Reflections on Feeding the Flock 23

Another A-Z challenge completed. This is something I’ve been doing since 2015. I actually dabbled in it in 2014 but was not very successful.  It disciplines me to actually take the time to write. I always have full intentions of continuing to write throughout the year, but life seems to get in the way.  We all have priorities and each one takes a different precedence over someone else’s concerns. What is important to me is probably not important to you. My cousin Eric writes a newsletter every month about rocks.  For the life of me I don’t know what is so special about rocks? click here if you really want to know., But he loves it. I applaud him for all the work he puts into that newsletter every month, even though I don't understand most of what I read.

I enjoy this challenge very much. Every year I get to reconnect with the fellow blogger’s I’ve met over the years.  Every once in awhile I'll make a few new friends.  It’s like a family reunion online.

This year I stretched myself too far. My theme this year had to do with The Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all the nations…” FEEDING THE FLOCK 23 was my theme. Check out W-WAKE UP.  That’s where my theme idea originated.

I took on more than I should have by opting in to do both blogs. I learned a lot throughout this challenge.  I didn’t think I was going to be able to finish. I lost my stepdad on Earth Day and I still had seven days (14 posts) to go.  How was I going to function and go to work and post a blog each day? Do you know what God said to me?”…O you of little faith.” If GOD leads you to it, He will see you through it. (praise Lord!)

I was successful at posting to both blogs for every letter. I did slack at visiting others and I apologize for that.  I do want to say thank you to those who visited me. Kristin was consistent at leaving a comment on every recipe I posted. ☺ Little comments mean a great deal in bloggy world.

At this time, I don’t have any suggestions about improving the challenge.  I liked the graphics and KUDOS to whoever took the time to do them this year.  If anyone who is reading this post is interested in volunteering to get your talent out there…click here

 

Here are the links for each of the posts this year… the food was supposed to go with the devotion but somehow I meandered and got lost along the way.  It happens.  Hope to see you all next year. And you never know, I might come up with a post here and there.  Stay tuned.

 

DEVOTION

Anxiety, Allergies and Arthritis

Blessing Blitz

Cat Kisses

Dazbar’s Run

Embrace the Smooch

Friendship

Ground Meat

Halfway

Interpretation

Jake’s Cake

KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid

Letter Writing

Mason Jars

No Darkness

Old Pine Tree

Paper Cuts = Perilous Days

Quite Life

Raccoons

Step in Time

Today is the Day

User Friendly vs. Uncomfortable  

Victory

Wake UP!

X-Ray Vision

Yankees are Allowed

Zombie Apocalypse

THE FOOD

Asian Broccoli Salad

Banana Bread

Cookies

Diet Soup

Enchilada Chicken Dip

Fig Coffee Cake

Grits Casserole

Hushpuppy Griddle Cakes

Irish Sourdough Soda Bread

Jerking the Chicken

Jalapeño Muffins

Jalapeño Artichoke Spread

Kartoffelkloesse

Lemon Cake

Meal Magnificient

Naughty Sourdough Bread

Open-Faced Omelet

Penguins

Potato Sausage Casserole

Quick & Easy Pork Loin

Rosemary Lemon Cookies

Sourdough Starter

Tangerine Salad

Unleavened Bread

Veggie Pork Stir-Fry

Waffles

Xtreme Chicken

Yuppy Brownies

Zymurgy Biscuits 

Zymurgy Biscuits - Feeding the Flock 23

 

Zymurgy is technically referred to in beer making and wine fermentation.  But since I decided to use my beer sourdough starter, I figured it could work for the name of my new biscuit creation.

½ cup beer sourdough starter

¾ cup almond milk (only because I was out of regular)

½ cup jalapeño pimento cheese (I cheated and used store bought —didn't make my own)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1 stick butter

¼ cup Crisco

Place dry ingredients in a bowl, mix to combine and then cut in the butter and the Crisco to make small round pea shaped crumbs.

Combine sourdough starter, milk and pimento cheese in another bowl and mix until well combined.  Pour into the dry bowl and mix.  Dough will be sticky.

Use an ice cream scoop and drop in globs onto ungreased cookie sheet.  I made 20 but you could make them bigger if you wanted to.

Bake in 450º oven for 11-14 minutes. 

