Monday's Menu Archives - GHUMC

Monday’s Menu 1.3.22

Katie Landis, GH Social Media Manager & Monday’s Menu contributor

Simplicity

On Monday’s Menu for 2022, a family standard standby welcomes the hero call of the day. After the clearing and cleaning of spaces in your home and getting back into “routine”, an easy to make, satisfying meal saves the day! Tonight’s meal for our family is noodles, peas, and bacon. This simple one pot meal prepares in a snap and fills the hungry stomachs around the table.

Monday’s Menu 1.3.22 Recipe

Noodles, Peas, and Bacon

Ingredients:

Egg Noodles

1 bag of Peas

16 oz. Bacon (choose your favorite kind: thick cut, smoked, etc.)

Directions: Cook the bacon according to directions. (Tip: before cooking, I use kitchen shears to cut the bacon strips in half. This way there are more pieces in the dish at the end for enjoyment!) Boil water with a pinch of salt to cook noodles according to package directions. I like to steam our peas over the cooking pasta thanks to a pot with a steamer feature, but the peas can be cooked in their own pot on the stovetop and drained before adding them to the dish. When all items are cooked, combine in a large bowl and stir to mix. For a final touch, drizzle some bacon drippings over the dish. And enjoy!

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As you gather at the table try sharing about your day. We use an activity called, “One Thorn & One Rose.” Each person shares a challenge, or thorn, from their their day. Follow that by also sharing a good part, or rose, from your day. Once you have all shared, you have a verbal arrangement of beautiful blessings from your day to remember!

Monday’s Menu 1.3.22 in Scripture

Enjoy!

Katie

Monday’s Menu 12.27.21

Katie Landis, GH Social Media Manager & Monday’s Menu contributor

Celebration and Comfort

The final Monday of 2021. The final week of meals to prepare and enjoy as a family for the year. A warm, favored meal calls to the heart with a soothing comfort like none other.

Tonight for my family, a shared recipe used during times of gathering and laughter will meet them. Barbeque, once cooked, will be kept warm by the crock pot. Ready for the moment of enjoyment as we gather round the table. Plenty on hand to feed the bottomless stomachs of our teenage sons.

Monday’s Menu 12.27.21 Recipe

Mom’s BBQ

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium onion
• 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoon vinegar
• 2 Tablespoon mustard
• 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 12 ounces ketchup

Directions: Brown the onion, meat, and salt. Drain any excess fat. When browned, add rest of the ingredients. Cover. Turn to simmer.

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As we continue to celebrate the gift of redeeming love from our Heavenly Father, we also take comfort in it. Whatever your form of celebration looks like, know that He meets you right where you are. He loves you here and now.

Monday’s Menu 12.27.21 in Scripture

As you come to the table for your meal, may calm and comfort meet your stomach and your soul.

Enjoy!

Katie

Monday’s Menu 12.20.21

Katie Landis, GH Social Media Manager & Monday’s Menu contributor

Having Your Fruit

The countdown is on to the big celebration: the birth of our Lord and Savior. Many lists receive check marks as the items listed there are completed. Shopping, wrapping, and cleaning all take place in preparation for the days ahead.

As you look at the menu you are preparing for your loved ones, I ask you to take a moment and see if you have included fruit on that list. Specifically: Fruit of the Spirit. Contents include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Sharing this fruit with those around you may be one of the greatest gifts you can give this season. The eye contact and smile gift acknowledgement of the person to whom you are sending them. The wave ahead at the stop sign to let the hurried pedestrian or driver move along on their journey provide them the gift of generosity and kindness. Biting your tongue to keep a quick sharp response from hurting the recipient strengthens your self-control and offers love toward the challenging member of your conversation.

Monday’s Menu 12.20.21 in Scripture

Each of these elements brings a sweetness to your life when you choose to share them. The wonderful thing is that not only does your life become sweetened, but so too do the lives of those to whom you are extending the gifts of the Fruit of the Spirit! As you gather around the table for your meals, be sure to add some fruit to your table.

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Enjoy sharing the Fruit of the Spirit this season!

Katie

Monday’s Menu 12.13.21

Katie Landis, GH Social Media Manager & Monday’s Menu contributor

Making It Stick

Our family recently completed one of our fun activities for this time of the year: making gingerbread houses. Now we kept it simple by using graham crackers versus baking gingerbread from scratch or buying a premade kit. It allowed for versatility in our creativeness. Using the various candies picked up from the candy shop, the houses each blossomed into unique creations with their own sense of “home.” Putting all these pieces together exercised our creativity.

For this to all come and stay together, it took communication (we made the houses as a team) and some royal icing. They both help the good things come together. Ephesians shares direction on the type of communication that works well.

Monday’s Menu 12.13.21 in Scripture

May the words of your communication firm up life in a sweet way for those around you and yourself. If gingerbread houses are on the schedule for you this season, this recipe shared by my mom worked well for our houses. You can enjoy it too!

The Recipe

Royal Icing

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

3 egg whites at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

In a large mixer bowl beat sugar, whites, and cream of tartar for 8 to 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Keep bowl covered with dampened paper towel and plastic so that icing does not get hard. Note: Icing may be kept, covered and refrigerated, several days. Beat again with electric mixer before using. Assembly note: You will need a pastry bag (we used a zipped plastic bag) or cake decorating set with a fine, plain tip and a wide fluted tip. Fill the tip- assembled pastry bag with icing and apply to gingerbread creation.

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Enjoy making the grace and sweetness of the season stick in the lives around you!

Katie

Monday’s Menu 12.6.21

Katie Landis, GH Social Media Manager & Monday’s Menu contributor

Serving Love

The month of December fills with spirited activities of preparation and celebration. At this phase of life for our family, meals tend to occur in shifts. To provide a delicious hot meal can present a challenge. Tonight, I plan to tackle that challenge with the help of my crock pot.

Taco Ring/Homemade Hot Pocket is a family favorite meal. It consists of taco meat – we usually use browned burger seasoned with taco flavoring (but you can swap in chicken, turkey, or pork), cheese, and crescent rolls. Once the meat has been browned and seasoned, I add in 1 cup of shredded cheese along with 2 tablespoons of water for every pound of meat. While the meat is browning, I open 2 cans of crescent rolls.

Putting It Together

If the hot pockets have been requested, I leave the rectangles of together and press/pinch the dotted seams together to seal them. This yields 4 homemade hot pockets once filled and topped with another dough rectangle.

For the ring, all the triangles are separated and arranged in an overlapping circle with the right angle and short ends (the longer pointed end lays away from the center of the circle). Press the overlap together to seal the base. Then spoon the meat & cheese mixture onto the base section. Take the long pointed section and wrap it over the meat, tucking the tip under the dough on the opposite side to seal while baking. The ring yields 8 servings. These bakes at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

So tonight I will use my crock pot to keep the meat warm and each shift of dinner, 4 pm & 8:30 pm, will enjoy a warm bread filled with delicious meat from the oven. Using the tools available, I meet the needs of hunger in our home with a hot meal and a healthy dose of love.

Monday’s Menu 12.6.21 in Scripture

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Enjoy!

Katie