Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson's Blog, page 10

Stilton with Mango and Ginger Waffles and Bacon

I These are the fluffiest, tastiest waffles I've ever made...in the time it takes to use a box mix, you can mix together these delicious, homemade waffles.
Makes 7 plate-size waffles
Dry Ingredients:1 3/4 cup flour1/4 cup whole wheat flour1 Tablespoon baking powder1 Tablespoon sugar1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)1/4 teaspoon apple or pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Wet ingredients:2 large eggs1/2 cup melted butter1 3/4 cup milk (or half and half)
2 pieces bacon - crumbled1/4 lb Stilton cheese with fruit such as dried mango, blueberries, or cranberriesWith extra reserved for crumbles on top of the waffles.

Directions:
1. Turn on waffle maker, to heat up. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
3. Fold in crumbled cheese and bacon
4. Ladle a spoonful of batter into the center of waffle maker, close lid, and cook until the steam stops coming out of the sides of waffle maker.
5. Top each waffle with cheese and bacon crumbles and maple syrup.
Any leftover waffles can be frozen and popped in a toaster for breakfast on a busy weekday morning! 

May 12th and We have Two Feet of Snow!

What to do on a Snowy Day in May?

We can bake olive bread....

And then, we can make eggs Benedict with bacon and spinach, or avocado and smoked salmon.



Yes, it's really the middle of May...

So let's enjoy it!

Spicy Langoustine Tacos with a Pineapple Sriracha Remolaude

Need a quick and easy, fresh and healthy alternative to your weeknight beef tacos? Try these...you'll love them!
Ingredients:
Makes 4 really large tacos1/2 - 3/4 pound Langoustine tails (available frozen, already cooked) You could also substitute shrimp, or fish fillet1 lemon1 avocado1 bag shredded cabbage mix (i.e. for coleslaw)1 tomato choppedshredded cheese - optionalsoft tortillas 
Quick Remolaude:
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (plain or pineapple flavored) you can also use mayonnaise Sriracha to tasteMilk or Buttermilk to thin out the mixtureMix together, adjust to suit your taste for spiciness 

Directions:
1. Warm the frozen langoustine tails in a frying pan, squeeze with juice from 1/2 lemon. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Warm individual tortillas in same pan, sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Mash avocado add a squeeze of lemon juice.
4. Assemble tacos, layering chopped cabbage, mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes, langoustines, drizzle with remolaude. 
Enjoy!

Faith and Fear

Sometimes we find ourselves here...

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,And be gracious to me and answer me.When You said,"Seek My face," my heart said to You,"Your face, O Lord, I shall seek."Do not hide Your face from me.Do not turn Your servant away in anger;You have been my help;Do not abandon me nor forsake me,O God of my salvation.Psalm 27:7-9


We are in the depths of fear, longing for an answer to our tear-stained prayers, we can turn to the Word of God and find help...



[Jesus said to them,] 
"Do not be afraid any longer, only believe." 
Mark 5: 36



And so we do our best to believe, but still we do not receive an answer or relief from our longing. What are we to do?


I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see thegoodness of the Lordin the land of the living.Wait for the LordBe strong and let your heart take courage;Yes, wait for the Lord.Psalm 27:13-14

That is often the greatest challenge...to wait for God's answer. He will answer, and He has promised to work all things out for our good. But we must learn patience, learn to turn to God in prayer and by reading more deeply into His Word. 

Eventually, we will receive our answer...


And Jesus said to her, "Daughter you faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." Mark 5:34

Creating a Sacred Space For a Closer Relationship with God

Today I read a devotional from Rick Warren about the importance of finding a special space to spend time with God each day.

This is not the first time I've heard of this idea of having a defined space to spend with God, although I have to admit was skeptical about the need for such a space until I tried it myself.

However, as I realized the growing importance of devotional time in my life I decided to create a dedicated space for prayer and Bible reading. That's the space you see above. 
This room used to be my office. Instead, I moved my desk to a quiet area downstairs. At that point I began to call this my library...but honestly,  this is where I go to pray and have devotional time with God.
At first that concept felt strange and uncomfortable to me. I recall a friends who pointed to a small room in her home and called it her prayer room, and my internal reaction was 'what a weird thing to call a room'.
Now the tables have turned and as much as I avoid the label, the room you see above is for all intents and purposes, my prayer room.
Why is it a necessary part of my life?
I've found that it has become a place where I strip away all of my vulnerabilities and come honestly before God, often on my knees in prayer, to reveal my deepest fears and longings...often in tears. For this reason, it has become a sacred space that I reserve for just those meetings.
It is also a place where I read my Bible and some of my favorite devotional books, those are the books you see on the little table.
I'd like to encourage you to find or create your own sacred space. It doesn't have to be a dedicated room, it can be any quiet space where you can go to find God in prayer. Before I created this room, I actually used to speak to God when I was alone in my car or even in the shower, when I didn't want my tearful prayer to be heard. 
By the way, that's another important quality of your sacred space...it should be a place where you can speak aloud to God. I don't know why, but speaking my prayers aloud gives them a conversational quality that helps me to feel that they are really being heard.
 Wherever you find your sacred space, let it become a place that you go to regularly to spend quiet, private, heart-opening time with God. I believe you will be amazed at how it grows your intimate relationship with God, and how He works in your life.
I'd love to hear about your sacred space.

