May 3, 2026

Pickled Red Beet Eggs

April 18, 2014 by

Pickled RB Eggs hand resize

I remember as a kid being very sad one Easter Sunday.  It was because, when I peeled one of the eggs I worked so hard to paint and dye and sticker-ize and bedazzle—all that work—the inside looked just like a plain, un-dyed egg!  (I hope my Mom told me that beauty is only skin deep.)  But later on in the day, I was delighted when my Mom took the big container of Pickled Red Beet Eggs out of the refrigerator! When you cut into one of these purple beauties – surprise! – the color went all the way through to the yolk!

This recipe is a great way to use up those hardboiled eggs.  I’ve found my kids like dyeing them way more than they like eating them, so I am usually guaranteed half a dozen eggs to use in this dish.  This is an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe that came from my Mom and her mother, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  You can adjust the ratio of vinegar to sugar, but I like how these are sweet-tart and firm.  Some people add very thinly sliced onions to the beet brine, and others add whole cloves.  I like them with just these 4 ingredients.

You’ll want to let these soak for at least 2 days.  I wouldn’t let them sit more than a week, but I really doubt they’ll last that long!  Make sure the eggs and beets are in a deep and narrow container so everything is submerged – if you go shallow and wide, your eggs won’t color evenly and you’ll have to rotate them at least 2 times a day.  So raid the kids’ Easter baskets and start pickling!

Pickled RB Eggs resize

Pickled Red Beet Eggs

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 2 cans sliced beets (not pickled beets)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup vinegar (you can use white or apple cider)

Directions:

  1. In a sauce pan, place eggs in one layer.  Fill pan, covering the eggs with an inch of water.  Cook on high until a boil is just reached, then immediately remove from heat and cover with a lid.  Set a timer for 13 minutes.  When the time is up, drain the eggs and fill the pan with ice and water.  Let cool.
  2. Peel the cooled eggs and put them in a deep container with a lid.  Dump the two cans of beets and their juice into the container, followed by the sugar and vinegar.  Swirl around to dissolve.  Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 days, making sure the eggs are submerged (or turning them if they are not.)  Cut eggs in half and serve with beets.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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Lead Me To Calvary

April 18, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

King of my life, I crown Thou now
Thine shall the glory be
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow
Lead me to Calvary

Lest I forget Gethsemane
Lest I forget Thine agony
Lest I forget Thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary

Show me the tomb where Thou was laid
Tenderly mourned and wept
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept

Let me like Mary, through the gloom
Come with a gift to Thee
Show to me now the empty tomb
Lead me to Calvary

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee
Even Thy cup of grief to share
Thou hast borne all for me

Fill me with Thy desire
For all who know not Thee
Then touch my lips with holy fire
to speak of Calvary

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Jennie E. Hussey/WJ Kirkpatrick/ Performed by Andrew&Saskia Smith

*  ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~  *

And as they led Him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian,
coming out of the country, and on him they laid the Cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.
Luke 23:26

As we near this time in the year that we celebrate Easter, it is easy to focus on other things as we get nearer to the Easter weekend. Many of us are busy with family traditions and other things, and it is so easy to forget what Easter is really all about—just like we do at Christmas. Yet, Easter and Christmas are both about something different from the Easter Bunny and Santa.

During Easter, we celebrate the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We celebrate Christ’s defeat over sin and death. We celebrate His sacrifice so that we may live in eternity with God. Yet there is more to those three days than we often realize. In other people’s actions, we can see hints of what is expected of us as Christians.

When Christ was led to the Cross, the Roman soldiers pulled a man, Simon of Cyrene, from the crowd. The soldiers forced Simon to help Christ carry the Cross to Calvary. When you look at the verse above, notice the last phrase: “…that he might bear it after Jesus.” Now symbolism can take root here. As it is told to us and sung to us, when we accept Jesus, we are supposed to take up the Cross with Jesus.

In a way, this is saying that as Christians we take up the Cross with Jesus upon our acceptance of Him into our hearts. Just as Jesus took up the Cross to bear the weight of our sin, we should bear the Cross as a reminder of why Jesus died for us. Our Cross will be the sufferings and sorrow we endure here on Earth. Our Cross will be the persecution we receive from those who do not follow Christ. We will bear the Cross with Jesus.

By bearing the Cross with Jesus, we will be blessed with eternal life in Heaven. We will be able to beat death just as Jesus has. One day Christ will return and resurrect His faithful followers to return with Him to Heaven where we will spend eternity. We worship our God every day, and there will be no suffering or pain. There will be great joy and happiness abound.

*  ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your sacrifice on the Cross. Without that sacrifice, we would not be able to look forward to eternal life. We would not be able to defeat death. Thank You for Your love and Your presence in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pure Like Children Again

April 18, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8 

Purity is “the condition or quality of being free from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes,” etc.  That is why childhood is called the “age of innocence.”  Nothing has come into children’s hearts to make them impure.  They do not know the evils of this world unless it has touched them in some way.  They have no worries unless they just happen to have seen or felt evil at a young age.  I see this looking at my two young children every day—especially yesterday.

I got a free day off from work yesterday due to a threat on campus.  I was two minutes away from daycare when I got the call that the university was closed.  I turned around, and my daughter and I went home.  I spent the morning with her (even thought I slept for about 30 minutes of it).  (Hey…I was not about to let an opportunity for a nap slip by when I was sleepy.)  Later that afternoon, she took a nap while I was cleaning her room and her brother’s room.  I checked in on her, and I watched her sleep.  I wondered where the time had gone and where my ‘age of innocence’ had gone.  Due to the innocence she has, she is not contaminated yet, except by sin.  She is too young to realize what the true meaning of Easter is…though she can now tell you that Jesus died on the Cross.

When we do not know God, we are impure.  When we reach the age where we can understand who Jesus is and what He did for us, we have become contaminated by the world.  We are being taught its ideals through peers and the outside world. Yet, we reach a level of purity again when we decide to accept God’s gift of eternal life.  When we accept Jesus, we feel His Presence in our hearts, and we see His daily works in our lives.  We become blessed to be pure through the Blood of Jesus Christ again, and we can see Him every day by looking for His signs through nature and the blessings that He gives us when we need them.

God loves us.  We are His creation.  We are His children, and He is our Father.  We see God every day when we observe what He does and spend time with Him. Our hearts and spirit become less polluted by the world and cleaner by the spirit working inside of our hearts.  We become more like children of God and less like children of the world.

*  ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~  *

Dear God, thank You for cleaning our hearts and making us pure in the spirit. The pollution of this world is great, but Your love for us is greater and infinite. You are our Father, and we are Your children. You clean our spirits and make us whole. In Jesus name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Single-Minded Loyalty

April 17, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8 

I think I’ve mentioned this before but, just in case I haven’t, I want to reiterate that I love my Study Bible.  I’ve always liked studying, and love to learn, but when it comes to the Bible, I seem to grasp ideas better when they are outlined for me, when I can see the meaning of words, and when other Scriptures are listed as additional references.

When I was studying this week’s Beatitude, a sentence stood out to me— “single-minded loyalty to God.”  Typically when one sees the term “pure” the words “innocent, unsullied, good, and perfect” may come to mind.  So to be honest, when these words were not used in the description of this particular Beatitude, I was surprised.  This verse was a reminder that God doesn’t ask for or require perfection to ensure that we will one day bask in His glory, and He doesn’t ask that we have an impeccable life record.  No, He asks that we focus on Him…that we live each day for Him…that we display a single-minded loyalty to Him.

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
Psalms 24:3-4

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Hebrews 12:14

These three verses help to define what a pure heart should look like: single-minded, loyal, peaceful.  These are all traits that are attainable, and they are traits we can display.  God never gives us impossible tasks.  He never asks more of us than He knows we can give.  And He KNOWS we can give Him a pure heart.  One day we will see His face.  One day the act of possessing a pure heart will have rewards beyond measure.

