Spring Chicken Roll-ups

I saw Rachel Ray do this last month.  I thought that the recipe had a lot of potential.  I liked the fact that it versitale- instead of asparagus, you can subsitute other veggies like string beans.  Instead of using prosciutto, I use deli sliced ham.

Enjoy!

Spring Chicken Roll-Ups with Lemon Dijon Pan Sauce

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 (6-ounce) pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices provolone cheese
4 thin slices prosciutto cotto (or thinly sliced ham, or turkey)
12 thin spears asparagus, trimmed of tough stems and blanched in salted water 2 minutes, drained (or green beans)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup chopped, flat-leaf parsley, a handful

Directions

Halve the chicken breasts horizontally separating each into 2 cutlets. Place each halved cutlet in an individual freezer plastic storage bag (with slider tab). Add a tablespoon of water to each bag and pound into 1/8-inch thick cutlets.

Arrange the 4 cutlets on work surface. Season cutlets with salt and pepper on the side facing up. Cover each piece of chicken with 1 slice cheese and 1 slice ham. Starting on 1 side of the breast, place a small bundle of 3 asparagus spears (or green beans). Wrap and roll the chicken around the asparagus. Wash hands.

Heat about 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, using tongs, add the chicken roll-ups to skillet with seam side down. Season the roll-ups with salt and pepper. Cover the pan loosely with tin foil and cook 4 to 5 minutes, turn roll-ups over and cook and other 4 to 5 minutes. Remove cooked roll ups to a serving plate. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons flour. Stir in the chicken stock and Dijon mustard, scraping up any drippings from the bottom of the pan, and simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley and spoon over chicken.

Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Caper Sauce

I came across this recipe a few months ago, and wanted to try it.  I switched some things up on it, and made it for 2 servings.  If you want 4-just double the recipe.    I finally got around to making it tonight and really enjoyed it.

Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Caper Sauce

(adapted from Cooking Light)

1 cup vegetable broth (you can use chicken broth-veg broth is what I had on hand)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp. drained brine-packed capers, lightly crushed
1 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 tsps. vegetable oil
2 (6-ounce) tilapia or sole fillets
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Combine first three ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Melt 1 Tbsp of butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.

While butter melts, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.

Increase heat to medium-high; heat two minutes or until butter turns golden brown. Add fillets to pan; sauté three minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan, place on a serving dish and keep warm.

Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to about a cup. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Serve sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley, if desired.

Favorite Childhood Recipes

Today, I had to type out a recipe for my mom.  In doing so, I came across 2 recipes that grew up on.  I love these recipes, they taste wonderful and easy to make.  The tuna recipe can easily be changed up.  Instead of tuna, you can use canned chicken.  If you have someone in your family that doesn’t like the veggies, instead of chopping them up, put them in a food processor for a finer cut.  You’ll never know they are the veggies are there.  The sauce makes this dish even tastier!

The crockpot recipe is so easy.  It smells and taste wonderful!  The looks are the greatest, but the taste is out of this world!

Tuna Cheese Twist

1 can of tuna
1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1 recipe of biscuit dough
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 c grated cheese
1/4 c milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Mix a recipe of biscuit dough.  Roll dough out to a 11 x 14 inch rectangle.  Place on a cookie sheet. Make 2 1/2 slits along the long sides of the dough every 1 to 1.5 inches.  Combine tune, celery, green pepper, onion and 1/4 cup of soup.  Spoon mixture along the center of the dough.  Sprinkle 1 c of cheese along the top.  Bring the strips of dough up and over the center of the tuna mixture overlapping the strips to look like a braid.  Mix the egg and water and brush on top of the braid.  Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes.  While the twist is baking, combine the remaining soup, cheese, and milk in a sauce pan to make a sauce.  Heat to melt the cheese.  Slice the braid into serving size pieces.  Pour the sauce over each serving.

