Best Gluten Free Pizza Crust Ever!

Well, that is  only my opinion.  But I have tried several gluten free pizza crusts -- a cookbook recipe, a recipe from the King Arthur web site, and a crust from a local gluten free bakery -- and I have to say that -- to my taste anyway -- this one is the best of the best.  I should state right up front that I like a chewy, more bread-like, pizza crust.  I am not a fan of crispy, crunchy, thin pizza crust.

This is actually a focaccia bread recipe that I adapted somewhat from a great cookbook, Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus, by Carol Fenster.  I like the focaccia bread this recipe produces, and just thought I would experiment with putting it on a pizza pan and adding toppings.  It worked perfectly!

Here's the recipe:

GLUTEN FREE PIZZA CRUST
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour  (This is what I use: 3/4 cup brown rice flour; 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon potato starch; 3 Tablespoons tapioca flour -- this adds up to 1 1/2 cups and to my mind is the perfect blend)
1/2 cup additional tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
onion powder to taste
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. cider vinegar

Sauce, cheese and preferred pizza toppings

Grease a standard 12-inch pizza pan -- or, if you prefer, a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan. 

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.  Let stand 5 minutes or until foamy.

Sift the flours, xanthan gum, gelatin  powder, seasonings and salt into a mixing bowl.  Whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar into the yeast mixture and stir into the dry ingredients.  Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the dough for 2 minutes.  The dough will be soft and sticky.  Use a rubber scraper to scrape the dough onto the prepared pan and spread it out.

Let the pizza dough rise in the pan for about 30 minutes, heating the oven to 400º during the last 10 minutes or so of the rising time.

Spread the pizza dough with your desired sauce; add shredded mozzarella cheese and your preferred toppings.  Bake the pizza for about 20 minutes, until dough is cooked through and cheese is melted nicely.  You know what a properly baked pizza should look like.

Cool the pizza for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 1 pizza.

(And, if you'd prefer, you can also make this into focaccia bread.  Use the pizza pan if you like it thinner; for thicker bread, use a greased 11 x 7-inch baking pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and add desired herbs, seasonings, shredded parmesan, etc. to your taste before rising.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 400º.)

Italian Bean Soup

(Photo by Taste of Home)

Late yesterday afternoon, Mr. T and I came home from a funeral and I started thinking what to make for supper.  My original plan had been Fiesta Sweet Potato Soup and cornbread, but I didn't realize I had run out of smoked sausage, which that soup recipe calls for.  So I had to re-think, and turned to my 2012 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes, which I had received for free in return for having a recipe of mine published in it.

I found this recipe for a meatless Italian Bean Soup and decided to give it a try, since I pretty much had everything it called for.  I used frozen cut leaf spinach rather than fresh baby spinach, and it worked out perfectly.  I also used instant brown rice rather than orzo, since I try to avoid wheat. Oh -- I should add that rather than the Italian style stewed tomatoes, I used the Italian style diced tomatoes.  I like them better because they are cut smaller.

The soup was absolutely delicious and just perfect for a cold evening.  I started the cornbread first and the soup cooked while the cornbread baked.  I will definitely be making this recipe again and again!  Maybe you would like to try it, too.

Goals for week beginning 11/25/2012

Here are my goals for this week:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study
*  Get a good start on Sunday School lesson 6
 *  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Finish memorizing Psalm 145:1-5
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
*  Limit sugar
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas
*  Finish a Thanksgiving themed craft project
*  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 5, the living room
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews
*  Post about the couples' retreat from October
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do.


And here's how last week went:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study -- DONE!
*  Finish Sunday School lesson 5 -- DONE!
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Review Psalm 100  -- DONE!
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground -- DONE!
*  Limit sugar -- didn't manage this
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times -- exercised twice.  Better than nothing, though.
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- did okay with this
*  Finish a Thanksgiving themed craft project -- DONE with a candle mat, but am trying to finish a second one for a set of two
*  Keep up a good water intake  -- did pretty well with this
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- DONE!
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs -- DONE!
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 4, the bedrooms -- DONE!
*  Dust living room -- DONE!
*  Host Thanksgiving dinner for friends -- DONE!
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews -- not done
*  Post about the couples' retreat from October -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- DONE!

I am truly encouraged as I see all that I accomplished last week.  However, as always, I hope for a more productive week ahead!

