Recipe for Easy Cheddar Biscuits Using Pancake Mix

Hello all!  Zach and I are getting ready to start our Christmas Vacation in 2 days and counting.  We are seriously excited!  In preparing to leave our home for 2 1/2 weeks, I'm in the process of cleaning and semi-organizing so that we can return to a peaceful apartment at the end of it all.  Part of my cleaning process has been to buy the bare minimum at the grocery store this week and use up the food we have.  I have a box of Great Value (gotta love the Wal-Mart brand!) pancake and waffle mix that I have been finding ways to put to good use in our meals.  I came across this recipe for cheddar biscuits using pancake mix and it is really yummy!  We had them with dinner a few nights ago and I thought I'd share the recipe with you guys here.

Cheddar Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Great Value Complete Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix (or any pancake mix you prefer)
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. dry mustard

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, stir together pancake mix and remaining ingredients until dough forms. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. 
Yields nine biscuits. 


Well, there you go!  If you're looking for an easy, delicious biscuit recipe I recommend you give this one a try.  Alright, I'm off to get some more cleaning and packing done!

The Importance of Meeting God in the Morning

Something the Lord has been reminding me about lately is the importance and joy of the discipline of communing with Him in the morning.  Beginning the morning with God is a sweet reminder of our relationship to him as his children.  I notice a huge difference throughout the day in my attitude, my relationships, and my thought life when I have sat down and spent time with God as opposed to when I haven't.  Making it a priority to sit at the feet of Jesus, laying the plans of the day before him, and listening to him speak through his Word helps us to grow as believers and prepares our hearts and minds for the day ahead.  John 15:5 says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing".  

Christ is our source of life.  How can we live our day experiencing the fullness of Christ if we are not remaining "plugged in" to the One who gives us abundant life?  

I find that morning time is the best time for me to spend with God. I know that if I don't get in the Word and pray in the morning, most likely it won't get done.  If I jump into the tasks of the day first or get distracted with something else, it's more difficult for me to quiet my heart, be still and commune.  

“We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune.”
~ Charles Spurgeon

Several Scriptures point to the morning as being an important time to commune with God.  

 Mark 1:35 – Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Psalm 5:3 – In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Isaiah 50:4 – The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

Getting God's Word in the morning allows us to meditate on it, letting it soak into our hearts, and apply it throughout the day.  

Simple, more focused living begins with making our relationship with Christ our first priority in the day!

Making New Friends: Getting Over the Intimidation Factor

Have you ever found yourself in a place in life when you realize it’s about that time to start making new friends?  Whether it’s a move to a new city, having recently graduated from college and all your friends are now scattered about or some other transition that life can often bring, most of us have probably been in a position of searching for new friendships. And, for some of us, this can be an intimidating process.

Having moved many times in my life, with the most recent move being 3 months ago, I would love to say that I am in expert in the area of building new relationships.   However, being an introvert at heart, putting myself out there in order to form relationships has not always (and still doesn’t) come naturally for me.  I’ve had to learn to open up more and invite people into my life.  There are periods where I’ve done really well at this and periods where I haven’t done so well.  So, here are a few things I have learned, in my victories and my failures, to remember in pursuing new friendships. 

Be intentional and take the initiative.  Don’t always wait for someone to come up and try to get to know you first.  This will happen sometimes, but remember, you’re the one who knows you want to meet people.  Take that first step.

Just invite. Don’t over think it.  See if they would want to get together sometime.  My sister and I recently had a funny phone conversation about how awkward it can feel when considering asking a new acquaintance we’d like to build a friendship with if she wants to grab a cup of coffee and chat sometime.  If you’re anything like me, you start to wonder, “What if they really aren’t interested but feel pressured to say yes?” or “What if they aren’t looking for anymore friends?” or “What if they say thanks, but no thanks?” or… or… the worried questions create themselves.  Get rid of those insecurities (and we’ve all got ‘em) fast! 

Think about how you feel when someone wants to get to know you.  Most likely you are happy about it.  Who doesn’t like to be asked if they want to hang out? 

Plant yourself where you’re at.  No matter how long you plan on staying in a certain area (6 months, 1 year, 3 years, or longer), invest yourself there fully for the time that you are there.  The time you spend there can be precious and you will look back on it with a lot more fondness and joy if you make it a point to build friendships. 

What has been your experience with building new friendships?  Any other insights on this topic? I'd love to hear them since I'll be moving again in just over 5 months!

Visit to a Friend's Home

As I walk arm and arm with my friend Dina* through the small town and down the dusty roads, I see the evidence of a simple life all around me.  Men lay out in the fields as their sheep graze, ladies wash clothes with a basin of water and a scrub board, children play together in the streets and stop to look at me as I walk by.  I wave to them and say hello.  Some smile while others just stare, not knowing what to make of this foreigner.  We enter into a small, one room house to say hello to a family Dina knows well.  They invite us to stay and have some tea, but we graciously decline.  We make our way to the barn where the animals are kept.  Dina laughs when I mistakenly call a cow a "blessing" (the Arabic words for cow and blessing are very similar).  As we walk back to her house I am once again captivated by the beautiful mountains that surround us.  As I enter into the home the smell of spices overtake my senses.  Dina's mother and sisters are in the kitchen busily preparing couscous for the afternoon meal.


