This Week on Pennies on a Platter
This section highlights the recipes posted this week on Pennies on a Platter and other updates to the blog, if any.
Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes - These flavors wrapped up in a spongy cake and indulgent raspberry frosting will get you excited for spring!
Dijon Ham & Asparagus Roll Ups - Use refrigerated crescent rolls to create this quick appetizer or weekday lunch.
Cheddary Chicken Pie - An impressive dinner that can be prepped in just 20 minutes, then let the oven do the rest.
Dug Out from the Archives
Let's dig into the archives and reconsider some of the older recipes on Pennies on a Platter that we ate this week. (Some of which I plan to re-post with new photos and better directions in the near future.)
Taco Soup - Not the best photo, but it really is one of our favorite soups. Super simple with a basic "dump it into the pot and heat" method.
Garlic Rice Pilaf - I'm afraid this might show up almost every week in the Weekend Garnish archive section as this is pretty much a staple for us. I'd love to try new flavors, but just can't resist the simple garlic version.
Caught My Eye
I love reading other blogs and websites, and often bookmark their recipes, products or reviews. These are a few that top my list from the week.
Zoodles - Moms and Dads, have you found out about Zoodles yet for your child? I have this downloaded now on both my phone and my computer for Judah. It is a learning program for children, ages 8 and under, where they can play games on your phone or computer without the risk of deleting any of your files or applications. Zoodles runs in what they call "kid mode" so they can not exit the program by pushing the buttons on your phone. On the computer, if they click on another tab, it will always redirect to Zoodles. It's been great for us!
Mabels Potatoes - These seem very interesting to me: fried potatoes that are not french fries. These small potatoes are boiled first, then rolled in seasonings and deep fried. They look appealing, but I'm curious to try them and see if they are as flavorful as I hope.
SugarBelle - Not a new discovery this week, but it is a very recent finding that I thought should be shared. The Sweet Adventures of SugarBelle is another blog of sugar cookie decorating genius. She also includes very helpful step by step tutorials for those of us that are extremely visual.
My Life as a Pastor's Wife and Food Blogger
Want more insight into my life as a Pastor's wife, mom, friend, relative and food blogger? Then, read on! If not, ignore this section. 🙂 This is a place for me to write what's on my mind and journal some of the crowning moments of my week.
I will warn you, this week the following has nothing to do with me being a food blogger and everything to do with my life as a Pastor's wife and what was on my mind this week.
When I moved away from my family in Michigan to attend college in Nashville, TN, I found I grew immensely in my spiritual walk with God and my knowledge of Him. I attribute it to finally being on my own and reading Scripture prayerfully, instead of just listening to what my parents or church leaders had to say. Although I know God used these authorities in my life to guide me, I never really understood until later what it was like to listen critically and use Scripture to discern if what was being taught was God's truth, not just human opinions of truth.
This week, through a controversy I won't go into, I've been reminded of how thankful I am that I can separate my reverence for human Christian speakers from my higher reverence to God's Word. Every now and then I find myself solely depending on what others have to say about an issue rather than going to Scripture and letting God reveal himself. I'll admit, more often I'll even just refer to Ben with my questions, knowing he has his doctorate in Biblical studies so he must have all the answers, right? Wrong. God has definitely blessed him with many gifts to further His kingdom in our ministry, but he even knows he's human and not God. 🙂
All this to say, I'm so very thankful for this wake up call to persevere in my own studies of the Bible, and to allow God to speak to me through it. Although I know there will always be fluctuations, right now my devotional life is better than ever. I can't wait to meet Him face to face someday and finally know the whole story.
Thanks for listening.
Pilar says
Thanks for being so open and candid in this post about your faith. I am a fellow Believer that stumbled on your blog from Annie's Eats a month or so ago. I have enjoyed reading your fun recipes, for I love to cook/bake. I also completely understand how you feel being so far from home. I am a native Texan and have been out here in CA since '04. I miss my HOME and family VERY much. It's very hard. I know God has a purpose for our lives, but sometimes it's hard to accept it's for our good - esp. if it's a road we're not wanting to travel. Keep up the blogging! I'll continue to read and be both entertained and inspired.
Nikki says
Hey Nikki! I just found your site a couple weeks ago (also through annie's eats). I really like it!
I am also a pastor's wife and really enjoy cooking! I am just now kind of getting into it, but have really enjoyed what I have done so far.
I am overjoyed at your reverence and respect for God's word and a lot of other things in your post got me excited! I can totally relate!
sweetsugarbelle says
Thanks for mentioning me:-) made me feel good! I'm very visual too so I try to explain things how i see them in my head...:-)
Kari says
Hi there --
I don't think I've ever posted a comment before, but I've been reading your blog for a couple months now (I hopped over from Annie's Eats). I've really enjoyed these weekend round-ups - what a good idea to feature recipes from the archive! Since I haven't been following your blog for too long, it is great to see what I haven't discovered yet.
Thanks for the hard work you put into your blog.
Kari
Nikki says
Thanks, Kari. It's nice to hear that the weekend posts are helpful. 🙂 I was trying to figure out a way to highlight older recipes, especially for newer readers, so I'm very glad you commented! -Nikki
'Chelle says
So inspiring. My husband and I are about to move pretty far away from home ourselves, and I am trusting that God will use the move to draw us both closer to Him.
Nikki says
Good luck with your move 'Chelle!