What's for dinner?

Friends on Face Book have been asking for recipes when I mention what we had for dinner, so I decided, I would just start posting them on here.  I doubt that I will post everything I cook...after all that could get really boring!  :-)  This first one, is simple and plain, but my family enjoys it.

Creamed Tuna and Vegetables
This recipe is from "The Wycliffe International Cookbook"

Drain and combine, reserving all liquids:
1 cup tuna or any cooked fish
1 1/2 cups cooked, diced carrots
1 1/2 cups cooked, diced potatoes
1 cup cooked peas
3 tablespoons chopped onion
(I just cook 2 1/2 to 3 cups of frozen mixed veggies for the carrots and peas.)
Combine separately in skillet and cook until bubbly:
1/4 cup cooking oil or shortening, (I used margarine)
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
Add slowly, stirring until it thickens:
2 cups liquid, reserved liquids and milk
Combine vegetables with sauce and put in a greased baking pan.  Cover with pie crust or buttered crumbs.  Bake at 350 F for 20 to 30 minutes.

Topical Fruit "Ice Cream"

Ok, this really isn't Ice Cream... but my kids didn't know the difference.  It was very yummy and a yummy way to get the kids to eat more fruit! :-)  I got the idea from the "Jamie Oliver 30 minute Meals".


I added 2 frozen peeled bananas to my food processor, along with frozen papaya, and some frozen strawberries.  I started processing them, and added between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of vanilla yogurt. (Our yogurt here is more like a drink than what you get in the US, so you may need to add more) You just want to get it the consistency of soft serve ice cream.   Then I added about a tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.  At this point it tasted pretty good, but my family has a sweet tooth, so I added about a 1/4 cup of "lite sugar" (a white sugar and stevia mix, it is much sweeter than just plain sugar and you only need to use about half the amount you would normally use).  I then filled up little dessert cups that we have and stuck them in the freezer, to be ready to serve after lunch.

Sunday Services

Today I awoke to a rainy Sunday morning.  A couple weeks ago, when we had rain, our attendance took a nose dive, so we were expecting about the same this morning, but were surprised to end up with a great attendance of 148!  The ladies class was full, in fact we ran out of lesson hand outs.

2 sweet little girls were baptized after the morning service.  It is exciting to see God working in the lives of our families!!

This evening we are having our annual meeting.  Tony will be introducing Darwin as our new assistant pastor!  We are so excited to be taking this step.  Please be praying with us for Darwin, Jessica and their 2 sweet kids as they make the adjustment to full time ministry.  Also be praying for the church as they take on the responsibility of a Pastor and his family.

This coming week, we would appreciate your prayers for the group from Battlefield Baptist Church in VA.  They will be arriving in Ecuador on Tuesday evening, and in Manta Wednesday.  We have lots of things planned.  Pray for open doors.  Good health for all of them.  

Blessings to each of you as you start your new week!

Joy

--
Joy Anzalone
Manta, Ecuador

Starting the new year is always exciting!  The kids and I have been back in school for a couple weeks now.  They are doing really well.  Both Carla and Matthew are reading short vowel words and Teddy is moved on to bar-graphs from fractions. :-) Many days it often feels like that my whole life is tied up in homeschooling these little ones. 

We are preparing for the church's 7th anniversary, which will be Feb. 5.  This coming week a group from Battlefield Baptist Church, in VA. will be visiting us.  We are looking forward to having them here!  On Saturday the 4th, the ladies are having a special tea, and we are excited that Mrs. Skinner will be speaking.  I know that she will be a real blessing.  On Sunday, Pastor Skinner will be preaching in the morning service.  That evening we will have our annual dinner and program reviewing the history of the church.  This year we are preparing for 200!  So happy that several of the ladies have stepped up to help organize and cook for this special event.

This coming Sunday, Tony will be introducing Darwin and Jessica as our first Assistant Pastor!  This is a huge step for the church, but we are so happy about it!  We appreciate your prayers for them as they step into this role, and as the church learns what it means to take care of a pastor and his family.

It is always exciting to see God working and to be a part of it!

Blessings to you and yours,

Joy

Christmas and New Years!

I love the holidays!  We have been so blessed as a family.  This last month has been a special gift of time with family.  We have enjoyed my parents being here for the whole month.  They have had the opportunity to get to know Carla and Matthew and spend time with Teddy.  My Mom baked us many special treats, and helped me figure out some decorating ideas.  She also did some painting for me and my Dad did some little "fix-it" jobs, that have been needing to be done for awhile, but we just never seem to have the time to get around to them.:-)  We will be heading to Guayaquil with them tomorrow, as they fly back home on Thursday.  We are all going to miss them!

We have enjoyed the Christmas Season with the Children.  Spending time each evening during the month of Dec. reading verses and discussing different parts of the Christmas story.  It is has been so much fun to watch Carla and Matthew become more and more familiar with the story, and not just the story of Jesus but understanding that he was born so that he could die on the cross, so that we could be saved!  Teddy has also grown in his understanding of many different aspects of the Christmas Story.  On Christmas Eve we enjoyed our own Birthday Party for Jesus.  

We also had a great month at our church with high attendances of 155, 151 and 161!  The ladies enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Tea on Sunday afternoon, the 18th.  It was such a blessing to have the ladies take responsibility for so much of the tea, and follow through with it.  49 Ladies participated and had a wonderful time. We also had our children's Christmas program on the 18th.  Teddy was Joseph this year, Carla was one of the angels and Matthew was part of the "Multitude of Angels"  along with the rest of his class. :-)

On Christmas Day we had a "Birthday Party" for Jesus.  Each of the classes started out in their class rooms, playing games, doing a Christmas craft, having a snack.  (Even the adults and young people, we skipped the craft! :-)  Then we all went to the auditorium, and enjoyed singing Christmas carols, watching a puppet skit and a message from God's word.  We took a special offering for 2 of our missionaries and also collected toys, clothes and non-perishable items for a Children's Home in our area.  It was such a blessing to see our church being generous with others!

As this year comes to a close, I can't help but count all the many blessings the Lord has poured out on us and look with excitement at the coming year. I don't know what 2012 holds for the Anzalone Family, but I know the one who does and I am so glad that I can trust him to guide our family each step of the way!

Blessings and Happy New Year!

Joy