Tip of the Day 4/17/12

As you consider ways to prepare more meals at home and healthier alternatives, one of the keys is variety. It is easy to get stuck in a rut of fixing the same meals over and over. One reason we go out to eat is variety. We need to bring variety into our home cooking as well. In recent years cooking shows have popped up everywhere on TV with at least two networks devoted to the topic of food. You can now Google a couple of ingredients you have on hand and you will be rewarded with recipes to fix using those ingredients. If you have tried a particular dish when eating out and would like to try to replicate it, again the computer is your friend. By joining sites like Pinterest there is an endless source of choices. Some days I not only feel like, "so many books, so little time" but now feel like, "so many recipes, so few meal times." Cooking is a very rewarding activity, you are being creative and active and preparing something wonderful to present to your family and friends to enjoy. Challenge yourself with recipes out of your comfort zone in preparation methods. It goes back to what I mentioned last week about learning something new everyday. If you are unsure of something just Google it and you will likely find a video to walk you through it. Several summers ago my husband and I took cooking lessons instead of a regular vacation. We learned a lot of new things, but with the limited time of the class it was hard to remember everything. So, I resorted to the internet to refresh my memory. I found a great video that showed me again how to use the steel we purchased to sharpen our knives, a close up of what chiffonade should look like, and a reminder of what a mirepoix is. So, go for it, and impress yourself with what you can do and "enjoy the fruits of your labor (of love)." Everyone else will also.

Word for Today, Singing: Music plays a major role in our lives. Mothers sing songs to their newborns, there are songs to teach children the alphabet, school programs always include songs, our church experience is filled with music, developing our own taste in music genres is one of the first acts of independence for adolescents, memories are triggered by particular songs, and music can help us escape the routine of life. I love every type of music (almost) and I credit my parents with instilling that love in me. There was always music playing in our home and there are some pretty awesome musicians in our family. I have sung in a choir or worship team or played in a band since I was a little girl. We had a conversation at Book Club last week about how important music is in our lives and how it can change even our outlook on a situation. Music was meant to be shared. We sing along with the radio and if we are at a concert we can't seem to stop ourselves from singing along. The awesome thing is the Creator of music actually wants us to sing, all the time, He loves it. We are even told to "make a joyful noise," so even if you think you can't sing, you have no excuse. :) "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."