Easter Story Cookies March 22, 2008

Oh, and here’s our Easter Story Cookie RecipeDLTK’s Bible Activities for Kids
Easter Story Cookies

My neighbor gave me this recipe, but I found it by searcing, too.

EASTER STORY COOKIES 

To be made the evening before Easter

	1cup whole pecans
	1tsp vinegar
	3 egg whites
	pinch salt
	1 cup sugar
	zipper baggie
	wooden spoon
	tape
	Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important, don’t wait till you’re half done with the recipe!)Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.  Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was Beaten by the Roman soldiers.  Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar.  Put 1tsp vinegar into mixing bowl.  Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.  Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar.  Eggs represent life.  Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.  Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand.  Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.  Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.  Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.  Add 1 cup sugar.

Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.  He wants us to know and belong to Him.  Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.  Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.  Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.  Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.  Read Matthew 27:57-60.

 Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.  Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.  Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.  Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED!  Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.  Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.  Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.  Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.  The cookies are hollow!  On the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.  Read Matthew 28:1-9.
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Back To the Rice Milk Recipe March 2, 2008

I just updated my Rice Milk Recipe.    I realized that I completely forgot that you add a little oil to emulsify and thicken it.  While I was down there I added a bit more detail on how to blend it. Thought that it may encourage some more people to try it for themselves.  Try it and comment!

Rice Milk February 21, 2008

It is so easy to make Rice Milk, yet it’s ridiculously expensive to buy.  Because we avoid  dairy in our house and soy has some side effects that aren’t the safest, I’ve been making my own rice milk.  Here’s how I do it.

RICE MILK- one quart

• 1 c. cooked brown rice (still hot is best)
• 4 c. warm water
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 t canolla or coconut oil
• 1 t. vanilla
• sweetener ( I use agave nectar or honey)

I start with the  rice and just enough water to cover it in the blender.  It needs to blend for quite awhile to get it as pureed as possible, and as it thickens I will add water a few splashes as a time.  Let it stand for 5 minutes so that the silt and left over pieces can settle at the bottom before straining.  I’m sure it’s done better through cheesecloth, but I use a small strainer because that’s what I have.  I strain it into my pitcher, then reprocess the left over ’silt’ a bit with a little more watter.  Add as much water as you would like to get the consistency you like.  One cup of rice makes one quart the way I like it

Chocolate Rice Milk add 1 tbs. powdered cocoa and make sure you use sweetener.  I add it half way through the blender time.  Yummm….makes a special treat once in awhile.

 Banana Rice Milk  add 1/2 a banana and no sweetener.

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I keep it in a jug identical to this, but from Walmart for $4.98.  I couldn’t find it on their website, but this one from Target costs three times as much. Take a look and go get it from Walmart.

http://www.target.com/Chiller-Glass-Lid-64-oz/dp/B000HDKI52/ref=sc_ri_1/601-7422909-5238543

I buy organic short grain rice in a 25 pound bag for $19.99.  It lasts us about 6 months.  At only $.80 a pound, I can make rice milk for about $.20  per 1/2 gallon.  So,  if Rice milk costs about $8 per gallon, I make about $7.50 in the 20 minutes worth of work it takes (not including the stand time).  I usually just make it from left over rice after a meal so I’m not making more dishes, wasting energy and all that jazz… 

Go try it and come back to tell me what you think!

EDITED TO ADD: Below there is a comment from the owner of this blog.  I haven’t checked it out yet but thought it looks interesting.  While I’m not a gung-ho anti-dairyist..ahem… There is some truth to milk not being the healthiest for human consumption.  Check it out for yourself.

http://themilkblog.blogspot.com

Crunchy Granola February 11, 2008

So, I guess you can call this my recipe.  I tried a few and then mixed them all together to get to something that we love.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large bowl toss together:

1 c. coconut

1 c. chopped almonds or Brazil nuts

2 c. whole wheat flout (we use spelt)

1 c.wheat germ (or more spelt if you’re us)

6 c. rolled (not instant) oats

1 c.  raisins

Now in a smaller bowl stir together:

1/2 c. water

2 t. vanilla

1 c. honey (or agave nectar)

1 c. oil

Pour the liquid over the dry and mix until it’s all even.  Spread it out on 2 cookie sheets and bake at 325 degreed for  1hour 15 minutes.  Be sure to ’shuffle’ it around on the cookie sheets with a  spoon a few times so that it gets crispy uniformely.   It should smell like heaven and have a beautiful golden color when it’s done.  when you pull it out be sure to shuffle it ’round one more time. Let it cool completely before putting it in airtight containers. 

One batch usually fills two of my 1/2 gallon jars and will feed all 5 of us for about 8-9 mornings mixed with yogurt or keifer.  Recipes for those two later…

Talitha’s Top Secret Salsa February 2, 2008

  We absolutely LOVE salsa in this house but I hate  how much buying good salsa costs! I came up with this  recipe a few years ago out of laziness and being cheap. It took a few tries but people beg for it. At one point  there was a rumor going around amongst the moms at my church that I wouldn't share it and that you  had to come to my house to get it. I guess I need tow ork on how sarcastic I can be. 

I didn't expect anyone to BELIEVE me when I said that if I told them I'd have to kill them....   So here's my cheap easy salsa...  

  **************** 
Talitha’s Top Secret Salsa  

So this is really, really hard.  You may want to give up now….  
I won’t blame you if you give up now and just come to my house for it, really…   
Drum roll please……  
 
1/2 a small onion (or 1/4thof a large)
2 cloves fresh garlic (or the equivalent of jar garlic)  
1 handful of fresh cilantro
1 can of Rotel Tomatoes with Chillis
2 or 3 T. Lime Juice (depending on how you like it)
1/2 t. chili powder 3/4 t. cumin
dash of salt a few pinches of flour, any variety
1 T. water  
 
Throw the onion, garlic and cilantro in your food processor or blender and pulse a few times until chopped. 
Open and add the Rotel, lime juice, chili powder, cumin and salt. pulse a few more times until blended.  
Pour in bowl.  Now here’s the hard part. Take the last 2 ingredients. Now  sprinkle the flour on your shirt 
and wet your face with the water to look like sweat.  Now serve your salsa with chips, and don’t forget to let
 everyone know how you slaved over their homemade salsa!!!! That’s what I do, apparently  

  VARIATIONS 

Pico De Gallo

Add chopped onions, green peppers,  a can of corn and a can of black beans for  some killer

compliments on your culinary skills. 

No Rotel

Sometimes I can’t get Rotel on sale so I will use a can of stewed tomatoes and some fresh

jalepeno or whatever hot pepper is cheap