Onion Straws

• 1 whole Large Onion
• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• 1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil
• Black Pepper To Taste

Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil to 375 degrees.
Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and fry in  hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.


These are so good!!!!

Living up to our Potential

                                            

As a follower of  Jesus I want to try and live up to my potential for Jesus.  But how can I do that?   If we lose sight of what God wants us to become then we can become discouraged or depressed.  Sometimes we may feel inadequate or unprepared for what God would have us do.  How many times have I thought that I just can't do what He wants me to do.  When I feel like that I need to turn to Him and to His word and draw closer to Him.
Sometimes we may become complacent or just settle for the life that we are living and not striving to do more and more for God.  We need to try and see ourselves the way that God sees us and if you are like me, that is very hard to do.  When I think about that if  I was the only person that sinned that God would have still died on the cross for my sins I become overwhelmed.  I feel like I am such an insignificant person but God sees me as someone worthy of His love.  To me that is just amazing.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:24 we read: "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."  If God is calling us to do something He will give us the ability to do what He is calling us to do.

An encouraging Bible verse for me is:

Isaiah 40:28-31

New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ Do you not know?    Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God,     the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,  and his understanding no one can fathom.  ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary  and increases the power of the weak.  ³⁰   Even youths grow tired and weary,  and young men stumble and fall;  ³¹ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

These verses tell me that God is always with me and will never leave me.  What a great feeling this is to know that He is always with me.  He is my strength and without Him I can not do anything.  I only have to remember to turn everything over to Him and He will give me strength to accomplish what He wants me to accomplish. 

Another verse I really like is:

Matthew 11:28-30

New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
A lot of times we may get into a habit and just keep doing the same thing over and over and not realize that we are not living up to our potential.  I'm sure many of you have heard the story where a little baby eagle fell out of her nest and a farmer found the baby eagle and put her in with their chickens.  As the baby eagle grew she believed that she was a chicken and would go around in the yard pecking with the other chickens.  She never tried to fly even though God had made her with majestic wings in which to fly.  One day a neighbor came by and saw the eagle out pecking in the yard with the chickens.  The neighbor told the eagle that she was an eagle and not a chicken but the eagle continued pecking away on the ground to find more bugs.   Later the neighbor came by and picked up the eagle and carried her to a tall mountain where he proceeded to throw the eagle over the mountain.  As the eagle was falling down to the ground all of a sudden she started flapping her wings and she flew away safely.  How many times are we like the eagle?  We are so comfortable with our life as we know it that we are not doing what God would have us do, we are not living up to our potential.

"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 (NIV)

Doughnuts

DOUGHNUTS



3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp dry active yeast
8 oz all purpose flour (a little under 2 cups - I recommend you measure and weigh. See my note above)
1 1/2 oz sugar (about 3 tablespoons)
1 egg
1 oz butter, cold to room temperature (just don't melt it, okay?)
dash of salt


Enough oil to cover the bottom few inches of a wok, or a deep fryer.


Directions:
In a large measuring jug, combine the milk and boiling water. Add a teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast. Stir it gently, then leave it in a warm place for the yeast to activate (aka foam).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the rest of the sugar, and the salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry blender, until it resembles crumbs.

Add the egg (give it a quick beat) and yeast mixture to the flour mix, and mix into a smooth dough. This usually takes about 5 minutes of mixing.


Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured counter and knead for about 5 to 10 minutes—it should feel springy and little bubbles should form under the surface. Place it back in the bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour until double in size.

Once risen, place the dough onto the counter and cut it into 4 pieces. One piece at a time, stretch it into a long rope about an inch to an inch and a half wide. Cut strips about an inch long, ball em up with your hands, and place them on a baking tray or wire rack to wait.

Cover the doughnuts holes with a cloth to rise while you heat the oil to 375F.

Place the doughnuts into the oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes. Be sure to fry only a few at a time so they don’t overcrowd and stick together.

Drain on a paper towel or wire rack over a cloth, before glazing them. Be sure to glaze them warm, or else they won’t get that delicious coverage!

Corn Nuggets

Corn Nuggets

Ingredients:

1 (11 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together the creamed corn and drained whole kernel corn. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Drop spoonfuls of the corn mixture onto the sheet, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Heat one inch of oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large deep skillet, or fill a deep-fryer with oil as directed by the manufacturer.

Mix together the cornmeal, flour, egg white, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Dip frozen corn nuggets in the batter, and quickly fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain.

Cheese Crackers

Cheese Crackers

• 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoon(s) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I used salted butter, but didn’t add any salt afterward)
• 8 ounce(s) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (around 2 cups). Note: you can experiment with other cheeses. Some people have tried this and loved the results!
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder (note: this is optional since it isn’t part of the original recipe, but I decided to add anyway since I used it)
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground pepper

Directions

1. Pulse the flour,onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper together using a food processor.
2. Add the butter and cheese, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Pulse in 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and only enough so that the dough forms a ball and rides the blade. Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes (I put it in the freezer for 20 minutes and in the fridge for 10) or up to 24 hours.
4. Bake the crackers: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Roll the dough out to 1/8th-inch thickness, using flour if necessary to prevent stickiness. Cut out as many crackers as possible.
5. To add character to the fish: break off an end from a side of a toothpick so it is blunt. Use that point to make the goldfish eyes. To make the smile, lay the toothpick down on its side, press, and drag. If you try to use the toothpick point, it will ruin the smile.
6. Optional: Refrigerate for another 15 minutes or so to make sure they won’t spread.
7. Place them on the prepared baking pans. Bake until golden and crisp (13-18 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Knitting

Winter

Today has been the coldest day so far this year.  It has stayed in the 20's all day!  The picture above was taken this morning.  It looks so cool the way the water has frozen.