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posted by Mom on 11/29/07

Yesterday I decided to take the time to search my cookbooks for the perfect recipe for the cranberries I had bought before thanksgiving that were still in the refrigerator.

My desire was to please everyone! Everyone being the seven that are under our roof at this time; some of whom say cranberries are not good unless you sweeten them a lot as well as those who say too much sugar is bad for you.

Most of the recipes called for at least 1 1/2 cups of sugar for the 2 cups of cranberries; but one used only 1/2 c. of brown sugar. Finally by combining two recipes I came up with the following:

                Cranberry Casserole

• 3 - 4 cups chopped unpeeled apples
• 2 cups cranberries
• 6 oz apple juice concentrate
• 1 T. flour
• 1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup quick or rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Place apples and cranberries in 2-quart baking dish with flour and juice concentrate. Melt butter and brown sugar; add oats and nuts. Sprinkle this mixture over apples and cranberries. Bake uncovered, 45 min. at 325 degrees.

We ate it with our meal as a side dish but it would also work for a dessert. These were the comments:

1. Usually I’m tempted to eat dessert too fast but this recipe was good because the slight tartness slowed me down.
2. Can we have seconds?
3. I like the topping (meaning the oats and brown sugar) the best. Less cranberries would be better.
4. I normally don’t like cranberries, but the apples offset their tartness enough to be a very pleasing taste that I enjoyed.

The list of health benefits from cranberries are incredible. Click here for more specifics and be motivated to try this winning recipe!

7 Comments » | posted in Recipes

posted by James on 11/21/07

I love Thanksgiving time! One of the ways I have already been able to celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving is by sending Thank You cards to people who have invested time, skill, and kindness in my life.

One letter was to a former Sunday School teacher whose class I attended when I was nine or ten. Pointing out specific things I remember learning in his class, I thanked him for his encouragement and example to me during a very important time of spiritual growth. Because we had moved since attending the church, it took some time to search and verify the address, but it was well worth it for the joy that came from expressing gratefulness.

Another letter was to the folks who fixed our Kubota tractor. You see, we had many problems with it this year. Though we had to take many trips to and from the shop to get to the root problem, we were still very thankful that it was indeed repaired. In writing the Thank You, I focused on being thankful for different character qualities they had displayed.

Thirdly, we sent a Thank You card to a generous gentleman who had given us four free meals at McDonalds after an unexpected series of events. Because I wasn’t sure he was a Christian, I focused on incorporating Scripture in writing my part of the card.

Writing Thank You cards is a very fulfilling project, especially at this time of year. Creating cards with or without a computer is not very hard and something almost anyone can do. I hope you also will take the time express your thankfulness in special ways this Thanksgiving to make it a holiday of true thanks giving!

4 Comments » | posted in Tidbits

posted by Daniel on 11/20/07

Hunting season has finally arrived. Knowing it is always wise to sight in your gun and check it out ahead of time, Dad decided to get our his muzzleloader, 44, and 308 last weekend for some target practice as a family. James and Dad made a target and nailed it up about 50 yards behind the barn. Then we opened fire!

Both Jonathan and David’s shots were remarkable! I didn’t really do that great, but overall everyone did very well. Dad and Michael agreed that of the 25 or so shots we fired, almost all of them would have brought down the deer.

We were all grateful for the opportunity to familiarize ourself with Dad’s firearms, prepare for hunting season, and just enjoy the thrill of pulling that trigger. We were also reminded of how fortunate we are to be able to exercise the freedom granted us in the 2nd amendment, and how thankful we should be for its supporters.

We are all itching to get out in the woods and do some real shooting!

2 Comments » | posted in Tidbits

posted by Donald on 11/15/07

Of course it depends on what the hobby is. All the same, I am grateful for Matthew 6:26 where Christ calls for us all to be at least casual birdwatchers. Regardless of how busy I am, I happily find that I am always able to see the local birds and call to mind His admonition: “Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

This is a command that every person can follow because birds live virtually everywhere in the world, inhabiting areas cold and warm, urban and rural. And Taiwan’s subtropical climate affords a greater number of species than anywhere I’ve been before, except maybe North America as a continent. Because of the friendliness and kind efforts of those on staff with the Wild Bird Society of Taipei and the advice of a reporter friend, I had the privilege of being a part of Taipei’s annual bird fair this year at Guandu Nature Park in the northern part of the island. It was great to be in the field again.

What I enjoyed most was that it was not a solo trip. Nathan and Eric accompanied me for the day out and we had a great time together browsing bookstores in Taipei and having lunch at a Korean restaurant on the way. Once at the park I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Dr. Tim Appleton, co-organizer of the British birdfair. I also met my first Little Grebe, a dark black and red version of our Pied-billed Grebe!

They had some excellent books for sale as well and with the help of the outstanding illustrations in a Chinese guide, I’ve been able to verify a few identifications of common birds including the Barn Swallow, Brown Shrike (a brown version of the Loggerhead Shrike in the Character Sketches), the Chinese or Light-vented Bulbul and Black Drongo.

Without the relationships being built on the team and elsewhere, not a single one of these identifications could have been made. This Thanksgiving I am grateful to each of you who have invested in my appreciation of wildlife in general and now the rich birdlife there is to see in Taiwan! Thank you so much.

8 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by James on 11/14/07

“Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” On a recent biking adventure, Jonathan and I experienced an illustration of the narrow way and the broad way mentioned in Matthew 7:13-14.

As we unloaded the bikes from the van, we more than noticed the continual drizzle of rain falling from a lead sky. It wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Notwithstanding, Jonathan and I headed off down the water-soaked path of the North Bend Rail Trail in hopes of witnessing some of the spectacular sights of the wild and wonderful countryside of northern West Virginia in autumn. There really wasn’t much to see at first, especially when we reached the end of town. Here the trail entered a deep valley where, after days of rain and years of plant growth, the path was muddy, rocky, and slippery. Trenches on either side, filled to the brim with water, weren’t very reassuring. Surrounded by the ugly undergrowth on the steep walls around us, I never once stopped to take a picture. There isn’t much to take pictures of in the narrow way; it’s not physically appealing.

Finally we left the despondent valley and a few hours later arrived at one of the trail’s landmarks: Tunnel #4. It very much reminded me of the broad way and wide gate. The entrance was huge. It wasn’t exactly inviting but the steep walls surrounding it offered no other alternative. Within was a shelter from the rain and enough light to walk safely … for the first few yards. The 846 foot long tunnel was deceptive. The farther you walked, the smaller the entrance became while the looming exit never changed size. And it was so dark that neither pit nor snare could be detected should any have been prepared.

Needless to say, I stopped to take many pictures of this wide “gate”. Even though it is a gloomy subject, it was inviting to the sense of adventure and pleasing to the eye. Similarly, the broad way of life is filled with people who are allured by that which appeals the physical senses. Because the narrow way deals with worshiping God in spirit, let us heed Christ’s warning to “watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).

5 Comments » | posted in Photography