Cooking for ten-And other random things

These past few days we have been hosting a family of 9 at our house. I had a blast. I also learned a lot. Cooking for 10 definitely takes some extra time, and a little extra effort. But I found it to be very fun.  The first night I made two different types of Frozen lasagna and some baked yellow squash and zucchini. The second night took a little more time, but I found it much yummier (besides, I always like to cook as fresh as I possibly can!) The second night I made lemony steamed chicken with asparagus and sweet potatoes. The latter two were easy as I just tossed them with some olive oil and salt and then baked at 400 (with the chicken for about 20 mins.) The origin of my thinking came from this: recipie. I wanted to make fish for dinner, but when neither of the two stores I went to had good looking fish, I decided to go with chicken breast. I basically used the a couple of different ideas and threw them together. Here is what I did. It was simple, easy, and oh so yummy!

Take the chicken breast and cut two slits in it so that you can stuff some spices in.
I used these spices:
Chopped onion (fresh)
garlic (I didn't have any fresh)
Parsley
a sprinkle of paprika
generous amounts of lemon pepper
salt
some olive oil
and a squirt of lemon juice.

I placed it on a foil square, and rubbed all the spices in, then I folded the square up around the chicken to make a sort of packet, and then I stuck it in the oven at 375. (About 35 minutes for the boneless, and 50 for the bone in.)

A few other things I learned while cooking..
if you are wearing a shirt with ruffles on it, when you eat crumbly foods (like popcorn, rice and cupcakes) make sure you dust out the ruffles. ;)
Cumin is wonderful for coloring things, even when you don't want them colored. Like your white shirt, or your white stove, or even your beige floors. And Cumin takes a LONG time to scrub out. So beware next time you put your Cumin towards the front of your spice cabinet.

The spices

 The table before

 And after

And just a picture I liked :)

~Rebekah

Blessing others with letters.

It's a funny thing how God works sometimes. Just the other day I felt God convicting me that I should write letters more (real-hand written with a stamp and envelope-letters). I had started writing one every night before bed (and got off track a little this weekend while I was away nanning). I had decided I would blog about it, and just hadn't gotten a chance yet. Next thing you know, one of my absolute favorite blogs has a post on writing letters. Apparently Hallmark is doing a Get Carded challenge, encouraging people to write letters to people- just because. I literally laughed out loud when I read the challenge! God really does have perfect timing.

I challenge you to take the challenge on with me. Hallmark's specific challenge is to write seven cards, and then send them out, one each day of the week. My challenge for myself, (and for you, if you want!) is to start writing more letters to people-just because. Wouldn't you love to receive a letter in the mail tomorrow, even if all that it said was "I love you"? I think most people have lost the art of writing letters, and I find it such a shame. Take the challenge with me. Pass it on. Though you may not be able to write a letter every night like I hope to do, maybe you can make a goal to write a letter once a week, or even once a month. Whatever you choose to challenge yourself with, remember that each note you send could make the difference in someones day, or maybe even their life. So go ahead, grab some stationary, write a note, (tack an encouraging bible verse to the end!) send it off, and join me in my challenge!

(Tutorial on how to make easy, fun, beautiful stationary below!)

Crayon Cards:

These have become some of my favorite cards to use. They are so unique, and cute! They are also easy as pie to make (ok, let's all admit it, pie is not that easy to make.) 

Cut out a few cards from card stock (You can make them any size you want-just be warned, the smaller the better. The one I made below is very hard to find an envelope for!)

Find old crayons, or head to your local dollar store (or any store that has cheap crayons!) and pick up a few boxes. (At my local dollar store, I can find a box of 37 crayons for $1.) Sparkly crayons make the absolute best cards, but they can be hard to find and more expensive. You only need about half a sparkly crayon per batch to make beautiful cards. I suggest going to somewhere like Michael's and picking up a pack of sparkly crayons. Then each time you make the cards put just half a crayon in. 

Take the wrapping off of the crayons you are going to use.

Line a small baking sheet with foil (preferably around a 10"x8" baking sheet  unless you are making a ton of cards.) and fill it with crayons (not too full!) For an 8x10 I would do around 15 crayons, give or take some. (I normally let the kids have fun arranging the crayons, as they won't get to do the dipping.

Put it in the oven on around 425 degrees, and wait till the crayons have melted. (Be careful not to burn them!) 

Pull the pan out of the oven, and very carefully dip the front of the card in the crayons, then set standing up to dry. See- so easy! Even if it drips a little on other parts of the card, it's ok! It add character.

Enjoy!

I am linking up to Growing Home.

~Rebekah