Crab-Stuffed Tilapia with Orange Sauce

Yummy dinner tonight....here's the recipe!

1 Tilapia filet per person
1/3 c crab cake mix (I purchase mine already done at the fish counter)

Oil the bottom of your baking dish with olive oil. Coat the tilapia with the olive oil then place the crab cake mix on one half of the filet. Fold the other half over the top and secure with toothpick. Salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

While fish is cooking mix in sauce pan 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 T orange zest, pinch of salt, and you may add 2 T citrus juice if you wish. Bring to boil and cook about 1-2 minutes, reducing slightly. Turn heat down to simmer and begin whisking in 1/2 cup butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. If you have the heat too high or fail to whisk the sauce will "break". After the entire 1/2 C butter is added continue whisking until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and serve over the fish. DELICIOUS!!! Even my picky husband, who genearlly prefers catsup on his fish (ick) loved this.

Cheesy Potato Soup with Bacon

My sweet husband's birthday is Jan 5th and he always asks for the same thing..potato soup and a bologna sandwich. This year I decided to try and "jazz up" the potato soup a bit. It turned out to be delicious! I thought I'd share the recipe here with you.
2 cups water
2 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder..to taste
3 T chicken boullion or you can use 1 C chicken stock

Cook together until potatoes are tender

In sauce pan prepare a white sauce:
1/4 C butter
1/2 C flour
2 C milk
mix butter and flour together over medium heat until smooth, add milk and whisk until thickened. Then add 1 C Velveeta Cheese, shredded and stir until cheese is melted.

Slowly add to soup, stirring until it begins to thicken. Add 1 cup of crumbled cooked bacon (or you can use Hormel real bacon bits). Simmer until soup is desired thickness.
I think it was the best potato soup I've made.

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Christmas, for me, is the most wonderful time of the year. It's a time to see family and friends, to share gifts especially selected to each one, for baking cookies, decorating the house, Christmas carols, parties, and so many other things. But those things, no matter how wonderful each one is, is not what makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year.

Without the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ, some 2,043 years ago, there would be nothing to celebrate. That cold winter night, shepherds were in the hills above Bethlehem protecting their sheep from the wolves that roam those hills when an angel appeared in the sky before them, proclaiming the birth of Christ the Lord. Somewhere in the east the wise men saw the star appear in the sky and began following it towards Bethlehem, the trip took them two years. Joseph and Mary, cold and tired from their trip to Bethlehem from Nazareth searched for a place to spend that night and could only find a barn available. Mary's labor began in earnest and soon she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, she and Joseph named him Jesus. He was born to be the Savior of the world.

As you and your family celebrate this Christmas season, in the hustle and bustle, in the flurry of wrapping paper and the excitement of the children as they open their gifts, may you, if even for just a moment, stop and remember. Whisper a prayer of thanks for the greatest gift ever given, God gave his only Son because He loved us so much it was the only way to provide for the forgiveness of sin, the only way to make a path for us to enter Heaven. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That WHOSOEVER believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."

May your Christmas be merry and bright, and may God bless you and your family as you celebrate together. From our house to yours, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

BEAUTIFUL FALL MONDAY AND OTHER THOUGHTS

There's something wonderful about fall. The crisp cool air, the bright blue skies, the scent of leaves as they begin to change colors and fall to the ground. Here in Florida fall comes slower than other places. My cousin in Indiana has already had snow, thankfully we seldom see snow in Florida, although we do have some cold nights and see frost regularly. We had our first frost on Sunday and it officially began the fall season for me.

Today I had to visit the dentist again, visit number four out of the nine I need. He filled two teeth, deep fillings. Why I mentioned this is because I have a problem with dentists, they bring on anxiety attacks. Anyway, I've been doing all these visits on faith, claiming God's promise that he will keep me in perfect peace. So today, I was having a little problem and I changed the station on the walkman they'd given me so I didn't have to hear the drill. The Joy FM popped up and playing was Casting Crowns Voice of Truth. My faith was immediately restored and the tears began flowing as it was a message from God that He is keeping His promise. I know that Dr. Parent didn't understand the tears, but for me that song was a precious gift, a reminder that I am a daughter of the King of Kings, a child of God, a Princess.

