Recipe for Marriage

A few weeks ago today, daughter Allie married her love, Jordan Keeney. If this isn't a 'recipe for grace' I do not know of one! These two are marvelous together and if I could write a recipe for grace about them and FOR them, it would go like this:

A happy and long marriage IS indeed, a recipe for grace. God wants to see his people happy, healthy and filled with love in many forms--loving kindness to fellow humans, love for friends, family and last but not least, love of the romantic kind, as husband and wife. This kind of love is a bond like no other and nothing helps more than the grace of God! So what else is a recipe for a good marriage? Trust. Kindness and patience. Truth telling. Agreeing to stick together in decision making even when you are not totally sure that you on board with 'said' decision. Loving when it's hard to love, and, being loved when you are quite positive that you are being unlovable. Marriage takes commitment when you want to bolt and time when yours is all spent. It means that sometimes you wish you could only think about yourself, but you promised when you said 'I do' that you would consider the wishes and dreams for two. And possibly later, for three, four or more of you!

And how do you combine this recipe to make it last? Mix all the ingredients: kindness, tender loving care, patience, listening, truth-telling, agreements, and bind this together with love--a long lasting huge dose of it! Mix well. Mix often and incorporate the ingredients in different doses, frequently.

Recipes for GRACE? Tag! YOU are IT!

My blog, "Recipes for Grace",  is basically a blog spot for food. I usually POST about food! But today I feel obliged to post about grace. Do you feel grace in your day? I'm frankly searching for it often these days. I am a blessed, happy person but lately I feel the displeasure of the world and almost as if in concert, humanity is saying "Pfffft people, you all are just stinkin' awful." Well. Use stronger language if you'd like. I did, under my breath.

What is UP, my friends? Why the social- media/TV news- casting basicly bad mannered-all-time low LACK of good manners and basic Golden-Rule living?? WHY? Where is the GRACE? Where's the love your neighbor as yourself thinking?

I want to see, feel and hear the good news of the world. I know it's not all pretty. I realize we are not handed life, tied in a bright pink bow, served on a platter of love-- kind of world anymore. BUT. I see you. I see the ones who pay it forward at the drive-thru window, helping the yelling mom behind you, who is frustrated by screaming kids who are tired and hungry. I SEE the person helping an elderly woman out of her flooded home. So. THERE'S the grace. It's the still small voice that is tamped down because the complainers are getting more attention and frankly, more news media at 5:00 PM today.

I want to hug those of you who are showing grace and I say to you:  I see your love and I feel its effect, though small. I wish I could cook you all some apple brownies, wrapped in pink bows of love. Look past the complaints. Feel the hugs. Help me feed the hungry. And let's all fuel humanity with the GRACE of daily living....one. day at a time. I see YOU. Keep up the grace! Goodness and mercy and the Golden Rule? It IS what it's all about!

Recipes to follow, ...well,after recipes for grace!
Love and peace,
Marci

Banana Bread with Chocolate chips

This recipe is probably the most asked about, over the years.  When bananas are turning brown, this is what I do with them! The recipe originated from a kids' play group that I initiated in Lawton, OK in the 90's and comes from Judi McCormick. Judi, if you are out there in blog world or Facebook land, the only thing I tweaked was adding chocolate!!!

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted (DO NOT substitute margarine)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. water (if bananas are small, sometimes two tbsp.)
2 cups, minus 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup, chocolate chips, reserving half for the top of the batter. 

Blend all ingredients in bowl with the mashed bananas. Stir by hand until mostly smooth. Use either 2 smaller or one large loaf pan. Spray with butter and sprinkle a tsp of sugar in the bottom. Batter is thick and will need to be spooned into pans. Lastly, sprinkle half of the chips on top. Option: I have used white chips when I have them. Either or BOTH, are good!

This is always a hit at coffee time at church, breakfast at home, munching anywhere, anytime.
ENJOY. :)

Shrimp Creole Learned in the New Orleans Cooking School.

This recipe came directly from my experience at a cooking school:  The New Orleans School of Cooking on St. Louis Street in New Orleans! I was there a few years ago.Ok. I was there MANY years ago (1994 maybe)  and I pull out this recipe for special occasions. I may or may not have had a Pat O'Brien's Hurricane headache the day of the cooking class, from the previous night. :) I promised a few friends that I'd post it on here for you to make/share. ENJOY!

Shrimp Creole Ingredients:
3 lbs. peeled shrimp     
1 stick butter
8 tbsp. flour
1 can 14-16 oz. tomato sauce
Trinity of:
2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped green pepper
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 c. chopped green onion
1 c. chopped parsley
1 tbsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. basil
3 bay leaves
3. cups chicken stock
1 tbsp. brown sugar
4 thin lemon slices
Joes's Stuff seasoning to taste
rice
Procedure:
Saute shrimp in butter for 2-3 minutes and remove; add flour and stir over medium heat (making rue) until lightly browned.
Add onions, celery, gr. pepper, garlic and saute' the veggies until transparent. Add stock, tomato sauce, rest of herbs and seasonings, sugar and lemon. Simmer at least 15 minutes.
Add green onions, parsley, and shrimp during last 5 minutes. Serve over rice.
Makes about 8 servings.

Marci's options:
I use twice the tomato and I use a can of stewed, a can of diced. I then add about a tbsp. of tomato paste. When I can, I use seafood stock or vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Any herb seasoning will do (like blackened or seafood seasoning) if you cannot find Joe's stuff. ( think they sold it there) The lemons are a MUST. Let them cook away, for longer. Actually I make the whole thing several hours ahead and put it in the crockpot, adding the final ingredients the last 5-10 minutes. Shrimp get rubbery if you cook them longer!!!

Next? Bread pudding? I really need to blog more recipes, because it's so fun to me!!
Enjoy, family and friends.