And the Winner is…………???
Does your family make a big deal out of family traditions and the food that accompanies the holidays? My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is how we pass a small basket around the table and share what we are thankful for as we put kernels of corn into the basket. Often we go around the table many times as each person shares I have learned that any dish I make for a holiday gathering better be a recipe I LOVE to make, because if it is a “hit”, I will be making it year after year. I do love baking and I especially LOVE baking pies. This year I tried a new recipe for pie crust dough and Adapted the same recipe with a modification. I prepared the pie fillings for three different pies and then when the dessert course came on Thanksgiving Day, we shared “which is your favorite pie and which is your favorite crust?” The Cranberry Apple Pie was the winner. Here is the recipe…..
BEST Pie Crust
2 ¼ cups white flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Baking flour and highly recommend it)
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ cup cold butter (you can modify and use ½ cup butter flavored crisco but I prefer butter)
3-4 Tablespoons ice cold water
The secret to this pie crust is handle as little as possible. Mix the flour and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Using a cheese grater, grate the cold butter into the flour. Using a pie dough cutter or two knives or your hand, mix the butter into the flour. Add ice cold water one tablespoon at a time working into the dough with as little pressing and folding as possible. Dough will form a ball and be a tiny bit sticky. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate …
Read MoreThanksgiving 2016-so Much to be Thankful For!!!!
I can truly say that this year, I am most thankful for a loving and faithful husband who has loved me and supported me and celebrated me for almost 40 years! Love is a choice, a commitment, an investment in a relationship that teaches me tangible ways to experience God’s “hesed”. Hesed (chesed) is a Hebrew word for God’s lovingkindness. My husband, Rick, has continually demonstrated love in action towards me and our children and grandchildren and I thank God for him every day!!!!!
I am also thankful for good friends that support me in my passions. Our life group helped me plan a “Party with a Purpose” to help inform our neighbors and friends about the opportunity to put our love in action and support the Gogo Grandmothers ministry that I am involved in. It was a night full of fun and good food and many people opening their hearts to the poorest of the poor. I am so grateful for the outpouring of love and support
I am also thankful for my beautiful daughters who love life and share their passions with me and their families. I love my SILs and my precious 9 grand children and I am blessed beyond measure to be their to be their Mom and Gammie!
Bethany is “thankful for the blessings of my baby boy, life as a mom and a God who is so faithful”.
Jess shared, “This year, I’m very thankful for our new home for many reasons, here are some of them: our family loves to be there, we love our neighbors, we are close to my husband’s work, and the kids play and ride bikes around the cul-de-sac.”
Bekah shared, “I am thankful for my little family, my daughter that is so full of joy, our latest adventure …
Read MoreHow Motherhood Brought Out the Best of Me
I’ll be honest, sometimes as a mom I think about what I gave up and what I lost when I became a mom. A career, time for myself, passions I could faithfully pursue, control, sleep…the list goes on and on.
But if I really stop to think about my life now, I realize that I didn’t lose anything when I became a mom, I GAINED everything! Someone to love and care for. Someone who needed me. Someone that relied on me for everything. That isn’t a burden. It is a blessing.
When I look even deeper at the woman (not mom, just woman) I’ve become the last 5 years, I see that motherhood brought out the best of me. I’ve learned selfLESSness over selfishness. Priorities over (my) planning. Stopping instead of going. Connecting instead of staying in my comfort zone.
I’ve learned so much of myself as a mom and these are lessons I never want to stop learning. I’m so grateful for all the changes in my life and I know that even in the hard times (and there are lots of those) that I am growing more into the person God designed me to be.
What is the best thing you have learned about yourself since you became a mom?
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Weisser Women Staying Fit! (What are we doing right now?)
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We love exercise, being outside, activity, using our bodies. I think its just in our DNA, a part of who we are. Growing up playing all sorts of sports gets a certain energy, motivation, and ability in your body that you just get used to moving. Not a day goes by that I don’t enjoy at least getting outside and going for a walk, if not pushing my body to a more extreme workout or activity. So what do we do? All sorts of stuff, but here is what we are doing right now:
Kerry:
- Hiking: 1-2 hours 5 or 6 days a week
- Zumba: One time a week
- Yoga: 3 hours a week
- Occasional gym workout 2-3 times a week for an hour, stair master, elliptical or treadmill and weights.
Rachel
- Fit4Mom classes: (And did you guys know she is a Fit4Mom instructor? )Go Rach!
