Foodie Fridays – Making Do

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Debi Walter
Photo from Barefoot Contessa website

We have had a busy month and it’s only the 13th! We haven’t had a chance to go grocery shopping so I thawed a package of chicken thighs hoping I could come up with something good with what I had on hand.

When this happens I like to do a Google search for chicken thigh recipes to see what sounds good. This time it was Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, who got me started.

Her recipe, Chicken Thighs with Creamy Mustard sauce, sounded good. I was grateful I could make do without having to go to the grocery store at rush hour.

As the sauce was simmering, I thought it was missing something, so I looked up other mustard sauce recipes to see what spices they used. I added ground coriander (the seed of cilantro), cayenne pepper to add depth of flavor, raw honey to balance the tanginess of the mustard, and some leftover bacon slices because, well it’s BACON! For garnish a chopped up fresh spinach since I had no parsley.

I made white rice to soak up the creamy sauce and seasoned green beans. It was so good and might become a new favorite. I’ve also heard that when you change three ingredients to a recipe it becomes a new original. I like that.

Thank you Ina and Google. You helped me make do in a pinch.

Do you have favorite chicken thigh recipe?

Simmering sauce

Debi’s Crispy Chicken Thighs with Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2¼ pounds)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Good olive oil

• 2 cups halved and thinly sliced yellow onion (2 onions)

• 2 tablespoons dry white wine

• 8 ounces crème fraîche (I substituted with whole milk Greek yogurt because it’s what I had)

• 1 tablespoon good Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard (I omitted since I didn’t have this and doubled the Dijon mustard)

• 1/2 t. Garlic Salt

• 1/2 t. Coriander

• 1/4 t. Cayenne pepper

• 1/2 T. Honey

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh spinach, for garnish

Instructions:

Heat a large cast iron skillet (this insures a crispy skin) on medium high.

While waiting for pan to heat Pat dry the thigh on both sides and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Add olive oil to heated pan and once hot place chicken thighs skin-side down. Do not disturb and cook for 15 minutes. Using tongs flip chicken and add sliced onions to pan stirring often. Turn heat down to medium and cook for another 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 with meat thermometer.

Remove chicken from pan and add white wine to the onions to deglaze the pan. Add the additional ingredients except the honey. Simmer and stir for 5 minutes on low.

Add honey to the sauce and chicken thighs crispy side up.

Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Makes 6- 8 servings

Voila

Welcome to all our new friends. It is nice to meet like-minded people who share a love of life and food with their loved ones.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Foodie Friday – Root Down

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Debi Walter
Waiting for a table

We just returned from a week-long trip out west with my sister, Bettie, and her husband, Dennis, as well as my sister-in-law, Sherry, you can read all about our trip on my personal blog, Write From The Heart. The five of us really enjoyed our time, and food was a big part of it.

Denver International Airport

As we made it to the “C” Terminal we wanted to eat before our flight. There were only two options. We picked the one with the best ratings on Yelp, of course; It’s my mode of operandi. 🥰

Root Down had a long waiting list for a table, but since we had plenty of time we opted to wait. I have never been so glad we did.

David, our friendly server, took our drink order.

Dennis discovered most restaurants don’t offer sweet tea. Yet he still asked this time. David said they only offered unsweet. But when he brought our drinks, he brought a glass of simple syrup for Dennis. We were shocked that he would do that without asking. He said, “It’s not hard to give you what you wanted.”

Family is the best

We all ordered the Philly Cheesesteak with fries or sweet potato waffle fries. Excellent food. The sweet potato fries came with a basil lime dipping sauce that was amazing (yellow cup on my plate). I will have to try and make it myself.

I ate half before I remembered to take a photo.

What made this place so special is the atmosphere Root Down has intentionally created. From their website they explain it well…

Essential elements of Root Down’s 4,000 square-foot space incorporates sustainable practices along with design aspects reminiscent of the energy, aesthetic and pulse of the 1960’s, when air travel was a luxury. Equipped with WiFi and eco-friendly fare, Root Down provides modern day conveniences in a retro-fitted environment.

Root Down website

We were amazed at the relaxing space located in one of the busiest International airports in the country.

From their website

We were seated in a round booth facing large plate glass windows through which we watched our Southwest airplane arrive for us to board.

Our table on the left

Travelers sit at reclaimed butcher-block tables and reupholstered, vintage chairs. Several aspects of the intricate design are locally sourced, including all cabinetry and steel work. A living wall of moss interspersed with tin can lids and airplane gauges adorns an entire dining room wall. Re-purposed suitcases, dozens of airplane flaps are all relics from America’s jet-setting past.

Root Down website
Wall of living moss and tin can covers

When we talked to our server about how impressed we were, he said they were named on the Top Ten list of the best airport restaurants in the nation, not surprising.

What a wonderful way to end to our family adventure.

