I have heard that people experience depression during the holiday season more than at any other time of the year. The best way to avoid being depressed and sad is to look for opportunities to bless other people.
There is a widow lady at my church who is only a few years older than me. Several times I have heard her obliquely reference her husband's passing and I know she is very sad and lonely, but she always keeps a sweet smile on her face. Yesterday the Lord inspired me to slip her a small wrapped gift I had in my pocket that, truthfully, I had intended to give to someone else. The different emotions that flickered across her face were a beautiful thing to see. I still feel all warm and fuzzy, like it was a gift to me FROM: God.
Breakfast -- 7 am
- Apple, Pear, Orange
- Popcorn, Chocolate-Orange flavored Coffee with Stevia & lowfat milk. I don't generally like sweetener in my coffee, but I made this one taste like one of those orange flavored chocolate candy balls that breaks apart into segments when you whack it.
Lunch -- Noon - Don't know yet. I'm still creating it. It will involve beef, chicken broth, tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, onions, okra, canned cannellini beans & garlic. Sounds like gumbo for me!
OH WOWWEE WOW WOW == I don't know if it's just because I was in the mood for it, or if I got lucky and made a really good batch from scratch, but the gumbo turned out AWESOME. It was a kind of refrigerator stew - I threw in several different kinds of cooked lean meat (leftovers) from the freezer. Didn't have any shrimp or sausage so I put in a frozen teriyaki salmon filet cut into big chunks and made it a little smoky by adding a handful of smoked paprika which turned it the most amazing reddish-brown color, taking the place of the roux.
It doesn't sound like a gumbo at all, does it? It was really the "Trinity", tomatoes, & garlic in the broth that gave it just the right flavor. I thought the broth would stay thin because I didn't add a roux, but once the okra cooked a little, it was just as thick as you could want.
Joe doesn't like okra and was hesitant to try it, but it smelled so good when it was cooking, he had to try a couple bites and HE LOVED IT. Together we put away 2/3 of five quarts on the first day.
Okay, it wasn't luck or skill. It was a blessing straight from God. This was confirmed later in the day when I went to the doctor. The Web M.D. magazine cover story was a huge spread (about 6 to 8 pages) about Randy Jackson, of American Idol fame. He has lost 100 pounds through gastric bypass and was telling all about how he has changed his lifestyle. The article included one of his favorite recipes of -- guess what?
Gumbo Ya-Ya ! ! ! He makes it with little sausage patties he makes out of ground turkey seasoned with no-salt Cajun seasoning and fries in olive oil before adding to the gumbo. The whole recipe was LDL except for the 1/4 c. of flour to make the roux. I'll post the recipe when I have more time.
Love to all,
Gwen
I'm making Little Princess' Green Bean Casserole recipe for tomorrow night's Christmas Eve Eve dinner with Michelle & Joe.
GOOD FOR YOU...That's an awesome accomplishment, God is SO GOOD all praise and Glory to God for using Roger as the vessel to bring us LDL, and Roger's faith to be obedient to bring it to us! Thank you Lord, and Thank you, Roger! We love you 
