¡BIENVENIDOS A LA NOCHE MEXICANA!

Welcome to MEXICAN NIGHT! We sure did have fun tonight. I was pretty excited because I got the chance to break out my fiesta decorations, and the girls were excited because...well, they got to enjoy my decorations ;)

His name is Patrick. Patrick the Piñata. And his name might have been inspired by Spongebob.

 L to R: Patrick, Michelle lovin' on Patrick, Brandi, Lindsey, Holly, Caroline, Julie & Alison

Our church partnered with The Haiti Collective to send a team to Haiti for a week and minister to a group of orphans. It is clear in scripture that our Lord cares deeply for the orphaned and widowed. He steps into that role of protection and cares for them deeply.
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." (Psalm 68:5) 
"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10:18)

In His word, we as Christians are also commanded to care for the fatherless and widowed. And let me tell you, when he gives this commandment, He ain't playin'!
"Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless." (Exodus 22: 22-23)

And we must also remember that we were once orphans in the sense that before we became born-again believers, we did not have a true Father, God our Savior. Christ also promises us in His word that He will take care of His children.
"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." (John 14:18)

So as you can see, God has deep love and compassion for the orphaned and widowed. And as followers of Christ, we should too. After all, Christ takes care of us as His children, and we are called to be followers of Christ. Tonight, we chose to serve these sweet babies by putting together their snack for one of the days that Team Haiti was conducting vacation bible school. We put together 200 snack bags of homemade Snack Mix (pretzels, Cheez Its, and Chex cereal).

Mixing all the ingredients and getting ready to pack the bags

Look at these worker bees go :)

 Of course I made them smile for the camera! (they hate when I do that...but I'm relentless)

This is the "twinsies" crew

L to R: Alison, Holly, Caroline & Lindsey

And this is the blue crew!

L to R: Michelle showing off the fact that she actually got the bag to close, Julie & Brandi

And here, my friends, is why we serve. Look at that sweet baby. We may not ever know how Team Haiti, and the behind-the-scenes support from Flint Hill Baptist Church, impacted each of these children's lives, but for a few days, they were fed, loved on, paid attention to, prayed over, and they heard about God through songs, sports, coloring sheets, and more. May God bless these children and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what God has in store for FHBC's newly-founded orphan care ministry. To God be the glory!

Aaaaaand now I feel the weight of guilt as I post the remainder of this blog... guilt because there are so many in this world who do even know if they are going to eat this week, and here we are having food parties every week and often times packing up leftovers. Leftovers! Our leftovers are someone else's 5 star dinner. We are currently in a sermon series on how to be rich. How to live a life worth living. One thing that our pastor has been speaking on is giving. Giving not only in the sense of giving your tithes and offerings, but also giving your time and efforts. Serving the Lord and serving Him through serving others. Think about that this week. Look for opportunities to serve the Lord by serving others. That homeless man you drive by? Give him your coat... I promise you he needs it more than you. Or give him some food and water. That family down the street that has been having a rough time? Bring them a meal, drop off an anonymous love offering, or just send them a card letting them know you're thinking of them. Pray that God puts people in your path this week that have a need. And meet that need.

Sorry I digressed a little there...nothing new to this group :)

So now I humbly present the recipes of the week:

SANGRIA

Contributed by: Caroline

1 bottle white grape juice

2 liter sprite

Fruit slices (here, Caroline use sliced green & red apples and oranges)

Mix well and let chill in the fridge. Serve cold.

