Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs are becoming a tradition for Christmas dinner at our house. The kids love them and it is one way to get them to eat green beans. We  serve it with hot rolls and homemade applesauce so everyone gets their fruit in too! Add a little sparkling grape juice for the kiddos and a glass of wine for the adults, and we are all set. I have yet to find a recipe online or otherwise that even compares to my mom's recipe for Swedish Meatballs, so I will share it here.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Beat together 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk and pour over 2 cups of breadcrumbs

Add:

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup grated onion

2 lbs. ground beef

Mix together and shape into 40 balls

Roll in flour

Fry slowly until well browned and remove from skillet

Add to pan drippings:

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups milk

3 cans of green beans or equivalent fresh green beans

2 Tablespoons parsley

Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 

I usually make it a day ahead and put it in the crock pot on Christmas morning.

Inheritance is a Test of Character

When my dad died, he left only his business and the house. There was no life insurance policy or any savings. My mom sold the business and went to work, entering the work force at 58 after a lifetime of being a stay-at-home mom. When she remarried, she sold the house. Two years later, she had Alzheimer’s. My mom was in a nursing home for several years at a cost of $5000.00 a month. Whatever she earned from selling the house paid for the nursing home, plus we suspect a lot came out of our stepdad’s pocket, but he would never tell us. My siblings and I had no inheritance other than a few rings, a few pieces of Delft, and a Hummel collection. Nobody really cared. Why? Because we had an inheritance that nobody could ever take away from us. 

My dad sold eggs door-to-door for most of my growing up years. My mom stayed at home and raised five kids. Yet somehow, they managed to put five kids all the way through Christian school. I have no idea how they did it. My mom made our clothes and we ate a lot of eggs. I had no idea how poor we were. We never went on vacations and we practically never ate out. We certainly didn’t shop at Marshall Fields. But I never knew the difference. When my dad started the Chicken House, things were a little better, but even then I was expected to pay for my own clothes and stuff I wanted. The point is that even in our relative (first world) “poverty,” we were rich. We had an inheritance that we would take to the grave and beyond. 

Paul says that anything that isn’t Christ is rubbish. Jesus tells us not to store up stuff on earth. Anytime we get stuff that we did not earn, it is a test of character. Back in the sixties, a family in our church was destroyed because when their mother died, the girls fought over her stuff and couldn’t reconcile. They wouldn’t even get together for Christmas because they couldn’t look at each other. Not something I wanted for myself or for my children. I hope I taught them better than that. While I would like to leave some things behind for them, I hope that Christ is enough. I hope they learn to hate the things that destroy families and bring dishonor to Christ. 

Recently my mother-in-law passed away and the kids have the job of going through all the stuff and setting things in order. She would have hated that herself. The stuff had no hold on her. She was a woman who wanted to do nothing more in a day than listen to her beloved hymns and hear sermons on tape from her church. Her heart was already elsewhere. Here are the words to one of those hymns:

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God!

All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them through his blood.

If I know my mother-in-law, I know that she wants the same thing for her children that I want for mine. She wants us to pass the test. She wants Christ to be enough. But we all want stuff. We do—there is no denying it. We are tied to this earth and we want to hold on to stuff, especially stuff that reminds us of her. We believe that this will console us in our grief. The question now is whether we will come to our senses in time to realize that only one thing will tie us together for all eternity—Jesus Christ. For the sake of Jesus Christ, can we sacrifice the vain things that charm us most? Can we pass the test?

My Journey With Isaiah

This past year I have been studying the book of Isaiah with several of my sisters at Redeemer. I love the way Isaiah predicts the future in past tense--as if God has already done what he promises to do. Isaiah has always had a special place in my heart. Back in 2001, shortly after 9/11, God led me to Isaiah 61:1-3 and I memorized it:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
²  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
     and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
     to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

I felt God was calling me to something, but not sure what.  This passage is about Jesus. Jesus is the one who was anointed to do all of the above things. What could that have to do with me? Everything, it turns out. Matthew 28:18-20 says this: 

 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This passage reminds me of a song I used to sing as a child. It was my favorite song, and even though I didn't know it at the time, it combines Isaiah 61 and Matthew 28--So Send I You. 

So send I you to labor unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone

So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
O’er wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake

So send I you to loneliness and longing
With heart a-hungering for the loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know My love alone

So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to lose your life in Mine

So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood, to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary

"As the Father hath sent me, so send I you."

Now it seems I have a choice--to go or not to go. Here is Isaiah's answer:  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)  While I would like to resist the call to suffering such as this, I find I cannot. Jesus has melted my heart and the way he has ministered to me through Redeemer Presbyterian Church has changed the course of my life. To give up my ambitions seems too small a price to pay. So my study of Isaiah has come to an end, and all I can say is  "Here I am! Send me."

 

Krissy's Creations--Button Pretzels

Sometimes it's fun to let the little ones make their own snacks. This one is so simple--my four and five year-olds can do almost all the work. Krissy (age five) and cousin Grady (age four) made these today.

Take square pretzels and place a Hershey's Hug on the center of each one. Place in 200 degree oven for four minutes. They will retain their shape, but will come out soft. Place an M & M on the center of each and press down slightly. I usually stick them in the fridge for a bit to harden them up because the kids want to eat them right away. You can use Hershey's Kisses too, but they don't get as shiny and are not quite as pretty.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Turtles

I made these this afternoon and they turned out so good!

