Recently, my husband and I had all the directing pastors, ministers, directors, and their spouses from our church staff over to our home for our semi-annual “Ministers’ Night Out.” It’s a time when we enjoy good food, fellowship, and some fun.

This time, I tried a movie theme for the night which turned out to be more fun than I expected. You see, I seldom ever watch movies so I had to go onto the Internet to find titles that could work for the various games and recipes prepared for the evening.

While I can’t tell you anything about the movie, “Raspberry Heaven,” it is the name I assigned to the fabulous white chocolate, raspberry cheesecake I made. For me, the test of a “successful” dish or dessert is when someone asks you for the recipe. After serving this cheesecake at our gathering, several asked me for the recipe.

I originally found this recipe on AllRecipes.com. After attempting this recipe two different times and incorporating my own process and tricks, I now share this with you as my own.

So, I happily share this experience with you. It’s not hard to make at all because I don’t bother with difficult recipes, and this was only the second time I’ve made this dessert. Therefore, decide for yourself and at the end of this, I believe you too will think this is a dessert “to die for!”

Raspberry Heaven Cheesecake

You will need a 9 inch springform pan for this recipe AND you will want to make this recipe a day before you plan to eat it!

Crust:

1 package of original Oreo Cookies

1 tbl. white sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

Filling:

3 -  8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup half ‘n half

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 – 12 ounce package of white chocolate chips

1 small jar of seedless raspberry preserves (you will need 6 tbl.)

Decorative Topping:

While this is not a necessary ingredient, you can purchase some white chocolate bark or a candy bar and put chocolate shavings on top of the cheesecake when it’s cooled.

Initial Preparations:

1. To begin, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Take the round bottom part of your springform pan and place a piece of foil over the top of it. Make the foil curve gently over the edges of the round base and then reinsert the base into the pan.
3. After the base is secured into the pan, bring the remaining foil up the sides of the outside of the pan. This step will help to keep your cheesecake mixture from leaking out of the pan during baking.
4. Gently spray the inside of the pan with foil with a non-stick spray.
5. You will then need to place this pan inside of a bigger cookie sheet or jellyroll pan when baking. You want some type of 9 x 13 pan with sides so it will hold hot water while the cheesecake is baking. (The hot water will be added just as the cake is put into the oven for baking.)

Making the Crust:

1. To begin the crust, you’ll want to take about 1/2 of the Oreo package of cookies and crunch them up. This can be accomplished with a food processor, or take a ziploc bag and a rolling pin and break them up into fine crumbs–the smaller the better they will hold together for the crust.
2. Melt the butter in a microwaveable bowl at 10 to 15 second intervals, then gently swirl the butter around in the bowl to even out the temperature. Continue until butter is completely melted, but not hot.
3. Add the white sugar to the butter and stir.
4. Measure out two cups of crumbs and add to the butter mixture. Stir mixture until completely blended.
5. Now press this cookie mixture firmly into the bottom of the springform pan.
6. Set aside and begin to make the cheesecake filling.

Filling:

1. Place all 3 cream cheese packages into a medium bowl.
2. Add sugar and blend well with a mixer.
3. Add half ‘n half until thoroughly blended.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and mix completely.
5. Place the package of white chocolate chips into a microwaveable bowl. Heat these up at 10 to 15 second intervals, gently stirring the chips each time until thoroughly melted. Once again, you want them completely melted, but not hot.
6. Add the melted chips to the cream cheese mixture and blend thoroughly.
7. Take 6 tablespoons of raspberry preserves, place in a microwaveable bowl, and gently microwave at short intervals until the preserves are soupy.
8. Pour half of the cheesecake mixture into the springform pan.
9. Drizzle half of the raspberry preserves into the mixture and swirl through the batter.
10. Add the remaining cheesecake mixture to the pan.
11. Drizzle the remaining preserves into the mixture and swirl again.
12. You are now ready to bake your cheesecake.

