Homemade Hamburgers

It's just about barbeque season again, and what better thing to throw on the grill than a big juicy burger?

Ingredients:
1 pound groud beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs (use fresh if you can - throw a chunk of bread in a food processor and pulse until crummy)
1 egg
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 clove grated garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, or 1/2 Tbsp deydrated onion flakes

Mix spices and crumbs together in a big bowl.  Add egg and beef, mix with your hands until just combined.  Shape into four patties and cook on your preheated barbeque grill on medium-low heat until just cooked through.  Slap on some old cheddar and serve on split crusty buns with your favorite toppings.

Friends in our Front Yard.

Carrot Raisin Muffins

1 cup raisins
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
optional spices: cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, 1/4-1 tsp each, depending on how adventurous you are!
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups shredded carrots (really pack it in the measuring cup)

Put the raisins in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let them soak while you prepare your other ingredients. This will prevent them from burning while in the oven.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. To save on washing dishes, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs and beat them gently. Add the oil and milk and mix all together until just moistened, then fold in the raisins and carrots. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-22 minutes, until the muffins spring back when lightly touched.

Sausage and Pepper Pasta Dinner

1 pound (or so) fresh italian sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sweet bell peppers, (red, green, yellow, whatever you like!) chopped
1 medium-sized onion, chopped (I like red)
2 large tomatoes, chopped (or 1 large can diced tomatoes with juice)
2 cups spinach, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregeno
1 pound cooked pasta

In a large skillet, sautee the sausage until browned. Add garlic, onion, peppers, herbs and cook until almost tender, about five minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Add tomatoes, juice and all. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes. Add to pasta and stir. Serve with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Consecrate - Matt Brouwer

"For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." -Hebrews 9:24-28 read the whole beautiful chapter here.

Springtime in Central Alberta

A cold and frrrosty morning.We've had some spring-ish weather, with frost in the mornings which would melt when the sun came up. The snow has been slowly melting, but then we'd get dumped on:
Sunday morning snowfall, which melted in the afternoon.
Thursday morning's snowfall, some of which melted in the afternoon.
Although the birds are probably confused, at least they're well insulated if they perch inside the tree. We still have lots of snow, and good packing snow too! Want to come over and make some snowmen/women/animals?
Watching it all...
Some wildlife behind our house...