BACON-WRAPPED JALAPENO POPPERS

Contributed by: Julie

Approx. 12-15 jalapenos

1 block cream cheese

3/4 cup colby jack cheese

Tony Chachere creole seasoning to taste

Bacon (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix cheese together with seasoning. Cut into and clean out peppers of all seeds and ribs. Fill with mixture. Wrap in bacon (optional). Bake at 375F for 30 mins.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA RING

Contributed by: Alison

2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped pitted ripe olives
1 - 4oz cup shredded cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese blend
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp pampered chef pantry southwest seasoning
2 plum tomatoes
1 lime
2/3 cup finely crushed corn tortilla chips, divided
2 - 8oz packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 375F. Chop chicken and olives using food chopper, place in mixing bowl. Add cheese, green chilies, mayonnaise, and seasoning mix. Seed and chop 1 tomato. Slice lime in half. Using juicer, juice 1/2 of lime to measure 1 tsp juice. Reserve remaining lime for garnish. Add chopped tomato and lime juice to chicken mixture. Reserve 2 tbsp crushed chips; add remaining chips to chicken mixture and mix well. Sprinkle reserved crushed chips over cutting board. Unroll crescent dough. Place dough, sticky-side down, onto crushed chips; press down lightly, so chips adhere to dough. Separate dough into triangles. Arrange triangles, chip side down, in a circle on round baking stone (or round pizza baking sheet) with wide ends overlapping in the center and points towards outside. (There should be a 5-inch diameter opening in center.) Scoop chicken mixture evenly onto the wide ends of each triangle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at center of ring. (Filling will not be completely covered.) Bake 20-25 mins or until golden. For garnish, cut remaining tomato into 8 wedges. Cut remaining half of lime into 4 slices; cut in half. Arrange between openings of ring. Cut and serve with salsa and sour cream.


SOUTHWESTERN DIP
Contributed by: Mallory

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained (or if you have time, I actually cooked 2 ears of corn and cut it off the cob)
1 medium purple onion, chopped finely
2 ripe avocados, cubed
Tortilla chips

The following dressing doesn't really have measurements, I just put it all in a bowl and played with it until it was the flavor I was looking for. Then poured it over the bean/corn/avocado/onion mixture.
   Honey
   Red wine vinegar
   Lime juice
   Garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients well and serve chilled with tortilla chips.


MEXICAN TRASH CASSEROLE
Contributed by: Lindsey

1 bag Nacho Doritos, crushed
2 cups shredded chicken
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 packet taco seasoning

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Mix together all ingredients BUT Doritos. Layer half the Doritos (approx. 2 cups) on the bottom, then spread half the chicken mixture, rest of the Doritos, and the rest of the chicken mixture. Add more cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 35 mins on 350F.


QUESADILLAS
Contributed by: Holly

[STAY TUNED. RECIPE TO COME...]


CREAMY POBLANO RICE
Contributed by: Michelle

1 cup Texmati basmati rice, uncooked
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp regular table salt)
2 cups water
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 can sliced poblano peppers (7.5 oz), drained
1/2 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine)
1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
Cayenne pepper to sprinkle on top (optional)

In a medium size heavy-bottom pan, add vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat the oil just until it starts to shimmer. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the rice turns chalky white and some of the grains start to brown very lightly. Carefully add the water, throw in the salt, and stir to keep the grains from sticking. When your rice begins to bubble vigorously, give it one last stir. Place a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low (I set mine b/t 1 and 2 on my stove dial), and set your kitchen timer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes is up, turn off the heat, leave the lid on, and let the rice rest until the pan is cool enough to touch without burning yourself (approx. 30 mins). Preheat oven to 375F. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked rice, sour cream, poblano peppers, garlic salt, and 1 cup of grated pepper jack cheese. Spoon into a lightly sprayed baking dish. Spread evenly and top with remaining pepper jack cheese, and cayenne (optional). Bake at 375F for 20-25 or until cheese is melted and bubbly.