If you make it to Denver in the future, there are two other locations in the city. You must give them a try. We are blessed we did!

Goodbye Denver
Posted in Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays, Travel, Vacations | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Magical Dining in Orlando

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Debi Walter
Welcome to Revello

This is the last week of our annual foodie celebration known as Magical Dining month. It’s the time when those of us who either can’t or choose not to spends hundreds of dollars on one meal are invited to these high-end restaurants for a Prix fix 3 course meal at a much lower cost.

We’ve had some unexpected physical set backs this year and didn’t think we’d be able to participate.

However…

We have good friends who will randomly call to see if we want to go out for dinner together. It just so happens this happened two times this past weekend; and it was to two different restaurants participating in MDM. Yay!!

Our first evening out was Friday where we visited the Four Seasons Hotel near Walt Disney World. You can’t get in the hotel without a room or dinner reservation, so we were excited to see one of Orlando’s poshest resorts. It did not disappoint.

The restaurant, Revello, serves Italian cuisine and even offers Italian hand-crafted cocktails. I’m a wine lover myself, so we didn’t try them. But they sounded enticing.

A pre-dinner stroll
Eye candy
Waiting for our table

We were seated on the outdoor terrace and were happy the temperature cooperated.

Our view

The food was delicious.

Mussels with crusty bread
Veal, Spinach and Ricotto Ravioli with Wild Mushrooms and Essence of Truffle
House made Hazelnut Chocolate Liqueur
Strawberry Lemon Verbena Sorbet

These pictures say it all. The ravioli is the executive Chef’s Grandmother’s recipe from Torino, Italy. It was mouth-wateringly good!

I will post our second Magical Dining meal soon. For now, just savor the photos.

We pray you find moments to savor this week as well.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Jalapeño Poppers with a Southern Twist

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Debi Walter

Once again I’m a day late, but for good reason. I didn’t have an idea for this week’s post. That was until now!

We are leaving for a week’s vacation and needing to use up all the fresh food we have in the fridge. With a bag of 8 jalapeño peppers and football on the TV, Poppers were begging to be made.

I also had a lot of pimento cheese with jalapeños to use up, and a new recipe was born. 🥰

Southern Jalapeño Poppers

Ingredients:

  • Fresh jalapeños, sliced lengthwise and seeded
  • Thin sliced salami or crumbled bacon
  • Pimento cheese – we used Costco’s jalapeño brand that is so yummy.
  • Chives
  • Pecans, chopped
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Salt, to taste
  • Honey

Preheat oven to 400.

Layer each jalapeño with the ingredients in the order listed, except the salt and honey.

Bake for 11 minutes or until fully melted. Sprinkle with salt and and drizzle with honey.

These turned out so delicious, but they have a kick! Have a cold drink ready to cool your palette.

See y’all next week.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Craving Fall

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Debi Walter
Maple Roasted Veggies

It’s nearly Fall but in Florida you’d never know it. Fall for us is the peak of Hurricane season. I love a good thunderstorm, but how I long for the cooler drier weather.

When this happens I go to the one place where the sites and smells of Autumn satisfy even in FL—the kitchen.

Tonight I roasted Brussel sprouts, shallots, sweet potatoes, cranberries and pecans for the side dish to salmon burgers glazed with maple syrup. Ahhh!

The smell was almost as filling as the food itself.

I must admit that the craisins I had on hand were a bit old, but they still tasted good. However, when I roasted them they were hard a marbles. Epic fail! I had to hand pick them out of the dish before serving.

Craisins to the left, veggies to the right

The recipe for the veggies is from Zest and Simmer blog and I can’t recommend it more highly. The recipe was easy to follow and the results will reward your every bite.

The recipe for the salmon burgers was actually for salmon filets, but it worked just as well on the burgers. I ended up frying them at the end to get a good sear on both sides. You can find the glaze recipe on the Simply Whisked blog.

This was so good I forgot to take a picture of our dinner plated.

We enjoyed our meal together on the couch as we’re both recovering. Tom from surgery, and me from a broken ankle.

What are your favorite Fall foods? Somehow these meals are romantic, like a cozy hug on a chilly day. Keeps you coming back for more!

Posted in Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays, In Sickness, Seasons of Life | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Foodie Friday – Pizza, Please

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Debi Walter

We awoke on Friday like any other Friday. But this one would be different, we just didn’t know it yet.

Our internet was down.

When we reported it we were notified it wouldn’t be restored until later tonight or in the morning. So much for writing my weekly Foodie Friday post. I hadn’t had a chance to even think about this week’s post anyway.

Since it’s 9:30 p.m. I’m assuming it will be restored in the morning. So what do I do when there’s no internet? Head to the kitchen to bake and cook.

First, I baked a pie for a dear friend who had just lost the love of her life. They were about to celebrate 68 years of marriage, and given that length it counts.