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workouts from Fit Group on Facebook. It’s a free Facebook group for fitness and nutrition.
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Push-up challenge- 100 per day.
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2 diastasis programs – Breaking Muscle and “No More Mummy Tummy.”
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Yoga every morning from Sarah Beth Yoga.
Jess
- Running: I love to run (as long as my time allows )
- Fitness Blender (You Tube Videos)
Bethany
- Bikini Body guide by Kayla Istines- 3 times a week
- Running: 3-5 times a week (Prepregnancy it was usually 5 miles, during pregnancy usually around 3 miles, now I am lucky if I can get in 2 miles with the stroller and nap schedule)
- Workouts found on Pinterest or social media
- No More Mummy Tummy Core workout (when I remember)
Bekah
- Stroller class- 4 times a week incorporated cardio, body weight exercises, resistance bands, core and more
- Piyo- combination of Pilates and yoga, 6 times a week , 2 months of a variety of
Weisser Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Have you ever had the mashed potatoes from Cheesecake Factory?? They use Red potatoes, leaving the skin on (the healthiest part of a potato) and they aren’t creamy, but thick and sometimes a little chunky (but in a good way)! I’m usually not a huge fan of mashed potatoes but ever since having them at Cheesecake Factory, things have changed! And, now I’m sharing with you a recipe that gets pretty close to Cheesecake status but much, much healthier and maybe even more delicious! 🙂
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Here’s What You Need:
5 Pounds Potatoes – RED or GOLD (Cubed) I used Red this year and they were delicious!
2 1/4 Cups Chicken Broth
1/4 Cup Butter
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Pepper
2/3-3/4 Cup Carnation Milk
Large Crock Pot
Here’s What You Do:
1. Wash the potatoes and cube. DO NOT PEEL. Toss into the crock pot.
2. Combine all other ingredients into crock pot EXCEPT for the Carnation Milk. Stir every 30 min to an hour.
3. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours. It only took me about 3 1/2 hours so it may depend on your crock pot. Once you stir and the potatoes begin mashing just from stirring, move on to
Step 4.
4. Do not drain. MASH. Add the carnation milk and continue to mash and stir. 5. Adjust seasonings (I added a little more salt) and add more milk if too thick. (3/4 cup of the carnation milk was perfect) Keep on LOW or Keep Warm until ready to serve.
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This Thanksgiving…Serving Gogo Grandmothers & Helping the Poorest of the Poor
THIS THANKSGIVING…find a way to give back!!! Being thankful is a very important aspect of life. When we acknowledge all the good things that bring JOY into our lives, we open up our emotional and spiritual barriers that regulate our ability to bless others. When gratitude, love, peace and contentment fill our lives we open the floodgates and can overflow with JOY to the people around us. As some of you know from a few things I have shared …I am involved in a ministry in Malawi, Africa that serve the poorest of the poor. The group is called SAFE/Gogo Grandmothers. (SAFE stands for Sub-Saharan African Family Enrichment and Gogo Grandmothers is a subset of that broader ministry). This is a registered NGO, approved 501(c)3 non- profit organization that reaches out to African grandmothers raising the orphans of AIDS in the sub-Saharan country of Malawi. There are over one million orphans in Malawi, which is now the POOREST country in all of Africa. There is also a famine occurring in this area which puts these orphans at even greater risk. GOGO Grandmothers are reaching out to an entire generation of lost children providing the grandmothers with basic needs like seeds, fertilizer, mosquito nets, blankets, preschool and feeding programs.
This Thanksgiving season, I would like to challenge each of our followers to find a way to take action and show gratitude for all the ways you have been blessed. Spend some time with your family and pick an organization or ministry where you can go and volunteer for a day. Help out a neighbor or visit an assisted living facility and drop off treats or just go talk to the residents. It is amazing how a little bit of love can bring so much JOY into a lonely or needy person’s …
Read MoreTake the POSITIVE Promise
Have you noticed that negativity is everywhere right now? It’s all over social media and the news, so many people complaining and angry. With the post-election emotions I fear things will only get worse. This makes my heart so sad and I don’t want to be a part of it – not on social media, not with my family, not with my friends.
Starting today, I’m taking a POSITIVE PROMISE vow and I want you to join me! With this promise it is my hope that we can all become a bit more positive and healthy with our thoughts and actions.