MEXICAN "FRIED" ICE CREAM
Contributed by: Brandi

3 cups crushed Corn Flakes cereal

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 (1.75 quart) container Vanilla ice cream

1 - 8 oz container Cool Whip

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

Chocolate syrup

Caramel sauce

Take ice cream out of freezer and let sit at room temp for 30 minutes or so, to soften. Melt butter in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Add the crushed corn flakes and sugar. Stir to combine. Fry mixture for 5 mins, stirring constantly, until cereal is golden-brown. **Be careful not to burn. It may take less than 5 minutes!** Take a 9x13 dish and spread 1/3 corn flakes mixture into the bottom of the pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, add the softened vanilla ice cream and cool whip. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Using a spatula, stir and mix well to combine. Spread ice cream mixture over the top of the corn flake mixture in the bottom of the pan. Spread the remaining corn flake mixture evenly over the ice cream. Drizzle the honey over the top. Cover pan, and place in freezer. Freeze ice cream for at least 5 hours, or overnight. Cut into squares and serve with drizzles of chocolate syrup and caramel sauce. Enjoy!

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Tonight, I leave you with two things:

1. A picture of my "rockstar" niece who just turned FIVE!! Man, time flies... 

2. The Word of God

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10

Lord, I thank you so much for each and every one of these ladies and their sweet families. I thank you for their heart's desire to serve others, especially the orphaned and widowed. I pray that our efforts in Haiti are glorifying to you. I know that each of these ladies have faced, are currently facing, or will face difficult times. I thank you for your promise that you have a plan to prosper and not harm us, and I pray that through these difficult times, we will see it as an opportunity for You to shape and mold our lives according to that plan. In your name, Amen.

ITALIAN NIGHT!

Italian. One of my favorite types of food. I'm a sucker for any type of pasta and everytime Publix has any type of pasta or sauce (alfredo, marinara...I don't discriminate) I stock up. Because I know that, when in doubt, you can turn anything into a pasta, and it will turn out delicious 95% of the time! Quick, easy, crowd pleaser.

L to R: Laura, Alison, Brandi, and Julie

Aren't they so cute?!?!

Singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Brandi!! 

(I would also just like to point out to the haters that I am actually in this picture...)

Brandi making a wish :)

In other news... we are heading up a CANNED FOOD DRIVE COMPETITION for the church to help stock the food pantry for The Grace Place this Thanksgiving. The competition will run now through November 19th and will be among the Wednesday night life groups, because a lot of our groups overlap. For example, a lot of us 'Tis-So-Sweeters are also in either the Couples Class or the Best of the Bible class on Wednesday night. The winning group (group with the most items by Nov. 19th) will win a homemade dinner in the fellowship hall on Sunday night, November 23rd. Cooked by us, of course...

So, tonight, we got the drop-boxes ready to put in the life group classrooms, which was, well... interesting...

So...after all that, we finally constructed these adorable collection boxes!! Now, we hope that the church will work just as hard to donate as we worked to take our picture with the boxes!! :)

Enough of that, let's get to the good stuff. Check out this delicious food!

I now present to you...the recipes of the week!!

PASTA SALAD
Contributed by: Alison

1 - 16 oz pkg fusilli (spiral) pasta
3 cups cherry (or sweet) tomatoes, halved
1/2 lb provolone cheese, cubed
1/2 lb salami, cubed
1/4 lb sliced pepperoni, cut in half
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 - 10 oz can black olives, drained
1 - 4 oz jar pimentos, drained
1 - 8 oz bottle Italian dressing

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well to coat with dressing. Serve chilled or room temperature.


SPINACH & CHEESE STUFFED MANICOTTI
Contributed by: Brandi

1 - 10 o pkg frozen spinach, thawed completely & squeezed dry
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
15 oz ricotta cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 box (12 to 14 shells) manicotti noodles
3 to 4 cups marinara sauce (1 jar + a little more)
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese, for topping

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix spinach, cheeses, eggs, salt and pepper. Stir together until well blended. Place approx. 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce in a 9x13 inch pan. Spread it around to cover the bottom. Place the mixed filling into a plastic bag. You can use either a frosting piping bag or a gallon zip bag. Snip the corner, gather the top and squeeze the filling into the corner. Hold an uncooked manicotti shell in your hand and squeeze the filling inside the shell. Let it overflow on both sides. Place the filled shell into the sauce-lined pan. Repeat with remaining manicotti and fill the pan with the stuffed shells, until you run out of shells and filling. You should be able to fill 12 to 14 shells - if you run out of room in your pan, use a separate smaller pan to accommodate the extra. Cover the pasta with marinara sauce, using about 2 1/2 cups of sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Romano/Parmesan on top. At this point, you can cover with foil and refrigerate until you're ready to bake, or you can cover with foil and place it in the oven immediately. Bake, covered with foil, 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.


