Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Beautiful Feet Global Outreach
My sweet friend Melissa has started a new non-profit organization called Beautiful Feet Global Outreach. This amazing women is following God's direction to her in BIG ways!!! Right now, there is a true emergency... please go to her site http://www.beautifulfeetgo.blogspot.com/ and see if you can possibly help her help the orphans that have taken up residence in her heart!! :-)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Chicken Pot Pie
I made Chicken Pot Pie today while we watched the NFC and AFC Championship Games... I had alot of people ask for the recipe, so I decided to post it on here. If anyone else has any other good pot pie tips, feel free to add to this!
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts on the bone
1 package of frozen mixed vegetables
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
Chicken Broth ( I just save the broth that I boil the chicken breasts in)
Salt and Pepper
1 pkg. of Pillsbury Pie Crusts (in the red box, usually found in the refridgerated section near biscuits- there will be 2 crusts in each box.)
Boil the chicken until it's tender enough to fall off the bone. Then de-bone chicken and shred into bite size pieces. Cook frozen vegetables until tender following package directions. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, vegetables, both soups and salt and pepper to taste. Add broth until moist. I usually add about 1/2 cup of broth. Let the Pie Crusts sit out and warm to room temp so you can roll out the dough. Put one crust on the bottom of a glass 9 x 13 dish. Fill with the chicken mixture. Top with the other crust. I take a fork and punch a few little holes in the top....
Bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees or until crust looks light brown.
Just FYI... today I didn't have chicken breasts on the bone, so I took boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cooked them in my crockpot on low for about 6 hrs until they were very tender. Then I shredded them for the filling. Mike said he thought it was even better that way!
My family LOVES this recipe... hope yours does too!!
GO PACKERS!!
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts on the bone
1 package of frozen mixed vegetables
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
Chicken Broth ( I just save the broth that I boil the chicken breasts in)
Salt and Pepper
1 pkg. of Pillsbury Pie Crusts (in the red box, usually found in the refridgerated section near biscuits- there will be 2 crusts in each box.)
Boil the chicken until it's tender enough to fall off the bone. Then de-bone chicken and shred into bite size pieces. Cook frozen vegetables until tender following package directions. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, vegetables, both soups and salt and pepper to taste. Add broth until moist. I usually add about 1/2 cup of broth. Let the Pie Crusts sit out and warm to room temp so you can roll out the dough. Put one crust on the bottom of a glass 9 x 13 dish. Fill with the chicken mixture. Top with the other crust. I take a fork and punch a few little holes in the top....
Bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees or until crust looks light brown.
Just FYI... today I didn't have chicken breasts on the bone, so I took boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cooked them in my crockpot on low for about 6 hrs until they were very tender. Then I shredded them for the filling. Mike said he thought it was even better that way!
My family LOVES this recipe... hope yours does too!!
GO PACKERS!!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
FitTV & Oprah, American Idol, Laura Kaczor, and crock-pot cooking.....
1/22/11
FitTV & Oprah: Don't you just HATE it when you find something you love, only to have it changed right after you discover it? I recently discovered my love for FitTV. It had many different exercise programs to choose from everyday! You could Shimmy, Body Sculpt w/Gilad, do pilates or yoga. There was All-Star workouts, In Shape w/Sharon Mann, even Belly Dancing!! It also had great healthy cooking shows. I mean, yes, I love me some Paula Deen, but if you're looking for healthy, you can't copy her recipes everyday!! So, I found my favorite shows, set my DVR to start recording them each day and I was SET! A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my shows weren't recording anymore. "Hmmmmm.... maybe I set my DVR wrong...", I thought. Nope. I started doing a little researching and found the problem. It seems Oprah Winfrey STOLE my new favorite network!!!!! OPRAH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?! Apparently, the Discovery Health Network sold their network to Oprah, which is now the OWN network. So, since Oprah has all her new programs on DHN now, they moved all DHN shows to FitTV, which makes it "Not so FitTV" now. Bummer!!! It's all a bunch of reality shows like "18 kids and counting", "Freaky Eaters", "Untold stories of the ER", and "Transgendered and Pregnant". For REAL!?!?! I'm heartbroken. I tried to watch "Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love" on OWN, but it was unwatchable. I miss "Sam, the cooking guy". Seems there was enough of a viewer outrage that FitTV has now put some of their exercise shows back on, but they air from like 3:00am - 6:00am, so you better either have a DVR or be a VERY early riser to exercise with Gilad or Sharon anymore. I sure hope DHN and Oprah will listen to the viewers and find a way to air some of the old programs. Otherwise, they certainly don't need to call that channel "FitTV" anymore. I don't think watching "Take Home Nanny" or "Pregnant Man" is going to help me get healthy.
