Bathe your hospitality in Prayer

When you are thinking about ways you can be “given to hospitality”. Ask God what He wants you to do. Be Sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Your hospitality needs to be bathed in prayer.

You are the Salt of the Earth

YOU REPRESENT CHRIST TO THE PEOPLE OF THE EARTH Matthew 5:13 ¶ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? Salt brings out the flavor and compliments other foods. Do you bring out the good things in others? Salt is a preservative? A relatively high concentration of salt stops the growth of bacteria and enzymes that would cause the food to deteriorate, ripen and get rotten or rancid. We are to be preserved blameless until the coming of the Lord. Are you helping others be preserved blameless? The church must work together to keep the concentration of salt high enough to preserve our young people. Salt melts ice. A sprinkling of salt blessed by the Holy Spirit can melt hearts of ice. Salt is white. The heart and life of a Christian should be as white as snow. Salt slows down the growth of yeast in bread. Yeast is a sign of sin in the scripture. Yeast grows and grows and grows out of its normal confines and limits unless it is stopped. We slow down the growth of sin in the world. We can't kill or stop yeast. Heat destroys yeast. The power of God and the blood of Christ do that, but we can slow sin down. Have you noticed how your presence sometimes stops bad language and jokes that are not in good taste. Do people refrain from talking about others when you are around. Slow down sin. Call and write your congressmen. Vote. Write letters to companies who support sin. Boycott. Salt is basic. A Christian should have common sense. They should be down to earth. (Most of our salt is mined from the earth) Salt is not acidic. It doesn't eat holes in things. Do you cut people in two and hand them both pieces? Salt has purifying, perpetuating and antiseptic qualities. Salt is healing. The salt water of the ocean has healed many wounds. Are you helping to heal the wounded heart? One interesting aspect of salt that it is tempting to omit is the fact salt kills living things. For example, nothing lives in the Dead sea because of the salt content. I have often killed grass in the cracks of the sidewalks with salt. Does this mean it is possible to over salt? I have seen too much salt, too fast, without love and the prompting of the Holy Spirit kill a young Christian. The Dead Sea is dead because it has no outlet. To stay alive we need to have an outlet, to reach out to others. When you are explaining salvation, and testifying about God's working in your life, it very hard to backup and become stagnant. Salt is "emblematic of fidelity and friendship". To eat of a person’s salt is to share his hospitality. One of the best ways I know to be salt to a lonely world is to share hospitality. I believe more people will be won to the Lord via a loaf of homemade bread, a plate of chocolate chip cookies, a meal, or a Bible study in the warmth of a home, then will find God by walking through the church doors. These things represent love as in 'love your neighbor as yourself' because they show you care enough to share. Every meal offering contained salt and it was to be offered with all offerings presented by Israelites. Salting the earth is part of our offering to God God wants to guide you in your Hospitalty.

Eat-All-You-Want Jello Salad

Serves 16

2-3 oz.  (6 oz.)  sugar free jello

2 ½ c. (20 oz. can) pineapple

24 oz. (3 c) low or no-fat cottage cheese

Dissolve jello in 2 c. boiling water.

Add 1 can pineapple with juice.

Add cottage cheese.  Stir and chill covered.

Crustless Low-Calorie PUMPKIN PIE

Serves 4

2 cups pumpkin (1 lb.)

8 oz. evaporated skim milk

1 T. lite syrup

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 T. liquid artificial sweetener (or other sweetener to equal ½ c. sugar)

Mix on low and pour into pie pan.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 min.

Done when knife inserted comes out clean.

Sheila's Granola

40 oz. oats

14 oz. coconut

1-2 lb. brown sugar

1-2 c. oil

Optional ingredients:  sunflower seeds, honey, nuts

Bake at 250 for 40 minutes until browned.

Recipe for: A Happy Marriage

From the Kitchen of:  Sheila Wolf
 Preparation time:  A lifetime
Serves:  Much happiness


Ingredients:

1.  Don't let things build up.  "Don't let the sun go down on your wrath."

2.  Have a regular date planned each week, especially when you have children.

3.  Have children.

4.  You will never realize how much your parents love you until you have children of your own.

5.  Neither of you should complain about the other to your own mother or father.  the problem can be fixed quickly, but a mother-in-law will remember always. : )

6.  Remember your in-laws loved their child for over 20 years before they met you.  Don't ever hold that against them.

7.  Remember, he looks at things through his own eyes - not yours!

8.  Develop a budget together.  debt can eat a marriage up. It's not worth it.  (Men have a God-given responsibility to provide and when they $$ is not there, they can get really tense!)

