Pampered Chef round-up…

Kim mentioned Pampered Chef products in a post the other day and it got me all thinking in Pampered-Chef-mode again.

I have been to and hosted a Pampered Chef party and so have gathered up a few of their products by now. I suppose like most other kitchen gadgets they come and go and sometimes you don’t use them as much as you were absolutely sure you would when you saw them being demonstrated 😉

Come on admit it, we ladies are all the same.

I thought it might be fun to compare what products we have and suggest new ways of using our purchases. I love my products but sometimes I lack imagination.

I have the Classic Batter Bowl and the Classic Scraper and I reckon they are great products and are used here daily, mostly for batters, storing mixes and beating cream but I have also made this birthday cake for Princessmac using it, as it is oven-poof to 180C. Excellent product. (Yes I did break the legs off!)

I also love my Square Baker and my Round Stone from the Stoneware range. I did own a Rectangular Baker until my 2 year old decided to change it into 12 pieces of Stone instead of 1 👿

I appreciate having the measure-all cup as it’s great for making American recipes without having to convert everything into our equivalents (Grams and Ounces). The kids love using the pastry blender (is that what it’s called, I couldn’t find it on their site) and I also use the Rice cooker 2-3 times a week.

This microwave cooker I use for cooking all my Rice, Pasta and Potatoes unless the amounts are so large they wouldn’t fit in it. I love using it for boiling my potatoes as it means I don’t have to stand and watch the saucepan in case it boils over. I just give it 22 minutes in the microwave and know they will be cooked. When I’m feeding 5 adults (instead of 2 adults & 3 kids) unfortunately it probably won’t have the capacity to fill us but never the less it works for me at the minute. I remember being told you can also bake cakes in the microwave using the microwave rice cooker too but I haven’t tried that yet, I mean how do you know how long to cook them for?

My first purchase was the Mini-Muffin pan (oh yea we were just going to eat muffins like there was no tomorrow 🙂 ) and though we do love those Pecan Tassies and Choc-chip muffins made in it, I haven’t really used this product for much else.

So can you give a girl a few more ideas?

What are your favourite Pampered Chef recipes? I know the net is coming down with Pampered Chef ideas but I like the ones that have been tested and tried 😉 If you tell me yours – I’ll tell you mine………

What are your favourite products?I always did fancy one of these.

If Daddymac should ever let me go to another party what is your must have by Pampered Chef?

Off to count my pennies……

Mummymac.

Covenants

My post the other day triggered some more thoughts about the Covenants.

I learned most of what I know of the Covenants from this man, when he taught a series on them in our church a few years ago. I remember how his teaching seemed to give the Bible more meaning as a whole as he explained the essence of a covenant and the implication of the covenants to our lives today.

I have been considering how that covenants aren’t so popular to-day – people don’t want to commit to an oath bound promise. It seems that even within marriage it is more common to break the promise to “love, honour and obey” than it is to strive with God’s help to keep it.

When I became a member of our church I read the church’s covenant and committed to it. I have often failed in my service but it’s good to have a standard to adhere to. I believe I need to have it before me more often.

I have added our Church Covenant to the links at the top under “Our Church” or you can access it by clicking here.

It’s a struggle every day to keep this covenant but:

God is my strong Salvation;

What foe have I to fear?

In darkness and temptation

My Light, my Help is near.

Though hosts encamp around me,

Firm to the fight I stand;

What terror can confound me,

With God at my right hand?

Place on the Lord reliance,

My soul, with courage wait;

His truth be thine affiance,

When faint and desolate.

His might they heart shall strengthen,

His love thy joy increase;

Mercy they days shall lengthen;

The Lord will give thee peace.

(James Montgomery 1822)

 

Mummymac.

One good thing about the rain….

(as well as not having to water the plants), is that we have an abundance of rainbows.

We’re having the weather that is the very dark skies, very heavy showers but also with the rainbow set in the sky – the sign of God’s covenant. He would never destroy all living things in a great flood again.

It’s a great reminder to us to be thankful to God for what he did in preserving those who were faithful to Him in Noah’s day. We tend to teach our children the chorus “Whenever you see a rainbow, Remember God is near”.

