Home Made Creamy Caesar Salad

It's the last week of the month and that means recipe week.  Normally I try to post a recipe for a super easy or extra ordinarily yummy dessert, but I thought I'd deviate from the norm this month.

Canada Day is coming and that means picnics and potlucks and the need to bring some food item to share.  What better thing to feed your friends than a home made caesar salad that puckers them up and leaves their taste buds quivering for more! 

And yes, it's easy to make...right down to the croutons!

So let's start there...

Super Easy Home Made Croutons

Toast two or three slices of your favourite bread until it's fairly well done.  Cut the toast into cubes. 

Melt about 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch x 9 inch pyrex pan in the microwave.  Sprinkle in garlic salt and garlic powder - go a little lighter on the garlic salt so it's not too salty.  Stir this around and dump in the toast cubes.  Mix well until the butter is absorbed.

Broil this for a few minutes, stirring periodically until the croutons are nice and crispy.  Pull the pan out of the oven and let the croutons cool.

(Quite often I'll use left over hot dog or hamburger buns that happen to be in the freezer just to use them up.)

Creamy Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 minced clove of fresh garlic

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl.  Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavours can blend.

NOTE: 
For extra tangy dressing add extra lemon juice to taste (using the juice of 1/2 a squeezed lemon works well too)

NOTE:  This recipe is enough for one large head of romaine lettuce.

The Salad

• 1 head of fresh romaine lettuce - I like the full head with the dark green leafy parts instead of just the romaine hearts
• Home made croutons
• Bacon bits - you can use store bought, but if there's left over bacon from a weekend breakfast, I cut it up and store it in the freezer so it's ready to toss into a salad.
• Green onions (optional)
• Parmesan cheese - I leave this out due to my lactose intolerance and my husband's extreme loathing of the "stinky foot cheese", but typically Caesar salad should have Parmesan included in it - fresh if you have it - otherwise the dried grated version works.

Mix this all together, pour the dressing over top, and toss well.

NOTE:  Caesar salad is always best eaten fresh - if it sits for an extended period of time I find it turns rather slimy and, while the flavor is still good, the texture and aesthetic qualities leave something to be desired.

Enjoy and happy Canada Day weekend!

Eternal Hope

This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Judy.  In memory of her daughter.  Thank you for sharing your pain with me.

 

How do you find hope in your life in the midst of pain and suffering?  What a question!

This past weekend I was facilitating a women’s retreat for Southwood United Church.  The retreat centre is located on an escarpment in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains overlooking the Ghost River.  This was the scene of a major flood that swept across Southern Alberta in 2013.

 

Trees that previously stretched their limbs to the sunlit sky now lie on the ground, flattened by the rush of water that buried them one year ago.

On Saturday afternoon I went for a walk by the river with a dear friend who recently lost her daughter.  Her pain is fresh and raw, and my heart broke for her as we grieved together by the river.

 While we were there we noticed an interesting characteristic of the trees in the devastated landscape.  Each tree appeared to be lying on the ground.  On closer examination we realized that although they were flattened out, each tree had brilliant green spring growth on it. 

 Intrigued, we looked closer and saw that the trees, weren’t actually uprooted. Their trunks lay parallel to the ground, forced down by the weight of the flood waters, but their roots remained firmly planted in the ground.

 Despite adverse growing conditions, their roots extended deep into the soil and they continued to thrive and grow. 

 

My friend, in the midst of her pain, looked at this and commented on the similarity to a faith journey.

 Life’s events knock us down and leave us lying on the ground, but our faith roots us firmly in Jesus Christ so we are able to drink deeply from His well of life-giving, life-sustaining water and continue to grow through difficult times.

 

This beautiful woman is an inspiring example of what a strong faith looks like.  She grieves, and yet she finds and accepts the gifts that God continues to bring into her life.

I’m reminded of this scripture…

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.  But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”  Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)

 

So we suffer and we grieve, but Jesus is our solid foundation.

Yesterday I received this picture from my friend.  A reminder of our time together.  She titled the picture “Eternal Hope”.  Now I share that hope with you and pray for all who grieve.  May you find the hope of Jesus Christ in the midst of your pain. 

 

 

 

 

A Beautiful Mess

It’s Sunday morning.  For a change, we’re not rushing to get to church.  I sit on the front porch, tea in hand, basking in the early morning sunlight while I enjoy the unexpected gift of an unscheduled 20 minutes.

The chaos of colour from my flower bed draws my gaze.  Yellow, orange, red, and white sway in the morning breeze.  It’s chaos! 

California poppies self-seeded from last summer have hijacked the soil. 

They spring up everywhere burying ,the miniature rose and subduing even the strongest hosta in a sea of colour.

