Some of my friends may not know that I was raised in a presbyterian church. Although I am now baptist and even married to the baptist preacher, there is one presbyterian thing that I hold on to year after year:
The tradition of lighting the advent wreath.
The four weeks leading up to Christmas get so full of fun, family-centered traditions, Hallmark movies, and busy-ness that a family can easily let the true meaning of Christmas slip away without even realizing it. In our secular world, effort must be made to keep Christ at the center of Christmas, and lighting the advent wreath is one way that our family pauses and remembers "the Reason for the season."
The wreath is a perfect circle of evergreen with four candles, reminding us of our eternal God. Every week leading up to Christmas, a candle, each with a different meaning, is lit.
As we begin our advent season today, we light the purple HOPE candle. Christ came to Earth to die for our sins, and now we can have a hope that the world does not understand.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Christmas Breakfast/ recipes
Shrimp and Grits has become standard fare for our Christmas morning breakfast. A friend from church, Jill Robbins, fixed this for us one night, and we were hooked! It is surprisingly easy!
-->EASY SHRIMP AND GRITS
To go along with the shrimp and grits, we had eggs, biscuits, and fruit cocktail. This year, a friend of mine, Senorita Minnick, and I made several jars of raspberry/mango jam to give as gifts. It is DELICIOUS, and very, very easy... trust me! It is a beautiful color, and has great flavor... I don't even like mangoes!
blender)
1 1/2 cups crushed red raspberries (about 1.5 pints)- we used the frozen bags of raspberries
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 pkg. fruit pectin
5 1/2 cups white sugar (don't worry- it goes a long way!)
Prepare home canning jars.
Combine mangoes, raspberries, lemon juice, and pectin in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.
Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Wipe jar clean. Screw band down evenly and firmly. Process 10 minutes in boiling water.
Yields about seven 8oz. jars.
The 6 Duleys wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp salt
1 cup quick grits
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp salt
1 cup quick grits
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 pound cooked, peeled small shrimp... do not overcook (I use the 12oz bag of frozen shrimp)
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/2 pound cooked bacon (optional... I do not use, b/c we love the shrimp taste)
Bring broth, cream, butter, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in grits. Cook, continually whisking, 7-8 minutes or until smooth. Stir in garlic, cheese, and shrimp. Garnish with bacon and green onions.
This recipe can be doubled to make more. It can be made ahead of time (add the shrimp at the end so as not to overcook them.) If making ahead, you may need to add a little hot water to keep the consistency smooth.
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 pound cooked, peeled small shrimp... do not overcook (I use the 12oz bag of frozen shrimp)
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/2 pound cooked bacon (optional... I do not use, b/c we love the shrimp taste)
Bring broth, cream, butter, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in grits. Cook, continually whisking, 7-8 minutes or until smooth. Stir in garlic, cheese, and shrimp. Garnish with bacon and green onions.
This recipe can be doubled to make more. It can be made ahead of time (add the shrimp at the end so as not to overcook them.) If making ahead, you may need to add a little hot water to keep the consistency smooth.
To go along with the shrimp and grits, we had eggs, biscuits, and fruit cocktail. This year, a friend of mine, Senorita Minnick, and I made several jars of raspberry/mango jam to give as gifts. It is DELICIOUS, and very, very easy... trust me! It is a beautiful color, and has great flavor... I don't even like mangoes!
RASPBERRY MANGO JAM
3 cups finely chopped, pitted, peeled mangoes (about 3lbs- we just put peeled chunks intoblender)
1 1/2 cups crushed red raspberries (about 1.5 pints)- we used the frozen bags of raspberries
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 pkg. fruit pectin
5 1/2 cups white sugar (don't worry- it goes a long way!)
Prepare home canning jars.
Combine mangoes, raspberries, lemon juice, and pectin in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.
Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Wipe jar clean. Screw band down evenly and firmly. Process 10 minutes in boiling water.
Yields about seven 8oz. jars.
The 6 Duleys wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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