are so good. We also slightly fried the bacon first and then wrapped the chicken. I also added some garlic pow...read more

time
prep:  15 min
total:  29 min
servings
total:  4 servings

    What You Need
    1/4      cup  KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce, divided
    1      lb.  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 16 pieces
    2       peaches, peeled, each cut into 8 pieces
    8      slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cut crosswise in half
   

Make It

    HEAT grill to medium-high heat.

    RESERVE 2 Tbsp. barbecue sauce. Stack 1 each chicken and peach piece; wrap with 1 bacon piece. Repeat with remaining chicken, peaches and bacon. Thread onto 4 skewers. Brush with remaining barbecue sauce.

    GRILL 12 to 14 min. or until chicken is done, brushing with reserved sauce the last 2 min.
 

  Kraft Kitchens Tips
    Note
    If using wooden skewers, soak them in water 30 min. before using to prevent them from burning on the grill.

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Zesty Grilled Veggies


Better-for-you grilled veggies get a flavor boost from grated Parm and Italian dressing. This smart side is grilled meat's perfect partner.

time prep:  20 min
total:  20 min
servings
total:  8 servings


    What You Need
    4     zucchini (1-/2 lb.), cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
    3     each red and yellow peppers, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
    1/4    cup  KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
    1/4    cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
    It's for dipping and dunking and mixing-upping. And yes, for salad too.
 

  Make It
    HEAT grill to medium heat.
    step 1
        PLACE vegetables in grill basket.
    step 2
        GRILL 10 min. or until crisp-tender, turning occasionally. Place in large bowl.
    step 3
        ADD dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

    Kraft Kitchens Tips
    How to Grill Without a Grill Basket
    Cover grill grate with large sheet of heavy-duty foil before heating grill as directed. Spread vegetables onto foil. Grill as directed, stirring occasionally.

    How to Buy Peppers
    Look for peppers with very bright colors and a firm thick flesh. Refrigerate unwashed peppers in a plastic bag for up to 2 weeks.

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Budget-friendly Denim Quilt Project

Re-use old jeans to make this budget-friendly quilt project for your home


Completed Denim Quilt Project

    Old denim jeans—approximately 12 pair each of light-blue and dark-blue denim jeans (number needed will depend on size of jeans—see block pattern below) 5 yards of 44-inch-wide denim for backing
    2 yards of 90-inch-wide flannel or a 69-inch x 90-inch piece of lightweight quilt batting
    Matching all-purpose thread
    Light-blue and dark-blue worsted weight yarn for tying quilt
    Large-eye hand-sewing needle
    Rotary cutter and mat (optional)
    Quilter’s ruler
    Quilter’s marking pen or pencil (optional)
    Basting safety pins (optional)
    Standard sewing supplies

Instructions

Pre-wash fabrics. If water is discolored, wash again until rinse water runs clear. Dry and press all fabrics.

Note:Each log cabin block requires a total of 48 dark-blue 2-in. center squares, approximately 36 in. of light- blue denim strips and approximately 45 in. of dark-blue denim strips.

You could also purchase 44-in.-wide denim fabric for the quilt. If purchasing fabric, you’ll need 1/4 yard of dark blue for the center squares, a total of 2-1/4 yards of light-blue denim and a total of 2-3/4 yards of dark- blue denim.

CUTTING:

    Accurately cut fabrics using rotary cutter and quilter’s ruler, or mark fabrics using ruler and marker of choice and cut with scissors.
    From the darkest blue denim pair of jeans, cut forty-eight 2-in. squares for center squares of log cabin blocks.
    Cut legs from remaining dark- and light-denim jeans. Remove the hem and sides seams from each leg.
    Cutting lengthwise, cut each leg into long, 2-in.-wide strips.

PIECING (Log Cabin Blocks – Make 48):

    Do all piecing with accurate 1/4-in. seams and right sides of fabrics together. Press seams toward last piece added, or press the seams open.
    Referring to Fig. 1 for placement, sew a light-blue denim strip (1) to right-hand edge of a 2-in. dark-blue denim square. Trim ends of added strip even with opposite edges of square. Open and press.
    Sew a light-blue denim strip (2) to bottom edge of pieced center square (see Fig. 1). Trim newest strip even with opposite edges of pieced center. Open and press.
    Repeat to add a dark-blue denim strip (3) as shown in Fig. 1, trimming and pressing as before. Working clockwise, repeat with a dark-blue denim strip (4).
    Continue in this way, alternating two light strips and two dark strips and adding strips 5 through 12 to make an 11-in.-square log cabin block.
    Repeat, making a total of 48 log cabin blocks.

 LAYOUT:

    Referring to photo and layout diagram for position, lay out the 48 log cabin blocks right side up on a flat surface in eight rows with six blocks in each row.
    Sew each horizontal row together in planned order. Press seams in opposite directions.
    Then sew the rows together in planned order, carefully matching corners. Press seams open.
    Trim 1/4 in. from all outside edges of pieced top.
    Cut 5-yd. length of backing fabric in half crosswise. Trim selvage edges and sew pieces together with a 1/2-in. seam. Press seam open. Trim to make a 69-in. x 90-in. piece with seam centered.
    Place backing wrong side up on a flat surface. Center flannel or batting over backing and smooth out. With right side up, center quilt top over batting. Smooth out all pieces. Baste the layers together both horizontally and vertically every 4 in. or pin-baste with basting safety pins.
    Start tying layers together at the center of the quilt and work outward, placing a tie in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    To tie, cut yarn into 6-in. lengths. Thread large-eye hand-sewing needle with a strand of light-blue and dark- blue yarn. Take a 1/8-in.- to 1/4-in.-long stitch through all thicknesses in the center of the dark center square of a log cabin block, leaving long tails on each side of stitch. Remove needle and tie yarn ends in a square knot. Clip yarn ends even to desired length. Repeat in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    Sew around outside edge of quilt top, stitching 1/4 in. from outside edges.
    Trim backing and batting even with edges of quilt top.
    Remove basting.
    From remaining denim scraps, cut approximately 200 2-in. x 6-in. rectangles.
    Sew the long edges of the binding pieces together, alternating light and dark denim rectangles to make a pieced binding strip long enough to go around the entire quilt. Press the seams open.
    Press one short end of pieced binding strip 1/4 in. to wrong side.
    With right sides facing and raw edges matching, pin pieced binding to front of quilt top. Sew binding in place with a 1-1/2-in.-wide seam, mitering corners and overlapping ends.
    Fold binding to back of quilt top, encasing raw edges. Fold raw edge under, leaving a 1-1/2-in.-wide binding on the front and back of quilt. Hand-sew fold of binding to back of quilt, covering stitching.

LAYERING:

    Cut 5-yd. length of backing fabric in half crosswise. Trim selvage edges and sew pieces together with a 1/2-in. seam. Press seam open. Trim to make a 69-in. x 90-in. piece with seam centered.
    Place backing wrong side up on a flat surface. Center flannel or batting over backing and smooth out. With right side up, center quilt top over batting. Smooth out all pieces. Baste the layers together both horizontally and vertically every 4 in. or pin-baste with basting safety pins.
    Start tying layers together at the center of the quilt and work outward, placing a tie in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    To tie, cut yarn into 6-in. lengths. Thread large-eye hand-sewing needle with a strand of light-blue and dark- blue yarn. Take a 1/8-in.- to 1/4-in.-long stitch through all thicknesses in the center of the dark center square of a log cabin block, leaving long tails on each side of stitch. Remove needle and tie yarn ends in a square knot. Clip yarn ends even to desired length. Repeat in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    Sew around outside edge of quilt top, stitching 1/4 in. from outside edges.
    Trim backing and batting even with edges of quilt top.
    Remove basting.
    From remaining denim scraps, cut approximately 200 2-in. x 6-in. rectangles.
    Sew the long edges of the binding pieces together, alternating light and dark denim rectangles to make a pieced binding strip long enough to go around the entire quilt. Press the seams open.
    Press one short end of pieced binding strip 1/4 in. to wrong side.
    With right sides facing and raw edges matching, pin pieced binding to front of quilt top. Sew binding in place with a 1-1/2-in.-wide seam, mitering corners and overlapping ends.
    Fold binding to back of quilt top, encasing raw edges. Fold raw edge under, leaving a 1-1/2-in.-wide binding on the front and back of quilt. Hand-sew fold of binding to back of quilt, covering stitching.

TYING:

    Start tying layers together at the center of the quilt and work outward, placing a tie in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    To tie, cut yarn into 6-in. lengths. Thread large-eye hand-sewing needle with a strand of light-blue and dark- blue yarn. Take a 1/8-in.- to 1/4-in.-long stitch through all thicknesses in the center of the dark center square of a log cabin block, leaving long tails on each side of stitch. Remove needle and tie yarn ends in a square knot. Clip yarn ends even to desired length. Repeat in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    Sew around outside edge of quilt top, stitching 1/4 in. from outside edges.
    Trim backing and batting even with edges of quilt top.
    Remove basting.

BINDING:

    From remaining denim scraps, cut approximately 200 2-in. x 6-in. rectangles.
    Sew the long edges of the binding pieces together, alternating light and dark denim rectangles to make a pieced binding strip long enough to go around the entire quilt. Press the seams open.
    Press one short end of pieced binding strip 1/4 in. to wrong side.
    With right sides facing and raw edges matching, pin pieced binding to front of quilt top. Sew binding in place with a 1-1/2-in.-wide seam, mitering corners and overlapping ends.
    Fold binding to back of quilt top, encasing raw edges. Fold raw edge under, leaving a 1-1/2-in.-wide binding on the front and back of quilt. Hand-sew fold of binding to back of quilt, covering stitching.

Finished Size: Quilt measures about 63 inches wide x 84 inches long.

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GOOD ADVICE:

Have the Courage to Walk Alone
 
8
inShare

The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before. ~ Albert Einstein

This is one of my very favorite quotes. It celebrates individuality and embraces the idea that in order to live, we must not follow, but lead ourselves.

So often we all fall into the assumptions life should be lived according to what our religions, traditions or learned moral values teach us. The comfort of knowing what is expected drives most to live a predictable life. We all get into a routine and when we begin to wonder where life went, we are old and gray, regretting all the things we did not do. Many of us day dream about things we are only brave enough to do in our imagination and when it comes to taking that first step to putting that dream to work, we doubt ourselves.

We doubt because we allow fear to question our commitment to the crowd; we allow fear to convince us we will be scolded and shunned for taking that first step to walk alone; we assume traditions and moral values are beliefs which cannot be bent or edited to become our own version.

Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

When you are struggling with taking that first step to walk alone, ask yourself if that step is done for LOVE. LOVE for yourself and LOVE for LIFE. Often times we allow ourselves to stay stuck in a bad, miserable or unhealthy situation because we are afraid of the backlash we may get from the crowd if we decide to leave. If you live your LIVE with LOVE as your main driver, you will only reciprocate that energy and more will come right back to you.

There are old heads in the world who cannot help me by their example or advice to live worthily and satisfactorily to myself; but I believe that it is in my power to elevate myself this very hour above the common level of my life. ~ Henry David Thoreau

In a crowd, people are like each other and strive to be so. Walking alone, your example is yourself. You learn to be better than you were yesterday and realize dictating your own life is more beneficial than using someone else as your example to be like. Many influential people in the world walked alone, they realized their potential was only limited when they compared themselves to someone else.

It’s not what you are that holds you back, It’s what you think you’re not. ~ Denis Waitley

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JOKES:


Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them.
  - Robertson Davies

Making duplicate copies and computer printouts of things no one wanted even one of in the first place is giving America a new sense of purpose.
  - Andy Rooney

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three.
  - Alice Kahn

CONFUCIOUS SAYS:  Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure. 

THINGS TO PONDER:  Where do forest rangers go to get away from it all? 
 
 "Only those who dare to fail greatly
can ever achieve greatly." - Robert F. Kennedy


**********************************************
A man stops by a diner at noon, the busiest time of day, sits down
at the counter and asks for a cup of coffee.   The waitress, who is
very busy, gives him his coffee and rushes off to help the numerous
customers having lunch at the diner.   The man, who uses both
creamer and sugar in his coffee, notices that the container is empty. 
As the waitress rushes by, he asks her to bring him cream and sugar
for his coffee.  The waitress, busier than she can ever remember being
before, rushes to the back to pick up more orders.   As she passes the
cabinet where the extra sugar and cream are kept, she sets a plate down
and puts sugar cubes and creamer packets in her bosom because both
her hands are full.   After she has served the two plates she was holding,
she returns to the man and asks him, "How many sugar cubes did you
want in your coffee?"

The man says, "Two's fine."

She reaches into her bra, pulls out two sugar cubes and drops them
into his cup.  "And cream?" she asks.

The man looks at her, squarely in the eye and says,
"You wouldn't dare!"

**********************************************

One of Sigmund Freud's early patients rushed out into an
Austrian afternoon on her way to meet her best friend at a
coffee house.
Over Cappuccino and Viennese pastries, she suddenly burst
out crying.
Her friend begged her to share what was wrong.
"Oh, it's just terrible," she wailed. "Today the doctor told me
I'm in love with my father, and. . .and. . .and you know, he's a
married man!"

**********************************************

If Scientists Wrote Nursery Rhymes

                           How many can you solve? (Answers below)

1. A research team proceeded toward the apex of a natural geologic
protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement of
a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size
of which was unspecified.  One member of the team precipitantly descended,
sustaining severe fractural damage to the upper cranial portion of his
anatomical structure.  Subsequently, the second member of the team
performed a self-rotational translation oriented in the direction taken
by the first member.

2. Complications arose during an investigation of dietary influence: one
researcher was unable to assimilate adipose tissue and another was unable
to consume tissue consisting chiefly of muscle fiber.  By reciprocal
arrangement between the two researchers, total consumption of the viands
under consideration was achieved, this leaving the original container of
the viands devoid of contents.

3. A young male human was situated near the intersection of two supporting
structural elements at right angles to each other: said subject was involved
in ingesting a saccharine composition prepared in conjunction with the ritual
observance of an annual fixed-day religious festival.  Insertion into the
saccharine composition of the opposable digit of his forelimb was followed
by removal of a drupe of genus prune.  Subsequently the subject made a
declarative statement regarding the high quality of his character as a
young male human.

4. A triumvirate of murine rodents totally deviod of ophthalmic acuity
were observed in a state of rapid locomotion in pursuit of an
agriculturalist's marital adjunct.  Said adjunct then performed triple
caudectomy utilizing an acutely honed bladed instrument generally used
for the subdivision of edible tissue.

5. A female of the species homo sapiens was the possesor of a small
immature ruminant of the genus ovis, the outer most covering of which
reflected all wavelengths of visible light with a luminosity equal to
that mass of naturally occurring microscopically crystalline water.
Regardless of the translational pathway chosen by the homo sapien, the
probability was 1 that the forementioned ruminent would select the same
pathway.

6. A human female, extremely captious and given to opposed behavior, was
questioned as to the dynamic state of her cultivated tract of land used
for production of various types of flora. The tract components were
enumerated as argentous tone-producing agents, a rare species of oceaninc
growth and pulchritudinous young females situated in a linear orientation.