Strawberry Cream Cheese pie

We are a part of an Organic Co-op that delivers every 2 weeks. I am notified of the veggies available and can opt in or out based on what is offered.

This week they had mission figs which have a very short season, so I opted in. One of our favorite Italian restaurants has a Fig, Prosciutto and Gorgonzola pizza. It is so good I’ve always wanted to try to make it at home.

To save time I bought a premade pizza dough at Publix. The pizza has chopped figs, fig jam, caramelized shallots with garlic and thyme, and lemon juice rubbed arugula with a black fig balsamic drizzle.

It was so easy to make and tasted just like the restaurant’s version. Thank you Olive and Mango for this wonderful recipe, although I tweaked it a bit with what I had on hand. The pictures will leave your mouth watering.

Fig jam, Gorgonzola cheese and caramelized shallots
After baking add prosciutto
Then top with the Arugula
Ready to enjoy
So delicious

Losing the internet for a day has its advantages.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Tuscan Shrimp

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Debi Walter
One of the best parts of our week

To say our week has been a challenge would be a huge understatement. But one must eat.

My post is late today because of necessary reasons, but I’m excited to share one of our favorite and quick shrimp recipes. It’s from the 40 Aprons website, if you’d like to make it yourself. It’s very easy and requires only minimal prep.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves because I’m tired.

Garlic, onions, butter (or ghee) with sun dried tomatoes and coconut cream
Add fresh spinach
Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese (or ghee)
Toss in sautéed shrimp
Serve hot, over rice or cauliflower rice

Let us know if you try it.

Have a great holiday weekend as we bid adieu to Summer. I’m tempted to say, “Good riddance” with the dry, hot summer we’ve had in Central Florida!

Grateful for everyone of you we call friends.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Food Becomes Art

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Debi Walter

We are on vacation, a much needed one. Even though I had just gotten out of my walking boot and am still limping, I insisted we get away.

Our destination? The high country of North Carolina where we have come for most of our 44 years of marriage. It is like home away from home to us.

Since you are now aware of our love for good food, you won’t be surprised that this is a big part of any get away for us, whether we’re cooking in or dining out. We love local food.

We enjoyed an amazing fish and chicken restaurant on our way North. It is right off I-95 in the town of Brunswick. The place isn’t fancy; It is set in an old Waffle House. The food is authentic Georgia cooking at its finest in the humblest of settings. But when it comes to good food it’s the heart of the chef that matters. If they love what they do, we’ll usually love what they cook. Jay’s Fish and Chicken is no exception.

Fried shrimp, grits and collards
Fried chicken (dark), baked beans and fries

Last night we enjoyed the other end of the spectrum when it comes to dining out. It is our favorite high-end restaurant—Artisanal Restaurant in Banner Elk, NC.

The atmosphere is classy but comfortable. The service is impeccable. The food is like this blog title states—fine art that tastes as good as it looks.

This meal was special as we were celebrating Tom’s birthday. When we told our server she brought us complimentary champagne to toast the night. A nice touch!

An added bonus was meeting one of the owners, Anita Green. Her husband, Bill, is the Chef. We found out he is a native of Banner Elk and started in a humble location in 2009. Realizing where they are now is a result of his skills learned at the Culinary Institute of America—another favorite restaurant we enjoyed years ago on my birthday. Maybe I’ll share that in an upcoming post.

Photo from Get Lost in the USA website

Now for the food—We had a three course Prix fixe menu. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Bite-sized crab cakes
Hot rolls
Calamari appetizer
Lamb with yellow rice and Brussel sprouts
Veal Osso Buco with risotto
Desserts for my man ❤️
Peach Galette with Blackberry Compote

What a feast for the eyes and the palate. We enjoyed everything about this night, but mostly the fact that we have still each other to celebrate such events.

As the sun sets on this evening, we are thanking God for another year of life.

Bon Appetit!

Posted in Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays, Thankfulness, Travel, Vacations | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Chilean Sea Bass

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Debi Walter

Our son-in-love had a birthday last week. Our tradition is to make whatever meal they desire, as far as it’s possible for me or Tom to make.

Matt chose fish and left it wide-open as to what kind and what to make with it. Ahh, my favorite challenge.

I got to work researching recipes once Tom came home with the fish—Wild caught Chilean Sea Bass from Ukraine.

He purchased it at Costco, in case you were wondering if Tom went to Ukraine to catch it himself. 😂 We also have dear friends in Ukraine which made this meal feel even more special.

Since it’s been so unbelievably hot this Summer—we’re talking heat indexes in the 110 degree mark and up—I chose a lemon herb butter sauce for the pan fried fish. It was refreshingly good and flaky.

Not to mention it was so easy to make.

Matt loved the dish making his birthday another one to remember. I now have a new favorite fish recipe to add to my Pinterest, Yes Chef, board.

