1 John 2:1-6

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation** for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

**Propitiation - the act of appeasing God, a Spirit, or a person; atonement, especially that of Jesus Christ

Virtuous Veggies and Legumes Part II

Sprouts are a terrific superfood! They are packed with nutrition and add a nice crunch to sandwiches, salads, and stir fries. I like to keep mung bean sprouts around for eating in the winter when we get fewer fresh vegetables to eat. I bought mine in bulk from Whole Foods - you don't need many - just a couple of tablespoons will make over a cup of sprouts. Sprouting your own sprouts will save you a LOT of money over buying them from the store, and they will taste better than the soggy old ones in the produce department. Plus, it's fun and easy to do - kids will especially enjoy watching the beans transform in just a matter of days. They might even be fascinated enough by the process to eat them! ;)

Nice tasting seeds for sprouting:

• alfalfa
• radish
• mung bean
• broccoli

I'm sure you can find instructions for sprouting all over the internet, but I'll share my sprouting technique here. You can buy a fancy sprouting contraption, but it's really unnecessary. I just use a washed out spaghetti sauce jar, a square cut off of an old pair of pantyhose, and a rubber band. I add about 2 tbs. of seeds for sprouting to the jar. Cover the jar with the hose to make a sort of sieve, securing it with a rubber band. Run fresh cold water into the jar, and rinse the beans well. Strain out the water. You will need to rinse the seeds in fresh cold water several times a day. I leave the jar by the sink and tend to do it every time I find myself working in the kitchen, which is a LOT! Basically, you just don't want them to dry out. After they are sprouty enough for you, it's best to eat them right away, but they will keep in the fridge for about a week.

You can see how my sprouts transformed here:

Day 2 -




Day 3 -




Day 4 -




Day 5 - Ready to eat!




My favorite thing to make with sprouts is Egg Foo Young. I got this recipe out of a vegetarian cookbook years ago, but I have tweaked the recipe many times. I wanted to be able to make it out of ingredients I had on hand, so that is the version I will share with you. This recipe is a delicious and simple meal for lunch or dinner. It is also a terrific use for leftover rice!

- 3 eggs
- salt & pepper
- generous pinch five spice powder (opt.)**
- 3 Tbs. oil
- 1 small onion, diced (original calls for scallions, but I don't have them very often)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 small green pepper, seeded & chopped (I keep some diced green pepper in the freezer.)
- 1 c. fresh bean sprouts
- 3 c. cooked white rice
- 3 Tbs. soy sauce
- 1 Tbs. sesame oil (look in Asian section of your grocery store - this will really add good flavor!)

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a large frying pan or wok. Scramble the eggs with the salt, pepper, and five spice powder. Set aside in a bowl or plate. Heat remaining oil and stir fry the onion, garlic, pepper & bean sprouts. Stir in the rice and heat thoroughly. Add soy sauce & sesame oil & mix well. Return egg to pan & mix well. Serve immediately.

Serves 4
(Errrr... actually, Preacher man, and the two little and I polished off the entire thing for dinner. We WERE extra hungry though... Preacher Man and I had three bowls each!)

**Five Spice Powder - this is the only recipe I have where I use this spice. I DO really like it in there though. I went to the Whole Foods bulk spice section and bought about a teaspoon in an itty-bitty bag. I think I paid about $.40 for it! Anyway, it has lasted me a very, very long time since I only use a pinch.

If you are extra hungry like we were and you have extra ham lying around, a bit chopped up is nice in this also.

Virtuous Veggies and Legumes

Feasts are a delight, but I'm feeling a deep need for cleansing, simple foods, so that is what I will be (mostly) fixing this week. (Homemade pizza is still on the menu. :) I've been soaking mung bean sprouts for a couple of days in anticipation of this and will throw them in a dish of egg foo young tomorrow evening. Mmmmm...

Items to purchase this week when you go to the grocery store:
1) Black Eyed Peas
2) Your favorite greens (kale, mustard, collards, swiss chard etc...)
3) Cornbread fixings (if you don't already have them)

It's tradition to serve black eyed peas on New Year's Day, which will be Saturday. Growing up, my parents told us that in the coming year, we would get a dollar for every black eyed pea we ate on New Years Day. Of course, this was just an old folk tale, but it did encourage us to eat up!