1.      Jack and Jill went up the hill
        To fetch a pail of water.
        Jack fell down and broke his crown,
        And Jill came tumbling after.

2.      Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
        His wife could eat no lean.
        And so.......(I don't remember the words)
        They ate the platter clean.

3.      Little Jack Horner
        Sat in the corner
        Eating his Christmas pie
        He stuck in his thumb
        And pulled out a plum
        And said "What a good boy am I!"

4.      Three blind mice, three blind mice
        See how they run, see how they run.
        They all ran after the farmer's wife
        Who cut off their tails with a carving knife
        Did you ever see such a sight in your life
        As three blind mice.

5.      Mary had a Little Lamb
        Whose fleece was white as snow.
        And everywhere that Mary went,
        The lamb was sure to go.

6.      Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
        How does your garden grow.
        With silver bells, and cockle shells
        And pretty maidens, all in a row.

*************************************************

A young boy, about eight years old, was at the corner "Mom
& Pop" grocery picking out a pretty good size box of laundry
detergent. The grocer walked over, and, trying to be friendly,
asked the boy if he had a lot of laundry to do.

"Oh, no laundry," the boy said, "I'm going to wash my dog."
"But you shouldn't use this to wash your dog. It's very
powerful and if you wash your dog in this, he'll get sick. In
fact, it might even kill him."

But the boy was not to be stopped and carried the detergent
to the counter and paid for it, even as the grocer still tried to
talk him out of washing his dog.

About a week later the boy was back in the store to buy some
candy. The grocer asked the boy how his dog was doing.

"Oh, he died," the boy said.

The grocer, trying not to be an "I-told-you-so", said he was
sorry the dog died but added, "I tried to tell you not to use
that detergent on your dog."

"Well, the boy replied, "I don't think it was the detergent
that killed him."

"Oh? What was it then?"

"I think it was the spin cycle!"

*************************************

How do you know when you have a serious overbite?

When beaver starts tasting like shit.


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You might be a REDNECK if... 
    ...you think a turtleneck is a key ingredient for soup. 
 

**********************************************

 Taking Out the Trash
 
Who wants to live with yesterday’s rubble?  Who wants to hoard the trash of the past?  You don’t, do you?  Or do you?
 
I’m not talking about the trash in your house, but in your heart.  Not the junk of papers and boxes but the remnants of anger and hurt.  Do you rat-pack your pain?  Amass offenses?  Record slights?
 
A tour of your heart might be telling.  A pile of rejections.  Accumulated insults.  No one can blame you.  They’re innocence takers, promise breakers, and wound makers.  They’re everywhere and you’ve had your share.
 
Jesus answered Peter’s question in Matthew 18:21 and 22 when he asked:  “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?  Seven times?”  “No, not seven times,” Jesus said.  “Seventy times seven!”
 
Do you want to give every day a chance?  Jesus says to get rid of the trash.  Give the grace you’ve been given!

Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

Revelation 3:7-8

(7) "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, "These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": (8) "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Jesus Christ tells the Philadelphians that they have only a little strength, a little power (dunamis). They have a small, effective capability for wonderful works and mighty deeds, a limited ability to get things done. If they are dynamic, it is only on a small scale. This has some implications about the letter to Philadelphia that we may not have considered before.

There are at least four applications or audiences to the Letters to the Seven Churches: They are written to 1) seven literal, first-century churches in Asia Minor; 2) seven end-time churches; 3) seven historical church eras; and/or 4) individuals Christians. In each letter, Christ gives the admonition, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). The seven letters can represent attitudes or conditions as well as organizational units and periods. Looking through the lens of the fourth application gives the letter to Philadelphia meaning regardless of the era or corporate organization one may be part of.

Christ's statement that the Philadelphian has only a little strength is not necessarily a criticism. The overall tenor of the letter is extremely positive. However, He is giving a statement of fact: Philadelphians have only a small effective capability for miraculous work, a little physical or spiritual aptitude, a small measure of effectiveness. Dunamis is not entirely lacking, but it is present in only a small amount.

The Philadelphian, by this accounting, will probably not be the one healing people when his shadow passes by, or the one moving mountains. Nor will He be prophesying of future events or speaking in unfamiliar languages. He may not have great speaking ability or a dynamic personality. This is not to say that power and effectiveness are entirely lacking, just that the Philadelphian will probably not have the same dramatic outworking we observe in other biblical figures.

Why is this dunamis lacking? From the rest of the letter to Philadelphia, it does not appear that the lack of dunamis is because of a great failing or negligence in duties to God. On the contrary, the letter is a commendation because of faithfulness. Perhaps part of the reason, seen in one of Jesus' parables, is that not much natural ability is there for God to enhance. Perhaps also, mighty deeds are lacking because there is no need for such works to be done. Remember, if God has ordained that something be done, He will give the power for it to be accomplished. If He has not given that power, it is because it is His will that a thing not be accomplished.

The Parable of the Talents adds to the picture:

    For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. (Matthew 25:14-15)

The word ability in verse 15 is also dunamis. These verses affirm that 1) talents are given by God, and 2) apparently the bestowing of talents depends somewhat on the effective capability the person already possesses. Along the same lines, it is interesting to note that Christ Himself was limited in the works—dunamis—He could perform because of the unbelief in some areas (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5-6)!

The two faithful servants double what is given to them. The amounts are not as important as the growth. Both give Christ a 100% increase on what He bestowed on them. The unfaithful servant produces nothing at all.

In this example, we can see the Philadelphian as the servant who receives only two talents rather than five. He does not have the same natural ability. However, even though he may have fewer responsibilities, or the scope of what he controls is much smaller, he is just as faithful as the servant who receives more. The Philadelphian may have only a little ability, but with that ability he is able to keep God's word and not deny His name (Revelation 3:8). His power enables him to keep God's command to persevere (verse 10).

We commonly interpret the "open door" in the letter to Philadelphia to be a reference to preaching the gospel. This seems plausible, as Paul uses the imagery of an open door in three places to signify the opportunity to preach (I Corinthians 16:9; II Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:3). However, an "open door to preach the gospel" does not fit the context of the seven messages. Does every Philadelphian have an open door to preach the gospel? All of the letters involve moral, spiritual, and attitudinal strengths and weaknesses. They emphasize overcoming rather than accomplishing one specific, external task.

We have been given a measure of dunamis. If we have God's Spirit, we have ability, talent, effectiveness, and strength in some measure, in some area. It does not matter how much is given, or in what area our strength resides, but that we remain faithful in what God has given to us and that we make use of the power we have to further God's purpose.

**********************************************

WORD FOR THE DAY:

     scarlet pimpernel
    audio pronunciation
    SKAHR-lut-PIM-per-nel

    DEFINITION

noun
1
: a European pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) naturalized in North America and having scarlet, white, or purplish flowers that close in cloudy weather
2
: a person who rescues others from mortal danger by smuggling them across a border

    EXAMPLES

The refugees will always be grateful to the scarlet pimpernels who saved their lives by getting them out of the country ahead of the death squads.

"The scarlet pimpernel plant also disguises itself, albeit in a reverse sort of way. It appears to be the most docile and friendly of plants yet it contains toxins and its digestion by grazing animals may cause their death.." — From a column by Joshua Siskin in The Daily News of Los Angeles, June 2, 2012

**********************************************

RECIPE:

Crunchy Bok Choy Slaw
   
Active Time:  20 Minutes
Total Time:  20 Minutes
Yield:  8 servings, 3/4 cup each

A versatile side dish to go with grilled meats or poultry. Crispy, crunchy and thoroughly delicious.


INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup  rice vinegar
1 tablespoon  toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons  sugar
2 teaspoons  Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon  salt
6 cups  very thinly sliced bok choy (about a 1-pound head, trimmed)
2   medium carrots, shredded
2   scallions, thinly sliced
   
DIRECTIONS
Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard and salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add bok choy, carrots and scallions; toss to coat with the dressing.

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Mini Puff Cheesecakes

Sometimes, big desserts are just too much...so we've created these easy-to-make, individually-sized cheesecakes with a puff pastry crust.  Now everyone can enjoy this luscious dessert.

Serves: 18 pieces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
   
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup thawed frozen Whipped topping
36 fresh raspberries or semi-sweet chocolate pieces




Heat the oven to 375°F.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into an 18x9-inch rectangle.  Cut into 18 (3-inch) squares.  Press the pastry squares into 18 muffin-pan cups.  Brush the edges of the pastries with the egg.  Prick the centers of the pastries with a fork.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Using the back of a spoon, press down the centers of the hot pastries to make an indentation.  Let the pastries cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes.  Remove the pastry cups from the pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract.  Fold in the whipped topping.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture into each pastry cup.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until the filling is firm.  Top each pastry with 2 raspberries.  Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired.

**********************************************

Indian-Inspired Chicken Kabobs

prep:  15 min
total:  45 min
servings
total:  6 servings


    What You Need
    1/2    cup  KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
    3    Tbsp.  lemon juice, divided
    1-1/2    tsp.  curry powder
    1/2    tsp.  ground cumin
    1/2    tsp.  ground red pepper (cayenne)
    1-1/2    lb.  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
    1     red onion, cut into wedges
    1/2    cup  BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream
    1/2    cup  finely chopped peeled seeded cucumbers
    1    Tbsp.  finely chopped fresh mint
    1    clove  garlic, minced
 

   Make It

    MIX barbecue sauce, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, curry, cumin and pepper; pour half over chicken in shallow dish. Stir. Refrigerate 20 min. to marinate.

    HEAT grill to medium heat. Drain chicken; discard marinade. Thread chicken onto 6 skewers alternately with onions. Grill 8 to 10 min. or until chicken is done, turning occasionally and brushing with remaining barbecue sauce mixture.

    COMBINE remaining lemon juice, sour cream, cucumbers, mint and garlic. Serve with kabobs.
  

 Kraft Kitchens Tips
    Make Ahead
    Chicken can be marinated up to 2 hours before grilling as directed.
    Special Extra
    Serve with warm naan.


**********************************************

Fresh Vegetable Pita Pizza

Your kids will love this pizza-- and it's a good way for them to get their veggies.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
   
 
1 lb. fresh tomatoes
4 (7-inch) pita breads
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasonings, divided
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 medium (2 cups) zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 large (1 cup) green bell pepper, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet red or white onion


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Core and slice the tomatoes and then cut each slice in half into half moons. Arrange the pitas on 2 baking sheets and brush each one with oil. Divide the tomato slices among the pitas and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and half the Italian seasonings. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are heated and the pitas begin to crisp. Sprinkle the pizzas with half of the mozzarella cheese. Top with zucchini, green pepper, and onion. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Italian seasoning. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve with crushed red pepper flakes and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Mushroom & Leek Galette

Active Time:  1 Hour
Total Time:  1 Hour 30 Minutes
Yield:  8 appetizer servings or 4 main-dish servings

Tote this savory tart to potlucks and holiday gatherings. It makes perfect party food because it is easy to eat while you are balancing a glass and grazing at a buffet. Serve as an appetizer or as a vegetarian main dish.
Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

For Crust:
3/4 cup  whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup  all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons  baking powder
1/4 teaspoon  salt
1/2 cup  1% cottage cheese
1/4 cup  canola oil
1/4 cup  1% milk
1 1/2 teaspoons  sugar
1   egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water for glaze

For Filling:
1 tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups  sliced leeks (about 2 large) (see Tip)
12 ounces  cremini or baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced (6 cups)
1   large egg
1/3 cup  reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon  salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup  scallions chopped
1/4 cup  chopped fresh parsley

Tip: To clean leeks: Trim off fuzzy root and dark green stems. With a sharp knife, cut several incisions in the leek's stem end to open it up like a fan. Soak in water for several minutes, then swish to dislodge dirt. Repeat until no grit remains.
   
DIRECTIONS
To prepare crust: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Puree cottage cheese in a food processor. Add oil, milk and sugar; process until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and pulse 4 to 5 times, just until the dough clumps together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times, but do not overwork. Press the dough into a disk, dust with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare filling: Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (Add water, if necessary, to prevent scorching). Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk egg, sour cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add scallions, parsley and the mushroom mixture; toss to coat.

To assemble & bake galette: Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rough 15-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Roll it back over the rolling pin and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold the border up and over the filling to form a rim, pleating as necessary. Brush egg glaze over the rim.
Bake the galette until the crust is golden, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Slide onto a serving platter and serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts per Serving
Yield: Yield:  8 appetizer servings or 4 main-dish servings
Calories:     221
Fat. Total:     11g
Protein:     7g
Carbohydrates, Total:     24g
Fat, Saturated:     2g
Fiber:     2g
Cholesterol:     31mg
Sodium:     372mg
% Cal. from Fat:     45%

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Caramelized Beer-Onion and Bacon Burgers

Enjoy this beer-onion burger featured with bacon, ground beef and lettuce – a cheesy dinner!

    PREP TIME 1 Hr 10 Min
    TOTAL TIME 1 Hr 10 Min
    SERVINGS 4


8    slices bacon, crisply cooked, drippings reserved
2    large sweet onions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 lb)
1    bottle (12 oz) pilsner style beer
1 1/2    lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2    teaspoon salt
1/4    teaspoon pepper
4    slices (about 3/4 oz each) Cheddar or American cheese
8    leaves red leaf lettuce or red romaine lettuce
4    slices tomato
4    kaiser rolls or crusty rolls, split

    1 In 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
    2 Reserve 1/2 cup of the beer. Stir remaining beer into onions. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cool.
    3 Meanwhile, roughly chop 4 slices of the cooked bacon; set aside. Roughly chop half of the onion mixture; stir into chopped bacon.
    4 In medium bowl, stir chopped onion and bacon mixture into beef. Add salt and pepper. Shape beef mixture into 4 large patties, thinner at center and thicker at edges for even cooking.
    5 In 10-inch skillet, heat remaining bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook 8 minutes for medium-rare, 10 minutes for medium, 12 minutes for medium-well, turning once. After turning, add reserved 1/2 cup beer to burgers, then top burgers with cheese. Cover skillet to melt cheese.
    6 Place burgers on bun bottoms; top with lettuce leaves, tomato slices, and remaining caramelized onions. Cut remaining 4 slices bacon in half; crisscross 2 pieces on top of onions on each burger, and cover with tops of buns.

expert tips:  Make the onions up to a week ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and heat just before serving.


Nutrition Information:
1 Serving (1 Burger)
    Calories 620        (Calories from Fat 310),
    Total Fat 35g        (Saturated Fat 14g,        Trans Fat 2g),    Cholesterol 145mg;    Sodium 1090mg;    Total Carbohydrate 30g        (Dietary Fiber 2g,        Sugars 5g),    Protein 46g;

Percent Daily Value*:
    Vitamin A 60 %;    Vitamin C 8 %;    Calcium 20 %;    Iron 30 %;

Exchanges:
    1 Starch;    0 Fruit;    1/2 Other Carbohydrate;    0 Skim Milk;
    0 Low-Fat Milk;    0 Milk;    2 Vegetable;    0 Very Lean Meat;
    0 Lean Meat;    2 1/2 High-Fat Meat;    0 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choices:    2;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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Budget-friendly Denim Quilt Project

Re-use old jeans to make this budget-friendly quilt project for your home


Completed Denim Quilt Project

    Old denim jeans—approximately 12 pair each of light-blue and dark-blue denim jeans (number needed will depend on size of jeans—see block pattern below) 5 yards of 44-inch-wide denim for backing
    2 yards of 90-inch-wide flannel or a 69-inch x 90-inch piece of lightweight quilt batting
    Matching all-purpose thread
    Light-blue and dark-blue worsted weight yarn for tying quilt
    Large-eye hand-sewing needle
    Rotary cutter and mat (optional)
    Quilter’s ruler
    Quilter’s marking pen or pencil (optional)
    Basting safety pins (optional)
    Standard sewing supplies

Instructions

Pre-wash fabrics. If water is discolored, wash again until rinse water runs clear. Dry and press all fabrics.

