"It's So Good You Can't Stop Eating It" Bean Dip

I got this recipe from my mom and it is SO good. You really can't stop eating it, it has such a good flavor to it. It does make a whole BIG salad bowls worth though so you might want to half it. 

It's So Good You Can't Stop Eating It Bean Dip

2 cans black beans drained

2 cans shopeg corn drained

3 cans rotel tomatoes with chilies (I forgot one and it was still great!)

4 tbsp lime juice

1 red onion chopped

1/2 cup cilantro chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

Mix, chill, serve with chips.

Be grateful, be teachable

You gotta love Chip Ingram (www.lote.org) , he usually hits it right on the head. I was listening to him today talk about contentment and the when/then syndrome. For example, "when I am", "when I have", or "when this happens", I will be content... but it never works. There is always another when/then and you are never content. So he talked about cures for the when/then syndrome and what I remember most were two things God wants from  you: 

1) be thankful in all circumstances for what you have, instead of focusing on what you don't  

2) be teachable and learn something from whatever circumstances you are in. 

So here it goes:

Three things I am grateful for today: 1) Being at home 2) My two sweet kids and 3) Peace

One thing I can learn from my current circumstances: 1) I need to pray more (talking and listening)

I have been here before......

Tense, yelling, short tempered, nail biting, and heartBURN, ugh. I recognize this in my life well now, I am anxious, stressed, and not leaning on God as much as I should. We are just a little over three weeks until VBS (GASP, just looked I thought I still had 4, EEK) and my mind is whirling with to do's and what if's. I know it is going to be great, I just need to pray and remain calm, cool and focused which today I think I hit a low. 

Case in point: I warned T-man twice (and disciplined him twice) for hurting his sister, the third time I lost it... yelled, spanked, and dragged him to time out, then yelled some more. Then got even angrier at his reaction and attiTUDE. Then I had the light bulb come on (again) that this child is mirroring me. It's that cliche "do as I say not as I do". I have been apologizing to them A LOT lately and today was no exception. We did have a better day after that and I could see they were mirroring the calm, cool, and focused me again but remorse has set in.

I don't know why I do this to myself but a wise chicka once told me sometimes things have to fall or hit bottom for God to (or for us to let Him) pick us back up again. It is a tough lesson to learn, over and over again. Hopefully, I will get it this time and maybe my children won't need too much therapy. 

Father's Day Treats

I have not been cooking many meals lately.....been a little busy, but I made a nice lunch today for a Father's Day celebration. Boy, I did not know how hard it was to get the pits out of cherries to use in a recipe! Also, THANK YOU ladies who scolded me for thinking of throwing out  leftover ham from Easter. It came in handy today in this pie.

Incredibly Easy (and incredibly good) Ham and Cheese Pie

1 1/2 cups cooked and chopped ham

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup Bisquick (or TJ's Buttermilk Pancake Mix!)

1 cup milk or half and half (I used the h/h)

2 eggs

pinch salt

pinch pepper

garnish with sliced green pepper and tomato (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle ham, cheese, and onion in greased pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients with fork and pour into pie plate. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until knife comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes and garnish. 

Also, finally used our Williams Sonoma Desserts cookbook (gift from our wedding) to make a cobbler. I modified a bit because I didn't have enough cherries but then had too much topping, so it was thicker and more cake-like then crunchy cobbler, but still very good. Even better topped with vanilla ice cream.

Cherry Cobbler (originally blackberry cobbler)

Filling: 6 cups blackberries/cherries (I only had 4), 1/3 cup sugar (I used 1/4), 1 tbsp all purpose flour, 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest (omitted), pinch of salt

Topping: 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsps baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk (I used h/h), 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the filling ingredients in bowl and pour in greased 2 qt baking dish. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. In separate bowl whisk together egg, milk, butter, and vanilla. With spatula combine wet with dry until you have a smooth dough. Drop in spoonfuls over filling and bake about 45 minutes, until fruit is bubbling and toothpick comes out of topping clean. 

One thing to love about summer

So You Think You Can Dance! Go ballerina girl, you are the best!

