Main Dish Monday! BBQ Meatloaf

It’s Main Dish Monday! 

This week’s Monday night family dinner recipe comes from Marah.  This is her recipe for the delicious BBQ Meatloaf!   Both of her fellas really love this dish!  This meatloaf would be perfect along with The Best Mashed Potatoes in the World and Cranberry Walnut Salad  – enjoy your time around the table with your family!

Link to recipe: BBQ Meatloaf

Link to video:  BBQ Meatloaf Tutorial

Shopping List:

1.5 lbs ground chuck or ground beef

bread crumbs - seasoned or plain

sweet and spicy barbecue sauce 

eggs

cheddar cheese

milk

garlic salt

onion powder

salt 

pepper

brown sugar

Here is Marah's Recipe

BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients

1.5lbs ground beef

2/3 C milk

½ C breadcrumbs

1 ¼ C shredded cheddar

½ C BBQ sauce

1 egg

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Topping

¼ C BBQ sauce

1T brown sugar

1)      Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2)      Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with a fork (or your hands!)

3)      Butter a muffin tin if you are baking as muffins, or a larger pan if making a loaf

4)      Fill muffin tins almost all the way full

5)      Top with BBQ sauce and brown sugar mixture

6)      Bake for 30 mins

7)      Enjoy!

Main Dish Monday! Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

It’s Main Dish Monday!

This week’s Monday night family dinner recipe comes from both Marah and Michelle - the smokin’ hot, cheesy mess of Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese!    .  One of us usually makes this recipe for special events when we are going whole-hog-wild anyway!  This dish can be your main event or a hearty side dish.  There is enough cheese in this to satisfy some protein seekers but perhaps a huge salad with grilled chicken breast would help to complete your meal– enjoy your time around the table with your family!

Link to recipe:  Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

Link to video: Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese Tutorial


Shopping List:
16 oz pasta - wagon wheel, farfalle, orzo, penne, elbow - any will work
butter
whole milk
heavy whipping cream
flour
Smoked Gouda cheese
aged cheddar cheese
dry mustard
Panko crumbs
smoked chipotle pepper
onion powder

YUM!  Smoked Gouda is smoked over hickory chips in ancient brick ovens -
from the Netherlands.

From the Heart - The Voice of Truth

As we planned out the mission of The Classy Pearl, to build the family, we talked about having a "from the heart" chat time in an effort to help wives and mothers become stronger.  It takes a lot of time with the LORD and studying His Word in order to gain the wisdom needed to survive the attacks of the enemy.

How are you going to parry the wiles of the devil?  He comes as an angel of light, the smooth words of the sneaky snake may come right out of the mouth of a friend.

There she was, walking in the garden, checking on the growth of the herbs, inhaling deeply of the sweet essence of the frangipani flowers, smiling at the twittering of the birds.  She was happy and blessed.

And there he was, in the garden, not an unexpected presence but a crafty creature - more crafty than any other living thing that the LORD had created.  Eve was not surprised to have a serpent speaking to her.  We always picture a slithering snake but it is obvious that Eve was not afraid of him; he wasn't some dragon-ish fiend.  Nope. And apparently the serpent had been watching her.  He had a plan to destroy her, to steal the honor that her Creator had bestowed upon her, and to make sure she died.  Wonder what his motivation was; probably jealousy.

"Is it true that Elohim has said, 'Do not eat of every tree of the garden?'"  Boom.  The message:  how unfair for you, Eve; you deserve better.

"We are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, 'Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die."  How many times since has she wished she would have just obeyed the Voice of Truth?

And the serpent said to the woman, "You shall certainly not die. For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil."  His message:  you're missing out, Eve; you could have so much more - you deserve more and God is holding out on you, my dear friend.  And with one snap of His finger He could give it all to you - He just doesn't want you to be like Him.  I hate to tell you this, but you're just being used, Eve.  Look how hard you work in this garden - a garden you didn't even choose - and He has the nerve to hold out on you.  He doesn't love you, He is not concerned with your best.  He is lying to you, Eve - you're not gonna die.  You're going to have to take for yourself because waiting on God is never going to get you what you deserve."