Here is the recipe for these fabulous looking treats:

Ingredients

8 ounces pecans
14 ounce bag of caramels
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounce bag of dark chocolate chips
3-4 ounces white chocolate
Fleur de Sel (Sea Salt)

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange in clusters of 5-6 pecans. Place under broiler for 90 seconds to toast.
2. Unwrap caramels and heat with milk and vanilla until melted. I used a double boiler to avoid burning them.
3. Spoon caramel mixture over pecan clusters and let stand until caramel hardens, at least thirty minutes.
4. Melt chocolate chips. I used the double boiler for this again. Reserve 1/4 cup of chocolate. Spoon the rest over caramel layer.
5. Let stand until firm--about thirty minutes again.
6. Chop up white chocolate and melt in microwave. Spoon over chocolate layer.
7. Put reserved chocolate in a sealed plastic bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner; then drizzle over white chocolate. I did it this way, but I think next time I will just drizzle it with a spoon.
8. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel. 

Seven Rules for Proper Grandparenting

Rule 1—Exercise  When you first pick up the grandchildren, one of the first things you want to do is make sure they are thoroughly exercised. There are several ways to do this. You can put them through tiring muscle building paces…

…or you can just let them play.

Be sure to let them take little breaks.

Rule 2—Keep the trips short Kids love to travel, but only for about five minutes or so. In order to avoid the constant “When are we going to get there?” and “I have to go potty NOW!” noises, it is best to plan several very short trips. Some kids like to travel by horse.

Others like to travel on the backs of kitties…

…or down slides.

Some prefer the more traditional types of travel.

And then there are the wacky ones who would rather whiz around in a giant banana. 

Rule 3—Take a Walk  In case the exercise and travel have not quite worn them out, it is always a good idea to talk a walk outside. 

Rule 4—Be Prepared For Anything  You never know what they might find… 

Fortunately for the children, my dog found this snake first, so it is quite dead. Not so fortunate for the snake.

Rule 5—Let them help make their own food. Children will be much more likely to eat their fruits and vegetables if they play a part in making it. In this case, they made palm trees.

Rule 6—Dinner and a Movie Not just for adults. Kids love eating while they watch something good on TV. Here we are eating pizza and palm trees while watching Little House on the Prairie. 

Rule 7—Sugar Them Up This is where most grandparents can use a little guidance. The tendency is to sugar them up too early in the game. The time to sugar them up is just before you take them home.

Now they are ready to get in the car and get back to mom and dad.

The perfect ending to a perfect day. 

Easy Beer Bread--1 Hour from Start to Finish

Are you running late and would like to have warm home-baked bread for dinner? You can make this bread in the time it takes to pre-heat the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes and it's done!

Ingredients:

3 cups self-rising flour*
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz. beer

*If you do not have self-rising flour, you will need to add 1 T. Baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp. salt.

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and place in greased bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The crust will be hard and the inside soft.

The kind of beer you use will change the flavor, so experiment a bit. I have made this with Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade and put 1/2 cup of craisins in it for a sweeter taste. It's really good and so easy to make in a pinch!
 

When Grace Comes Disguised as a Thorn

No doubt we have all read about the Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh. While Paul does not tell us explicitly what the thorn was, there are some things we know about it. We know that it was a gift. He tells us a thorn was given me in the flesh. A messenger of Satan applied the thorn, but the thorn was a gift from Christ. We know this because the thorn was given to him to keep him from being conceited. Satan would have rejoiced to see Paul overcome by conceit.  How it must have galled Satan to be used by God as an instrument in Paul’s sanctification! We do not normally think of demons being used to prevent humans from sinning, but Paul is pretty explicit here “a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”

False apostles in the church at Corinth tried to build up their credentials by falsely reporting spiritual experiences and ecstasies. At the same time, they tried to discredit Paul because Paul had not shared any such experiences. In fact, Paul appeared very weak in person. But Paul did have an experience—a revelation that surpassed anything that the false apostles could even imagine. He had gone to the highest level of heaven and seen things no man had ever seen. We can only imagine the temptation to put these false apostles in their place. They were destroying Paul’s reputation, his ministry, and his message. The church listened to them and refused to commend Paul. From a human standpoint, all Paul had to do was tell about his own revelations and reveal what he was commanded not to reveal and the problem would be solved. He could vindicate himself and put the false apostles in their place by doing this one thing. He could save his ministry. No doubt Satan keeps whispering this in the Apostle’s ear: “You are God’s special boy. Go ahead and tell. It will save your reputation and your ministry. God won’t punish you.”

The thorn stops Paul from considering this temptation. It is a constant reminder that he does not need to brag about his experiences to build up his ministry.  God and God alone builds the ministry. We know Paul's thorn was both painful and humiliating. We also know this: The false apostles were given no such thorn. Their pride and arrogance would be their undoing. God was letting them go their own way. 

We often think of grace as the beautiful, fragrant, feel-good part of the Christian walk--like a rose. But grace can come disguised as a thorn. We may have problems that are painful or humiliating, problems that seem to never end. We may even convince ourselves that it is the devil himself tormenting us. But every pain and every humiliation comes from the hand of a Redeemer who is far more concerned about our holiness than our happiness. In the end, it is all grace—even the thorns.