Grilled Cheese Egg Sandwich

 You really can't go wrong with an egg sandwich in the mornings before you start your day. And this grilled cheese egg sandwich is Michael's favorite and the most requested.

Lucky for me, it's fairly easy to make.

Ingredients:

Butter or margarine

2 slices of bread (whatever kind of bread you like or have on hand)

2 eggs

1-2 sliced of cheese (I used American but have used sliced of cheddar or mozzarella)

sliced ham

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a pan over medium high heat and melt some butter. While the butter is melting beat eggs with salt and pepper and butter one side of each slice of bread.

Once the butter melted add eggs to the pan and cook using a rubber spatula to fold eggs while cooking.

When eggs are nearly cooked add one slice of bread, butter side down to the pan.

Add cheese and meat on top of the bread. When the cheese begins to melt move eggs to bread slice.

Add second slice of bread to pan, butter side down.

Put the sides together and continue to grill until golden brown.

Move to a plate, slice in half and enjoy!

Do you have a favorite breakfast?

Bible Journaling: 1 Peter 5:7

This is a verse that I have to remind myself about a lot.

Because I am someone who holds on to everything. I carry it with me wherever I go. All those things that make me feel, especially the negative ones. Especially the ones that give me anxiety and bring me fear. I carry those ones. They are the hardest to let go of.

But then we have this letter from Peter. He is giving instructions on how to live. with caring for others and learning to submit to God and to others.

In 1 Peter 5:7 he states "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

It's a simple statement and reminder of God's love. He is a God that should be feared and respected. He could knock out the entirety of civilization with just one thought but instead He gave his son for my sins. And even on top of that he is willing to bear my burdens because he cares.

In his love he wants to free me of fear, and worry and the thoughts that ring through my mind that say that "I am not enough" and "I can't be loved".

He has proven over and over again that I am loved by him. God's actions have done nothing but show his love for those who are his. So I know that I can trust him with my fear. I can share it with him and he will still love me when the words are out. And then I don't have to hold on to it anymore because he is carrying it for me.

I'm going to leave you with a song.

It's one that I've been hearing a lot lately and I thinks it's beautiful. The video is long but I think this song is worth the listen.

Bible Journaling: Leviticus 6:13

I've been really enjoying my time Bible Journaling. It gives me time to focus on a specific verses and a way to creatively and actively meditate on God's Word.

This verse is from Leviticus 6:13 which says: "The Fire must be kept burning on the alter continuously; it must not go out."

In this verse, God is giving Moses instructions to give to the Israelites about the alter. It talks about the literal fire that is always burning where offerings are given. Each day the priest is to clear the ashes from the day before and add wood and keep the flame burning. It needs to be consistently renewed.

And I believe that this is true for our spiritual fire. It must be kept burning. There must be a daily connection to God to keep the fire going. A daily renewal. Just like the physical fire in the temple.

For me this means reading my Bible everyday. And talking to God. Some days have long conversations and other days it's just a quick check in. But there is always something to bring him in. I also will spend time, usually weekly, working on some kind of Bible journaling. And we also do some kind of weekly Bible study with the kids.

I want to do my best to feed the flame of my spirit. I never want it to go out.

What's for Dinner?: Chimichangas

A couple of months ago I made awesome giant chimichangas. I've been meaning to share them for so long. And it just slipped my mind.

These chimichangas were awesome. Let me share with you how I made it.

I started with a 2-3 pound pork roast and placed it in the slow cooker. I added a bag of frozen 3 peppers and onion veggie bag. And on top I added the spiced I like, cumin, chili powder, basil and minced garlic. Set to cook for 6 to 8 hours. This makes a ton of meat.

When the pork is fully cooked and tender, remove it and the veggies from the broth and through it in the stand mixer. Put in the paddle attachment and let the mixer do the shredding. Makes it so much easier than the two fork method. Two minutes in the mixer saves 20 minutes.

Throw the meat into a bowl and add some of the cooking broth until moist. Take a bite and add salt and pepper or more spices to taste.

Now, its time to roll up the meat in some giant tortillas. I used 12 inch tortillas. Add cheese, if desired.

Heat up oil in a skillet. I used a cast iron to keep an even fry.

Once oil is hot, add in chimichangas, and fry until golden and then flip.

This recipe makes a ton. But they freeze well. Just wrap each individually in foil and reheat in the oven when the craving for one hits.

You can eat these as is or topped with sour cream and guacamole. They can really be made to any preference you like.

