Roasted Chicken & Overdone Potatoes

Looking for a delicious dinner that is super tasty and doesn't require too much hands-on time?
I've got one for you today!

Roasted Chicken With Overdone Potatoes {Done Two Ways}

1 whole chicken
Spice Option #1:
      2 garlic cloves, squished
      2 Tbsp. lemon juice
      1 Tbsp. olive oil
      1 tsp. Italian seasonings
      1 tsp. salt
      1/4 tsp. black pepper
Spice Option #2:
      lemons in salt
6 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered, and boiled until just tender

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pat chicken dry.
In a small bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice, oil, and spices (if using spice option #1).
Spread Spice Option #1 OR Spice Option #2 all over the outside and inside of chicken.
Place chicken in a shallow roasting pan, leaving room for the potatoes.
Roast uncovered chicken for 20 minutes, until juice begin to accumulate on the bottom of the pan.
Brush chicken with drippings, then add boiled potatoes.
If there is not enough drippings to coat the potatoes, drizzle with a little more oil.
Continue roasting for another 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until the chicken is golden brown and well-done (a leg should move easily when you jiggle it), and the potatoes are nicely overdone (can baste from time to time if you wish).
Remove from the oven, carve the chicken, and serve hot.

Either way you choose to make it, you will end up with a moist, flavorful, delicious supper!
Enjoy!

Sunny-Side-Up Saturdays

In our area of Ghana, there are ditches beside most roads. These ditches can contain anything ranging from dirty dish water to sewer. One can never tell exactly what might be in those ditches! On one particular road, there is a big canal on both sides of the road, but it contains the same things that the ditches do. The other day, our children went somewhere with Daddy. While waiting for something, they were standing on the side of the road next to the canal. The children are like their father in that they can strike up a conversation with anyone. While they waited, they were talking to a young man who was wearing only underwear. As they were getting into the car to leave, the boy to whom they had been talking jumped in the canal. When Gilbert got home, he said, “Mom, we had a brand new friend, and he jumped in the sewer ditch!” The way in which he said it made it sound as if their “brand new friend” was no longer “brand new” after jumping in that ditch!

A few years ago, we lived with another missionary family for six months. We were both missionaries in Ivory Coast, but all of the missionaries had left Ivory Coast at that time due to civil unrest. So, we shared a house in Ghana for a few months. While reading through some old e-mails, I found something funny. Their oldest daughter was about five at that time. One day, she picked up the seam ripper and said, “Mom, I know what this is – a toothpick!”

When we were in language school in France, there was a lady who worked in the nursery at the school who befriended us. We did not have school on Wednesdays. A couple times a month, she would have us come to her house on Wednesday. We would practice our French with her. She spoke English well and could correct us when we went astray. We always had coffee and some type of pastry. One day when she offered us more pastries, I said that I was full, or at least I thought that was what I said. I said, “Je suis plein,” which if taken apart word by word says, “I am full.” We learned that day that there are some adjectives that are not used with “am.” They are used with “have” instead. I should have said, “J’ai plein,” meaning “I have plenty.” She explained that “Je suis plein.” means “I am drunk.” Oops!! Oh the joys of learning a foreign language!!

If you have a language blooper or some other funny story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at loconsford@gmail.com. Next week, we will have some stories from Donna Schepers, missionary in Dominican Republic.

Check out the new website, www.missionaryonfire.com, a place to hear interviews with long-time missionaries. Let their stories inspire you to do more for the Lord. The first interview is with Frank Drown, a missionary who went to the mission field in 1944.  

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!

Vacation Bible School - Scheduling

One of the most effective ways to boost your Sunday school class attendance is to hold a Vacation Bible School during summer school break on your field of service. I say that because summer is not June, July, and August for all of us around the globe! For the next few weeks, I am going to share my experience in planning and executing a VBS program on the mission field. I pray these posts will be most helpful and encouraging to those of you who have been wanting to plan such an event in order to help grow your children's ministry.

My husband and I have been working in Russia for fourteen years. Just over seven years ago, we moved out to a village to begin a new ministry. After getting settled in a bit as a family, we secured a room in the local House of Culture to meet in for services. We immediately started a Sunday school class which met in the same room, just before the main service. Upon getting to to know a few families, we planned our first VBS program in 2007.  Since that time, we have held week-long VBS programs each summer. God has blessed, and these programs have become a favorite summer activity for many of the village children!

VBS Children and Workers  - 2007

In order for a VBS program to be a smooth success, most of the preparations are made in the months prior. Although you may be nervous about it all coming together at the last minute, I can honestly say that if you have prepared well enough ahead of time the problems (if any) will be minimal during the actual execution of the program. Then, as each day passes, you can relax a bit and enjoy the week more!

Very first day of our very first VBS 2007

Starting from the beginning of the planning process and building up to the week of the program, I will break down the planning process into several sections. In this first post, I would like to cover the scheduling part of the program.

Months ahead of time:
1. Determine WHERE you will hold the VBS program - Ideally you should have several rooms inside a building (in case of rain) and a nice yard or open field outside for more active games and activities. IF you have a situation like ours to where you do not have a building available and must meet outside, don't forget to have some sort of  tents or shelter in case of light rain.

2. Determine WHEN you will hold the VBS program - Planning the date requires much consideration. If you are in a smaller city or village, check with the school administration to find out their schedule so that you don't schedule a VBS program during the same hours of the school's day camp program times. Here in Russia the children also attend long summer camps. Often there will be a general date when most of the children leave for camp. Being aware of these dates helps you have more children in attendance and prevents them from missing either the beginning or ending of the program.

3. Determine HOW LONG the program will last (which days of the week and hours per day). We usually hold VBS on Monday through Friday from 11 am until 1 pm. If we have a daily craft time, we extend it until 2 pm. Speaking from personal experience, that is plenty of time! You may only be able to do three days a week. Whatever the case, do your best to ensure the best time frame for the most children to be able to attend. Also, remember you want to have a FULL schedule with little to no downtime. It is best to keep the children busy and not give them time to wander around because wandering results in a quick loss of control! Strict time frames help them stay busy, help the time pass quickly for them encouraging them to come back tomorrow, and help you maintain order.

4. Determine WHO (workers) will be involved. This is a big decision! You may not have anyone to help besides yourself (husband and wife); maybe you have several missionary families in the area, or maybe you have a few nationals to help out. Whoever you have as help, make sure the duties are distributed accordingly. A new missionary that has not yet learned the language will not feel comfortable leading the songs! Also, if you are helping another missionary and your job/s have been assigned to you, be sure to see them through to the end. If you volunteer to do something, do it! There is a balance that is necessary when working with other helpers in these type of programs. For one, people (nationals) are watching! They are watching the faces, personalities, expressions, body language, and interaction between the workers. They are watching how well the whole program is thought through and organized. They may not be able to pull something off like a VBS program, but they will sure be there to watch how you pull it off! Trust me, if you hold your VBS program outside, they will come to watch! That can be a good thing or a bad thing. The Lord can use a well-organized plan to help you win the hearts of your neighborhood, village, or city. The Devil can use a poorly organized program against you. Doing things 'decently and in order' (I Cor. 14:40) will be a huge benefit when you go to introduce yourself to those parents and grandparents later. When everyone understands what is expected of them and is committed to helping in whatever capacity needed, the whole program can run like a well-oiled machine!

Next week, we will discuss more of the paperwork involved in planning a VBS program. We will view a sample schedule, talk about themes, teaching materials, and such in order to work out the details of VBS planning.

In the meantime, please feel fee to write me at: danddsterling@juno.com with ANY questions, concerns, ideas for discussion that you would like to know more about so that we can be better prepared to use one of  the greatest evangelistic tools in Children's ministries - Vacation Bible School.

Dessert of the Month Club: Strawberry Shortcake

Today I'm sharing month two of our Dessert of the Month Club.

Growing up in Michigan, strawberry picking was one of our favorite summer activities. We loved going to the U-pick farms to get quarts and quarts of delicious strawberries. My mom would make jam, of course, but she'd also freeze lots of strawberries to be used later for strawberry shortcake.
I love strawberry shortcake!
Then, I married my husband. And he told me he didn't like strawberry shortcake.
What????? How is that possible?
I soon found out the problem, and there was a super easy solution!
In Michigan, most people eat strawberry shortcake with yellow sponge cake.
If you get lucky, you might get it with angel food cake, but usually it's sponge cake.
As my entire extended family hail from the south, I'd never heard of such a thing.
My hubby doesn't like yellow sponge cake.
Quick fix?
Make him the real deal strawberry shortcake {well, at least the one I grew up with!}.
Guess what?!?
He loved it!

So today I present to you my family's version of Strawberry Shortcake {for those lucky days when we find frozen strawberries here!}

Strawberry Shortcake

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 white sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter or shortening
3/4 c. milk

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Using a fork (or pastry cutter), mash the butter into the flour until it is the consistency of cornmeal.
Add the milk and stir until the dough makes a lump.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface.
DOUGH WILL BE SOFT!
Knead gently until it is a smooth ball (about 5-6 times is sufficient).
Pat dough down to about 2 inches high and cut by pressing a round cutter or glass straight down.
Sprinkle tops with sugar, if desired.
Bake on a greased baking sheet at 450 degrees about 10-12 minutes.
Makes 10-12 biscuit-type shortcakes.
 *Note - Unless you are using fresh, in-season berries, place berries in bowl and cover with
1/2-1 cup sugar (depending on amount of berries) and let sit for at least an hour.

Just out of curiosity.....what does strawberry shortcake look like where you come from?

Missionary Monday

Hello, Ladies! I'd love to hear about a typical Monday in your house.

Please share in the comments or write a blog post and link up!

Sunny-Side-Up Saturdays

Saturday is upon us once again!  Therefore, it is time for some “Sunny-Side-Up” stories.

For the past two years, our children have attended a Ghanaian school started by another missionary.  They use the A Beka DVDs, which is the same thing we were using at home.  There are about 250 students in the school (Nursery – 6^th grade).  Our three children are the only white children in the school.  They were intimidated a little at first, but they fit right in now.  If you listen to our children talk when they are around Ghanaian children, they all sound just like the Ghanaian children, especially Bonnie, our youngest.  Each classroom has two “teachers,” but they are more like classroom monitors since the DVD teacher does the teaching.  Gilbert, our oldest boy who is in second grade, was talking about something that his teacher said.  I asked him if it was the DVD teacher or one of the other teachers.  He said, “It was my teacher on Earth, Mom.”  In his mind, the DVD teacher is not on Earth, I guess.

A couple weeks ago, the children had a day off from school due to a water shortage at the school.  That day just happened to be my husband’s birthday.  Our children were just positive that they had the day off for Dad’s birthday!  We went to the ocean that day.  Someone gave us a boogie board.  Danny, our middle child, has no fear when it comes to water.  He loves to take the boogie board out and ride back in on the waves.  Joe has to stay right close to Danny so that he does not venture out too far.  As Joe and Danny were out riding the waves, a wave pulled Danny’s swimming trunks down.  Before he could get them pulled back up, another wave came along and took the swimming trunks out to sea.  He said, “Dad, I think my shorts are gone forever!” For some reason, Danny had kept his underwear on that morning when he was putting his swimming clothes on.  He was very glad about that fact!  He was a bit embarrassed that they happened to be holey underwear. 

When we first arrived in Ivory Coast, we worked with some other missionaries.  Joe was put in charge of the Sunday School department.  We were working on translating some lessons from English into French.  When we finished each lesson, we would have the national pastor read it to check for errors.  One of the lessons that we did was about an idle man.  We looked in the dictionary, and the word for an idle man was “lacheur.”  So, we wrote a whole lesson about the “lacheur.”  When Joe took the lesson to have the national pastor read it, he started laughing.  He could not stop laughing; he showed the lesson to a couple of the men in the Bible Institute.  They were all laughing.  He explained that although the dictionary definition for “lacheur” is “an idle man,” in West Africa, “lacheur” means “one who passes gas.” 

If you have a language blooper or some other funny story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at loconsford@gmail.com.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up! 

Upside-Down Pizza

Yes, I know it is late in the day {and maybe even Wednesday for some of you!}, but here I am with a delicious Italian recipe for you to try.
I won't tell you all the reasons this is late....suffice it to say, there were plenty!

Are you looking for a nice quick dinner?
Does everybody in your house like pizza, but you don't have time to make the dough?
Try upside-down pizza!
If you have a batch of sauce tucked away in the freezer, or leftover spaghetti sauce from earlier in the week, it will come together that much quicker!

 Upside-Down Pizza

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce {app. 26 oz.}
1-2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded {use as much or as little as you have/like}
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. oil
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain.
Add spaghetti sauce.
Cover and simmer until heated through.
Pour into greased 9x13 in. baking dish.
Sprinkle with cheese.
In a blender, combine milk, eggs, oil, flour, and salt.
Cover and blend until smooth.
Pour over cheese.
Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Enjoy!