ROAD TRIP

            In the spirit of Easter, we decided to take a road trip to Yarnell, AZ to view the 14 Stations of the Cross at St. Joseph's Shrine (www.stjoseph-shrine.org).  We kept the menu for the road trip simple: Turkey Couscous salad for main course and Brownies for dessert.

Picnic in the shade.

It was an hour and 45 minutes drive from Phoenix with some mountain-view sceneries sprinkled throughout the ride. As soon as we got there, we spread our picnic basket under a tree and got right down to lunch. Then we ascended through some rough steps between large boulders to view the beautiful carvings of the Stations of the Cross. The view from the top is quite remarkable. This time, God and nature certainly took center stage. As Jesus himself declared, "man does not live by bread alone...."

Turkey Couscous Salad

Homemade Brownies

One of the carved images set amidst boulders

ST. PAT'S ITALIAN DINNER

           A conventional St. Patrick's Day celebration would feature anything Irish with abundance of overflowing Guiness .  We decided, instead, to celebrate St. Patrick's Italian connection because he was, after all, a young Roman living in England who was taken captive to Ireland as a slave.
 

Featured as the main entree is a wonderful Italian dish called "Braciole" that one of the ladies expertly prepared for us.  It's served with pockets of angel hair pasta and red meat sauce and preceeded first by Bruschetta (topped with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes), then Italian Garden Salad.  For dessert: Tiramisu ice-cream cake - a perfect ending coupled with news of some exciting changes and answered prayers that are happening in our midst.

St. Patrick would certainly approve!

Our one nod to Ireland: green table setting

Bruschetta served with toppings of Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Italian Garden Salad

Braciole: thin slices of meat rolled with a filling of egg,
served with Pockets of Angel Hair Pasta and Red Meat Sauce.

Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake

INDONESIAN LOVE FEAST

          This Valentine's weekend, I can't think of a better way to show my love & appreciation for the friendship I cherish with these women than to throw an Indonesian dinner (which is something I haven't done in 15 years).  

I still remember a thing or two on how to prepare such dinner, from watching my mother cooked in our tiny kitchen in Jakarta, Indonesia, where I grew up a long time ago.  If you ever want to try this cuisine, there are numerous web sites pertaining to Indonesian cooking, complete with pictures and recipes. The one I like most is www.tasty-indonesian-food.com.

For our event I decided to go with some of the more famous dishes, such as:

Lumpia (eggrolls)

Gado-gado (steamed vegetable salad with peanut dressing)

Sate Ayam (chicken satay served with peanut sauce)

Nasi Goreng Udang (shrimp fried rice)

Kue Pandan (pandan cake)

Es Buah (iced tropical fruit in coconut milk)

The hostess welcomed us with roses, champagne & heart-shaped chocolates and gave each guest a small potted rose plant to take home.  In addition, one of the ladies gave me a vintage-style apron as a Valentine's gift.  How could a woman not fall in love all over again with such sweet friends?

They are the ones who love you for who you are, who stand by you and hold hands in prayer with you - they're one of life's most priceless treasures.  I know what the apostle Paul meant when he said, "I thank God whenever I think of you", because I thank the Lord when I think of these women.

                  


What a welcoming sight: roses, champagne & chocolates...o, my!

 

Eggrolls with Tangy Tomato Garlic Sauce
 (notice the burned edges?  I was so excited about the champagne & chocolate that I forgot to take these out of the oven)

Steamed Vegetable Salad with Peanut Dressing

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce 

Shrimp Fried Rice

Pandan Cake drizzled with Chocolate Sauce & sprinkled with Toasted Coconuts

Iced Tropical Fruit in Coconut Milk

SKINNY COMFORT MEAL

           The start of a new year....after all the holiday feasts which practically lasted from Thanksgiving to New Year's day, we're all ready for a fresh beginning: new life goals, new interests, new adventures, new possibilities.  Every woman I know wants a healthier lifestyle without sacrificing enjoyment. Thus we have our Skinny Comfort Meal. I asked each person to make one thing using a recipe from www.skinnytaste.com (or other sources) and bring that to our luncheon. We also shared one area in our lives that we'd like to see improvement this year and recorded that in our prayer book. May God watch over us as we strife to be better physically & spiritually, and may this year be nothing short than fantastic!

Cocktail time: Pomegranate Martini

Black Bean, Avocado, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Skinny Baked Brocolli Mac & Cheese

Skillet Steak with Onions and Mushrooms

Turkey Stuffed Peppers (recipe from Weight Watchers)

Easy Cheese Garlic Biscuits

Hmm...not sure altogether this is a skinny serving

Dessert: individual cups of Creamsickle Cake (recipe from Weight Watchers)

AFRICAN NOEL

            December is the time of year when we're reminded of the greatest Gift of all times:

Christ the Prince of Peace.  For the past two years, in lieu of gift-exchange our group collectively makes a Christmas monetary donation to World Vision.

This time around, I invited my dear friend Anna Sosa to be our special guest as she has traveled extensively to Africa for World Vision . 

She gave us valuable insight to the dire needs of clean water in that part of the world.

The money we collected would be given to a water & sanitation project in Ethiopia.

In honor of Africa, we went out of our comfort zone and tried African recipes we found on-line (what would life be without Google?)...and had a tremendous time preparing & enjoying the meal! I have to say the ladies really knocked it out of the park in terms of their culinary stab at African cuisine.

Here's the menu:

Appetizer: Chakalaka from South Africa.

Salad: African Fruit Salad.

Entree: South African Curry Meatloaf over Brown Rice.

Side dish: West African Cabbage Salad.

Dessert: South African Pudding.

Beverage: South African Shiraz and Chardonay; coffee.

As we closed our small group's calendar year we thanked God for the gift of friendship, answered prayers and yes, clean water. Merry Christmas to all!

Festive Tablescape.

Chakalaka ready to be served.

Chakalaka served with bread sticks.
 

African Fruit Salad: beautiful and tasty!

South African Curry Meatloaf over Brown Rice, served with West African Cabbage Salad.

 

Wine pairing: South African Shiraz & Chardonay.

South African Pudding.

Miniature utensil Christmas ornament - a perfect gift for foodies like us.