Enjoy

Find out about the ZOMBIES in the writing studio.

Yuppy Brownies- Feeding the Flock 23

 

Preheat oven 350º

1 box supreme chocolate chunk brownie mix (prepared the way the box says: 1 egg, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and ¼ cup water)

1/3 cup trail mix (I used Great Value Indulgent Deluxe)

1 cup mini marshmallows

½ cup coconut

Mix all ingredients together and spread into a lightly greased 9X9 cake pan.

Bake at 350º for 35 minutes.  Let cool, remove from pan, slice.

Enjoy,

Find out if Yankees are allowed over in the writing studio.

X-treme Chicken - Feeding the Flock 23

2-3 chicken leg quarters (preferably thawed but mine were partially frozen)

16 oz. Brussels sprouts (I used frozen that I got at IGA marked down for $1)

3-4 tbsp. XTREMELY hot hot sauce (we got this hot sauce from Palmetto State Armory...it is so HOT)

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

This was so easy.  A wing ding of a meal and Tall Cool ☺ne loved it.  Even the  cat loved the chicken (he's a junk food junky and eats everything cuz he thinks he's a dog).

Preheat oven 350º

Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Salt and pepper both sides.  Place on baking sheet.  Spread hot sauce over the chicken generously.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and drain off greasy liquid.  Spread Brussel sprouts around the chicken and drizzle them with olive oil and a little pinch of Kosher salt.  Feel free to add more hot sauce to the chicken if you like it XTRA XTREMELY hot. 

Bake another 20-30 minutes and remove from oven.  Place aluminum foil over to keep warm until ready to serve.  It's best if it sits at least 15 minutes after removing from oven to incorporate all of the flavors.  With the olive oil and hot sauce, the Brussel sprouts did not need any other seasoning.

Enjoy.

Check out my X-Ray Vision over at Crackerberries

Waffles - Feeding the Flock 23

 

WAFFLE BATTER

1 cup beer sourdough starter

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tbsp. baking powder

1/3 cup melted butter

2½ cups all-purpose flour

FILLING

4 oz. Jimmy Dean sausage cooked according to package instructions

2 eggs

2 tbsp. roasted red pepper cream cheese

Prepare the waffle batter.  Cook the sausage and then scramble in the eggs and cream cheese.  Place ½ cup batter in waffle maker, top with ¼ cup of egg mixture, then cover with ¼ cup more batter.  Close waffle maker and cook 8 minutes.

Using a PowerXL Stuffed Wafflizer

Makes 4 waffles.

Don't forget to find out about WAKING UP to smell the COFFEE!

Veggie (GREEN) Pork Stir-Fry - Feeding the Flock 23

14 oz. (just under 1 lb.) pork tenderloin, cubed

¼ cup flour

1½ tsp. salt

Canola cooking oil 

1 cup veggie stock

2½ cups broccoli florets

1 green pepper, chopped (I should have used red to add more color)

1 onion, peeled, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

½ cup soy sauce

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

Place the flour and salt in zip lock bag.  Add pork to the bag and shake to coat well.

In large skillet or WOK, add 2-3 tbsp. cooking oil and heat.  Add pork and cook until golden brown, stirring often. Remove pork and add more oil if needed.  Add the celery and onions and stir fry for about 2 minutes.  Add pepper and broccoli.  Stir fry a few more minutes. Add the pork, soy sauce, rice vinegar and veggie stock and cover to simmer about 5 minutes over medium to high heat.  Remove cover, stir until sauce thickens to desired consistency.

Enjoy,

  
 

Find out how to have VICTORY.

Unleavened Bread - Feeding the Flock 23

 

If you have been following a long,  you know I have been trying to come up with recipes for the sourdough starter that my friend gave me at Christmas time.  All of the recipes I could find have all included YEAST in the recipe.  Of course I've been working mine in the bread machine (because it's faster and easier). Any hoot, I did not use any yeast in these two loaves. 