Couscous is a staple North African cuisine made from semolina wheat and coated with finely ground wheat flour.  It is served in a pile on a platter with beef, chicken, or fish and vegetables.  This dish is usually prepared on Fridays but it is also often served to guests when they come.

While lunch is being prepared, Dina and I sit in the living room area where we watch her sister's wedding video as she proudly points out her family members.  Videos of weddings and special occasions are often shown when entertaining foreigners.  A little while later I hear voices at the front door.  The house quickly fills up with family members and neighbors.  As is customary, greetings are exchanged by lengthy handshakes with  all the men and many kisses on each cheek with all the women.  We sit and visit for a while and, finally, the food is brought out.  Everyone gathers around a small round table where a large platter of couscous is waiting.      Using your hands or a spoon, whatever your preference may be, we all eat directly off of the same platter.  I see that the meat served with this particular couscous is lamb.  Not being a huge fan of lamb meat, I try to eat only the vegetables and grain.  Of course, the hostesses cannot let this happen!  Some of the choice meat is picked off and placed in front of me.  I notice that the heart is on the menu as well.  Hoping silently that I do not have to eat this I chew slowly, giving the appearance that I am eating more than I actually am.  But, alas, the heart is cut into different pieces and some is given to everybody.  Dina's mother hands me a piece of the heart, encouraging me to eat more by saying "Kuli, Kuli!"  I put it in my mouth graciously and feel my stomach lurch.  Chewing slowly, I say the old prayer, "Father, I'll get it down, you keep it down!".  Finally, the couscous is gone and I am stuffed, but lo and behold, here come the chicken.  A whole chicken is served along with bread and everybody digs in.  Small glasses of coca-cola and mint tea are served after the meal.  Then, to top it all off, fresh fruit for dessert.  After another hour of visiting it is getting late and I must go home.   Dina's family invites me to come over anytime and tells me that I must stay the night the next time.  I happily agree and say that I will see them next week "Insh allah" (God willing).  No plans are ever made without using this phrase.  Dina and I walk to catch a "grand taxi" and we squeeze into the crowded car where people are practically sitting on top of one another.  By the time I get home I am exhausted.  After 6 hours of speaking and listening to Arabic my mind is tired.  Reflecting on the day though, my spirit is full and my heart is content. Once again, I thank the Lord for this incredible adventure, these amazing experiences, and these wonderful people!  

   

* Name has been changed

This was a story that I had written to friends and family almost 3 years ago.  I was living in North Africa at the time and falling in love with the people there.  I wanted to share this (maybe again) with you all today because the time I spent there is still a treasure to me and I love remembering it.  I hope you enjoyed!  

November at Our Home

November was the first month since we’ve moved here that seems to have had a sense of normalcy and routine to it.  So much has happened in the last couple of months with Zach and I getting married, our honeymoon, moving in and setting up our apartment, job-hunting (for me), and just adjusting and settling in to a new place.  Of course, we are still adjusting and settling in, but things have been a little more stable this past month. 

Having a part-time job has helped me by establishing a bit more routine to my week.  I’ve also begun using these free printable calendars and weekly planning sheets from Kristen's Guide to organize and plan for my week ahead.  I really love these sheets because not only are they great for helping me to think about and see what I need to accomplish that week but they also allow me to balance and focus on different value areas I want to be intentional in.  Planning out my week like this has been very helpful to me in creating good routines. 

Another event that has been new for us this month is we have started sponsoring a child from Peru through Compassion, an organization that seeks to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children living in poverty.  Something Zach and I have been starting to think about very recently is how we are to fulfill our role in Jesus’ command to love and help the poor (1 John 3:17-18) and obey The Great Commission to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20).  What does being a Great Commission couple look like for us right now?  In the future?  These are questions we are considering and praying over. 

I also read the book Radical by David Platt.  I can’t recommend this book strongly enough!  It really challenged me to take a look at my current view of the Christian life (especially American Christianity) and examine how much of it is founded on the Word of God.  Much of the above thoughts and questions Zach and I are dealing with on living out the Great Commission have been directly sparked from this book.  Read it if you desire to be challenged in your faith and your Christian walk!

Finally, at the end of the month, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Zach’s family in the Greensboro, NC area.  We spent actual Thanksgiving Day with Zach’s mom and her side of the family.  I had my first experience at shooting a rifle. However it’s merely a Southern activity, still not a Southern girl. ;-)  I also had my first experience participating in over-night Black Friday shopping.  We were in the line at Kohl’s by 2:30 in the morning and Target by 3:30 A.M.  Then, home and in bed by 7:00 A.M.  I don’t know if I would want to brave that again, but we did end up getting a fantastic deal on a new GPS for Zach’s mom for Christmas!  Saturday evening was spent celebrating Thanksgiving with Zach’s dad and his side of the family.  We had a wonderful time!

Now, we are getting into the Christmas season and are looking forward to a month full of traveling, spending time with family, and reflecting on the greatest gift we have in Christ!