If you try it out, let me know how you like it!

Bible Journaling: Philippians 4:8

Philippians 4:8 is a verse that sticks with me all the time. Mainly because I have a hard time keeping my mind in a positive place. I am someone who will let things get to me and just pull me down into a hole that is hard to crawl out of. 

Because of this, I spend a lot of time fighting my own mind. I have to remember to take my runaway thoughts and let them go and think of better things.

And to help me with this I turn to Philippians 4:8 which says "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think of such things."

I know that I have to think on the good. Because there is so much good. And when I get into a thought funk I will miss it. It will just pass me by. And so I actively work on keeping my mind focused on the "true, right, noble, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy"- it really helps make my days better. And it keeps me focused more on God and not myself.

Bible Journaling: Exodus 14:14

Bible journaling has become all the rage on Pinterest.

I've seen many pictures pop up as I would go through my Pinterest feed of beautifully made pictures to describe Bible verses.

As I looked more into it I became more and more intrigued. Because I love decorating with words. I love seeing words become pictures to give a visual expression of what is being said.

So I wanted to dive into it myself.

First things first: Pick a Bible that has wide margins and is in a translation that I like. I wanted it to be a hardcover binding so that it will lay flat and be sturdy when I work in it.

I chose this one:

It's not too big in size. Has readable print and wide margins. It's perfect for me.

And once I got it, I grabbed some colored pencils. I opted for pencils because I wanted to option of erasing if I needed and wanted to keep it as simple as possible for me. But I still wanted many color options and minimal fuss. Some people like to use paint or crayons, or painters pen. Some like stickers and glue and glitter. There is really no wrong way to do this.

And then I needed to choose my verse. I decided to stick with a verse instead of a big chunk of scripture. I wanted to be able to keep it simple and meditate while I created.

I chose Exodus 14:14- "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."

This is one of my favorite verses. That is why I chose it to start my Bible Journaling. You can read this chpater of Exodus here.

The Israelites were being pursued by Pharoah and his army after fleeing Egypt. They were at the shore of the Red Sea and could see the Egyptians approaching. They began to fear. They began to question what they were doing. They began to question God. And Moses tells them: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."

And Moses then listened in obedience to God and lifted his staff and the Red Sea parted before them.

You see, this was not a time for battle. This was a time for obedience. The Lord was already prepared for the fight. They just needed to follow his instructions and he would take care of the rest.

For me, it's all about getting out of God's way. I don't have to prepare to fight. I don't have to be in the battle. Instead I can hang up my gloves and step aside and just listen to God. And he will take care of the rest.

Have you dabbled in Bible Journaling?

I'll share more as I continue to add in my study.

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Homemade Sub Bread

Lately we are busy! It seems almost every single night there is something to do and we are rushing through dinner. There are even nights we aren't even able to make it home. So what are our dinner options? Either some kind of fast food, which for this family of 5 could cost us around $30-$40, or bring something from home that is easy to take along.

And our preferred easy travel food are sub sandwiches.  Everyone can have just what they want on their sandwich so there is no complaining and it's filling with chips and fruit on the side. It makes a full meal and that makes this mom happy!

And I have completely embraced making our own Sub Sandwich Bread. I have found that the store sub bread just never quite makes the cut. It just lacks flavor, is typically too thick and makes sandwiches too dry. But this homemade bread can be as thick as you like and is soft and just plain yummy!

Give it a try and see how your family likes it. And it's super easy.

Homemade Sub Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups bread flour

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil)

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1 1/3-1 1/2 cups warm water

1. Set the stand mixer with dough hook. In bowl add flours, salt, oil, sugar, yeast. Combine on lowest setting for 30-60 seconds.

2. Slowly add water to mix while mixer is on. (start with about a cup and if it looks too dry slowly add a little more at a time until dough is wet)

3. Once a dough has formed knead on medium low for about 5-7 minutes and the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.

4. Dump dough on to a clean counter a knead until it forms a smooth ball.

5. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with dishcloth and let rise until double in size, about an hour.

6. Once dough has risen, remove from bowl and divide into 6-8 pieces and shape to desired size and length.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and let bread rise for about 30 minutes.

8. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes. At 15 minutes, you'll have a crunchier crust and a soft inside and 10 minutes is soft all around bread.

9. Let cool, then slice through the middle and add your favorite sandwich fix ins!

I have found that this bread goes great with just about anything! Enjoy and let me know how your sandwiches turned out!