Sausage Crockpot Dinner

2 cans French-cut green beans, drained
6 med. potatoes, cut into small pieces
2 cans kidney beans
2 lb smoked sausage (like kiebsa), cut in half, and 1 inch pieces

Layer the ingredients in crockpot: green beans, potatoes, kidney beans then sausage.  Cook on high for 5 hours, or low for 10 hours.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Yesterday, I tried a new recipe and made a fresh friut tart.  I have never done a tart before, so I was interested how it would turn out.  I adapted a recipe I found on Food Network.   After reading the reviews for the recipe, I did some adaptations.  One thing to keep your crust from getting soggy is to make sure that both the crust and glaze are completely cooled.  After making this, I would not use the glaze given. The taste was ok, but it was too liquidy.  I had to cook it longer than the recipe required.  I have adapted it below with what I would do next time.  You will still end up with more glaze than you will need for the tart.   If the glaze still looks to thin, you can add more cornstarch.    If you want a really easy glaze, heat 1/2 cup of apricot preserves/jam, orange marmalade, red currant jelly and 1 tablespoon of water till liquid.  I have also heard of using warm honey.

Next time I will layer the fruit better.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Fresh Fruit Tart
(adapted from Paula Dean)

Ingredients
Crust:
* 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and sliced

Filling:
* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)

Topping:
* Fresh strawberries, kiwi slices, blueberries, raspberries (any fresh fruit would do)

Glaze:
* 4 oz frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
* 1-2 tablespoon apricot preserves
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust: In a food processor (if you don’t have one, you can do this by hand or in a mixer), combine the confectioners’ sugar, flour, and butter, and process until the mixture forms a ball. With your fingers, press the dough into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push the crust into the indentations in the sides. Pat until the crust is even. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly browned (Note: I ended up baking my crust for 25 minutes-just watch the crust-if you don’t bake it long enough you will end up with a soggy crust). Set aside to cool.

For the filling and topping: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust. Cut the strawberries into 1/4-inch slices and arrange around the edge of the crust. For the next circle, use kiwi slices. Add another circle of strawberries, filling in any spaces with blueberries. Cluster the raspberries in the center of the tart.

For the glaze: Combine the limeade, cornstarch, lime juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Let cool. With a pastry brush, glaze the entire tart. You will not use all of the glaze.

Keep the tart in the refrigerator. Remove about 15 minutes before serving. Slice into 8 wedges and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Classic White Bread

Over the past few months, I have been trying different breads.  One recipe I got, I tried a couple of different ways, and always had the same issue of very little rise on the second rise.  I came across this recipe at Baking Bites, a blog I read every day.  I made this bread today, and it turned out great (compared to my other past attempts).

Classic White Bread

adapted from Baking with Julia

2 1/2 cups warm water (105-115F)

1 package active dry yeast (.25 oz)

1 tbsp sugar

6-7 cups ap flour

1 tbsp salt

4 tbsp butter, softened

Combine 1/2 cup water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl and let stand until foamy – about 10 minutes. Add remaining water, flour and salt to yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon (or in a mixer) until dough cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Knead in butter until dough is smooth and not sticky. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading for an additional minute or two. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl to rise until doubled, about 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Butter two 8×4 inch loaf pans and set aside. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide in two equal portions. Shape as described above and place seam side down into prepared loaf pans. Cover loaf pans lightly with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Dough will rise above the lip of the pan.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F.

Place loaves in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. After 35 minutes, use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the bread. It will read 200F when the loaves are done. If you do not have an instant read themometer (meat thermometer), simply cook the loaves for 40 minutes and keep an eye on your oven thermometer to make sure the temperature remains constant.

Remove loaves from pans immediately and let cool completely (2-3 hours) before slicing.

Makes 2 loaves

The book recommends storing the bread in a brown paper bag at room temperature for up to two days, or freezing the loaves.

Orzo with Chicken and Parmesan

I have been trying out new recipes over the past few months. This one I did last night and Josh enjoyed it.  I made a few adjustments to it (as I tend to do).  It is easy and turned out good.

Orzo with Chicken and Parmesan

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
12 ounces skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 -3 cloves garlic, minced (or use 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed  (I used green beans)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, basil, and oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until opaque; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add water, broth, and poultry seasoning to the pan and bring to a mixture to a boil.

Once boiling, add pasta and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas, and continue to cook until the peas are heated through and the pasta has absorbed all the liquid, stirring occasionally. (I put the herbs in for the last few minutes of cooking)

Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup cheese (I went ahead an put all the cheese in), herbs, salt and pepper. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

5 Minute Bread

This bread is really good.  The five minutes doesn’t include rise and bake time.  There are more recipes below using the master recipe.  If you want to read about this check out: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx.