When you take this bait you are leaving an opening for your opponent - you are walking right into his trap.  You forget to listen to the LORD's voice and you begin to go after things that He warned you about.  This video skit is an excellent representation of God's love for us, how much He wants to bless us if we will but obey Him.... and the enemy's hate for us and his conniving tactics against us to destroy us, to steal our families, and to kill us:

Lifehouse Everything Skit

Proverbs 14 tells us:  Every wise woman has built her house, But the foolish breaks it down with her hands.

Proverbs 18 tells us:  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those loving it eat its fruit.

Words - it is the words we listen to and then repeat that are going to either build up or tear down our houses.  From God's own heart, He says, "“I have called the heavens and the earth as witnesses today against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore you shall choose life, so that you live, both you and your seed, to love Yahweh  your Elohim, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him – for He is your life and the length of your days – "  It is the Heavenly Father's desire that you choose life.

In my own life I have listened to the wrong words so many times.  And I have repented of the sins I subsequently committed by listening to the wrong voice.  If the wrong voice is whispering in your ear, shut it off, don't listen, and ask your Heavenly Father for direction.  He will tell you to turn left or right and He has promised you life more abundantly.

Your job is to be wise as a serpent, gentle as a dove, and defend your family against the tactics of the enemy.  Then you will be worth more than rubies, then your children will arise and call you blessed.  

God bless us and keep us and make Your face shine upon us - keep us from falling for the tricks the enemy is using to destroy our homes and families.  

As a wife, your job is to have your husband's back and as a mother your job is to raise your children to honor God.  

If you have time while folding the laundry or cleaning the house or starting the family dinner, Dr. Frank Seekins has a precious message for becoming the Proverbs 31 warrior woman God created you to be:  

Dr. Frank Seekins - Proverbs 31 Woman

Make It Yourself - Lemonade

Kitchen Remodel - Part Two by Marah

The demolition phase of any home remodeling project can take a while.  But when you have a husband and wife team with little to no experience, it can take a loooong time!  My husband took off work for a week to complete this project, and we knew that we'd probably still be putting the finishing touches on once the initial week had come to a close, but we didn't figure it would take the whole five days just to get everything torn apart!  We found ourselves asking each other if this was really necessary about every ten minutes!  We shared a lot of frustrations, but also a lot of laughs during those few days!  I'm considering a future blog posts of all of the really ridiculous comments I made during the process and I think I'll title it "Kitchen Renovation Blonde Moments" because there sure were a lot of them!  Like the time I told my husband that I knew what a circular saw was for - cutting circles in wood, of course!  He looked at me expecting me to be joking, but I was totally serious!  My dad apologized to him for not teaching me enough during my childhood!!

Anyway, I spent a lot of time during the week in my grandparents' garage painting the cabinets.  It started out with me just borrowing their garage for the space because it was raining a lot outside, but then it became my grandpa critiquing my every move!  This quickly turned into him grabbing the brush from my hand and helping himself to a roller and just taking over the job.  Ivan offered to help me paint in exchange for a few bucks because he is saving up for a Lego set, but he quickly disappeared into the kitchen to play games and eat snacks with my grandma!  My grandpa is coming up on his 88th birthday and really shouldn't be working hard in his garage, but he is one of the most stubborn men I've ever met, so I just let him do his thing!  I love my grandparents so very much, and the fact that I can watch my child work with my grandpa and play with my grandma just the way I did growing up makes my heart so happy!  I smiled ear to ear watching him enjoy spending a few days with them.  I have such fond memories of working in the garage with my grandpa on random projects and making signs for my bedroom and then going into the house to enjoy snacks and card games with both of them.  I think that's what life is really about - making memories with those who mean the most to you.

Once the cabinet doors and shelves were painted, I added some shelf paper to help preserve the cabinets a little bit, and then Michelle came over to help me paint the cabinets themselves!  We may have enjoyed a glass (or two) of wine during the process, but I'm sure it made us work even harder! ;)  Chris and Ivan jumped in to help, as well, and we all had a great time working together!  Once the cabinets were completely painted, we were ready to move onto cutting and installing the counter top.  Chris used his circular saw (to cut a straight line if that even makes any sense!) to cut the counter top down to the right size, and a jigsaw (I've learned a lot about power tools in case ya couldn't tell!) to cut out the hole for the sink, and he installed that and a brand new faucet.  I can finally see that everything is starting to come together, and I love it!

