Between last night and today, I have handled about as much pumpkin as I can stand... LOL who am I kidding? I LOVE pumpkin!!! =D Last night I started with getting out the seeds and cutting/peeling, but couldn't finish cuz I was getting picked up to go to the Robin Mark concert (which was AWESOME by the way, check out my pics on Facebook!), so I finished cutting it all up today. I boiled it, drained it - by the way, pumpkin holds on to a lot of water! I had to put it all through the sieve TWICE because even after pressing through the first time, there was still a lot of water in the bowl with the pumpkin! So anyways, I was super amazed at how easy the pumpkin mashed, it was sooo soft after boiling it, I pretty much just used a spoon to squish it lol...
So by the time I got the pumpkin ready to actually use, and everything was cleaned up, the kids were here (Monday afternoons kids come over after school to hang out with Debby for a couple hours, they're awesome!), and we usually feed them, so I made pumpkin pancakes and scrambled eggs for us all... They were really good, the girls that were here (there were only two that came today because the rest that usually come have H1N1) really liked them! =)
Side note: speaking of eggs, we get eggs from Winnipeg Harvest (unclaimed eggs where Debby works, so she's allowed to bring them home for us, woohoo!), and I cracked one open to use for the pancakes, AND THERE WERE TWO YOLKS IN IT! TWO! IN ONE SHELL!!! hahahaha I had never seen that before!
Okay, back to pumpkin... After the girls left, I made some pumpkin cheesecake! I haven't tried it yet because it has to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before being sliced and it's only been 2... But even after the pancakes and cheesecake, I still had a full cup of pumpkin left, so I made cookies!!! =D I had to half the recipe cuz it called for 2 cups, but I still got 2.5 dozen, which is good! and they are DELICIOUS!!!!! =D they are a soft cookie, and you can really taste the pumpkin in them, it makes me happy =)
And because my friend Alison has requested recipes, here are the recipes I used tonight:
Pumpkin Pancakes
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup pumpkin (but I used a full cup)
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 whole wheat flour
Combine ingredients, mix until blended. I like to cook my pancakes in a frying pan, but I'm sure it'll work if you have an electric griddle or something...
Serves 2-4
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Mix and press into bottom and sides of pan. Bake 10 minutes @ 350F
Filling:
12 oz (1 1/2 pkgs) cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups pumpkin
Beat cheese, sugar, and flour in large bowl until creamy. Beat in remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over crust. Bake until knife in center comes out clean (mine took about 1.5 hours). Refrigerate at least 4 hours before slicing. Keep refrigerated.
Pumpkin Cookies (this is the halved recipe that I used, I didn't add raisins or nuts)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup raisins (opt.)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (opt.)
Mix sugar, pumpkin, oil and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together; add to moist mixture and stir until smooth. Blend in raisins/nuts. Drop by teaspoon on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
"You Won't Relent" Jesus Culture
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
I'll set You as a seal upon my heart,
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death,
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
I'll set You as a seal upon my heart,
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death,
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
I don't wanna talk about You like You're not in the room,
Wanna look right at You,
Wanna sing right to You
I don't wanna talk about You like You're not in the room,
Wanna look right at You,
Wanna sing right to You
I don't wanna talk about You like You're not in the room,
Wanna look right at You,
Wanna sing right to You
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
I'll set You as a seal upon my heart,
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death,
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more than You Jesus!
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
I'll set You as a seal upon my heart,
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death,
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
I'll set You as a seal upon my heart,
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death,
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
I don't wanna talk about You like You're not in the room,
Wanna look right at You,
Wanna sing right to You
I don't wanna talk about You like You're not in the room,
Wanna look right at You,
Wanna sing right to You
I don't wanna talk about You like You're not in the room,
Wanna look right at You,
Wanna sing right to You
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all,
My heart is Yours
I'll set You as a seal upon my heart,
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death,
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more
There's nothing we want more than You Jesus!
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
Come be the fire inside of me,
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me,
Until You and I are one
Another Break-Up? =(
Well, for those who know what's going on with a certain boy, things have just taken another turn...
I was at his house on Friday cuz he had a Smitty's staff party thing, and I crashed at his place cuz I wasn't gonna bike home in the wee hours of the morning after drinking...
