Put a sock in it...

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Verse of the day:  Prov 30:32

If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay the hand upon thy mouth.

We all have been guilty of this one.  The word "if" seems to indicate deliberation and reflection. Perhaps a gracious friend has spoken to us in love?

Example:  a person you know who frequently tells people about his successes in business and how much he gives to the church, who he's helped, etc.  Might this be a heart issue?

Application:  Put a sock in it, confess and repent of the evil.  See Job 21:5, Prov 17:28, Rom 3:19.

Smoothie Recipes:  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be overweight.  Consequently, I've embarked in a weight loss/exercise program. 

My first experiment:  1 banana, 1/2 cup of organic vanilla yogurt, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup mixed berries, a bit of honey, scoop of steel cut oats, scoop of flax seed.  My first try it was a bit thick so I added some water.  You can certainly add milk.  I'll be a bit more careful and write down the specifics.  ;)

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, the NDSU Gardens

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsciences/research/gardens/map

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Poor man versus rich man...

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Verse of the day:  Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, that he that is perverse, double in ways, though he be rich.  Darby.

***Obedience to the Lord, even though poor, is far better than a rich man who cheats to get where he is. Key words:  poor, integrity, perverse, rich.

George Foreman grill:  The gas grill had a valve stick over the winter.  For those who have purchased a new one, you know how much fun they are to assemble. So, I purchased an indoor grill for $30.  I'll let you know how it goes.  :)

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, the photo above was taken at the NDSU Gardens on 28 June 16.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Pledges and guarantors for debts...

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Verse of the day:  I started working on this yesterday but didn't finish.  Therefore, I will include it today. 

Prov 22:26 - Be not of them that strike hands, of them that are sureties for debts.

We all know about vows and co-signing a loan. However, here are a couple of thoughts that might challenge your thinking:  1. What is it called when we are pressured to "pledge" to support the annual church budget?
2.  A congregation needs to raise funding for a building projects.  "Pledges" are solicited from the congregation.  And if you don't pledge, you are treated like a pariah - even though you may not be able to afford it.  
*****Are these two things scriptural?  

Baked ziti for Miss Evie:  

1 24oz jar of your favorite sauce.  I used Newman's Own-Sockarooni...I think
1 lb ziti
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 8oz pkg of shredded Italian cheese.
1 lb ground Hot Italian sausage.

Cook the ziti while you're browning the sausage.
A 13 x 9 pyrex.  Put a layer of sauce on the bottom. Then start spreading the pasta over the top in a layer. I used a big spoon as it was hot.  If I had a large bowl, it would have been easier to mix the pasta, cheese, sauce, etc.  Sorry, no bowl.  
Then I dotted half the ricotta cheese with a teaspoon.
Add sausage evenly for the next layer.
Then add the remainder of the pasta over the top of the meat.
Add remainder of ricotta cheese on top.
Add remainder of sauce evenly over top.
Add 8 ounces of Italian shredded cheese over the top
Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 25 min.

Bachelor thoughts after sampling:  it could use more hot italian sausage.  And it could use a bit more sauce. It would also be good with onions, green peppers and mushrooms.  I omitted those.  The 13 x 9 pan was full.  If I did add the additional ingredients, I'd reduce the pasta a bit. Try it and let me know what you think.

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, the photo above was taken at the NDSU Gardens on 22 June 16.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Self-inflicted misery...

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Verse of the day:  Prov 16:22 - Wisdom is a fountain of life for him that hath it; but the instruction of fools is folly. (Darby)

Understanding/wisdom seems to be a rare quality. Fools are everywhere.  Why?  God's Word doesn't seem that hard to understand.  Perhaps it's a lack of effort and obedience?  Seems to me, the fool's problem is self-inflicted.  Yet they seldom blame themselves.  See Prov 1:1-7

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, these were shot at the NDSU Gardens on 7 June 16.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Mike's Impromptu Breakfast Burrito...

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This simple recipe started out with a bit of an oops.   A bag of sliced peppers, green, red and yellow, plus white onions somehow got into my cart.  Perhaps a communist put it in there?  Brought them home, heated them in the microwave and the "duh" moment finally occurred.  There were no other vegetables in there.  Consequently, I've been building meals trying to use them up.  To this I added some jalapeno peppers and diced tomatoes.

***Adjust as required depending on number serving
splash of olive oil
non-stick pan - I use ceramic.
3 large eggs - 
Peppers, onion, tomato mix - by eye.  1/2 cup?
Fiesta Lime spice or Extra Spicy to taste.
Pepper and salt to taste.
A sprinkle of feta cheese or whatever you prefer
Serve as a breakfast burrito
Hot sauce as required.  Enjoy :)

Verse of the day:  Prov 12:21 - There shall no evil happen to a righteous (man); but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. (Darby)

Be sure to look up these words:  evil-H205, righteous-H6662, wicked-H7563, filled-H4390, mischief-H7451.  H stands for Hebrew.  You'll need e-sword or dictionary, concordance, Greek/Hebrew Lexicon.