Note:Each log cabin block requires a total of 48 dark-blue 2-in. center squares, approximately 36 in. of light- blue denim strips and approximately 45 in. of dark-blue denim strips.

You could also purchase 44-in.-wide denim fabric for the quilt. If purchasing fabric, you’ll need 1/4 yard of dark blue for the center squares, a total of 2-1/4 yards of light-blue denim and a total of 2-3/4 yards of dark- blue denim.

CUTTING:

    Accurately cut fabrics using rotary cutter and quilter’s ruler, or mark fabrics using ruler and marker of choice and cut with scissors.
    From the darkest blue denim pair of jeans, cut forty-eight 2-in. squares for center squares of log cabin blocks.
    Cut legs from remaining dark- and light-denim jeans. Remove the hem and sides seams from each leg.
    Cutting lengthwise, cut each leg into long, 2-in.-wide strips.

PIECING (Log Cabin Blocks – Make 48):

    Do all piecing with accurate 1/4-in. seams and right sides of fabrics together. Press seams toward last piece added, or press the seams open.
    Referring to Fig. 1 for placement, sew a light-blue denim strip (1) to right-hand edge of a 2-in. dark-blue denim square. Trim ends of added strip even with opposite edges of square. Open and press.
    Sew a light-blue denim strip (2) to bottom edge of pieced center square (see Fig. 1). Trim newest strip even with opposite edges of pieced center. Open and press.
    Repeat to add a dark-blue denim strip (3) as shown in Fig. 1, trimming and pressing as before. Working clockwise, repeat with a dark-blue denim strip (4).
    Continue in this way, alternating two light strips and two dark strips and adding strips 5 through 12 to make an 11-in.-square log cabin block.
    Repeat, making a total of 48 log cabin blocks.

 LAYOUT:

    Referring to photo and layout diagram for position, lay out the 48 log cabin blocks right side up on a flat surface in eight rows with six blocks in each row.
    Sew each horizontal row together in planned order. Press seams in opposite directions.
    Then sew the rows together in planned order, carefully matching corners. Press seams open.
    Trim 1/4 in. from all outside edges of pieced top.
    Cut 5-yd. length of backing fabric in half crosswise. Trim selvage edges and sew pieces together with a 1/2-in. seam. Press seam open. Trim to make a 69-in. x 90-in. piece with seam centered.
    Place backing wrong side up on a flat surface. Center flannel or batting over backing and smooth out. With right side up, center quilt top over batting. Smooth out all pieces. Baste the layers together both horizontally and vertically every 4 in. or pin-baste with basting safety pins.
    Start tying layers together at the center of the quilt and work outward, placing a tie in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    To tie, cut yarn into 6-in. lengths. Thread large-eye hand-sewing needle with a strand of light-blue and dark- blue yarn. Take a 1/8-in.- to 1/4-in.-long stitch through all thicknesses in the center of the dark center square of a log cabin block, leaving long tails on each side of stitch. Remove needle and tie yarn ends in a square knot. Clip yarn ends even to desired length. Repeat in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    Sew around outside edge of quilt top, stitching 1/4 in. from outside edges.
    Trim backing and batting even with edges of quilt top.
    Remove basting.
    From remaining denim scraps, cut approximately 200 2-in. x 6-in. rectangles.
    Sew the long edges of the binding pieces together, alternating light and dark denim rectangles to make a pieced binding strip long enough to go around the entire quilt. Press the seams open.
    Press one short end of pieced binding strip 1/4 in. to wrong side.
    With right sides facing and raw edges matching, pin pieced binding to front of quilt top. Sew binding in place with a 1-1/2-in.-wide seam, mitering corners and overlapping ends.
    Fold binding to back of quilt top, encasing raw edges. Fold raw edge under, leaving a 1-1/2-in.-wide binding on the front and back of quilt. Hand-sew fold of binding to back of quilt, covering stitching.

LAYERING:

    Cut 5-yd. length of backing fabric in half crosswise. Trim selvage edges and sew pieces together with a 1/2-in. seam. Press seam open. Trim to make a 69-in. x 90-in. piece with seam centered.
    Place backing wrong side up on a flat surface. Center flannel or batting over backing and smooth out. With right side up, center quilt top over batting. Smooth out all pieces. Baste the layers together both horizontally and vertically every 4 in. or pin-baste with basting safety pins.
    Start tying layers together at the center of the quilt and work outward, placing a tie in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    To tie, cut yarn into 6-in. lengths. Thread large-eye hand-sewing needle with a strand of light-blue and dark- blue yarn. Take a 1/8-in.- to 1/4-in.-long stitch through all thicknesses in the center of the dark center square of a log cabin block, leaving long tails on each side of stitch. Remove needle and tie yarn ends in a square knot. Clip yarn ends even to desired length. Repeat in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    Sew around outside edge of quilt top, stitching 1/4 in. from outside edges.
    Trim backing and batting even with edges of quilt top.
    Remove basting.
    From remaining denim scraps, cut approximately 200 2-in. x 6-in. rectangles.
    Sew the long edges of the binding pieces together, alternating light and dark denim rectangles to make a pieced binding strip long enough to go around the entire quilt. Press the seams open.
    Press one short end of pieced binding strip 1/4 in. to wrong side.
    With right sides facing and raw edges matching, pin pieced binding to front of quilt top. Sew binding in place with a 1-1/2-in.-wide seam, mitering corners and overlapping ends.
    Fold binding to back of quilt top, encasing raw edges. Fold raw edge under, leaving a 1-1/2-in.-wide binding on the front and back of quilt. Hand-sew fold of binding to back of quilt, covering stitching.

TYING:

    Start tying layers together at the center of the quilt and work outward, placing a tie in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    To tie, cut yarn into 6-in. lengths. Thread large-eye hand-sewing needle with a strand of light-blue and dark- blue yarn. Take a 1/8-in.- to 1/4-in.-long stitch through all thicknesses in the center of the dark center square of a log cabin block, leaving long tails on each side of stitch. Remove needle and tie yarn ends in a square knot. Clip yarn ends even to desired length. Repeat in the dark center square of each log cabin block.
    Sew around outside edge of quilt top, stitching 1/4 in. from outside edges.
    Trim backing and batting even with edges of quilt top.
    Remove basting.

BINDING:

    From remaining denim scraps, cut approximately 200 2-in. x 6-in. rectangles.
    Sew the long edges of the binding pieces together, alternating light and dark denim rectangles to make a pieced binding strip long enough to go around the entire quilt. Press the seams open.
    Press one short end of pieced binding strip 1/4 in. to wrong side.
    With right sides facing and raw edges matching, pin pieced binding to front of quilt top. Sew binding in place with a 1-1/2-in.-wide seam, mitering corners and overlapping ends.
    Fold binding to back of quilt top, encasing raw edges. Fold raw edge under, leaving a 1-1/2-in.-wide binding on the front and back of quilt. Hand-sew fold of binding to back of quilt, covering stitching.

Finished Size: Quilt measures about 63 inches wide x 84 inches long.

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 Weed Hunts
 
God’s love sprouts around us like lilacs, but we go on weed hunts!  How many flowers do we miss in the process? If you look long enough, you’ll find something to bellyache about.  So quit looking!
 
Lift your eyes off the weeds.  Collect your blessings.  Catalog His kindnesses.  Assemble your reasons for gratitude.  “Always be joyful” is what Paul tells us in  1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 .  “Pray continually and give thanks, whatever happens.  This is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.”
 
Gratitude is always an option.  Make it your default emotion and you’ll find yourself giving thanks for the problems of life.  Who knows what you might record in your journal:
 
Mondays.  Oh boy–my favorite!
 
Final exams.  I can hardly wait!
 
“Impossible,” you say?  How do you know?
 
How do you know until you give the day a chance?  Thank God!

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JOKES:

A Quilter Husband's Lament


I've always learned that life was full of obstacles and woes.
I've learned to live with sickness, death, taxes, heaven knows.
I've taken all these things in stride, the problems and strife,
But one I didn't count on was a Quilter for a wife.

Come home from work, the stove is cold, the dirty clothes still there,
The suit I wanted cleaned today, still laying on the chair.
"Where's Mama, son?" I asked my boy, "This house is such a mess,
Why, all the sheets are missing, we've been burglarized I guess."

"No, Mama striped down all the beds and took the sheets away.
She cut them into little strips and pieced two quilts today."
"Why every pair of pants I own is cut into little squares."
"I'm demonstrating applique," my lovely wife declares.

I show up in the office in my boxer shorts and tie.
My secretary giggles and the clerks give me the eye.
It's freezing cold, I'm shaking and my knees are turning blue.
My boss considered firing me, but his wife's a quilter too.

I told him what happened and he said he could believe.
I noticed the coat he wore had only half a sleeve.
A husband needs a loving wife to help him when he's ill.
To soothe and comfort, mop his brow and help him take his pills.

Should influenza strike you, your life's not worth a dime.
Particularly if its hits at Quilt Convention time.
You'll lay there in an empty house in pain and deep despari,
While the workshops and the lectures keep your wife's attention there.

You lear to ask no quetions when she smiles and drives away,
Rushing to the Fabric Shop for a big sale there today.
She's gone for hours, then drags back home all bleary eyed and down,
Now who'd believe a lie like that? She must be running round.

But I'll get by, I always do, some days are fine, some not.
When your wife's a Quilter you tolerate a lot.
I know that when my life is through and I pass away
They'll have to set my funeral so it's not a Quilting Day.

(Author:  unknown)

**********************************************
BEST EVER SENIOR CITIZEN JOKE

A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbor and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started."

Her neighbor asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?"

The little silver haired lady says, "According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster."

Her neighbor decides to go over and help with the puzzle.

She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,

"First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster."

He takes her hand and says, "Secondly, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then," he said with a deep sigh ............


(scroll down)


 
 "Let's put all the Corn Flakes back in the box."
 
 **********************************************
FISHING

  Mike was attending his 4X4 club's monthly meeting and had just told them he couldn't make the camping trip scheduled for the next day because his wife wouldn't let him go.
After listening to the jeers and other derisive remarks from his fellow 4X4 friends Mike left to go back home to his wife.

When Mike's friends started arriving to set up camp the next day, who should be there but Mike sitting up in front of his truck, tent up, fishing rod in hand, camp oven roast stewing away in a hot bed of coals.

"How did ya talk your wife into letting you go Mike?"

"I didn't have to" was Mike's reply.  "When I left the meeting I went home and slumped down in my chair with a beer to drown my sorrows.  Then my wife snuck up behind me and covered my eyes and said, 'Surprise'!"
When I peeled her hands back she was standing there in a beautiful see - through negligee, was sipping on a large Martini and  said, "Carry me into the bedroom, tie me to the bed and you can do whatever you want."

So here I am!

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WHO IS THIS BUBBA?  OR YOU KNOW YOU'RE A BUBBA WHEN......

 
"NASCAR dad is a politically correct term for Bubba" political analysis on Good Morning America when NASCAR dad was the talk of the political world.

"Bubba is the politically correct term for redneck"  Race mama 



Being a Bubba has no economical, sociological, or geographical boundaries.  Doesn't matter

if you are a CEO or one of the worker ants.  You can be a man or a women, young or old, black, white or Hispanic.  Heck, I know there are probably Bubbas who are of

Mid Eastern descent.  Being a Bubba is a state of mind.  For some reason, many bubbas

have a military back ground.  Not real sure why but may have something to do with being resourceful and having to work with what you have.  A Bubba is usually hard working,

loves God, our country, the military, his family, a good practical joke, an even better payback, the flag, a good deal, racin', rasslin', huntin', fishin', his dog, a cold beer & Bubbates.   

Most bubbas are MacGyver types. 

You know what I mean....can fix a hole in the muffler with a beer can.   



A Few Examples to make my point:



Frankie's landlord is Jack.  Jack is extremely wealthy.  He owns many properties and has a store Generation X which is located in North Charleston, S.C. directly in front of Frankie's Tire Center.  Now his store is not like most Adult stores.  It's upscale, clean, beautifully landscaped with parking lots that are well lit.  Let me tell ya'll, Jack's place is always jumping.



Anyway Jack is a big race fan and chases racin' with his wife in their motor coach.  They usually do the infield.  The motor coach cost more money than I will probably make in my lifetime.  Well, Jack is nothing but a big ole Bubba who happens to make a boat load of money.



Jack wasn't happy with how much of the track he was able to see from on top of his motor coach when in the infield.  So what did Jack do?  He did what all other Bubbas would do and built a way to be higher up in the infield.  You see the higher up you are in the infield the better the view. 



Now other Bubbas without Jack's means might do one of a few things.  They might bring their hunting stands with them and erect them when they get into the infield.  Or they might build a platform after they get into the infield that sits on top of their renovated school bus.  If they are real tight on money they might just bring the A-frame ladder and set it up on top of the motor home and watch they race from up there.  Or they might bring the swivel bar stools and be happy with that.  But not Jack.



Jack had a stainless steel platform added to the top of his motorhome.  It has these great side rails that pop into place so no one will fall off.  OK, so Jack won't fall off because usually he is the only one up there.  There is a table for him to put his stuff.  The piece de resistance is the chair.  Not any chair but a swivel chair that sits on an eight foot pole.  Jack has to use a ladder to get into it.  Jack told us the first time he climbed up there he got dizzy!



Now the price tag for this thing cost more than our motor home and Frankie's motor home together.  But there you have a perfect example of a Bubba.  Doing what ever has to be done to get the best view he can at the track.  So you see Jack might have had the means to pay some one to do it for him but he is just like the bubbas in their hunting stand. 

He just has a little more money.



Another Bubba we know is in the military and he ain't no swabbie either. 



Like our racin' buddy Victor/David said  "If enough people died, he could be president". 



OK like a thousand people would have to die...but hey that's the closest we will ever get to hanging out with a president at the track!  Anyway, he ain't nothing but a big ole Bubba.  He has a motor home that is older than ours.  The microwave inside came out of the trash.  He carries his tools in a Samsonite cosmetic case that he got from a thrift store.  But you had better believe his season tickets are on the top row of every race track.  Heck, he even has 4 Bristol Spring Season Tickets and hasn't been there yet.  BUT he owns them.  Just like a Bubba to spend almost 1 thousand dollars on season tickets just so he has them when he wants them to use them.  Maybe next spring will be our turn to use them.



The first time I told him he was just a big ole Bubba,

he got this real strange look on his face. 

He said "that's what all the guys tell me at work.  They also tell me how cheap I am. 