American Idol: Did you watch American Idol this week? I didn't get to see the Thursday night episode, but I tuned into the Wed. night 2-hr. premiere and I was pleasantly surprised! I didn't miss Simon one bit! I think I actually enjoyed the show MORE without him. It really seemed like the last couple of seasons, the show had become all about Mr. Cowell and "what witty comeback" would he come up with each night. It was less and less about the contestants, and Simon actually seemed bored out of his mind. I think that's all about to change with the new line-up of judges. Even the CONTENT of the show seems to be more about showing back-stories of truly talented people, so we can find someone to connect with and root for, rather than just featuring UN-talented people who make fools of themselves during the audition process. So kuddos to the AI producers for seeing that they needed to make these changes. I hope they stick with that. It SHOULD be about the contestants.. not the judges. So bye-bye Simon. I think you did yourself AND the show a favor by bowing out when you did. Everybody wins.
Laura Kaczor: Last Monday night, a wonderful new Christian artist named Laura Kaczor did a show at The Listening Room here in Nashville. I got to sing bgv's for her and became a "fan" in the process. She has an awesome new CD out called "Love Enough" and her new single "Invisible" has broken into the top 20 CCM charts! Check out Laura and her music at: www.laurakaczor.com
Crock-pot: Still enjoying my new crock-pot... I love that I can put something in first thing in the morning, and then after a long day of working, dinner is ready to eat!! Here's my new favorite Beef Stroganoff recipe:
1 pkg. of beef stew meat
flour, salt & pepper
1 packet of beef stroganoff seasoning mix
I can beef broth
1 small container of sour cream
1 package of extra-wide egg noodles or rice
Put stew meat, (salt & peppered and dredged in a little flour) into the crock-pot with a little beef broth. Sprinkle stroganoff seasoning on top. Mix together. Cook on low for 6 hrs. Right before serving, stir in sour cream. You might need to add more beef broth or water at that point to make it the right consistency as well. Serve over noodles or rice.... it's DE-lish!!
Anyone got any great crock-pot recipes they are dying to share?? Please spread the love here!!
How was YOUR week?
FitTV & Oprah: Don't you just HATE it when you find something you love, only to have it changed right after you discover it? I recently discovered my love for FitTV. It had many different exercise programs to choose from everyday! You could Shimmy, Body Sculpt w/Gilad, do pilates or yoga. There was All-Star workouts, In Shape w/Sharon Mann, even Belly Dancing!! It also had great healthy cooking shows. I mean, yes, I love me some Paula Deen, but if you're looking for healthy, you can't copy her recipes everyday!! So, I found my favorite shows, set my DVR to start recording them each day and I was SET! A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my shows weren't recording anymore. "Hmmmmm.... maybe I set my DVR wrong...", I thought. Nope. I started doing a little researching and found the problem. It seems Oprah Winfrey STOLE my new favorite network!!!!! OPRAH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?! Apparently, the Discovery Health Network sold their network to Oprah, which is now the OWN network. So, since Oprah has all her new programs on DHN now, they moved all DHN shows to FitTV, which makes it "Not so FitTV" now. Bummer!!! It's all a bunch of reality shows like "18 kids and counting", "Freaky Eaters", "Untold stories of the ER", and "Transgendered and Pregnant". For REAL!?!?! I'm heartbroken. I tried to watch "Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love" on OWN, but it was unwatchable. I miss "Sam, the cooking guy". Seems there was enough of a viewer outrage that FitTV has now put some of their exercise shows back on, but they air from like 3:00am - 6:00am, so you better either have a DVR or be a VERY early riser to exercise with Gilad or Sharon anymore. I sure hope DHN and Oprah will listen to the viewers and find a way to air some of the old programs. Otherwise, they certainly don't need to call that channel "FitTV" anymore. I don't think watching "Take Home Nanny" or "Pregnant Man" is going to help me get healthy.