Soulard Farmer's Market

I made my first trip to Soulard Farmer's Market this weekend and was amazed at how large it was! Probably 8 times as big as any of the other local markets I have been to. The sign posted said it originated in 1779, holy cow! Since there were so many vendors I got great deals too:

Watermelon (nice size): $3.00

Pineapple: $1.50

2 lbs cherries: $4.00 (am going to have to try a new dessert!)

2 small ripe avocados: $1

4 limes: $1

Monster homegrown zucchini: $1.25

Quart strawberries: $2

I can't believe I have lived in St. Louis my whole life and never been there. Also, one non food purchase: a pink "My First Cardinals Tee" for $10. 

Oh my!

Did you hear about the mommy blogger who's family picture ended up on a billboard in the Czech Republic for a grocery store ad? Very odd indeed. 

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/998EF1A4F78B6B55862575D200026198?OpenDocument

On the bandwagon

Yep, I finally joined the Twilight bandwagon, I know, pathetic. It really is great writing though. The movie of course was not quite as good but how do you possibly squeeze a 500 page book into 2 hours? I love the soundtrack too. I must take a break before I go for #2 though, will not be able to focus otherwise. 

So who wants to bet Bella becomes a vamp before the end of the series? Even though I am really hoping she doesn't!

Most telling line at the end of book #1:

Edward: I will stay...as long as it makes you happy, as long as that's what's best for you.

Bella: S 'not the same thing.

Jars of Clay

I think my new favorite band is Jars of Clay. I cannot get enough of their song "Two Hands", great song and lyrics all around. Unfortunately, I can't add it to the playlist but you can listen on their website here: http://www.jarsofclay.com/tour.aspx

My favorite band of my youth is coming in September. At first I jumped to get tickets until I found out they were not the headliner (what!?!) and were playing at Verizon Ampitheater, which is my least favorite venue. Then, in addition to paying $29 to get a seat they tack on $18 for parking and ticket fees. Are they kidding? Maybe I am just getting to be a tired old lady, in the old days I wouldn't have missed them for anything. Argh.

What do you think?

I just finished a book called Real Food What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck. Though I enjoyed it and found her knowledge on food and farming very interesting and enlightening, at times I thought she was a little nutty. For example she made reference to her evolutionary beliefs, and referenced a theory that there is a "missing link" because humans were sea creatures for a time. Right. On the other hand, she also quoted the bible and it's references to food. Hmm.

I just started another book, called Twilight. I was very skeptical about reading this at first because it contains vampires and I do NOT like scary things. However, I heard so much about the beautiful love story, I had to check it out and it has definitely grabbed me. Great characters and the story is very captivating so far....the love story but also the bad guy wanting to be good, not evil.  I don't know the author's (Stephanie Meyer) beliefs but the first page before the preface has the following: 

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:17. 

I don't believe she put it there in a mocking way, can't be sure, but it's there all the same. She later references Noah and the ark. 

If you ever care to notice, I do, references to the Bible appear very frequently in books, television, and movies and not necessarily in the Christian category (sometimes very anti). I just think it's interesting that in a society that denies God so much that references to His word appear so often. Is it because no matter how much we push Him away He is always there? Is it because we are created in His image and are His children? Is it because, since we are His children, whether we acknowledge it or not, He lives in us? Or is it because we know (consciously or subconsciously) that the Bible is from God and contains history and life lessons that can help us today? 

What do you think?

Kids Day

T-man: Mom, when is Kids Day?

Me: What is Kids Day?

T-man: You know, Kids Day.

Me: What happens on Kids Day?

T-man: Kids get breakfast, like Mom's get breakfast on Mom's Day.

Me: I don't know, we'll have to ask your father. 

Later as they are hanging from my curtains, one of which they already put a hole in, I am thinking, yeah right, Kids Day my foot. Btw, they get breakfast (not in bed) everyday. 

Another quote

My husband read this one somewhere but I think it makes sense. 

Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.                       ~ Unknown

Dancing

I love to dance with my husband, unfortunately, so does my daughter and she likes to break in pretty quickly. However, my sweet sweet boy asked me to dance during play time in the basement today. How he melts my heart!

Great salsa, for store bought

I like the Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa. Great if you don't mind salsa on the sweet side. Yummo!