Ravioli for Christmas

There is nothing worse than being Italian and lactose-intolerant. I haven't had a ravioli in about 3 years, since I discovered it is dairy that gives me migraines.

Awhile ago I decided that one of my 101 things to do in the next 1001 days would be to make dairy-free ravioli. On December 6th, I took the day off to do just that. My mom came over with her pasta machine and she made the dough and I concocted the fillings and when I say concocted, I mean it!

The night before I went to the store and stocked up on these ingredients: chicken, ground veal, artichokes, white kidney beans, spinach, garlic and shallots.When it came time to start concocting I pulled out these additional ingredients: white wine, sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, carrots, celery, salt and pepper and a couple eggs.

I had looked online for some ideas of what to put together and what kinds of ratios. If you have the patience to make pasta or stuff some shells you can create just about any kind of filling and stun your eaters with its deliciousness and not use a drop of dairy.

In the end, I made up the recipes as I went along and these are the combinations I came up with:
1. Chicken, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, white wine, salt & pepper, shallots, & garlic
2. Chicken, carrots, celery, spinach, white beans, shallots, garlic, wine, salt & pepper
3. Ground veal, artichokes, picatta sauce, couple capers, wine, salt & pepper
4. Ground veal, spinach, wine, white beans, salt & pepper
5. Pumpkin, chestnuts, turkey bacon, cloves, nutmeg,
(could use cinnamon I didn't -my roommate is allergic)
After all the batches were cooked and cooled I put them in the food processor.
Then, I filled the pasta. Laid them out on a cookie sheet to freeze then bagged them up. (Make sure they are good and frozen before you bag them or they will stick together!!

Now Janel thinks I should put in amounts. That's not my way. I guess I am like Grandmom Guilia. She didn't put amounts down either...

The thing is to be creative. If you really want amounts email me and I will give you a call!

So I had the Chicken, Artichoke and Sun-dried Tomato for Christmas dinner. I made extras to allow my family a chance to try them. This was an effort to fight against my tendency toward selfishness. Often a serious problem for single-too long people. They were a hit! And it actually felt pretty good to share.

So don't be afraid to experiment a little.

Christmas Thoughts...

The Real Reason
by Sheila Shepard

Babe in a manger
Lying all alone,
Beneath a bright light.
The star of Bethlehem shone.

Was He aware of
The purpose of His birth?
To bring salvation
To all the earth.

Now, the celebration
Of His birth draws near
But it's the voices of merchants
We loudly hear.

Frantically we grasp
For meaning and cheer.
The merchants say,
"You'll find it here".

But, what a deception.
It doesn't satisfy,
Or bring cheer for long.
And we wonder why?

Because, the babe in a manger
Yearns to be known,
And to share His life
With our very own

When known as our source
Of fulfillment, joy, and peace
Our feeling of incompleteness
Will cease.

HE IS THE GIFT!
We need search no more.
This is truly not found
In any department store!

Worship Jesus the King,
And let Holiday tensions cease,
As you enjoy blessed fellowship
With the Prince of Peace!

Blessed Christmas

As the final preparations are made to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Liz and I want to wish you health, happiness and a joyous New Year!

It is our prayer that God meet you in a way that you have never known, keep you perfect peace about everything swirling around in your life and grown you in a faith and knowledge of who HE is.

With much love,
Janel and Liz

Congratulations Liz!

Liz sent me her annual Christmas card last week. In it she included something that had totally slipped my mind!

Last summer or earlier, I helped her with the editing, but I don't remember when... Liz wrote and submitted a week's worth of devotionals to Standard Publishing's Devotions devotional. She's been published again! Yahoo!!

Congratulations Liz!

You'll find her thoughts February 12-17, 2007.

It was a hoot to have conversations about what God was up to giving her, a single woman whose biological clock is screaming at her, the Valentine's Day devotion to write. God is always up to something.

Have a wonderful week!
Janel

Waiting to Exhale

I am holding my breath, so I guess you could say I am waiting to exhale. I have never seen the whole thing, but I think there is a scene in the movie Waiting to Exhale where a wife throws her cheating husband's clothes all over the front lawn. I guess you could say I am waiting for something dramatic to happen too.

My dad is about to do something very difficult. Something a little long overdo and he needs prayer. In the meantime, as we wait for the right time I am holding my breath. Fully knowing the results maybe too dramatic...

My oldest friend is due to have a baby any day now. I have an extra change of clothes in the car now so I will be ready to go to the hospital to be in the delivery room at a moments notice. All I can do is wait till the call. I haven't fully let in the reality of what I am about to see sink in -for fear that maybe too dramatic too!?

I wait for my words to sink into someone's head - into his heart- that I am serious when I say I need nice words. In the meantime, I compose dramatic scenes in my head where I give him a piece of my mind before I lose the last few unbroken pieces of my heart. And I wonder if I were to create a little drama to get the issue out my head and up for discussion would it create the results I hope for.

So in the meantime : Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. (Is. 50: 7)

I have set my face like flint and I honestly don't know if that is the best thing to do or not. But I do know that this lack of drama won't last forever and my flinty face will breakforth in tears or joy or both and I will exhale. But I won't be put to shame because the Sovereign LORD he is helping me -setting the stage for the drama to unfold.

Quote for the Day

I love quotes. I have 13 volumes of quotes on the bookshelf in front of me... Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, Zingers, Wise Words and Quotes, The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and of course, several others. I subscribe to a "daily" quote email, which might come once a week or once a month or even three days in a row. lol I want to share a quote with you today and some thoughts to go with it.