American Idol: Did you watch American Idol this week? I didn't get to see the Thursday night episode, but I tuned into the Wed. night 2-hr. premiere and I was pleasantly surprised! I didn't miss Simon one bit! I think I actually enjoyed the show MORE without him. It really seemed like the last couple of seasons, the show had become all about Mr. Cowell and "what witty comeback" would he come up with each night. It was less and less about the contestants, and Simon actually seemed bored out of his mind. I think that's all about to change with the new line-up of judges. Even the CONTENT of the show seems to be more about showing back-stories of truly talented people, so we can find someone to connect with and root for, rather than just featuring UN-talented people who make fools of themselves during the audition process. So kuddos to the AI producers for seeing that they needed to make these changes. I hope they stick with that. It SHOULD be about the contestants.. not the judges. So bye-bye Simon. I think you did yourself AND the show a favor by bowing out when you did. Everybody wins.
Laura Kaczor: Last Monday night, a wonderful new Christian artist named Laura Kaczor did a show at The Listening Room here in Nashville. I got to sing bgv's for her and became a "fan" in the process. She has an awesome new CD out called "Love Enough" and her new single "Invisible" has broken into the top 20 CCM charts! Check out Laura and her music at: www.laurakaczor.com
Crock-pot: Still enjoying my new crock-pot... I love that I can put something in first thing in the morning, and then after a long day of working, dinner is ready to eat!! Here's my new favorite Beef Stroganoff recipe:
1 pkg. of beef stew meat
flour, salt & pepper
1 packet of beef stroganoff seasoning mix
I can beef broth
1 small container of sour cream
1 package of extra-wide egg noodles or rice
Put stew meat, (salt & peppered and dredged in a little flour) into the crock-pot with a little beef broth. Sprinkle stroganoff seasoning on top. Mix together. Cook on low for 6 hrs. Right before serving, stir in sour cream. You might need to add more beef broth or water at that point to make it the right consistency as well. Serve over noodles or rice.... it's DE-lish!!
Anyone got any great crock-pot recipes they are dying to share?? Please spread the love here!!
How was YOUR week?
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A re-commitment to health, writing again, stolen identity, death, and snow. LOTS of snow
1/15/11
Snow: As most of you know, it doesn’t take much snow to shut down the state of Tennessee. Now before all you guys who might be USED to large amounts of snow start chiming in on how ridiculous it is to cancel school for a week because of a few inches of snow, you HAVE to understand that we don’t have the snow plows, salt, snow tires, or chains that you guys have ready to go for an event such as this. Our buses travel on many rural routes that are icy and most bus drivers do NOT have experience driving over icy, snowy patches. I think the old “better safe than sorry” motto is definitely ok to use as a guideline in these circumstances. Besides, it gives all us parents a break from getting up at the crack of dawn to drive our babies to school as well….. I welcome the little “snow breaks”. That being said, even I am about to scream “Enough!!”. A day or two is one thing, but I can’t remember the last time Metro cancelled school for an entire WEEK! I love winter, but when I am dreaming of a sandy beach with a fruity little drink in my hand, then you know it’s bad.
Re-commitment to health: Mike and I decided this week to try and be more “health conscious” in 2011. Mainly because we are FALLING APART! Both of us have so many aches and pains on a daily basis it is ridiculous. We can’t be out doing God’s work if we can’t get out of bed, now CAN we??? SO…. Grilled chicken, fish, veg’s, sweet potatoes.. and more exercise seems to be on the agenda. I would WELCOME any great healthy recipes any of you guys have that you love. It’s going to be up to ME to make sure healthy meals are made, since Mike doesn’t spend much time in the kitchen.
Writing Again: After taking most of last year off, I have finally started writing again. I’m “baby-stepping” my way back in, but at least I’m on the path. I’m getting excited about what God has in store for me and my music in 2011. I’m starting this year writing for a specific project that I’ll tell you guys more about later. But if you are a prayer warrior, please cover me in prayers now and then about this. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time!
Stolen Identity: We found out this week that Mom had her identity stolen. It has taken up quite a bit of my time to try and fix this issue. I’m just praying that it doesn’t go any deeper than it has so far. What kind of person steals an 85 yr. old Alzeheimer’s patient’s personal information and then starts charging things to them on the interent???? Apparently rafaelayar@yahoo.com with a birthdate of 5/7/1979 and an ip address of 204.210.141.113 thinks it’s okay to do that. I’m not having any luck tracking this person down yet, but I’m not giving up!
Death: One of my favorite residents at Sycamores Terrace passed away yesterday. Her name was Liz Pine. She was 94 years old. Mike and I got to entertain at her 93rd birthday party. She was a sweet lady, who as of just a few months ago still went to The Bluebird Café to hear her favorite singer/songwriters as often as she could. Dad called last night to tell me of her passing. I know it’s hard on him, losing one of his friends. Today I am praying for the Pine Family and hope that God’s peace will comfort them in their time of grief.
