Sunday, October 24, 2010

FALL FUN PARTY MENU AND RECIPES



 MENU  

Pumpkin Pizza
Chicken Soup and Goblins (Dumplings)
Vegetable Broomsticks and Dip
Mummy Rollups
Brewed Microwave Iced Tea or
Bubbling Brew Punch


PUMPKIN PIZZA
AKA Georgia’s Homemade Pizza

Ingredients for dough:
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 pkg. dry yeast
5 - 6 cups all purpose flour 

Ingredients for toppings:
2 - 15 oz. jars or cans of pizza sauce (Ragu/Contadina)
Garlic Salt
Parmesan Cheese
4 - 8 oz. shredded mild and sharp cheddar cheeses (mozzarella for regular pizza)
1/2 pound pepperoni
1 - 4 oz. can drained mushrooms
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Any other topping you like, including sausage, bacon, ham, olives, chopped tomatoes, pepper rings or jalapenos  (use your imagination)


Place the lukewarm water in a very large bowl (preferably one that is microwavable). Add sugar, salt, and oil and stir to mix...sprinkle dry yeast on top and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir yeast until completely dissolved and allow mixture to stand in a warm place for another 5 minutes.

Add the first 3 cups to the water/yeast mixture and stir until all the flour disappears. Let sit until bubbles appear on top of the mixture, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, add the rest of the flour until the dough becomes a little more like a big lump of dough... On a lightly floured bowl, dump out all the dough and with clean, floured hands begin to knead the dough until it becomes a shiny, smooth consistency and a little more elastic. Add a little more flour, if needed, and be sure the dough is not sticking to your fingers. Add oil to the bowl and place the dough into the bowl, turning it once so that the dough is coated in the oil.

To activate the rising process, place the covered bowl (with kitchen towel) into the microwave. Set it for 5 minutes and if your levels are from 1 to 10 for cooking, set it for #1 (which is even below the defrost level). This will start the dough to rise without beginning to bake it. Let it sit in microwave until double in size (which usually takes an hour). Punch the dough down and knead a couple of times back into a ball, and replace it into the greased bowl, cover and let sit in a warm place until double again.

In the meantime, prepare 4 pans by oiling them lightly and setting aside. This would be a good time to chop your vegetables, if that is what you're putting on your pizza and getting the cheeses, sauce, etc. ready to go.

After it has doubled for the second time, now separate into 4 balls, and keep covered. Put the first ball onto the floured table and flatten out with the palm of your hand and stretch it and turn it and stretch it again until it starts taking shape. You may also use a rolling pin, if you feel you need to in order to get it to the thickness you want. Quickly place the dough onto the greased pan and with your fingertips, continue to stretch and push the dough to the edges of the pan, making a rim so the sauce will not go over.

Using the different toppings, you can create pumpkins or Jack O'Lanterns making eyes, ears, noses, mouth and hair.  Have fun and use your imagination.  The cheddar cheeses are delicious and  give the appearance of a pumpkin as opposed to the normal Italian cheese.

With a medium-sized spoon, spread the pizza sauce evenly until it covers out to the edges. At this time, I sprinkle parmesan cheese and a little garlic salt all around the crust area. This adds a nice flavor to the crust when it is baked. Sprinkle a mixture of mild and sharp cheddar cheese evenly and then build your pizza as mentioned above.

The oven should be preheated to 450 degrees. When it is ready, and your pizzas are all complete, put them in and check after about 10 minutes...you may want to alternate the one on the top rack to the bottom and vice versa. I usually bake 2 pizzas at a time and watch very carefully so the bottoms do not burn. Total baking time for each pizza should be around 20 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the crust and the amount of toppings it has. The ones with all the vegetables sometimes takes a little longer. The main thing is, you should keep an eye on them and stay close to your oven. The crust should be golden brown and the cheese all melted and bubbly before removing.


CHICKEN SOUP WITH GOBLINS  (dumplings)
AKA  Old World Chicken Vegetable Soup With Dumplings

1 whole chicken fryer
1# carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 stalk celery (top half with leaves, chopped)
1/2 # frozen corn
1 can green beans, drained
7 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed
Garlic Salt
Coarse black pepper

Dumpling Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Dash black pepper
4 eggs
Water as needed

Clean chicken thoroughly and remove all gizzards, heart, etc. and put into an 8 quart stock pot filled 3/4 full of cold water. Cook chicken until tender. Remove from broth, cool, and bone it into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken to pot. Add all vegetables (fresh, frozen, and canned). Start with approximately 2 Tbsp. of garlic salt and l Tbs. coarse black pepper. As it cooks, taste occasionally, and add garlic salt and pepper as needed.
Cook on medium high until all the vegetables are tender. Keep the pot uncovered until they are tender and skim the foam off the top and discard. Put lid on and let cook at medium low heat for an additional hour. (This would be a good time to taste and use additional salt and pepper. As the soup cooks, the salt will absorb into the vegetables). The key to good-tasting soup is to let it cook slow and long and allow the flavors of chicken, veggies, and seasoning to blend. Your broth will look rich and have some fat on top. If there is too much fat, skim and discard. It has a somewhat yellowish color when it's rich.

The dumplings (goblins) should be added no more than an hour before you serve it. In a medium bowl, put flour in and make a well in the middle. Add to this, the salt and pepper and all four eggs. With a fork, begin breaking up the eggs and mixing it into the flour. Start with 1/2 cup of water and slowly add and stir into flour mixture. The consistency will be somewhat lumpy, thick, and gooey. So add more water until it looks this way. If it's too thin, add a little more flour.

Remove lid from soup, and turn heat to medium high ( so it comes to a low boil). With a teaspoon, dip into the hot broth and then get a spoonful of batter and drop it into the soup. Continue process until all the batter is gone. DO NOT mix the dumplings...because they will break up. Put lid back on and let boil slowly for about 5 - 10 minutes. Remove the lid. Turn down the heat to simmer and then mix the dumplings carefully. Put lid back on and let simmer for an hour or so before serving.


VEGETABLE BROOMSTICKS AND DIP

Carrots and celery cut up into small long sticks

Make your dip (onion or ranch) with a little cayenne to add a little zip and color.


MUMMY ROLLUPS

1/2 pound thinly sliced hard salami
1- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 tsp. horseradish (optional)

If you want this to have a little tang and zip...add the horseradish to the cream cheese and mix well...or just add to half of the cream cheese...But, either way.. spread 1/2 tsp. of cream cheese mixture onto the slice of salami and roll up...and after you complete them all...put on a plate, covered with plastic wrap and chill. A really neat and quick addition to any party!!


MICROWAVE BREWED ICED TEA

Using an empty gallon milk/water container, place 6 tea bags (without tags) in the bottom and fill about 1/4 full of water. Place in microwave and heat on high for 5 minutes.
Let stand for about 10 minutes to steep and add enough water to about 7/8 of the way to the top. 

If  you like the tea unsweetened, then just refrigerate it. If you like it sweetened, add 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar, place lid on and shake until the sugar is dissolved.


BUBBLING BREW PUNCH

1 - 46 oz. can of  orange drink
1 - 12 oz. frozen lemonade, mixed with 3 cans water
2 - 2 liters  lemon-lime soda 
1 - 20 oz. can crushed pineapple (don't drain)
1 small can mandarin oranges 
1 frozen package strawberries
1 kiwi - peeled and sliced
1 lime - washed and thinly sliced
1 quart orange sherbet

Empty all the cans and packages of fruit into the bottom of the punch bowl. Add the diluted lemonade, orange drink,  and mix slowly. Empty the container of sherbet on top of this and pour slowly the 2 liters of soda ...Stir slowly...breaking up the sherbet. On top of this place a few of lime slices and kiwi and let them float...I have a huge punch bowl and go through 5 batches of this for the night.  To add a little excitement, add spider rings or other scary things to ice cube trays and add them to the punch bowl.                       BOOOOOO!!!!! 

FRESH STARTS/Devotional From Georgia's Heart



                                                       
            Crisp, cool nights,   comfortable days, leaves all fallen and  raked and piled up for the city to take ( or for  the children to jump into.)   The undeniable smell of Fall is definitely in the air.

             Autumn may begin September 21st, but in the Ohio valley, it just seems a little more official in November.   But,  I love it.   It's one of my very favorite times of year.    Although the vegetable garden is done producing the goodies,  the annual flowers have mostly died,  and some perennials are still trying to keep going.    It does in some ways present an end to things.   There can be good things that end and bad things that end.

            The end to a good relationship is hard... but the end to a long illness  is wonderful.   It's all in how we view things.  And in God's perspective  we know that "all things work together for good to those who love God."      It’s  always for our good and even more so,  for His glory.  We must never forget He has a perfect plan for our lives.   He doesn't make mistakes  and He loves us dearly.   It’s  more than we can ever imagine.

            Begin anew with a fresh touch from your Savior.  He's only a prayer away  and He's always on call   day or night , 24 hours a day.. 7 days a week.

Friday, October 8, 2010

PASTOR'S APPRECIATION MONTH /Make it EVERY month....


"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.... " (2 Timothy 4:1,2,3a).
Quite a charge given to the pastor and QUITE a responsibility.

