Meal Planning with Connie

Cinnamon is a tree native to the region from India to China. Traders made it available in Israel very early in Bible history. Today, cinnamon is best-known as a baking ingredient. However, in ancient times, it was used either as a perfume or in oils. Cinnamon was one of the ingredients God commanded Moses to use in the making of the holy anointing oil. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon , 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.” Exodus 30:22-25 Chef Sarah I just have to give a shout out to my buddy, Sarah!! Her Cinnamon Cake won first place at the county fair!! I am so proud of her!! She was invited to a local restaurant, Vainisi's , to demonstrate her cooking skills! W...

"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." ~ Robert C. Gallagher, retired banking CEO More changes to our meal plans! Constantly needing to change and adjust seems to be the only constant this time of year! Larry stuck a couple of chicken breast on the smoker while it was hot from cooking the pork ribs the other night. Because these needed eating, we had the pizza tonight. I substituted the smoked chicken breasts for the turkey called for in the recipe. The smoked chicken added a really nice little flavor to the pizza! I used one of Judy's big, juicy homegrown tomatoes! I love this pizza!! I also made some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread this afternoon. I had bananas and oats that needed using. This recipe was a great way to use them both! Here's a re-post and photo of the pizza. The Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread recipe is below. Turkey (or Chicken) Club Pizza Turkey Club Pizza 1 refrigerated pizza crust, baked and slight...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread I had bananas and oats I needed to use. This recipe was a perfect to use some of them! Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cups dry oats, quick or old fashioned 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2/3 cup sugar 1 tbsp. baking powder 1 cup chocolate chips 1/2 c. milk (add a bit more if needed) 1/2 c. peanut butter 2 ripe bananas, mashed 2 eggs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bread pans with cooking spray. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar and baking powder. Add chocolate chips, stirring to coat. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, peanut butter, banana, egg, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Fill prepared pans 3/4 full. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Psalm 119:103a Peanut Butter Balls We'll continue with our desserts that combine two of my favorites: chocolate and peanut butter! This is one of the homemade desserts on the menu at The Veranda in Starkville, MS. I like their presentation! The plate is drizzled with Hershey’s chocolate syrup, chopped Snickers bar and topped with the Peanut Butter Balls. My momma probably made a million of these tiny treasures over the years. She filled tin after tin for friends and relatives each Christmas! There are tons of recipe variations for these delectable little treats. Momma’s, and the version at The Veranda, are similar to the recipe below: Peanut Butter Balls 2 c. smooth or chunky peanut butter 1/2 c. butter 1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla 5 c. powdered sugar 12 oz. chocolate chips 3/4 bar paraffin Mix first 4 ingredients, roll into small balls. Melt chocolate and paraffin in double boiler. Dip balls into chocolate and cool on wax pap...