So does my wife.  Do you really think I'm a cheap Bubba?"



  I told him "Hey that's a compliment.  Besides you're not cheap your frugal.  You just allocate your money to what gives you the most pleasure like those top row seats."



Being a Bubba has no color or gender barrier.  My friend Jackie is black and female.  Well, she and some of her family and friends were at the beach the other day.  They were having a big time grilling out, playing in the surf and just hanging out together. 



Well she tells me "Lisa had chicken on one grill and sausages on the George Foreman."



At which point I said "George makes a gas grill?"



"Oh no," she replied.  "We had it plugged in where the soda machines were at on the boardwalk."



Yep she's a big ole bubbate and she hangs around with a bunch of bubbas!



   Anyway, the point of this article is to start a new web page.  The you know you are a Bubba....  Yeah I know it s sorta like Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck stuff but we call'em bubbas.  Man oh man even we are getting politically correct!



You know you are a Bubba when....

...when you buy $1.50 flip flops because your leather sandals
hide part of your driver's toe ring!! contributed by Mary Anne

...your china cabinet holds your die cast collection, your Brasington Grandstand rusty pole brace (and it has the place of honor on top) and your numbered, signed Benny Parsons cookbook.  In fact your entire dining room is a shrine to your die cast addiction!

...you are thinking about paying $25.00 for a red plastic gas can to fill the generator
because it looks like the gas can that race teams use.

...when you won't shave your mountain man beard because the Hooter's Girls
picked you out of a crowd of over 5,000 to win a prize after
walking by your clean cut looking lawyer to get to you!

...when you take pictures of your new work tool,
an AK47 and email them to your family and friends.

...you buy a high dollar pull behind to chase racin' then have to sell your car to buy a truck so you can have something that will pull it and have to buy a new house cause the high faultin' neighborhood you now live won't let motor homes park in the driveway no matter how much they cost.

...you get a manicure and have your finger nails squared off so you can open your beers easier

...you spend thousands of dollars to have a perch chair installed on top of your motor home so you can see more of the track.

...while at the beach you plug in your George Foreman grill where the soda machines are plugged in so you can grill sausages.

...You can put a 12 pack into a 6 pack cooler!

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I borrowed this from a friend-It's so lovely and Oh so true !

As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play, on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and... if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.
I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.
They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But, broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).
MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

Our Daily Devotional:

Misunderstanding God's Direction

Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

If you are like me, there are times that you pursue the path of God with sincerity, only to discover that you misunderstood His direction. It can be pretty disheartening to believe you are doing what God wants, only to realize along the way that you made a wrong turn. At such a time, it would be easy to get upset, or angry with yourself. You might begin questioning your decisions about many other things, or start thinking about the 'if onlys.' "If only I would have...I would be..." here or there by now, etc. At such a time, take heart, and remember two of my favorite words: "But God." You may have made a mistake, but God is bigger. You may have misunderstood, but God knew your heart was in the right place. You may be off course--but God is able to bring good things out of bad, and always more than able to get you on the right path.


And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
- Exodus 33:11

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WORD FOR THE DAY:

 compeer kuhm-PEER , noun:
1. Close friend; comrade.
2. An equal in rank, ability, accomplishment, etc.; peer; colleague.

verb:
1. Archaic. To be the equal of; match.

Whoever eats them outlasts heaven and earth, and is the compeer of sun and moon.
-- Cheng'en Wu, Monkey

Aren't you pleased with him, and didn't he arrange things well, eh, my good compeer Lenet?
-- Alexandre Dumas, The Women's War

Compeer comes from the Latin word parem which meant "equal." The prefix com- means "with, together or in association."
 
**********************************************

RECIPE:

Spinach Beef Biscuit Bake

A complete meal wrapped into one delicious casserole!

Serves: 6
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS:

2 tubes refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, (7-1/2 ounces each) 
1-1/2 pounds ground beef 
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 
2 eggs 
1 package frozen spinach, (10 ounces) chopped thawed and squeezed dry 
1 can mushroom stems and pieces, (4 ounces) drained 
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 
Salt and pepper, to taste 
1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 

DIRECTIONS:
 
Press and flatten biscuits onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish; set aside. In a skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a bowl, beat eggs. Add spinach and mushrooms; mix well. Stir in the cheeses, garlic powder, salt, pepper and beef mixture; mix well. Spoon into prepared crust. Drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

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Perfect Pot Pie

Your family will think you're the perfect cook when you serve this perfect pot pie.

Serves: 6
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup salted butter, or margarine 
1 cup yellow onions, diced 
1 cup carrots, sliced 
3/4 cup red bell pepper, diced 
1 cup celery, sliced 
1 cup white onions, diced 
1 cup red onion, diced 
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, quartered 
2 cups cooked chicken, diced 
2/3 cup white flour 
1 9 inch pie crust, already prepared 
1/4 cup beer 
1 cup chicken broth 
1 tablespoon fresh thyme 
2/3 cup fresh basil, chopped 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup green onion, sliced 
3/4 cup light cream 
1 1/2 teaspoons chicken broth packet 
1/8 cup Italian parsley, minced 
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon pressed garlic, minced 

DIRECTIONS:
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the first nine ingredients in a large heavy sauce pan. Place over medium high heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add flour and stir well to combine with vegetables. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the pie crust, and stir very well. Bring to simmer, while stirring frequently. Let cook for 10 minutes after coming to a simmer. Place 10 ounces of filling in each of 6 individual baking dishes. Set aside to cool slightly. Place prepared pie crust over tops of cooled filling and crimp around edges to seal. Cut 3 small slits into the top to let steam escape while baking. When pies are prepared, bake for 15-20 minutes until crust is browned. Serve immediately or cool then reheat in 350 degrees oven for 15-20 minutes until hot. While re-heating you may need to cover loosely with foil to prevent burning the crust.

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Apple-Butterscotch Ring Cake


    PREP TIME 15 Min
    TOTAL TIME 1 Hr 15 Min
    SERVINGS 8
 
Base

3    small apples, peeled, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1    cup chopped pecans
1    cup butterscotch chips
1/2    cup packed brown sugar
1    teaspoon apple pie spice
1/4    cup butter, melted

Cake
1    box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
1    box (4-serving size) butterscotch instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 1/3    cups water
1/2    cup butter, softened
4    eggs


    1 Heat oven to 325°F. Grease dark nonstick 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening or cooking spray.
    2 In medium bowl, toss apples, pecans, butterscotch chips, brown sugar, apple pie spice and melted butter. Set aside.
    3 In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently.
    4 Pour apple mixture evenly into bottom of pan. Pour cake batter evenly over top.
    5 Bake about 55 minutes or until cake is golden and springs back when lightly touched. Place heatproof plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Cool cake slightly before serving.

Expert Tips

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream and a drizzle of butterscotch ice cream topping.

Walnuts can replace the pecans.

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 Antipasto Loaf

Say "buongiorno" to your new potluck staple. It's packed with savory Italian flavor thanks to sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and Parm. After tasting it, you may say "ciao bella!"

time
prep:25 min
total:1 hr 25 min
servings
total:  25 servings

    What You Need
    1      French bread baguette (12 oz.)
    1    tub  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
    3    Tbsp.  pesto
    1/2    cup  drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
    1/2    cup  drained marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
    2    Tbsp.  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
    2    cups  baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
  
 Make It

    CUT baguette lengthwise in half. Remove soft insides from both bread halves. (Reserve removed bread for another use.)

    MIX cream cheese spread and pesto; spread onto insides of bread shells. Fill with tomatoes, artichokes, Parmesan and spinach.

    REASSEMBLE baguette; wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
  
 Kraft Kitchens Tips
    Special Extra
    Add chopped green or kalamata olives to sandwich filling.
  
 Make Ahead
    Sandwich can be stored in refrigerator up to 4 hours before serving.
    Substitute
    Substitute arugula leaves for the spinach.

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 Antipasto

Wonderful as an appetizer or with salad greens. Also looks appealing.

time
prep:  15 min
total:  4 hr 15 min
servings
total:  8 servings, about 1/2 cup each

    What You Need
    1    bottle  (8 oz.) KRAFT VIVA Italian Dressing
    1    can  (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, quartered
    1    pkg.  (3 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Pepperoni Slices
    1    cup  halved cherry tomatoes
    1    cup  pitted black olives
    10     pepperoncini peppers
    4    oz.  KRAFT Mozzarella Cheese, cut into sticks
  
 Make It
    POUR dressing over artichokes, pepperoni, tomatoes, olives and peppers in shallow dish; cover.
    REFRIGERATE several hours or overnight to marinate.
 
  Kraft Kitchens Tips
 
  Size-Wise
    Enjoy a serving, 1/2 cup each, of this classic appetizer.
 
 Variation
    Marinate ingredients as directed. Do not drain. Toss with the cheese and 1 bag (10 oz.) salad greens just before serving. Makes 4 servings.

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Banana Bread

Rich buttermilk, crunchy nuts and flavorful, ripe bananas make this banana bread tops.

    PREP TIME 15 Min
    TOTAL TIME 2 Hr 30 Min
    SERVINGS 24


1 1/4    cups sugar
1/2    cup butter or margarine, softened
2    eggs
1 1/2    cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2    cup buttermilk
1    teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2    cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1    teaspoon baking soda
1    teaspoon salt
1    cup chopped nuts, if desired

    1 Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
    2 Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
    3 Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Expert Tips

Mini Banana Breads make great gifts! To make, grease bottoms only of 10 miniature loaf pans, 4 1/2x2 3/4x1 1/4 inches. Divide batter among pans (about 1/2 cup each). Bake 30 to 35 minutes.
Stir 1/2 cup chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips into the batter for mouthwatering flavor combinations.
Rise to the occasion! If using self-rising flour, there is no need to add baking soda and salt.
No buttermilk on hand? In an emergency, you can mix 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1/2 cup. Or substitute 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

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JOKES:

Weather Folklore

In winter, when pigs rub up against their pens, it is a sign of a thaw.

When a cat sits with her back to the fiery logs, frost is coming.

Turkeys perched on trees and refusing to descend indicates more snow.

When 'round the Moon there is a brugh , The weather will be cold and rough.

When the mulberry has shown green leaf, there will be no more frost.

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White Chocolate Wisdom
• The cocoa butter in white chocolate gives it a mild milk chocolate taste and creamy texture, but it contains no chocolate liquor, which is why it’s white.
• Don’t confuse white chocolate with white confectionary coating, which has no chocolate taste whatsoever.
• White chocolate contains only a very small amount of caffeine and thus is often tolerated well by people who are sensitive to caffeine or allergic to chocolate.


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One day, while going to the store, I passed by a nursing home.
 
On the front lawn were six old ladies lying naked on the grass.
 
I thought this was a bit unusual, but continued on my way to the store.
 
On my return trip,
I passed the same nursing home with the same six old ladies lying naked on the lawn.
 
This time my curiosity got the best of me,
 I went inside to talk to the Nursing Home Administrator.
 
'Do you know there are six ladies lying naked on your Front lawn?'
 
'Yes,' she said. 'They're retired prostitutes,- they're having a yard sale.
 
RETIREMENT IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE

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The Concealed Proverb

In each sentence a word is concealed, such as the word no in sentence five. If you can find the buried words and read them in order from 1 to 6, they will form a well-known proverb.

1.The word buried here has only one letter.
2.Did you find a jelly roll in Gaskin's Bakery?
3.It's the best one I've ever seen.
4.The rug at her stairway was made in India.
5.He's an old friend.
6.Amos sold his bicycle to a friend.

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Why we miss Rodney Dangerfield ...........

Because he said ....


My wife only has sex with me for a purpose.  Last night she used me to time an egg.

It's tough to stay married.  My wife kisses the dog on the lips, yet she won't drink from my glass!

Last night my wife met me at the front door. She was wearing a sexy negligee. The only trouble was, she was coming home.

A girl phoned me and said, 'Come on over. There's nobody home.' I went over. Nobody was home!

A hooker once told me she had a headache.

I went to a massage parlor. It was self-service.

If it weren't for pickpockets, I'd have no sex life at all.

I was making love to this girl and she started crying I said, 'Are you going to hate yourself in the morning?' She said, 'No, I hate myself now.'

I knew a girl so ugly that she was known as a two-bagger. That's when you put a bag over your head in case the bag over her head comes off.

I knew a girl so ugly... they use her in prisons to cure sex offenders.

My wife is such a bad cook, if we leave dental floss in the kitchen the roaches hang themselves.

I'm so ugly I stuck my head out the window and got arrested for mooning.

The other day I came home and a guy was jogging, naked. I asked him, 'Why?' He said, 'Because you came home early.'

My wife's such a bad cook, the dog begs for Alka-Seltzer.

I know I'm not sexy. When I put my underwear on I can hear the Fruit-of-the-Loom guys giggling.

My wife is such a bad cook, in my house we pray after the meal.

My wife likes to talk on the phone during sex; she called me from  Chicago  last night.

MY FAVORITE:

My family was so poor that if I hadn't been born a boy, I wouldn't of had anything to play with.

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Yogi Berra
"If you ask me anything I don't know, I'm not going to answer."

Andy Warhol
"I am a deeply superficial person."

Clarence Darrow
"When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it."

--------------------------------

THINGS TO PONDER:  How does the snow plow driver get to work?

You might be a REDNECK if... 
    ...you have spray painted your girlfriend's name on an overpass
 
When I came back to Dublin I was courtmartialed in my absence and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.
  - Brendan Behan

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
  - Isaac Newton

It's all right letting yourself go as long as you can let yourself back.
  - Mick Jagger

---------------------------------

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius,
power and magic in it."  - Goethe

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Cowboy

The cowboy was trying to buy a health insurance policy.
The insurance agent was going down the list of standard questions.
"Ever have an accident?" "Nope, nary a one." "None? You've never had any accidents." "Nope.
Ain't never had one.
Never." "Well, you said on this form you were bit by a snake once.
Wouldn't you consider that an accident?" "Heck, no.
That dang varmint bit me on purpose."

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Zoo

Fred was definitely more than a bit dumb; when his pal asked him how he had enjoyed his day at the zoo, he replied, "it was a total con! I saw a sign that said To The Monkeys, so I followed it and saw the monkeys.
Then I saw another sign that said To The Bears, so I followed that and saw the bears.
But when I followed a sign that said To the Exit, I found myself out on the street."

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This is said to be the "DOG DAYS OF SUMMER".  Ever wonder why?  Well I did so I looked it up and this is what I found:


Dog Days

"Dog Days" (Latin: dies caniculares) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically observe the warmest summer temperatures. In the Southern Hemisphere, they typically occur in January and February, in the midst of the austral summer. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in close proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather.

The name

The Romans referred to the dog days as dies caniculares and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks (see, e.g., Aristotle's Physics, 199a2).

The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise (heliacal rising), which is no longer true, owing to precession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid; causing to man, among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies." according to Brady’s Clavis Calendaria, 1813.[1]

The modern French term for both this summer period (and for heat waves in general) "canicule", derives from this same term. It means "little dog", again referring to Sirius.


