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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe - Family Favorite


This recipe for Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake is one of our family favorites.  We love this cake.  It is moist and chocolatey and outrageously good.   It is a great Sunday Dinner Dessert.  I have been on a diet for a long time.  Flour and sugar to not agree with me, but every once in a while, I need to have something really, really yummy.  Okay so enough of that. This cake is so easy anyone can make it, and you probably have all of the ingredients in your house.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

1 box devils food cake mix
1 16oz container sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
box devils food pudding
4 eggs
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.  Spray well because chocolate chips can stick.

Pour cake mix and pudding into a mixing bowl and stir.  Add add water, oil, sour cream, and eggs to cake mix and beat with mixer until smooth.



Once smooth stir in chocolate chips.  Pour into bundt pan



Bake for 55 minutes it should be done.  If not, check every 5 minutes with a tooth pick until it comes out clean.  This is a little tricky because of the chocolate chips.  As long as it is not doughie.


Let cool in pan for 15 minutes on a cake rack, and then turn onto cake rack and let cool.


Put on cake plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar  Serve


Serves 12 to 16 pieces

I would love to hear what you think about this recipe and if you enjoyed it.  Please let me know what your favorite easy dessert is.

Enjoy!!!
Debi


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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Brown Sugar Body Scrub




Now for my Natural Brown Sugar Body Scrub

I came up with this recipe for my natural Brown Sugar Body Scrub in March.  This stuff is good enough to eat, but don't.  This body scrub just melts into your skin.  Use it at the end of your bath, and your skin will be exfoliated and silky soft.  It leaves your skin so hydrated that you will not even need to use a moisturizer after your bath.



Brown Sugar Body Scrub

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup raw sugar
8 TB coconut oil ( melted )
2 tsp cinammon ground
2 tsp cloves ground
2 tsp nutmeg ground
1/4 tsp vanilla or 20 drops vanilla essential oil

Mix brown sugar, raw sugar, cinammon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl.  In another bowl melt the coconut oil and then mix into the sugar mixture, also add the vanilla.  Once mixed put the scrub into a 1 pint mason jar.

To use:  Get a small amount in your fingers and rub your hands together, and then rub on your body.  Rub into skin until melted away.  The raw sugar will not be totally gone, but the brown sugar will be gone.  Rinse with water and you are good to go

This Body Scrub is great for gifts or yourself.  I would love to hear what you think of this recipe, and what can be improved upon.  Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!!!
Debi

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

1st Adorned From Above Blog Hop and Jasmine Natural Face and Body Wash

Today is the first week that I am doing a Tuesday Blog Hop, called Adorned From Above Blog Hop 1. The next Monday I will feature some of your great ideas in my post.

Your posts can include:
  • anything DIY
  • Recipes
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Book Reviews and Movie Reviews
  • Knitting and Crochet Ideas and Patterns
  • DIY Cleaning Solutions
  • Natural Beauty Product Recipes
  • Decorating Ideas
  • Thrifting

Bloggers, use the linky tool on the bottom of this post to share your best post. Non-bloggers, feel free to add a comment here with any ideas or thoughts you have.

Please link your posts back to my blog hop. Linking back here helps build our little community by sending your readers to all of the other posts shared.  Just create a text link somewhere in your post back to this blog.


Jasmine Face Wash and Ingredients
Now on to my favorite natural Jasmine Face and Body Wash Recipe.

I started making this face wash in February, and it is a great all purpose face wash.  It even removes makeup.  I was looking for something simple and natural, since I have skin allergies.  I also wanted something that did not have chemicals.  I looked at many recipes, and eventually decided to just make something that would clean my face and still moisturize my skin a little. It also works great as a body wash.

Jasmine Natural Face and Body Wash

8 oz Dr. Bonner's Baby-Mild Castille Soap
8 oz distilled water
1 TB Almond oil
20 drops jasmine fragrance
10 drops geranium essential oil

Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.  Then pour into a pump bottle.

Rinse face with water and then use 1 squirt of face wash and start washing face.   I wash my face for approximately 1 minute, concentrating around my nose, chin, and forehead, then rinse well.

You can use a toner after if you like to close your pores, and then moisturize.  You can use my Anti-Aging Moisturizer.  The link is below.

Natural Anti-Aging Face Cream Link

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Monday, May 28, 2012

Bible Study Week 4 - Sharper Then a Two-Edged Sword

Good Morning Everyone.  I pray that all of you have a great Memorial Day.  For anyone out there with family members who are in the armed services or who have lost a family member in the armed services, I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU.   My family understands how hard this is on your families.  We have a son who is a marine and has done two tours in Afghanistan.  We are just waiting for him to get out of the marines and come home at this point.  Hopefully that will be next Sunday, June 3rd.  We await anxiously for the signed paperwork, so that we can go and get him and help him move.  Again, I would like to thank every family out there for the sacrifices that you have made, I know that they are great.

