Delicious and easy homemade chili on a cold fall night…

The other night I was hungry for some homemade chili.

It seemed the perfect thing to have for dinner on a cold fall night.

The only trouble is I hadn’t soaked and cooked any dried beans and didn’t have enough time to.

So I ran to the grocery store and bought some cans of chili beans and threw together a little this and that,

taking some ideas from my recipe for taco soup.

It turned out so yummy that I thought I’d share the “recipe”.

Easy, Homemade Chili

In my 6 qt. soup pot I browned 2 lbs. extra lean ground beef.

Then I chopped one medium large sized yellow onion and cooked it with the beef.

Next I added 6 - 15 oz. size cans of chili beans, 2- 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes,

and 1 -15 oz. can tomato sauce.

For seasoning I added 1/2 cup taco sauce, 1 pkg. taco seasoning, 3 tsp. chili powder,

and 2 cloves minced garlic.

(seasonings can be adjusted to your taste)

I let it simmer for a couple of hours on low and served it with cheese, sour cream, sliced olives, and some yummy cornbread!

This almost filled the soup pot so makes enough for a crowd.

We shared ours with our oldest daughter and her family.

It’s even better leftover!

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

My prayer…

The church offices are right across the street from a large apartment complex

Well known to the police they say

High murder rate, poverty, broken people

So this is the place we choose to make a sanctuary

Nothing fancy, but a simple house of worship, His place, a safe place for the broken

This is the life He draws us to

We feel most at home among the broken

It’s the religious who think they have it all together that make us nervous

For months and months we wait for the permits to build

And we are astounded that this is happening in America

As the county puts up roadblock after roadblock

But already mamas and kids and youth find their way over to our offices

The lost, the hurting, the harvest knocking at our door

And we know that this is where God wants us

Right there in the middle of the broken

In the place people call the worst

So we speak to the mountain to move

By faith we will build a house of worship, His place, a safe place for the broken

God, go before us and fight on our behalf

Fight on behalf of the broken ones who need Your hope, who need Your love

In the Name of Your Son, Jesus

Amen

 

Asking for your prayers dear friends as we fight this battle.

Elizabeth

Red pears and white ironstone…

(photo for Texture Tuesday challenge “2”

I used two pears with one pear cut in two and used two textures,

Aurora and Just Cause both at softlight mode, 80% opacity)

Coming home from our conference in California we stopped at the Harry and David outlet in Medford, Oregon.

I bought these beautiful red pears and some of my favorite honeycrisp apples.

I also bought some old-fashioned Walnettos candies.

Once in a while my daddy would bring them home to us in his lunch box for a special treat.

Harry and David is the only place I’ve seen them, though they are available other places online.

Anyone else remember Walnettos?

Anyway, back to the red pears.

They were so pretty I did a little photography still life with them and some fall leaves.

The pears are nested in a white Meakin English Ironstone bowl found at Goodwill.

Both of my most frequented grocery stores have a Goodwill and a Salvation Army right next to them.

It’s all too easy to pop over there for a quick peek to see if there are any treasures in housewares

when I go to the grocery store!

 

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

 

 

 
 

The Giver of every good gift…

I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little green journal.

#1454-#1461

-safe travels as we drove to California and back for a pastor’s conference

-God speaking to my and my husband’s heart in a very real way

-beautiful big hawk sitting on a fence post

-deer by the roadside

-coming home

-the Hubs and I working in our yard together while little granddaughter plays

-only grandson singing his memory verse to me over the phone

-the beauty of this fall day

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

Freedom…

 

Have you ever felt like you were trapped…

in a stuck place…

in a pit…

due to circumstances

or due to other people

their choices, their decisions,

things that affect you

but

are simply beyond your control?

I’ve been there.

But today, I’m free!

Years ago, during a time of feeling trapped, helpless, desperate,

I got away by myself seeking to hear God.

His words to me were, in essence, “stop being a victim.

Quit focusing on what you cannot change about other people or outward circumstances.

Start doing something about the things you can change.

Build your life!

It’s easy to do nothing, remain unhappy, and blame it on others.

The truth is, no one, nothing, can rob you of your purpose and a fulfilled, abundant life but you.”

That day, the things God spoke to me, changed my life.

Not all at once, but step by step, I started making choices to build my life,

to do the things I loved to do,

to be the person God made me to be,

to quit using others or circumstances

as an excuse

to live in a pit.

Freedom is a beautiful thing, friend.

Build your life.

Why not start today?

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Friday’s Favs…Preserving Autumn leaves

I’m back!

Thank you to those who prayed for the Hubs and I as we were at a conference for pastor’s this week.

We had a great time and were very blessed and refreshed.

It’s good to be home though.

I love home!

I thought I’d share something ridiculously simple with you this week.

I thought everyone knew this simple way to preserve autumn leaves,

until a friend of mind mentioned she had never heard of doing this.

Maybe some of you haven’t tried this before.

First gather some colorful fall leaves.

Preheat your iron to medium heat.

Lay a piece of wax paper out on your ironing board, shiny, waxy side up.

Lay the leaves on top of the wax paper making sure they are not touching or overlapping one another.

Cover the leaves with another piece of wax paper, shiny, waxy side down this time.

Gently run the iron over the wax paper until it melts onto the leaves.

Flip it over and run the iron over the wax paper on the bottom side of the leaves.

When cool, gently pull the leaves off the wax paper.

Your leaves are now pressed and preserved!

Enjoy their beautiful fall colors through Thanksgiving!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE and HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND!

Elizabeth

 

Followers and comments…

Attending a pastor’s confernce with the Hubs the next few days.

Not too sure how much posting I’ll get to do.

I want to say welcome to my new followers! 

Some of you I was able to welcome via your blogs.

If you are a follower without a blog, I may not have been able to.

So WELCOME!

Also, once I get behind on commenting back on your comments it’s impossible to catch up.

I am now way behind.

Just know that I read and appreciate each one!

Love to each of you,

Elizabeth