Pillowy Parmesan Rolls

I love bread, you love bread, we all love bread!

Plus, what better to serve with beef stew than a soft, pillowy roll?

These rolls are very simple, but extremely flavorful and delicious!

Ingredients

1 package Rhodes Warm and Serve Rolls (6 rolls)

1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese (fresh or canned)

Directions
1. Defrost rolls in the microwave
2. Melt butter in the microwave
3. Dip the defrosted rolls in the melted butter, then roll the buttered rolls in the parmesan cheese (I put the cheese on a plate for easy rolling)
4. Bake rolls in an oven-safe skillet according to package (I baked mine at 325 degrees F for 13 minutes)

Enjoy!

Delectable Beef Stew

These past few days have been anything but normal.

It rained over 7 inches in Naperville, so for two days I was homebound.

Besides cleaning my apartment from top to bottom (literally), I had the chance to try out a few new recipes for a girls night.

This beef stew was inspired by a blog called Six Sisters Stuff. It was originally intended to be a freezer meal, but I made it fresh. Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

1 pound beef stew cubes (I used 1.4 pounds just to make sure it was super beefy!
5 carrots, cut into big chunks
4 red potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 cans 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) package frozen green peas

Directions:
Place all ingredients in your crockpot. Um....ya! Gotta love the crock pot!

Cook on LOW for 7-10 hours (or HIGH for 5-6 hours).

Lovely Lemon Cupcakes

There are two flavors I cannot get enough of: peppermint and lemon.

 I made peppermint cupcakes for the last work party, so I went with lemon this time.

This recipe is my own version of a recipe by the Pioneer Woman. After reading several reviews, I came up with the perfect recipe for me, which you will see below.

These cupcakes are divine! So soft, so fluffy, so creamy, and so lemony! If you love lemon, you will love these!

Ingredients
Batter:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (let stand until room temperature)
3 eggs (let stand until room temperature)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Butter baking spray

Frosting:
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (let stand until room temp)
1 stick cream cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest

Directions 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the batter:
1. Cream butter and eggs. Once creamed, add in eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
3. Mix the flour into the wet mixture and blend. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
4. Place paper cups into a pan and fill each cup one-half to three-quarters full with batter. Spray the filled pan with Butter baking spray. Let the mixture stand for about another 15 minutes.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

For the frosting:
1. Cream the powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, lemon juice and zest together until light and fluffy. 2. Pipe or spread frosting onto the cupcakes

Makes 17 cupcakes (for me anyway!)

***Frosting hint: I made the frosting the night before so it would be cold and easy to spread when I finished the cupcakes.

A Conflict of Interests

1 Timothy 6:6-8

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Today I ventured into two drastically different worlds mere minutes apart.

The first world was Aldi.

The Aldi near my apartment is one of the fanciest I've seen. This Aldi was one of the dreariest.

Most people were dressed in tattered, dull clothing. Deep lines on their faces spoke of lifelong struggle and misfortune. As one elderly woman literally counted her pennies at the register, I was almost brought to tears.

How can some people have so little, and I so much?

The next world was Costco. The land of plenty, literally flowing with milk and honey.

Customers stuffed their carts with oversized this and jumbo that. Compared to the customers at Aldi, these people were living a dream.

Ugh, I hope to never be like that, I thought to myself.

Can you guess the one common thread among both groups of people? The one thing that reminded me that in both stores I was indeed in the same world intermingling with the same type of beings?

Hardly anyone at either store seemed content.

The people at Aldi oozed defeat. A life of want and need had stolen their joy and replaced it with a downtrodden misery.

The people at Costco were so caught up in the "more is better" philosophy they could barely see past their own noses.

Jesus calls us to contentment no matter what our situation.

Do I really live life that way? Do any of us?

Paul, who was beaten, despised and rejected, told Timothy if he had but food and clothing he was content.

Contrary to what you might think I am about to say, Paul was not telling Timothy to be more like the people at Aldi and less like the people at Costco.

He was telling him to not be like either.

Both groups had food and clothing, just in differing amounts. Neither group was content with what they had.

The challenge each and every one of us faces on a daily basis is to come to peace with what we have right now and to learn to find a godly contentment in Christ alone.

