Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Summer of Love--Part 1 (Lancaster & Simi Valley)

OOOH. You want to take me to
California?
Working on the Holloman Family Christmas card (see posts here and here), has led me into a contemplative state of mind. Looking back over the past year while looking for appropriate photos for the Christmas card has allowed me to

  1. wonder why in the world I do not have a better handle on digital photo organization, and 
  2. reflect on God's matchless goodness to us this year.
Let's talk about #2!

This summer marks a first for me. I was able to take a trip (with Rodney, of course) to the left coast. In June, we were given the opportunity to attend the Spiritual Leadership Conference at Lancaster Baptist Church. Being in full-time ministry can be challenging, anyone will tell you that. It is a wonderful thing to go and have your batteries recharged and that is exactly what happened. We were able to meet up with friends out there and had a wonderful time of fun, fellowship, FOOD (of course) and Spiritual renewal (sorry, couldn't think of a word that starts with an "f" to continue the alliteration.) 


Bob Hope International Airport--
Burbank, CA

Lancaster Baptist Church

Lancaster's Choir-WOW!

Melissa & Daniel Mann,
 Logan Wolf (missing Greyson), and Rodney

First In-and-Out
Animal-style double burger & fries

Logan and the Chocolate Motherlode Cake
at Claim Jumper

Del-Taco, ummm. Not so much.
Taco Bell would be a step UP!
 At the close of the Conference, Rodney and I headed to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. It is in a beautiful spot on the top of a mountain. To say that I was moved with nostalgia would be an understatement. Seeing President Reagan from his humble beginnings through his death was powerful. I was moved to tears as I watched videos of his funeral.

The Library of a GREAT man

I can see why he loved this place so much. It is beautiful!

Getting ready to go into the  Library.



Leaving there, we headed to San Diego . . . 

Do you edit photos?


As I was beginning to work on my Christmas cards last night. . . . Yes. Christmas cards. If you would like a further explanation, please see this post.

Anyway, as i was beginning to work on my Christmas cards last night, I was going through the photos that we had taken at the NC State Fair (see aforementioned post). One of the things that I noticed was that although the photos were good, some even great, they needed a little extra "umph". (Yes, I realize that "umph" is not technically a word, but it does embody the point i was trying to make.) 

At that exact moment, I remembered a post that I had read over at my friend Julie's blog, Corbett Capers. The post was entitled "How to Add Text to Photos - 4 Surprisingly Simple Tips" and you can go there by clicking here. In the post, she mentioned a site that I had never heard of called Pic Monkey. On the site, you can upload photos, add  text, edit exposure  adjust sharpness, crop or re-size photos and you can also apply lots of different effects, along with many other things that I haven't even discovered yet! 

As Julie points out, *Notice the crown icon on some of the effects? Those are called Royale Effects, and they will eventually be available only with Pic Monkey's paid membership. They are free for now, though :)

And did I mention that it’s free? No registration required. You can save your edited photos, email them, tweet them, and/or post them on Facebook. If you have any doubts about the absolute coolness of Pic Monkey, please click here to see the list of “Goodies” that the site offers. If you like to edit or are new at the whole process, this may be for you. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Back to the Christmas cards. . .I did get them finished. I have three to choose from. So many choices, so little cash! ;)

Andrea

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients

  •  4-5 Boneless Chicken Breasts
  •  1 (18oz) bottle of your favorite honey bbq sauce.
  •  1.5 cup of chicken broth
  •  2 cups of frozen bell pepper strips
  •  1 (20 oz) can of pineapple chunks, drained
  •  1/2 cup of water
Directions
  1. Place all ingredients in crockpot.
  2. Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-6 hours.
  3. Use 2 forks to shred chicken while it is still in the crock pot. Let shredded chicken remain in crockpot sauce for 15 more minutes
 

Friday, October 19, 2012

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients
·         4 Flour Tortillas
·         2 cups diced chicken or leftover bbq
·         1 cup BBQ Sauce
·         2 cups freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese
·         1/2 cup green or sauteed onions
·         3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
·         1 tablespoon butter, cut into 4 sections 

Dipping Sauce
·         3 tablespoons sour cream
·         1 tablespoon bbq sauce
·         1 tablespoon yogurt ranch dressing
 
  1. Mix sauce ingredients, stir well and set aside.
  2. Divide ingredients among four tortillas in this order: 1/4 cup bbq sauce, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 cup chicken, 1/4 of the bacon and then 1/4 of the onions.
  3. Fold the quesadilla over (like a taco) and repeat with remaining ingredients.
  4. In a pan over medium heat, cook quesadillas one at a time, each with its own cube of butter, cut from the original tablespoon of butter.
  5. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
  6. Once melted through, allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, slice into triangles and serve with dipping sauce.
  7. Enjoy!

Crockpot Meatball Subs

Crockpot Meatball Subs

Yields about 2 1/2 dozen small meatballs


Ingredients

  •  1 lb. of ground chicken (or ground turkey or beef)
  •  1/2 cup of bread crumbs
  •  1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes
  •  1 large egg, lightly beaten
  •  2 tbsp. of Italian Herb seasoning
  •  1 tsp. of garlic salt seasoning
  •  1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
  •  1/2 an onion, diced
  •  1 - 24 oz jar of pasta sauce (or homemade)
  •  1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
  1. Place the diced onion evenly on the bottom of the crockpot.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together your ground chicken or turkey, bread crumbs, egg, seasonings, and Parmesan cheese.
  3. Roll mixture into approximately 1.5" diameter balls (golf balls) and begin to place evenly, and stack, in your pot.
  4. Pour half the can of diced tomatoes over the meatballs.
  5. Pour enough pasta sauce over the meatballs, just to cover them. About half a jar.
  6. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  7. Ten minutes before serving: on your stove-top in a medium size sauce pan, heat your remaining pasta sauce and diced tomatoes together.
  8. Add 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and let melt into the sauce, on medium-low
  9. Slice your sub rolls/ buns. Scoop desired amount of meatballs into roll then add cheesy pasta sauce from stove. Sprinkle additional cheese or Parmesan on top, if desired.
 

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