Baking:

1. Place the springform pan with the cheesecake batter into your pan with elevated sides.
2. Prepare very hot water to pour into this outer pan.
3. Place the pan assembly onto the shelf of your preheated oven.
4. Pour the hot water into the pan with the elevated sides, outside of the cheesecake pan. You will probably want the water level to go up about half way up the sides of the outer pan.
5. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour OR until the center of the cheesecake measures 160-165 degrees.
6. Close the oven door and turn OFF the oven.
7. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour.
8. Remove the cheesecake, cover with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate.

Prepare to Enjoy:

1. Remove the chilled cheesecake from the springform pan.
2. You may now either cut the cake, or decorate the top with shavings from a white chocolate bar. You can either chop pieces fine with a sharp knife or try using a potato peeler.
3. To cut your cake, use a long, sharp, flat-bladed knife dipped into very hot water, then wiped quickly with a soft cloth or paper towel.
4. Slice from one side of the cheesecake to the other.
5. Repeat the process of heating the knife for each cut you make.
6. Eat and enjoy!

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Yesterday, I had a ton of things to do while I was trying to get things ready for a special romantic dinner party at my house in a few days. While I was busy cleaning and preparing for the event, I realized I needed to make something for dinner. Oh, great!

After surveying the pantry and looking through my cookbook binder of recipes, I came across an old favorite recipe I had not made in a very long time. It’s originally called “turkey chowder,” but chicken works just fine for me and it is a recipe that doesn’t take very long to make. Perfect!

This recipe is from an old newsletter called, “The Homemaker’s Forum” which I can’t find on the internet, but the author, Marilyn Moll, is still busy writing and creating great recipes for moms like me. (Because I’m a mom who still makes her own bread most of the time, I continue to buy her bread bags. They are a great value. And by the way (I know I’m going off on a tangent), whenever you empty a bread bag, just stick it in the freezer until you want to reuse it. That way you don’t have to buy bags very often.)

Well, back to the recipe.

This soup is very delicious. I changed a couple of things in it because my husband really doesn’t like cheese, but he’ll tolerate mozzarella cheese in different dishes. However, true confession. Last night I used a bag of shredded four cheeses in place of the Swiss cheese the recipe calls for, and he really liked it! You just never know.

The ingredients make enough for 4 to 6 servings, so I usually double this one. It’s a great soup to heat up in the microwave for lunch the next day.

Chicken Chowder

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced carrots

10 oz. fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cups water

1 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth (I use chicken bouillion cubes for this)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flour (Marilyn’s recipe calls for ground oat flour, but regular will work fine, too.)

2 cups milk

6 oz. shredded cheese (Swiss and cheddar add great flavor)

1 1/2 cups chopped chicken or turkey (canned chicken works fine, too)

Directions:

1. Combine vegetables, water, broth and salt in a large saucepan.
2. Bring this mixture to a boil while cooking over medium heat.
3. Once a boil is reached, simmer for 10 minutes to soften the vegetables.
4. Bring mixture back up to a rolling boil and add the flour gradually, stirring constantly.
5. Simmer for another 10 minutes until any lumps disappear.
6. Reduce heat.
7. Add milk and chicken.
8. Once heated through, remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Delicious

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Artform Home Plans offers floor plans for multigenerational households, as well as for those who are looking for house plans for aging parents and aging in place options.

Multigenerational Households:

Their website features house plans for multigenerational households desiring space for a small apartment, space for a home business, as well as room for boomerang kids.

Aging-in-Place:

Artform Home Plans also offers ground floor bedroom and office plans. These types of designs will adapt easily if you find you need an apartment suite or find it necessary to have a 2nd master suite on the ground floor.

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I love books! Just ask anybody who knows me.

I love the way they change the feel and look of a room when you enter into one lined with books. While rather expensive, they make a very special kind of wallpaper!

I also love visiting bookstores of all kinds—new, used, big, little, near and far away. I love accumulating books and wish I had enough time to read all the ones I buy. You know what I mean. I’m talking about the ones we’ve all bought with “good intentions.”

My husband and I have a library that could put some public libraries to shame. Although many categories are not among the books we own, such as “lesbian and gay studies,” “anime,” or “international law,” we have invested in a wide variety of titles.

