2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins

So here in NY its a nice fall day, or so it feels, weather in the 70's, sun shining, great breeze and leaves you can see a slight change coming to. The only thing I felt was missing was something pumpkin. Luckily I keep a stock pile of pumpkin and decided to go through pinterest seeking some fall worthy pumpkin recipes. I found one that interested me for it's simplicity. It claims that from 2 ingredients I can have yummy amazing pumpkin muffins. So here is the recipe below, also I have the link at the bottom of the page because I try not to take credit for something that I did not come up with myself.

What you'll Need:
1 box of cake mix (recipe recommends spiced, but I don't have that so I did confetti cause who doesn't like sprinkles?)
1 can or 16 oz of pumpkin (make sure its not pumpkin pie filling but pure pumpkin)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Mix 1 box of dry cake mix, and 1 can of pumpkin till its a smooth batter 
3. In a muffin tin either insert cupcake liners or spray with cooking spray
4. pour batter into each tin
5. place in oven for 18 to 20 mins, test if it's done pull out and let cool for 5 mins
6. Enjoy

*i found this to be yummy but for sure could have used the spiced cake mix if you don't use spiced cake mix add cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger 

**also makes about 18 muffins 

http://momcrieff.com/pumpkin-muffins-two-ingredients/

(This is the link to the actual site from pinterest for this recipe)

Skillet Buffalo Chicken Dip

So I promised a ton of awesome recipes to eat and this one is my husband's absolute favorite snack that I make. For the most part it's rather easy, and takes little to no time. It's also a crowd pleaser for parties, if you have a party to go to and your to bring a dish simply make the dip and put it in a crock pot on low at the party!

What you'll need:
3 cans of chicken (I prefer to use fresh chicken but canned is fine, it's what I used for this batch)
1 block of cream cheese
2 blocks of cheddar cheese or a jumbo bag of shredded cheddar cheese (really is up to you I had 2 blocks and just shredded it myself cause it came out more cost affective)
1 bottle of Franks original hot sauce
1 bottle of Ranch dip
1/4 cup of sour cream


What you do:

1. Get out a deep skillet and put temp on low
2. drain cans of chicken and dump into skillet
3. put the whole block of cream cheese in with the chicken
4. I use about 1/2 bottle of hot sauce and 1/2 bottle of ranch that get's poured in, but you can alter to your liking some people like spicier and some like less spicy (if you like less spicy use more ranch than hot sauce)
5. Add 1/4 cup of sour cream
6. stir and let simmer on low heat with lid on 
7. Stir the mixture every 3 to 4 minutes as needed to prevent from any of the dip burning to the pan
8. while dip is being simmered, shred cheddar cheese, or get the bag of shredded cheddar cheese, when the cream cheese has melted and ingredients have mixed well, slowly add cheddar cheese and mix as you add
9. Once all the ingredients have been mixed, serve hot, or pour into a heat safe bowl 

Homemade Lemon Pepper Tortilla Chips

So this is an easy recipe that not only tastes amazing, but is an alternative to the $5 bag of air that you get at the grocery store and you have more control over the ingredients going into your body and your family's body.

What you'll need:

2 Bags of tortillas (I used corn this time but you can get any kind of tortilla you want)
1 bottle of lemon pepper seasoning
Salt
Coconut Oil Spray


What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 (this is awesome cause there's no deep frying so you don't have that gross greasy feeling while you eat the chips)
2. Spray cookie sheet with coconut oil (you could use any spray oil, I choose coconut cause it has better nutrients and is healthier)
3. Take tortillas and in small stacks cut into triangles
4. Lay out tortillas on cookie sheet, don't worry if they are kind of touching cause they aren't going to rise or anything
5. Spray with a light spray of coconut oil, sprinkle lemon pepper and salt to your tasting (you can use any seasoning you want I chose lemon pepper so it has a nice flavor to compensate for not dousing the chips with salt)
6. Place in oven for 10 mins or until golden 
7. Remove and let cool for 5 mins
8. Repeat till you've made the desired amount of chips, I make 2 bags of tortillas worth so we have some to last us through out the week. 

Rainbow Icecream

So as I promised in my last post, I will be posting quite a few recipes this next week or so. This one I found a video for on facebook, and thought I would give it a try. It originally was called "Galaxy Icecream" and looked amazing however when it came to mine, it more so looked like rainbow icecream. Flavor was vanilla and was extremely creamy and delicious and I have to say that it was rather easy to make. I did alter the recipe to make a little bit bigger batch.