In the self-ordered world that is my mind, it’s a mess.  But through the eyes of a gardener it’s beautiful.

 I smile and wonder…is this how God sees my life?  Does He gaze at the chaos, the struggles, the failures, the missed opportunities, the pain and grief and brokenness…and see beauty?

“Look at the lilies how they grow.  They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed a beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you.  Why do you have so little faith?”  Luke 12:27-28  NLT

God takes the time to create the flowers, making them perfect and beautiful.  I think He smiles when He sees them in their radiant colour.  And He smiles when He sees us, no matter what condition we’re in.  He made us and loves us in the midst of our messy, broken lives.  To Him we are beautiful, regardless of where we’re at.

The mess in my flower bed is a gift.  A gift of colour and beauty given by God.  I take the time to enjoy it and give thanks for it; thankful that He loves me in all my messiness.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

You may not love yourself, but know this…God does. 

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16 (NLT)

Substitute “the world” with your name in that scripture and let the words sink in slow and deep.  “God so loved…that He gave his one and only Son…”

That’s how much He loves you.

Give Me Strength

“Lord, I’m tired.  Exhausted to the core of my being.  And I’m far from you.  Please renew my energy and spirit.”

I sit in the sun on Saturday morning talking to God.  It’s week number five of a cold that won’t quit.  I have no energy.  I’m tired of being tired.  I don’t feel close to God.

“What can I do, Lord?  Please bring healing and rest.”

I sit with eyes closed and listen to my breathing, trying to sense God’s presence.

“Are you here God?  Are you listening?”

I breathe slowly and my shoulders relax.  A scripture comes to mind.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.  But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.

“Yes Lord, Isaiah 40.”

I open the bible on my lap, turn to Isaiah 40, and scan down to the bottom of the chapter until I find the verse.

I read, “Even youths will become weak and tired…but those who trust in the Lord will find new strength”

I close my eyes and breathe deep, feel the sun on my face.

You’ve been working in your own strength, not Mine.  That’s why you’re tired.  Trust Me.  Turn each day and everything in it over to Me.  Do the work you need to, but do it in My strength, not yours. 

That’s it.  I’ve missed God.  I’ve made time for many things, but not Him.  In my time of weakness when I turn to Him, He reminds me.

My job is busy and challenging.  There’s no way I can do it in my own strength and knowledge.  I need God alongside helping me.

This is my challenge.  At the start of each day, before I get out of the car and walk into my office, I need to turn everything over to God.  Give Him the day and let Him work in it.  Pray for daily strength and wisdom, then rest in that prayer and His presence throughout the day.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

This is my daily challenge…to trust God that the work that needs to get done will be done.  To realize I can only do so much in one day, and to seek His strength and wisdom every morning.

What about you?  Do you need to renew your strength in God each day?  Do you need to seek rest?  Do you need wisdom?  Start the day with a prayer for God to be in everything you do.

Listen For The Whisper

What’s more effective as a means of communication…a yell or a whisper?

Initially you might think a yell is, because you can be heard above the daily noise.  I beg to differ.

Last Monday a virus camped out in my throat and decided to sink its jagged teeth firmly into my vocal cords.  By Tuesday I spent most of the day whispering.  In meetings, or on the phone, it didn’t matter.   I whispered.

I was not happy about this turn of events, but I did make an interesting discovery.  People listen more closely when you whisper.  They don’t have a choice.  They’re forced into an active listening pattern.

How often do you actually HEAR what someone is saying?  Isn’t it true that generally a conversation goes something like this…

Friend - "So we’re taking a family vacation next summer and thinking of going to Maui…"

 

The Listener’s Brain - "Did I unplug the iron before I left this morning?  I have to remember to pick up bread on my way home…and…oh right, that credit card payment is due tonight.  I have to make sure I do that on line.  CRAP, I meant to respond to my boss’s email before I left the office, what’s that beeping in my ear?  Really, my phone’s dying?"

Friend  – "…yup, and snakes."

The Listener’s Brain -"Snakes…what?  What about snakes?  What did she just say?  Where are the snakes….SNAKE!!!  Crap I have no idea what she’s talking about."

We’ve all had one-sided conversations similar to this (maybe without the snakes).  Are your conversations with God one-sided?  How would your relationship with God change if you practiced active listening skills with Him? 

In order to hear God you really do need to pay attention.

Remember Elijah after he kills all the Baal prophets?  Jezebel is ticked and she vows to kill Elijah.  At the direction of God's angel, Elijah goes to Mount Sinai and that’s where God speaks to him.

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him.  And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain.  It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. “ 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NLT)

How did God speak?  In a gentle whisper.  If you're not paying attention you’ll hear the thunder and feel the earth shake, but you’ll miss the whisper.

