Easter Story Cookies

This is a great Easter activity to do with children. This activity is intended to be done on the night before Easter before going to bed.

Ingredients:
1 Cup whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar
3 eggs whites
pinch salt
1 Cup sugar
ziploc bag
wooden spoon
tape
Bible
Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Place the pecans in the ziploc bag, and let the children beat them with the wooden spoon to break in to small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp vinegar into a mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30
Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life.
Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11
Sprinkle a little salt in to each child's hand. Let them taste it, and add a pinch of salt to the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our sin.
Read Luke 23:27
So far the ingredients are not very appealing. Add 1 cup of sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know that and belong to Him.
Read Psalms 34:8, and John 3:16
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-16 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3
Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read Matthew 27:57-60
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.
Read Matthew 27:65-66
Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven over night. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20, 22
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter morning, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read Mattew 28:1-9
Happy Easter!

Cinnamon Rolls

This is the cinnamon roll recipe I use. Sometimes they turn out GREAT, and other times they just turn out good. :) I think it has to do with how thick I roll them out. I like to roll them out a little on the thick side.

Combine:
2 C. scalded milk
1/3 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cubes butter
Let cool

In a separate bowl, combine
1 pkg. (or 2 1/2 tsp.) yeast
1/4 C. warm water
When yeast starts to activate, add:
3 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, beaten

Add butter mixture to yeast mixture
Add 5-6 cups flour. Let raise. Beat down, repeat.
This dough might be a little sticky.
Roll out on a floured board.
I roll out the dough, then spread melted butter on the dough.
Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of sugar, and 4 tsp. cinnamon
Roll dough up, and slice. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise.
Bake 375 for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Drizzle with frosting.

Frosting:
I don't have a written recipe for the frosting. I just make it by combining about 4 tablespoons softened butter or margarine with powdered sugar. I add the powdered sugar until it is thick, then I drizzle in a little milk. I also add about a teaspoon of vanilla. You want a runny icing that you can drizzle on the rolls. I prefer to let them cool a little first.

Funeral Potatoes

In our church, whenever there is a funeral, we prepare and serve a luncheon for the family of the deceased. Almost every dinner includes what has come to be known as "funeral potatoes". This past month or so I have made this dish about 6 times. I have to admit I'm tired of it, but this is a good recipe to have on hand. There are several variations, but they are all pretty much the same.

8 large potatoes, skinned, boiled, and grated
1 cube margarine or butter melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese grated
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
3 green onions chopped

Some people skin the potatoes after boiling them, but I dont' like waiting for them to cool, so I skin them before. Some people use frozen hash browns in place of fresh potatoes. Just make sure that if you use frozen ones, you let them thaw at least partially before baking.
Combine all ingredients and put in a 9"x13" pan, and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. After eating them, have your cholesterol checked. ;)

Chicken Taco Soup

I got this recipe a long time ago, then I lost it. I could never find a replacement that I liked as much. Finally I made friends on Facebook with the person who gave it to me in the first place, and asked her to give it to me again. Thanks Krisi!
Chicken Taco Soup

3 cooked chicken breasts – cut up in small pieces
3-4 cans of beans -- I used pinto, kidney, and black.
1 can of corn
1 can diced tomatoes (if you like spicy use a can of rotel
2 cans chicken broth
(or one can chicken broth & one can tomato sauce)
8 Tbls taco seasoning (or one packet)

Put everything together in the crock-pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. This can also be made on the stovetop; basically you are just heating everything up and melding the flavors together.

Serve with any of the following for toppings:
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips Crumbled up
Cilantro (I generally also put this into the soup if I have some on hand)
Cheese

She mentioned in the recipe that she puts some cilantro in the soup if she has some. I definitely would do this because for me that is part of what makes this soup great. I also sometimes cut up some corn tortillas in strips and fry them to go on top of the soup instead of using chips.

Sweet Potato & Hominy Stew With Cumin Polenta

I got this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. My husband and I both liked it, although my kids weren't in love with it. But to me, this is what real Mexican food is like. It has very unusual ingredients. I happen to love hominy, so this is a good recipe for me. I found it was very important to use the lime and cilantro. The sweet potato doesn't come out tasting sweet like you would think it would. And the cinnamon is almost undetectable, but important in the flavoring. If you are adventurous, you should try this. The magazine suggested serving this stew with polenta. I am including that recipe here too. I LOVED the polenta, but as I mentioned before, I love grits too. My kids hated the polenta, but to me it was creamy, buttery, and good, like mashed potatoes. :)

Sweet Potato and Hominy Stew

6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tb. olive oil
2 14 oz cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped (to make 5 cups)
1 Tb. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 14-15 oz. cans of golden hominy, rinsed and drained
1 large red sweet pepper chopped
1 18 oz tub of barbecue sauce with shredded pork. (I couldn't find this, so I just baked some pork with barbecue sauce, then shredded it)
Cilantro, chopped
lime wedges

1. In saucepan or Dutch oven, cook onion and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in broth and water; add sweet potatoes, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, and cumin. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in hominy, red pepper, and shredded pork. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until heated through.
2. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and cumin polenta. Makes 8 servings.

Cumin Polenta
from Betty Rosbottom's book, "Sunday Soup"
(I halved this for my family. Good thing since the kids didn't like it)

2 14 oz. cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tsp ground cumin
1 C yellow cornmeal
1/2 C whole milk
1 Tb. butter

In large heavy saucepan, combine broth and cumin; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 8 servings.

Chickpea and Leek Soup

from Jamie Oliver

This soup sounds simple, and sounds boring, but it is DELICIOUS! My family loves this soup!

12 ounces chickpeas, soaked overnight, refrigerated
1 medium potato peeled
5 to 6 leeks (I can't find small ones, so just use one large one), finely sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce knob butter
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
2 handfuls parmesan cheese, grated
Extra-virgin olive oil

Rinse the soaked chickpeas, cover with water, and cook with potato until tender. (I eliminate this step and just use canned chickpeas) Remove the outer skin of the leeks, slice lengthways from the root up, wash carefully and slice finely.

Warm a thick-bottomed pan, and add the tablespoon of oil and the knob of butter. Add the leeks and garlic to the pan, and sweat gently with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet. Add the drained chickpeas and potato and cook for 1 minute. Add about 2/3 of the stock and simmer for 15 minutes. (This is when I cook the potato)
Puree half of the soup in a food processor, and leave the other half chunky. This gives a lovely smooth comforting feel but also keeps a bit of texture. Now, add enough of the remaining stock to achieve the consistency you like. Check for seasoning, and add Parmesan, to taste, to round off the flavors.

You can drizzle more olive oil on top when you serve it, and add more parmesan as desired.
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes.

Grits

This isn't so much of a recipe, but an encouragement. Some time back, my husband bought a big container of grits at Costco. I had never eaten grits before, and wasn't thrilled at the prospect, so didn't use them. Yesterday I decided to try them. I LOVE them! Grits are made from corn. Think of grits as a corn form of Cream of Wheat. I ate them with butter and salt, but I think I would like them more with sugar and fruit/raisins. They are creamy and filling. I'm going to be eating grits for breakfast this coming winter!