The Master Recipe: Boule

(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel

Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.

5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

Neapolitan Pizza Dough

The secrets to this pizza are to keep the crust thin, don’t overload it, and to bake it quickly at a high temperature so it ­doesn’t cook down to a soup. It’s unlike anything most of us are used to eating — especially if you make fresh mozzarella!

1 pound ­pre-­mixed boule dough
Cornmeal for covering the pizza peel
Topping: your favorite seasonal ingredients

1. 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven with a baking stone (scraped clean) at your oven’s maximum temperature — the hotter, the better. (Another option is to use the baking stone over a grill, which takes about two-thirds of the time.)
2. Prepare the toppings in advance. The key to a pizza that slides right off the peel is to work ­quickly.
3. Follow Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
4. Flatten the dough into a 1/8-inch-thick round with your hands and a rolling pin on a wooden board. Dust with flour to keep the dough from sticking. (A little sticking can help overcome the dough’s re­sis­tance to stretching, though, so don’t overuse flour.) You also can let the partially rolled dough relax for a few minutes to allow further rolling. Stretching by hand may help, followed by additional rolling. Place the rolled-­out dough onto a liberally ­cornmeal-­covered pizza peel.
5. Distribute your toppings over the surface, leaving some of its surface exposed so you can appreciate the individual ingredients — and the magnificent crust! — of the final product. No further resting is needed.
6. Turn on the exhaust fan (or use lower heat and bake a few minutes longer), because some of the cornmeal will smoke. Slide the pizza onto the stone (­back-­and-­forth shakes can help dislodge it). Check for doneness in 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the pizza around if one side is browning too fast. It may need up to 5 more minutes.
7. Allow to cool slightly on a rack before serving.

Makes 1 ­12- to 14-inch pizza to serve 2 to 4.

100 Percent Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Whole wheat flour has a nutty, slightly bitter flavor, and it caramelizes easily, yielding a rich, brown loaf. Milk and honey are tenderizers, and their sweetness complements the bitter notes. Although we’ve showcased a loaf-pan method here, this dough also makes lovely free-form loaves on a baking stone.

1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
5 tbsp neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water
6 2⁄3 cups whole wheat flour

1. Mix the yeast, salt, honey, oil, milk and water in a 5-quart bowl or other container.
2. Mix in the flour using a spoon, high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook.
3. Cover loosely, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); about 2 to 3 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next several days.
5. On baking day, lightly grease a 9-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan. Using wet hands, scoop out a 11⁄2 pound (cantaloupe-sized) hunk of dough. Keeping your hands wet (it’ll be sticky!), quickly shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
6. Drop the loaf into the prepared pan. You’ll want enough dough to fill the pan slightly more than half-full.
7. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Flour the top of the loaf and slash, using the tip of a serrated bread knife.
8. 5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with an empty broiler tray on another shelf.
9. Place the loaf in the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and quickly close the door. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.
10. Allow to cool completely before slicing in order to cut reasonable sandwich slices.

Makes 3 1 1⁄2 pound loaves.

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Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls

This crowd-pleaser was our first attempt to make dessert from stored bread dough. It was so successful that it reshaped our view of what this technique could accomplish. The flavors were enhanced by using stored dough, and the butter and sugar seeped into the folds, approximating enriched sweet doughs.

1 1⁄2 pounds pre-mixed boule dough

TOPPING
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
30 pecan halves

FILLING
4 tbsp salted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground black pepper
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1. Cream together the butter, salt and brown sugar. Spread evenly in a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter the pecan halves over the mixture and set aside.
2. Dust the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a cantaloupe-sized piece. Dust the piece with flour and shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
3. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle. Add only enough flour to prevent it from sticking.
4. Cream together the butter, sugar and spices for the filling. Spread evenly over the dough and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Roll the dough into a log. If it’s too soft to cut, chill for 20 minutes.
5. With a serrated knife, cut the log into 8 pieces and arrange over the pecans, with the “swirled” edge facing up. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise 1 hour (or 40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
6. 5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Bake about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and set in center. While still hot, run a knife around the pan to release the rolls, and invert immediately onto a serving dish.