It takes practice to actively listen for God’s voice.  It also takes silence and solitude.  Make some time for that today.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

When was the last time you spent time in silence with God listening for His whisper? Do you need to start today?

Share your thoughts by clicking on “comments” below.

Mom's Night Out - Sony Pictures

A biker tattoo artist
A Pastor’s wife
Three stressed out moms
A missing baby

Does that have the makings of a great plot, or what!  These characters all come together in Sony Pictures new movie, “Mom’s Night Out” and I was fortunate enough to attend Shine FM’s pre-screening of it in Edmonton last week. 

Sony does a great job of developing these characters.  They are so true to life they could be you and me. 

Life doesn’t come up all flowers and sunshine and Sony doesn’t try to sugar-coat it.  Life can be hard.  There’s a new challenge every day, sometimes every minute, especially if you’re dealing with teenagers or young kids.

What I loved most about this movie is its portrayal of the reality of the situation. 

Allyson, a strung out, frazzled mother isn’t afraid to admit to her husband she’s not happy.  She’s living the life she dreamed of as a young girl, but it’s hard.

The beauty of it is she doesn’t say it from the accusatory, “I’m not happy and it’s all your fault”, or “I’m not happy and I’m going to find myself and leave you” standpoint. 

She’s just stating the truth and her husband, to his credit, takes it at face value.  He doesn’t get all worked up about it thinking their marriage is over.  He takes it for what it is, a truthful statement and something they need to resolve.

Life isn’t perfect, and people, regardless of the role they’re type cast in, aren’t either.  And here’s another cool thing about the movie.  It shows that God can use anyone, in any capacity to get His message of love and acceptance across.

It’s a great movie.  It has some laugh out loud moments and some "box of tissue" moments.  There’s no swearing, no blood, or guts, or gore.  It’s a good clean, heartwarming story with a great message.

Mom’s Night Out opens Mothers’ Day weekend on May 9.  It’s definitely worth checking out and would make a great Women’s Ministry night out.

I think I’ll have to buy the DVD!

If you go to see Mom’s Night Out, come back and share your thoughts by clicking on “comments” below.

 

A Lonely Place Called Overtime

It’s been so long since my last post I’m not sure I remember how to write one anymore.  Let me start by apologizing to you, my readers.  It was not my intent to leave you hanging for the last two months with nary a post!

I confess...I succumbed to the seedy underbelly of the work world…overtime…and lots of it! 

It’s a club few people want to join, but many are dragged into.  The atmosphere is oppressive.  The dim glow of laptop screens reflect the despondency in bulging eyes, peering out of faces gone pallid from lack of sunlight.

Bodies, bloated with high carb intake, and jacked up on caffeine, slump in office chairs.  No one makes eye contact.  This is a cold, dark, lonely place where people wither and die inside.

OK, so maybe it wasn’t THAT bad, but it wasn’t good.  It’s hard to find a balance between putting in enough time to do your job well, and sacrificing your personal life and health to make it happen.

I should know better.  I’ve hit the proverbially brick wall before – working myself so hard that I ended up with stress induced asthma and heart palpitations.  But I push, optimistic that I can create more hours in a day.  (There really are only 24, you know.) 

 

I trade sleep for work; working until midnight, then getting up at 5:30 to exercise.  I trade quiet time with God for stress time with my computer.

Soon I trade exercising in favour of getting to the office earlier to work more.  Next I trade healthy eating in favour of binging on chocolate and carbs to energize my sleep and exercise deprived body.

I crave tea before I even got to work in the morning.  I find my eyes drooping at red lights and think, “Maybe I could close them just for an instant.”  I’m bone-tired exhausted on the drive home.  Then I do it all over again.

And that’s where I’ve been for the last two months.  But it’s a twisted, unhealthy lifestyle!  This week is about finding balance.

I’ve designated time with God – it’s booked in my Outlook calendar as a meeting…Lunch With God! 

I’ve gone back to running on the weekends, and set my baseline weigh and measure at Curves. (That was a disturbing visit!)  Chocolate now is a treat instead of a prescription.  I'm focused on being in bed by 10:00 every night.

Yesterday I left the office at 4:30 and was home by 5:10.  I had an evening to make soup, chat with my husband, play with the cats…and start a blog post.  It was amazing!  I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was a huge accomplishment in my world!  My goal is to have more of those nights.

You’ve heard about burning the candle at both ends.  Let me say this, you can do it for a while, but sooner or later your fingers get burned and then the flame goes out.  Stop the madness before your flame goes out.

Is your life an unbalanced, out of control mess?  Is it time to set boundaries and reclaim your personal time?  Share your thoughts by clicking on "comments" below.