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.
~ Chinese Proverb

There was another man who said the same thing in different words at a different time in history: Come, follow me. (Mark 1:17 , Mark 10:21, Matthew 19:21) It was Jesus two thousand years ago. Because he created man, he already knew what the Chinese would learn this key secret, centuries later. "Involve me and I'll understand."

Jesus made disciples by telling them the secrets of the kingdom, letting them watch him work and the sending them out to do the work he taught them to do. (Luke 10:1) It's the three-fold process of discipleship. The model is beautiful!

Often times in the church we listen to a sermon Sunday morning or half-heartedly participate in a Sunday School class. Then we go about our merry way Monday morning or even Sunday afternoon and don't remember a thing we heard. How much better it would be if we had a Titus 2 mentor or other Christian sister near by to bring us into their home to help us learn and understand by doing with us what Jesus meant when he said, "Come, follow me."

Today, Christians who don't have anyone local to them grow spiritually often head to the internet for mentoring and discipleship. I think the resources the 'net provides are wonderful, but it doesn't, and can't, take the place of real live Christian brothers and sisters getting into each other's lives. I really appreciated what Jennie Chancey wrote in her piece about the mission of her magazine Ladies Against Feminism.

The Internet has its benefits, but it also has many drawbacks. As I've written in the past, it is way too easy to get on someone's website and feel like an instant failure. After all, here is Supermom in all her glory, dispensing wisdom and seemingly having it all together in her tidy online world. But that's exactly the point. We don't live in cyberspace, and not a single one of us is Supermom. Superwoman is a myth, and the sooner we can get that thought ingrained in our minds, the better. If all of my children had been born perfect, and if I was sinless and had no challenges at home, then I would have nothing to write about. I write about our challenges precisely because they are our challenges. I face piles of laundry just like you. I've got children who seem to have short-term memory loss when it comes to flushing the potty or putting their clothes in the hamper. I've had kitchen disasters that leave me staring in consternation into the fridge, thinking, "I sure hope there's something edible in those leftover containers!" full article

There have been many times when I've felt inadequate as I read some blogs or articles by other Christian women. And I'm sure others have felt that way about me when they've read what I've written. I'm like Jennie. I have piles of laundry and potty's that don't always get flushed as well. Know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32) Jesus said that too. If you realize that your "cyber mentor" has her faults, just like you, you can learn from her strengths while embracing your God-given strengths as well.

Something is better than nothing when everything is put into perspective. Although the internet can provide you with certain aspects of discipleship, I can not urge you enough to pray for a local, more mature Christian woman to help you with your areas of weakness. But I encourage you to not just find someone who will tell you, but someone who will live it with you so you can see what, "Come follow me" really feels, walks, lives and looks like.

New Issue Is Published

I am very please to announce the new issue has now been published. I hope you enjoy it!

From the eLetter Archives

I pulled this Lessons Worth Learning eLetter out of the archives. It's originally dated February 6, 2002. I thought our new readers might enjoy it. A lot has changed in my life, but a lot hasn't. I'm still single and still relying on God. Some days I'm ok with it, other days not so ok.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Romans 12:15

The bedroom I grew up in, is filled to capacity. My car is on its last legs. I forced myself to go to another “singles” function -alone- and clammed up under the pressure of all those new people. I came home feeling defeated. Not much to rejoice about there.

On the other hand, my closest cousin got married in October and another cousin gets married in March. My only single, Christian, Co-worker has a steady boyfriend now. A friend from college emailed to say his wife is finally pregnant. One single friend just bought a house. All of these people have much to rejoice about. Where do I fit in?

I am called to rejoice with those that rejoice and mourn with those that mourn. When the bride-to-be was stuck in NYC on September 11, 2001 my heart went out to my cousin. I know he feared for his bride’s safety. I prayed. When my co-worker was just starting her relationship with her now boyfriend, I prayed with her for wisdom. When my friend shared about his wife’s endometriosis, I prayed they would conceive. When my (soon to be moving out of her parent’s home) friend was feeling her singleness, I listened, empathized and prayed that she would get through the loneliness.

Do I dare just mourn with them and not rejoice as well? Just because I don’t have the things they are rejoicing over: a house, a spouse, a baby, a boyfriend.

Part of being a Christian is sharing the joy of others, even when we would rather fall into the trap of jealousy. I would love to be the one causing others to rejoice with my good news and sometimes I do. However, we are in sin, if we are not obedient to the call in Romans: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” It is a hard lesson to learn and put into practice. Rejoicing with those that rejoice, when you would rather be mourning what you don’t have.

If you sow comfort in a time of mourning you will reap comfort in a time of mourning. If you sow rejoicing at a time of joy, you will reap rejoicing at a time of joy.

Keep in mind new spouses, houses, babies and boyfriends are a reason to rejoice, even when it’s someone else that gets them.

Almost Ready

I have the new issue of the CWP ready for press. It's just missing my Hello Letter. I hope to pen it tomorrow afternoon and publish shortly after that. I'm a happy, happy gal.

The theme? Invitations.

Highlights: Annette Irby shares the piece that inspired the theme, The Invitation. Michele Huey has passed along the story of her Miserable Monday. Joan Kosmachuk makes her debut with a great article on things and living with less. I pulled Nancy Hull's article She Ran the Race... And Won from the archives. Six years later the story of her daughter's battle with cancer still moves my heart. I hope it does yours.

I've changed the format just a bit. There are 2 articles in each category with the hope (and prayer!) that we can start publishing monthly again. It's more bite sized for this busy momma.

I'll see ya soon!
Janel