"Where Is the Ham?"

“Jehovah-Jireh” is one of the many different names of God that we see in the Old Testament. It literally means "The LORD will provide".   We see that this is the name Abraham used when God had called him to go up to Mt. Moriah and there, sacrifice his only son, Isaac as an offering to the Lord.
As they near the site, Isaac asks his father about the offering or sacrifice.  They have everything BUT the needed sacrifice so Isaac asks “Where is the lamb?” What is Abraham's response to his son's question?  “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son”. (Genesis 22:1-8)

So here's MY take on this . . . "Where is the ham?"

 In recent weeks, (as in many times during our married life) we found ourselves with way more "month at the end of the paycheck".  I'm a pretty frugal shopper to begin with but these past few weeks really presented some challenges.  Yesterday morning, as I was doing my grocery list and menu for the week (and looking for the cheapest meals I could come up with), my husband returned home from the men's breakfast at our church . . . carrying a 9X13 size pan full of . . . ham.  He said there was a lot left over and they insisted he take the bulk of it.  He almost refused it, but then took it.   THAT I said will be our meals for the week!!

I know that He provides . . . I just have to be reminded sometimes.  

 

So we didn't find our meals on a mountain, but God provided them to us in a different way.

Today . . . a ham and cheese quiche, tomorrow . . . Ham and white beans . . . then Ham and potatoes . . . 

Here are some of the great recipes I found in case YOU have an abundance of ham to use up!

Betty Crocker Impossibly Easy Ham & Swiss Pie

(I used ham, broccoli and cheddar)

 Ham & White Beans

(My beans are canned so I'll just bake this in the oven)

Left Over Ham 'n Potato Casserole

How has God provided for you recently?  I'd love to hear your story!

Summer Mantle

Summer is my season -- I love everything about it including decorating my "mantle/nook" in my living room, to reflect my favorite place to be -- the beach.

Most of the shells came from our favorite spot -- St. Simons Island, Georgia.  We vacation there every year and hope to retire there some day.

 I kept a lot of the larger pieces the same (my vintage scale and books) and just added this cute string of seashell lights and a decorative fishing net.

 I draped the netting up onto the sconces and attached onto the old windows I have hanging on the wall to either side of the nook.

 The netting extends down to this basket I painted.  It's always filled with something to reflect the season.  The little birdhouse was a gift from our neighbors and is made of stained glass panels.  It's so pretty when it's lit up!

 This little picture actually has interchangeable sayings for the four seasons.  I made it by attaching a piece of metal to the base and the quote boards have little magnets so each piece snaps off and on. You can see how I did this on my post, "Four Season Art".

 Now isn't this the SWEETEST little nest?! I treasure this -- my girls found this on a walk years ago and brought it home to me.  There were no eggs in it of course but through the years I've collected Robin eggs from abandoned nests or found on walks in the woods.  I've had people ask, "Don't those eggs rot and stink?!".  Well, no.  None of mine have.  I didn't do anything with them to 'preserve' them and I've had most of these for several years now.  I wish I knew what kind of bird made this nest -- any ideas?  It's woven of extremely fine grasses -- no mud or sticks.  It's just lovely.

I always have a few 'anchor' pieces in my vignettes and then fill in with smaller, seasonal pieces and try to tie it all together with something like the fish net, or fabric, lace, etc.

 Now for a few shots I took yesterday of the butterflies on my phlox.  So lovely!

Not only popular with the butterflies but the bumblebees certainly were enjoying the flowers yesterday as well!  

 These flowers are so fragrant and have a fairly long growing period so my house is filled to the brim with them right now.  I hope you are enjoying the summer and soaking in all of this warmth and sunshine while you can (at least those of us up north are!).

What A Way To Go Brownies

 Okay.  So if you are looking for a healthy, low-fat, non-life threatening dessert . . . close this post right now and move on.  If you are looking for a simply, to-die-for dessert . . . read on.  As you can see from the major ingredients above, this is NOT heart-healthy.  Now if you know me, you know that this is NOT my typical dessert -- I pretty much stick to quinoa, rice, beans, low-fat, low-cholesterol . . . blah, blah, blah.  But every once in awhile, I allow myself an unhealthy indulgence and these brownies fit the bill!

The original recipe was found on a delightful blog, "Deliciously Yum".  Kathi shared this recipe and she calls these Krispie Peanut Butter Cup Brownies.  You can click on the link to get the recipe. I followed her recipe exactly.  The only suggestion I have is that after they chill in the refrigerator, let them set out for about 10 minutes before cutting.  If you try cutting them straight out of the fridge, the rice krispie top tends to separate from the brownie part.  Once I let the sit out a bit, they held together just fine.

Is your mouth watering yet?? This made a 9X13 of these killer bars.  They were so thick and rich that I cut them into 1" squares.  The first plate went to the Women's Bible Study dessert fellowship and there were none left.  I had a second plate of them that went to work with me . . . gone.

As an added bonus, after removing the brownies from the baking dish, I scraped out all of this luscious goodness!  About a cup or more of the 'dregs' -- so I put it all in a ziplock bag and tossed it into the freezer.  I'm thinking this will be awesome as an ice cream topping (fat free ice cream, of course) or to go on top of angel food cake slices!

So eat like a bird for a few days, THEN, head on over to Kathi's site and make these brownies!

Linking to these parties this week . . .

