Just they lightest of light snowflakes falling now, early afternoon on the fourth Sunday of Ordinary time. Mass was beautiful this morning (is it not always?!?); I tried to get photos for you from the back corners windows of the snow falling after Mass but the flakes were too small. Still the setting in the woods is peaceful, and romantic.

The Trump rally from the Republic of Texas last night sent us to bed with high hopes but still much chagrin regarding the current state of affairs in this Nation, and who is to blame for that state. Father, please turn the hearts of our legislators to You; give them the desire to make decisions that please You.

NFL conference championships are played later to-day - I continue to root for Matthew Stafford and the west coast Rams (24-26 in playoff games since 1945), mostly because he gave his heart and soul for a piece of shit franchise who could not come up with a playoff win in his twelve years. 

Please pray for the imbecile populous of this great nation - that they would be able to comprehend that they are being lied to and used. Pray for patriots all across this Land, and for the dumbasses who believe the lies vomited forth by the media. xoxo

sola Deo Gloria

 It's been an interesting week, to be sure. Both of us turned in our rentals and received our vehicles back from the shop, and both of us are extremely thankful. Moni now has her heated seats and steering wheel, and I, my new front end - complete with new ba headlamps which eclipse the old ones. You know how after a few years the plastic casing gets that cloudy film on it, and when someone is behind you at night, your car's shadow is all you see in front of you??? Not so anymore. I am truly blessed, and all for only a $250 deductible.

Moni had won a gift certificate to Spartan Tire (https://www.spartantirehowell.com/) and it had to be used by the end of the year. Well we had an appointment to get my oil changed but the deer flew out in front of me on the way home from work toward the end of December, and the car has been in the shop all this time. Steve the boss at Spartan Tire said 'Oh yeah, I remember now' and let us use the now expired certificate for my oil change. The nice mechanic even put on my new Rain-ex wiper blade that I for the life of me could not figure out how to install. Thankful I am, and a shout out to Steve and his crew. 

Also mucho thankful it is Friday, and I do not have to work tomorrow.  Trying a new cheesy potato recipe later tonight, and then this weekend it'll be Pioneer Woman enchiladas with homemade sauce. We are blessed indeed. 

Father, protect all those who for whatever reason are out in the cold tonight. Be with the folks on the east coast as this much-anticipated storm rolls through. Be with Monica tonight as she travels, and with all those traveling tonight. Thank You for Your Son! Thank You for Your Spirit! Thank You for Your love and mercy and forgiveness! We praise You, because You are worthy of praise: immortal, invisible God only wise!

Recipe #6: Mexican Chicken Bake

 This turned out to be almost a dip of sorts, but I did consume a large bowl using just a soup spoon.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken thighs, cooked and shredded

garlic powder, herb mix, Mexican oregano

1 c frozen corn

1 brick 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 block 8 oz super sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup salsa

1 small red onion diced

1/2 sweet red pepper diced

Tortilla chips

flour tortilla

Order of operations:

Cook the chicken in EVOO, make sure the temp gets up to 170 degrees F.

Remove from heat and cut into fine slices

Add chicken, corn, salsa, cheddar, cream cheese, and red pepper to stand mixer until combined well.

Add to greased casserole dish, cook at 350 for about an hour.  

The onion and pepper may still be a bit crisp - if so, let it bake longer. The flavor is mmmmmmm - mmmmmmmm good. Serve over a tortilla or corn chips.

Epiphany Chili, for 2022

Mom and Dad have been under the weather, so we made a quick, leave-it-on-the-porch trip to Westland with some chili and apple cider. The chili recipe is presented here, special made for January of 2022.

INGREDIENTS ~

1.5 c ground sausage

1 c diced strip steak

1.5 c diced chicken thighs

1 c diced pork chops

2 turns of the pan EVOO

1 c of diced red onion

1 c of diced red, yellow, orange, and green pepper

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 can great northern beans drained and rinsed

1 can red kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 squirt Dijon mustard

several dashes of Worcestershire

1 large tablespoon of tomato paste

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 12 oz can Miller Lite

about two cups chicken broth, give or take

Seasoning: chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic powder, ground black pepper, herb mix from the garden

DIRECTIONS~

I cooked the meat first, then diced each one up. The sausage I made from a pound and half ground pork with special seasoning.*

In the largest stock pot, I then softened the pepper and onion for about five minutes, amd added the garlic.

At this point, it's pretty much dump everything in: six cans, squirts, dashes, and cups; and then the seasoning. I added the broth until it had a good consistency, then brought it up to a boil. 

After the boil, I put it on low heat and let it simmer covered for about an hour. As this will not be eaten tonight, I kept the lid on to keep in as much moisture as possible. 

I sent along some sour cream and shred cheese, home-made croutons, and a ton of prayers for healing and recovery.

God bless us, everyone

*Sausage recipe from ground pork:

While the pork is cooking, add ground black pepper, dried garden herb mix, celery seed, crushed red pepper flakes, and a scant 1/8 tsp nutmeg.