Menturion

Baking to many of us is fun and form of therapy. Many
frustrations have been worked out kneading and pushing that
dough around. But to others, it may be difficult, or they are
not sure of themselves around cookies, cakes, breads, rolls,
etc. One quick-word of advice - just dive right in - its fun,
and the more you bake, the better you become at it. With
Christmas and get-togethers coming in bloom, sharing baking can
be a fun event. Early in the Seaon, family, friends, neighbors,
and offices and factories everywhere should have a Cookie
Exchange - its not a lot of work - in fact, you only have to
bake one kind of cookie - if there are ten guests, you will have
an assortment of ten delicious treats to use for the Holidays.
The more guests, the more of an assortment. There will be a lot
of laughter, and no one will be counting calories. Ask each
guest to bake one type of Christmas cookie - a family favorite,
or one that they found while surfing the net, or reading their
favorite magazine. They can be drop cookies, filled cookies, or
special ethnic treasures.

Your invitations should be small index-size bookets, with
several blank cards inside, tied together with a festive ribbon.
This way if your guests write out their recipes on - say six to
eight cards, depending on how many guests you are inviting,
everyone can get a recipe and keep it in their booklet not only
to check back when they want to bake, but as a wonderful memento
of a fun time.

If a lot of people are included in your cookie exchange, then
printing the recipes for everyone to cut and paste in their
booklets might just be a lot easier.

The decor for your party should be Holiday oriented, of course,
but with a slant toward baking. Garlands of scented gingerpeople
could hang from arches and doorways and a centerpiece could
include miniature baking utensils found in toy stores. Tiny cake
boxes, spoons, measuring cups, etc. add a whimsical touch.

To serve your cookies, divide a large table into sections with
ribbons that have wooden spoons attached to the ends so that the
ribbons are weighted down and don’t move as people encircle the
table. You could ask your guests to pre-package their cookies in
individual wrap so that everyone can take just one - or in small
packages as they see fit - just make sure that there are enough
of each type of cookie so everyone gets to take some home.

Keep your menu simple and informal. You could provide decorative
canisters or paper bags that you have enhanced with Holiday
cheer for taking home all those goodies.

A cookie exchange is a wonderful way to get your Holiday baking
started - and you get a wonderful array of cookeis to serve to
your family and friends or just to munch on as you sit by a fire
or watch the snow fall and the cold winds blow. ENJOY! ©Arleen
M. Kaptur 2002 November

It’s easier than you think to create delicious desserts for your diabetic husband. When I had to get right down to it the ideas came flying at me out of my kitchen cupboard!

Here’s a few of his favorites:

Easy Orange/Banana Parfait

1 pkge Lite Orange Jello (no sugar)

2 cups vanilla yogurt (fat free, no sugar but artificially sweetened)

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp Splenda

1 banana

1/8 cup Lite cream cheese

Makes 4 servings

Prepare the jello per the package directions. When it is partially set, slice and drop your banana pieces into the jello and mix gently so the banana pieces are covered by the jelly. Leave to set firm in the refrigerator.

Beat the remaining ingredients well together and set aside in the fridge.

Just before dinner put your dessert together. I use parfait glasses, they add to the fun and look of the dessert.

Drop a dollop of yogurt mixture into the bottom of each of 4 dishes and a scoop of the jello and then the yogurt mix again and so on to the top.

I have tried different flavors and different fruit, but, hubby likes the orange banana the best.

Faux Apple Crisp

3 large apples (jona golds are the best, in my opinion)

Cinammon

Sprouted wheat bread (I use Ezechial cinammon raisin from the health food store - 2 slices, they are small)

9″ square casserole dish

Makes 4 servings

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your casserole dish with a non stick spray.

Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly into your baking dish. Sprinkle with cinammon (as much or as little as to your taste).

I take my bread from the freezer and grind it into crumbs in the blender. Now sprinkle evenly over your apples. Take a spoon and dish down here and there through the apples, so that some of the crumbs fall between the apples.

Bake uncovered in your oven 40 mins. or until your apples are cooked tender.

Cool and serve with flavored yogurt, artificially sweetened.

You can swap out the apples for blueberries, fresh or frozen. Just coat the berries first with 2 tsp flour.

It’s not been as hard an adjustment as we thought it would be and we are both eating healthier than before, that has been a bonus for us both.

About The Author

Abigail Baker is the webmaster and editorial manager for Country Mall Place at http://www.acplace.com - This article is the intellectual property of ACPlace.com and may be used in it’s entirety if credit due is given back to http://www.acplace.com.

Needless to mention, this is a very complex and sensitive subject. However, anyone over 50 years old can remember a childhood where the environment was quite different.

The world’s population insane dependence on fossil fuels (while there are acceptable and non-polluting alternatives) is basically killing our clean and environment, and us with it.

What is Oil Pollution?

Oil pollution is simply the spilling of crude or refined petroleum product into the environment. There are some staggering statistics that follow.