It’s interesting to reflect on occasion and realize that I haven’t always felt this way. I remember not liking to read while growing up. Reading was something I only did when I had to. It was something that was necessary to do so I could do my homework or pass my driver’s license test.

Now, I love to read! What happened?

Well, I’m not exactly sure. Watching my husband read every chance he gets in all the years I’ve been with him has certainly played a role in my transformation. You can’t be around a man like him for long without being influenced by his passion for learning.

I mean, when you live with a man who reads over 100 books a year, you’re bound to get “infected” at some point!

While he has been instrumental in my transition, a real turning point occurred for me back in 1989 when the two of us decided to turn off the television. Jim read a book (imagine that!) that challenged us to do something different with our time.

While I’m not advocating that you do the same, I must say that it is the only logical explanation I can think of for myself.

On occasion people will ask me, “How do you have so much time to read?” Having only 24 hours in a day like you, the only answer that makes sense to me is, “I don’t watch TV.”

Ponder this for a moment, then ask yourself, “How much time do I spend watching TV? If I quit watching TV for a day, a week, or even a month, what would I do with the available time in my life?”

Is there a book you bought with “good intentions,” yet haven’t found the time to read it? Consider fasting from TV. Who knows, you might become a reader.

Take it from me, I never thought I’d like reading; however, since 1989, I find I do it everyday and enjoy it!

While I can’t say we’ve “saved money” canceling cable for all these years, it has allowed me some “extra money” to buy wonderful books.

My husband lives by a quote he heard once that said, “I’d rather have books and no money than have money and no books.” Though we’ve never had an issue with either one of these, I think you get the idea.

By the way, when was the last time you read a good book?…

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As a mom, have you ever looked at your role as one who is trying to work herself out of a job? Well, I do. As soon as I feel my children are ready and able to handle a job, I teach them how.

Laundry falls into this category beautifully!

When I first heard about homeschooling at Christmas time in 1988 from a friend I had known for several years, I remember my first thought was, “How does Debbie ever find time to do the laundry?” The following school year, we started homeschooling. We were a family of five back then and every week I had 11 loads of laundry to do and I remember thinking, “How will I ever find time to do all the laundry?”

No problem. Teach my children how to do their own laundry! This was quite revolutionary for me and I’ve never looked back. For the last 20 years now, I’ve only had 4 loads a week.

At the time, my children were 6, 8, and 11–first grade, third grade, and seventh grade. Laundry day consisted of them sorting their clothes, washing each load, folding them as they came out of the dryer, then putting them all away in drawers and the closet and returning the laundry basket to the laundry room by bedtime that evening.

Each was assigned a particular day of the week to wash their dirty clothes. If you were not able to accomplish this on your specific day, and it had to be for a very good reason, you would have to either wait until next week when your day came around, or you could do it on another person’s day, after they were done with their laundry.

I’ve taught them how to treat stains. I’ve even given each of them a laundry stick to keep in their bedroom so they can treat any stain before it goes into their hamper.

Consider buying each of them their own laundry basket. I did this for the two youngest and they even decorated them with stickers and magic markers. Seven years later, they still have some of the markings from back then. This helps to give them a feeling of ownership and responsibility for their own stuff.

Because the youngest of the three oldest children started doing his own laundry at the age of 6, we had the oldest of our two youngest kids start then, too. (We fondly identify our children as the “first batch” and “second batch” of children. There’s a story here I will save for later.)

It was about six month later when the youngest requested she be allowed to start doing her own laundry like big brother. After warnings such as, “Once you start, there’s no turning back,” I proceeded to teach her as well. While I would have to come help get her clothes out of the bottom of the washing machine, she learned quite quickly. Hurrah! I made it through childhood laundry! It only took me 23 years!

Now, let me warn you. There will be times when you will have to look at wrinkled clothing on your children or there’s stains here and there. You just have to decide if you’re willing to pay the price.

Now, if you have children you believe would never do their laundry, then as a parent, it’s your job to inflict penalties. Don’t let them play outside or on the computer until they’re done. Do what it takes to make it happen. It’s worth it!

And you know, one of the best things about teaching my own children to do their own laundry has been that for the last 23 years, I never have to answer the question, “Mom, do you know if my __________ is clean!”

This freedom can be yours as well whenever you’re ready to take the plunge.

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Check This Out….

I am so excited about E-mealz that I’ve told every mommy friend I have about it! It is such a great time saver! I have seen my fair share of online menu planners, recipe sites, and shopping guides. But there were TWO main things that got me really excited about E-Mealz:

1. The recipes and menus are already put together for you on ONE page for the ENTIRE week! Only one page to keep track of and really good but simple recipes that don’t take forever to prepare.
2. The weekly menu and shopping list coordinate with the weekly store SALES! How cool is that? I don’t keep up with what’s on sale on my own so I don’t know to plan my menus accordingly. But E-Mealz does it for me! I love that!

They offer at least 16 different menu plans, including low-carb choices. You can take your shopping list to Kroger, Publix, Aldos, and even WalMart. Items on sale for the week are listed in the grocery shopping list you print out from their site. And at only $1.25 each week, it is definitely worth your time as a mom to check it out. They do so much of the work for you.

E-mealz’s menu plans:

…are written and created by REAL moms with REAL families
…are balanced and family friendly
…are as easy as possible, but delicious and kid tested!
…consist of favorite recipes collected from hundreds of moms
…come with an organized, aisle by aisle grocery list
…are for 4 to 6 people
…are based on the current week sales at your grocery
…are priced at approximately $75 per week
…Two person plans average $35 total per week

The ladies at E-mealz even offer special menus and recipes for holidays throughout the year! That is certainly more than I do around here.

They show you the items that are for sale each week that are included in your printout so you can begin to see your savings–before you ever leave home!

While there have been some menus we didn’t care for as a family, it wasn’t difficult at all to substitute one of our own favorites, or to put in a different menu from a previous E-mealz choice. And as you may have guessed, we often double or triple the recipes to feed our crew.

Do yourself a favor and check out E-mealz’s website to see the endorsements from people like Dave Ramsey and Southern Living, then view the choices they offer. It might be the best investigative work you’ve done in a long time that will pay you big dividends in time and money.

You may just find yourself sharing E-Mealz with all of YOUR mommy friends too.

I, too, am enjoying E-Mealz since you told me about them. I commented on this program in another post, which you can read by clicking here. I encourage every mom to give it a try. That’s the only way you’ll know if it works for you or not.

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From the time I started dating Jim (several years ago ), until many years into our marriage, I remember enjoying times with his mom in the kitchen. For a long time I was the only girl around (Jim only has one younger brother) and the two of us would visit and talk as we made many different recipes together.

Jim’s mom always loved to try new recipes. Whether it was one printed in the local newspaper or one she found in a magazine somewhere, she was never afraid to use the family to test her “experiments.”

On one occasion, I remember we made a “pie” unlike any I had ever seen. The two things I remember were (1) there was no actual crust put into the pie pans and (2) the batter was so thick I ended up mixing it by putting my hands into it (I washed them first!)

However, my clearest memory from that first time of making this recipe was how scrumptious it tasted! It was moist, chewy, and full of flavor. It really was not like any other pie I had ever tasted. Now, over the years, it has become a family favorite.

Although Jim’s mom is no longer able to cook, Faith and I wanted to pass her recipe along to you. It’s just one small way to keep her legacy going.

If you take the time to make it, we’re sure you will find it tastes great. And besides, who knows? Maybe it will become a favorite in your family, too.

So, from our family to yours, we present Norwegian Pie–just like Mom Sloderbeck used to make

Norwegian Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups diced apples

1 cup pecans or walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Take two 9-inch pie pans, butter them and dust lightly with flour
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients
4. After well blended, add the apples and nuts. Mixture will be hard to stir
5. Place equal amounts of the batter into each pie pan
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees
7. Allow to cool

This pie is also very good when served with a scoop of ice cream.

P.S. This pie freezes well, too.

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Many of the floor plans in the multigenerational household category utilize the lower level of the home or a studio over the garage. This is an option that will suit many families because stairs are not always an issue with living together. You will also find some multigenerational house plans that feature elevators for in-law suites due to various lot-size restrictions.

If you can’t find the house plan with Mother in-law quarters you’re looking for, Monster House Plans will be happy to have you contact them as they may have some options not posted on their website.

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If you homeschool your children, you’ve probably heard comments from others like, “I  really admire you,” or “I could never do that!” For those of you who don’t homeschool, I believe I speak for many homeschoolers when I say we’re not looking to be admired.

As homeschoolers, we often feel insignificant and overwhelmed in this task, yet here we are, finding ourselves “doing it.”

Back in February, 1989, I was a mom, waiting for my third child to start 1st grade so I could have my days to myself. What was I planning to do with all this free time? I don’t remember, but I was positive it was something to get excited about.

When my husband and I decided to homeschool, it was never with the intent of making our children the smartest kids around. Rather, it was to allow our family to remain in close relationship with each other.  We were discovering that having them in school was bringing division and fracturing us as a family. This goal began to come to fruition quite quickly, and certainly beyond my expectations. Simply by having my children spend their days together, going on fieldtrips with my husband, and giving them back some time to work together and simply be children was priceless. We found ourselves having time to play games together, read books together, develop character and life skills, and find opportunities to serve others.

Along the way, two more children were born. Now, most twenty years later, the first three are well educated, productive adults who love the Lord. With the two youngest children in 8th and 9th grade, my job as a homeschooling mom is almost over, but it remains a journey that has truly enriched my life.

Would I have done some things differently? Certainly. I wished I had had more time to teach them about poetry, classical music, and how to run their own business.

Do I have regrets for choosing this path? Absolutely not! While our goal for homeschooling was never about academics, our children learned them because we cared about them and wanted them to succeed.

Could they have learned more? Yes, I’m sure they could have, but we taught them “how to learn” so they could continue to teach themselves what they need to know, and that’s a lifelong skill.

Has it been a sacrifice? I suppose so, depending on what you mean by “sacrifice.” Most would agree that anything worthwhile requires sacrifice. I’ve certainly given up time I could have spent by myself while the children would have been in school. I’m sure there were times I could have gone out to lunch with the girls, or taken bible study classes. However, I’ve gained so much because I did sacrifice my own time.

As I reflect some 20 years later, I feel incredibly blessed that God gave me extra time with my children while they were growing up so we could all make memories we would have missed otherwise. It’s fun to get together today as adults and reflect upon events that happened–good and bad. It’s made me a better person because it has shown me that I could accomplish things I didn’t believe I could. And I don’t even have time to share with you how much I’ve grown and learned about who God made each of my children to be and how much they have impacted my world and those around them.

I certainly don’t want to be admired. All I ask is for people to take the time to see what can be accomplished when families work together. We’ve been able to accomplish so much together, and I simply don’t want to go back to how we did life before 1989. I am humbled by what I believe we would have missed out on had we not taken a step of faith and started this journey.

So, the next time you encounter a homeschooling mom, don’t assume she wants you to admire her or believe you could never do what she does. Instead, listen to her heart and in doing so, you may hear something you desire for your family–even if you believe right now that you could never “do that.”

Take it from a veteran–homeschoolers don’t choose this way of life to be admired. Instead, we pray that others will desire the family life they see displayed in the lives of a homeschooling family.

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Have you ever wanted to write your husband a little love note on the bathroom mirror, but knew you would have to spend a lot of time getting the lipstick to come off? Or maybe you’ve wanted to scribble something funny and cute on your children’s bedroom mirrors, but knew the cleanup wasn’t worth the trouble?

Well, here’s a helpful tip to bring back some fun into your life.

The next time you want to leave behind a special love note and words of encouragement for your family, use dry erase markers! Although they may not be as dark as lipstick, they are so much easier to wipe off. All you will need is a tissue or paper towel and you’re done.

And just in case you were wondering…dry erase marker does NOT come off easily from the underside of a white toilet lid…even though it’s white and shiny. Not that I would know of course.

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