Hard to Believe!

OK - I know I'm a bit old to subscribe to a teen magazine but I love Susie mag! Susie is a Christian magazine for teen girls. I subscribe so that our division for teens, Living with Purpose: A Radical Revolution can support the ministry of Susie magazine. And, because my friends Shari and Lynn are contributors to this magazine. If you have a teenage daughter, please check out www.susiemag.com.

The current issue just arrived and I have to share a mind-boggling article with you. Are you ready? The magazine listed a bunch of crazy laws that are still in place because no one has gotten around to removing them! Seriously! If you are in the doldrums today... these ought to make you smile.

• South Carolina: It's against the law to keep a horse in a bathtub.
• New York: The penalty for jumping off a building is death.
• Ohio: It's illegal to get a fish drunk.
• Indiana: Baths are forbidden between the months of October and March.
• Colorado: Throwing missiles at cars is illegal.
• Maryland: It's against the law to take a lion to the movies.
• California: It's against the law for a woman to drive a car while wearing her robe.
• Georgia: No one is allowed to carry an ice cream cone in his back pocket on Sundays.
• Oklahoma: People who make ugly faces at dogs may be fined or jailed.
• Florida: Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer.
• Michigan: A woman can't cut her own hair without her husband's permission.
• New Hampshire: It's illegal to sell the clothes you're wearing to pay off a gambling debt.
• Wyoming: You may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without getting an official permit.
• North Dakota: It's illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
• Missouri: The law states that you can't have an antenna exposed outside of our home... but you are allowed to have a 25-foot satellite dish.
• Virginia: Spitting on a seagull is not tolerated.
• Maine: You're not allowed to step out of a plane in flight.
• Pennsylvania: It's illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors.
• Michigan: It's illegal for a man to scowl at his wife on Sunday.
• West Virginia: Whistling under water is not allowed.
• Utah: It's illegal to cause a catastrophe.
• Washington: You may not carry a concealed weapon that is more than six feet long.
• Georgia: Goldfish can't be given away to motivate someone into playing a game of Bingo.
• Oklahoma: It's against the law for anyone to take a bite from someone else's hamburger.
• Tennessee: It's illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.
• Texas: It's illegal to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
• Virginia: No one may wash a mule on the sidewalk.
• Washington: It's illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
• Oregon: Drivers must yield to pedestrians who are standing on the sidewalk.
• Arizona: It's against the law to sing off-key.
• Utah: Birds always have the right of way on highways.

Aahhhh.... I needed something silly to laugh about.

LeAnn

Peanut Butter Cookies

I played around with a few peanut butter cookie recipes and came up with one that I really love. Dare I say that it might be better than moms? (Sorry Mom!) This recipe has LOTS of peanut butter and isn't that the point of a peanut butter cookie? While the end result was truly yummy... the cookies needed just a little something extra to push them over the top. Sounded like a good excuse for a little dark chocolate. After all... dark chocolate is good for you... right?

Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
an 18 oz. jar of extra crunchy peanut butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup 60% cocoa chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition. Add peanut butter and continue to beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir with a whisk to combine. Add the dry mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat on low speed until all the flour is incorporated. Do not over mix at this point.

Drop the cookie dough by big spoonfuls (heaping tablespoons) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. You want them about 2 inches apart because they will spread a little as they cook.

Pour about a quarter of a cup of sugar onto a small plate. Dip the tines of a fork into the sugar and then make a crisscross on each cookie to flatten slightly.

Bake the cookies for approximately 14 minutes. Do not overcook. The edges will appear very lightly brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven onto a rack and let stand for a couple of minutes to set. After 2-3 minutes, remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Repeat until you have used all of the dough. You should have about 4 dozen cookies.

Once the cookies are completely cool, line them up on waxed paper.

Melt the chocolate chips in a glass dish in the microwave. (This takes about 1 minute on a low setting in my microwave but ovens vary so check yours frequently.)

With a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies. Cool in the refrigerator just long enough to set the chocolate.

Store cookies in an airtight container, foil, or ziplock bag.

Here's a photo of the finished product:


Note: In my quest for more healthy baking, I tried these with whole grain flour. They were amazing! I am experimenting with fat and sugar replacements as well but I don't like to replace more than one item at a time so that I will know which replacement works and which doesn't.

Enjoy!

Sweet Baking!
LeAnn

Oh, I Want to Know You More

I don't know about you but for me, spending time with Jesus every day is a struggle. It shouldn't be. It should be the easiest and most natural thing in the world but... it's the world that distracts me. I can get so caught up in, and overwhelmed by, the day-to-day busyness of this thing called life that my alone time with Jesus gets relegated to the bottom of my to-do list. How sad is that?

A few days of parenting, taking care of a home, working, laundry, cooking, running errands, preparing for teaching, church, writing, and trying to sneak in spending time with friends and suddenly I am completely depleted and feeling overwhelmed and alone. Hmmmmm.... it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's missing!

I have struggled with bouts of loneliness on and off over the years since Ron died. I intentionally fill my days with as many tasks and activities as possible to distract me. This works most of the time. But when I do slow down, the loneliness creeps back in. Getting to know God more intimately and letting His amazing and overwhelming love surround me fills all my empty places.

When I miss my alone time with the Lord I know my day will be joyless and empty no matter how busy I am. So, my "remedy" on those crazy days when I have to hit the ground running as soon as my alarm goes off... is music. I'm not saying that this takes the place of my quiet time with His word. But... music is a form of worship and the right music can usher me into His presence in a very tangible way.

Two of my most favorite songs... songs that absolutely fill the room with His presence... are on my friend Jason's self-titled CD.

"Oh I Want to know You More" reminds me that I need to seek His heart as passionately as He seeks mine. It takes me to that place when I was just beginning to fall in love with Ron and wanted to know everything about him. My relationship with my Savior should be so much more than any earthly love.

"In the Room" brings my mind to a favorite place... sitting in the church or a retreat center after everyone else has left. I love the way His presence permeates every inch of the space and it overwhelms me to have been present when His Spirit moved.

(You can click on the above titles for a short clip of these amazing songs.)

And, since God uses Jason to bring me to a place of Worship... I want to give him a shameful plug to show my gratitude :)

So, if you would like to purchase Jason's CDs (which clearly I recommend), click here!

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you, LeAnn, He will quiet you with His love, He rejoices over you with singing.
(Zephaniah 3:7)

In the busyness of my Monday morning, I am grateful for good friends, for music, and for a love greater than anything I can fathom. Jesus, tomorrow morning I will be spending my first breath of the day with You.

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn

Yummy Recipe

I promised an ooey gooey recipe in my last post (about eating healthy and exercising - hah) and I want to be true to my word. I have made this yummy cheesy dip three times over the past few weeks and each time everyone asks for the recipe. So... here it is!

Mexi-Dip

1 can traditional refried beans
3 cups shredded mexican cheese blend (or combine cheddar and monterey jack)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
4.25-oz can sliced olives, drained (set aside 1 tablespoon)
4-oz can chopped green chilies, drained (I use mild but feel free to kick up the heat)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced (set aside 1 tablespoon)
1 medium tomato, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the refried beans evenly on the bottom of a shallow baking dish, quiche or pie dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, olives, chilies, garlic, and green onions. Spread mixture over the refried beans. Cover with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Sprinkle with the reserved olives and green onions.


Bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and brown around the edges. Remove from oven and top with chopped tomatoes.

Serve hot with tortilla chips.

You will not be disappointed. This is gooey hot melty yumminess!

Enjoy!