The DIY Showoff   http://diyshowoff.com/ (Monday)

 

I Should Be Mopping the Floor http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/ (Monday)

 

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/ (Tuesday)

Cedar Hill Ranch The Scoop http://cedarhillfarmhouse.com (Tuesday)

Creations By Kara http://www.creationsbykara.com/

Savvy Southern Style http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Ivy and Elephants http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/ (Wednesday)

The Thrifty Groove  http://www.thethriftygroove.com/

Living Well Spending Less http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/category/thrifty-thursday/ (Thursday)

The Feathered Nest http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/ (Friday)

The Charm of Home http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/ (Wednesday)

Simple Nature Décor http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com

French Country Cottage http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/

The Enchanting Rose http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/ (Tuesday)

Bella Rosa Antiques http://www.bellarosaantiques.blogspot.com/

Villa Barnes http://www.villabarnes.com/

 

Retro Ashtray Stand Table

Like I say, I am blessed to have friends and neighbors (you know who you are!) who give me their cast offs to repurpose.  A few weeks ago I saw this cool, retro ashtray stand on top of my neighbor's trash can.  After a quick text asking if I could have it, I snagged it because I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do with it.

 I loved the whole retro feel to this piece so it was definitely going to be a table for my gazebo, and of course, it would HAVE to be red.  

 Another friend had given me a lot of 'stuff', and in that haul was this lazy susan.  So I removed the "rotating" part from the bottom by just removing a few screws.  A quick coat of white chalk paint and some distressing and this was ready for some artwork.

 Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate winter and how much I love summer.  I knew that I had to find a 'summery' quote for this piece and was so excited to find this quote by Lucy Maude Montgomery, (gosh I love that name!) author of the Anne of Green Gables series.

 In keeping with the 50's feel of this piece, I found this great retro font.  I printed it out using WordArt to get it to curve and then traced it onto the wood using graphite paper.

 Here it is, painted and with a few coats of wax. A little E6000 glue attached this nicely to the base that I had sprayed with a few coats of glossy red paint.

 I love red (did I say that already??) and I love summer (said that too??) and I LOVE spending as much time as possible in my gazebo on hot, summer nights so I am thrilled with how this turned out.

 Ava likes it too :)

I wonder what it WOULD be like to live in a world where it was always June!?

Linking to these parties this week:

The DIY Showoff   http://diyshowoff.com/ (Monday)

I Should Be Mopping the Floor http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/ (Monday)

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/ (Tuesday)

Cedar Hill Ranch The Scoop http://cedarhillfarmhouse.com (Tuesday)

Creations By Kara http://www.creationsbykara.com/

Savvy Southern Style http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Ivy and Elephants http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/ (Wednesday)

The Thrifty Groove  http://www.thethriftygroove.com/

Living Well Spending Less http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/category/thrifty-thursday/ (Thursday)

The Feathered Nest http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/ (Friday)

The Charm of Home http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/ (Wednesday)

Simple Nature Décor http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com

French Country Cottage http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/

The Enchanting Rose http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/ (Tuesday)

Bella Rosa Antiques http://www.bellarosaantiques.blogspot.com/

Villa Barnes http://www.villabarnes.com/

Peach Pie Scones

 I love peaches -- especially when they're in something yummy like these peach scones! I found this recipe on alattefood blog and just had to try it -- WITH a few modifications to make it a bit 'healthier' for our diet.  Be sure to check out the original recipe!

A dear friend is moving (insert sad face here) and knowing my love for vintage teacups, she gifted me with some from her collection.  This is one of my favorites and it came with the matching dessert plate.

I love the gold detail and Royal Albert is definitely one of my favorite makers of china cups and saucers.

We are enjoying one of the FIRST hot days of the summer (FINALLY!) with a heat index near 105 -- perfectly logical day to heat the oven to 400 degrees and bake scones!

Below is the original recipe with my modifications.  Enjoy!

(Note: I DOUBLED the recipe 

so I could freeze some of these)

• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour (4 cups + 4 T flour)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (2/3 c brown sugar)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder (2 T baking powder)
• 1/2 tsp salt (1 t salt)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed and cold (still just 1/2 c butter - I used salted)
• 1 egg (1/2 c egg substitute = 2 eggs)
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, plus more for brushing(1/2 c fat free half & half)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (3/4 c fat free Greek yogurt)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (4 t vanilla)
• 1/2 cup fresh peaches, diced (1 c diced peaches)
Vanilla Glaze
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (1 c powdered sugar)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (2 T vanilla0
• 1-3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (2-4 T fat free half & half)

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Once combined, cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Whisk together heavy cream, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
4. Stir in the peaches, and mix until just combined.
5. On a well-floured surface, turn out the scone dough and pat into a small disk that's about a 1/2" thick. Cut into 6-8 slices, and transfer to the baking sheet. Brush each scone with just a bit of heavy cream.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or just until golden brown. Allow to cool.
Glaze
7. Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 1 Tbsp of heavy cream. If the glaze is too thick, continue adding in heavy cream, one 1 Tbsp at a time, until it has reached the desired consistency. Pour over warm scones and enjoy!
   Linking to these parties this week . . .
   The DIY Showoff   http://diyshowoff.com/
   
   
   I Should Be Mopping the Floor http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/
   
   
   Nifty Thrifty Tuesday http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
   
   
   Creations By Kara http://www.creationsbykara.com/
   
   
   Savvy Southern Style http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/
   
   
   Ivy and Elephants http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/
   
   
   The Thrifty Groove  http://www.thethriftygroove.com/
   
   
   Living Well Spending Less http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/category/thrifty-thursday/
   
   
   The Feathered Nest http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/
   
   
   The Charm of Home http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
   
   
   Simple Nature Décor http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com
   
   
   French Country Cottage http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/
   
   
   The Enchanting Rose http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/
   
   
   Bella Rosa Antiques http://www.bellarosaantiques.blogspot.com/
   
   
   Villa Barnes http://www.villabarnes.com/