If you’d like to make this yourself, I found it on Organically Addison’s blog. Thanks Addison!

Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass

Oh, and today is Tom’s BD. We are excited to have another year together around the sun. I can’t wait to see what he wants me to make for his birthday dinner, but I already have an idea…stay tuned.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Dinner Dates, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Help!

Posted on August 15, 2023 by Debi Walter

Sometimes the best advice you can give your spouse is a long embrace without words. Wisdom knows when it is needed most, and sincere love follows through.

Posted in Cherishing, Christian Marriage | Tagged | 4 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Dinner Date Ideas to Whet Your Appetite

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Debi Walter

We’ve all experienced the not-so-pleasant moments when you have a dinner date night scheduled, but nothing planned:

“Where do you want to go for dinner?”

“Oh, I don’t know, you pick!”

“I don’t really care one way or the other.”

Tom has learned that this type of conversation often spirals into an argument if we’re not careful.

We can easily fall into a rut of going to dinner to the same restaurant time after time and never venture out to try something new. There’s nothing wrong with having a favorite place, but to never try something different prevents you from finding new favorites.

Consider a traveler taking the same road year after year without ever trying a different road just to see what they’ve been missing.

One year on a family vacation to Breckinridge, CO, we decided to experience off-roading. Our three children were teens and didn’t want to go with us, so Tom and I got in our rented 4 x 4 and hit the trails – literally. We  had a blast! We followed one road that took us over a 14,000′ mountain and the view was incredible. It was mid-July and we were surprised to see glacial ice patches, called Perma Frost, due to the high altitude and lack of direct sunshine. It was something this Florida girl had never experienced before and I was thrilled!

Our kids missed out because they wanted to do the same old things: play video games and  such. It was their loss, but they didn’t know what they had missed.

Our date nights can become the same way–predictable and uneventful.

This is why we are offering some Dinner Date Ideas to help you break away from the highway and enjoy the new sights and sounds of a dining adventure.

  • Passport Dates – This is a way to travel the world without leaving your city. Pick a different country each date and explore the world one meal at a time by going to a asian, italian, mexican or vietnamese restaurant. Test your taste buds–you may find something you didn’t know you liked. Or if you love cooking together, this would be a fun at-home date. Add a travel video of your destination for added fun.
  • Alphabet Dates – Start at the beginning of the alphabet and eat your way through all 26 letters. You can go out for some and stay home to cook others. You could even buy take-out to bring home after the kids are in bed.
  • Quest For Your Favorite Dish – we did this for Fish and Chips trying them at different restaurants all over Orlando. It took a while, but we finally found our favorite – a small, family owned pub, St. Andrews Tavern. You could look for your favorite cake restaurant, steak, BBQ, Mexican, whatever. Or work your way through your own categories.
  • Classy Dinner Picnic – This is one of my favorites. Pack a card table, table cloth, real dishes and silver ware. Set up your table at a nearby park that is open in the evening. Don’t forget lighting and bug repellant. We have a park in the middle of one of our favorite towns – Winter Park – where great restaurants line the Avenue. Instead of packing the food, Tom walked across the street and ordered take out. When he got back we transferred the food to our dishes. This way our food was hot and fresh, and neither of us had to cook or clean up. Very romantic!
  • Round-Up Dinner Date – Try going to one restaurant for an appetizer, another one for your main entree and another one for dessert.
  • Finally – Use Yelp to find great restaurants wherever you are. Each restaurant has a  rating based on those who have actually eaten there, usually the locals. We have found those restaurants with a 90% or higher rating are usually always good. This greatly reduces the risk in trying a new place, plus you can use this when traveling to other cities too!

What Dinner Dates have you tried that were out-of-the-ordinary. We would love to hear what’s worked for you!

Photo by Christine Siracusa on Unsplash

Posted in Date Night Ideas, Dinner Dates, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Five Cooking Dates for Two

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Debi Walter

Tom and I love to cook. We love to cook for each other, and we love to cook together. When we had our kitchen renovated the designer laid out our kitchen to make the best use of space for us to both be in the kitchen. It was the best advice. Our kitchen is a great place for us to spend an evening together.

First, I’ll share a cooking date that didn’t work for us. You’ll need a bit of background to help—we enjoy watching cooking shows. One in particular is Master Chef where Gordon Ramsey and his team challenge home chefs with their culinary skills. The best one wins the title of Master Chef for the year.

There is one challenge he does called Mystery Box. Inside each chef’s mystery box are assorted ingredients each must use to make an inspiring meal. It’s fun to watch their creativity shine. 

Now for our unsuccessful date…

We made plans to go to the grocery store and buy our own mystery box ingredients to give to each other. The idea, which was a good one, was to each create a dish using the ingredients in our mystery box. The only problem was—we lacked the creativity to do anything with our items.

We bought such weird and unfamiliar items that we ended up donating them to a local food bank and ordered pizza delivery.

