Friday, September 28, 2012

Freezer Space!

Thanks to my family, I now have a hand-me-down small upright freezer in the basement.  Two happy results of this development are:

I no longer almost break a toe every time I open the freezer,

and I can actually buy meat when it's on sale.

Since it's upright and not a chest freezer, the cold air spills out whenever you open it.  That means limiting how often I need to go down there.  It also means to keep it running efficiently I need to keep it fairly full.  I'm considering trying to buy a portion of a whole cow (in neat white packages, of course).  I was wanting beef so badly lately.  I hadn't seen any good enough sales for a while.  But I did find some last weekend. 

I am getting back into the groove of cooking again, I think.  Tonight I made crock pot Mongolian Beef with stir-fry vegetables added towards the end.  This is definitely one of our recent favorites.  It is so easy and has great flavor, though it is spicy.  We eat it with brown rice. 

I did some cooking yesterday for breakfasts.  I made about 2 dozen Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal muffins out of 4 of the approximately 6-8 frozen brown bananas I had accumulated in the freezer. 

I also made my crust-less version of this spinach quiche recipe, using a 2 pound bag of frozen spinach, about 18 eggs, about 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, a little milk, about 1/4 cup Parmesan, garlic, onion, Italian seasonings, seasoned salt and pepper.  Using such a large bag of spinach was actually kind of an accident (I had in my head that it was 1 pound), but I compensated by throwing in more eggs.  But I was pleased to end up with 2 dozen muffin sized quiches and 6 larger ones (made in a giant muffin tin, about half full).  I love this recipe, especially with the additional veggies.  It's so easy, has a ton of flavor, and it really isn't bad for you at all.  I have been very bad about eating breakfast lately, and these really help me start the day with some good protein and vegetables. 

I froze most of the oatmeal muffins and quiche for future breakfasts.  They're staying in the upstairs freezer where they're easily accessible. 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Psalm 130

From the depths of woe I raise to Thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee?
To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy.
Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.
What though I wait the live-long night,
And ’til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth;
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait ’til God appeareth.
Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.

~tune updated by Indelible Grace