Thanksgiving Candle Mat (and assorted fall decor)

 Rather impulsively, I decided a few days before Thanksgiving that I wanted to make a set of candle mats for the table.  I had bought the pattern four years ago at a wonderful shop called Pine Needles at Gardner Village in West Jordan, Utah.  Ever since, I have gotten the pattern out every fall and have wanted to make one or two mats, but hadn't gotten beyond the prep work of tracing the pattern to make the pattern pieces.  This year I just decided I was going for it! 

Without the candle

Because I got such a late start, I was only able to complete one mat (the second is about half done), but it was finished in time to display it on our Thanksgiving table!

I thought I would show just a few photos of other fall decorating while it is still more or less the season.  I will start Christmas decorating soon, probably next week.  So here are a few pictures of my fall hutch:

The only "new" thing here (other than the middle Thanksgiving card on the lower shelf) is a fall-themed glass from the Dollar Tree -- a gift to me at our family mini-Christmas!

The lowest hutch shelf -- gourds at left are real

In case you can't read the writing on the pretty kitchen towel, it says "Harvest Gatherings".  I bought this, along with a Christmas one, at The Two Olde Crows in Elko, Nevada, last year.  This wonderful country shop has been a "must-visit" for me on every recent trip to Elko.  It brings so much joy and so many special memories to use lovely items like this in my seasonal decorating.

This cornucopia was a recycled one someone had given me.  A few years ago I found items at Jo-Ann's, Wal*mart, and the Dollar Tree (if I remember right) to fill it. 
 
I keep it stashed away, intact, in a large zip-top plastic bag to bring out every year.  My daughter gave me the pretty leaf-trimmed towel.  I thought its colors looked so nice with the cornucopia.

Hope you have enjoyed this quick look at some fall and Thanksgiving decor!

Menu ~ Thanksgiving 2012

I am going to jot down our menu here prior to tucking the menu list away in the back of my Christmas notebook to refer to another year.  Here it is :

THANKSGIVING 2012
Turkey, Ham
Duck (brought by guests)
Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing/Gravy
Squash (brought by guests)
Peas (brought by guests)
Onions (brought by guests)
Salad       (brought by guests)
Bread & Butter Pickles, Mustard Pickles (brought by guests)
Cranberry Sauce (brought by guests)
                ~
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Cranberry Mince Pie
Custard Pie (brought by guests)
Key Lime Pie (brought by guests)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pie (brought by guests)
~ Coffee ~

Oh, the joys of a potluck Thanksgiving!  As you can see, we enjoyed a sumptuous feast, and the cooking was shared around.  One of the most relaxed Thanksgiving days I can remember.

A blessed Thanksgiving to all!

Mr. T and I would like to wish a most blessed Thanksgiving to all of my readers and friends!

One thing that I am increasingly impressed with, every day, is the goodness of our God.  No matter what may be happening in the world, in our nation, or in our individual lives, God is good.  All the time. 

Psalm 100 is a favorite psalm of thanksgiving.

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
"Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.  
"Know ye that the LORD, He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
"For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."

Some of our friends today are facing uncertainty, pain, sadness, bereavement, and other difficult situations.  Remember this:  "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."  (Nahum 1:7)

May you have a blessed day praising and thanking God for all His goodness!

Goals for week beginning 11/18/2012

Somehow the week is already slipping away!

Here are my goals for this week:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study
*  Finish Sunday School lesson 5
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Review Psalm 100
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
*  Limit sugar
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas
*  Finish a Thanksgiving themed craft project
*  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 4, the bedrooms
*  Dust living room
*  Host Thanksgiving dinner for friends
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews
*  Post about the couples' retreat from October
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do.

And here's how last week went:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study -- didn't get to this
*  Work on and possibly finish Sunday School lesson 5 -- worked on but did not finish
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Memorize Psalm 145:1-5 -- still didn't get verse 5
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground -- DONE!
*  Limit sugar -- did okay with this
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times -- didn't exercise once.  Got some walking in, however.
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- did okay with this
*  Keep up a good water intake -- could do better with this
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- DONE!
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs -- not as regularly as I hoped
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 3, the bathrooms -- DONE!
*  Do some Zone 2 missions I didn't get to last week -- DONE!
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews -- not done
*  Post about the couples' retreat from October -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- DONE!

This week has already gone much better than last.  I'm thankful!

A gathering of Thanksgiving tips and recipes!

Today, with Thanksgiving coming up so quickly, I thought I would share some more of my tips for Thanksgiving dinner.  It would have been more thoughtful of me to post them last week, but I guess it is better late than never.