It's not easy being a pastor. The accountability alone before the Lord is overwhelming. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." (Hebrews 13:17).

Can you imagine the responsibility given to "watch" for the souls of your sheep (the local assembly), and then give account of it before the Captain of your salvation. Wow.. that gets a little overwhelming, when you think about it. But, that's exactly what a pastor must do.. Besides the studying and preaching of the Word, the care and watch for their souls, and being a servant with kindness to all. That's a tall order, but that's what a man of God, when he receives the 'call' of God, MUST do in order to fulfill the great commission from Jesus Christ.

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15).

"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God maybe will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.." (2 Timothy 2: 24, 25).

I guess I should know all about pastors. I'm married to one. We've been in the ministry for over 40 years now and I've seen my husband through the 'thick and thin' of it. The many 'baptisms of fire', the struggle with a wayward member of the flock, seeing him smile through tears, at times, even being maligned and misrepresented, as well as the MANY joys and happinesses, too. No-----there's MUCH to the ministry and there are many out there today and in the past who have left the ministry because of the pressures and stress.

He's supposed to know the answer for EVERYTHING, be there for EVERY meeting, visit at a moment's notice, preach funerals, marry people, baptize converts, dedicate babies.. and the list goes on.

BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAID????

"THANK YOU, PASTOR, I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT SERMON!"

Or..."PASTOR, HOW WOULD LIKE TO COME OVER FOR DINNER?"

Or..."PASTOR, LET ME MEET YOU AT CHURCH TO PRAY FOR YOU!!!"

Doesn't happen------does it?

You see, I've been there----done that--and seen it all.

But, may I say, I've seen some and most of this over the years, but the Lord has given us the greatest congregations. Three in all. But, there are and were times, that our faith was tested beyond belief. And by God's grace...we passed the tests.

But, I had a ministry online to pastor's wives and the stories I heard from them about the things they have gone through in their ministries, would make you cringe. My heart breaks for them in some of the situations they've been put in as servants of God.

For the most part, I find that most pastors and their wives have to work outside the home and carry on a full-time ministry and be expected to fulfill all the needs of everyone in the church. That ought not to be. It is the church's responsibility to take care of the man of God and his family. They are to be giving their time to the study and preaching of the Word. "Let the leaders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, THOU SHALT NOT MUZZLE THE OX THAT TREADETH OUT THE CORN. And, THE LABOURER IS WORTHY OF HIS REWARD." Double honour????? Whoa.. that's too much to give a pastor. We have to keep him poor and humble. Believe it or not, I've heard people say that before.

It saddens me.

Then, there are those who have experienced much discouragement from parishioners who tell them that they are not meeting up to their expectations. Everyone wants to be a leader and tell the pastor what he should or should not be doing. Almost sounds like Moses and the children of Israel, doesn't it?

I could tell you story after story in detail, but I won't. I just felt it was a time to share just how much you need to appreciate your pastor, and share it from a pastor's wife's heart.

And how about your pastor's wife? When was the last time you came up to her asked if you could help with something that she does plenty of? Didn't you know that a pastor's wife must always be able to play the piano, sing at moment's notice, cook hamburger "100 different ways", dress discretely, but fashionably, wear her hair matronly, but in the latest 'hair-do'??? I remember reading that in one of my favorite books, "The Unprivate Life Of A Pastor's Wife" by Frances Nordland. It scared me to death. I thought, "I can't be what everyone wants me to be.. I can't be like my pastor's wife. That's just NOT me." And you know what? That's exactly what the Lord wanted.. Someone JUST like ME! He wanted to use my personality, my talents, my gifts, and my failures to be there for His honor and glory and that's all!!! Wow!!! I thought He wanted someone 'perfect.' Ha.... ha.. well, when He called us to the ministry.. He knew just who we were.. "Sinners----saved by grace."

And I just want to say.. "I LOVE MY PASTOR". I see him behind the scenes.. I know how long he studies.. and how late he comes home.. I see the little things he does to keep the church building in order..  and he loves the LORD with all his heart.. Thank you, sweetie, for being MY Man of God...

Okay! I've said all that to say this.

Do you know what would make the PERFECT GIFT or surprise for your pastor on this special time????

JUST YOU!!!

Hey.. do you want to see him shocked beyond measure (but it may cause a heart attack, too).... BE AT EVERY SERVICE!!! Bibles wide open, taking notes, and encourage him afterward!

You'll just literally "knock him dead." But really, that's all anyone wants--isn't it? Just to be appreciated for their work's sake and an occasional 'THANK YOU.'

Lord bless you all and bless those special pastors who have given their lives to preach God's Word and with a servant's heart, serve you with joy.


