Cyrano de Bergerac at the Plate

Yesterday afternoon Abigail had softball practice with her select team, Rage.  They had just arrived on the field and Abigail was going to play catch with another player.  She stopped to tighten her pony tail but her throwing partner wasn’t paying attention and threw the ball at Abigail's nose! 

Abigail has a fractured nose and is now sporting 2 black eyes. It happened at the beginning of practice and when her nose stopped bleeding she finished out the two hour practice.

So how did my Cyrano de Bergerac do in her first high school game of the season? Well, after putting on her helmet (a lesson learned yesterday), she hit a double, went on to third on a passed ball. She scored on a bunt for the go ahead run. CHANT Chargers went on to beat Celina High School 12-5! Coach didn't let her catch tonight, she and her fractured nose hung out in right field.  It was a great start to this year's high school season! 

as long as my breath is in me,

    and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

my lips will not speak falsehood,

    and my tongue will not utter deceit.

Job 27:3-4

Canning Green Salsa Using Tomatillos

Next weekend we are heading to Lubbock Christian University to see Caleb and the one thing he asked us to bring him was home made salsa.  I haven't bought a jar of salsa in about six years because we prefer to make our own.  

Abigail got the recipe below in her Tabitha class at church.  While the 3rd-6th graders were learning lessons on hospitality they learned a few great recipe they can share with others.  This is one of our favorites.  

When possible I use fresh tomatoes, but in a pinch you can use canned tomatoes like I did today.   

I blended up a couple of batches of red salsa and a few batches of green salsa.  

Salsa Recipe
1  28oz. can whole tomatillos (do not drain) OR red tomatoes 
3  fresh jalapenos, no seeds, unless you want in HOT
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 Table. cumin
2 tea. garlic salt
1 tea. Morton Canning and Pickling Salt
3 table. lime juice

Throw all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  This recipe make about 1 Quart Jar fresh salsa!  To make green salsa I substituted (1) 28oz. can of whole tamatillos (drain about 1/2 of the extra liquid). 

The salsa can be stored in the refrigerator to keep fresh. But if you don't want to take up the room in the refrigerator you can water bath process it for 15 minutes.  If you are canning make sure you have sanitized your jars and lids.  Also due to the acidity of this recipe, wipe down the rims of the jar with vinegar before sealing.  Store salsa in the refrigerator after opening a jar. 

My beloved has gone down to his garden,

    to the beds of spices,

to browse in the gardens

Song of Solomon 6:2

Canning Beef and Broccoli with Bell Peppers

Our little family blog started as a way to keep in contact with our extended family who all live out of state.  Later it became a great way to recall so many great memories and a tool to remind the kids of various adventures.  The next phase was the blog allowed my kiddo at college to readily be able to check up on us when he had a spare moment.  It made those phone calls home more productive because he could share in our week. 

The blog has also been a tool for me to share some of my Bible Bowl resources with other coaches and has been review of kid friendly things to do in Dallas.  The stats page shows that our little blog gets around 900 views per month and I know we don't have that many relatives! 

More recently I've been posting about our canning and I've begun having requests to publish specific recipes, go figure!  Recently I had a request for a way to can various meal ready recipes and spcifically a beef, broccoli and bell peppers.  

Beef and Broccoli with Bell Peppers

4 lb. skirt steak, sliced

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

1 onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

2 cups grated carrots

1 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 cups beef broth

4 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

6 tbsp. brown sugar

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

2 tbsp. Sriracha sauce

1 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Your first task will be to cook your skirt steak.  I cooked mine in my Instant Pot with ½ cup of beef broth on high pressure for 12 minutes.

Next, get to chopping and slicing your vegetables!  

While the pressure in the Instant Pot comes down, whisk together soy sauce, beef broth, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, Sriracha and red pepper flakes in a stock pot. 

When your beef is fully cooked add it to your sterilized Ball Wide Mouth Quart Jars slightly under ½ full.  This will be about 1 pound of beef.  Next begin layering in your vegetables.  I packed in my carrots, onions, bell peppers, and finished off with my broccoli.  Go ahead and pack them in tight because they will cook down in the canning process. 

Next fill the jars with the sauce you have heated in your stock pot.   Do not fill it all the way with liquid.  I left almost two inches without liquid because when the vegetables cook down they will create more liquid. 

Wipe the rims of your jars with vinegar and seal with lids and rims.  Process the quarts in a Pressure Canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes. 

I had a little bit of my beef, broccoli and red peppers left over so I mixed up some saffron rice for lunch.  Serve it with some of our homemade Sweet Asian Chili Sauce and some sesame seeds!  

O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Psalm 34:8

Canning Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

One of the first foods I ever canned was spaghetti sauce.  Jon love Italian food, every kind of Italian food!  The main ingredient to any good Italian dish is the sauce.  So of course, I try to keep plenty of homemade sauce on hand! 

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
3lbs hamburger meat
2lbs pork sausage
5 cloves of garlic minced
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
6 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
2 teaspoons black pepper 

To be added to jars later
1 teaspoon Morton Canning Salt (per quart jar) 
2 6oz cans of tomato paste
3 33oz boxes of tomato sauce

In a skillet (or two) brown hamburger and sausage, add the additional ingredients to the skillet. Don't worry about cooking it down all the way, the mixture will continue cooking during the canning process.  Drain fat from the meat.  

Spoon mixture into sterilized Ball Wide Mouth Quart Jars, just under half full.  This will be about one pound of cooked meat. Next add one tablespoon of tomato paste to each jar and a teaspoon of canning salt.  You can use table salt.  The biggest reason to use canning salt is because it doesn't turn cloudy in the canning process, but because this is a tomato based (not a clear) sauce, table salt would work fine. 

The last step is to finish filling the quart jars with tomato sauce.  The boxed sauce is easier to pour and doesn't have that metal tin can taste.  Be sure to use a plastic spoon to stir in the sauce and remove air bubbles.  The meat will have a lot of holes for air pockets to form, so stir thoroughly.  Fill the jars leaving 1" head space. 

Wipe the rims of the jar with vinegar and seal with sterilized caps and rims.  Process the quarts for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in Pressure Canner.

I made two batches of this recipe and it yielded 10 quarts of sauce. These will be great over angel hair pasta, or ravioli, or lasagna, or tortellini . . .

He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:25

DMA Teen Class

Time for another amazing teen art class at the Dallas Museum of Art.  Today's class was Conserve and Collect.  The teens were able to explore the Conservation Gallery to learn more about the unique problem-solving skills conservationists use to protect art for future generations.

In the gallery lab the youth were given painting samples and had to mix colors to match and touch up art work.   They also worked with foils to simulate the gold leafing on the ornate picture frames. 

Abigail and her friend Tessa enjoyed the class together while Ms. Beth and I toured a small portion of the museum.  

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Fantastic Friendships

So like I was saying in the last post, despite being at the Federal Reserve this morning and then headin to noon Mass, followed by an afternoon of shopping our day still wasn't over.

Tonight the girls had Yearbook Staff meeting. The girls have sold their advertising and are beginning to lay out the pages for the 2016-2017 PEACH Yearbook.  It will have pages dedicated to our field trips, Trail Life, Girl Scouts, American Heritage Girls, Speaker's Club (Jr. Toastmasters), Running Club, Teen Events, Park Pals and other PEACH sponsored groups. 

Gracie's mom Robin captured these adorable pictures of Abigail, Gracie and Hannah goofing off after their meeting! I love these three together, several times over last school year they faced the unfounded accusations of 'the mean girl(s)'.  These three had the option of returning the unkind attacks or turning the other cheek.  I'm so proud that they took the high road.  They choose not to gossip, they choose to walk away from the 'drama queens' and permitted no one else around them to gossip.  As difficult at it was to go through, the girls were proven honest and truthful.  I'm so proud of them! 

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
Proverbs 12:22

Retail Therapy

When we took off this morning for our field trip to the Federal Reserve (see posts below) we met up with our friends the Baileys.  Following the educational portion of our morning, the Baileys headed over to the church with us to observe Mass. 

With all of that enlightment of the inner workings of the country's monetary system, and our observation of the application of worship with in the Catholic church we decided it was now time to goof off.  

We began the afternoon with a late lunch at Shake Shack in downtown Dallas.  I highly recommend it, in fact there is a new location opening up in Legacy Park near us that we will be frequenting!  

Next we took off to Highland Park for a little retail therapy.  Ok, who am I kidding, we can't afford the stores there.  Or maybe we could if we taped the shredded $4,000 we recieved from the Federal Reserve back together.   Anyway we enjoyed a great afternoon wandering through the Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Draper James and others.  Infact, Ella and Abigail took a photo at Draper James and they were featured on the stores Twitter feed the next day!

We also made sure we checked out the first Rustic Cuff store to open in Dallas.  It opened up earlier this week and we know how our Oklahoma friends love the artsy collection of jewelry, so we had to check it out!  It was a great day with sweet friends, and when the next post pops up you will see we still weren't done with our day! 

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21

Denominational Doctrines: Part 1

As part of our studies at home, Jon and I have compared the doctrines of ten religious groups with the teachings of the Scriptures using Stafford North's Handbook on Church Doctrines. 

Jon first taught a class at the Owasso Congregation to the older high school group and college kids to give them an understanding of the belief system of their peers. 

Later we would go through the study with Caleb and now with Abigail.  The first religion we looked at was the Catholic Church because so many other denominations stem from that religion.  