It seems to me that Thanksgiving is really neglected as a holiday.  It can be very easy to just look at it as a prelude to a Black Friday shopping spree.  But I've been very encouraged in the blogosphere to see so many wonderful Thanksgiving ideas for food, decorating, kids' activities, table settings, etc.  You can find these on people's blogs and on Pinterest.  I have a special board on Pinterest just for Thanksgiving ideas, in fact. If you are interested, click on the red  "Follow Me on Pinterest" button in the sidebar and -- once you have arrived there -- scroll down to find my Thanksgiving board.

So here are some more Thanksgiving tips, recipes and other goodies.  I hope it's not too late for you to enjoy some of them.

In thinking of Thanksgiving dinner, probably one of the first steps after being sure of the number of guests is to make a menu list.  At our Thanksgivings, I am not responsible for all of the food.  People bring things to share, and we establish ahead of time who's bringing what.  Right now my menu for Thursday is scribbled on a scrap of paper.  But before the day I will write it neatly on a pretty piece of paper, under the heading Thanksgiving 2012.  When Thanksgiving is over, I will tuck this menu in the back of my Christmas notebook.  That way, when someone asks me about what to bring next Thanksgiving, I will be ready and can just pull it out and say definitively what we ate.

Now, on to the food!

For the turkey, I have tried a number of roasting methods. But the foolproof, best way I have found is to buy a turkey-sized oven bag and follow the chart and directions for roast turkey. Moist and wonderful every time. I roast it unstuffed.

For the stuffing, I buy a bag of Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing and follow the directions on the bag, sauteing plenty of chopped celery and onion in the butter before adding it. Usually, I cook the stuffing in a crockpot on low, adding a little chicken broth if necessary from time to time to keep it moist. One can bake the stuffing in the oven, of course, but I like the crockpot better. And the oven is usually pretty full of other things, anyway.

For the mashed potatoes, this is my very best advice:  Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes.  If you have never tried this, I think you will be very thankful to have found this recipe.

With turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, one must have gravy.  This is the simplest and best turkey gravy recipe I have found: Easy Turkey Gravy.  It makes a generous amount, and the gravy hounds at your table will thank you!

For vegetable side dishes, here are a few of my favorites:

Sweet Potato Casserole

Broccoli Casserole

Scalloped Onions

Or try this wonderful squash and apple bake:

BUTTERCUP SQUASH & APPLE BAKE
3 lbs. buttercup squash
3 apples
6 Tblsp. margarine (or use 4 Tblsp. oil)
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 Tblsp. flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt

Cut squash in halves; remove seeds and fibers. Peel and cut in slices 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick. Arrange the slices in a 13 x 9-inch pan.

Core apples but do not peel them. Cut in 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch slices and arrange them on top of squash.

Mix remaining ingredients; sprinkle over top of apples and squash. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 350º for about 1 hour or until squash is tender. Serves 6 to 8.

I have been making this recipe for over thirty years. It’s nice with any autumn meal and would be a great side dish for Thanksgiving. It can be made with any winter squash you like, but my favorite is buttercup.

A nice fresh salad to have with Thanksgiving dinner is this one:

FRUIT and NUT TOSSED SALAD

1 large or 2 medium bunches romaine, torn in bite-size pieces
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I toast nuts in the microwave -- quick & easy)

Dressing:
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tblsp. vegetable oil
3 Tblsp. sugar

In a large bowl combine all of the salad ingredients and gently toss together. Put all of the dressing ingredients in a small jar. Cover securely and shake to combine. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat ingredients with dressing. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

This is a delicious salad! It’s also very good served with a Mexican meal -- the light, fruity taste is a nice contrast to the spicy hot flavors. I think I will add a few dried cranberries for Thanksgiving, too.

Homemade rolls are nice but certainly not a necessity.  If your family likes rolls, however, check these recipes out:

Homemade Dinner Rolls   
 The above is a recipe for wonderful homemade crescent rolls, very easy to make and delicious.

 And below, my daughter Carrie's honey rolls--originally from Quick Cooking magazine, Sept./Oct. 2000 -- which she is often requested to bring for Thanksgiving:

GOLDEN HONEY PAN ROLLS
(This is a bread machine recipe, but probably could be adapted to make by hand.)