I make my black eyed peas just like I describe here: Cooking with Dried Beans. We like to season them with cajun seasoning, Frank's Red Hot sauce, and eat them with greens and cornbread. 1 pound of dried beans will feed about 6 people.

My favorite greens are mustard greens while my husband prefers kale. We both enjoy them cooked in this way: Trim two large handfuls of greens and chiffonade them. In a large skillet, heat a couple of Tbs. olive oil or coconut oil and saute a diced onion. Add a clove of minced garlic. Cook the onion and garlic until it is golden brown. Add the greens and toss them around in the pan a bit. They will wilt a lot. Add about 1/2 cup of broth, some salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until they are soft. This will make about 6 servings.

Finally, to make some good southern style corn bread, I give you my favorite recipe:
- 1 1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 c. flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c. butter or bacon grease
Preheat oven to 450*. Melt the butter or bacon grease in a 10-12" cast iron skillet. Mix all of the other ingredients, then add in the melted fat and mix again. Pour into the skillet and bake for about 20 minutes.

I make this for people with food allergies fairly frequently, so here are the variations that have been really successful:
Dairy free: If you just can't stomach the bacon grease, use Fleishmann's unsalted margarine. Instead of the buttermilk, use plain rice milk with a splash of lemon juice OR if your dairy intolerant person can have it, goats milk (I most often use powdered) works very well.
Gluten free: Instead of the all purpose flour, use Bob's Red Mill gluten free mix. It works best to increase the fat to 1/2 c. to make it less crumbly.
Southwestern Style: Add a cup or two of grated cheddar and a small can of green chilies.

I love leftover cornbread slathered in butter for breakfast. My grandfather used to eat cornbread crumbled up in a glass of buttermilk. It's good eating!

Don't forget to start soaking your beans on Thursday!

"My Hope Is Built"

Isn't this cross stitch gorgeous? This was a very special gift from a loved one this year and I will always treasure it. It especially means a lot because the maker knew that it was my favorite hymn as a child and that is why she chose it.

Looking at the words of this hymn as an adult, I see deeper meaning and significance. We sing such bold statements of faith. Do we mean each and every word? I can say with confidence, "Lord, I believe! You are my Rock and my Redeemer!"

My Hope Is Built
by Edward Mote, 1834

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain:

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Ms. Clara's Butter Rolls

This recipe was passed on to me and it passes my test for rolls... puffy, yeasty, lightly fluffy inside and crispy outside... just like Grandma used to make! Mmmmm... This recipe is a WINNER! Just don't make the mistake that I always make and forget that they need 3 HOURS to rise + baking time! Plan ahead for these!

Ms. Clara's Butter Rolls
(they are called this because they are soaked in so much butter!)
2 c. warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
7-7 1/2 cups of flour
2 or 3 sticks of butter

Combine water, yeast, sugar, salt, and oil. Mix until smooth. Add the egg and mix. Add 3 cups of flour and mix well. Work in another 4 cups or so of flour, stopping just when it is no longer sticky. (I do this in my KitchenAid with the dough hook, then I knead it a bit by hand.)



Ms. Clara's technique: (using 3 sticks of butter) Divide into 3 pieces - roll out into a rectangle (a little smaller than a cookie sheet). Cover each rectangle with 1/3 c. softened butter and roll up like a jelly roll. Cut in 1 inch pieces and arrange in two 13x9 pans. Pour 1 stick of melted butter over each pan of rolls. Cover and let rise at least 3 hours. Make sure that they are not moved around much or they will fall. Bake at 400*. Start checking after 20 minutes of baking every few minutes and take out when nicely browned.

Church Mouse's technique: (using 2 sticks of butter) Divide dough in half. Pull off pieces about the size of a golf ball and roll gently. Set each ball into a 13x9 pan. Pour 1 stick of melted butter over each pan of rolls. Cover and let rise at least 3 hours. Make sure that they are not moved around much or they will fall. I try to bake them at 400*, but I often have them in the oven with another dish, so I have baked them at any temperature between 350* and 400*. I just check them from time to time and take them out when they are nice and brown.

Chritmas Dinner Countdown

I wrote this in the afternoon: In just a few hours, we'll be enjoying a delicious dinner around the table with loved ones. What a BLESSING!

