Grits Casserole - It's what's for dinner!

A new staple dish around our house is Grit's Casserole.  Before you grit haters say yuck - you need to try it.  I served it at a brunch several months ago and many were pleasantly pleased that they liked it.  It's easy and we call it dinner a couple times a month. 

Ingredients:

2 cups cheese (I like sharp cheddar)
1 lb. ground sausage (my preference is the fresh store ground sausage but not always available)
6 eggs (beaten)
Grits - Cook according to directions a serving for 6
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. ground dry  mustard

Cook grits according to directions (be sure to add salt while cooking) and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes. 

Brown your sausage and drain excess fat.  Stir the eggs into the cooked grits along with 1 cup of the shredded cheese and also black pepper,  cayenne pepper and ground dry mustard. 

Pour into a greased (sprayed) 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with remaining cup of shredded cheese.   Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes or until the middle is set and the cheese is beginning to brown slightly. 

If you are blogging - now is the time to grab your camera and be prepared to take a picture or else you get to take a picture like this:

Yep - family will dig in immediately! 

This is also a great recipe to prepare the night before and bake in the am as in Thanksgiving and Christmas morning. 

Hope you enjoy!
Diane

Linking up:





http://serenitynow4amanda.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-first-thanksgiving-and-recipe-round.html

Pray like Epaphras - 30 days of Giving Week 2 Recap

There appears to be a pattern so far with my giving challenge.  God is doing a work in me.  I have submitted to The Will of God in my giving this past week and He has placed people and requests in my path.  Unlike week 1 - I had no set goal for the week.  I decided to "wing it" with God.  He is faithful and He gave me many opportunities to be used by Him for His Kingdom.  The scripture that best describes the week is Colossians 4:12 (NKJ Version) 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete[fully assured] in all the will of God.

I am absolutely Not comparing myself to Epaphras.  It is Epaphras that I long to be like.  I desire to labor fervently in prayer for you.  All of you.  Those of you that read and those that don't.  Prayer Warrior is a legacy that my mom left and one that I truly desire to carry on.  Several days this past week I was called upon to pray for specific people or circumstances.  Monday found me sitting at the hospital all day with my husband.  He battled a kidney stone for 10 days.  My job Monday was to be with him and help to meet his needs.  But more importantly it was to pray.  God was faithful and gave him healing.  Before a procedure was required the stone moved and he was able to go home from the hospital.  God gets all the glory for that situation.  It appeared that after 9 days it would not move on its own and it didn't.  I believe that God moved that stone.  Earlier that day I stopped (for the second time) to purchase breakfast for my office.  Once again I was told that the item I was wanting was out.  Seriously?  Two weeks - two attempts and still no mini blueberry biscuits.  I was able to purchase something and prior to leaving to take my husband to the hospital I left breakfast for my boss.  Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to praying with and  for a dear family member.  Satan has spent much time creating stress in her life recently.  She is a threat to him because she was preparing for a mission trip.  The legal woes were difficult to deal with prior to such a trip but God gave her the strength to endure and she was able to leave on her trip to minister to and bless others.  We will continue to pray without ceasing that God will soften the heart of a Judge and she will not be forced to suffer financially due to the selfishness of others. 


Other things that were part of my week of giving included leaving drinks for the Sanitation workers and sending treats home with my 2 year old class members. Two days I felt pretty defeated because I had not been given the opportunity to do anything tangible and then a box appears.  My local grocery story has a large box in the front to give to local organizations through 4-H.  These items are used for group homes for battered women and homeless children.  It was an honor to be able to donate. 

Saturday and Sunday were extremely difficult days emotionally.  I want to gift others with my moms clothes and shoes.  She had quite the collection and some very very nice things.  She loved clothes, shoes and jewelry and since she didn't get out very much - she shopped through catalogs.  Some ladies expressed an interest in receiving some of  her things and so that is what transpired during those two days.  It was a task that drained me emotionally.  I miss my mom like crazy and could envision her in each of the outfits I pulled out.  While sorting things I came across a small bag that had some boxes in it.  They were some of my dad's medals.  A Medal of Honor and  a Bronze Star Medal along with his pin that had been on his uniform.  The other item was his wallet.  Completely undisturbed from the last time he carried it.  What a blessing it was to come across those things and to be able to weap over the loss but celebrate the reunion they are enjoying.

My goal was to give and my gifts have been so many.  God is showing me that He blesses every act of giving not those of the highest monetery value.  My struggles with the desire to give more and becoming so clear.  He simply wants me to give freely and obediently.  I see things now that I was missing.  I look for opportunities to give - and I don't mean financially. I have been given many opportunities to pray for others and to lend a shoulder or to just listen to someone.  I have a long way to go but am so thankful that we can look back in scripture and see those like Epaphras that had such a desire to pray that he labored - and labored fervently.  Not for himself - but for others.

Let us desire to have a heart to pray like Epaphrus.

