In Memory of Aunt Elaine

The 2015 Christmas Centre Pieces

It was been a full year since a wonderful lady went to be with her Lord.  Aunt Elaine became a very special Aunt when every year she would ask her great great nieces to help set up the Family Christmas tables.

Emily and Ruth upon hearing of her death wanted to know who would to do the tables at the Christmas dinner and with the approval of Aunt Elaine's family they were chosen to keep up this tradition.

This evening we complete the 2015 table centre pieces and tomorrow we will set the tables in think of Great Great Aunt Elaine.

If you would like to see the first centre pieces click here.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Turkey Cabbage Casserole

Potluck dinners are a great place to try out new recipes and that is exactly what we did when we made what we call Turkey Cabbage Casserole.  

Now we brought over half of this dish home not because of the taste but because I had no idea so many people find digesting cooked cabbage a problem.

Cabbage is such a healthy vegetable packed full of vitamin C, antioxidants, beta-carotene, and so much more.

It you like a bite of heat add more cayenne pepper and it you do not want heat eliminate it all together.  We use basmati rice in all of our rice dishes because we like the nutty flavour and because it holds its shape – does not become mushy.

Turkey Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients:

• 12 oz of ground turkey
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Small green cabbage
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 4 cups cooked rice

Directions:

1. Cook onions, celery and ground turkey until meat is cooked
2. Cut the cabbage into wide strip
3. Add cabbage to the meat pot and stir cook until cabbage starts to wilt
4. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and salt and bring to a boil and then to a simmer for 10 minutes
5. In a 9 x 12 pan spread out the cooked rice
6. Layer the cooked turkey and cabbage 
7. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator and when ready to serve 
8. Place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes
9. Serve

From Our Table to Yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Decorating The Christmas Tree

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Keep Christmas Simple

When you think back to childhood memories of this holiday season what memories bring a smile of joy to you?  

For most of us the memory is of something simple, something that did not cost a great deal of money and that did involve an act of kindness or love.

• My younger sister poor in her first year of college knitting each of us snowmen to go on our Christmas trees.
• Buttered popcorn and hot chocolate while grandpa tells us stories.
• Watching my father and Uncle Clifford lay on their backs under the Christmas tree trying with their tongues to pull chocolate ornaments off the tree because you could not touch them until after Christmas dinner.
• Being given my Grandmother’s current Christmas bread recipe and hearing stories about this wonderful woman who died the year I was born.

Be mindful this season of the childhood memories that have carried you through the years, and create opportunities for your family to have similar memories.

Keep Christmas simple, with time for laughing, sharing stories, being present with each other with no expectations other than to spend the holidays together.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Love May Overflow

“There’s no room at the Inn” words that at Christmas Christians are familiar with and this week’s lectionary scriptures challenge us see this familiar phrase in a different way.

Is there room in your life for all God’s love?

Is there room in your heart in your life for overflowing Love, God’s love for us demonstrated by the birth of his son Jesus as a human?

What twist and turns is your life are taking you away from your spiritual centre, away from God?

What heights of excitement, reaches of ambition have you seeking mountain tops, rather than God?

What depth of depression, doubt and self-loathing keeps you from accepting God’s love?

 Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.  Luke 3: 4-6

Turn your life towards your spiritual centre;

Come down off the mountain tops be what God needs you to be;

Know that you are always worthy of God’s love.

God’s love is always overflowing in our lives if we make room.

This post was inspired by Pastor Juanita Laverty

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Lectionary scriptures Malachi 3:1-4, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3: 1-6, Luke 1: 68-79.