Spring Cleaning for the Heart and Home
Get ready for this year’s 2nd Annual Spring Clean Challenge. It begins March 1, 2010!
There will be print outs and homework and heartwork… So plan ahead!
We will have discussion here on Weekdays (Monday – Friday). You can report your progress, discuss questions you have or share insights you have discovered.
Join the Proverbs 31 Sisters Network to participate!
Valentine’s Day Menu
I love making my family feel special on Valentine’s Day. This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday which is perfect for celebrating all day long! Here is a free download of our traditional Valentine’s Day Menu. I hope you enjoy the recipes!
Download the .pdf version of this menu along with the recipes here.
Breakfast:
Heart Shaped Pancakes with fresh Strawberries and Maple Syrup
Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits
Orange Juice
Dinner:
Spinach Lasagna Béchamel
Tossed Salad with Strawberries, Green Onion, Feta and Raspberry Vinaigrette
Garlic Toast
Strawberry Lemonade
Heart Shaped Butter Cookies
Decadent Chocolate Cake with Strawberries and Cream
Q & A: Disagreement with Husband
Q: I think this [The Heart of Her Husband] series is nice and very encouraging. However, I am a working wife who works 10 hours a day and usually I work until midnight or later. my husband works a 8-5 job and is home in the evenings. We constantly disagree about the fact that he expects the house to be emaculate and dinner cooked when he gets home. however I have explained to him that yes it is my job to make sure that these things are done, but he must realize that I am not home in the evenings to cook dinner and he is..so my solution would be for him to prep dinner. I told him that if wants these things done in a timely manner that he needs to make it possible for me to stay home and be the homemaker. Which I have no problem doing. I pay all of my own bills and buys all of the groceries so I must work outside of the home. I am bringing home the bacon, least he could do is fry it up in a pan..what do you think?
- Cynthia
A: Cynthia, I can sympathize with your issue. I applaud your efforts! Obviously if you are working outside of the home during the it would be nice if he could pitch in and help with the household chores and cooking. If he is disagreeable, perhaps you could start using the crockpot on the days you work? One of my favorite sites for crockpot recipes is: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
As far as homemaking – keeping the house clean – make up a strict schedule for your basic chores, a rotating schedule for cleaning and make sure to do a load of laundry every day. Also, try to do those chores I suggested for the morning routine either each morning when you wake up or before you go to bed. Stick to a schedule and at least you’ll be somewhat on top of things.
In life there aren’t always easy answers, but I believe that if you do your best to honor your husband, God will bless you more than you can every imagine. God knows your best effort. Trust him to provide what you need and don’t forget to really spend time everyday praying for your husband (not that he’ll change so much as he’ll become the man God would have him to be and that you’ll become the woman he wants you to be. God bless you!
Cheerful Homes will be a Light to Neighbors
We need more sunshiny parents and more sunshiny Christians. We are too much shut up within ourselves. Too often the kindly, encouraging word, the cheery smile, are withheld from our children and from the oppressed and discouraged.
Parents, upon you rests the responisbility of being light-bearers and light-givers. Shine as lights in the home, brightening the path that your children must travel. As you do this, your light will shine to those without.
Frome every Christian home a holy light should shine forth. Love should be revelaed in action. It should flow our in all home intercourse, showing itself in thoughtful kindness, in gentle, unselfish courtesy. There are homes where this principle is carried out – homes where God is worshiped and truest love reigns. From these homes morning and evening prayer ascends to God as sweet incense, and His mercies and blessings descend upon the suppliants like the morning dew.
- Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 144
Potato Knish
This recipe was sent in by one of our members, Bonnie from Spokane Washington.
Potato Knish
Servings: 2 people
Dough:
½ cup butter
2 cup flour
about 7 tbsp. water
Filling:
½ tsp. garlic
1 cup cheese, grated
¼ cup onion, chopped
½ tsp. salt
1 cup potato, precooked and mashed
½ cup milk
2 tbsp. flour
In a large bowl, mix garlic, cheese, onion, salt, and potato. In a saucepan, mix the milk and flour and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn it down to low heat once it boiled (it just needed to boil to thicken it). Add the rest of the filling mixture, mix and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the butter for the dough into the flour, making it look crumbly. Then, add water a little at a time, kneading and adding water until it forms a dough ball. Knead the dough well, then divide into two balls. Roll out the balls onto a floured surface into a long rectangle, about 5 inches by 11 inches, at 1/8 to ¼ inch thick. Take the filling and put half of it into each rectangle, being sure to leave space around all four edges to seal it. Take the end of the rectangle, and roll it up (to get layers of pastry, filling, pastry, etc). Fold up the two sides to the same side as the end is, and put it on an ungreased pan, fold sides down. Bake about 45 minutes, using the broil setting at the end to brown the top.
You can vary this recipe from this traditional one, to leftover sauces (like humus) with potato, all the way to a rolled-up pot pie.
Pumpkin Waffles with Cranberry Syrup
Pumpkin Waffles
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/ 12 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 large egg
1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
Heat oven to 250. Place a large baking sheet in the oven. Combine the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir to mix well. Make a well in the center of the ingredients and set aside. Combine buttermilk, canned pumpkin, egg, oil, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add the buttermilk mixture and 1/3 cup water to flour mixture. Stir until moist batter forms. Let rest.
Beat egg whites in a medium sized bowql with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain.
Cook on heated waffle iron using about 1/3 cup batter for each 4 inch waffle. Keep warm in oven until serving.
Cranberry Syrup
In a small saucepan combine:
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup cranberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Simmer until sugar dissolves amd cranberries burst to thicken syrup. Serve warm syrup over waffles.
Chili with Cornbread Dumplings
Chili:
1 package Morning Star Farms Vegetarian Ground Crumbles or 1 can Loma Linda Vegeburger
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 28 oz. Can diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 small can diced green chile peppers
Dumplings:
1 1/3 cups bisquick
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/3 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup corn kernels
Paprika
Coat a dutch oven with nonstick spray or a bit of oil and warm over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic, cook until desired doneness. Add MSF Ground Crumbles and brown for about 5 minutes. Add the seasonings. Stir in the tomatoes (with juice), beans, tomato sauce, and chile peppers (with juice). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover & simmer.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together Bisquick, cornmeal, cheese, and seasonings. In a 1 cup measure, combine the milk and corn. Pour into the cornmeal mixture and mix, just until moistened. Drop the dumplings by heaping tablespoons onto the chili, covering the surface, but with a little chili showing between dumplings. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.
Sunshine Salad
This salad is delicious anytime! It was given to me by my children’s great-great grandmother. You can easily double this recipe. I always do!
Sunshine Salad
1 3 oz. orange gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 can mandarin oranges
1 8-oz. carton sour cream
Mix gelatin and sugar. Dissolve in 1 cup boiling water. Let cool several minutes. Blend in sour cream. Add fruit. Refrigerate until set.
Daily Shower Spray
Use this spray in your tub/ shower daily to help prevent soap scum and keep it looking clean!
1/3 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup water
Mix in a spray bottle and shake. Spray on, no rinsing required.
Rock Candy
Rock Candy
- from The Prairie Girl’s Guide to Life by Jennifer Worrick
What you need:
- clean glass jar
- 6-inch ice cream sticks
- pencil
- tape
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- food coloring
In a saucepan, heat (but do not boil) 2 cups of the sugar and the water. Stir slowly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Gradually add a few drops of food coloring – your choice – and the remaining sugar, stirring continuously until all the sugar is dissolved.
Pour your colorful sugar water into a clean glass jar. Tape the sticks to a pencil and suspend them across the mouth of the jar so that the ends hang into the liquid.
Crystals suitable to eat will form in a hour and continue to grow for several days to a week. Pieces can be broken off and eaten after the first hour, but try to resist the urge to suck on them.
Although you may see modest results quickly, larger rock-candy crystals will take time to form. Good things come to those who wait, and pretty sticks of candy are yours to be had if you show a bit of patience.
Yields 12 ounces