Love you all,
Diane

Super Easy Pumpkin muffins

One recent Saturday morning my daughter and I awakened to the desire for pumpkin bread and quickly.  She referred to a handy dandy Iphone app that lead to a recipe for muffins that looked perfect.  Turns out it was perfect!  A few tweeks here and there and we were enjoying some divine pumpkin muffins at very little effort. 

Ingredients:

That's it!  15 oz. can Pumpkin and Spice Cake Mix
Unless - you tweek like me.  I added pecans and sugar crystals to the tops.

Directions:

That's it above.  Stir the pumpkin into the dry cake mix. 

Scoop into muffin tins.   Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes. 

I topped mine with chopped pecans and sugar sprinkles. 
Enjoy them all to yourself or do what I did and deliver them to your church office as part of my 30 days of giving. 

Linking up to some great blogs. 

Works For Me Wednesday

Week2 and Week 1 Recap - 30 days of Giving

 

Not really sure where to begin regarding week 1 of my 30 days of giving.  I had plans and I wrote them down.  I bought my groceries with plans on cooking.  I had packages ready and I had plans to sew.  Let's count now how many times I used the word I in those two sentences.  Too many is the right answer.  The question should be how was God glorified in my first week of giving.  My plan was to be flexible and let God lead me during this month of giving.  But - I was playing the hokey pokey all the while.  Give Him control take it back - Give Him control - take it back.  I was so busy trying to make a difference that I failed to realize what God wanted me to do and see it through.  I wanted glamour and He wanted submission.  He wanted servanthood.  Pure and Simple

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone;I will make him a helper suitable for him." ” Genesis 2:18  My biggest role of this past week was to be a helper to my husband.  We've been married for 27 years.  He is not a demanding husband.  He has taken care of me more times than I can count through the years.  Last week my husband needed me.  He was stricken with kidney stones and as I write this he is on Day 9.  One ER visit - one hospital stay and one doctor visit later we still wait for the grand exit of kidney stone 1.  They will let kidney stone 2 stay put in the kidney with the hope it will never choose to move.  It has been hard to watch him suffer the way he has and not be able to make it better.  I have refilled many glasses of drink - lemon aid, water, green tea and juice.  He's tried everything that has been suggested.  I've cooked very little since he was sick due to the extreme pain.  But  - I've been there and joyfully tried to make his ordeal as bearable as possible.  I've prayed and asked others to pray.  It has been strange to have the tables turned but it has been a privilege to serve and know that I am still needed after all these years. 

Another way that I tried to limit God this past week was to plan to give or do one thing per day.  I prayed for God to give me opportunities yet I questioned Him when there would be more than one in a day.  Thinking rather that I needed to keep things spread out so that I didn't miss a day.  I am thankful to serve a God of second chances and that He will continue to lay opportunities before me. 

My giving opportunities were as follows:
Monday - Cleaned out some things and took baby clothes/blankets to a friend.
Tuesday - Bought and delivered breakfast for a business associate. 
Wednesday - Left Power Aid out for my sanitation workers.  Delivered muffins to my church staff.  Bought treats for my two year old class. 
Thursday - Gifted a friend with some perfume (many bottles) that we were not going to use at my house. 
Friday - Pumpkin rolls for my husbands office. 
Saturday  - Breakfast Casserole to my brother and his wife.
Sunday  - Visited my Aunt in a Nursing Home.

That's my week.  I look forward to reading many other blogs about some of the great ways they gave last week and plans for this week. 

Diane

Pumpkin Roll

As part of my 30 days of Giving - I wanted to do some baking and taking.  I usually do this at Christmas - so this is nice to be  baking and not rushed.  Pumpkin roll is now in the fridge and will be divine by tomorrow.

Many years ago a dear friend introduced me to Pumpkin Roll.  It was during my "I don't eat pumpkin" days.  See - I never liked pumpkin pie.  Tried it - didn't like it.  So - I assumed that I didn't like all things pumpkin.  Wow was I wrong.  I tried that pumpkin roll and was hooked.  Then I assumed it was too difficult to make.  Wrong again!  But people do fear the pumpkin roll.  I am going to show you just how easy and delicious it is. 

Gather your ingredients:
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup bisquick
1 cup pumpkin
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
chopped pecans (optional)
powdered sugar
clean dish towel
wax paper
(Filling ingredients below)

Grease (spray) a cookie sheet and line with wax paper.  Spray the wax paper as well. 

Cream together the eggs and sugar. 

Add in pumpkin and spices and mix well.

Add in bisquick and stir.

Pour pumpkin mixture onto the wax paper.  Sprinkle with pecans.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Place clean dish towel on the counter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Flip the cake onto the dish rag and remove the wax paper.

Roll the cake into the dish rag on the long side.  Set aside to cool for about 1 hour.


FILLING
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
6 Tbsp. Butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Cream together the cream cheese and butter.  Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well.

Once the cake is cooled - unroll and spread the filling all over the cake.

 Re-roll and refrigerate overnight.  Slice and serve. 

I cut immediately into smaller portions and wrap for gift giving.

**Tip  - Because the pumpkin comes in a 15 ounce can - I make two at a time.  Hate to waste a half can of pumpkin. 


Enjoy!