What you'll need:

• 4 Cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 14 oz can of sweetend condensed milk
• 3 Tablespoons of Vanilla
• 1 box of food coloring

What you need to do:

1. In a mixing bowl mix heavy whipping cream till nice and fluffy
2. mix in sweetened condensed milk till fluffy
3. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly
4. Seperate icecream mixture in 4 different containers evenly
5. dye each container of mixture a different color of your choice and stir
6. in a plastic container large enough to hold all the mixtures pour each color one at a time on top of each other
   
7. Freeze, I froze mine overnight the video on facebook said 4 to 6 hours

Mustard Seed of Faith

Hello,
I know it's been a while, what a crazy summer it's been! I owe so many recipes I can't even think straight!!! No worries, a yummy icecream one to be posted by tomorrow evening, I promise!!! Many blessings have been pouring out to my husband and I that it's almost hard to keep track of!! All of the thanks we owe to the Lord and those who are faithful to Him!

Recently I had an appointment (as recent as yesterday), a few months ago I did a couple of posts about my infertility and about dealing with and coping with PCOS. I talk openly about it to anyone who asks or who wants to know more information but I don't post about it to often partially because for me it's become so normal for me to have to deal with and then at times there are moments such as now that I have no way of really processing what is going on other than to type it out and see it in front of my face staring me back like one of those crazy reflections in those wavy fun house mirrors where it's you but it doesn't look like you. So as I have mentioned, this page is my open journal, my easy way of updating family and friends, and my way of letting people see what a normal life is like, which I think is so important with all the reality shows out there that don't seem to be so real.

My appointment wasn't bad in the sense of the doctor was horrible or the place was horrible, but hearing what I heard was not helpful. I was once again confirmed PCOS is the gift I will have for a lifetime, and to be honest I handled it like a champ in my opinion considering I've been dealing with this for years, however with new doctors they always want to be the one to diagnos a patient. Once it was confirmed we discusses how long my husband and I have been working towards having a child (1 year, basically since the day we were married, we knew it would be a long road ahead to children so we thought start sooner rather than later) it was explained to me that most women it takes 1 year for a pregnancy to occur, for women with pcos the chances of children are less, but as my doctor put it "not no chance, just not as much of a chance as a women with no pcos or fertility issues" (Lovely thank you for the new information on that one). She then proceeeded to tell me the plan of action we were going to take, and I have to say I am quite comfortable with the plan except for one little hiccup both tests that are detrimental to my treatment and fertility plan isn't covered by insurance, why? because it's not detrimental to my way of living so therefore it is deemed as not necessary by some higher up that sits in his or her office with all the things they could want who know nothing of me, they get to deem my husband and I wanting to love a child and care for a child and make sacrifices for another human being as not necessary to our lives.

Today in politics we have people voting for the "it's her choice" well shouldn't it be my choice then on if me having a child is detrimental to my well being? Shouldn't I get the final say as to whether or not fertility tests are detrimental? Shouldn't I get the easy freedom of walking into my doctor's office and having the proper tests that are needed without having to worry about where is the money going to come from?! We are so eager to give women the freedom to kill a child so she can have the life she wants, but what about the women who want a child but can't afford treatment for the life that she wants? Where is her justice?!!

I take this with heavy heart but I place it before the Lord, because I know only the Lord can bless us with a child, that ultimately when it comes down to it, The Lord knows the desires of my heart and He has that and better planned for me, I know that I need to keep quoting one of my favorite scriptures "Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains" though I have worries and fears of what could come of my desires to be a mother, I hold tight to knowing "Fear not for I am with you." The Lord stands strong not only next to me but over me, and I claim the healing blood of Jesus over my infertility. What comes of it I will have to be okay with knowing that it is what God wants.

I guess this piece I've written isn't my best work,and I know it's a little scattered but ultimately what I am asking is that you pray for me, my husband and for this struggle and burden that we face, I want to also clarify, I trust in the Lord whole heartedly when it comes to the funds of these treatments and upon talking this through we are going to go through with the tests. I will keep you posted :)

**By tomorrow 8/19/16 I promise there will be a recipe posted!!!

Even the Littlest of Things

My husband and I recently have embarked on a new journey in blind faith, there is faith and then there is blind faith. I used to think they were both the same but in recent weeks I am learning they are by far different. Faith is trusting in the things unknown, blind faith is trusting in the things unknown while knowing as a human this is pure crazy.

We recently have stepped down from a wonderful ministry as youth pastors to a loving church with loving people and wonderful kids, truly we were blessed. However, in recent past 2 months we have felt God starting to "nudge" we started to feel this unsettlement of what once was settled. So we prayed, was it Randy's job? Was it my job? Was it the degree programs we had chosen to start in August? All of them were no's. We both thought "Surely it can't be our ministry position?!" and with a conjoined heart we knew "yes." that was the part that was unsettled. So with prayer we both individually and together came to the mutual decision of "It's time to go." I think what was crazy for everyone was that we didn't have another ministry position in line, we didn't have a crazy place we were leaving to go to. We just knew that in order for the place God wanted to work out next we needed to be completely stepped down and in that time humbly praying and asking God "Where do we go?" and hoping and waiting and praying that He would provide all our needs when it was time to go. We had many people ask "Where are you going? What ministry opportunity are you leaving for? Will you stay in the area? Will you still be in ministry? Are you stepping down from ministry all together?" It was crazy to answer but we simply could say "You know as much as we do, all we know is that God wants us to step down and wait on His word on where we are going next."

So Now its not even 7 days into us being out of our positions, Sunday was our last day, it was a beautiful last day at that, wonderful memories, conversations and uplifting words. I have always been one to remind someone "Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains." It's a scripture I hold fast to when it comes to getting the desires of my heart that God has placed in me.

With this "move" or new place of ministry God has for us I started to worry and so did Randy, I know so dumb considering God has it all. Randy as a husband has worries of finding a new place we can afford, and that will accept Darby, and us both having an income, and being able to thrive in a new ministry setting. My worries as a wife differed, I mean I can agree with his worry, but mine was more Will I be able to make the new house a home? Will I make friends for us? Will we have a place that I can watch little Darby grow to love? and I think Randy and I both worried "Will we have the finances for the move? Will we be able afford the utilities that come with moving to a new place?"

So for me I categorized what I could as a human, I can't determine the social part, I can't determine if Darby will love her new place (though as a beagle so long as she can romp and play  and has a window to sit in the sun, yes I know like a cat, then she will be happy). I could determine what things would make me feel better about the move, Living in the apartment we have now I didn't have a need for a dinning room table as we had a bar in the kitchen with lovely kitchen bar stools to sit at, and I didn't have a need for a dresser because we had a huge walk in closet with floor to ceiling shelving, and we didn't have a headboard because it wasn't the top priority. So if your following this you probably can imagine what I decided to Trust to the Lord and have faith He would provide.

Now a headboard, dresser, and dinning room set doesn't seem like much to have to get, but for us in the middle of summer, we went from 3 incomes to 1 income, that is a huge jump down in finances. So I knew those items were going to not only have to fit our need, but also be something I could love and feel like would fit in our home now but also later, but it would also have to be EXTREMELY AFFORDABLE! Here below is how in 7 days God provided 2 out of 3 needs (and I am sure the 3rd is soon to follow)

1. The Dinning Room set: This happened Sunday, the day we stepped down from our ministry in blind faith, I found it on facebook on accident I wasn't really looking actively yet, it was a black iron table, with a white distressed wood top with hand painted paris details on it that made it look like it belonged in a garden cafe in Paris (which if you know me you know I love black furniture, iron details and Paris) I messaged the lady without seeing the price she informed me she had it for a high price but no one seemed to want it so she lowered it to $80, well for me I knew my husband was not going to approve $80 for a table and 4 chairs even if it was a great deal for how detailed it was, and with talking to her she managed $65!!! for 4 chairs and a table all personalized and detailed beautifully!!!



So after the dinning room table set, I thought to myself and outloud "Okay God, I see what your doing here, I am going to follow you on this. If I can get my dinning room table set, dresser and headboard, then I know the next place we go will be just fine."

2. The Dresser: This happened just now on Tuesday as I am writing this, it's only been about 48 hours after stepping out in blind faith and after looking on craigslist just to look I found some dressers in those 48 hours but none seemed to work out between price, location or availability. This morning I couldn't sleep so I looked in my email and low and behold a gorgeous $25 dresser with cabinet doors on top that would match Randy's dresser and fit my need. Upon discussing with the lovely woman who has no idea just how much God is using her in this moment to bless another family, she said "she felt it was time to get rid of it because she hasn't used it and it's just sat there looking beautiful, and that she hated to get rid of it but she just didn't have a use for it." *Insert my head screaming and laughing THANK YOU JESUS!!!**

Now I don't have a headboard yet, but it's only been 2 days, who knows by the end of the night I could be picking up a headboard in the morning.

Now that you have read my long post (Can we say I am making up for the time it's been since our last one?) I want to use this to say to you, Jesus said to Cast all your worries on Him, not just the big worries, but the small ones to. God wants to provide your needs, but you have to be willing to not just reach out and press in to Him but also to go where He guides you and do some of the work with Him, not do the work on your own but WITH HIM!!! Cast your cares on God and see what He will do!!!