The dates

In Ancient Rome, the Dog Days ran from July 24th through August 24th, or, alternatively, from July 23 through August 23rd. In many European cultures (German, French, Italian) this period is still said to be the time of the Dog Days. Jeff Kinney's Dog Days The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional period of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3rd and ending August 11th, coinciding with the ancient heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. These are the days of the year with the least rainfall in the Northern Hemisphere.

According to the 1552 edition of the The Book of Common Prayer, the "Dog Daies" begin July 6th and end August 17th. But this edition, the 2nd book of Edward VI, was never used extensively nor adopted by the Convocation of the Church of England. The lectionary of 1559 edition of the Book of Common Prayer indicates: "Naonae. Dog days begin" with the readings for July 7th and end August 18th. But this is noted as a misprint[2] and the readings for September 5th indicate: "Naonae. Dog days end". This corresponds very closely to the lectionary of the 1611 edition of the King James Bible (also called the Authorized version of the Bible) which indicates the Dog Days beginning on July 6th and ending on September 5th. A recent reprint of the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer contains no reference to the Dog Days.

Please note: Due to introduction of the modern Gregorian Calendar, 11 days must be added to each of the 16th and 17th Century dates referenced above for them to correlate correctly with modern-day dates as concerns astronomical observations and climate. First adopted by Southern European Catholic countries in the 16th Century, the Gregorian Calendar was not used in England or its New World colonies until 1752. This modern calendar accurately calculates the astronomical length of one year (the exact time it takes the earth to orbit the sun) to be 365.2425 days. This corrected the approximated 365 and 1/4 day year length of the previously used Julian Calendar introduced in 46 B.C. Because the length of each Julian Calendar year was 11 minutes 48 seconds too long, over the centuries, seasonal changes gradually occured on earlier and earlier dates. The Gregorian Calendar uses a formula to reduce from 100 to 97 the number of leap years (extra days) in a 400-year period thus cutting the average calculated length of a year to its actual duration. By 1752 when the Gregorian Calendar was adopted by England, the Julian Calendar had fallen behind by 11 days total since 46 B.C. Upon implementation of the Gregorian Calendar, those days were added back by jumping overnight from September 2nd to September 14th, 1752, thus catching the calendar up with the seasons.

The Book of Common Prayer would have provided the official liturgical calendar for Jamestown, Virginia, from 1607 so it may be assumed that the Dogs Days likely have been known in the New World at least since that time.


Other references

For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile's flooding, so they used the star as a "watchdog" for that event. Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time: "Dog Days bright and clear / indicate a happy year. / But when accompanied by rain, / for better times our hopes are vain."

In John Webster's 1623 play The Duchess of Malfi, the malcontent Bosola states "blackbirds fatten best in hard weather: why not I in these dog days?"

The phrase is mentioned in the short story "The Bar Sinister" by Richard Harding Davis. The main character, who is a street dog, explains "but when the hot days come, I think they might remember that those are the dog days, and leave a little water outside in a trough, like they do for the horses."

The Prologue of Tuck Everlasting, set in the first week of August, says: "These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after."

In recent years, the phrase "Dog Days" or "Dog Days of Summer" have also found new meanings. The term has frequently been used in reference to the American stock market(s). Typically, summer is a very slow time for the stock market, and additionally, poorly performing stocks with little future potential are frequently known as "dogs."[citation needed]

A casual survey will usually find that many people believe the phrase is in reference to the conspicuous laziness of domesticated dogs (who are in danger of overheating with too much exercise) during the hottest days of the summer. When speaking of "Dog Days" there seems to be a connotation of lying or "dogging" around, or being "dog tired" on these hot and humid days. A similar myth asserts that the time is so-named because rabid dogs are supposed to be the most common then. Although these meanings have nothing to do with the original source of the phrase, they may have been attached to the phrase in recent years due to common usage or misunderstanding of the origin of the phrase.

The feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of dogs, is August 16.

Icelanders refer to the Danish adventurer Jørgen Jürgensen as Jörundur hundadagakonungur ("Jørgen the dog-days King" in Icelandic) since he proclaimed himself lord protector for some months of 1809.

And there is this mention of "dogdays" in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol:

    Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dogdays; and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas.

Poet J. M. Synge also wrote, "Seven dog-days we let pass, naming Queens in Glenmacnass", in the poem Queens.

The phrase is used as the title of a sonnet by Australian poet, Howard Firkin.[3]

The 1975 Sidney Lumet film Dog Day Afternoon takes its name from the phrase.

More recently, the term was used in the song Dog Days Are Over, the second single released by the British band Florence and the Machine.

Notes

    ^ Brady, J: "Clavis Calendaria", vol. II, page 89. Nichols, Son, and Bentley, 1815.
    ^ Booty, John (1976). The Book of Common Prayer, The Elizabethan Prayer Book. Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC: Folger Books. pp. 42–44. ISBN 918016-58-4.
    ^ http://www.firkin.biz/Next_poem.php?id=265

Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

Our Daily Devotional:

A Way That Seems Right

Proverbs 14:12, KJV: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

There are many ways that seem right to us. Those ways may have been established by tradition, doctrine, culture or here-say. Yet, there is a way that is right and that is the way that follows Christ steadfastly in moment by moment obedience. Much of what pulls us away from obedience to God is putting great trust in our own reasoning abilities. We examine and weigh the facts, then we draw our conclusions. Then we often make decisions as to how to act based primarily upon what we see to be the right way to go. There is grave danger to following what appears to be right in our own eyes. Eyes led by what seems to be right are often blinded by barriers that constrain human effort--yet could never contain God. Human reasoning will never supersede the everlasting Word of God.


And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:7

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WORD FOR THE DAY:

 traject truh-JEKT , verb:
To transport, transmit, or transpose.

A sign said “loose rocks and soil on the edges” I decided to drive close to the edge and see when using the front end of my car, then swinging out the back wheels, would it cause the rocks to traject in front of his car?
-- Robert A. Williams, The Fall Mission

The Roman vocabulary did not tend to traject the "aesthetic" with "manliness," "glory," or "wealth."
-- Brian A. Krostenko, Cicero, Catullus, and the Language of Social Performance

Traject stems from the Latin word jacere meaning "to throw" and the prefix tra- which is a variation of the prefix trans- meaning "across" or "beyond."

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Does Music Actually Soothe Pets?

Pet anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways. We love our pets, so of course we worry about their health and safety. We don't want to see them upset or stressed out, especially when we can do something about it.

Some of you have said that your pets become upset when they are left home alone for any period of time. That's a common problem - in fact, it's so common that it even has a name: “separation anxiety.” Others have mentioned their dogs' anxiety or carsickness when traveling in the car. Some pets become very anxious when they are in unfamiliar surroundings like kennels and vet's offices. And some actually throw up or chew away areas of their hair and skin during thunderstorms, or when they hear loud noises like fireworks. When they are stressed, many dogs are likely to hide and not be found. Some dogs get so scared that they simply run for cover, which in turn leads to YOUR anxiety about finding your dog.

I've heard of lots of creative ways to ease your pets' stress, like leaving the TV or radio on for "company" when they are home alone. Unfortunately, that could actually be doing more harm than good. Studies have suggested that TV and radio can actually CREATE stress for our pets because of the drastic changes in programming and the random mix of musical styles. Think about it—how scared would you be if you suddenly heard gunshots, sirens, or dogs barking? The TV and radio certainly create "noise," but they don't necessarily create a relaxed environment.

Dog owners sometime ask me, “Does music soothe pets the same way it can relax people?" The answer is "yes" - but it depends on the music.

Music Eases Pet Anxiety - But Not Just ANY Music Will Do

Maybe you've heard the old saying that “music soothes the savage beast.” While this might conjure up images of tigers with iPods, the truth is that music really CAN calm animals down. Really!

Studies have been done to examine the relationship between music and stress, and some of the results might surprise you. Classical harp music is used around the world to help alleviate stress in dogs, cats, chimpanzees and other animals. Even animal shelters are installing sound systems and using music to create a more serene environment. In particular, studies show that dogs and cats seem to show lower levels of stress when exposed to classical music. Cats will relax in front of the speakers when classical music is playing, and many dogs will actually bark less - especially when listening to the music of Bach.

Many pets respond favorably to classical music under stress-inducing situations, often slipping into a very serene and peaceful state of mind after only a few minutes of listening. But all classical music will not have the same calming effect. For the music to soothe a pet, it must have a soothing dynamic from start to finish and transition calmly between pieces- which is not the case with most "off-the-shelf" classical music.

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RECIPE:

How to Make Puff Pastry

Making pastry from scratch really scares some people, which is funny when you realize that many of them probably use the expression "easy as pie" and never make the connection. These instructions are for what's called a rough puff pastry. It's just as impressive-looking and wonderful-tasting as "real" puff pastry, just a whole lot easier. It only takes about 15 minutes of actual work time, but you'll need another hour for it to chill.

Ingredients

(The recipe can also be halved.)

    2 cups unbleached high protein all-purpose flour or better yet because you know the protein is high, unbleached bread flour
    1/4 cup unbleached white pastry flour (not whole wheat) or plain bleached cake flour, not the self rising kind (with the baking powder and salt)––you want just plain cake flour
    1/4 tsp salt
    2 sticks plus 5 tbsp coarsely grated, frozen, unsalted butter
    6 tbsp ice water
    3 tbsp carbonated water

 Steps

    1      Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl.

    2      Add the butter to the bowl.

    3      Toss to mix.

    4      Add the ice water to the bowl and stir gently with a fork.

    5      Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

    6      Smear the dough with the heel of your hand until all the dough has been smeared at least once. This helps incorporate the butter and makes the dough flakier.

    7      Gather the dough into a ball, and chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.

    8      Roll it out into a rectangular shape with the long sides running horizontally.

    9       Fold the top third of the rectangle down over the dough.

    10      Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up over the dough so the edges of the folded dough touch.

    11      Fold the left edge of the dough over to meet the right edge, and pinch the seam.

    12       Repeat steps 8 through 11.

    13      Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.

    14      Repeat steps 8 through 13.

    15      The dough is now ready to roll out and use. When rolling it, don't push too hard or you will break the layers.

        Typically, after rolling out the puff pastry for use, lightly brush one side with a wash of egg beaten with some cold water. Invert that side over the filling and let the wash serve as a light glue around the sides of the baking dish.
Tips

    This recipe makes approximately 1 pound of puff pastry.
    It is critical to keep the dough cold while you are working; the little bits of butter must remain cold and firm. If the butter begins to soften, return the dough to the freezer for 10-20 minutes, then resume your work.
    Cold marble surfaces are ideal for working with puff pastry.
    The dough stores well in the freezer, wrapped tightly in plastic, for up to one month. Make a double recipe and keep it handy in the freezer.
    Brush the top of the pastry with some more of the egg wash for a high-gloss finish. Add chicken broth for flavour.
    If you still can't get it right after a couple of tries, then you're better off buying ready-made puff pastry sheets in the freezer section of your neighborhood grocery.
    Dust off any loose flour left on the pastry or it won't rise properly when baked.

Warnings

    Try not to over-handle the dough. Work as quickly as you reasonably can.
    This is the kind of crust you'd use to top a savory pie, like a potpie, to wrap a beef Wellington or sautéed mushrooms, or over a tarte tatin. Don't use this kind of pastry under a heap of cinnamon apples or pumpkin puree.

 Things You'll Need

    Flour sifter
    Mixing bowl
    Fork
    Clean work surface
    Plastic wrap
    Freezer
    Rolling pin

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Garlic & Lime Grilled Chicken Skewers

These flavor-packed, grilled chicken skewers are on the table in just 20 minutes...you'll get great flavor fast by using picante sauce seasoned with garlic and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Serves: 4 servings (2 skewers each)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes


1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast half
3/4 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

DIRECTIONS:

Place the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken to 1/2-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Cut lengthwise into 1-inch strips.
Stir the picante sauce, oil, lime juice, garlic powder and cumin in a small bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
Thread the chicken accordion-style on 8 skewers. Lightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium. Grill for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, turning and brushing often with the picante sauce mixture. Discard any remaining picante sauce mixture.
Helper: If using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes before using.


Notes: Nutritional Values per Serving using Pace Picante Sauce: Calories 189, Total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 73mg, Sodium 380mg, Total Carbohydrate 4g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 27g, Vitamin A 3%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 2%DV, Iron 6%DV

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Chocolate Caramels

Homemade chocolate caramels will liven up any party.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: Varies
   
 INGREDIENTS    
 
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 can NESTLÉ  Carnation  Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 square NESTLÉ  TOLL HOUSE  Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bars
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:


LINE 8-inch-square baking pan with foil; grease. COMBINE butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup in heavy-duty 2 1/2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and butter is melted. Add condensed milk and chocolate; stir constantly until chocolate is melted. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until mixture reaches 245° F. on candy thermometer, about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Cool. LIFT from pan; remove foil. Cut into 1-inch squares and wrap individually in plastic wrap, twisting ends. Store at room temperature; use within 7 to 10 days.

Notes: If caramels become too firm to cut, soften slightly in microwave oven on DEFROST for about 2 minutes; or warm in 200° F. oven for about 5 minutes.

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Cheesy Pretzels


Squirt 'em with mustard or extra cheese, or eat these easy-to-make treats plain!


    PREP TIME 20 Min
    TOTAL TIME 45 Min
    SERVINGS 16


1 1/2    cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2/3    cup milk
1/2    cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
2    tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2    teaspoons baking powder
1    teaspoon sugar
1    teaspoon salt
1    egg

    Coarse salt


    1 Heat oven to 400°F. Grease cookie sheet. Mix all ingredients except egg and coarse salt in medium bowl with fork until soft dough forms. Smooth dough gently into ball on floured board. Knead 10 times. Divide dough in half.
    2 Roll half of dough into 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle lengthwise into eight 1-inch strips. Fold each strip lengthwise in half into 12x1/2-inch strip; pinch edges to seal. Twist each strip into pretzel shape. Place seam down on cookie sheet.
    3 Beat egg in small bowl with fork until blended. Brush pretzels with egg. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
    4 Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

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Beef Kabobs Ole With Summer Salsa

A great recipe for the grill, colorful beef kabobs with yellow squash and green zucchini make a great tasting meal after a busy day of work or play!

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
   

1 bottle (8oz.) ORTEGA® Medium Taco Sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon water
1 pound beef sirloin cubes
2 medium onions, each cut into 6 wedges
2 small zucchini, each cut into 6 wedges
2 small yellow squash, each cut into 6 wedges
1 large bell pepper, red or green, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
12 (10 inch) skewers
Summer Salsa (recipe follows)


COMBINE taco sauce, sugar, vegetable oil and water in small bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade mixture; cover and refrigerate.

ALTERNATELY thread beef, onions, zucchini, squash and bell pepper onto skewers. Place in 13 x 9- inch baking dish. Pour remaining marinade over kebobs. Cover; marinate in refrigerator for several hours or overnight, turning kabobs several times.

GRILL or broil kabobs, turning and basting with reserved marinade, until beef is of desired doneness. Serve with Summer Salsa.

Notes: If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes before threading. FOR SUMMER SALSA: COMBINE 1 jar (16 oz.) ORTEGA Salsa Prima Homestyle Mild and 1 finely chopped pear in small bowl. Cover; refrigerate for 1 hour.