A Couple New Recipes

So,  it has been a while since I uploaded new recipes that I have tried.  Here is one I did a couple of weeks ago.  It had really good flavor, and Josh really loved it.

Grilled Salmon with Key Lime Butter

courtesy of the Dean Brothers

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons key lime juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• Cooked pasta or rice

Directions

Prepare grill by lightly oiling grill grate over medium-high heat.

In a small saucepan, melt butter add lime juice. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets modestly on both sides. Place fillets onto grill, brush half of lime butter over salmon. Grill salmon for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Drizzle remaining lime butter over salmon before serving. Serve with pasta or rice.

* I did this when it was really cold outside, so I broiled it 2-3 minutes per side and it turned out great.

This recipe, I did at Thanksgiving and it is one that I do a lot now.

Roasted Carrots

Ingredients

• Carrots, peeled and 1″ chunks or baby carrots
• Olive Oil- enough to coat the carrots
• Pinch of rosemary
• Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425.  Toss the carrots in the olive oil, rosemary and salt.  Place in a pan (sheet pan or small cake pan works).   Cook for 25-30 minutes or until tender.

Is the Ark of the Covenant Really Found?

So the Today Show interviewed Tudor Parfitt about his “discovery” of the lost ark. Click here to see the clip of that interview.

It caught my attention as I was laying in bed, and thought- I’ve got to see this story. But as he talked and showed a picture of it- I started wondering if he was trying to force his opinion (not the full Biblical description) of what he thought it should look like. As I was listening, I caught his reasoning that there were 2 descriptions of the ark-one simpler and one complex.

Here is the passage he pulled from for the simpler version:

Deut. 10:1-5

1 At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden chest. ^[a] 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the chest.”

3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD commanded me, and they are there now. (NIV)

So going back to Exodus- here is the timetable:

1. 1. the Israelites get to Mt. Sinai
2. 2. they are commanded by God to consectrate themselves for 3 day. before He comes down to cover Mt. Sinai with His presence (in the form of a cloud)
3. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
4. Moses is called up to the top of the mountain to meet with God.
5. God tells him to warn the people not to put a foot on the mountain. So Moses goes back down and tells the people (Ex. 19)
6. 6. God spoke the Ten Commandments-the people grew afraid and didn’t want God to speak directly to them, but to Moses (Ex 20)
7. So Moses went up to speak with God. At this point God starts giving Moses all the rules to live by (Ex. 20-23)
8. God tells Moses go back down, and have Aaron, some of the other priests and the elders to come worship (Ex 24)
9. Moses tells all the people the laws of God and writes them down.
10. The priest and elders worship, and Moses is invited back up the mountain where God was going to give Moses the laws written in stone tablets. Moses goes back up and stays there for 40 days.
11. Here is the full story of the ark: Ex. 25: 10- 22: 10 “Have them make a chest of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. ^[b] 11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16 Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. 17 “Make an atonement cover ^[c] of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ^[d] 18 And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.
12. Ex. 24-32 is God’s detailed description of the ark, tabernacle and all that goes into it, as well as the priestly duties and garments.
13. Enter in the scared disappointing Israelites who convince Aaron to create an idol for them to worship (Ex 33) God gets angry at the people, Moses pleads with God to spare them. Then when Moses himself sees the people’s sin, gets angry and throws the tablets down and they break. He rebukes them and (love this) grinds the idol into powder and makes the people drink it! He goes back up to the mountain to plead with God to forgive them (Ex 33).
14. Move to Ex 34 Moses goes back to the mountain, this time he had to chisel the tablets out, and spends another 40 days and nights in God’s presence as God rewrote the law on the tablets.

So that was a long way of going about saying I doubt that what this guy found was the real Ark. Granted it is really old-I’ll give him that, but even then it is only 1,300 year old. Did you like how he reasoned the time difference-well tradition has it the first one self-combusted, and this one was built on the ashes of the first. Hmmm…
I would love to hear your thoughs on this one!

Experiement #3: Chicken Enchiladas

So, last night I tried a new recipe, followed it except for the onion part.  It was a huge success.  Josh loved it.  It will definitely become part of my menu repertoire.  It was fairly easy to do.  Check out the recipe.