SUNFLOWER SEED BREAD                                        BASIC UNLEAVENED

½ cup beer sourdough starter                                              ½ cup sourdough starter 

½ cup buttermilk                                                                 ½ cup buttermilk   

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil                                                            2 tbsp. melted butter

¼ cup brown sugar                                                              1½ tsp honey

2 cups all-purpose flour                                                       3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour                                                      1½ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. slivered almonds

¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

1½ tsp. salt

Place ingredients in bread machine in order listed. (Note there are two different loaves of bread there).  Set for the dough cycle.  Once cycle stops, remove from bread machine, create loaf and let rise 45-60 minutes.  (It will not rise much...it's unleavened).  Bake in 375º oven for 30-35 minutes.  This is a very dense bread.  I thought it was going out to the offering corner (where the wild animals feed), but I tried it as toast, and it makes really good toast.   Not one of my best recipes, but I couldn't find the Unicorn Kibbles that I wanted to make.

Enjoy,

Are you user-friendly or uncomfortable?

Tangerine Salad - Feeding the Flock 23

 

3 tangerines, peel and separated

1 apple, chopped

¾ cup vanilla yogurt

2 tbsp. cinnamon honey

1 tbsp. coconut

1 tbsp. dried cranberries

¼ tsp. poppy seed

Add the apple and tangerines in a bowl together. 

Combine the yogurt, honey and poppy seed and mix until smooth and the consistency of dressing.  

Pour over the fruit and mix.  

Sprinkle with coconut and cranberries.  

2 servings

Enjoy,

Read about what TODAY is.

Sourdough Starter - Feeding the Flock 23

 

BEER SOURDOUGH STARTER

1 cup Sam Adams Alpine lager

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. rice flour 

1 tbsp. whole wheat flour

Open bottle of beer 24 hours in advance of making dough and let it go flat.

Mix dry ingredients together.  Add beer and stir well to combine.

Cover with cheesecloth and then plastic wrap.  Let stand 24-48 hours, stirring every 12 hours. After the 48 hours, either refrigerate or feed.

It will be bubbly and smell strongly fermented.

You can find out how to "feed" and maintain your sourdough starter here.

I do not have the recipe for the white sourdough starter because it was given to me.  The recipes that I have found use a commercial dry sourdough starter (there must be a better way)!

I'm going to use my beer starter for the first time today.

Enjoy.

Don't forget to check out what's going on over at the Step in Time.

Rosemary Lemon Cookies - Feeding the Flock 23

½ cup butter flavored Crisco
1¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh lemon balm leaves
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mince the lemon balm and rosemary leaves.

Cream together Crisco and sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs, lemon juice and leaves and beat until well blended. 

Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, and mix well then add to creamed mixture and blend well.  Dough will be thick. 

Use a small ice cream scoop to drop on ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake at 375º for 14 minutes.  YIELD: 4 dozen

YUM.

Check out the Raccoons

Quick & Easy Pork Loin - Feeding the Flock 23

 

Preheat oven 350º

1½ lb. pork loin

½ head cabbage (next time I will use the whole thing)

2 small pickling cucumbers, sliced (next time I will use 4-5)

2 tbsp. lime juice

1½ tbsp. onion flakes

2 tsp. garlic powder

salt & pepper

¼ cup mustard dressing

Place the cabbage and cucumbers in a greased baking dish.  Sprinkle with lime juice, onion flakes and garlic powder.  

Salt the pork loin and rub with honey mustard dressing.  Generously pepper the roast.  Cover and bake 1-1½ hours.  

I wasn't sure how I was going to serve this, but it worked splendidly on top of a garden salad.  Slice the pork and lay on top of salad.  Spoon the cabbage and baked cucumbers over the top.  Baked cucumbers are so good!!! Who knew?

Enjoy!

 Find out about a quiet life.

Potato and Sausage Casserole - Feeding the Flock 23

 

I just want to thank my daughter for sharing this recipe with me, she is helping me out again in the challenge.  If you click on the picture you can visit her website.  Here's her recipe. 

10 unpeeled brown potatoes

Jimmy Dean regular sausage roll

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced 

½ block cream cheese

½ container sour cream

1 stick butter

Generous amount of cheddar cheese

Preheat oven 375º

Slice potatoes and boil until almost soft.

Sauté sausage and peppers together until cooked.

Mix cream cheese and sour cream together with drained potatoes and place in casserole dish. 

Cut slices of butter over top of potatoes. 

Top with sausage and peppers mixture.

Sprinkle with generous amount of cheddar cheese and bake about 30 minutes.

Enough for leftovers.