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Giant Turtle Treasure Cookies

Not many people can resist the temptation of chocolate covered-caramel turtles sandwiched between tender sugar cookies.

Serves: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
   
 
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
20 NESTLÉ ® TURTLE® Candy, cut in half, divided


COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture; stir in nuts. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
PREHEAT oven to 375°F.
DIVIDE refrigerated dough into 8 equal pieces. Return 6 pieces to refrigerator. Working with 2 pieces at a time, form each piece into a ball; place each on a separate sheet of plastic wrap. Using lightly floured hands, flatten balls into 6-inch circles. Lift one circle with wrap and invert onto ungreased baking sheet; peel off wrap. Arrange 10 Turtle halves on top of circle. Cover with second circle; peel off wrap. Press edges together gently to seal.
REPEAT with remaining refrigerated dough and remaining Turtle halves to make 3 more cookies. Cut each cookie into 8 wedges.
BAKE for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

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JOKES:

"Strength does not come from winning
Your struggles develop your strength.
When you go through hardship
and decide not to surrender,
that is strength."

You might be a REDNECK if...
     ...when the biggest city you've been to is Wal-Mart.

THINGS TO PONDER:  Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

You might be a REDNECK if...
        ...you won't stop at a rest area if you have an empty can in the car.

"Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make
mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton

Confucious Says:  To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.

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Three guys were talking one morning about how drunk they were at this
   party they were at
   the night before. 1st guy: Man, I was so drunk that last night I got
   home and blew chunks.
   2nd guy: Oh yeah? Well, I was so drunk that on the way home I was
   pulled over and given
   a DUI! 3rd guy: That's nothing. I was so drunk that on the way home I
   picked up a
   prostitute and my wife caught us in bed! 1st guy: No, no.. you guys
   don't understand!
   Chunks is my dog.
  
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   One Fall day, Bill was out raking leaves when he noticed a hearse
   slowly drive by. Following the first hearse, was a second hearse which
   was followed by a man walking solemnly along, followed by a dog, and
   then about 200 men walking in single file.
  
   Intrigued, Bill went up to the man following the second hearse and
   asked him who was in the first hearse.
  
   "My wife," the man replied.
  
   "I'm sorry," said Bill. "What happened to her?"
  
   "My dog bit her and she died."
  
   Bill then asked the man who was in the second hearse.
  
   The man replied, "My mother-in-law. My dog bit her and she died as
   well."
  
   Bill thought about this for a while. He finally asked the man, "Can I
   borrow your dog?"
  
   To which the man replied, "Get in line."
  
**********************************************


Part I:

How do you keep a blond(e) busy?

Give him/her a bag of M&Ms and ask her to alphabetize them.

Part II:

Why does that work?

'Does 3 come before E or between M and W?'

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While waiting for the final voter recount in Florida, media services
questioned the two major presidential candidates today. Both agreed that
Americans are seeing too much inappropriate material in popular
entertainment. However, they disagreed on the details.

The Republican candidate, George W. Bush, stated that there is too much
bloody violence in the movies and on television.

Vice President Al Gore, his Democratic opponent, stated that the media
presents Americans with too much sex and frontal nudity.

In other words, Bush says there is too much gore and Gore says there is
too much bush.

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THINGS TO PONDER:      How does Elmo hear? Elmo has no ears? 

CONFUCIUS QUOTES:   Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

Classic Quotes by James Joyce (1882-1941) Irish Novelist
A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.

--------------------

A man's errors are his portals of discovery.

--------------------

All things are inconstant except the faith in the soul, which changes all things and fills their inconstancy


You might be a REDNECK if... 
    ...the duct tape on your car seat sticks to your butt when you get out. 
 
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Proverbs 4:23-27

(23) Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
(24) Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
(25) Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
(26) Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
(27) Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.  
 
The sense of "keep your heart" is that we need to exert more vigilance in guarding our minds than men do over anything else. Governments go to great pains to guard their installations, plans, and secrets, but God says that it is even more important to guard what we allow to reside in our minds.

Why is this is so important? Because our hearts, our minds, guide and direct everything we do, and if we do not guard and protect it from the ungodly ideas, beliefs, and entertainments, it can cause our spiritual downfall. It is in our minds and hearts that our characters are shaped, and if we allow perverse and unrighteous character to enter, the righteous character that God wants to see in us will never form.

The other instructions that Solomon gives spring from this. He tells us to ponder and control what comes out of our mouth and what we allow our eyes to view. He teaches us to make sure our feet stay on the right path, as well as to work on establishing our habits and manner of living, meaning we should not become involved in insensitive, hasty, careless, and destructive actions. The prophet Haggai puts all this very concisely, "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5, 7).

*****

Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

Our Daily Devotional:

Taking God at His Word

Romans 4:3, NIV: "What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'"

Faith is a word that is difficult for many of us to define. In Romans, The last part of chapter 3 through the first part of chapter 5, Paul uses the word "faith" at least 20 times in effort to convey understanding of saving faith. Even after reading his discourse, many of us may still have difficulty defining faith in our own words. Hebrews 11:1 states that "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen." But even this definition contains abstract imagery which spurs a variant of ideas from person to person. A simple way I have heard it stated is that "faith is simply putting your trust in God." Simply put, we take God at His word--that which he says He will do, He will do (Rom. 4:21; Num. 23:19; Jer. 1:12). The same faith that saves us today, saved Abraham many centuries before Jesus was born. "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." We believe God regarding Christ, we take Him at His word that Christ is our salvation--our righteousness (Rom. 1:16). We believe God, and it is counted as righteousness.

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
- Luke 15:17

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WORD FOR THE DAY:

 banausic buh-NAW-sik , adjective:
Serving utilitarian purposes only; mechanical; practical: architecture that was more banausic than inspired.

Banausic to the point of drudgery? Sometimes. Often tedious? Perhaps.
-- David Foster Wallace, The Pale King

To me, the Venetians whom I have met, seem to be merely inadequate, incondite, banausic, and perfectly complacent about it.
-- Frederick Rolfe, The Armed Hands

Banausic comes from the Greek word bánaus meaning "artisan, mere mechanical." It entered English in the 1820s.

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Reminders for Positive Bird Training

If you’re the kind of person who advocates positive
or gentle discipline for children, you’ll definitely go
for positive training for your pets. Here are some tips
on how to keep things positive during training:

    If you’re not feeling up to it, don’t force it.
    Training should be done when you are relaxed
    and ready to practice a lot of patience. If you’re
    feeling stressed over something, not only will the
    parrot pick up on that, but you’ll also find yourself
    sweating the most insignificant things, leading to
    an unnecessary feeling of exasperation and a general
    negative vibe.
    Pick your timing based on your bird as well. If it is
    distracted over feeding and other activities, it will not
    pay attention during your session.
    Rewards are great, but once your pet starts to catch
    on to a trick, switch from treats to verbal affirmation.
    This way, your bird will learn to do the trick even
    when you don’t have a treat handy.
    Do not finish a session on a sour or negative note. Wait
    for something that you can give a treat to, whether a
    successful try or just a brave attempt, before ending a
    session or moving on to the next trick.

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RECIPE:

Coconut-Orange Wafers

Active Time:  15 Minutes
Total Time:  3 Hours 25 Minutes
Yield:  Makes about 60 cookies

Two tropical flavors combine to add both taste and texture to these crisp wafers. Serve them for tea, with an iced drink, or alongside gelato or sorbet.

 INGREDIENTS
1/2  cup butter or margarine, softened
One 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4  teaspoon baking soda
1/4  teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1/4  teaspoon coconut extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2  to 3/4 cup toasted coconut
   

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter or margarine and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat till combined. Beat in the egg, milk, orange peel, and coconut extract. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill for 1 hour, or till dough can be shaped into rolls. Shape each half into an 8-inch roll. Roll in toasted coconut to coat all sides. Wrap each roll in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours, or till firm.

Cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 7 to 9 minutes, or till lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on a rack.

Nutrition Facts per Serving
Yield: Yield:  Makes about 60 cookies
Calories:     50
Fat. Total:     2g
Protein:     1g
Carbohydrates, Total:     7g
Sodium:     19mg
% Cal. from Fat:     36%
Cholesterol:     8mg
       
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Mississippi Mud Pie

Outrageous! A chocolate crumb crust layered with a rich chocolate sauce, crunchy nuts and creamy coffee ice cream. This is a dessert to remember.

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: refrigerate 3 hours
   
 
1 prepared 9-inch chocolate crumb pie crust
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ ® TOLL HOUSE ® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, cut up
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped nuts, divided (optional)
2 pints coffee ice cream, softened slightly, divided
1 garnish of whipped cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

HEAT sugar, morsels, butter, cream and corn syrup in small, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Cool until slightly warm.

DRIZZLE 1/3 cup chocolate sauce in bottom of crust; sprinkle with 1/4 cup nuts. Layer 1 pint ice cream, scooping thin slices with a large spoon; freeze for 1 hour. Repeat with 1/3 cup sauce, 1/4 cup nuts and remaining ice cream. Drizzle with remaining sauce; top with remaining nuts. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Top with whipped cream before serving.

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Pumpkin Pear Strudel

Wrap pears, pumpkin and chopped nuts sweetened with brown sugar and spices in puff pastry sheets and pop them into the oven for a few minutes. Out will come a light and flaky pastry bursting with sweetness and flavor.

Serves: 10
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
   
 
2 cup pears, peeled, cored and diced (about 2 small)
1 cup LIBBY  100% Pure Pumpkin
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/8 teaspoon cloves, ground
1/8 teaspoon ginger, ground
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (from 17.25-oz pkg.), thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar


PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE pears, pumpkin, sugar, nuts, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in medium bowl. Spoon one half of filling in center third of one pastry sheet.

MAKE downward slanting strips in outer sections of pastry (3/4-inch apart) starting about 1 inch away from top of pastry and side of filling, cutting to outside edges. Starting at top, alternately fold left and right side pastry strips over filling forming a braid. Seal at top and bottom of strudel. Place on ungreased rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry sheet. Brush strudel with egg; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Serve warm.

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Refreshing Lemon Dessert

A spreadable pastry crust makes this dessert the easy cousin to lemon meringue pie!

Serves: Makes 16 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
        
 
Filling:
1 package (2.9 ounces) lemon pudding and pie filling mix, (not instant)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 egg yolks
2 cups water
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups frozen (thawed) Whipped topping, or whipped cream

Crust:, (see directions below)
3/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar


1. Heat oven to 400º. Bake Pastry Crust.
2. Make pudding mix as directed on package for pudding, using sugar, 1/4 cup water, egg yolks and 2 cups water; cool slightly. Stir in cream cheese until well blended. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Fold in marshmallows and whipped topping. Spread over crust.
3. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours until set but no longer than 24 hours. Run metal spatula along side of dessert to loosen; remove side of pan. Store covered in refrigerator.


Pasty Crust Directions

Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until creamy. Spread on bottom of ungreased springform pan, 9x3 inches. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

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Roast Potatoes
   
 
Active Time:  15 Minutes
Total Time:  1 Hour
Yield:  Serves 4

Meals involving roasted meats are never quite the same without crisp, golden roast potatoes. Even the simplest ingredients - olive oil, rosemary or salt - will further enhance their wonderful flavor.


 INGREDIENTS
2 pounds starchy or baking potatoes
Oil, for cooking
   

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized pieces - halve or quarter them depending on their size. Place in a large saucepan of salted water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain, then while the potatoes are still hot, hold each one in a cloth and lightly scratch the surface with a fork. Return to the pan and cover to keep hot.


Preheat a roasting pan over high heat and add oil to a depth of about 1/2 inch. As the oil just starts to smoke, add the potatoes in a single layer. Roll them in the hot oil to seal all sides. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden, turning and basting frequently with the oil. Drain on crumpled paper towels, sprinkle with salt and serve while still hot.


CHEF'S TIP:
Boiling potatoes prior to roasting them removes excess sticky starch from the surface, leaving them dry and crisp; scratching the surface contributes texture to that crispness. Rolling hot potatoes in hot oil will then seal them nicely, leaving the centers floury and oil free.

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Potato Chips
   
Total Time:  35 Minutes
Yield:  Serves 6

Potato chips can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

INGREDIENTS
3 large potatoes
Peanut oil, for frying
Salt

DIRECTIONS
Peel potatoes and slice very thinly using a sharp knife. Place in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes.
Fill pan to one-third full with oil and heat to 375 degrees.
Drain potatoes and pat until dry. Deep fry in batches in a single layer for 1-2 minutes. Remove to drain; sprinkle with salt and serve.


Nutrition Facts per Serving
Yield: Yield:  Serves 6
Calories:     152    Sodium:     393mg
Fiber:     1g    Carbohydrates, Total:     17g    Protein:     2g
% Cal. from Fat:     53%
Fat. Total:     9g
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JOKES:

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread."
- Mother Teresa

You might be a REDNECK if...
        ...your kids are going hungry tonight because you just had to have those Yosemite Sam mudflaps.

THINGS TO PONDER:  Why are they called stands when they are made for sitting?

"There's a very positive relationship between people's ability to accomplish any task and the time
they're willing to spend on it."
- Joyce Brothers

You might be a REDNECK if...
        ...you got stopped by a state trooper. He asked you if you had an I.D. And you said, 'Bout What?'


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 An elderly couple was attending a service at their local church on Sunday....

About halfway through the service, Mz Lucy took a pen and paper out of her purse, wrote a note and handed it to her Grandson, Pete.

The note said "I just let out a silent fart, what do you think I should do?"

Pete scribbled back "Put a new battery in your hearing aid!"

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W. C. Fields
"I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food."


Arnold Schwarzenegger
"I have a love interest in every one of my films - a gun."


Frank Lloyd Wright
"TV is chewing gum for the eyes."

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Redneck Logic
 
Two rednecks decided that they weren’t going anywhere in life and thought they should go to college to get ahead.

The first went in to see the counselor, who told him to take math, history, and logic.

“What’s logic?” the first redneck asked.

The professor answered, “Let me give you an example. Do you own a weed eater?”

“I sure do.”

“Then I can assume, using logic, that you have a yard,” replied the professor.

“That’s real good!” said the redneck.

The professor continued, “Logic will also tell me that since you have a yard, you also own a house.”

Impressed, the redneck said, “Amazing!”

“And since you own a house, logic dictates that you have a wife.”

“That’s Betty Mae! This is incredible!”

The redneck was catching on.

“Finally, since you have a wife, logically I can assume that you are heterosexual,” said the professor.

“You’re absolutely right! Why that’s the most fascinatin’ thing I ever heard! I cain’t wait to take that logic class!”

The redneck, proud of the new world opening up to him, walked back into the hallway where his friend was still waiting.

“So what classes are ya takin’?” asked the friend.

“Math, history, and logic!” replied the first redneck.

“What in tarnation is logic?” asked his friend.

“Let me give you an example. Do ya own a weed eater?” asked the first redneck.

“No,” his friend replied.

“You’re queer, ain’t ya?”

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Expensive Redneck Fishing Trip

Two redneck guys go on a fishing trip.

They rent all the equipment: the reels, the rods, the wading suits, the rowboat, the car, and even a cabin in the woods.

They spend a fortune.