1 c. milk (70-80º)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 T. honey
1- 1/2 t. salt
3 -1/2 c. bread flour
2-1/4 t. active dry yeast

Glaze:

1/3 c. sugar
2 T. butter, melted
1 T. honey
1 egg white
Additional honey, optional

In bread machine pan, place the first eight ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 T. of water or flour if needed.) When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 24 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 12 balls each in two greased 8” baking pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. For glaze, combine sugar, butter, honey and egg white; drizzle over dough. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with additional honey if desired.

Yield: 2 dozen


A Thanksgiving meal really needs cranberries in some form, but I don't have a recipe to share for that.  There are great recipes for cranberry sauces and chutneys out there, and the canned is fine also.

Now for pies:

EASY PUMPKIN PIE

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine all ingredients except pie crust in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until well combined. Pour into crust.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350º. Bake pie for 35 to 40 minutes longer or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool pie before cutting or serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

I have never really cared for pumpkin pie, I must confess. A couple of years ago I found the above recipe on line and I have never looked back. This one is truly delicious and so easy. I like to top it with a baked pastry cutout in the form of a turkey.

And here are some other of our favorite pie recipes:

Favorite Thanksgiving Pie Recipes

Lastly here are a few other inspiring Thanksgiving links:

A Thanksgiving Memory  -- a memory of my childhood Thanksgivings at my grandmother's house.  I'm going to reread this myself because it is full of fun vintage ideas.

A Children's Book of Thanksgiving Prayers -- This is a vintage book of children's Thanksgiving prayers with charming illustrations.

Thankful Be -- not from my blog, but from Aunt Ruthie at Sugar Pie Farmhouse.  I read this last year and it continues to inspire.

Hope you have enjoyed this potpourri of Thanksgiving ideas! 

Just in time for Thanksgiving : helpful advice on pie crust...

Vintage advertising card from my collection

I seem to post something like this every year, but I find that a lot of people seem to be intimidated by pie crust.  Thankfully, these days one can buy the refrigerated crusts that come pre-rolled (they really aren't bad, and can often be found even in a store brand) or the frozen crusts.  And some people have a favorite small bakery where they like to buy special pies for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other special occasions.  But if you want to make your own, and if you need some help, go to my post Helpful Tips for Thanksgiving Pies.  This post contains my very best pie-making advice.

But what if you, or someone who'll be at your Thanksgiving table, want to avoid gluten or wheat?  That doesn't mean, thankfully, that you can't enjoy a nice slice of pie.  I found this recipe: Gluten Free Pie Crust a few months ago and used it for an early Thanksgiving dinner we had when our family was visiting from out West.  It's an easy recipe which you don't have to roll out -- just pat it into the pan.  It won't work, obviously, for a double crust pie, but works fine for an open face pie or one with a crumb topping.  I used it for a pumpkin pie then, and have just made a pumpkin-dutch apple pie with it.  I've also used the recipe as the bottom crust for a favorite apple crisp pizza recipe.  It is good and, as I said, very easy.  If you need a gluten free pie crust, you will want to give this a try.

Photo from GlutenFreeEasily.com

What is your family's favorite Thanksgiving pie?

Goals for week beginning 11/11/2012

Here are my goals for this week:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study
*  Work on and possibly finish Sunday School lesson 5
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Psalm 145:1-5
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
*  Limit sugar
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas
*  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 3, the bathrooms
*  Do some Zone 2 missions I didn't get to last week
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews
*  Post about the couples' retreat from October
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do.

And here's how last week went:
*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study -- DONE!
*  Get started on Sunday School lesson 5 -- DONE!
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Memorize Psalm 145:1-5 -- DONE except for verse 5
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground --- DONE!
*  Limit sugar -- didn't do too well with this
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times -- managed only twice
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- DONE!
*  Keep up a good water intake -- need to work on this
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- DONE!
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs -- DONE!
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 2, the kitchen -- still need to finish
*  Do some Zone 5/Zone 1 missions I didn't get to last week -- DONE!
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews -- not done
*  Post about the couples' retreat from October -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- DONE!

We'll see how this week goes -- it is going to be a busy one!!

Back-on-Track Challenge, Week 3

Well, a third week of my personal back-on-track challenge has passed.  I am not sure where the week went.  Recall, I had originally planned this challenge for 21 days.   I've definitely decided to continue it for at least one more week, maybe more.   Here's my report for the past week; how I did in the four areas I was challenging myself in:

*  health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep -- did okay with this.  Again, I probably did best with the "getting enough sleep" part.  Exercised only 2 days, though I did seem to be doing a lot of running around after kids, so perhaps I can count that.  Still need to work on all of these specifics.