So early early early Saturday morning, after everyone else had left, he told me that he loves me. And the day that I broke up with him was the day that he was gonna tell me... And he wanted to be back with me...
One of the big problems that I had with this, was that I still love him too. But between the time we broke up and now, I had learned to love him as a friend, and now he has reopened that love that I had for his as more than a friend...
But the main reason why I had broken up with him was because he does not follow Christ. For me, dating is a prep for marriage, and to date him would be like seeing if I could spend the rest of my life with him. But I cannot marry someone who is not a Christ-follower because we would not be on the same spiritual journey, and that is hugely important to me.
So I had to tell him over and over that night that we could not be in a dating relationship because I need to follow Christ. But I did tell him that I love him, and he questioned it... I told him that I love him so much, more than I've ever loved anyone else I've dated, but I love Christ more and that's why we can't be together...
To someone who doesn't know Christ, this is not fair. I totally see where he's coming from... But I just wish he could see where I'm coming from... This is killing me because I've hurt him so much, because of my own rebellion against God in choosing to date him in the first place, I have hurt him in a way that nobody else could. I feel absolutely horrible...
And I feel like if there was even any chance of him coming to know God, I've completely pushed him away. I think that's the worst part of this all... ='(
Please keep us both in your prayers, we need it desperately...
I was at his house on Friday cuz he had a Smitty's staff party thing, and I crashed at his place cuz I wasn't gonna bike home in the wee hours of the morning after drinking...
So early early early Saturday morning, after everyone else had left, he told me that he loves me. And the day that I broke up with him was the day that he was gonna tell me... And he wanted to be back with me...
One of the big problems that I had with this, was that I still love him too. But between the time we broke up and now, I had learned to love him as a friend, and now he has reopened that love that I had for his as more than a friend...
But the main reason why I had broken up with him was because he does not follow Christ. For me, dating is a prep for marriage, and to date him would be like seeing if I could spend the rest of my life with him. But I cannot marry someone who is not a Christ-follower because we would not be on the same spiritual journey, and that is hugely important to me.
So I had to tell him over and over that night that we could not be in a dating relationship because I need to follow Christ. But I did tell him that I love him, and he questioned it... I told him that I love him so much, more than I've ever loved anyone else I've dated, but I love Christ more and that's why we can't be together...
To someone who doesn't know Christ, this is not fair. I totally see where he's coming from... But I just wish he could see where I'm coming from... This is killing me because I've hurt him so much, because of my own rebellion against God in choosing to date him in the first place, I have hurt him in a way that nobody else could. I feel absolutely horrible...
And I feel like if there was even any chance of him coming to know God, I've completely pushed him away. I think that's the worst part of this all... ='(
Please keep us both in your prayers, we need it desperately...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
When Do Thing Start to Get Better?
Hello readers. I haven't really been up to blogging lately, to be quiet honest i've been lazy (haha) but there's also been a lot happening... Not really gonna get into it now though...
One thing I do wanna blog about is the issue of what to wear to church. We got onto this topic on Saturday at Weston during out Sunday School training day, it was interesting to hear the views of some of the older generation, as well as from some people from my generation that were there.
I do remember as a kid wearing my "Sunday best", and then having to wear my Junior Soldier uniform (black dress pants and a white blouse). But now a days, people both young and old come wearing jeans and a tshirt. Is that wrong? One thing that was said was that as long as people come to church and hear the Word of God, what does it matter what they wear? This came from a mother of 4 boys who would rather they come to church than fight about what they wear. She has learned to pick her battles. Good point!
I have also heard the argument that you should dress nice because you are going to God's house. But my argument is, is it really God's house? I mean, a house implies that someone lives there. Does God really live in our church building? I know in the Old Testament He lived in the Tabernacle that the Israelites would have to tear down and set up everywhere, which implied that it wasn't a permanent residence for God. It wasn't until Solomon built the Temple that God had a permanent home on earth. But what about our Christian church buildings? Does God really reside there? I believe He is present, but I don't believe He lives there. I believe that He lives in our hearts. I believe He lives in the Church (people), not the church (building).
So what does that mean for church attire? I think that if God is in our hearts - inside us - what does is matter what we wear on the outside? Christ's blood covers our sins and washes our HEARTS white as snow, not our clothes.