The first day they go fishing, but they don’t catch anything.

The same thing happens on the second day, and on the third day.

It goes on like this until finally, on the last day of their vacation, one of the men catches a fish.

As they’re driving home they’re really depressed. One guy turns to the other and says, “Do you realize that this one lousy fish we caught cost us fifteen hundred dollars?”

The other guy says, “Wow! It’s a good thing we didn’t catch any more!”

************************************

Redneck naming the twins

A man was taking his wife, who was pregnant with twins, to the hospital when his car went out of control and crashed.

Regaining consciousness, he saw his brother, a relentless practical joker, sitting at his bed side.

He asked his brother how his wife was doing and his brother said, “Don’t worry, everybody is fine and you have a son and a daughter.

But the hospital was in a real hurry to
get the birth certificates filed and since both you and your wife were unconscious, I named them for you.”

The husband was thinking to himself, “Oh no, what has he done now?” and asked with some trepidation, “Well, bro, what did you name them?”

Whereupon, his brother replied, “I named the little girl Denise.”

The husband, relieved, said, “That’s a lovely name! And what did you come up with for my son?”

The brother winked and replied, “Denephew.”

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Smart Redneck

“Hello, is this the FBI?”

“Yes. What do you want?”

“I’m calling to report about my neighbor Billy Bob Smith! He is hiding marijuana inside his firewood.”

“Thank you very much for the call, sir.”

The next day, the FBI agents descend on Billy Bob’s house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They swore at Billy Bob and left. The phone rings at Billy Bob’s house.

“Hey Billy Bob! Did the FBI come?”

“Yeah!”

“Did they chop your firewood?”

“Yep.”

“Happy Birthday Buddy”

Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

  Revelation 11:3

(3) And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

"Clothed in sackcloth." II Kings 1:8 is the response of some people who reported what they had seen to the king, Ahaziah: "So they answered him, 'A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.' And he said, 'It is Elijah the Tishbite." Matthew 3:4 describes John the Baptist: "Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locust and wild honey." So Elijah and John the Baptist both wore sackcloth. In a way, they are types of these Two Witnesses.

Being clothed in sackcloth has several meanings in the Bible. They are all somewhat similar, but they have nuances that we need to consider.

Sackcloth was worn by those who were in mourning. Recall in Ezekiel 9 that the angel was supposed to mark all those who sighed and cried for all the troubles of Jerusalem. That is a sign of woe, of mourning, or of being sorry for the fall of this once great nation or for their sins.

Sackcloth also can mean repentance, as an outward sign of the inner repentance of a person. Therefore it also has another meaning of being humble. A repentant person should be a humble person. He has seen his sins and turned from them.

Another meaning is austerity. This is one that the world often sees in John the Baptist and Elijah, that they were "poor" men. However, that is not necessarily the case. Austerity does not necessarily mean that one is poor. It can mean though that a person leads a simple lifestyle, and that he has removed the frills that complicate his life. Wearing sackcloth, then, could mean a person has stripped down to the simplest essentials of his physical life.

Of course, the one that goes with this would then be poverty, yet not necessarily physical poverty (a lack of money) but spiritual poverty (poor in spirit). This is a fine way of looking at the wearing of sackcloth in the case of the Two Witnesses—and frankly, of Elijah and John the Baptist. They were ready to be filled and given the riches of God because they had considered themselves lowly and needy. They knew they needed what only God could give. They were poor in spirit.

However, all of these meanings could apply to the Two Witnesses: They mourn for the troubles this world is going through; they are repentant and humble; they are austere, not having any of the frills and complications that clutter other people's lives—they have stripped themselves of the things that would weigh them down so that they can run (Hebrews 12:1); and they are certainly poor in spirit.


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WORD FOR THE DAY:

 vilipend • VIL-uh-pend • verb
1 : to hold or treat as of little worth or account 2 : to express a low opinion of : disparage

Examples:
As a women's movement pioneer, Susan B. Anthony fought against the dictums of those who would vilipend women by treating them as second-class citizens.

"But many accepted canine breeds began in lowly circumstances. No matter how we may vilipend their names, denying their cuteness is difficult." — From Bill Casselman's 2010 book Where a Dobdob Meets a Dikdik

Did you know?
"Vilipend" first appeared in English in the 15th century and comes to us through French from the Latin roots "vilis," meaning "cheap" or "vile," plus "pendere," meaning "to weigh" or "to estimate." These roots work in tandem to form a meaning of "to deem to be of little worth." Both of those roots have weighed in heavily as a source of common English words. Other "vilis" offspring include "vile" and "vilify," while "pendere" has spawned such terms as "append," "expend," and "dispense."

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What Is Your Legacy? Living A Meaningful life
 

“I want the world to be better because I was here. I want my life, I want my work, my family, I want it to mean something and if you are not making someone else’s life better then you are wasting your time” Will Smith

How about you? What is it that you are doing for this world and how are you contributing to making the lives of others and your own better? Somehow we think that there are only a few people who are meant to achieve great things, who are meant to leave a trace on this world and us, well we don’t really matter for we are just normal people.

Well, it shouldn’t really be like that because the only thing that differentiates the great men and women, who’s names live long after they’re gone, are their beliefs about what can or can’t be done. There is so much power in a belief for our beliefs can shape our lives in a miraculous way, or the opposite, into something that is not miraculous at all.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle

Nobody said we all have to be superheroes and that we all have to be rich and famous but I do believe that we all deserve to live a beautiful, peaceful and meaningful life because the power is in our thoughts. Way too many people give up on life too fast and way too many people play the victim card, constantly blaming some outside forces for their misery and they never really get to the point where they are truly happy and live their lives to the fullest.

Know where your heart is, know what you want to experience in life, know the places you want to visit, the goals you want to achieve, the skills you want to master, the kind of friends you want to have and start from there. No matter what you want and no matter which direction you’ll go, always remember to start with the end in mind. Visualize the end results and to hold on to the feelings that come from having your wish fulfilled in your mind’s eye.

“If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand.” Bob Proctor

The moment you understand that you are where you are because of what you have thought and because of what you believed in being possible or impossible, that will be the moment you will also realize that it all lies in your hands. If you want to change your life then I suggest doing something about it right now, in this very moment. If not right now, then when?

Feel free comment below and tell me what exactly do you plan on doing.


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RECIPE:

Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is a lovely, light dessert that is leavened with egg whites. Serve it with fruit, a dusting of powdered sugar, and, if you want, sweetened whipped cream.

Serves: 10 to 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
7 to 12 egg whites
3/4-1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, or other extract or flavoring
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In large mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks. Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved. Beat in flavorings.

Sift together flour, remaining sugar and salt (if desired). Sift about 1/2 cup of the flour mixture over whites. Gently fold just until flour disappears. Repeat, folding in remaining flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Pour into ungreased 10 x 4-inch tube pan. Gently cut through batter with metal spatula or knife and spread evenly.

Bake in preheated 375°F oven until top springs back when lightly touched with finger and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 30 to 40 minutes. Invert cake in pan on funnel or bottleneck. Cool completely, about 1-1/2 hours. With narrow spatula or knife, loosen cake from pan and gently shake onto serving plate. Top with fruit (if desired).

note:
Chocolate - Omit almond extract and increase vanilla to 2 teaspoons. Reduce flour to 2/3 cup and sift in 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa. Prepare batter and bake as above.

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Vegetable Cheese Strudel

Are you looking for a tasty vegetarian recipe?  This meatless main dish has a savory selection of vegetables together with mozzarella cheese, all wrapped up in a flaky puff pastry sheet.

Serves: 6 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
   
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 small green or red Pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips (about 2 cups)
3 ounces mushroom, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 cup cubed eggplant
1 small onion, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices


DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, onion, garlic powder and basil and cook until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is evaporated. Let cool to room temperature.
Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16x12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the vegetable mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry sheet to within 1 inch of the edge. Top with the cheese. Starting at the short side, roll up like a jelly roll. Tuck the ends under to seal. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush with the egg mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Remove the pastry from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

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Beef K Bobs


    What You Need
    1    lb.  beef sirloin steak, cut into 16 pieces
    3     ears corn on the cob, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
    1     green pepper, cut into chunks
    1    cup  KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
    3/4    cup  chopped fresh cilantro

    Make It

    THREAD steak evenly onto 4 skewers. Thread vegetable chunks on 4 additional skewers. Place in shallow glass dish.

    MIX barbecue sauce and cilantro. Pour half the sauce mixture over kabobs; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours to marinate. Refrigerate remaining sauce mixture for serving with kabobs.

    HEAT grill to medium heat. Remove steak kabobs from marinade; discard marinade. Grill 5 min.; turn kabobs over. Add vegetable kabobs to grill; grill 5 to 6 min. or until steak is done and vegetables are crisp-tender. Warm reserved sauce mixture; serve with kabobs.

    Kraft Kitchens Tips
    Cooking Know-How
    For more even cooking on the grill, microwave the corn on HIGH for 2 to 3 min. before threading onto skewers to grill.

    Note
    If using wooden skewers, soak them in water 30 min. before using to prevent them from burning on the grill.
  

 Variation - Easy Pork Kabobs
    Substitute KRAFT THICK 'N SPICY Honey Barbecue Sauce for the KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce and grated peel of 1 lime for the cilantro. Substitute 1 lb. boneless pork loin; 1 large onion, cut into wedges and 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks for the steak, corn and peppers.


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Beer Cheese-Stuffed Pretzels


Enjoy these cheese-stuffed pretzels made with Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust, stout beer and egg – ready in just 30 minutes.


    PREP TIME 15 Min
    TOTAL TIME 30 Min
    SERVINGS 4


INGREDIENTS

1    can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust
1/2    cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
1    egg
1    bottle (12 oz) stout beer
1/4    cup baking soda
1    teaspoon coarse (kosher or sea) salt


    1 Heat oven to 400°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray, or line with cooking parchment paper.
    2 Unroll dough onto lightly floured work surface. Roll dough into 12x14-inch rectangle. Using pizza cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 4 strips.
    3 Along long edge of each dough strip, spread 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Stretch dough over filling; brush edges with water, and pinch to seal. Pick up ends and gently stretch each dough rope to 24 inches long.
    4 To make pretzel shape, form each rope into U shape. Twist ends twice. Press down dough where dough overlaps in an “X.” Pick ends up and fold over so they rest over bottom of U shape. Tuck one end under dough at bottom of U shape; other end lies over dough at bottom of U shape.
    5 In small bowl, beat egg and 1 tablespoon beer with whisk until blended, set aside.
    6 In large microwavable bowl, microwave remaining beer uncovered on High 1 minute 30 seconds or until hot. Slowly add baking soda; stir until dissolved. Dip each pretzel,1 at a time, into beer and soda mixture. Remove with large pancake turner or slotted spoon; place on rack. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes.
    7 Brush pretzels with egg mixture, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Carefully transfer to cookie sheet. Bake 11 to 15 minutes or until tops of pretzels are dark golden brown.

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Bacon Cornbread

Come and get it! Bacon flavors this true southern-style buttermilk cornbread. It's perfect for soups and stews and to complete southern-cooked meals.

    PREP TIME 15 Min
    TOTAL TIME 45 Min
    SERVINGS 12

INGREDIENTS
 
1 1/2    cups yellow cornmeal
1/2    cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1/4    cup vegetable oil or shortening
1 1/2    cups buttermilk
4    slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
2    teaspoons baking powder
    teaspoon sugar
1/2    teaspoon salt
1/2    teaspoon baking soda
2    eggs

    1 Heat oven to 450ºF. Grease round pan, 9x1 1/2 inches, or square pan, 8x8x2 inches.
    2 Stir together all ingredients; beat vigorously 30 seconds. Pour into pan.
    3 Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Expert Tips

If you prefer corn sticks, fill 18 greased corn stick pans about 7/8 full with batter. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

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"Cheese Steak" Pizza

For a complete meal, add a salad on the side.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

 
1 pound ground beef
1 small green or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 small onion, thinly sliced, separated into rings
1 large (16 ounces) Boboli, (or any thick prebaked pizza crust)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTION:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat 6 minutes. Add bell pepper and onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Place Boboli on baking sheet. Remove beef mixture from skillet with slotted spoon; arrange on Boboli. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted; cut into 8 wedges.

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JOKES:

"Each day is a day of steady progress. You may not see it but I do. Persevere. Love and laugh."  --  GOD


THINGS TO PONDER:  How many turtles does it take to make one can of turtle wax?


CONFUCIOUS QUOTE:  The book salesman should be honored because he brings to our attention, as a rule, the very books we need most and neglect most.


You might be a REDNECK if... 
    ...your driving a vehicle with no original body parts.
 
**********************************************

To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worthwhile. The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter.
  - Aleister Crowley

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
  - Thomas Jefferson

Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.
  - W. Somerset Maugham

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MODERN DAY LOGIC

8.    Before you criticize someone, you should first walk a mile in their
shoes.   That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have
their shoes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.    If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.   Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.  Teach a man how to fish,
and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all the live long day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.   If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was
probably worth it.
**********************************************
APHORISM: A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE EXPRESSING A WISE OR CLEVER SAYING:

Examples:
 11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
 12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM.
 - ......It could be a right number.
 13. No one ever says "It's only a game." when their team is winning.
 14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
 15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like
it.

***************************************

QUESTION AND ANSWER

Question:  What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu?

Answer:  For bird flu you need tweetment, and for swine flu you need
oinkment.

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THANK YOU, AROUND THE WORLD:
Thank you in Cantonese (Southeast Asia – Hong Kong)
Do je (daw-dyeh)
Thank you in Croatian (Europe – Croatia)
Hvala (H-vah-lah)
Thank you in Czech (Central Europe)
Dìkuji (deh-Ku-yih)
Thank you in Danish (Europe – Denmark)
Tak (tahg)
Thank you in Estonian (Estonia - Europe)
Aitäh (I.e.-tehkh)

***************************************

Josh Billings
"There's a great power in words, if you don't hitch too many of them together."

Mae West
"Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before."

Woody Allen
"I am not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens."

=============================

Proverbs 14:22
“Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.”

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UST CHANGE ONE LETTER:                            
The Washington  Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any
word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one
letter, and supply a new  definition. Here are this year's winners:
8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (that one got extra credit)
9. Karmageddon (n): Its like, when everybody is sending off all these really
bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a
serious bummer.
10. Decafalon (n.): The  grueling event of getting through the day consuming
only things that are good for you.
12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when
they come at you rapidly.
13. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've
accidentally walked through a spider web.
14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your
bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
15. Caterpallor (n.):  The colour you turn after finding half a grub in the
fruit you're eating.

***************************************

PUZZLE                      

What do these words have in common?
1. Banana
2. Dresser
3. Grammar
4. Potato
5. Revive
6. Uneven
7. Assess

Answer: In all of the words listed, if you take the first letter, place it
at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the
same word.

Did you figure it out?
Yes?   No?

***************************************

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY………..  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit
 but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should
look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 2:3-5

**********************************************

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY……….. 

