FINDING GRATITUDE IN LESSONS FROM GOD

I believe that God has a purpose in everything we experience in our lives. There are lessons to be learned in the joyous seasons we experience, but there are also lessons that require us to travel a path of difficulty and heartbreak as he molds and shapes us into the very  best version of ourselves.

As I have thought about covid19 and the impact it has had on all our lives already and now we are faced with the holidays without our families. I am sure it feels sad to think of missing our loved ones. I know it does for me. I have Four beautiful grandchildren that are 1,700 miles away from me. The youngest was only two months old when I moved. I want so much for it to be safe to visit them again.

 I watched a conference last night from Cleveland Clinic asking us to only celebrate the holidays with our family members living in our homes because of the high numbers currently hospitalized. They fear if people do not observe this request and have larger holiday gatherings that the hospitals will be overwhelmed, run out of beds and not be able to keep up.

 Heavenly Father created the world and everything in it. He could just speak and the world and everyone in it would be healed. So why doesn’t he? There must be a reason we are going through this.

As I have prayed and pondered this question, these are some of the thoughts that have come to my mind.

There was a study done at Stanford University in 1970. The purpose of the study was to understand when the control of delayed gratification, the ability to wait to obtain something that one wants, develops in children. Most of the research conducted during that time was done with delayed rewards in areas such as time perspective and the delay of rewards.

The children were put in a room and given one marshmallow. They were told that the person giving them the marshmallow would be leaving. If they ate the marshmallow that was all they got, but if they waited for the person to return, they got to eat the original marshmallow and would be given one more. It is fun to watch the differences between the children and their different choices. As I was thinking about this experiment the thought came to me that maybe this is one of the things that Heavenly Father is trying to teach us.

We can gather with our families now and enjoy the holidays with them, or we can do as we have been asked and wait for those big gatherings that brought us so much joy. Our reward is this will help covid be controlled much sooner so that life can become more normal, allowing us to be close to family and friends on a permanent basis. In some cases, it could even save lives, allowing us to be close to those we love for many years to come.

I am sure there are many individual lessons that God is teaching us in all of this. In my mind I believe this is one of them. Our world has become one of instant gratification. In generations past our parent and grandparents had to save for the things they wanted in life. Today it seems that people think they need everything right now.

I invite you to pray and ponder what you can learn from your challenges in these difficult times. I am so grateful my Heavenly Father loves me enough to watch me go through challenges in my life that make me a better person.

Keep smiling and stay safe !!!

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin French Toast Rollups

1 loaf bread white or wheat

Butter for frying

Egg mix

2 eggs

¼ cup milk

Filling

1 cup pumpkin (drain any excess liquid)

½ cup dark brown sugar packed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sugar Mixture

½ cup white sugar

 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut the crust off all the slices of bread and roll each one flat with a rolling pin. Set the bread aside.

Whisk together the egg and milk.

Take each flattened slice of bread and spread the filling on. Roll it up, dip it in the egg mixture and then roll it in the sugar mixture. Fry them in butter until golden brown,

Serve with syrup or topping of your choice.

KEEP SMILING!

Halloween White Chocolate Pretzel Ghosts

Ingredients

10 oz. white candy melting wafers

About 48 small pretzel twists

96 small candy eyeballs

In a small saucepan melt chocolate over low heat stirring constantly so it does not burn. Dip each pretzel in the melted chocolate, allow the excess chocolate to drip off over the pan and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. When you have all your pretzels dipped place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for a few minutes allowing the chocolate to harden.

Remove the tray of pretzels from the refrigerator. Take a plastic sandwich bag and cut off a small piece of one corner. Place some of the melted chocolate in the bag and drizzle some over each ghost. Pipe a small amount of the chocolate where each eye will be placed to secure the eye and place the eyes on each ghost. Return to the refrigerator to finish the hardening process.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

KEEP SMILING!

Cheddar Ham Soup

Ingredients

2 cups diced peeled potatoes

3 cups water

1/2 cup sliced carrot

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half and half

 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 cup frozen peas

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, water, carrot and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Stir into undrained potato mixture. Add ham and peas; heat through.

Keep Smiling!

HERB AND CHEESE SCONES

3 cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold butter

1 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus a little more for sprinkling

1/3 cup fresh chopped chives

1 large egg

1 cup milk, plus more for brushing

Preheat the oven to 425.

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Work in the butter until crumbly and just a few pea – size pieces remain. Stir in the cheese and chives until evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg and milk.

Stir the wet ingredients gently into the dry mixture just until the dough is evenly moistened, adding 1 tablespoon more of milk if necessary; the dough should be stiff but spoonable.

Drop the scones on baking sheet using a 1/3 cup scoop, leaving a 2” space between each scone.

Brush the tops of each scone with milk, sprinkle them with extra cheese and bake for 20 – 24 minutes or until golden brown.

KEEP SMILING!