I typed out this one single sentence and then I got MAJOR interruptions by both littles waking up, and it was craziness all afternoon, cooking up a storm and tending to needs until the family arrived and it was time to sit down at the table! It may be too late for my menu/countdown to be of much use to any of you, but I am going to record what I did anyway as I know it will be a major benefit to me next year when I'm trying to remember what I did and how I did it! And this way, you can enjoy a picture of the feast!

We actually enjoyed two feasts this year with different sides of the family on different days. I failed to make a time line for Feast A, and dinner way MAJORLY delayed and things did not come out hot at the same time. I decided that winging it just wasn't going to fly with my distracted brain and for Feast B, I'd better do a bit more planning! Live and learn, right?

Feast A Menu:
- Cranberry Chicken with Brown Rice (I really need to post this recipe - it's a family favorite!)
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, and Asparagus
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Ms. Clara's Butter Rolls
- Mini Cheesecakes

Feast B Menu/Game Plan:
- Ham glazed with honey and orange juice
- Ms. Clara's Butter Rolls
- Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries
- Corn Pudding
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Southern Style Green Beans
- Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie - Yummy, but I think I put in a bit too much cinnamon. I used a pat in the pan recipe which was so nice and easy. I'll have to share that recipe here later too.

The night before: Make pumpkin pie, boil sweet potatoes, thaw green beans

4 1/2 hours before: Put the ham in the oven - cover with foil, bake at 325*, plan to cook for 20 minutes per pound. Make the rolls, set them out to rise.

In the meantime: Prepare the brussel sprouts, the sweet potato cranberry dish, and the corn pudding.

2 hours before: Start cooking the green beans on the stove - saute one small diced onion in a Tbs. of bacon grease. After the onions are brown, add the green beans and some water.

1 1/2 hours before: Mix up some honey, orange juice, dash of cloves and some cinnamon. Baste the ham and remove the foil. Continue to cook the ham for another 30 minutes.

1 hour before: Remove the ham from the oven. Baste with the pan juices a few times while it is sitting out on the counter. Raise the oven temperature to 400*. Put the corn pudding in the oven (it will cook faster at this higher temp - watch it!), the rolls, and the brussel sprouts.

1/2 hour before: Lower oven temperature to 350*. Take out the rolls and put in the sweet potato cranberry dish to warm up. Enlist a volunteer to slice the ham.

Set the table, and pour the drinks! Enjoy!

Why Blog?

Why blog? Why do I invest my precious time in this way?

I've been gently questioned about this, especially lately, and I think it is because I started Church Mouse back in October and admittedly have invested many hours into writing and sharing here. Even Preacher Man asked me at one point in a very kind way, "Just what are you trying to accomplish?"

I've done a lot of personal reflection on this because I want to be a good steward of my time and resources. My best answer is that I am better for it.

It has taken some time and effort to figure out a good balance in regards to my computer time. I have two good times of the day that I can spend on the computer - nap time/quiet time and evenings when the Littles go to bed. Unless I am looking up information I need at the moment or taking care of important business, I try not to spend time on the computer while the Littles are awake. I use my time with them to play, read, nurse, feed, diaper, do chores with them, train, etc... When nap time/bed time come, I am sooooooo ready for a little decompression time. I think most mamas can identify with that feeling.

Some mamas zone out with TV. Some get out for play dates and chat with other moms there. Some go out for "retail therapy". Some join mom's clubs. There are many, many ways that mamas get a little time for an escape from the 24/7 job that is being a mama. Blogging is MY outlet. We don't have TV, "retail therapy" is stressful for me, I'm an introvert and thrive more on alone time to recharge, and I don't leave my Littles. Ever. They are always with my husband or I. It's just what we prefer. Blogging has been very, very good for me to connect with other people, to organize my thoughts, and to provide some organization to my spiritual needs without having to ever leave my home or family.

Honestly, writing a Sunday Hymn Post, Meditations for Mondays, Wednesdays with the Word, and Thankful Thursdays means that I am writing about spiritual things four days a week, and it has been so very, very good for my soul. I spend a good amount of time with The Word for each of those posts, and frankly, I really, really needed that. I am doing so much better all around as a result. I also just really love sharing with other people and love to help another person whenever I can. Blogging fulfills these desires for me. I have been a more refreshed, balanced, joyful mama since I started writing here in October, and all the while, I have been there for my family. It may not be for everyone, but it works for me, and I am better for it.