Chicken Tacos

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups salsa or picante sauce
10-12 7-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Additional toppings such as shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, and sour cream

Combine salsa and taco seasoning in a saucepan.  Add the chicken.  Let simmer about five minutes.  Meanwhile prepare toppings for tacos.  Just before serving, heat flour tortillas.  Spoon 1/2 cup chicken filling into each tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.  Add additional toppings and enjoy.

30 Minute Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 T. butter
1/2 tsp. dried, chopped rosemary
3 cans condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (fine to use reduced fat soup for all or part)
3 3/4 cups water
2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup shortening
7 oz milk
1/2 tsp. dried, chopped parsley
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

     In a large Dutch oven, saute onion, celery, and garlic in the butter.  When vegetables are soft, add in canned soup, water, carrots, and rosemary.  Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
   While soup mixture is simmering, put self-rising flour into a mixing bowl.  Add shortening and using two knives (or a pastry cutter) cut the shortening into the flour until the shortening pieces are pea-sized.  Add parsley and pepper.  Add the milk and stir just until moistened.  Knead the dough ten times. (Too much kneading will make the dough tough). (You can skip this step and use canned biscuits  that you tear in half but I REALLLY like the homemade ones much better).
     Drop dough into boiling soup mixture with a spoon. (You will have about 20-24 dumplings).  Cover the Dutch oven with a lid (DO NOT REMOVE IT!) and allow the dumplings to cookover low heat for 15 minutes.  DO NOT Stir dumplings during cooking or after the 15 minute cooking period.
    Place about 1/3 cup chicken in a bowl then gently ladle soup and 3-4 dumplings over the top.  Serves 6-10.
  
    

Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken and Mushrooms

5 T. + 1 T. butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 pounds cooked, chopped chicken
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tsp dried chopped parsley
12 oz fettucini, prepared according to package directions

Melt 5 T butter in a heavy saucepan.  Add cream, garlic, and pepper. Just before the cream mixture comes to a boil, add the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.  Allow to simmer and thicken, stirring regularly.   In a small skillet, melt the other T of butter.  Saute the mushrooms until tender.  Place the fettucini on a platter.  Top with chicken and mushrooms. Stir the parsley into the alfredo sauce then pour over the fettucini, chicken and mushrooms.   Serve immediately.

Harvest Pork Chops in the Slow Cooker

6-8 bone in pork chops (1/2 to 3/4 in. thick)
1 onion, sliced
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
12 oz cranberry-orange relish OR 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce mixed with 4 oz orange juice concentrate.
1/4 cup cold water
1T. corn starch

     Heat the oil in a skillet then lightly brown each side of the porkchops.  Place chops in slow cooker and top with onion slices.  Whisk together catsup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder.  Pour over chops and onions.  Put lid on slow cooker and cook on low temperature for 4-5 hours. 
     When chops are done, remove from slow cooker and set aside on a platter.  Combine 1/2 cup of the sauce left in the slow cooker with the cranberry orange relish in a small saucepan.  Heat the cranberry mixture over low heat.  Meanwhile, whisk together cold water and cornstarch.  When cranberry mixture is boiling, stir in cornstarch mixture.  Stir until thickened.  Pour sauce over porkchops and serve.

Coconut - Orange No Bake Cookies

1 12oz box vanilla wafers, crushed (I like to run them through the food processor.)
1 6oz can orange juice concentrate, thawed
16 oz powdered sugar (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups coconut

Combine all ingredients except coconut.  Stir until well blended.  Shape into 1 inch balls.  Pour coconut into shallow dish and roll cookies in it. Store cookies in airtight container. Makes 4-5 dozen.

This recipe came from my aunt, Avalon ("Glory") Young.  Aunt Glory never had children of her own so she loved to dote on the nieces and nephews.  I don't remember lots of details about her but everything I do remember involves me sitting on her lap or at her knee near the recliner in her living room. 

For my daughter on her birthday

When you were born
  You were brought to me
  Sleeping in a soft, warm blanket.
   My heart skipped a beat,
   And I determined to become a better person.
Something Had Changed…

When you were a toddler
 You took your first wobbly, unsure steps
  Making your way across new territory.
  My heart beat quickly
   And I felt nervous as you ventured away from me.
Something Had Changed…

When you were four years old
 You got angry and cross with me
  Saying that Santa would never bring me any presents.
   My heart broke a little
   And I realized that my love extended beyond hurt and tears.
Something Had Changed…

When you were a teenager
  You became more independent
    Driving, dating, and amazing us with your passion for learning.
     My heart almost burst with pride
      And I learned that your success was my greatest triumph.
 Something Had Changed…

When you became an adult
  You held me when I cried over a disappointment
    Telling me that you would always be in my corner.
     My heart was soothed
       And I knew that having you for a friend was a gift.
 Something Had Changed…

Now, looking back, I have become aware of a Great Truth:
 Your existence makes me want to be a better person;
  Your new adventures still make me feel nervous;
   Your anger and tears will never change my love;
    Your accomplishments bring me lasting joy and
     Your presence brings me comfort and peace.
I am so very grateful that….Nothing Has Changed.

Prayer: Communion with the Holy Spirit

     For years, I have struggled to learn to pray in such a way that I felt a spiritual connection rather than just a fulfillment of duty.  From the time that I was a small child, I've been taught that "God is waiting for us to say 'Goodnight'" and that the door to Godly inspiration is there if only we will open it.  Sadly, for me, it seemed that though I tried with all my might, the door would never open and I found myself spouting words that only seemed to bounce back.  I've also been taught that we need to pray for God's will and not our own - hmmm, another great stumbling block.  How could I know the will of the Lord in advance?  Is this prayer thing just a great guessing game in which I will always be a competitor and never receive the prize?
     Finally, a breakthrough has come.  As I recently read a talk given by a great spiritual teacher, I was reminded that the Holy Spirit most often speaks through feelings and impressions and that through prayer, we can come to know the will of the Lord in our lives.  Eureka!!!  Prayer is not intended to be the dutiful mutterings or haphazard guesswork that I had imagined but rather, it is the opportunity to approach Deity in an attitude of finding out what we need to ask for to live our lives in a way that will bring us closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
     Now, when I kneel to pray, I try to think about what I should be grateful for and I listen for those feelings and impressions from the Spirit to enlighten my understanding before I utter my expressions.  Rather than asking for the things that I think I need and want in my life, I have begun to wait for inspiration to know what He would have me ask for so that I might become more like Him.
     What a difference it has made!  The Holy Spirit is truly there, even for me, a lowly, imperfect ,"wannabe" spiritual being.  The door is open for all of us to come unto Christ and finally I have the found the way to open it.  While I don't think that I have found the formula for spiritual communion for every one - (afterall, don't all of us have different needs?) - I can say that my faith has been greatly strengthened as I have come to know that when we seek diligently, we will find Him.  God is real, Jesus Christ lives, and we only need to listen for direction in our lives to know which paths we should travel.