How to Find Your Sacred Space to Create a Closer Relationship with God

Today I read a devotional from Rick Warren about the importance of finding a special space to spend time with God each day.

This is not the first time I've heard of this idea of having a defined space to spend with God, although I have to admit was skeptical about the need for such a space until I tried it myself.
However, as I realized the growing importance of devotional time in my life I decided to create a dedicated space for prayer and Bible reading. That's the space you see above. 
This room used to be my office. Instead, I moved my desk to a quiet area downstairs. At that point I began to call this my library...but honestly,  this is where I go to pray and have devotional time with God.
At first that concept felt strange and uncomfortable to me. I recall a friends who pointed to a small room in her home and called it her prayer room, and my internal reaction was 'what a weird thing to call a room'.
Now the tables have turned and as much as I avoid the label, the room you see above is for all intents and purposes, my prayer room.
Why is it a necessary part of my life?
I've found that it has become a place where I strip away all of my vulnerabilities and come honestly before God, often on my knees in prayer, to reveal my deepest fears and longings...often in tears. For this reason, it has become a sacred space that I reserve for just those meetings.
It is also a place where I read my Bible and some of my favorite devotional books, those are the books you see on the little table.
I'd like to encourage you to find or create your own sacred space. It doesn't have to be a dedicated room, it can be any quiet space where you can go to find God in prayer. Before I created this room, I actually used to speak to God when I was alone in my car or even in the shower, when I didn't want my tearful prayer to be heard. 
By the way, that's another important quality of your sacred space...it should be a place where you can speak aloud to God. I don't know why, but speaking my prayers aloud gives them a conversational quality that helps me to feel that they are really being heard.
 Wherever you find your sacred space, let it become a place that you go to regularly to spend quiet, private, heart-opening time with God. I believe you will be amazed at how it grows your intimate relationship with God, and how He works in your life.
I'd love to hear about your sacred space.

Why We Need to Teach Our Children to Cook

Tonight I made hot Italian turkey sausage with Fagioli All'uccelletta (spicy white beans). I modified the recipe I found on the Internet by adding anchovies and onions.
It turned out to be the best meal I've cooked in a year.
But what really got me going is when I calculated the cost of the entire meal and figured out it cost LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS FOR THE ENTIRE MEAL! 
That's right, less than $2.50 per person for a family of four.  You can't buy a Happy Meal for that price per person.
Low in fat. Low in sugar. Low in calories. Low in carbs. 
In other words, a low cost, healthy, delicious....might I suggest, gourmet, meal.
What gave me pause is that we do not encourage our children to learn how to cook meals like this. Whether in the now non-existent Home Economics class or at home.
Instead, we clip coupons for Hamburger Helper or frozen dinners filled with salt and chemicals.
This meal was easy and quick. I'll include the recipe and itemized cost below. 
But what I really want is for all of us to stop for a moment and consider how we can teach our children to cook healthy, low cost, meals.
Ingredients:
1 - 16 oz package of Italian turkey sausage2 - 14 oz cans cannelloni beans ( white kidney beans )1 pint cherry tomatoes1/2 medium onion2 - 3 cloves garlic4 anchovy filets ( to taste)1/4 cup red or white wine (optional)
Directions:
1. Fry the turkey sausage in a large skillet. Remove from skillet and put in oven to keep warm. Thinly slice onions and lightly sauté in the same skillet. Add anchovies and smash them, so they will 'melt' into the onions.2. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to skillet with garlic and a splash of wine (the alcohol will burn off). Cover and let cook on low for ten minutes.3. Add the drained cans of beans and the turkey sausage. Let the entire contents cook for 10 minutes. Add a half cup of chicken stock if the sauce becomes too dry.
Serve and Enjoy!
This is why we need to teach our children to cook.

Winners Chosen for God Loves Your Dream!

Thank you for sharing your wonderful words for 2014. I hope you are each wonderfully blessed in the coming year.

Here are our ebook winners!

Gail
Lorraine
Angieleigh
Sheri

Please send me your email address and I'll send your ebook right out!

All the best,

Suzanne

Share Your 2014 Word and Win a Copy of God Loves Your Dream

What is your guiding theme word for 2014?

Last year, I chose "Forward" as my guiding word because I felt stuck and needed a word that would inspire me to keep moving toward my goal, no matter what.
This year, I've decided on an even more radical word.
At first, I was going to choose "Receive" as my guiding word, because as much as I accomplished last year, it always seemed like I wasn't receiving the expected outcome or reward for my efforts.
However, as I read through my morning devotions it came to me that my real challenge wasn't the desire to Receive, but my willingness to surrender the outcome of my efforts to God's will.
I am such a control freak that even considering the word surrender makes my heart skip a beat. Which is really all the confirmation I needed that SURRENDER is my theme word and my challenge for 2014.
Now, it's your turn! 
What is going to be your theme word for 2014? What word will inspire, scare, motivate, you to move your life in an exciting new direction this year?
If you're brave enough to share, I will pick 5 people to receive a free ebook of GOD LOVES YOUR DREAM.
To enter, all you have to do is tweet me at @seakiev, or leave a comment on my Facebook page (click on the link in the sidebar) or a comment here.
I can't wait to hear your word!