I'm off to church for finance committee meeting, gotta love it. Hope you have a wonderful fall evening, enjoy the precious gifts from God.

THE TWELFTH IMAM

I truly enjoy reading Joel C Rosenberg's end times fiction. I am a huge fan of his Political Thriller series (The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, Dead Heat) and when the opportunity to read THE TWELTH IMAM opened I eagerly agreed to read and share my opinions. My mother always told me I was never short of opinions on things, as I've grown older I see she was right!

The ironic part of reading this book is that I live just outside Gainesville Florida. While we're most famous for our Florida Gators champion football and basketball teams, recently we were in the news for quite another reason, a small local cult was threatening to burn the Koran. This set off a firestorm in the media, but for me it brought this book to life much more clearly. Things written made perfect sense to me.

As a Christian I look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ and his Millennial Kingdom. I was never aware that Islam also believes there will be a "messiah" coming, in the form of the last Imam. Joel C Rosenberg never fails to bring new things to light while providing an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride of suspense.

Even if you have not read the Political Thriller series you will enjoy the suspense and intrigue of THE TWELFTH IMAM. This one is another winner for Joel C. Rosenberg.
This book was provided by review by Tyndale House Publishing Company.

CHANGES

While I was cooking dinner the other night my husband and I were watching our 6:30 news of choice: World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer and she was reporting on Delaware's Republican candidate, Christine O'Donnell, and how she is being raked over the coals for things she said in her teen years. I began laughing and told my husband I'd better never run for national office then because in my teen years, as a member of our local high school newspaper staff, I wrote an article supporting the SDS! Ah, we were so young and militant, wanted to change the world! We wanted an end to the horrors of the VietNam War and we wanted to end dress codes in schools. I remember walking to school on that first Earth Day in 1970. My parents thought I was crazy.

As I write about it it brings to mind the song THOSE WERE THE DAYS, "Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end, we'd sing and dance forever and a day. We'd live the life we choose, we'd fight and never lose, those were the days, oh yes, those were the days."
Well, those days did end, and I grew up. Suprisingly enough, my views on the world grew up as well. I might note here that I re-read that article (yes, I still have a copy) a while back and I wondered what I was thinking as I penned it and I could read the wide-eyed innocence in my words. So pie-in-the-sky. I think any politician should receive complete immunity on their own pie-in-the-sky stupidity in high school.

Now, I'm extremely conservative. Politically, I've done a complete 180 over the last since I first voted. Let's face it, we don't see the world as it really is when we're young. It takes time, experience, years of wisdom, and some grace to see the truth of politics. I think that's why the Tea Party and similar grass roots campaigns are picking up so much support of late, and why candidates like Christine O'Donnell, who are advocates of no more "business as usual" in Washington D.C. are doing so well. The American people are tired of the government digging into our pockets so deeply they've ripped off our pockets completely.

I still say if the government had given the bail-out money to the registered voters instead of the banks, car makers, Wall Street, etc., the economy would be completely stable by now. We would have bought new homes, cars, goods, and services. Instead, some CEO has a new $4000 shower curtain in his bathroom and his wife's dog has a matching fur coat. There's simply something wrong with this picture. Well, maybe I haven't changed so much after all.

TEETH

Everyone loves a beautiful smile. Nothing can win the heart faster than a heartfelt smile. Beauty queens win because of their smile. Politicians are charismatic because of their smile. Movie stars spend a fortune on having the most beautiful teeth. We put a lot of importance on having perfect teeth.
Unfortunately, mine aren't so perfect anymore. Aging takes its toll on our teeth, so today I must take the first step and go visit my dentist to have two molars extracted. I'm doing my level best to be brave and to not have a panic attack, to simply breathe deep and know that I am in God's hands and nothing can happen to me that He does not allow. Part of my problem is I have never had novacaine before...nope, not for one single filling, cleaning...sans novacaine! You'd think I'd be thrilled, I won't feel anything, but I fear that needle. Silly, I know.
My plan, close my eyes, open my mouth and sing over and over in my head the words to Voice of Truth from Casting Crowns, Completely from Ana Leigh, and Redeemer from Nicole C Mullen. God promises to keep me in perfect peace if I keep my mind stayed on Him and also promises that His perfect love casts out fear. I'm counting on it!