One thing I learned: I’m trying to remember to keep LEARNING something each day in this life. You’ve probably heard the quote, “The day we stop learning is the day we die.” Well, I’m not ready to meet Jesus just yet, so I guess that means I need to learn a few more things. My sweet friend, Ellen recently gave me a book by Sheila Walsh called “Good Morning Lord”. I’ve been adding a reading from it to my morning bible study and I have really enjoyed it. One of the things I learned from her book this week is this: “Failing to forgive myself is a prideful choice to not receive God’s grace. To say that we don’t deserve to be forgiven is to make our sin more powerful than the blood of Jesus.” WOW! I never thought of not forgiving myself as a “pride” issue, but boy, did THAT make me think! She goes on to say, “… since God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves. When we refuse, we have made the court of our opinion more powerful than the court of our holy and just God. It must seriously wound the heart of our Father when we will not accept the gift he has given us, the gift of forgiveness that cost him so dearly. After all, our sin was covered by the lifeblood of the Lamb.” Makes you think, doesn't it?
NEXT WEEK: I’ll be singing bgv’s for a wonderful singer/songwriter Laura Kaczor this Monday night(Jan. 17th) at The Listening Room Café (ya’ll come out.. she starts at 6pm), looking for healthy recipes, writing, and going to the wedding of a dear friend. Looking forward to a great week ahead! Ya’ll stay safe, forgive yourselves and love each other!
Blessings,
M
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
I'm a new "angel".....
Just got this press release...... I'm proud to be a small part of this wonderful organization. Ya'll come out to the Bluebird on Feb. 10th if you can!!
Nashville Singer-Songwriter Marcia Ramirez Named Angel Artist
By Michelle’s Angels Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clarence, NY January 7, 2011 -- The Michelle’s Angels Foundation Inc. (MAF) today announced its newest
Angel Artist, Marcia Ramirez. The gifted Nashville singer-songwriter joins a dedicated team of Angel Artists
who lend their gift of music to the Michelle's Angels Foundation's website jukebox. Marcia Ramirez recently
released her fourth CD titled "Beautifully Lived." The CD’s title track is among the three songs she has made
available for the MAF free online jukebox. Visitors to the non-profit organization’s website
www.michellesangels.com can listen at no charge to select songs and instrumentals of 13 musical artists.
Michelle’s Angels Foundation’s mission is to provide love, hope and assistance to people facing any one of
life’s illnesses or challenges. The Angels Artists, through their music on the site, provide beauty and
compassion -- a welcome respite for many. Michelle’s Angels’ musicians and volunteers give -- because as the
organization’s slogan states “People need to know someone cares.”
Marcia Ramirez started playing piano, singing and writing songs as a young girl in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. She
majored in music at Ouachita Baptist University. Following her passion she moved to Nashville. She has
performed with many country artists as a back-up singer and musician. Some of the artists she has worked with
include Patty Loveless, Rodney Crowell, Pam Tillis, Tanya Tucker, Lee Ann Womack, Billy Dean, Bill
Anderson, Linda Davis, Jason Sellers and Deborah Allen. Marcia has released four critically acclaimed CDs --
“Compromise,”“The Barefoot Sessions,” “Life Goes On” and her latest “Beautifully Lived.”
MAF president, Herb Knoll said, “We are ecstatic that Marcia will be one of four Angel Artists who will
perform at the foundation's Second Angel Artists Appreciation and Celebration Concert on February 10th at
Nashville's famed Blue Bird Cafe.
For more information on the Angel Artists’ benefit and MAF, visit http://www.michellesangels.com.
About Michelle’s Angels Foundation, Inc. (MAF) Clarence, New York
Michelle’s Angels Foundation, Inc. Inc., (www.MichellesAngels.com) a New York State not-for-profit
corporation, is recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. MAF, Inc. is
registered with the Office of the New York State Attorney General (NYS Reg. No. 41-55-45), the Tennessee
Department of State (CO 13756) in the State of Florida (CH32995) and is currently exempt from registration in
the state of West Virginia. All donations to MAF, Inc. are tax deductible. The MAF mission is to provide love,
hope and assistance to those facing any one of a wide-range of illnesses or life’s challenges. The Foundation’s
website serves as the principle vehicle employed by the Foundation to aid others and their loved ones. To
contact Michelle’s Angels at info@MichellesAngels.com
Nashville Singer-Songwriter Marcia Ramirez Named Angel Artist
By Michelle’s Angels Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clarence, NY January 7, 2011 -- The Michelle’s Angels Foundation Inc. (MAF) today announced its newest
Angel Artist, Marcia Ramirez. The gifted Nashville singer-songwriter joins a dedicated team of Angel Artists
who lend their gift of music to the Michelle's Angels Foundation's website jukebox. Marcia Ramirez recently
released her fourth CD titled "Beautifully Lived." The CD’s title track is among the three songs she has made
available for the MAF free online jukebox. Visitors to the non-profit organization’s website
www.michellesangels.com can listen at no charge to select songs and instrumentals of 13 musical artists.
