AND THE WINNER IS...

PAM!!!! Let's all take a moment to clap for Pam, the winner! *clapclapclap!* Congrats! I might even have your mailing address already! Expect a package in the next two weeks!

With a little guidance from the gal I mention quite often, I found a “random draw thingy” on the net. This one is supposed to be more random than others because it uses "atmospheric noise," whatever that is. Anyway, I’m satisfied that it is completely random!

And this concludes my Bloggy Birthday Celebration. Thank you to all who visited my humble abode over the past month and week, especially the most faithful and helpful, Karla, without whom there would be no blog! Looking forward to many more months and years!

Expect to see a new color scheme in the next couple days!

Saturday Stirrings

I am putting up this recipe especially for Fresh Girl, since it seems we both have a fondness for entrees with raisins! I had thought this was a curry dish, but I was wrong! Must have been thinking of the cumin.

It's a bit soupy, so white rice is highly recommended! Fresh green beans and bread would make good sides.

Once again, don't be frightened by the list of ingredients. This recipe is pretty quick, otherwise I wouldn't cook it. Just line all the seasonings up, grab your measuring spoons, and measure all of them at once. Only takes a couple minutes.

Shrimp Vindaloo

½ tsp salt
½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp canola oil (we used vegetable)
1 ½ cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp golden raisins, chopped (we used dark, left whole)
1 lb med. shrimp, peeled and deveined (we used cooked, frozen and thawed)

Combine all seasonings in small bowl. Add vinegar, stirring to form paste; set aside. Heat oil in large, nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Saute onion 2 minutes. Add garlic; saute 20 seconds. Add paste; stir constantly 30 seconds. Add broth and raisins. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add shrimp, cook 4 minutes until shrimp are done.

You can do more drooling over at the Fiddle's brain dump.

Location, location!

They say location is everything! Our Master bedroom is the spot my son picked as the prime location for construction of his latest Lego kit. Whee! I guess it’s not too strange, since that’s the room where we watch movies and play video games. Anyhow, this baby has over 1300 pieces and was $100, most of which he paid for out of his own pocket.

I’m pretty proud of him. You see, he’s always had everything he wants or needs, being an only child with two doting parents and all. I recently felt like he needed to experience working and saving. So when he asked for this Lego set, instead of buying it for the next holiday, we suggested he start saving his money. He had a great time collecting and counting all the coins from all of his piggy banks (He has accumulated several over the years.). After adding his birthday money, bribery money offered for playing better in basketball (story for another time), and money from some odd jobs around the house, he had almost enough. (Greg offered to pay 20% and the tax from the very beginning.) He’s already started to save for something else.

Incidentally, we just asked Kylen why he picked the Master bedroom to unload his kit. He answered, “Because that’s where Daddy plays Fire Emblem.” That would be the game with the guy who never gets off his horse…er, I mean woman. That’s just sad. LOL!

More of Him

What a wonderful blessing it is when God answers a question I’ve long been pondering! “Why does God allow horrible things to happen?” Recently, I heard a true story about a man who gave his heart to Jesus after carrying out an order to kill a large group of missionaries – men, women, and children. He had been amazed at their peace in the face of death and wondered if their God would forgive him for his horrific crimes – a man of war well acquainted with murder. This one precious soul was saved at the price of many lives.

I believe this is one of the main reasons bad things happen. God sees everything as revolving around souls being saved. As sad as He is to see any suffering on this earth, He is immensely sadder to see any soul lost for all eternity. Because of His great love for every single person, He will bring about circumstances just right so that anyone with a willing heart will receive Him. I’m certain every one of those missionaries would say it was worth dieing. Wouldn’t it be worth a million lives if just one more person made it to heaven?

When things don’t go the way I think they should, I often say, “There could be a soul at stake,” and it puts everything into perspective.

Click here for More of Him links.

Your Cross

A forward I got through e-mail: Think about this.

He made your CROSS the perfect size; its weight, width and length are exactly what he knows you need to get you to the other side. He will never, ever give you more than you can handle, no matter how fierce you think the storms are. They are exactly what you need.

GOD IS AWESOME! HIS GRACE IS ALWAYS SUFFICIENT!

Let's Celebrate!

Sing with me: Happy Birthday to Bloggy! Happy Birthday to Bloggy! The day you all have been eagerly anticipating is finally here! This fantastic, fun ride began exactly one month ago on February 1st, and to celebrate I am having a bloggy giveaway! My very first! Oooooh! I’m so excited!

All you need do is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite color is and how much you like chocolate (or don’t like, as the case may be if at some point your taste buds were zapped by aliens and permanently damaged). I will do the drawing a week from today using one of those random draw thingies I am always reading about. Note to self: Learn how to use random draw thingy this week. All comments must be in by midnight on Friday the 6th. International entries welcome!

The winner will receive a package with lots of fun stuff representing my hobbies and interests. It will be a minimum $30 value and include random items from my favorite craft store and possibly chocolate (if your taste buds are in good order).

Saturday Stirrings

No blog party is complete without cake! This recipe is so simple and unusual, I just had to give it a spin. It's quite different from the usual cake texture but very tasty and rich...almost addictive. Serves 4 (6 if you add a scoop or two of your favorite vanilla ice cream).

Henrietta's Dump Cake
1 can cherry pie filling

1 small can blueberries or 1 cup fresh blueberries (I used fresh)

1 box white cake mix

2 sticks real butter, melted

1 cup nuts, chopped (I omitted)

In a 9 x 12-inch greased pan, layer the ingredients in the order listed. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

Note: You read right! Don't mix the cake batter in the traditional way! Just pour it in the pan dry. I know it's weird, but be brave! Be bold! Be adventurous!

For more "high on the hog" ideas, simply visit the trough.

Don't forget to leave a comment in the above post to be entered in my blog giveaway!