We were all set to put the hardware on the cabinets when we realized that we bought the wrong type of hinges, so back to Lowe's we went. But guess what?! They didn't work either, so we had to go back!!  I'm pretty sure we were there every single day for a week straight!  Then we realized once were putting the new handles on the drawers that we didn't actually measure to make sure the holes were correctly spaced, so now we have to add that to our list of things to fix!  Michelle always says "Measure twice, or even three times, cut once."  Thankfully we listened when measuring and cutting the counter top, but we clearly didn't listen with these new handles!  Oh well, I guess it adds to our remodel story, right?!

Aw Nuts!

Working on a kitchen is just that...a lot of work!  So Ivan and I decided to play hookie and head off for a day of fun!  We went to Young's Dairy Farm and enjoyed lunch, putt-putt golf, and ICE CREAM!!  Life is about balance, right?!  And all work and no play would just make for a rough life!

This is how I feel at this stage of the process!

Stay tuned for part three!

Our Kitchen Remodel - Part One by Marah

We bought our house about 9 years ago having just been married and still pretty much children.  It was all we could afford and was a refinanced home, so it needed a little work.  It is a basic three bedroom, brick ranch style home, but the addition of a family room with a large stone wall and wood burning fireplace just sealed the deal and we fell in love with it.  We have since remodeled all of the bedrooms and added much needed lighting, remodeled the two bathrooms, and added wood flooring in the living room, as well as creating a waterfall and little outdoor seating area that we just love in the back yard.  The one room left to tackle was the kitchen, but we knew it would be a big project, so we just kept putting it off.  I am happy to say that we finally decided to bite the bullet and remodel this very outdated and frankly, pretty ugly room!

After giving the cabinets a very thorough inspection, we decided that real, solid wood cabinets are a rarity today and we wanted to keep them, but update them as much as possible.  They are very sturdy and in really great shape, so all that was needed was a a little sanding, a fresh coat of paint and new hardware.  I really wanted the kitchen to be as bright as possible as we don't have a window in there, so we decided to go with a nice white semi gloss paint with a wax sealant.  For the backsplash, we chose a very light, neutral colored mosaic style tile that will both add a little color, but remain fairly neutral at the same time.  I just love the ever so slight pops of light blueish grey mixed with the tan colors!  I had my heart set on a dark wood butcher block counter top, but Chris and I did some research and realized that it is actually pretty difficult to maintain.  And while I LOVE spending time cooking and baking in my kitchen, spending time cleaning and treating the counter tops is not something that I really wanted to do.  So I gave up on the idea of butcher block and Chris, Ivan, and I wandered around Lowe's until we found a shade and style that we all agreed would go perfectly with the backsplash and white cabinets.  It was so adorable seeing Ivan just throw out his ideas and true feelings on each counter top!  That little boy has quite the personality!!  This left us with only paint colors to decide on, so I let the boys loose in Lowe's while I picked about 20 paint samples and then brought them home for Michelle and my sister to weigh in on!!  We narrowed it down to a few different neutral shades and I eventually decided on fair maple (or was it faint maple?! I can never remember!).

Once all of the decisions had been made, it was time to get home and start on the demolition phase!  Chris wanted to raise the cabinets up 3 inches to give us more room for my mixer and different counter top accessories, so we knew this would be a bit time consuming.  But he had his trusty sidekick, Ivan, helping him, so the job went very quickly and smoothly!  I don't know that I've seen that kid as happy as he was the moment Daddy put him on the counter, gave him a hammer, and told him to swing as many times as it took to tear out the drywall above the cabinets!  Daddy is VERY cautious when it comes to his boy, so Ivan was all set with eye protection and Daddy's hands on him the whole time.  He has also been a great help sanding the cabinets and removing the old backsplash.  As a mom, these are my favorite moments to watch - the moments when my little boy realizes he is capable of more than he thought and takes one more step towards becoming a little man!  Makes my Momma heart so happy!