When we look closely at Genesis 9 however, we see why God really sent the rainbow, as well as being a sign (Genesis 9:12 ) of His covenant with Noah and all his descendants, it is there is to remind God of the covenant he made. “The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth”. (Genesis 9:16 NKJV)

We ought not to be discouraged by our weather – God knows what we need.

Likewise we ought not to be discouraged by where we are in life, again God knows our every need.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

(George Matheson)

 

Mummymac.

 

A glut of Courgettes…

As I mentioned before our Courgettes/Zucchini are growing great.

I’m probably going to have a few available every week so I’m going to try to use some new recipes I sourced.

I got this little book earlier in the year at our library book sale (it was an optimistic choice in the hope that I would need it).

I’m glad I have it really as my request for suggested recipes here didn’t yield as much as my plants have 😉

The other night I made one of our old favourites.

It’s one of those recipes where you just pile it all in and I never really did work it out in amounts so just adapt for the size of your own family.

Bacon & Tomato Pasta.

Bacon

Onion

Mushrooms

Courgette

1 Tin of tomatoes

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs.

Cooked Pasta

Fry off the Bacon & Onion, then add the mushrooms and Courgette (Zuchinni). Add the tinned tomatoes and herbs and leave to simmer. When ready to serve add the cooked pasta.

Mummymac.

Summer Salad

The Recipe Roundup this month is over at “promptings” and the theme is Summer Salads.

Everyone loves this Rice salad when I make it.

4oz long grain rice Cooked.
1 chicken stock cube
1 red pepper diced
1oz frozen peas defrosted
1 small tin sweetcorn drained
1/2 grated carrot
2 tablespoons sultanas
2oz cashew nuts
1 finely chopped spring onion
2 sticks of celery chopped finely
seasoning

Cook the rice in the stock cube and refresh under cold water, then add all the other ingredients and bind together with mayonnaise to taste.

Enjoy.

Don’t forget to check out the other salads at Promptings.

Mummymac.

There’s going to be a wedding…..

And I just have to tell y’all how pleased I am for my buddies!!!!!

Even if one half of this couple doesn’t read my blog that doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s cool 8)

What an exciting time for this young couple.

May God grant them peace and assurance to know that if they make Him centre of all they do he will be faithful unto them.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

I tried to tell y’all that day was going to be big. You just didn’t listen did you ;- )

Leave them a wee comment to wish them well.

Mummymac.

The patriotic spirit…..

I reckoned if Jenni can be patriotic here, then I can be too. It may be 4th July but it’s my blog and I make the rules 😉

One of my ambitions is to be here for a live performance but in the mean-time this will have to do.

Mind you I must admit I’d have to learn the words first!! It’s the music that moves me – I mustn’t be as patriotic as Jenni 🙂

This is going to take 9 minutes of your time – but it’ll be worth it.

What an orchestra, what an atmosphere – what a lot of union Jacks!

Mummymac.

Daddymac, Auntie M & Us…

Daddymac has gone to the School of Theology at the Metropolitan Tabernacle London, or as the kids call it “Spurgeon’s Church”. He’ll return God willing on Friday night. Praying for safety in light of recent security issues on the mainland.

The kids are in bed and you know the score – It’s quiet!

We had a busy day. We made use of the car while Daddymac was gone. We’re one of the few families left that I know off who only have one car and I am so thankful that we don’t (at this stage anyway) need to be a two-car family. Having said that while I love to walk everywhere while Daddymac has the car at work, it does make a pleasant change to have wheels and so when he’s away we must travel. I mean it wasn’t exciting it was just a mega-grocery-shop but it is nice to go to the bigger stores a little further away every once in a while.

Tomorrow Auntie Margaret is coming to stay and the kids are hyper. Actually she is my Auntie Margaret, not theirs but if you knew Margaret you would want her to be your Auntie too! (You know – sweets and chocolates for everyone under 12!) We plan to shop for some school uniforms, Yes I know school is just out for the summer and I know I always said I wouldn’t shop for uniforms in July but with Princessmac starting in September and her being somewhat narrow I thought it would be best to get a proper fitting pinafore and Auntie Margaret has an eye for these things 🙂

So it’s off to bed for me and don’t worry I’m not on my own as the kids are fighting over taking it in turns to sleep with mummy while daddy is gone.

A happy Independence Day to all my American friends. (of course I didn’t forget) 🙂

Mummymac.