*  ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~  *

Let’s Pray: Lord, create in us a pure heart.  Lord, to see Your face, that is our goal, to bask in Your holiness, to be in Your presence.  I pray that each and every one of us focus on having single-minded loyalty to You in all we do, in all we say, and in every action we take.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Call On Jesus

April 17, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I’m so very ordinary
Nothing special on my own
I have never walked on water
I have never calmed a storm
Sometimes I’m hiding away
From the madness around me
Like a child who’s afraid of the dark

But when I call on Jesus
All things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles and soar
When I call on Jesus
Mountains are gonna fall
‘Cause He’ll move heaven
And earth to come rescue me when I call

Weary brother
Broken daughter
Widowed, widowed lover
You’re not alone
If you’re tired and
Scared of the madness around you
If you can’t find the strength to carry on

Call Him in the mornin’
In the afternoon time
Late in the evenin’
He’ll be there
When your heart is broken
And you feel discouraged
You can just remember that He said
He’ll be there

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~  Singer/Songwriter: Nicole Mullen ~

As evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey Him!”

Mark 4:35-41 NLT

One of the things that I love about this passage in Scripture is that Jesus was sleeping in the midst of the storm…He was at peace in it.

He is our peace in the midst of the storms in our lives when we focus on Him instead of our circumstances.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is,
the law of commandments contained in ordinances,
so as to create in Himself one new man from the two,
thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God
in one Body through the Cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
Ephesians 2:14–16

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus and that He is our peace in the storms of life and that we are never alone in this journey of life. Father, I thank You for the peace that surpasses all understanding when we focus on the gift given to us through Your Son. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Get This Workout for Results in Your Weight and Fitness

April 16, 2014 by

change

Have you ever said things like this? 

  1. “I have been doing this workout for the past ten years, why am I not seeing any results?”
  2. “When I used to workout, I did…….,  now I can’t stick with anything?”

What is going on?  What is happening?

First, if you are like me, you like routine and schedules.  But even with a routine, workout programs have to change for there to be results in your weight and fitness.

Second, the reason you may not be able to stick with your workout is because your life and body may be different in this season of life.  Think back how your life was when you were consistently exercising.   How is it different today?  Consistency is what gets results in your weight and fitness goals and, if you are trapped by thinking you have to exercise the way you did in the past, consistentcy will always be a struggle.

If you cannot fit in a workout to your schedule or you have hit a plateau in your fitness or motivation, look at changing one of four things.  Try these suggestions for your workouts:

Your TYPE of Exercise

  • 1 minute intervals of jogging during your walk every 5 minutes for 30 minutes.  This will save time by allowing you to accomplish more during a shorter period of time.
  • Replace one day of cardio with strength training.  Be sure you are lifting the appropriate amount of weight to get results and think outside of the box. After designing a strength training program at home for a client, she is more consistent because she does not feel the pressure to get to the gym for a workout.

Your INTENSITY or How Hard You Work

  • Decrease your exercise time and work a little harder by either walking faster or increasing your intensity on an exercise machine.
  • Increase your weights in your strength training program.  If you are lifting the same amount of weight as you were last year, it is time to increase your weight by 1-5 lbs.

   Your DURATION of Work Out

  • Pick one day a week to add an extra 15 minutes to your cardio time.  Avoid putting this pressure on yourself to do it for every workout which can lead to feeling overwhelmed and giving up.

Your FREQUENCY or Number of Days You Work Out

  • Add one more day of exercise to your schedule.   What?  That can’t happen, right?  Think about this, decrease your time of exercise so that you can fit it in, work harder during that time and add another day for a quick workout.

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1,

”There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

As women, we go through different seasons of life. It may be time for you to change our way of thinking to get results in your weight and fitness.

In Good Health,

Crystal

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , ,

Create In Me a Pure Heart

April 15, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8

You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right.  Then you can see God in the outside world.
Matthew 5:8 MSG

Create in me a clean (pure) heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

I remember when I found this gem of a verse.  For months afterward, I prayed Psalms 51:10-12 over myself.  As a result I witnessed godly change in myself and my life.  Was I perfect during this time?  Ha!  Far from it, but daily I turned my eyes to God and asked Him to create a pure heart in me.  I don’t think I’ve ever been closer to God in my life.

A pure heart is a focused, undivided, unburdened heart.  There is no way for you to dwell in the Presence of God daily, hourly, minute-by-minute and hold on to lust, hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, guilt, condemnation, or any sin forever. God’s Presence is Holy and if you seek Him, He will shed His Light on your life and show you what He does not find pleasing…and then you will experience conviction.  Not condemnation, but conviction.