9.  DECIDE to stay married just like you decided to stay saved.  Divorce is not an option (even if they leave their dirty socks on the floor.)  If you decide to make your marriage work, guess what?  It will work.

10.  Be careful about the negative things you tell your husband.  You don't want bitterness to eat him up either.

11.  Pray together regularly.

A Little Steamroller Story

Once upon a time there was a steamroller that helped build dependable roads for the traffic of future generations to drive on.  The steam roller was heavy, strong, in good shape and capable of doing the job it was supposed to do:

To pack down the earth and fill dirt to make a foundation so the road wouldn't slip down the hill, or sink as the years go by.

To pack down a compact, sturdy, even under pavement of gravel so the topping could go on smoothly and last even under future heavy loads and the freezing and thawing of time.

To pack down, compact and smooth out the asphalt for a smooth easy ride.

But the steam roller chose top soil for the fill dirt and as he rolled over it, the top soil cried, "No! God meant for me to nourish the flowers,"  but the steam roller never heard him, "Dirt is dirt."  The dirt gave up trying ot do what the creator had meant for him.

He chose diamonds for the under-pavement.  "Wow, this will be good and last forever.  Nothing is stronger than this."  The diamonds wanted to be recognized for the beautiful glittering they produced, or even for their durability, but no, "that is what is expected of them - their job - why recognize something so insignificant as their glittering beauty when they will soon be covered over by the asphalt?'  So he continued on.

And then for the asphalt top.  As he starts his engine the steam roller says, "Hey, there is a marble monument that had stood nearby for many years.  Now that would make strong asphalt."  And before the statue could say, "I would like for you to notice what I am cut out to do,"  the steam roller ran over him, crushed him and forced him into the mold that seemed best to the steam roller.  Anything to reach the goal.  "Anyway, what use are statues?"

He never heard the cries of the soil, the diamonds or the statue.  He only saw the dependable road he had made.  He didn't see the crushed spirit of the top soil, the misplaced use of the diamonds strength or the importance of the statue.

Yes, he had accomplished his purpose.  But in doing so he had unknowingly hindered them from fulfilling their potential.  How much richer the world could have been.

Time Savers for the Kitchen

Make two weeks of menus at a time. 
     - Saves Time (shopping)
     - Saves energy (thinking & planning)
     - Saves money (less waste & you can buy bargains because you planned ahead)

Keep your menus more general, less specific.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Beef	Mexican	Fish	Ground Meat	Chicken	Oriental	Italian
Potatoes	Rice	Potatoes	Potatoes	Potato	Rice	Pasta
Vegetable	Corn	Vegetable	Unusual	Broccoli	Vegetable	GreenBeans
Salad	Lettuce	Slaw	Carrot/pina	Pasta Salad	Soup	Green
Bread	Tortilla	Corn Bread	Rolls	Bread	*	*
Dessert	Fruit	Jello	Ice Cream	Crisp	Nutbread	Fruit

Every morning, lay out your main entree from the freezer, and make the salad or dessert or casserole.  There should probably be only one from scratch item per day. When you wash the breakfast dishes you also will have the 'big mess' cleaned up.  When you empty the dishwasher, set the table for supper.

It is easier to clean out your refrigerator when it is the most empty so clean it the day before you grocery shop.

While you have the mess, use your food processor for the whole week.  Chop the whole pound of walnuts; chop apples for apple cake; make cabbage slaw; shred the whole pound of carrots for the slaw, cooked carrots, carrot cake and a pineapple-carrot salad.  (carrots will turn brown if not cooked slightly); shred cheese for casserole or tacos, crush leftover ships, cereal, and cracker crumbs for casserole topping or chicken coating, cop peppers and slice mushrooms; and chop all 3 pounds of onions and freeze 1/2c. in each small zip-lock bag.  (If you plan it carefully you won't even have to wash the processor between foods!)

