“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Friday, April 30, 2010

Foodie Friday: Perfect Guacamole

I can hardly be considered an expert on guacamole since I have only been eating it for about 4 weeks. Although I will accept the title of Mexican food fanatic. I cannot remember a time in my life where Mexican food was not my favorite thing to eat. Mexican food and Cheesecake is all I need to live on, but we will talk about Cheesecake another day. I can be somewhat close-minded sometimes and have found as I get older I am more adventerous about trying new foods, but had never seen a need to try guacamole, until I was at lunch one day with my precious husband. He had a blob of guacamole on his plate and decided to taste it and found it quite tasty and encouraged me to try. It wasn't bad. Actually it was good and I thought possibly at some future date I might try it again. Only a couple of days later a co-worker showed me some new recipes and low and behold, The Perfect Guacamole was one of the recipes. I decided to try it at home that night and have been hooked since then. In four weeks I have probably made the recipe 6 times and it is a little bit different each time. I wanted to share this recipe with you. I am making it my own each time and you can do the same.

Perfect Guacamole
Ingredients
· 2 ripe avocados
· 1/2 onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
· 1 jalapeno, stems and seeds removed, minced
· 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
· 1 tablespoon of fresh lime
· 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
· A dash of freshly grated black pepper
· 2 cloves garlic, minced

Serve with tortilla chips.

Method
1 Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in bowl and toss with lime juice.
2 Using a fork mash the avocado. (A food processor may be used for a smoother texture.) Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime, garlic, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of the jalapeno and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.
Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.
3 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Serves 2-4

-Melissa

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thanking God for all things!

Philippians 4:6 & 7

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

My NIV study Bible explains that thanksgiving is the antidote for worry. It makes sense because a person can't thank God and worry at the same time. A few weeks ago, I was going through a tough time and was having a hard time going to sleep. My mind was racing and I kept worrying about things. Then, I remembered that thanksgiving is the antidote to worry. I began thanking God for all the things he's provided me. Well, wouldn't you know- it worked. So, this week when I felt myself begin to worry, I was able to begin thanking God. My worry faded and peace increased.

Do you have anxiety? What are you thankful for? Try it today. Begin thanking God for what he has already done in your life.

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Lose it for Life and Foodie Friday

Can you believe it, two posts in one day? Well, I was talking to Melissa today about guest blogging and well she agreed. You see here at FBCJAX Counseling Ministry we talk about food... a lot. So, Melissa wants to share her recipes with ya'll. I was getting tired of Frugal Fridays- so, we decided to make it Foodie Fridays. I think she'll share her guacamole recipe this Friday with you...so, be looking for it, ok? Oh, we took pictures so you would know what we look like. It only took us a dozen pictures to finally pick one. Well, here's us:






Oh, no that's one of the bloopers. How about this one:






Happy Tuesday and talk to you later! (I'm the one in the blue).
-Carissa

New series starting

Hello! I haven't blogged for awhile. Writing has never been a strength for me. Let me draw you a picture or sit one on one and I'm fine. Yet, for some reason I've felt compelled to blog. So, if there is anyone still checking my blog after I went MIA- then let me say I'm back and with new ideas that I'm excited about! First, on Mondays I'm going to start featuring couples who have been married over 30 years and ask them their secrets to staying happy together. Then on Thursdays, it's all about thankfulness- I've been thinking a lot about thankfulness and gratitude. I hope the new series is an encouragement to all of you as much as it will be for me! I've also been thinking about sharing more food ideas too. At First Baptist Church JAX we are doing a small group for Lose It For Life. I'd like to share my experiences with Lose it For Life with all of you. Maybe together we can encourage each other. Well, gotta go for now. Talk to you later.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone