Monday, October 11, 2010

Magnificent Monday














Oh the magnificence of our heavenly Father, how he cares for his children, and how he draws them near to himself to give them reassurance in his love.

Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
- Joshua 1:9

What a wonderful day it is, I am up, and I have had no pain medicine since yesterday when I went to church.


I did take one then, just in case I needed some extra help while there. It was great, and I surely got my cup filled, my husband rewarded me for my first day back to church with a Dairy Queen Chile Dog, it was so good, then we went over to McDonald's and got a hot fudge Sunday, and split it, I really still cannot eat much, makes my stomach uneasy, I have lost 13 pounds since I had the surgery, and I was worried that I gained some in that steel ball joint they put in my knee, heehee, doing good, only have about 25 pounds to go to be where I need to be. So all in all I am great, doing good, getting better daily, and praising God for his blessings on me. 

Be content with what you have, for God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid."
- Hebrews 13:5,6

have you missed my Recipes? Here is a good quick one for you to use while I still cannot cook.

Tried and Tested Pumpkin Recipes











Cooking Pumpkin


Boiling/Steaming Method: Cut the pumpkin into rather large chunks. Rinse in cold water. Place pieces in a large pot with about a cup of water. The water does not need to cover the pumpkin pieces. Cover the pot and boil for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender, or steam for 10 to 12 minutes. Check for doneness by poking with a fork. Drain the cooked pumpkin in a colander. Reserve the liquid to use as a base for soup. Follow the steps outlined below in Preparing the Puree.


Oven Method: Cut pumpkin in half, scraping away stringy mass and seeds. Rinse under cold water. Place pumpkin, cut side down on a large cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for one hour or until fork tender. Then follow the procedure outlined below in Preparing the Puree.


Microwave Method: Cut pumpkin in half, place cut side down on a microwave safe plate or tray. Microwave on high for 15 minutes, check for doneness. If necessary continue cooking at 1-2 minute intervals until fork tender. Continue as outlined below in Preparing the Puree.  Source: USDA

Beef and Pork Baked in a Pumpkin



1 whole fresh pumpkin, med. size
1 lg. lean finely ground pork
1 lb. lean finely ground beef
1 lg. finely chopped onion
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground sage
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 1-1/2 c. fresh mashed potatoes


Cut a hat (or lid) in the top of pumpkin and clean all seeds out of the interior. Rinse out the interior and dry with a paper towel. Set pumpkin aside. Saute beef and pork slowly until cooked. Remove from the pan and drain the fat from the meat. Saut?the onion in butter until golden. Add the meat and spices together and heat. Add enough mashed potatoes to meat mixture to hold it together, and place mixture in the pumpkin cavity. Place filled pumpkin in a pie pan with 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of the pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the pumpkin sinks or contracts somewhat. A toothpick should come out clean when done. My mouth is just watering for this, hope you enjoy it, perhaps my dh can prepare it, we will see, I sure would love it.
Photobucket

15 comments:

Farmgirl Cyn said...

Hey Barbara! Glad to hear you are getting around a bit!
I also lost my appetite after my knee surgery and lost about 15#. Nothing sounded good, and I ate very little. My appetite came back after about 1 month and going strong ever since!
It felt so good to get back in my kitchen, tho. We had a lot of meals delivered by caring friends, but I love to cook for my family and couldn't hardly wait to start. I did fine with the cooking, but the clean-up was too much, and for the longest time my husband took over that part of the kitchen! Still does sometimes, just to help out!

Aliene said...

Hi Barbara, I do not see a picture or graphic but glad you are feeling better and was able to go to church yesterday. If you look at my blog today see if you see the picture of the quilt. On mozilla firefox I don't always get the pictures. But on internet explorer I get them.

I posted on BB's saturday. Will be there more regular. Love you.

MadSnapper said...

yummy hotdogs and ice cream nothing could be better. well, maybe pizza and ice cream.
that photo up top is beautiful, is it beans glued on it? even enlarged i could not tell. did you make them yourself? not the candles ha ha, but the added STUFF?

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Glad you are doing so well, Barbara. And congrats on doing so well in church --and getting a chili dog and sundae.... Yum!!!!!

Congrats on the weight loss... I lost too--but it came back quickly... SO---be careful!!!

Hugs,
Betsy

Sharon said...

So happy for you and getting back to church and I pray that you will continue to do better each day.
I Love the bible verses that you posted today.
What a sweet hubby to treat you.It sure did sound yummy.
Hugs

Deborah said...

Hi Barbara, I'm glad to hear you are up and able to be in church again. We are having a magnificent Monday here! After a very wet summer, we are now being blessed with a beautiful warm fall. It's Thanksgiving here in Canada, so we had a meal at church yesterday. Today we are doing some work around the yard, because as nice as it is, we know winter is on it's way. I'm hoping to visit my mom later. Have a great week!

Theresa said...

So nice to see you posting. Glad to hear you were able to go to church and it seems like the pain is subsiding. My mom is having a knee replacement next month. Sounds like a rough recovery.

jcribb16 said...

Hi, Barbara!
I am happy that you are doing well with your post-surgery. Losing the weight would be a good thing for me, too!! You always look so nice!
I am still waiting on starting Xolair infusions (goes in and protects my allergy cells from outside influences, since mine don't work right.) Hopefully it will help me!
We miss you both very much! Keep getting better.

Love,
Julie
P.S. I love your little pics you always have on FB! :)

carole johnston said...

Hello Barb. I have not commented for a little while anywhere as have been a bit out of things but sitting here at 5 am and reading my favourite blogs has doen me good.I am commenting on your last blog really it was wonderful and did me so much good to read it as that is how I really live my life and sometimes you do so many acts of kindness you sometimes get a shock if someone does one back at you lol.JUst wanted to know you warmed my heart and your words went into my bones,I am a daughter of my heavenly father ,his Princess and he will see me through all the tough times,you just reminded me that even though it seems no one cares he does and thats all that matters.I am so glad you are doing well,bless you Barb.Carole xx

Dee said...

Great to see you up and out with a full cup. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Barbara,
SO GLAD you're feeling better and were able to make it to church.
Love the Joshua verse too! Isn't it a wonderful thought that we're 'commanded' to be strong and not be afraid?
Blessings and hugs,
Deb

A Gardner's Cottage said...

Barbara...So very happy to hear you are up and about! I must say...church, chile dogs and a hot fudge sundae sounds like a mighty fine day indeed! Take care

Phyllis Blickensderfer said...

I can't believe you'd choose a DQ chili dog for a treat -- my Beloved Husband says that I am the only one who would do that! To be filled with His word before that was the real treat -- gathering in fellowship to worship God is truly filling. So glad your healing continues on schedule. God bless!!

Anonymous said...

That scripture was a good reminder for me right now. Thanks for sharing it!!!! I'm glad you got to church and that you are doing better. Hugs!

Kateri said...

I'd like to try the beef and pork pumpkin with a really tiny pumpkin. I think it would be good, but since my husband hates pumpkin other than pumpkin bread, I am afraid to make a full size one. Glad you are feeling better!