I know that I’m not the only one who can say that they have tried to run from conviction before—which eventually is running from God.  AlthoughI did manage to run from God for twenty-two years, He eventually caught me.   Needless to say, running from God can be difficult.

I struggled with figuring out what to write this devotional about until the Lord reminded me of Psalm 51:10 and my own personal experience with the verse. And then He asked me why I had stopped pursing a pure heart wholeheartedly. (To which I, of course, had no answer.)

Knowing where I’ve come from and where I am now, I thank the Lord for all He has done for me and how He has transformed me to be more like Him.  But He’s not done and I should never stop seeking to have a pure heart.  Plus, if pure-heartedness is what helps me see God this side of heaven, I most definitely want to strive after it.

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Lord, a pure heart—this is what I ask.  You alone can transform my heart.  Show me that which is unpleasing to You, and give me a steadfast spirit to sustain me. In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Give Me Jesus

April 15, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone
Give me Jesus

When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
You can have all this world
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~ Traditional African Spiritual  ~ Arranged and Sung by Jeremy Camp ~

 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  *

Jesus is the only One that can fill in all of those empty places.  If you have Jesus…that is all you need.  Jesus is the Living Water.  Let’s go to one of my favorite places in the Scriptures—where Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman….

Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”  He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.  The woman was surprised, for Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans.  She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”  Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water.”  “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep.  Where would you get this living water?  And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well?  How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”  Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.  It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water!  Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”  “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.  “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.  Jesus said, “You’re right!  You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.  You certainly spoke the truth!”  “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.  So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”  Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans know very little about the One you worship, while we Jews know all about Him, for salvation comes through the Jews.  But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.  The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way.  For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”  The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ.  When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”  Then Jesus told her, “I AM the Messiah!”

John 4:7-26 ESV

 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  *

God is the only One who can fill every empty space; every desire and dream that make up who I am can only be filled by my Savior.

I want to be that woman who is completely satisfied in Christ even if my biggest dreams fall to the wayside. I want to let Jesus fill every inch of my soul and heal the broken pieces that reside there.  I want Him to be enough because I know He is.  So I come to Him with hands lifted up asking for help.  Here I am, Lord, please fill the empty places and heal the broken pieces. In Jesus name…AMEN!!!  – Brooke Smith  (shared from the Dayspring  (In)courage blog )

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Just Be Held

April 14, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Hold it all together Everybody needs you strong
But  life hits you out of nowhere
And barely leaves you holding on
 
And when you’re tired of fighting
Chained by your  control
There’s freedom in surrender
Lay it down and let it go
 
So when you’re on your knees and answers seem so far away
You’re not alone, stop holding on and just be held
Your world’s not falling  apart, its falling into place
I’m on the throne, stop holding on and just  be held
Just be held,  just be held
 
If your eyes are on the storm
You’ll wonder if I love you  still
But if your eyes are on the Cross
You’ll know I always have and I  always will
 
And not a tear is wasted
In time, you’ll understand
I’m  painting beauty with the ashes
Your life is in My hands
 
Lift your hands, lift your eyes
In the storm is where  you’ll find Me
And where you are, I’ll hold your heart
I’ll hold your  heart
Come to Me, find your rest
In the arms of the God who won’t let  go
 

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

 ~ Songwriters: Bernie Herms, John Mark Hall, Matthew JosephWest ~

~ Performed by Casting Crowns ~

 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

As we travel through life, we often come to a crossroad.  Most of us choose our paths without thinking beyond today or tomorrow.  We make our choices on what feels good, not thinking about the eternal  consequences.  Then once we are on the chosen path we become confused and sometimes angry with the outcome. Sound familiar?  I know…I have been there.  My choices twenty-five years ago affect me now, today.  These are through regrets, unrecognized dreams and heartbreak. If I chose to stay there, I can drown and succumb to the guilt and shame.  But I chose not to!  I chose to let it go and let God HOLD ME!