These are statistics from the 1995 Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition, and have not been updated. It is estimated that the overall totals have increased two or three fold.

•Accidental spills from ships : 140 Million tons
•Routine maintenance of ships and equipment: 511 Millions tons
•Air pollution in the rains (entering the seas): 348 Million tons
•Land disposal of fuels entering the seas: 1,374 Million tons
•Natural seepage (from sea sources) 234 Million tons

The above does NOT include China or India statistics. A total of 2,607 Millions of tons of petroleum had ended up in the environment (estimated in 1995). Now 11 years later, the total is estimated to have trippled, and we are witnessing a gradual increase in Earth temperature due to global warming, other alarming changes in the weather, pollution traces found in both the environment and animals (and plants) in the wild.

Despite the MARPOL rules (marine pollution act by the United Nations), and other legislation, oil pollution continues. A recent survey by marine toxicologists have confirmed alarming amounts of damage to the livers in a wide spectrum of marine fish and mammals. Almost all fish sampled had high levels of heavy metals in the tissue (crude oil contains a great deal of heavy metal, vanadium among them, which is toxic to most animals).

The bottom feeders and marine crustaceans (also living on the bottom of the sea) had an equally high level of absorbed heavy metals and other pollutants (PCB and Dioxin for example).

The natural microbes and small aquatic life that can biodegrade the oil (into water and carbon dioxide) are overwhelmed and cannot cope. There is a lack of available nutrients in areas that surround oil spills, and pollution sites.

One sees large groups of whales or dolphins beaching themselves, and puzzled scientists to explain why. It doesn’t take much to figure it out. Whole species of plants and animals are disappearing on a regular basis.

Oil pollution can not be solved by legislation, or by being more careful. So much oil pollution enters the atmosphere, and then the environment, the only measure that we can take is to immediately reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. Places like California in the United States has already taken the first steps, but has not gone so far as outlawing the fossil fuel.

Knowing that there are fuel cells which can burn clean hydrogen, there are electric engines and solar cells to run the ubiquitous automobile. There is wind and wave power to create clean and non-polluting sources of electricity. Sadly the interests of big business are coming before the safety of the human race.

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I’m finding late in life that prayer is a journey. We have

to learn to pray, because prayer is essential for a daily work

with Jesus. In Mark 11:23, it states that we “shall not doubt

in our heart that what we are praying for will come to pass, and

we shall receive it.” The key is to believe we will receive

that which we ask for, if we keep our eyes on Him. So, our

attitude targets the goal. The goal is met in His timing and in

His way. This matures our faith.

I recently attended a workshop on prayer. The speaker

looked like the son of Billy Graham, and he showcased vim and

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vigor for our Lord as Mr. Graham does. He made a statement that

startled me.

He said, “we should pray our children and grandchildren to

heaven.”

I’m sure I sat straighter in my chair. I had not heard an

expression like that.

Then, he added, “we should be as passionate to pray for the

souls of our children and grandchildren as we are to pay our

monthly mortgage.”

“Wow,” that made sense to me, and since the room was filled

with Senior Citizens, there were lots of heads nodding in

agreement.

I left the workshop with a fresh, renewed excitement. The

speaker suggested that we keep a journal. When we are met

with a petition, we should write the prayer request in the

journal and date it. He also told us to pick a time of day, a

certain place to meditate and pray, and start our time with Him

with a sincere and genuine heart. This brought to my mind

Psalms 51:l0-11. It asks God “to cleanse our hearts, and

release a new attitude (there’s that word again) within us. To

not take away the Holy Spirit from us nor take His presence away

from us.” When we feel that our petitions have been answered,

then date the journal as such. Compare how long some prayers

take and how short some prayers take to be answered.

In this new prayer life, I’ve learned that God does always
Prayer page/3

answer. He may not answer the way we have prayed or as soon as

we want, but He always answers. Sometimes, this process of

waiting and God showing His sovereignty, brings us blessings.

Blessings, because we are the one that can be changed. The

situation we are praying for may not change, but we do, and that

is the blessing. For to be drawn closer to our Savior, and to

grow into His image, (which a powerful prayer life can do) is

His heart’s desire.

In a study by Beth Moore, I’ve also learned that He wants

us to ask Him for blessings to be bestowed upon us. If we do

not ask Him, we do not receive. “Jesus desires us to be happy

and full of joy,” Beth harps on this over and over.

What a joy to have completed this study for it came on the

rim of the workshop I attended. In John 14:12-16, it offers

additional insight into the success of our prayer life. This

verse tells us we are to pray believing we will receive so that

God will be glorified. And then when we receive what we have

been praying for, we are to give Jesus all the glory. We are

not to brag and exalt ourselves. I believe this is the real

lesson on prayer. We give Jesus all the glory, and we thank

Him, on our knees, that He is a God that we are allowed to serve

and trust. We praise His name because He takes care of those

who trust in Him, and those who bow their heads and pray to Him.