While we were downtown today we were able to attend mass at the Cathedral Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe.  It is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Texas. The structure dates from the late 19th century and is located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas.

The building is magnificent and you get a real sense of the reverence the parishioners have for Christ.  The most striking difference was that no one had a Bible, or that scripture wasn't cited so that it could be verified as Truth.  But having studied their beliefs, we had an understanding that the Catholic church puts as much value on papal writings as divine scripture because they believe the Pope to be ordained by God making his teachings infallible.  

It was fascinating to observe.  I'm thankful that the curtain was torn and we no longer have to go through man to reach God.  I look forward to learning about other religions and comparing them to the example of the Lord's body that we have in the book of Acts. 

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. Revelation 22:18-19

Touring the Federal Reserve in Dallas

We were given the opportunity to tour the Federal Reserve or the Fed in Dallas.  The kids learned in a classroom setting about the central banking system of the United States. 

The Fed in Dallas is the central monetary distribution center for the 11th District. In the past we've tour the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing several times but this was our first time to tour the Fed. 

The tour included interactive exhibits about: The 11th District;  Founding the Fed;  Supervising Banks;  Historical Currency;  Structure;  Moving Money;  Debating a National Bank;  Monetary Policy; and The Regional Economy.  

At the end of the tour our docent gave each of the youth $4,000 in discarded, shredded money. 

raise your voice for understanding,

if you seek it like silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasures,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:3-5

High Tech Benefits Texas Bible Bowl

April 2nd is rapidly approaching for our Texas Bible Bowl competition in Bandera, Texas.  Recently the TBB asked if I would write up an article for the Christian News of South Texas.  

Most of the article centers around the congregations participating in TBB in south Texas, but for the photos I had some of my McDermott class help out.  Below is a link to the article or you can continue reading. 

Click HERE to read the article. 

High-tech Benefits Texas Bible Bowler

PLANO – Technology has invaded every part of our life, so why not the Bible class? In fact, today’s tech-savvy generation has seen a major upgrade in Bible bowl preparations from the old-school black and white IBM Selectric-typed study guides.

This year Texas Bible Bowl (TBB) will take place March 31-April 2 at Bandina Christian Youth Camp over the entire book of Acts. High school participants compete not only for trophies, but also for scholarships via Lubbock Christian University. However, the goal of TBB, far beyond trophies, can be found in Acts 8:35: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.”

Congregations like those in Corpus Christi, and San Antonio’s Lackland Terrace, West Bexar County and Northwest are discovering the benefits of sharing online learning aids. “It’s not much different from the flannel graphs and flip charts that were once used in Bible classes; it’s just now we can share our resources instantly via electronic devices,” said Nicholas Schroeder, President Pro Tem for TBB.

This competition originated with the help of the Marble Falls church of Christ after the dissolution of the annual National Bible Bowl competitions on our Christian college campuses. Formed in 2010, TBB recently outgrew its testing facilities in Marble Falls and began meeting at Bandina Christian Youth Camp in 2016.

“With the support of Lubbock Christian University and individuals, we have seen increased interest in Texas Bible Bowl, and we felt a need to make study aids readily available for our coaches,” said Schroeder. Congregations can now find one-word lists, suggested study tips, highlighted texts, and sample questions for studying the book of Acts.

An online study guide allows congregations to download and print classroom material, but that is not the only benefit technology has brought to the Bible class setting. Cathy Spain, coordinator of Northwest church of Christ, uses the online flash card website called Cram to bring digital games into the classroom. Students can also use Cram for further at-home study, and students can log into Cram and compete with each other.

Bible bowl coaches are also using similar sites like Kahoot! and Quizlet to bring electronic reinforcement games into their classrooms. In preparation for the upcoming competition, coaches like San Pedro’s youth minister, Bryon Curry, can download practice tests from Google documents that have been uploaded by coaches in Waco. “The ability for coaches to share the work makes it easier to get more congregations involved,” said Spain.

Congregations are also finding the addition of technology in the Bible class setting is increasing participation in TBB. Interactive quizzes on programs like Cram and Quizlet allow the youth to study the book of Acts on their laptops, tablets and phones.

Texas Bible Bowl follows the same curriculum schedule as LTC so congregations can easily prepare for both at the same time. Congregations interested in participating may visit the website at http://www.texasbiblebowl.org. 

The article closes with: [Lisa Kirkwood, TBB board member, also describes herself as an OC graduate, busy home schooling mom of three, Bible Bowl coach, and wife. She lives in Plano and blogs at texaskirkwoods.blogspot.com.] This makes me smile, because in private email exchanges between the TBB I joked that I might as well put those OC journalism classes to work.  And to see my little blog linked to the article!  Boy will they be surprised when they expect to see some Christian blogger and all the get is lil ol' me and my grandparent posts and canning recipes! 

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. I Thessalonians 4:11-12