Feeling His loving, forgiving, comforting arms around me is my only true Father I have ever known.  There are no strings attached,;He does not want anything from me other than for me to serve Him with my whole heart and let others know of how He loved me.  As stained and ugly as I was, He loves me.  He wants to tear away the scars, and replace them all with His love, grace and mercy.  I do not deserve any of it.  Only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus am I able to enter the holy Presence of God, our Creator.  And for that I will be forever grateful.

 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

Father, thank You for loving me enough then, to send Your Son Jesus to atone for me.  Forgive me for the choices I have made that have not honored You. Forgive me for the words I have spoken out of fear, anger and disappointment.  Let me learn from Your examples in Scripture to be a better, mom, sister, daughter, wife and friend.  In Jesus’ name I ask these things, Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , ,

Deviled Eggs

April 14, 2014 by

2014-04-13 19.03.55

Okay, before we go any further…if you want to make deviled eggs for your Easter celebration meal…go to the store TODAY and buy your eggs.  Seriously, really fresh eggs are v-e-r-y difficult to peel!  Been there…done that!  Anyone else?  And also, may I suggest you purchase the very best (i.e., the most nutritious, healthiest) egg your money can buy.  Yes, they may be a bit more expensive but SO worth it!

Our recipe today is for classic deviled eggs AND variations.  I think that once Spring has sprung, most gatherings where food is involved have a plate or two of deviled eggs on the table.  I know this is true for our family; how about yours? And I am sure that all of us have had ‘the world’s best’ deviled eggs…and probably some of the world’s worst, too.

In my quest to present to you the BEST, I took a peek at the way that Alton Brown (of the Food Network) does his hard-boiled eggs.  Mr. Brown is a food geek (don’t we love that about him?) and a scientist.  So, he is a valued source for me when I want to get down to the basics.  Want to know how Alton Brown prepares his hard-“boiled” eggs?  Check out this video.

Pretty cool, hmmm? (I know…punny! How can steamed eggs be cool?!?) His is a great method, and, by my experience, works perfectly each and every time. These eggs turn out with tender whites and beautifully yellow yolks…with not a bit of a tinge of that green edging that so many hard-boiled eggs have! Now here on the Monday installment of At Home w/ GCH, I try to present recipes to make healthy but-oh-so-yummy! foods. Today’s recipe fits within those parameters because we have reduced the amount of mayonnaise and lightened the mixture up with some plain Greek yogurt. The average deviled egg half, prepared traditionally, contains approximately 60-65 calories. Now that is not too bad if you are only putting one half on your plate…but, honestly, who eats just one half? Prepared using the following basic recipe (not the variations), each deviled egg half has approximately 30 calories. (So to me that means I can indulge and eat both halves!)

2014-04-13 20.22.31

Deviled Eggs (And Variations)

Ingredients:
8 perfectly steamed eggs (see video below)

3 tablespoons mayo (even better: use canola mayo)
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons pickle juice (we like bread&butter pickles)
freshly ground lemon pepper, to taste
smoked paprika

Directions:

  • With a sharp knife, halve each of the eggs, removing the yolk; set aside.
  • Using a wire mesh strainer, push the egg yolks through the mesh one at a time. (Or, if you prefer, simply mash the yolks to the consistency you prefer)
  • Add the mayo, yogurt, and mustard to the yolks and combine. Slowly add the pickle juice ‘til very creamy
  • Add pepper to taste
  • Dust with smoked paprika

Decision time: either use this healthy but-oh-so-yummy version of the classic egg filling or try any or all of the varieties below!

  • To fill the egg white halves, you can either simply use a small spoon, or fill a sandwich bag with the mixture <don’t forget to squeeze out the air AND seal the bag!>, then snip just the tip off one corner, and swirl the yolk mixture into the indentation of each egg half.

Variations: (shown in the picture above)

To the yolk mixture, you can add any one of the following:

  • finely chopped avocado and a squeeze of lime juice, OR
  • a sprinkle of garam masala (or curry powder); top with a small mango chunk,

Or top with:

  • a bit of fresh dill, or snipped fresh chives
  • finely chopped apple and walnuts; then top w/ a bit of blue cheese
  • chopped Greek olives and a bit of feta cheese
  • finely chopped tomatoes and some crumbled bacon

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

 

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