The promise:
I am completely worth it. I believe in God’s plans for my life. I believe in learning from the past, but I won’t let it define me. I vow to keep POSITIVE for the next 30 days. This means I will not complain, blame, or justify anything. I am going to do something few dare to do. I am going to look for the blessings in life. I am going to find the positive in situations rather than acknowledge the negative. This is a habit I want to build for me and for others.
It starts with one person. One promise.
Are you in?
Take the positive promise. Share this post with the hashtag #POSITIVEpromise
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What are we reading right now?
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Us Weisser women love to read. We tend to all not have a ton of time to pick up books, so when we do, we want to make it count. We only have so much time. So we wanted to share what is currently on our nightstand and what we are filling our little bit of down time with.
Kerry:
- Currently reading: “Bad Girls of the Bible”- Liz Curtis Higgs
- Last book finished:
“The Treasure Principle”- Randy Alcorn“Becoming a Vessel God Can Use” -Donna Pattie
Rachel
- Currently reading: “Present over Perfect”- Shauna Niequist & “The Cuckoo’s Calling”-J.K. Rowling
- Last book finished: “The Selection Series”- Kiera Cas
Jess
- Currently reading: “Voice in the Wind”- Francine Rivers
Bethany
- Currently reading: “Power of Praying Wife”- Stormie Omartian & “Women of the Word”- Jen Wilkin
- Last book finished: “Selections Series”- Kiera Cass
Bekah
- Currently reading: Pressing Pause 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet with Jesus
- Last book finished: “Hope Unfolding”- Becky Thompson
WHAT ARE YOU READING? Share with us.
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Read MoreBaked Falafels with Spirulina Green Sauce
Our family LOVES Mediterranean food. I love falafels, but have been looking for a baked falafel recipe for a long time. I finally found one that looked good and revised it with more herbs and spices and additional protein supplied by adding quinoa to the falafel mixture. We had falafels tonight with hot pita bread, homemade hummus, tabouleh and lots of fresh vegetables. I did not have spiraling powder so I substituted my green food powder that I put into my smoothies each morning. The resulting sauce was spectacular. Delicious!!
Ingredients
¼ cup quinoa
1 ½ cups fresh parsley
½ cup fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
1 (15 oz) can unsalted garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons minced yellow onion
Spirulina Sauce
¼ cup tahini
2 lemons juiced to yield 6 Tablespoons
¾ teaspoons spirulina powder (I used my green vegetable powder that I add to my smoothies)
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh parsley
½ cup fresh cilantro
¼ cup water
Red cabbage
Pita bread
Hummus
Tabouleh
In a small saucepan, cook quinoa in ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, turn to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let cool. in a food processor place cooked quinoa, parsley, flax seed, oil, garlic, cumin, turmeric and salt. Process until mixed slightly.
Add garbanzo beans and onion and pulse to grind coarsely. Do not blend. Leave a bit of texture in the mix. Drop the mixture by rounded tablespoons onto parchment or foil that you spray with nonstick spray. Fresh balls down a bit into 16 small patties.
Place under preheated broiler (rack on the second-to-top notch) and broil 9-10 minutes. Flip …
Thankfulness During
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Happy November! It’s the season of thankfulness and gratitude. But are you really feeling like that? Are you living thankful? Or are you living with a to do list, a running clock, and a schedule on the brain. Most of us are, but the incredible thing is these two things can exist together. We can be thankful amidst our to do list. We jus have to choose to do so. And often it’s just a different attitude. I’ve read books about thankfulness tha are always encouraging, but ultimately it’s about my choice. It’s how I wake up in the mornings. It’s how I choose to think. It’s the words I choose to speak. It’s in the way I love my husband. It’s in the way I cook dinner or run errands. It’s in the way I try to get my 3 month old to nap. It’s in the way I see myself. Am I truly thankful? Does my life reflect that?
Take today to focus on thankfulness. Think about what is easy to be thankful for. Think about what is hard to be thankful for. And then find those small moments that you can choose thankfulness amidst the circumstance. The more you are filled with gratitude the more you are filled with love.
So don’t just be thankful when it’s convenient. be thankful when it’s hard. Be thankful when it doesn’t make sense. Because choosing to be thankful in the not so convenient times will change your attitude about a lot of other things. It’s an upside down perspective. Of course you can be thankful for family and friends. But can you be thankful for that fifth diaper you’ve changed, that kid that doesn’t want to go to sleep, the burnt toast, or the extra stoplight? It …
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