Failed date, but hilarious memory.

If you decide to do this, use more familiar ingredients to make it doable. This is still on the table for us to give it another try.

Below are five fun ways to enjoy time together in the kitchen…

Five Cooking Date Ideas for Two

  • Charcuterie Board with Wine Tasting – Buy four bottles of wine. Two red and two white. Cut up favorite assorted cheese, dried meats, olives, nuts, crackers, and fruit. Set up a card table in an area not normal for meals, play some smooth jazz and enjoy. Put each bottle of wine in a paper bag so you don’t know which is which. Rate your favorite wine by the taste. You may find a new wine you didn’t know you liked best!
  • Make your own pizza from Scratch – Try your hand a tossing your own pizza dough, spreading a favorite marinara sauce on top. Then each make a masterpiece for each other. Don’t forget to play classic Italian Cafe music to set the mood.
  • Low Country Boil – This is one of our favorite meals for the summer. You can make it on your gas grill outside to keep the seafood smell out of the house. Instead of sea weed, we line the bottom of a large pot with spinach. Fill with smoked sausage, halved cobs of corn, shrimp, lobster tail or crab legs and new potatoes. Sprinkle all with Old Bay seasoning for the most authentic taste. Don’t forget to line your table with newspaper. When ready to eat, pour it all out on the table and enjoy.
  • Filet Mignon with Roquefort Port Wine sauce – This is my all-time favorite meal that Tom cooks for me. I found it in my Williams-Sonoma French cookbook. It is so good you don’t need dessert – the sauce is so rich and mount-watering you’ll want to lick the plate. I may or may not have done this. 😉
  • Ice Cream Sandwich competition – Each of you plan to make your own cookies and fill them with the ice cream flavor of your choice. Wrap them in plastic wrap and chill. 

All of our recipes and ideas can be found on our Pinterest Board – Date Night Food. We would love to hear about your experience if you try any of these “at home” cooking dates. 

Bon Appetit!

Posted in Christian Marriage, Creative Dates, Date Night Ideas, Five Friday Favorites, Fun Dates | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Gift of Life

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Debi Walter 
It’s a day I have always favored
A day established by Your hand
You breathed into my birthing soul
And made my lungs expand

With tears I entered the world
With more tears I continue on
I know that You are always with me
And each year I lean upon…

Your mercy for the day ahead
Your grace to see me through
Your kindness as you illuminate
The beauty of life with You

I love Your world and all it holds
The smells, the sights, the tastes
You give me hope to continue on
For none of it goes to waste

For You have written the days for me
In Your eternal Book of Life
Each one has purpose to fulfill
The good days and those with strife

Hard days are a necessary part
Of living life on Earth
For it is in the hard places
Where I realize Your worth, for...

You endured the greatest suffering
As you hung upon the tree
You saw the joy before You
As You willingly died for me

So as I inhale to blow out the candles 
On another year that has passed
I exhale praises for giving me
The gift of life that will last
Posted in Aging, Celebrations, Christian Marriage, Seasons of Life | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Foodie Friday – Friends Help

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Debi Walter
“Many hands make light work.”
– John Haywood

As you probably have heard, I broke my ankle on the 4th of July. I am doing well adjusting to my physical limitations. But my biggest struggle is that I can’t cook or bake.

The kitchen is my happy place where I retreat when I’m happy or sad. It occupies my mind when I’m struggling, and it matches my mood when there’s a celebration to be had.

But now I can barely make my own morning cup of tea. Everything requires caution and planning. No jumping up to make a batch of cookies.

If I let myself go there, I would be sad. But there is good news!

I have an amazing husband who does all things well. Caring for me is his best gift, and I have been the recipient of his attention for decades.

I also have friends who have offered their help in our time of need; providing meals to us through Take Them A Meal. With their kindness, love and prayers they are such a blessing.

So my Foodie Friday post this week is dedicated to our friends who have brought us delicious food, from chicken sliders, kale salad, berry cobblers with ice cream. To red velvet cake, chicken and rice with yummy fresh breads, not to mention several gift cards to our favorite restaurants. And we’ve just gotten started.

We realize that sharing their love through a planned out meal is opening a part of their life and home with us. This is hospitality at work and I am so honored and grateful.

Marriage is a blessing. Having friends who lift you up when one of you is struggling is a gift that we don’t take lightly.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,”

Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
Posted in Biblical Encouragement, Christian Marriage, Foodie Fridays, In Sickness, Seasons of Life | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Foodie Fridays – Favorites Beef Short Ribs

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Debi Walter
Photo by Recipe Tin Eats

We have a busy couple of weeks ahead and wanted to share some of our favorite recipes.

Do you have one recipe that is your go-to for special occasions? You’re probably not surprised that we have several dishes we absolutely love. They’re the ones we choose for birthday celebrations or having friends over for dinner.

