Small Town Life In Big L.A.

Chatsworth Lake Church Women's Fellowship April 2011

We were all in Spring mode as we carved out this night ahead of the busy Easter season. We started with a candlelight dinner followed by part 3 in our "Joseph" series. We read the accounts in Genesis of the dreams God gave him. After watching them portrayed in the movie some of us shared dreams the Lord has given to us. Yes, this is one of the ways the Lord speaks to us. It is not a common occurrence but when the Lord gives you a dream you know it's from Him. It's vivid, it's concise and He has a purpose in giving it to you. I have had 3 in my 30 years of walking with Him. Two of those dealt with future things that were to take place. The dreams were a confirmation and comfort once the events took place. You can find the account of Joseph's dreams in Genesis 37.

We were laughing so hard for this shot! I hope I didn't crush Lynette!

Food is always a focal point at our meetings. I was in the mood to try some new recipes. This MANGO PUNCH is so easy. It's Mango juice and Gingerale. That's it! The key is presentation. The night before I made an ice mold. Pour the juice & ale into a pretty punch bowl and decorate with herbs and floating fruit.

We emptied this bowl of BLUE CHEESE COLE SLAW with pecans.

This is a pasta recipe I saw on "Diners, Drive Ins, & Dives". It's homemade marinara, pasta, herbs, and beans. The "kicker" is at the end you roast garlic powder in EVOO and stir it into the pasta.

This PIG CAKE was the star of the night. Once you have the right ingredients it's a cinch to make. Perfect for a potluck. Click HERE for the recipe.

The evening was further enhanced by a big bouquet of fresh herbs from Rabia's garden. They looked and smelled heavenly.

She also brought grapefruit picked from her tree. It's so sweet you don't need sugar. Rabia will be flying back to her other home on the Aegean Sea in Turkey this Easter. Hey, maybe we should have our next fellowship there! What do you say girls???

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog. On behalf of all of us at Chatsworth Lake we pray you come to know what we celebrate this Sunday, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and he ROSE FROM THE DEAD to sit at the right hand of the Father. All of us that believe this have an eternity in heaven with Him to look forward to. Now that's reason to CELEBRATE!!!

New York Style Crumb Cake

New York & Paris All On One Plate!

Inspired by Anna's Blog I had to try this recipe. It was DELICIOUS! Now I know how to get those great crumbs. I forgot the final step, which is to sprinkle with powdered sugar...next time.

Parchment Paper Is Key To Easily Removing The Cake.

My Mother's Stuffed Green Peppers

Just Out Of The Oven

This is a dish I grew up on. It's in the top 5 of my favorite foods. Why? It's delicious, it's easy, it cooks awhile and smells great the whole time. A perfect "comfort"  food. My friend Ken Mask asked for the recipe so here we go.

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2) Meanwhile make 3C cooked rice.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4) Cut tops off 6 green bell peppers and remove seeds & stems. Parboil peppers 10 minutes to soften. Remove & drain.
5) In a bowl, mix rice & 1-1 1/2 lbs. ground beef.
6) Stuff peppers with rice/ beef mix and set in a large dutch oven.
7) Place any extra rice mix and cut up pepper tops in bottom of dish around peppers.
8) Around the peppers add 1 can tomato soup, 1 can chopped tomatoes, and water until liquid comes all the way up the sides off the peppers. Do not cover the peppers with liquid.
9) Place 6 strips of bacon across the tops of the peppers.
10) Place uncovered in the oven for 90 minutes.

When done let sit for 10 minutes or so. Serve with mashed potatoes and ENJOY!

The Perfect Winter Comfort Food

Upside Down Caramelized Apple Cake

Have A Slice!

It's fun to try a new recipe. I found this one in the January issue of Southern Living Magazine. Almost all of us have a cast iron skillet. It intrigued me that this cake is baked in one. Perfect for a cold winter's day. It's a fairly easy recipe and it turned out just like the picture in the magazine. You can find the recipe here .

Just out of the oven

Upside Down Caramelized Apple Cake

Love my new vintage toile plates!