Hearts in Service Blog

One of the cookbooks on my bookshelf is called, "Back to the Table" by Art Smith. It is a cookbook, but he has so many interesting insights on almost every page that it reads like a book.  I wanted to share a few interesting tidbits with you as we are entering into Thanksgiving week. Many of us will be busy in our kitchens and as you cook and bake for your family, reflect on these quotes. "We should all think about returning to the sanctity of the table, where we can rebuild our families, heal spiritually and physically, and reconnect with those we love. The table is a familiar, uncomplicated, and friendly place where we can celebrate family, friends, food, and life's many blessings." "While cooking for families, I was constantly reminded that we are all human, capable of making mistakes, of hurting those we love, and, most of all, capable of forgiveness. I see this over and over again at the table. The act of cooking for others, making dishes they especial...

Things have started blooming and it seems as if overnight everything is coming to life. It was a tough winter for me personally and I've felt like I've been in my own hibernation. Inactivity and depression have taken a toll and it's been difficult to get out of the hole I've been in. I have never experienced depression before and it's been hard to deal with. I don't like the feelings of sadness and the lack of energy it brings.  In an effort to get out of the funk, I've been working at getting outside in the sunshine and fresh air and that definitely helps. I don't always feel like moving, but I know that when I force myself, I'll feel 100% better! I've had more energy and don't feel so down.  My tulips had been sitting tightly closed for about 2 weeks when this week they burst open. Beautiful!   Dan and I went hiking for the first time this season on Monday and it was nice to get out into the woods. We live fairly close to the Allegheny Nati...

I've spent the majority of this week working on ministry items which included participating in an online conference. So needless to say, I'm a little tired of staring at a screen.  I have multiple projects that need to get done so I really would like to start working on those over the next few weeks. These days are zipping by and it's hard to believe that January is almost over. My sewing room is a mess and I would like to organize it better, including moving a larger work table into the room. I have our old dining room table and I'm going to see if that works in there. I also have boxes of pictures sitting around that I brought home from my mom's house and need to find space to display them. I have a box full of my grandmother's writings and genealogy research which I'm going through so I can get a package off to my uncle. My grandmother was in the middle of writing a book and it's fascinating to read the few chapters she had done. Emily has her own apa...

We love pizza and have it here on a fairly regular basis.  One of the things I love about homemade pizza is the ability to take just a few ingredients and come up with a different creation each time.  It seems like no two pizza pies are ever the same. With the holidays and different events we've had, I haven't actually made pizza in a few weeks.  So, I was thinking that it was about time but then I realized I was missing some key ingredients.  I had no mozzarella cheese nor any tomato sauce or jarred sauce.  That caused me to pause for a bit, but then I realized I had other things I could use. Last night we ended up with two very different kinds of pizza but both were delicious. One pie had ricotta cheese, roasted garlic, mushrooms and broccoli. The other was a Mexican style pizza with salsa as the base, cheddar cheese, peppers, black olives and summer sausage. Not bad for having none of the normal ingredients.  The best thing about pizza night ...