Anyway, the demolition phase is taking a lot longer than expected, and I have been going crazy!  My house is in complete disarray, there is dust EVERYWHERE, and I can't ever seem to find what I need!  I had a mini breakdown when attempting to do laundry but not finding anywhere clean enough to fold the clothes.  My husband is very much a voice of reason and had to talk me down and remind me that no one is going to die because I can't do the laundry or dishes!  He's right, he's right, I know he's right!  I also hate the fact that we're eating out so much, but Michelle has been gracious enough to cook for us and invite us all over for dinner, so I really should just calm down and relax a little bit!

Up next will be starting to put things back together, so be sure to check back for part two.  In the mean time, please enjoy the pictures of my very messy, chaotic house!!

The Classy Pearl Blooper Reel One

Oh, Bubba!!!!

Kids Cooking Class

Cooking Classes 101

Main Dish Monday! Chicken Parmesan Casserole

It’s Main Dish Monday!

This week’s Monday night family dinner recipe comes from Marah.  This is her recipe for the quick and easy, super cheesy Chicken Parmesan Casserole.  You may want to serve this with a light salad and some French baguette to complete your meal – enjoy your time around the table with your family!

Link to recipe:  Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe

Link to video: Chicken Parmesan Casserole Video Tutorial

  

Shopping List:

2 whole chicken breasts

1 jar of favorite pasta sauce

Shaved Parmesan cheese (8 oz or as much as you like)

Shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz or as much as you like)

1 bag of favorite croutons

Red pepper flakes

Note to Brides: Your handiest kitchen tool just may be an iron skillet!

For the past few years the iron skillet has been my go-to gift for brides; that along with a gorgeous negligee...after all to keep a happy husband, a young wife must be multi-talented or at least willing to learn.  

What can't you do with an iron skillet?  

That list may be shorter than what you CAN do with one.  

When Marah married Christopher we had two showers for her.  The first was a kitchenware party; she received everything she needed for her new position as queen of her castle.  Then we hosted a negligee party where she received beautiful gowns for every night of the month.  She's still happily married after nine years! 

(Hilarious side note:  The negligee shower was so much fun!  I highly recommend these two showers for brides-to-be; what more could a young woman need to begin life with her husband?  So, there we were, Marah's female family members - aunts, sisters, nieces, grandmas, pastor's wife, and friends.  It was early July and we served strawberry daiquiris; these were non-alcoholic mind you.  Must have been the music, the ambiance - something....but with some sass Marah began to twirl the hot pink boa we forced her to wear.  When all of a sudden smoke...flames....burnt feathers....the end of her boa had caught in a nearby candle!  No worries - that house is still standing and the fire department did not have to be called!)

Could they be any cuter?!

I cannot think of one dish that is my favorite to make using an iron skillet but I would say that the pan itself is my favorite kitchen tool.  I could list the health benefits of using an iron skillet and the dire warnings of using Teflon but, eh, that is too boring and very well documented online!  

In honor of yesterday being National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (really?  I missed that?!) here is my recipe for a smokin' hot grilled cheese sandwich:

French baguette slices 1/2" thick

Smoked Gouda cheese sliced thinly - as much as you like

Fontina cheese sliced thinly - as much as you like

Butter, melted in your iron skillet

Melt your butter in your iron skillet on medium heat; don't let it get warm enough to brown the butter, though.  Assemble your bread and cheese then turn the heat up just a bit before putting your sandwich into the frying pan.  You should hear it sizzle but there should not be smoke....or flames.  Brown each side of your cheesy, delicious Smoked Gouda grilled cheese sandwich to your desired crispiness.  Straighten your tiara and enjoy with a glass of red wine....and salad.  Don't forget to eat your veggies! 

Here's Marah explaining how to wash and care for your iron skillet:

Marah's Iron Skillet Cleaning Tutorial

A Pirate's Wife Life by Michelle - Live Aboard Luxuries

Never crush a man's ego.  That means it seems completely cruel to him to call his boat a "camper on the water".  Lesson learned!