THE PASTOR'S WIFE

She's a Godly woman, she has such grace
Always a warm greeting, a smile on her face.
She's always encouraging, she knows her place.
She is - The Pastor's Wife.

She has to always look just right 
Always on time, though the schedule's tight.
From early morning, til late at night 
Always - The Pastor's Wife

She's such a Lady, everyone's friend
She serves with love from deep within.
All the rifts she tries to mend 
Oh she's - The Pastor's Wife

She carries your burdens, she prays for you
Sometimes she cries the whole night through.
But you won't know when she's feeling blue, 
'Cause she's - The Pastor's Wife

At church as she starts to walk up the aisle,
So many need to stop and talk for awhile. 
Though she is tired, she has her own trials 
She's patient, she's - The Pastor's Wife

Her life, her time, is not her own 
There's always a need, they go on and on
With a knock at the door, or a ringing phone. 
That's the life of - The Pastor's Wife

Her husband she shares with a whole congregation
She humbly accepts his intense dedication. 
In loneliness she kneels to see consolation 
God Bless - The Pastor's Wife

She will someday reach the end of this race
As she meets her Master face to face 
Surely our God has a Special Place 
In Heaven for - The Pastor's Wife!




A PASTOR'S HEART
A well spoken message stirs a heart to rejoice
There is nothing like a strong, resilient voice
But when sorrow comes, there is no better gift to impart
Then the gift of a caring, pastor's heart

A loving touch or a kind word
A moment of counsel from God's holy word
A telephone call--after you just heard.., 
Is the gift of our pastor's heart.

Lord, bless this pastor
In each new day
Bless his ministry along the way
For fame and fortune can never impart
The precious gift of a caring pastor's heart

Just a servant of Christ
and at times a dear friend
With a dersire to love God
To the very end
Tending his flock in the Savior's way
Is the gift of a pastor's heart

Striving to live
as an apostle of Christ
Serving his father giving Godly advice!
Preaching and teaching and sharing the Word
Is the gift of a caring pastor's heart.


TO OUR PASTOR

Our God has sent you to this place
To lead us in the way
That He would have us work and think
And live from day to day.

No matter the hour; whatever the need,
You go the extra mile -
Always ready and willing to share
A comforting thought and a smile.

We're grateful that you're here with us
To teach us from His word,
And we will try to do our best
In service of our Lord.

We thank you for your ministry,
Your guidance and your care.
His greatest blessings for your life
Is our most humble prayer.


FEED MY SHEEP

A small voice in the dark
Whispering to an open heart 
My child, My child, listen to Me 
And the words to you I speak 
My child, My child, feed My sheep

Though I tried to ignore it 
The voice wouldn't go away 
My child, My child 
What are you waiting for
My child, My child, feed My sheep

What do I have to give, I cried 
To those who are hungry and lost 
To those who stand in the dark 
What can I feed Your sheep 
Master, Master, I did cry

What do I have to give, I asked
Those who know sorrow and despair 
Those who know no hope or love 
What can I feed Your sheep 
Master, Master, I ask You

Gather together within My fold
My sheep who are hungry and lost 
My sheep who are standing in the dark
And with the Bread of Life I give 
My child, My child, feed My sheep

Hear My voice upon your heart 
Listen closely to what I say 
As I fed you with My words 
And also with My love and grace, so shall you
My child, My child, feed My sheep


TO OUR PASTOR'S WIFE

When we thank God for our pastor
We must give Him thanks for two,
For when your husband came to us,
God also sent us you.

A pastor's wife must be many things,
You have many hats to wear;
And we say thanks for all you do
And lift you up in prayer.

You adjust your life to meet the needs
Of your husband's congregation,
And it seems that you can always cope
With most any situation.

Your presence blesses all of us
Who know you from day to day.
As our pastor's wife, you are serving God
In a fine and worthy way.


THE PASTOR'S WIFE

We often hear of Heroes
on the news at night,
How someone went into a fire
To save someone else's life.

But, there's another hero 
that we never hear about, 
Though Her love and dedication
are never in a doubt.

Often took for granted...
Never glorified,
Still she keeps on going
for the person by her side.

She stands beside him everyday
no matter what ... is thrown their way,
For he was called from above 
To spread the message of "GOD'S LOVE".

And just as he was called... 
She was hand picked too.
for it takes someone Special
to do what she must do.

And though he may get the Glory
and he may get the Fame,
She will stand beside him in Love
and Help him just the same.

She's the person he turns to
when he needs a friend,
She will always be there till the
"Glorious End".

I would like to take this moment
to introduce to you,
a LOVELY unsung Hero
for whom
GOD hand-picked to spend Her life
as
The Pastor's WIFE.



CLERGY APPRECIATION LINKS