The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do
not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandments
there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.”  Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the
fulfillment of the law.     Romans 13:9-10, NIV

Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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REMINDER FROM GOD:

Our Daily Devotional:

Getting Through

2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

The week ahead may look unbearably long, even though it has only started. What must be done may look like an impossible task. Perhaps you are already weary, and you cannot imagine where you will find the energy to get through the day--let alone a whole week. Well then, it's time to stop--be still--and simply look to God. Take a deep breath, tell Him your concerns, and take this Word from God with you: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Though it is sometimes hard to see through life's insurmountable clutter, God has all you need to make it through the day--as well as the whole week.

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WORD FOR THE DAY:

 integument in-TEG-yuh-muhnt , noun:
1. A natural covering, as a skin, shell, or rind.
2. Any covering, coating, enclosure, etc.

It seems to me that the process of adding an extra integument is unique to our species and easily understandable—we all want extra protection for our soft and vulnerable bodies.
-- William Boyd, Armadillo

The integuments which he wore in daytime were discarded and others were donned, of a kind which would serve but poorly to keep out the cold and to shed rain, sleet, or snow.
-- Frederick Philip Grove, Consider Her Ways

Integument stems from the Latin root tegumentum meaning "a covering." It is also the root of the dinosaur name stegosaurus.

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9 Reasons Why You Should No Longer Care About People’s Approval
 
    “A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.” Vernon Howard

Approval Seeking Behavior… If you ask me, this is where many of our challenges start. When you are too concerned with what other people think of you, you start sabotaging your life, and you start moving forward but with the breaks on.

“Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner”  Lao Tzu

If you want to live life the way WE want to and not the way others would want us to, we need to let go of our constant need to control what other people think of us, we need to learn to let go of our approval seeking behavior. I know that this is not always an easy task to do and that is exactly why I decided to write about the 9 reasons why you should no longer care about what others think or say of you, to point out some of the things we all know but we just need to be reminded of from time to time.
1. You Simply Can’t Be Liked by Everybody

No matter how much you try and no matter how “nice” you are with people, you simply can’t have everybody like you for there will always be people who will continue talking about you and your “inappropriate” way of thinking, behaving, breathing, dressing, living, etc.

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” Winston Churchill
2. You Can Live a Happy Life Without “Their” Approval

You are not less or more of a person based on how many people like and approve of you. While growing up we were told that in order to be liked by others we must be nice to people and we are, but somehow we keep encountering people that don’t seem to like us. So why is that? Is there something wrong with us? Not really. Just because some people don’t like us, does not imply that there is something wrong with us, for that is not true. You are already, whole and complete and you don’t need other people’s approval in order to feel this way. How freeing is that?

“Self-worth comes from one thing – thinking that you are worthy.” Wayne Dyer
3. You Can’t Control What Other People Think of You

 I came to the realization that we all live in different worlds, a different reality for each and every one of us, reality that was built based on our thoughts, beliefs, experiences, based on what we were taught while growing up. What I might see as being right, other people might see as being wrong, and what I might see as being beautiful other people might see as being ugly.

We all have a different perception on how life should be lived and how people should act, and instead of wasting your time thinking about what other people think and say of you, why not spend that time improving and growing yourself, knowing that: “Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.” Einstein
4. Approval Seeking Behavior is Time Consuming

It take a lot of your time, time that can be used to do the things that you really enjoy doing.
5. Approval Seeking Behavior Drains Your Energy.

Every time you spend time thinking and talking about what X or Y said about you, not only are you wasting your time, but you are also wasting your precious energy.
6. Freedom to Be Who You Want to Be

When you no longer care about what other people think of you, you start being yourself and you start behaving the way you always wanted but you couldn’t because of all the restrictions and limits you imposed on yourself. You have no idea how much freedom comes with letting go of your need to control what other people think of you. Just give it a chance and you will understand what I am talking about.
7. Inner Peace

We all seek peace and we all want to be happy and the moment you stop caring about what “they” think, you will find just that.

“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” Peace Pilgrim
8. You Are The One In Control of Your Life, Not Them!

Mind your own business and live your life, the way you want to, the way it best suits you, and let go of your approval seeking behavior.

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” Arthur Gordon
9. The ONLY Person You Must Get Approval From Is YOU!

If you like and approve of yourself, believe me, it will no longer matter if people say nice things about you or not, for you will understand: “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” Carl Jung

You get to a point where you know, them talking about you has little or nothing to do with how you think, act, live, etc., but a lot to do with how they think, and who they perceive reality. A lot of times, what we can’t accept in others are the things we haven’t accepted in ourselves, whether we are consciously aware of this truth or not.

“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself as someone who needs to judge.” Wayne Dyer

    approval addiction, approval seeking behavior, how to stop seeking approval, overcoming approval addiction, seeking acceptance and approval


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RECIPE:

Greek Salad

Let us show you how easy it is to make this refreshingly delicious Greek salad right in your own kitchen.

Serves: 1 serving (about 4 cups)
Prep Time: 25 minutes

2 cups romaine lettuce torn into bite-sized pieces
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
1/2 cup peeled, sliced cucumber
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
2 tablespoons prepared fat-free red wine vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm® Whole Grain Seasoned Croutons
1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
3 pitted kalamata olive, chopped


Place the lettuce, tomato, cucumber and oregano into a medium bowl.  Add the dressing and toss to coat.  Top with the croutons, cheese and olives.

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Apple Cherry Turnovers

Turn escalloped apples into an extra-fruity pastry with the addition of dried cherries. Wrap the fruit in delicate pastry sheets and bake until crisp.


Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 (12oz.) package STOUFFER'S Harvest Apples, fully heated according to package instructions
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 (17.3 oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted according to package instructions


DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT oven to 400°F.

COMBINE Escalloped Apples and dried cherries in small bowl. Unfold puff pastry sheet; cut into four equal squares.

SPOON 1/4 apple mixture onto center of each square. For each turnover, fold one corner of dough over filling to form triangle; crimp edges of each turnover with fork to seal. Place turnovers on a baking sheet.

BAKE for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired.


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Familytime Roast Turkey for Beginners

Roasting a turkey gives many home cooks pause, especially if it's their first one. Don't let it scare you! It's not hard, but does require some advanced planning and timing. Read our article called How to Roast a Turkey if you have time -- and most importantly, follow this step-by-step recipe. You'll end up with a delicious, moist, golden brown turkey.

Serves: 12 to 16
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: about 4 hours

 
One 16-pound turkey, fresh or frozen and defrosted
salt
Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil or Prego Chunky Garden Mushroom & Green Pepper Italian Sauce
8 cups stuffing, optional

DIRECTIONS;


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Position the oven rack so that the turkey will be as centered in the oven as possible without hitting the roof of the oven.

Take the turkey from the refrigerator and remove the package of giblets from the body or neck cavity. (Use the giblets to make stock and gravy.) Rinse the turkey under cold water, drain and wipe the cavity clean with paper towels. Set the turkey, breast side up (the flatter side down), on a flat rack in a large roasting pan. The pan should be 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep and roomy enough to hold the turkey comfortably. Lightly rub the turkey inside and out with salt. Rub it with vegetable oil.

If stuffing the turkey, spoon the stuffing into the body and neck cavities of the turkey. Do not pack it tightly. There is no need to truss the turkey to hold the stuffing inside. Roast the stuffed turkey for about 15 minutes to the pound. For a 16-pound, stuffed turkey, this is about 4 hours. If the turkey is not stuffed, it will roast a little faster, in about 3 1/2 hours.

After 3 hours of roasting, look at the turkey (check about 30 minutes sooner for an unstuffed bird). If the breast is golden brown, cover it loosely with foil to protect it from becoming too brown, while the dark meat continues to cook. If the breast is not golden brown yet, wait for 15 to 20 minutes and check again.

About 30 minutes before the turkey should be done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest section of the thigh; do not let the wand of the thermometer touch the bone. The turkey is done when the dark meat is 180 degrees F. Insert the thermometer into the stuffing. It should register 160 to 165 degrees F. in the center.

Remove the turkey from the oven and use large spoons or spatulas to transfer it to a platter. Try not to pierce the skin during transfer. Let the turkey sit for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. There is no need to cover the turkey to keep it warm. Skim the fat off the pan drippings and use the remaining drippings to make gravy (see our recipe for Basic Turkey Gravy). Carve the turkey by first removing the drum sticks and thighs. Cut off the wings. Slice the breast meat from the turkey.


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Apple Lasagna

Apples and pasta? You bet. This is a tasty and unexpected dessert. Use your own homemade apple pie filling, if you prefer.

Serves: 12 to 15
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 mins.

 
8 uncooked lasagna noodles
two 20-ounce cans apple pie filling

Filling
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sugar

Topping
6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
Dash ground nutmeg

Garnish
1 cup sour cream, optional
1/3 cup brown sugar, optional


DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions for al dente. Drain.

Spread 1 can of apple pie filling in the pan, slicing any extra thick apples. Layer 4 lasagna noodles over the apples to cover.

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg substitute, and almond extract. Spread evenly over lasagna and top with the remaining 4 pieces of lasagna. Spread the remaining can of apple pie filling over the lasagna.

In a small bowl, crumble together the flour, margarine, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle over the apple filling.

Bake for about 45 minutes until the top is lightly brown and the filling is bubbling hot. Remove from the oven and let the dessert stand for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the sour cream and brown sugar together.

Cut the lasagna into serving pieces and top each with a dollop of sour cream mixture.

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Ambrosia

Fix this Ambrosia salad for your family and friends. Sweet and fruity, yet low in fat, this mixture of succulent fruits will delight your family and guests.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: none; refrigerate 30 minutes
   
 INGREDIENTS:    
 
3 (15 oz. each) cans chunky fruit cocktail, drained
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup flaked coconut
2 bananas, thinly sliced
2/3 cup (5 oz.can) NESTLÉ  Carnation  Evaporated Milk
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS:

COMBINE fruit cocktail, oranges, marshmallows, coconut, bananas and evaporated milk in large bowl.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Stir in strawberries before serving

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Fresh Lemon Meringue Pie

This classic lemon meringue pie is a crowd pleaser.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
   
 
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water, cold
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 egg yolks, well beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups boiling water
grated lemon zest, from 1/2 lemon
2 drops yellow food coloring, (optional)
3 egg whites, for meringue
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, for meringue
6 tablespoons sugar, for meringue
1 (9-inch) pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prick the bottom of the pie crust and cover it with aluminum foil. To prevent the pie crust from bubbling, spread dried beans, dry rice, or pie weights over the foil. Bake for about 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Set the partially baked pie crust on a wire rack. Remove the dried beans, dry rice or pie weights and foil. Let the crust cool completely.

Put the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan and whisk to mix. Gradually stir in the cold water and lemon juice. Whisk in the egg yolks.

Add the butter and boiling water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer rapidly for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest (not peel) and food coloring, if using. Pour the into the cooled pie crust.

Spread the Three-Egg Meringue (see below) over the filling, sealing well at edges.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned on top. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours before serving.

Three-Egg Meringue:

In a clean dry bowl of an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat 3 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar until foamy. Increase the speed to high and slowly beat in 6 tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks form.


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JOKES:

THINGS TO PONDER:  How does the guy who runs the snowplow get to work in the morning?

THINGS TO PONDER:  What is the purpose of the red string on Band-Aid brand adhesive packages?
   
"Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by
the person we become." - Jim Rohn

"Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you
are sure to succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

You might be a REDNECK if...
        ...your state's got a new law that says when a couple gets divorced, they are still legally brother and sister.

You might be a REDNECK if...
        ...the flood history of the area can be seen on your living room walls.

**********************************************

English: This is your Captain speaking, we have leveled off and are
cruising at flight level three five zero, feel free to move about the
cabin, also the First Officer has turned off the no smoking sign, the
flight attendants will be serving cocktails and refreshments momentarily,
so just sit back and enjoy the rest of the flight, we'll be arriving at
our destination in 20 minutes, and I expect no delays. Enjoy the rest of
your flight.

Ebonics: Ebonia Airlines Dis be yo' main man, we be chillin at tray-five
-o, if you be flexin get up off yo ass and shake that thang, my homey be
killin the man's opression if you wanna smoke chronic, just hang loose
blood, them bitches be cruizin on up with some forty-ounce 8-ball, so stop
trippin and sit your ass back down, we be in the hood in no time afterall,
i be bumpin switches all da' way. Peace out!

**********************************************

All the farmers for a hundred miles around were attending the wedding of a
young Australian couple. Waiting for things to get started, they were
somewhat shocked to see the bride's father storm up the aisle, jacket off,
sleeves rolled up, and obviously very angry. "The weddin's off," he
shouted, "Everybody bugger off!" Dismayed and muttering, the guests
repaired to the parking lot, grumbling about their missed opportunity for
free beer. One guest, a friend of the bride's father, held back, and
approached him. "What's the problem?" he asked. "Someone stole a keg of
beer, and some bastard fucked the bride!", exclaimed the father. The
guest, taken aback, and rendered speechless, left the church, joining the
other farmers. A few minutes later, the father reappeared and yelled "All
right! Everyone back inside! The weddin's on again!" As the farmers filed
back into the church, the friend again approached the father of the bride,
and asked "What happened to make you change your mind?"
Grinning sheepishly, he replied, "Oh, well, we... uh... we found the keg
of beer."

**********************************************


There were two people having sex in a car. They finished up and the guy thew the comdom out the window. His girlfriend got mad at him she wanted to go again. So he got out of the car and went to find the condom.
He found that a little boy had found it and when he asked for it back the boy refused. "C'mon" he begged, "I'll give u a dollar."
"Well," little boy thought, "Okay."

So the little boy ran home. "Mom, you'll never guess what just what just happened! I sold this guy a twinky for a dollar, but I tricked him. I sucked the cream out of it first!"

**********************************************

Never be afraid to say I love you, never be scared to say you care, breathe in every bit of life and take chances, you only get one life, its not a rehearsal.


Q: How do you find Ronald McDonald in a nudist colony?

A: Look for sesame seed buns.

**********************************************
THINGS TO PONDER :       Why are most homes white? 

CONFUCIOUS QUOTE:     Learning without thought is labor lost.

You might be a REDNECK if... 
    ...your whole family is Democrats except little Mary. She lernt to readin'
 
It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.
  - G. K. Chesterton

The trouble with facts is that there are so many of them.
  - Samuel McChord Crothers

The gods too are fond of a joke.
  - Aristotle


*******************************************
TRIVIA:

Do buffalo roam the Polish plains?
There are buffalo in Poland. They live mainly in the area of the Bialowieza Forest and are known as "zubra." The well-known Polish vodka Zubrowka, which means "buffalo brand," takes its name from these animals.


What is the 'Sandcastle Effect?"
The "Sandcastle Effect" was identified by researchers at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana and first published on June 18, 1997. It explained why sandcastles do not collapse after the sand in them has almost totally dried out.


What was the title of the U.S.'s first children's book?
The first children's book that was published in the U.S. was called "Spiritual Mild for Boston Babes in wither England Drawn from the Breast of Both Testaments for Their Soul's Nourishment."


How loud is a lion's roar?
An adult lion's roar can be heard up to five miles away, and warns off intruders or reunites scattered members of the pride.


Which nation eats the most meat?
Argentineans eat more meat than any other nation in the world -- an average of 10 ounces per person per day.


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Tags: Religion, Recipes, Tidbits, Jokes,

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