Handsome Beast Pirate

When Sixteen Tons was first purchased, she needed a lot of work.  She has two heads (bathrooms) but let me tell ya, they were rough.  The toilets were "pump away"!  Pump away, as in you stand above the toilet and pump this little handle until the bowl is empty.  I don't care what kind of handsome beast pirate I am married to, I told him, "I am not your pump away girl."

Pump.  Pump.  Pump until the bowl is empty.  

So, he promptly bought and installed an electric toilet - whew.  This one is more like an airplane toilet.  Just push the button and the bowl is quickly emptied!

Push the button and like a miracle....

I have read several intriguing blogs of families who enjoy the live aboard life.  They go to the most fascinating places and have these incredible experiences with indigenous people.   They step off their decks and into civilizations of a thousand years past.  Maybe I could learn the valuable lesson that there are some luxuries worth trading for experiences of a lifetime.

Reminds me of a quote from Tolkien's, "The Lord of the Rings," when Bilbo says to Frodo, "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.  You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."

Exactly.

He is an adventurer - can't keep him in the Shire!

  

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not." - Spoken by Ratty to Mole in "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame

A Pirate's Wife Life by Michelle - Live Aboard Storms

Well, when your husband lives on a boat sometimes you do, too.  Lasse bought a 34' 1980 Marine Trader Trawler in 2012.  He did the American Great Loop in 2013-2014 and that was an exciting adventure.  After a two-year hiatus he is just about ready to drop her back in the water!

Sixteen Tons....and what do you get?

So, he named this boat after a 1940's song, "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford.  I think only people of a certain age remember that song but it is an old coal mining song that says, "You load sixteen tons and what do you get?  Another day older and deeper in debt.  Saint Peter don't ya call me, 'cause I can't goooooo; I owe my soul to the company store."

 Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford 

The old lock masters all over the United States started singing this song while he traveled through - a real joy!  I always say, "He left me for a gal named, "Sixteen Tons" - it could be worse!"  

Right now we have been sitting on the bow deck, drinking glasses of merlot while a big storm is brewing.  The wind is really howling and slapping the lines against the masts on hundreds of boats.  I am quite impressed!  The lightning is constantly brightening behind the storm clouds but I haven't heard any rumbling of thunder.  And I feel peaceful.

For most of my life I have been afraid of storms but not any more.  After all the trials of the past two years, I think I am able to say that the LORD is my anchor.  Nothing can touch me that He has not allowed.  Lasse already believes that and that is probably why during all this shrieking wind, he is on the fly bridge (top deck) doing something completely crazy but in his words, "necessary" and without fear.  I am inside typing - if I hear a few thumps and a scream, I'll have to excuse myself and check on him!  And no, I couldn't talk any sense into him as he is the one man I don't boss.  

Snapshot of the Weather 

Today we visited with a man who is selling his sail boat.  Sixteen Tons is a trawler and her standing rig just isn't big enough for sails; this means she isn't really a blue water boat and not meant to sail across oceans.  But my husband has to go....across the ocean.  So, there we were visiting with this man, discussing buying his sail boat.  (Sigh.)  Azores is calling.

Azores....seriously, would you look at that?!
The picture doesn't even fit on the page!

Azores is an archipelago more than 2,200 miles from Boston and more than 900 miles from Portugal.  It is considered the Hawaii of Europe.  Who wouldn't want to visit that Garden of Eden?  

But the reason I mention this was the storm inside the man selling his sail boat.  He has cancer that has metastasized into his bones.  But his storm comes from his wife passing away a year ago.  She was his anchor.  And he is tossed.  Ah, this is a topic we are discussing while sipping the red wine.  Sad. I do understand him as I have faced that threat myself but I don't know the devastation felt at the death of the "one whom my soul loves".  We will pray for Jim.  Just like storms, time passes, too, but it does not mean that its passing heals all wounds.  

If your storm is raging, then the only solid anchor is the LORD.  He is the anchor that holds and He is willing to hold those who come to Him.  

Hebrews 6:19-20

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."