Michelle’s Angels Foundation’s mission is to provide love, hope and assistance to people facing any one of
life’s illnesses or challenges. The Angels Artists, through their music on the site, provide beauty and
compassion -- a welcome respite for many. Michelle’s Angels’ musicians and volunteers give -- because as the
organization’s slogan states “People need to know someone cares.”
Marcia Ramirez started playing piano, singing and writing songs as a young girl in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. She
majored in music at Ouachita Baptist University. Following her passion she moved to Nashville. She has
performed with many country artists as a back-up singer and musician. Some of the artists she has worked with
include Patty Loveless, Rodney Crowell, Pam Tillis, Tanya Tucker, Lee Ann Womack, Billy Dean, Bill
Anderson, Linda Davis, Jason Sellers and Deborah Allen. Marcia has released four critically acclaimed CDs --
“Compromise,”“The Barefoot Sessions,” “Life Goes On” and her latest “Beautifully Lived.”
MAF president, Herb Knoll said, “We are ecstatic that Marcia will be one of four Angel Artists who will
perform at the foundation's Second Angel Artists Appreciation and Celebration Concert on February 10th at
Nashville's famed Blue Bird Cafe.
For more information on the Angel Artists’ benefit and MAF, visit http://www.michellesangels.com.
About Michelle’s Angels Foundation, Inc. (MAF) Clarence, New York
Michelle’s Angels Foundation, Inc. Inc., (www.MichellesAngels.com) a New York State not-for-profit
corporation, is recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. MAF, Inc. is
registered with the Office of the New York State Attorney General (NYS Reg. No. 41-55-45), the Tennessee
Department of State (CO 13756) in the State of Florida (CH32995) and is currently exempt from registration in
the state of West Virginia. All donations to MAF, Inc. are tax deductible. The MAF mission is to provide love,
hope and assistance to those facing any one of a wide-range of illnesses or life’s challenges. The Foundation’s
website serves as the principle vehicle employed by the Foundation to aid others and their loved ones. To
contact Michelle’s Angels at info@MichellesAngels.com
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Starting tomorrow.....
Pastor Pete is starting this new series at Crosspoint tomorrow... For details on service times and campus locations... go here: www.crosspoint.tv
NOBODY INTENDS TO LIVE A LIFE OF MEDIOCRITY.
Nobody dreams of a mediocre marriage. Nobody desires a mediocre career. And yet the reality is day after day so many of us are simply coasting through life secretly thinking,
“There has got to be MORE to life than this.”
At Cross Point we believe that your life was created to have purpose and meaning. That God actually desires so much more for you, but it starts with you allowing Him to be the author of your life.
Join us this January for a new teaching series entitled MORE, as we explore how to live a life full of faith-trusting in God who can do “Immeasurably more” than we could ever dream or imagine. Join us as we explore what happens in life when you dare to move beyond your hiding places of fear and insecurity and ask God to do the impossible.
“THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME MUST BE SEIZED WITHIN THE LIFETIME OF THE OPPORTUNITY.” - LEONARD RAVENHILL
NOBODY INTENDS TO LIVE A LIFE OF MEDIOCRITY.
Nobody dreams of a mediocre marriage. Nobody desires a mediocre career. And yet the reality is day after day so many of us are simply coasting through life secretly thinking,
“There has got to be MORE to life than this.”
At Cross Point we believe that your life was created to have purpose and meaning. That God actually desires so much more for you, but it starts with you allowing Him to be the author of your life.
Join us this January for a new teaching series entitled MORE, as we explore how to live a life full of faith-trusting in God who can do “Immeasurably more” than we could ever dream or imagine. Join us as we explore what happens in life when you dare to move beyond your hiding places of fear and insecurity and ask God to do the impossible.
“THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME MUST BE SEIZED WITHIN THE LIFETIME OF THE OPPORTUNITY.” - LEONARD RAVENHILL
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