*  spiritual life -- especially Bible study, Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture -- Again this week,  this went very well.  I again set some specific spiritual life goals for each day and I'm happy to say that I met those every day!  I will continue to work on these, because I firmly believe that the spiritual aspect of life is the most important and that if it is not all it should be, I will continue to have trouble with goals, purpose, and priority in all other aspects of life.

*  homemaking -- getting back into the routines that work for me; getting better at time management -- I'm still not where I want to be with the homemaking routines OR the time management, but there's been definite improvement -- especially in time management.  I was so thankful to see how Saturday went -- it was a busy day and I had a lot to accomplish.  I was so pleased to see how the Lord gave wisdom regarding my use of time to help me feel relaxed and not rushed.  (Praying to master the skills of time management has been an ongoing prayer request of mine for years, so that explains why I'm so thrilled to see progress!)  Still need to work a lot harder at getting those homemaking routines in place.

* creativity -- blogging more often and trying to craft some birthday and Christmas gifts  --   Did quite well with this; managed to finish three Christmas gifts and got a lot of prep work done for others.  I managed to post in both blogs fairly often, too, though not quite as much as I'd hoped to.

All in all I am pleased with the third week of the Back-on-Track challenge and am hoping it goes even better this week, which is already looking like a very busy one.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

(Photo by Taste of Home)

Looks like I am in the recipe-trying mode these days.  This is another new one for me.  I make supper for my dad (and deliver it to his home) one night a week.  (Some other nights he comes here, and I cook for him one lunchtime each week as well, so one way and another I am often cooking for him.  He isn't picky about food, but does love to eat, so I often try new recipes for him as well as for ourselves.)  I had planned to make a harvest chicken salad (with sweet potatoes, apples, etc.) using some leftover chicken I had.  But last evening was chilly and spitting snow, so I decided to make something warmer.  I had been looking through an older Country Woman magazine and spotted this recipe: Creamy Chicken Lasagna.  I had [nearly] everything on hand, so decided to try it.

I did change quite a few things.  I dislike boiling lasagna noodles, but the ones I had were not the oven-ready type.  So I did what I usually do in such a case: assemble the recipe using the uncooked noodles, cover the pan with foil and bake an hour and 15 minutes at 350º;  then let the lasagna stand for 15 more minutes before cutting.  It worked out fine.  The noodles I had were the gluten free brown rice type, but this procedure works with any kind of lasagna noodle.

The sauce came out quite a bit thinner than I thought it should be, especially for the "filling" part to which chicken and tomatoes are added.  Since I was starting with uncooked noodles, it would be fine to have a thin sauce to add moisture to the top and bottom layers, but not for the filling.  (This is a rather unusual lasagna in that it does not include ricotta or cottage cheese in the filling, but rather chicken and tomatoes.)  So, for the part reserved for the filling, I thickened it further with several additional tablespoons of cornstarch. 

The sauce was very flavorful, but I must admit I left out the Dijon mustard because I just didn't think it would go that well in a tomatoey cream sauce.  I only used 1/8 tsp. cayenne because an older person was going to be eating it, and often they don't like things really spicy.  In spite of all my changes and tinkering with the recipe, it did come out very well.

In fact, Mr. T thought it was a definite "keeper" recipe.  I will be keeping this lasagna in mind for another time when we have leftover chicken to use up. 

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

(Photo by Taste of Home)

Last night I tried a new recipe.  I had seen a "dinner in a pumpkin" recipe on my friend Nikki's blog and was intrigued.  I found a similar one here at Taste of Home: Savory Stuffed Pumpkin.  The pumpkin is scooped out, then stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, mushrooms, rice, etc. and baked in the oven for an hour and a half. I turned the oven off just before we went to vote, and so this yummy meal was waiting for us in a warm oven when we returned from voting. 

I should add that I chose not to use the water chestnuts and that I used fresh mushrooms (which I sauteed along with the onions) instead of canned ones.  We both liked this meal a lot and decided it was a definite "make-again" recipe.  In fact, a second pumpkin has been set aside for just the purposes of making another Savory Stuffed Pumpkin.  I will serve it with homemade baked beans on Saturday night!

Keep on praying for America --- and look up!