Today’s favorite is Beef Short Ribs.

Recipetineats.com

I can’t have pork anymore since I discovered I have a food sensitivity to it. Sad for me because I love pork tenderloin and baby back ribs. When I discovered these fall-off-the-bone beef short ribs I’d found my new craving.

I make mine in the crockpot because it fills the home with mouthwatering aromas that serve as an “appeteaser” of sorts. (Scroll down on the recipe page for slow cooker directions). Whip up some garlic mashed potatoes and veggie of your choice for a delicious dinner you’ll not soon forget.

For more of our favorites you can follow us on Pinterest. We have lots of Date Night pins and a board called, Yes Chef, for all the recipes we’ve tried or want to soon.

Yes Chef Pinterest Board

Have a delicious weekend. Bon appetite!

Posted in Christian Marriage, Dating Your Spouse, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Importance of Friendship in Marriage

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Debi Walter

There is one thing of most importance in a healthy marriage and that is friendship.

I recently had a conversation with a young single man contemplating how to pursue a healthy relationship with hopes for marriage. I told him foremost he should seek to be her friend and not just an acquaintance, but a best friend.

A true friend will make you feel comfortable with who you are right now. There is a quality of acceptance that is hard to describe, but easy to recognize when you experience it.

A true friend will offer empathy when you are facing a hard times. They will make you feel heard, noticed and cared for without trying to fix you. In his book, Instruments In The Redeemer’s Hands, Paul David Tripp shares an easy way to practice true empathy; Love, Know, Speak, Do.

Let’s talk about each of these more specifically:

  1. Love. A person feels your love when you listen not only with your ears but with your heart. You let them talk without interrupting them and without planning ahead what you’re going to say in response. A person can tell when you are just trying to fix them. This isn’t empathy.
  2. Know. Most often when someone is sharing what is weighing on their heart and mind, they won’t tell you everything at first. They are testing the waters to see if you’re safe. The best way to know them is to not assume you know what motivates their response to the situation. Ask more questions. A safe one we’ve found is simple, “Tell me more.” Then listen and keep asking.
  3. Speak. Only after doing the first two steps are you somewhat ready to speak into their lives. If you have experience with what they’re facing, this is a good time to share it. If you know of resources that would help this is good too. Most of all share your heartfelt empathy as if this difficulty were happening to you.
  4. Do. Now is when you’re ready to do something to help. Most of us are wired to skip to this step first, which cheats us in our friendships. We don’t take the time to care for them. We want only to fix the problem and move on to something more interesting to us.

We can’t emphasize enough the importance of cultivating a genuine friendship with your spouse. Marriages set on auto-pilot will eventually run out of gas and crash.

Friendship is the refueling of the plane to keep going the distance.

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t share several detriments to friendships forming in a marriage. Kind of like ignoring holes in your fuel tank. Here are three for starters…

Selfishness – You don’t really care about the other person, but only what they do for you or how they make you feel. Jesus demonstrated genuine love for us by laying down His life for us. This is servant leadership, the opposite of selfishnes.

Pride – You are your number one concern. As long as your spouse caters to your opinion of yourself all is good. You aren’t looking to grow or mature, because you see yourself as having already arrived. You are your own best friend.

Competition – A spouse who is always trying to out-do the other–whatever the accomplishment–will never feel you’ve got their back. In fact they won’t feel safe with you. The Bible says to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep.” Jesus paused and wept with Mary over the death of her brother, even though He knew He was going to bring him back. Talk about One who is able to fix the problem we’re facing, yet He wept.

No couple does friendship in marriage perfectly, but a healthy marriage seeks their spouse’s opinion to learn more about themselves. We all have blind spots. This is why the Bible clearly commands us to take the log out of our own eye before going after the speck in theirs. But without friendship, there is no trust. And without trust the relationship will crash.

How can we regain trust that’s been broken?

When you realize you’ve sinned against your spouse–humbly repent. It is only by the grace of God at work in your heart that you will truly be able to repent. Without His grace, we tend to make excuses and look at our spouse’s faults as worse than our own. It is the grace of God that leads us to repentance. Don’t ignore the still small voice.

Marriage is hard work. To ignore cultivating a genuine friendship with your spouse is to miss out on one of God’s greatest blessings in this life. To lean in and pursue each other faithfully in all seasons is to receive the good design God had in mind all along for you.

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Foodie Fridays – Commander’s Palace

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Debi Walter

We were married 23 years when we had the foodie experience of our lives. It still stands as one of our top meals of all time.

We were on a business trip to New Orleans for the NAFEM show held every two years. We had many friends in our industry and several that were quite close. One couple told us they were celebrating their 40th anniversary at The Commander’s Palace and would like us to join them–their treat. We didn’t even have to think about it. We were all in!

In case you didn’t know, Commander’s Palace is the place where Emeril Lagasse got his start in the culinary world. It is known as one of the finest restaurants in America, and we were going there for dinner. We were awe-struck at the thought. But it gets better…

We found out they had reserved the Chef’s Table where we would dine at a table across from the Sous Chef as he prepared our 7 course meal complete with wine pairings. Ahhh!!

The place was packed with diners. We were escorted through the noise to double doors that led us to the birth place of fine dining. We owned a commercial foodservice company, so my husband was all too familiar with the inner workings of a busy kitchen. But he had never experienced it as the one being served; and served we were!

Our chef, Tory McPhail, was the longest running Executive Chef in Commander’s Palace history until he retired in November, 2020. He now resides in Montana where he “guides three busy restaurants in Bozeman”, as his LinkedIn page states. He gave us our own signed copy of the menu, marking each of the 7 courses we enjoyed with the wine pairings.

The one dish that stands out to this day in my memory is their Creamed Corn with Jalapeño and Thyme. We hope you’ll take time to enjoy this dish while the summer sweet corn is at it’s finest.

Creamed Corn with Jalapeño and Thyme

Ingredients:

  • 8 ears fresh corn, shucked
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 1 Tablespoon butter

Directions:

  • Stand an ear of corn inside a large bowl. Using a small knife remove the kernels, being sure not to cut into the cob. When all the corn has been scraped off, scrape the cob with the back of a knife, break the cob in half and place in a large pot. Repeat with the remaining ears of corn.
  • Pour the cream into the pot. It probably won’t cover all the cobs. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, taking care not to let the cream boil over. Stir and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the cream starts to thicken. Using tongs, remove the cobs. If not thick enough, make a roux using corn starch and water and thicken to your liking.
  • Add the corn and the jalapeño to the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The corn should be tender. Add the thyme, stir in the butter and adjust seasoning as needed.

Recipe from Commander’s Kitchen Cookbook, page 248

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Foodie Fridays – How It Began

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Debi Walter

This weekend is special to us. Tomorrow is the anniversary of our first date. I remember it like it was yesterday even though it was 45 years ago!

I realized that we were foodies from the start.

When Tom picked me up I was a nervous and excited 18 year old. Tom was a mature 23 with a new car and three piece suit. He opened the door for me, and I had no idea he would be my forever door-opener and so much more.

He joked, “I hope you like McDonald’s.”

When he pulled into the nicest French-restaurant in town I was shocked. This was the restaurant with no prices on the ladies menu. Many of you reading this may be surprised that was the norm for expensive restaurants. I tried to read Tom’s expression as I decided what to order. But he gave no indication if the price was too much.

Maison et Jardin

I ordered Veal Oscar. Something I’d never had but it sounded delicious. We shared the table side tossed spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. The meal was finished with another table side preparation of bananas foster.

Our wine of choice was also of French origin, Pouilly Fuisse. It was smooth like butter. And yes, 18 was the legal drinking age in 1978.

So this weekend will be filled with reliving memories. And I may just order Veal Oscar, even if I see the price.

Do you celebrate your first date?

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Foodie Friday – My Husband Cooks

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Debi Walter

If you are from Western New York I’m about to make you hungry for something you may have enjoyed as much as we have. And it’s not what you’re probably thinking.

In 2021 I surprised Tom by taking him to the Finger Lakes for his birthday. He was born and raised in Buffalo and Rochester. This was one of those trips where Tom shared his childhood with me. We visited his old schools and local breweries We explored state parks, toured the Corning Museum and even fished in the deep waters of Cuyuga Lake.

It was here that he introduced me to Beef on a Weck. We went to a beautiful brewery overlooking Seneca Lake. The only item on the menu was Beef on a Weck. Tom was excited to share this with me.

Two Goats Brewing

Beef on a Weck is an amazing sandwich invented in the Buffalo area, like their more famous Buffalo Wings. Being a Florida girl I had only ever had Arby’s or Roy Roger’s for my take on roast beef sandwiches. (I know, I’m rolling my eyes too!) And I wasn’t a fan.

But this sandwich is the kind you crave once you’ve had a really good one. I learned it has been a staple in this region for over 100 years. Weck is short for Kummelweck rolls. Kümmel is German for caraway seeds. The rolls are Kaiser rolls sprinkled with coarse salt and caraway seeds, thus the name.

Beef on a Weck was the creation of an unnamed German baker working at John Gohn’s Delaware House.

The Pan-American Exposition was being held in Buffalo in 1901, and The Delaware House was right where those attending would get off the trolley. His idea was that this sandwich would make their hungry customers come in to eat and then thirsty for lots of beer. It worked and a tradition was born.

What is a Beef on Weck Sandwich? It is a roast beef sandwich on a salty kummelweck roll. In fact, it is this roll that makes the sandwich unique. Made only in the Buffalo-Rochester area, the kummelweck – often alternatively spelled kimmelweck – is basically a Kaiser roll topped with lots of pretzel salt and caraway seeds. Kummelweck is simply shortened to “weck.” The sandwich is usually served with sinus-clearing horseradish (you can tell a native Buffalonian by the amount of horseradish he or she used), a couple of huge kosher dill pickle slices on the side, and extra beef juice served straight from the roast. Wash it all down with a cold, locally brewed ale.

From What’s Cooking America

Beef on Weck Sandwich Recipe:

Prep Time: 15 min.

Cook Time: 50 mins

Total Time: 1hr 5 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 sandwiches

Author: What’s Cooking America

INGREDIENTS

Beef on Weck:

  • 1 (3 to 4-pound) beef roast (tenderloin, Prime Rib, or eye of round)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, extra-virgin
  • Coarse salt and coarsely-ground black pepper
  • 8 Kaiser rolls*
  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 2 tablespoons coarse salt**
  • Horseradish, prepared

Cornstarch Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup water, cold
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Beef on Weck Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Rub roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Place roast on rack in a shallow baking pan, tucking the thin end under to make it as thick as the rest of the roast.
  3. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes or until thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees F.  Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board; let stand 15 minutes before carving.  Reserve meat juice, and carve meat into very thin slices (as thin as you can slice).
  4. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
  5. Brush the prepared Cornstarch Glaze on the top of each Kaiser roll; sprinkle equal amounts of caraway seeds and heat in the oven for 3 minutes or until tops of the rolls get crusty and the caraway seeds and salt begin to stick. Remove from oven and cut each roll in half.
  6. To assemble sandwiches, divide sliced beef on the bottom half of each roll, spoon with reserved beef juice, and top with the top half of each roll.  Serve with horseradish on the side.
  7. Makes 8 sandwiches.

Tom made these for me using Boar’s Head sliced roast beef and a au jus made with beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. He heated the beef in the au jus then put them dripping in the roll. He added the horseradish on the roll which we both like lots of it.

Tom’s Beef on a Weck

We re-created a special memory from our trip in 2021. Food does that—storing savory memories to be recalled with one bite.

What food brings back special memories to you?

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Foodie Fridays – At Home Dinner Date with a Flare

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Debi Walter

Vintage Post – originally posted in March of 2013

I don’t know how we hadn’t heard of Downton Abbey until recently, but we hadn’t. However we’ve managed to catch up on all three seasons in three short months. 🙂

When our Date Night challenge was to pick a country as an at-home theme, we couldn’t resist the chance to have an authentic Downton Abbey dinner set in the beautiful country of England.

I took on the role of Mrs. Patmore for the dinner preparations, and Tom became Mr. Carsen as he picked the wine, set the table perfectly and lit the candles. After dinner was ready we changed into our proper dinner attire, although it was a bit on the casual side since Tom only had a black tie. Very frowned upon in Downton Abbey for the evening meal, as Matthew Crawley soon discovered.

In researching authentic recipes from the period, I was surprised to discover just how much went in to each course. The Huffington Post provides some excellent information on the subject:

There is a lot to love about the show. The characters are all compelling in their own way, and it is fascinating to watch a household that functions as a tiny town. But what we particularly love is how much cooking and eating takes place during each episode. Meals were a big part of life during the Edwardian period. The noble class used it as a way to, quite literally, taste their social status. They ate four times a day — breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner. And the dinners were particularly elaborate, ranging from six to 22 courses! (emphasis mine)

We cut our dinner down to only four courses, and we were stuffed by the dessert. 🙂

Our first course consisted of a delicious Creamy Watercress Soup garnished with blue cheese crumbles and breadcrumbs.

Our second course was a palette cleanser of Meringue Nests with Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberry Sauce.

Our Third course was by far our favorite–Lamb Stew with Lemon and Dill served over a bed of Orzo.

Our Fourth course was Apple Confit with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

We played the Downton Abbey Sound Track on Pandora to make the evening feel special.

It was a perfectly wonderful night together and got better when Mr. Carsen showed up after dinner to do the dishes. Mrs. Patmore was quite relieved.

We ended the night be watching the next episode in our quest to finish Season 3.

What we love about this time period as depicted in this series is the respect people showed to one another. Of course, there are the inconsiderate and those who fake their respect, but for the most part the etiquette is sincere. I believe we have lost something very precious in our modern culture. Maybe this is why Downton Abbey has become so popular in the United States. Maybe we do long for a bit more tradition and manners.

This date was one we will always remember. And we may just do it again next year. After all, we only hit on 4 courses of the potential 22 course dinner menu. That leaves three more dates to try without repeating a recipe.

We hope this will inspire you to try such a date yourself. You will be ever-so pleased.

Posted in Christian Marriage, Date Night Ideas, Dinner Dates, Foodie Fridays | Tagged , | 4 Comments