---If you read the verse in isolation, might it be understand that if we behave, we'll have no problems?   Yet, that view isn't the truth of scripture.  Remember Job?  He's described as a righteous man.  See Romans 8:28.  And Jesus committed no sin.I believe what's meant here is the evil of/for the punishment of sin - penal evil.

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, these were shot at the NDSU Gardens on 7 June 16.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Tacos from the pantry...

My daughter mentioned tacos and I wanted some. Definitely hunger mode - complete with food noises and salivating like Pavlov's Dog.

2 12.5 oz chicken breast.  Drain one, not both.
1 16 oz can refried beans
1 sleeve taco seasoning - your choice. (1.25 ounce)
Toppings -your choice.

Open everything.  Drain one can.  Put everything into a skillet.  Mix well.  If too thick, add a little water. Serve with your choice of taco shell, tortilla chips, or burrito.  I added nothing but some hot sauce.  Miss Evie would not like these.  She was also annoyed with Grandpa's camera flash - notice the squinty eyes? She certainly had us laughing.

Verse of the day:  Prov 9:17  needs context so please start at verse 13.  There are two divisions in this chapter.  Verses 1-12 and 13-18.

Darby - Stolen waters are sweet, and the bread of secrecy is pleasant.

Stolen waters = illicit intercourse/sexual sin = poison and disaster.  Notice the words used in verse 16: naive=simple, foolish, silly.  Lacks/voice of understanding/judgment - the kind of person that falls for this ploy.  

Do not fall for the lie that sin is better than obedience to God's Word.

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Tater Tot Casserole/Hot Dish: modified

First of all, here is the link I used as a starting point: Why the link?  I'm not a cook and wish to give credit where credit is due.

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/hotdish-tater-tot-casserole.html

Here is what I actually did:

Olive oil - just a splash - 1/4 cup seemed too much
Onion powder - 1 tablespoon vice the medium onion
85/15 organic beef 1 lb - drained of fat.
No salt/no pepper
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
Worcestershire - 1 tsp
4 cloves minced garlic
Green beans, organic - 1 lb thawed
Organic mixed vegetable - 1 lb thawed
condensed cream of mushroom soup - 2 cans
2 pounds tater tots

During the last 15 minutes of cooking I added 4 ounces of organic feta cheese sprinkled over the top. If you don't care for feta, substitute cheese of choice.

I baked it in a 13 x 9 pyrex dish.  Took it out and sampled.  Found it to be a bit dry.  My solution was to heat a can of cream of chicken soup with 1/2 can water and then pour over the top.  It seemed to help.

It's tasty enough but I can't help but think it's missing something.  Hot sauce maybe?

Enjoy!

Verse of the day:  Proverbs 4:20-22:  Solomon is admonishing his son.  And you should certainly, as application, hear God's voice in this...

Proverbs 4:20-22Darby Translation (DARBY)

20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.

22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Darby Translation (DARBY)

Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)

Exercise schedule:  Saturday is walk day.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Cottage Cheese mashed potatoes:

Recipe link below. The quickest way is to use instant. However, I've never made them that way. Natural Grocers has organic potatoes.  You'll need 4-6 large russets.  It's a simple recipe that gets frequently and heavily modified.  My daughter doesn't like the texture of onions but onion powder is ok.  This recipe calls for baking.  I've never done that.  I peel the potatoes, boil and mash.  Add the ingredients and reheat on stove.

Onion powder:  1 tsp
Garlic powder:  1 tsp 
Organic cottage cheese: 1 cup
Organic milk:  1/3 cup to start
Organic butter:  1 stick
Organic Feta Cheese:  3 or 4 ounces
*McCormick has a Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper spice which I frequently use.  If you use this, eliminate the garlic powder and sprinkle on to taste.
Black Pepper - to taste.

This goes really well with hamburger stroganoff and vegetables.  Garlic bread will also make you smile.
It can be frozen.  However, it never seems to last that long.  :)  Enjoy - Miss Evie loves these!

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/yx8929io/cottage-cheese-mashed-potatoes.html



Verse of the day:  Proverbs 2:11 - Discretion shall keep thee, understanding shall preserve thee.

We go to great lengths to feel our loved ones are safe and protected. House and car are locked.  Insurance for all kinds of things is purchased.  Life insurance, vitamins, dieting and weight watching, physicals by an MD, exercise programs to stay in shape, listening to weather reports, etc.  It's an endless list of thing we seem to worry about.  

Yet what about your soul?  Proverbs, there are 31, provide practical guidance and wisdom.  Are you applying His wisdom to your life?  A life of sin will not bring a good result.

Exercise schedule:  Thurs - strength day.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike