Be Refreshed

I am excited to have my ministry featured on eQuipping for eMinistry!  Please take a minute to visit the website and read the article http://equipping4eministry.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/she-who-refreshes-others-will-herself-be-refreshed/ 

Banana Bread

These days, recipes seem to rarely come from a cook book.  Instead, websites such as www.allrecipes.com make it easy to find someone else's family recipe from the convenience of a smart phone, laptop or iPad.  But there is one recipe for banana bread that I will continue to turn to in the pages of the Pillsbury Family Cook book.  So whether you are on the hunt for something new to offer your family for breakfast in the middle of the week, or whether you need something sweet to serve at Bible study, this banana bread uses ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now!  I would like to share it with you:

Banana Bread

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (2 medium-size) mashed bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Sift flour with soda and salt.  Cream butter.  Gradually add sugar, creaming well.  Add eggs and bananas; blend thoroughly.  Combine milk and lemon juice.  Add dry ingredients to banana mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Blend well after each addition.  Stir in nuts.  Grease bottom of 9x5x3 inch pan.  Pour in batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes, until bread springs back when lightly touched in center.  Remove from pan.  Cool on wire rack.

Sentimental Decor

The first day of autumn has now come and gone.  Soon fall festivities will be under way.   As you start pulling your fall decor from the corners of your closets, don't forget those that are hand made, especially if you saved the ones your children made, such as the pumpkin pictured here.  Whether these crafts have been in your closet for two years or twenty, they add a lot of sentimental value to your fall decor!  Please visit my website at www.entertainingforeternity.com for more ideas like these!

My Website

If you enjoy reading my blog, then I know you will appreciate my website as well!  I am now pleased to announce the debut of my newly update website, http://entertainingforeternity.com Thank you for taking time to check it out!

In Season

As I look forward to fall and think about the seasons, I am reminded of 2 Timothy 4:2  when Paul writes, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season."  And although Paul is not referring to the four seasons, he is referring to the different seasons of our lives.  So let's be ready to share God's love with the people he's put across our paths.  Try inviting someone over for lunch this weekend.  Then pick up some Classico Pesto at your local grocery store to spread on turkey sandwiches for some extra pizzazz and flavor.  Check out http://www.classico.com/pesto-and-bruschetta/basil-pesto-sauce.aspx

Weekend Brunch

The fall brings football, and football brings guests for the weekend.  What will you serve your overnight guests for breakfast?  I would like to recommend one of my favorite recipes, Overnight Apple French Toast.  The best part is, not only is it delicious, but you can also prepare it the night before, then stick it in the oven in the morning!  Give it a try:

Overnight Apple French Toast

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

3 tsp. ground cinnamon, separated

1/4 c. dried cranberries or raisins

3 apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices

6 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 loaf day old French bread, cut into slices

Prepare 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 c. dried cranberries or raisins.  Set aside.  In separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, and 2 tsp. cinnamon.

Layer in 9x13 pan, apple slices, brown sugar mixture, slices of French bread, and lastly, egg mixture (soaking bread completely).  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

For optional syrup toppings:

Comine and heat 1 c. applesauce, 1-10 ounce jar of apricot or apple jelly, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp. ground cloves.

Adding Autumn Warmth

As each day passes, the subtle change of seasons can really inspire us to welcome fall, especially when craft stores everywhere bring out their brightest shades of yellow and orange.  So why not add warmth to your home by bringing a little bit of the outside, in, with the changing leaves and fall harvested fruits?  I love decorating with freshly inspired ideas from Better Homes and Gardens at www.bhg.com.  Websites such as these offer great ideas for the home, from adding autumn flavors in delicious desserts, to creating simple fall decor. Pictured here is a lovely idea I put together for a centerpiece.  I simply filled a mason jar with candy corn, then topped it with a bright bouquet and some festive ribbon.  What are some websites that inspire you?

Tea for Two

What are you saving your grandmother's tea cups for?  This weekend, have an impromptu fall tea on your deck with a friend.  Pair a pretty tea cup with a store bought treat, then watch God show up in the conversation!

A Healthy Alternative

Now that school is back in session, get together with some friends and ask them to share their favorite fall memories from when they were growing up.  You will get to know them better and they will feel loved and cared about.  This may lead to a "walking group" where the relationships will continue to grow.  You may even want to have a speaker talk about the value of exercise.

If you invite them to your home, serve smoothies as a healthy alternative.  Here is a recipe I like to use for Easy Blender Fruit Smoothies:

• 1 apple
• 1 orange
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup any fruit juice, cranberry or orange
• Optional garnish: whipped cream

Prepare fruit by cutting into large chunks.  Blend all ingredients on low first, then gradually turn blender to highest speed.  Blend until smooth. Serve in small glasses with garnish of whipped cream.

This Smoothie recipe also serves as a healthy and refreshing after school snack when your kids return home in the afternoon!

Staying Organized

One morning a friend arrived early at my house for Bible Study.  As she watched me put the finishing touches on the refreshments, she asked, "Is having us here every week causing you too much work?"  I  knew she had asked this because she has a difficult time keeping her house organized.