On Saturday while you are frying hamburger for pizza, fry ground beef for the Monday Mexican meal and the Wednesday cassserole.  Go ahead and add the chopped onions from teh baggy in the freezer, and basic seasonings.  Freeze in bread sacks, freezer containers, cool whip bowls, or ziplocks that you bought with a doubled 50 cent coupon. : )

When you bake, always double or triple the recipe.  Almost all cookie dough freezes well for your own slice and bake cookies.  Mix up and bake another item while you have th emess.  Mix up the yellow dessert or bread before the chocolate cake so you can use the same bowl, beaters, and measuring equipment without washing in between things (same ingredients - flour, sugar, salt...).

After frying bacon for the 7-layer salad, saute a lot of unions mushrooms and peppers in the fat.  Remove the vegetables and fry the meat you plan to top with a gourmet sauce.  Remove the meat and add 4 Tablespoons of flour to 4 Tablespoons of fat.  Stir until blended and add 2-3 cups of milk.  You have the base for any cream soup you can imagine (add onions for onion soup, mushrooms for mushroom soup, broccoli for broccoli, etc.)  Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese to one cup of sauce for cheese sauce to be used in macaroni and cheese, scalloped potatoes, on top of broccoli or in a casserole.

Save money with Mixes & Substitutions

BAKING mixes & substitutions

Biscuit Mix = 5 lbs of self-rising flour, 4 c. shortening, 1 c. sugar
Jello = Mix 1 pkg. gelatin in cold water and add sugar
Self-rising flour = 1 c. flour + 2 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cake flour = 7/8 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch = 2 Tablespoons flour
1 pkg yeast = 2 tsp. dry yeast

CHOCOLATE
One square of unsweetened chocolate = 3 Tbsp. cocoa + 1 Tbsp. fat.  (Add cocoa with recipe's dry ingredients and fat with recipe's other fat.)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate (melted) = 1/4 c. fat + 6 Tbsp. cocoa + 7 Tbsp. sugar

DAIRY
Ricotta Cheese = Cottage cheese is a less expensive substitution for lasagna recipes
Milk = 1 c. water + 1/3 c. dry milk
Sour milk = 1 c. milk + 1 Tbsp. vinegar (let set for 5 minutes to sour)
Buttermilk = substitute 1 c. milk or 1 c. yogurt
Sweetened condensed milk = (15 oz = 1 7/8 c.)  = substitute 1/2 c. boiling water + 1/4 c. margarine + 1 c. sugar + 1 c. dry milk.  Store in refrigerator to thicken.

MISCELLANEOUS
Barbeque sauce = catsup + brown sugar + vinegar
Italian seasoning = 1/4 tsp. each of oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary & pepper

An easy way to earn $1,000.00 !

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD AN EXTRA $1,000.00 WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED?

Go out to eat once a week for a year?
Put a down payment on a car?
Pay a house off in 15 years instead of 25?
Buy new carpet?
Go on vacation?
Give a large donation?

I came to give you $1,000.00

Probably the average amount spent on food per week by this group is at least $100.00  If I can help you save 20% a week on your food budget, you will save $1,000.00 this year.

A penny saved is more than a penny earned, because you don't have to pay 28-35% tax on it.  You don't have to pay interest on it.  You don't have to "spend more to make more."

Remember:  All you have to do is save $20 per week for 50 weeks and you have an extra $1,000 to spend on whatever you wish!  Take a look at your grocery cart next week, see if you can spend $20.00 less.




 


A FEW VERY SIMPLE WAYS TO SAVE:

 - You can save $20.00 per week on your grocery bill by saving a few cents on every item you buy, or by just putting some of the unnecessary things away.

- Shop with a shopping list (avoid buying things you don't need.)
 
- Don't go shopping when you're hungry  (you will always buy more!)

- Buy quantity when it is on sale (This won't over extend your food budget.  One week, cereal will be on sale, the next week, milk will be    on sale.  One week apples, the next week bananas.  One week hamburger, the next week roast.  Buy a month's worth of whatever is on sale.)

- Buy foods that are in season  (The prices on out-of-season produce are much higher)
              SEE THE "IN SEASON FOR YOUR STATE" GADGET AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG

- Use coupons   (But only if they save money and you needed the item anyway.)

- Go to the store as few times as possible. (Ever go to the store for a gallon and end up spending $20?)

- Keep an equivalent and substitution chart handy...and make some of your own mixes!  Don't run to the store every time you run out of something.  Each time you go you spend more than you planned!