PORCUPINE MEATBALLS
Contributed by: Laura

1 lb ground beef
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup Minute Rice
Onion to taste
1 cup water
1 medium can of tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix together the ground beef, salt/pepper, rice, and onion, and shape into golf size balls. Place in a casserole dish. Mix the water and tomato sauce together and pour over meatballs. Bake 1 hour covered on 375F.


ITALIAN PASTA
Contributed by: Julie

1 medium onion, diced
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 stick butter
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
8 oz parmesan cheese
1 pint whipping cream
1 lb diced ham
1 box penne pasta

Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms in butter. Add ham until warm. Add tomatoes and cream. Let cream heat through and then add cheese. Stir occasionally and reduce heat (cheese will stick to pan if left too long on high heat). Boil 1 box penne pasta. Drain and mix all ingredients together.


ROASTED TOMATOES WITH PESTO
Contributed by: Mallory

2 to 2 1/2 lbs tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup basil pesto (found mine in the aisle with the pasta sauce)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425F. Set aside a baking sheet. Core the tomatoes and slice them across into slices 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and the oregano. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread each tomato with a spoonful of the pesto and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and cook until the Parmesan is melted and starts to brown, 7 to 10 more minutes. Serve warm sprinkled with a touch more salt.

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I leave you tonight with two things:

1. A picture of my Buddy trying to get out of "bath time"

2. The Word of God
"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:19-20

Thank you Lord for providing me with comfort. I'm so thankful that you can set my heart at rest by being in your presence. You know my deepest desires even when I fail to admit or recognize them. Before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you know it completely. How precious are your thoughts God! How vast is the sum of them! Search me, God, and know my heart. Lord, I pray that this week, there would be more of you and less of me in my life. That others would see you in me, and that I would see the world through your eyes. In your name, Amen.

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER - a southern favorite (or at least my husband's...)

Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner? Or anytime, really... If you're from the South, you know that it's perfectly acceptable to break out the bacon, grits, and biscuits & gravy a-n-y-t-i-m-e. Period. So, we celebrated that fact this week at 'Tis So Sweet :)

Let's just start off by acknowledging how stinkin' cute these ladies are... right?!? Go ahead. Admit it. They cute.

L to R: Julie, Lindsey, Super-woman Alison (story below), Brandi, Melissa, Michelle, 

Michelle's Fancy Hand, Shelly, and Laura

Special acknowledgement goes to Super-woman Alison who RAN A HALF MARATHON this morning and yet somehow still had the strength to make it to 'Tis So Sweet. Do y'all even know how long a half marathon is? 13.1 miles, yes, miles. That is like running from McCalla to the Galleria... I'm exhausted just typing it.

Way to go ALISON!! We are so proud of you girl!

L to R: Alison, Lindsey, and Brandi chatting about...well, who knows...

L to R: Michelle, Julie, Shelly, Laura catching up on what's been going on this week

Mmmmmmm

Nom nom nom nom nom 

Okay, enough drooling. I now present...the recipes of the week!!


CHEESE GRITS
Contributed by: Super Woman Alison

4 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350F. Bring milk just to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heath; gradually whisk in butter and grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until grits are done. Remove from heat. Stir in egg and next 3 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 11x7in. baking dish. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake, covered, at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until mixture is set. Serve immediately.


SAUSAGE GRITS CASSEROLE
Contributed by: Julie

1 cup uncooked grits
1 lb ground sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 - 4 1/2 oz cans green chilies, chopped
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
10 dashes Tabasco
1 tsp paprika
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 325F. Brown and drain sausage. Set aside. Cook grits, then temper your eggs and add all ingredients together in a 9x13 in. baking dish. Bake at 325F for 1 hour.



