>Saturday, We Have a Winner!

>Welcome, to a wonderful Saturday!

This morning I have some delicious cranberry-apple muffins in the oven and coffee ready (Starbucks Christmas Blend is here!). Yummy!

I want to announce our winner for  this week‘s giveaway:

How did I do this? Following the old-time way of doing fun things. I wrote down numbers 1-10 on 10 little pieces of paper, then I  put them in one of my bowls and picked one: Comment number nine!

Congratulations, Emily! Please drop me an email or a message on fb with your mail address, so I can send you your gift.

Now, talking again about the muffins in the oven…

Don’t think that I have always done this, waking up early on Saturday mornings to bake for my family. It has been something I have learned to do this past year. I always wanted to be “that kind of mom” but I always wished for that to happen, until one day, in prayer, I asked the Lord to help me serve my family in better and practical ways.

The next thing: I woke up earlier and started doing it!

Today I am grateful that I can serve my family in simple ways such as baking for them.

P.S I am enjoying our Philippians Study a lot! (We are already on week six, what a joy it has been!)

>Hello, Saturday

>Good morning, Saturday!

It is very cold this morning; I am still on my pj’s and coffee is almost ready; I am ready to bake some orange scones for my family, I am sure they would love to wake up and find some warm treats… I will be back in  a minute.

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Here I am ready to enjoy the day; the scones turned out great! You should give them a try! (Petra, if you are reading this…I thought about you while baking them, hope one day we could have a real “tea- party” with our friends!)

Today I want to share with you my grateful note….

I am grateful for my dear friend Eileen, for all the effort she has been putting into writing our Philippians study. She has done an incredible job, and has put a lot of effort into it. This is the first time I have studied a book like this, and I have learned a lot. It has been a joy to dig into the Scriptures and treasure these words in my heart.

If you have not followed the study I encourage you to start it today. It is here for you, take advantage of it; I am sure you will be blessed and you will also exercise some discipline into the constant study of the Word of God (there is homework for 5 days of the week). You can start on the introduction, or directly into week one.

I wrote this prayer after one of the studies (based on Philippians 1)

Thank you, Lord, for remembering me and my children; 
I glorify you, O God, from whom all grace and peace flow.
Thank you, Lord, because you have called me to be part of your family, 
to have partnership in the gospel with the saints around the world.
Thank you, because whenever I see my sin, 
whenever I struggle to mortify my flesh, 
your Spirit remind me that it is You who began the good work in me, 
it is by grace that you have called me and by grace that I will finish the race; 
it is You who will complete the good work in me. 
It is not because of me, but because of you, and on this promise I rest assured.
Lord, help me not to forget in my prayers those who are suffering persecution for the gospel’s sake, 
and help me to be ready, if the day comes, 
to stand firm as the saints who have been willing to die joyfully while defending and confirming the 
gospel.
Father in Heaven, help me to abound in your love, in your Word, 
that I might be ready to discern and approve what is excellent in your sight, 
and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ;
let my life be fruitful at all times, 
in every season, 
let me bear the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ,
to the glory and praise of God.
In Jesus’ name which is above all names.
Amen

Have a wonderful Saturday, dear friends.

Around the corner. 

I have been reading this series by Sharon entitled Parenting with Humility from A to Z, maybe, if you have time, you would like to read it:

Parenting with Humility from A to Z – part one-
Parenting with Humility from A to Z – part two
Parenting with Humility from A to Z – part three-
Parenting with Humility from A to Z – part four-

And Trisha has posted today a very insightful post  about parenting, No Cookie Cutter Children. You don’t want to miss it!

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A Gift For You -A Good Book-

One of my favorite things to do, is to sit and enjoy a good cup of coffee with good friends. I love when my friends encourage me to good works, when they share how they win their battles, and how much they love their families.

Friends like these are a gift from God. I am forever grateful for each one of you!

Dear friends, I am glad to say that the winner of my first giveaway is:

I am very excited to read again the book, The Fruit of Her Hands, by Nancy Wilson, along with you. And if you are just jumping in, and would like to join us, read our reading schedule here.

I pray that God will help me be more sensitive to my husband and children’s needs as I read; I want to be the kind of woman that my children and husband call “blessed”.


Have a most joyous weekend!

What About Apples, Spinach and Blue Cheese in a Tart?

This is our first weekend after being away for a whole month, so I am craving a nice dinner and a slow weekend.

I looked through some of my favorite recipes and found this one on my former blog, and thought you might like to try it, I will bake one tonight.

I have some great friends, and one of them, Ces, now living in Vancouver, gave me once a cookbook that I have used several times with great enthusiasm and delicious results…(the only thing that I literally threw away, were some brownies that sounded great but I forgot to add the sugar!) I am still waiting -and hoping- that all will forget that experience so I can try making them again.