Of course, I would stick within society's clothes standards, I wouldn't show up to church in a bikini (I wouldn't wear one anyways) or even nude (haha), but i'm completely okay if someone comes to church Sunday morning in ripped jeans. I would be okay if someone did come in their "Sunday best", as some people in my church do, that's okay! I personally just wanna wear something that's comfortable, something I can move in, something I can worship God in, and for me that would be jeans and a tshirt.
Now in the Salvation Army, there is a uniform, and i'm not gonna get into that cuz that's a whole other tangent, though I will say that the Salvation Army uniform is a symbol and a representation, something I would never want to get rid of. I do not wear a uniform because I am not a Senior Soldier (member of the church), I am simply an adherent.
I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on what you wear to church and why!
One thing I do wanna blog about is the issue of what to wear to church. We got onto this topic on Saturday at Weston during out Sunday School training day, it was interesting to hear the views of some of the older generation, as well as from some people from my generation that were there.
I do remember as a kid wearing my "Sunday best", and then having to wear my Junior Soldier uniform (black dress pants and a white blouse). But now a days, people both young and old come wearing jeans and a tshirt. Is that wrong? One thing that was said was that as long as people come to church and hear the Word of God, what does it matter what they wear? This came from a mother of 4 boys who would rather they come to church than fight about what they wear. She has learned to pick her battles. Good point!
I have also heard the argument that you should dress nice because you are going to God's house. But my argument is, is it really God's house? I mean, a house implies that someone lives there. Does God really live in our church building? I know in the Old Testament He lived in the Tabernacle that the Israelites would have to tear down and set up everywhere, which implied that it wasn't a permanent residence for God. It wasn't until Solomon built the Temple that God had a permanent home on earth. But what about our Christian church buildings? Does God really reside there? I believe He is present, but I don't believe He lives there. I believe that He lives in our hearts. I believe He lives in the Church (people), not the church (building).
So what does that mean for church attire? I think that if God is in our hearts - inside us - what does is matter what we wear on the outside? Christ's blood covers our sins and washes our HEARTS white as snow, not our clothes.
Of course, I would stick within society's clothes standards, I wouldn't show up to church in a bikini (I wouldn't wear one anyways) or even nude (haha), but i'm completely okay if someone comes to church Sunday morning in ripped jeans. I would be okay if someone did come in their "Sunday best", as some people in my church do, that's okay! I personally just wanna wear something that's comfortable, something I can move in, something I can worship God in, and for me that would be jeans and a tshirt.
Now in the Salvation Army, there is a uniform, and i'm not gonna get into that cuz that's a whole other tangent, though I will say that the Salvation Army uniform is a symbol and a representation, something I would never want to get rid of. I do not wear a uniform because I am not a Senior Soldier (member of the church), I am simply an adherent.
I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on what you wear to church and why!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Emergency Numbers
I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it'd be cool to share it here...
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
When God seems far away,
...call Psalm 139.
When your faith needs stirring,
...call Hebrews 11.
When you are lonely and fearful,
...call Psalm 23.
For Paul's secret to happiness,
...call Colossians 3:12-17.
When you feel down and out,
...call Romans 8:31.
When you want peace and rest,
...call Matthew 11:25-30.
When you want courage for a task,
...call Joshua 1.
If people seem unkind,
...call John 13.
ALTERNATE NUMBERS:
For dealing with fear,
Ps. 34:7 "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them."
For security,
Ps. 121:3 "He will not let your foot slip — He who watches over you will not slumber."
For assurance,
Mark 8:35 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
For reassurance,
Ps. 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
When God seems far away,
...call Psalm 139.
When your faith needs stirring,
...call Hebrews 11.
When you are lonely and fearful,
...call Psalm 23.
For Paul's secret to happiness,
...call Colossians 3:12-17.
When you feel down and out,
...call Romans 8:31.
When you want peace and rest,
...call Matthew 11:25-30.
When you want courage for a task,
...call Joshua 1.
If people seem unkind,
...call John 13.
ALTERNATE NUMBERS:
For dealing with fear,
Ps. 34:7 "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them."
For security,
Ps. 121:3 "He will not let your foot slip — He who watches over you will not slumber."
For assurance,
Mark 8:35 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
For reassurance,
Ps. 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."
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