One good thing about winter–soup. There’s nothing better than to come in from frigid frost to an aroma of a hot dish ready to eat. This recipe calls for a crock pot. I prefer it cooked slow in an iron skillet. Either way, it’s delicious. Southwest Black Bean Chicken Soup Ingredients 1 pound cooked chicken 3 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chili peppers…
Recently we hosted our annual family picnic at our farm. We always pick pumpkins and any other produce on a hayride through nearby fields after a hearty lunch of hot dogs and delicious sides. This year Vic planted turnips. Most in the guests didn’t know what they were or what they tasted like. Our dear ancestor, Lucy, could have told them. In 1890 that’s all she and her children had to eat after a killing drought and prairie fire consumed…
Recently my husband, Vic and son, Josh along with Vic’s sister, Karen and her husband, Doug, visited New York. The rest of our party had never been there before. The city now contains over eight and a half million people. Our sight-seeing bus ride which was to take an hour around lower Manhattan lasted two and a half hours. Streets jammed with stalled traffic. Sidewalks were almost impassable. Fire truck and ambulance sirens competed with the middle-eastern songs blaring from…
I don’t know about you, but I don’t spend a lot of time in the Old Testament book of Judges. Perhaps we should. I ran across this scripture the other day. You know when the Lord wants you to see something, how it kind of jumps off the page at you? That’s what this scripture did. It was a day or two after the nut job killed those fifty people in Las Vegas. See if these words stick to you…
When I drove by a local church recently the words on their message board read, “Put God on Your Calendar.” For me, that statement went down sideways. It was like saying God was an add-on—something you must remember to do. In my thinking God is so much more than an item on my calendar or a line on a “to do” list. Since I’m a writer, rewrites are always a part of the process, so my writer brain kicked into…
Ever wonder what the weather will be this winter? Check the inside of a persimmon seed, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. WINTER WEATHER FOLKLORE Pixabay HOW TO PREDICT WEATHER WITH A PERSIMMON SEED Cut open a persimmon seed. (The fruit should be locally-grown to reflect your weather. A ripe seed works best.) Image from www.hoosierweather.com Look at the shape of the kernel inside. If the kernel is spoon-shaped, lots of heavy, wet snow will fall. Spoon = shovel! If it is fork-shaped, you can expect…
Once zucchini gets going it doesn’t know how to stop. Here’s a way to use about seven of them and lower carbs at the same time. This recipe freezes well for a quick dinner on a rushed day. Lasagna with Zucchini Ingredients 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil salt…
A writer loves to hear from their readers, and I’m no exception. When I was at the Christian Writers Conference in Fort Scott recently, I met a new friend, Maranatha. She bought one of my God’s Little Miracle Books to use as a devotional to start the day with her homeschooled kids. I received an email from her recently which read: Dear Sally, I just wanted to pop in and say your first book on miracles is proving to be…
Dad constantly made something out of nothing. He loved anything to do with flying—even kites. Each March he caught the bug to build new ones. Since our front yard was about 18 acres, it was a perfect place to fly them. He’d carefully choose thin sticks, lashed them together into a cross and notched all the ends. He’d use thin string to fit into the notches and tie it together at the bottom end. We glued pieces of newspaper together…
Soon it will be time to gather the fall apple crop. Here is one of our family favorites. Apple Betty Preheat oven 350* Grease baking dish Part 1 2 c. sliced apples ( I like Jonathan’s best for cooking) 1 T. flour 1/3 c. brown sugar 1/8 t. salt 1/4 t. cinnamon Put apples into greased baking dish. Mix other ingredients and sprinkle over apples Part 2 1/2 c. flour 1/3 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats…