Then I Thought of Home

It's almost Mothers Day and that brings out a lot of feelings. For some they are good feelings, for some not so good. There is a lot of pressure on people at Mothers Day. You love your mother, you appreciate her but now there is pressure to show her and the world how much. Not only your mother but maybe your spouses mother too. Then there are your own kids, they are going to be trying to do something for you while you are trying to do for others. I'm not against Mothers Day but at the same time I don't put a lot of stock in it. I don't put all of my worth as a mother in the basket of How I Was Treated on Mother's Day. I hope my mother doesn't either. Some people hate Mothers Day because it reminds them of the mother they never had or the mother that has gone on. It reminds them of the child they have lost or the one who doesn't speak to them anymore. For people who are going through a season of strain with their mother it makes them unc...

Sometimes the more blessings we have the harder it is to see them. Sometimes the very fact that we have so much makes it hard to be thankful. I know I've shared this before but it seems a good time of year to share it again. Our water here at the house has never been very good so for years we went to Mark's mom and dad's house and hauled our drinking water from the spring. Good, clean spring water. Years went by and we built the chicken houses which meant we dug a new well. Now that water was good, it didn't smell and it had a good taste. So we no longer had to drive to Pekin to get water, now we just had to walk down to the chicken houses. I didn't even have to go get it. That was one of the jobs the kids had, to keep water at the house. That wasn't good enough for me though. I clearly remember the day I went to the sink to get water and got mad because I wasn't like everybody else and able to simply turn on my faucet and get a drink...

We all know Cranberry Salad is the Queen of salads when it comes to the Thanksgiving Table. It is just understood, even if you don't like it..it's understood. It's just part of the tradition. Mark's mom makes the best Cranberry Salad ever. One year I made it. I used her recipe. Something went wrong. It wasn't like hers. No one said anything. Not even to say, "Do you want to bring it again next year?" No one said that. I didn't bring it. But I started making something we like just as much or dare I say even better. I started taking it to other holiday dinners. Everyone liked it because as I said, there are a lot of people who don't like cranberry but they like cherry. So in honor of my Grandma Money, I'm going to share her Cherry Jello Salad recipe. Its  on all our holiday tables. We really like it and it's so pretty and so simple. The picture I'm sharing isn't mine but is had the jello and had the c...

This is one of my favorite fall recipes. There's something warm and inviting about pumpkin and cinnamon, and of course, everything is better with cream cheese! This originally had a cream filling but the idea of an airy cream filling with pumpkin just didn't appeal to me. I felt like it would be so much better with cream cheese because of the heavier,thicker consistency. I used the cupcake recipe but used the filling recipe for pumpkin roll. So glad I did, it pairs wonderfully. This would be a perfect Thanksgiving dessert or great for breakfast the next morning! Like most things pumpkin,these are better the longer they sit,which means they can also be made ahead of time...HUGE PLUS! Whatever you do this year, take time to really think about what you're making and why you're making it. So many times in the Bible we see where Jesus and many other people ministered with food. It's a tool to heal the soul and break down walls. I have often said that I enjoy cooking beca...

Heidi found this recipe in the Point of Grace cookbook. We had them for the first time when we were on vacation a couple of years ago and we've making them every since for special occasions. This picture isn't ours. It's from the Point of Grace facebook page. You know what I mean   for those times when you want something just a little bit different, a little more special than  your usual green beans. The recipe says they are best made a day ahead of time and that makes them ideal for Thanksgiving because as you know the more things we can get done the day before the better. Here's the list of things you will need. 6 cans of green beans, drained,  any brand you like and it's just the regular size cans. 1/2 cup cider vinegar 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 pound bacon 1 large onion cut into thin rings 1. Fry bacon 2. Remove from pan and take grease off of heat. Crumble the bacon. 3. Mix vinegar and sugar. Add to grease. 4. Transfer to a large pot. Place onions...

I don't know how I could consider myself much of a poultry producer's wife if I didn't offer a chicken recipe from time to time. Thanksgiving is  a good time to share our chicken and dumpling recipe, of course I guess at Thanksgiving we should say Turkey and Dumplings. So without futher delay, here it is. Dumplings 2 cups water 1 stick butter (real butter) 4 cups self rising flour Bring the two cups of water and the one stick of butter to a boil When it boils remove from heat and pour over the top of the four cups of flour you've placed in a large heat proof bowl. This will really foam. It will fluff up like a cloud sort of like it's giving you a sneak peak at how light and fluffy they're going to be when they're done. Mix well with a large spoon.  It's going to be really hot and you need to be careful. I always have to get my hands in it to finish up as soon as it's cool enough. Roll out dough and cut into strips and then cut the ...

Mom asked me if I wanted to contribute some ideas of sides/desserts for all the upcoming holiday dinners. I said I would...and this recipe is a new favorite. Most of our holiday meals are usually packed with rich food and rich dessert...both of the same is just too much. This recipe is the perfect ending to any kind of big meal. It has just the right amount of sweetness to offset dinner but not so much that its overpowering. We agree that it actually gets better the longer it sets It also might appear to be a lot of complicated steps but its not...its very simple and doesn't take a lot of time. My family always enjoys trying new food, we are not one to have the same old stuff. Of course we have the staples but there's always a little something different too  Plenty of good reasons to add it to your table this year! German Chocolate Bread Pudding For the Bread Pudding 1  Tbsp. butter softened 2  cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz) 1  stick butter, cu...