Today I challenge you to join me in asking God to help each of us find that godly contentment.With the help of the Holy Spirit, I believe we can radically change the world for good.

Healthy Chicken Alfredo?

Yes I can!

I love Chicken Alfredo. It is warm, smooth and comforting.

This particular Chicken Alfredo is so delicious, it's quick and easy to make, and the best part is you don't have to feel guilty eating it!

Ingredients
- Cubed Rotisserie Chicken (Feel free to use as much chicken as you like. I used half of the breast of a Costco rotisserie chicken.)
- 1 green pepper, cut into strips
- 1 red pepper, cut into strips
- 1 zucchini squash cut into thin circles (mine were about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch)
- 1-2 Tbsp good olive oil
- 1 jar Classico Light Creamy Alfredo sauce (only 45 calories per serving, but still delicious!)
- 1.5 cups Barilla Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta (I like mine heavy on the pasta, but you can go light or heavy depending on what you like.)

Directions
1) Set water to boil for the pasta in a medium-to-large-sized sauce pot
2) Cut peppers and zucchini while waiting for water to boil (This is good for you...a watched pot never boils!)
2) Once the vegetables are cut, grill them until tender in a grill pan (I love my Kitchen Aid grill pan...it's perfect for this.)
3) At this time, the pasta water should be boiling, so you can add the pasta to the sauce pot. Boil for the recommended amount of time on the box. (Remember to salt the water after it has boiled and before you add the pasta).
3) While pasta and veggies are cooking, cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes (Yes that's right, not only are you cooking, but you are a sexy multi-tasker!)
4) Drain pasta. Pour it back into the original empty sauce pot. Add in cubed chicken, grilled veggies, and jar of sauce, and stir that glorious concoction.
5) Serve!

Enjoy with friends!

The Beauty of Simplicity

For me, there's nothing more inspiring than a sunny Sunday afternoon.

I especially love the simplicity of a Sunday Sabbath in a small town. For one precious day I can focus on the joy of salvation, my loving family and on finding peace in nothing more than a warm breeze, a long walk down a near-deserted road, a rib-sticking meal, or a sweet story in a book or movie.

I spend most of my week in a ritzy suburb surrounded by all the things the world says brings happiness: the trendiest clothes, the most scrumptious food, the fastest cars, and the hottest career options. But yet, when I look around, all I see is stress, frustration, depression, and emptiness (not to mention some pretty intense road rage).

I find myself longing for simplicity. The kind that can be found in a slow, small little town in the middle of nowhere. The kind that is found when no one else is watching.

And that reminds me of one of the most beautiful things about our Savior.

He speaks to us  in small whispers. He calls us to give to others in secret so no one notices but Him. When Jesus needed to pray, He went away to a solitary place.

If you're feeling stressed or empty today, find a place of solitude. God will call you to Himself and He alone will help you find peace and joy. Listen for His still, small voice whispering His great love for you in the depth of your soul.

So it begins...

For the past 20 minutes I've been curled up lazily on the love seat in my parent's home perusing The Pioneer Woman website and desperately thinking of something I could do on a Saturday night.

Then it hit me, like a large wave in an otherwise calm sea hits an unsuspecting shore (that was for you, Mrs. Mossman). 

I'm pathetic! How can any self-respecting 24-year old have nothing to do on a Saturday night? I'm washed up! I'm old news! I'm way too fond of exclamation points!

If you know anything about me, you know I am a doer. Even when the very last thing I want to do is take responsibility for something, when push comes to shove, I usually find myself more involved than necessary (hence the groans, nods, and rolling eyes from all my past group members). 

It's a bad habit I need to break. Quickly.

Nevertheless, I decided right then and there I am out to prove to the world that I, a 20-something-unmarried-Christian-school-grad, am not washed up, pathetic or old news.

I am vivacious! I am exciting! I am daring! I still have a weird obsession with exclamation points!

And, I am lucky enough to share this journey for you (yes, this is the sentimental part).

Over the next, well, indeterminate length of time, I'll share with you how I find hope, peace, joy, happiness, fun, and sanity in my everyday life.

I hope you'll share a little bit of your life with me, as well! 

Cheers! (as my late debonair great uncle used to sign his letters) 

Meagan