Enjoy,

Don't forget to check out Paper Cuts.

 

Penguins - Feeding the Flock 23

 

I made these at Christmas time but never got around to posting.  They were so much fun.

1 box of chocolate cake

1 container of chocolate frosting

1 container of white frosting

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers

Peanut butter, creamy or chunky

Mix cake according to box instructions.  

Make peanut butter crackers (placing peanut butter between two Ritz crackers)

Using half of the cake batter, divide amongst cupcake tins.  Place one peanut butter cracker in the center of each cup cake.  Cover with remaining batter.  Bake according to box instructions.  Let cool.  

Frost with white frosting, saving some for feet and beak.  Using the chocolate, frost around the outside of each cake, creating a forehead for the penguin.  Then using food coloring, create orange for beak and feet and using the picture, create little penguins.  

These were so tasty with the peanut butter cracker inside the cup cake.

Enjoy.

Check out Paper Cuts.

Open Faced Omelet - Feeding the Flock 23

 

2 small potatoes, scrubbed and diced

1 tbsp. butter

3 oz. breakfast sausage

½ green pepper, diced

½ onion, diced

3 large mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chopped mustard greens

4 cherry tomatoes

4 sliced, candied tomatoes

4 eggs, beaten

Add butter and potatoes to cast iron skillet and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes.  Add sausage and cook 5 minutes or until no pink remains.  Toss in peppers, onions, greens and mushrooms and sauté for about 3-5 more minutes.  Pour in eggs and cover.  Let steam and cook 3 minutes or so.  Top with tomatoes and jalapeños.  Serves 2.

Enjoy,

Don't forget to check out the Old Pine Tree.

Naughty Sourdough Bread - Feeding the Flock 23

The reason I called it naughty is because I fed it and it bubbled all over the counter and made a wicked mess.  Sometimes sourdough will do that.  In my theme reveal I said I was going to incorporate sourdough into my recipes.  I'm not coming up with as many as I hoped but it's fun when I create something new. This bread is so tasty and moist, I will definitely make it again.

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil

¼ cup agave nectar

¾ cup buttermilk (microwave about 20 seconds to about 70º)

8 oz. sourdough starter

3 tbsp. Nocino (I'm thinking any kind of liqueur would work)

4 cups bread flour

2 tsp. salt

2¼ tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in the bread machine in the order given. Select the dough cycle and let process.  Remove from bread machine and divide dough into two loaves.  Place on baking pan, lined with parchment paper.  Let rise for 45 minutes to an hour.  Preheat oven to 355º.  Before backing slit tops of bread with sharp paring knife.  Bake 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, pat with butter if desired, cover with towel and let cool. Makes 2 loaves

Enjoy,

Don't forget to check out the N devotional.

Magnificent Meal - Feeding the Flock 23

This recipe idea came to me from remembering when I was a Brownie. We made (what was then called Mulligan Stew) where all the girls brought a can of soup and we mixed it all together to be on big soup.  Tall Cool ☺ne says it's called Stone Soup. Basically I took all the leftovers in the the fridge and sautèd them together to make a big ole magnificent stir fry.  

Canola oil

1 lb. onion sausage, casing removed

1 lg. zucchini, chopped

8 oz. whole mushrooms, halved

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 head broccoli florets, separated

8 oz. bag fresh baby spinach

8 oz. shredded carrots

1 large tomato, chopped

1 cup artichoke spread

2 tbsp. corn starch

3 tbsp. soy sauce

¼ tabasco sauce (sweet & spicy)

¼ cup water, (more or less)

In WOK add 1-2 tbsp. cooking oil.  Cook the sausage until no longer pink, remove from pan, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Drain grease from pan.

Add 1 tbsp. oil to pan and heat 1 minute.  Add zucchini, onion, broccoli, carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms, tomato and spinach and cover.  Cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add tomato and artichoke spread and cook 2-3 more minutes, covered.  

Uncover and stir in sausage.

In measuring cup, combine corn starch, soy sauce and tabasco sauce and mix well.  Make well in center of WOK by pushing veggies up against sides.  Pour sauce into center and stir until thickened.  Mix into veggies and sausage.  Stir and simmer 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.

Serve as is, or with a side of rice or muffin.

Enjoy,

Don't forget to check out the M-devotional.