This tart, however, has become one of my favorite dishes. It is creamy, and the flavours just melt in your mouth…the sweetness of apples with the strong flavor of blue cheese is absolutely a delight, and there is still more; you serve it with an onion-thyme confit.

It looks beautiful on the table, great for brunches, lunches, buffets, or even a lighter dinner.

I would like to share the recipe with you…ENJOY, and then tell me what you though about it.

Apple, Spinach and Blue Cheese Tart.

1 pre-baked tart shell (I use TB’s recipe-below-)

1 tbsp (15ml) butter

1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil

1 cup (240 ml) chopped leeks

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked pepper

1 bunch of spinach, stemmed, washed and wilted

3 eggs

1 cup (240 ml) light cream

1 cup (240 ml) crumbled blue cheese

Note: If you are serving little kids, you may want to use 1/2 cup blue cheese and 1/2 cup of a mild
white cheese. ( I used Mexican manchego)

3 apples, a combination of red and green.

1 egg white , slightly beaten.

UNO.

Heat butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and sauté until the leeks are soft. Set aside to cool. wilt the spinach, squeeze out excess water and chop. Next, lightly, beat the eggs in a bowl. add cream, salt and pepper and whisk together.

DOS.

To assemble tart, evenly distribute crumbled blue cheese over bottom of the pre- baked tart shell. Follow with the leeks and the spinach. Pour the egg mixture over top.

TRES.

Quarter and core the apples. Thinly slice each quarter into 8 thin wedges. Starting at the outer edge of the tart, overlap apple slices, skin sides facing out, in a circle around the edge. Spiral the overlapping slices towards the center of the tart to cover the entire surface. Beat the egg white in a small bowl and brush over the apples. Place the tart on a baking tray and bake at 350ºF for 25- 30 mins., or until egg is set and the crust has browned. Let the tart rest for at least 15 mins ( I let it stand for almost 30 mins) before serving from the pan. Cut into wedges and serve with the onion-thyme confit on the side.

You want to know something? I forgot to take a picture of the result!  but just imagine it…

ONION- THYME CONFIT

2 tbsp butter

2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced.

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp minced thyme

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Melt the butter in a skillet; add onions, salt and sauté 10 mins. Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for 20 min., until the onions are golden, sweet and broken down.

TB’s Tart/ Pie Shell

Never fails…just add 4 tbsp sugar if you are using it with a sweet pie or tart.

2 cups flour

300 grs. butter (3 1/2 sticks)

4 egg yolks

12 tbsp cold water

Work together into a nice and smooth dough.

I really hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. May your conversations around the table be better yet!

Ces, I miss you!

Friday is For Visiting Others

Friday is here, and I would love to invite you to take a look at these:

What about sugar cookies wrapped around a brownie? Sounds like a great idea for this weekend, right?
You can find the recipe at Bakerella

If you are not in the mood to bake, but would rather start a new art project…(I am planning on doing this with my daughter!) Check out what Geninne is up to; and remember that she has a beautiful shop you can visit here.

And while baking or drawing, you can listen to Karen Moore, a Latin teacher and author, about the benefits of studying Latin. Or you can read in my former blog, what Joanna Hensley wrote about Why Classical Languages Matter, the BEST article I have ever read on this topic!

You can also print a beautiful Weekly Menu Planner here.

And finally, you can visit the most creative place to find “artistic” and easy recipes here. 

And if you want…you can find me here today, Reaching Out… In Your Home

Have a most blessed weekend!

The first four pictures belong to the pages I am linking to. The last one is mine…

Slowing Down and Reading your Journal

 The sun is warming our kitchen. I am ready for coffee and I will bake some muffins for my Beloved and kids.

Saturday is here.

Saturdays are great for slowing down and taking time to read some of what you have written in your journal (blog); and examine yourself.

As I come and read and ponder over words in paper, words in the blog, it is easier to take a closer look and examine myself.

Am I really doing something to destroy that particular sin which I love to feed?

What has happened with such attitude?

Have I done what I said I needed to do?

Where I am now?

This is why I keep a journal, this is the reason I write. My thoughts are many, and I need to see to see from outside to examine my life.

I also write, because my mind is prone to wander, prone to forget how the Lord has brought us out of many trials before with His outstretched right hand. I do not want to forget His endless gifts. His mercies. My prayers and my songs.

So, today, from the archives (of the former -so much loved- blog) this is what I found:

Repentance and Forgiveness

A Night Thought

In Silence

Lessons from a Lost Book and Cable

May your wanderings through your journal (blog) today bring you closer to Him.