APPLE SAUCE CAKE WITH MAPLE FROSTING
Contributed by: Shelly

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

FROSTING:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter an 8-inch square nonstick pan, stirring until butter has melted and sugar dissolved. Remove from heat; whisk in applesauce. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add applesauce mixture and stir until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (35-40 minutes). Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 mins, then turn out onto rack to cool completely. Mix frosting ingredients well and spread on top.


SAUSAGE LINKS
Contributed by: ???

1 package sausage links cooked according to package.



FRIED BISCUITS (Yes, you read that right...)
Contributed by: Lindsey

Grands biscuits
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup melted butter
Powdered sugar

Mix together honey and melted butter. Fry biscuits on medium low heat (so they cook in the center) until golden brown. Inject with honey butter mixture and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.


BACON PANCAKE DIPPERS
Contributed by: Mallory

1 package bacon (12 slices, cut into halves = total of 24 pieces)
2 cups Bisquick mix
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
Syrup

Cook bacon halves fully. Mix Bisquick mix, milk, and egg until well blended. Heat griddle to medium high and grease. Pour pancake mix onto griddle in multiple oval shapes approx. 6 inches long. While cooking, top with bacon pieces and pour remaining pancake mix on top of each. Once the sides of the pancake mix starts bubbling, flip over to cook other side. Cook other side until golden brown (and consult Melissa to see how to properly make a pancake...). Serve warm with syrup for dipping.


BACON, EGG, AND TOAST CUPS
Contributed by: Brandi

12 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed
12 eggs
12 slices bacon, cooked or uncooked
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter or grease 12-piece muffin tin (or 2 if you have 6-piece tins) and set aside. While oven is preheating, fry bacon slices until partially cooked, but not crispy -- skip this step if using precooked bacon. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Gently press the bread into each tin, creating a well for the egg. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese into the center of each bread cup. Crack an egg into the center of each bread cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook at 400F for 10-15 minutes to your desired level of doneness. Pop toast cups out and serve warm.


SAUSAGE CHEESE BISCUITS
Contributed by: Melissa

1 1/2 cups Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 package hot sausage
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450F. Brown and drain sausage. Stir together bisquick mix and milk until soft dough forms. Add sausage and cheese. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 mins or until golden brown.



CRESCENT SANDWICHES
Contributed by: Laura

1 lb Tennessee Pride sausage
8 oz cream cheese
1 can Crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350F. Brown and drain sausage, and let cool to room temperature. Add cream cheese to sausage. On a greased baking sheet, lay out 4 crescent rolls, flat and side-by-side to make a bottom layer. Place the sausage and cream cheese mixture on the layer of crescent rolls. Top with remaining 4 crescent rolls to make top layer. Bake on 350F until the crescent roll is browned.



SPICY SAUSAGE PINWHEELS
Contributed by: Michelle (aka A Southern Ruckus)

1 can Pillsbury crescent rounds
8 oz hot or spicy breakfast sausage
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup shredded cheese
2 tbsp green onions, diced

Preheat oven to 350F. Cook sausage as directed, drain and set aside. Gently unroll the crescent rounds dough onto a flat surface. Brush eggs across the dough and top with cooked sausage, cheese, and green onions. Roll the dough back up into a long tube shape and press along the seam. Carefully separate each round and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

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Tonight, I leave you with two things:

1. A picture of my sweet Buddy worn out after a weekend at the hunting club...

2. The Word of God

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Lord I thank you for the promises you give to us in your Word. The promise that we will not be separated from your love. And God I pray that you will open our eyes to opportunities to show your love to others. I thank you for loving me so much that you would sacrifice the blood of your Son to cover my sins. I thank you for this group of ladies and the sweet time that we get to share together each week. I pray that you watch over each of them and their families. In your name, Amen.