Now that Election Day is behind us, and the results are so clear, we must be sure to keep praying for our country and for the leaders who have been chosen.  God's Word commands us to pray "for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."  (1Timothy 2:2). 

This morning in my own quiet time I was reminded that it is God Himself who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He is "the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God", deserving of honor and glory forever.  (1 Timothy 1:17).

In the book of Daniel we read King Nebuchadnezzar's words: 

"I lifted up mine eyes unto heaven ... and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.
"And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?"

We must never forget that God is in control of all things and is working all things after the counsel of His own will.  Sometimes we may fear that things are out of God's control, but -- depend upon it -- they never have been, and they never will be.

So let's keep praying for our country .. looking unto Jesus!

Prayer for America

Image courtesy Vintage Holiday Crafts.com

Let's all remember to keep our country in prayer, each and every day, that our people will have a heart to return to God and to the important principles on which America was founded.  Let's pray especially for the outcome of this 2012 election which seems particularly crucial.  We know that in the end, God is in complete control and that He is the One who sets up and takes down world leaders.  Yet we are also to be good citizens wherever He has placed us.  So if you are a United States citizen, please do be sure to prayerfully exercise your privilege of voting today.

"If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Goals for week beginning 11/4/2012

Here are my goals for this week:

*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study
*  Get started on Sunday School lesson 5
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Psalm 145:1-5
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground
*  Limit sugar
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas
*  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 2, the kitchen
*  Do some Zone 5/Zone 1 missions I didn't get to last week
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews
*  Post about the couples' retreat from October
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do.

And here's how last week went:

*  Spend time in 1 Samuel Bible study -- DONE!
*  Finish Sunday School lesson 4 -- DONE!
*  Make 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Memorize Psalm 145:1-5 -- not quite; ended up reviewing James 1:2-4 instead.
*  Read 2 chapters in How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground -- DONE!
*  Limit sugar -- didn't do so well with this
*  Exercise 5 or 6 times -- only managed 3 times
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- got some crafting done, but not all I hoped to
*  Keep up a good water intake -- didn't do too badly with this
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- managed this probably 4 or 5 evenings
*  Post regularly in one or both of my blogs -- DONE!
*  Keep up with Kelly's Missions for  Zone 5, the living room/Zone 1, the dining room, entry, etc. -- not done
*  Do some kitchen missions I didn't get to last week -- not done, but now we're back in the kitchen again!
*  Write some TripAdvisor reviews -- DONE!
*  Post about the ladies' retreat from September -- DONE!
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- DONE!

I'm thankful for how last week went and am surely hoping for a productive week this week as well.

Back-on-Track Challenge, Week 2

Well, a second week of my personal back-on-track challenge has passed -- extremely quickly, I must add!   Here's my report for the past week; how I did in the four areas I was challenging myself in:

*  health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep -- did okay with this.  Probably did best with the "getting enough sleep" part.  Exercised 3 days.  Had a busier-than-expected weekend with more chocolate involved than I should have had!  Still need to work on all of these specifics.

*  spiritual life -- especially Bible study, Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture -- Again this week,  this went very well.  As mentioned last week, Bible study is something I love and --  aside from the time spent simply reading my Bible each day and the time spent studying the Bible for my Sunday School lesson -- I hadn't been finding time for it.  This week I set some specific spiritual life goals for each day and I'm happy to say that I met those every day but one.  That said, I am not resting on my laurels but will continue to work on these!

*  homemaking -- getting back into the routines that work for me; getting better at time management -- I'm still not where I want to be with the homemaking routines OR the time management, but there's been definite improvement.  It helps me so much to make an overall plan for my week and to fit the different tasks in where I am most likely to have time to accomplish them.  Making a daily time schedule -- just a simple list on a piece of scrap paper listing the things I want to get done and when to do them -- helps me tremendously too.  My weekend was very busy but I did manage my time fairly well, thanks to spending a few minutes planning and scheduling each morning.

* creativity -- blogging more often and trying to craft some birthday and Christmas gifts  --   Did okay with this; managed to get  some work done on Christmas gifts and planned others into my schedule (see above).  I managed to post in both blogs fairly often, too.  As I noted last week, I sometimes think I have more ideas for posts and crafting than I will ever manage to accomplish in this life!

All in all I am pleased with the second week of the Back-on-Track challenge and am hoping it goes even better this week, though it has already been busy and has the potential to continue so.  I may have to go beyond the 21 days I had planned for this challenge ...