So for today's Bible Study.  We have moved on to chapter 3 (Spirit, Soul, Body) in the book Sharper Then A Two Edged Sword by Andrew Wommack.  I will post a picture of the book and the link to Amazon to be able to buy the book, in case you do not already have it.


Link to Sharper Then A Two-Edged Sword

I love this scripture in 1 Thessalonians, and wanted to post it for you.  I believe that it says so much to our hearts.
 
And the  very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit
and soul and body be preserved blameless unto coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23

Question 1: Which part of me becomes new when I am born again?
  • Because we can see our bodies, we know that the physical part of us does not change when we are born again.  We can see that it is still the same as before we were born again.
  • We also know what our soul is doing.  We still have the same feelings and thoughts that we had before we became born again.  If we are happy, we are still happy, that is something that we can feel, same with depression or irritability, those things have not changed.
  • I believe from what the Bible tells me that my spirit is what becomes new.
Jesus said, "God is a spirit; and they that worship him in the spirit and truth"
John 4:24
  • When we become born again your spirit becomes a new creation, a new creature. Scripture says that you become a new creature in the scripture below.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature;
old things are passed away, all things become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
  • The all things that become new can only be our spirit.  Our bodies and souls still remain the same.
Question 2: What happens in my spirit when I become born again?

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:17
  • God gave us a spirit identical  to Jesus when we became born again. It tells us that in 2 Corinthians 5:17 and also in 1 Corinthians 6:17
  • In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says that you are a new creature, this is not your body or you soul.  For your.  For your emotions and personality traits to change you would have to renew your soul.
  • It also does not say that you will become a new creature someday, it says that you will become a new creature now.  
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature;
old things are passed away, all things become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
  • The transformation of your spirit is complete and total and takes place immediately.
Question 3: Is my spirit affected by the sin nature?
  • I believe that our spirits are not affected by the sin nature.
  • If our spirits are like Jesus, then your spirit would be righteous like the spirit of Jesus.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness
in the day of Judgement; because as he is so are we in the world.
1 John 4:17
  • There would be nothing of this world in our spirit, no negativity, depression, rebellion, fear, deception, or sin.  Our spirit is pure.
Question 4: If nothing can damage my born-again spirit, then why can't I just live however I want and not worry about it?  Won't god still love me?
 And you put on the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:24
  • God loves and relates to us in the spirit.
  • We received holiness when we were born again and God loves us.
  • God is not dealing with the sin of our flesh, he is dealing with our spirits, which is pure and holy.
In him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, 
the gospel of your salvation; in whom also having believed
you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
Ephesians 1:17
  • To sin at this point would be silly and stupid.  It would be allowing Satan a stronghold in your life.  Why would we want that for ourselves?  I don't think we do.
  • God would not turn away from us, but it is possible for us to turn away from God.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy,
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10
  • Why would we want to invite Satan in to destroy us?  We wouldn't, he has not good intentions for our lives.  Though God and Jesus came into our lives so that we can have eternal life. 
Question 5: What does renewing my mind mean?

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he "Eat and Drink"
says he to you, But his heart is not with you.
Proverbs 23:7
  • This scripture means that it doesn't matter what your experience with God is.  The way you think is the way your life will go.  Until you change your thinking, your life will not change.
  • The way you think is not instantly renewed or changed.  The only way to do that is to read the Bible and know the word of God.
  • Just reading the Word of God is not enough, you must know it and understand it.
  • The Bible says:
And be not conformed of this world: but be ye transformed by the 
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect, will of God
Romans 12:2
  • Things of this world will not renew your mind, only confuse it.  Reading, meditating and understanding God's word is what will renew your mind.
Question 6: You say I'm righteous as Jesus, but I can't believe that.  It's not possible if my spirit was identical to Jesus, I'd know it!  Wouldn't I?
  • You can answer questions about your body and your soul.  You know if your body is tired or in pain.  You know what your body is feeling.
  • You also know what your soul feels and thinks.  You know if you are sad, depressed, or even happy.
  • But the Bible says there are not just 2 parts to us after we are born again.  Scripture tells us that there are 3 parts to us.  Specifically in the scripture below.
And the  very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit
and soul and body be preserved blameless unto coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
  • We are told specifically in the scripture above that we have a body, a soul, and a spirit.  It is the spirit that we receive when we are born again. 
  • We do not necessarily feel our spirit when we are born again.  This is something we have to work on.  We need to know the word of God to know the spirit.
Question 7: If I have the power and faith of Jesus in my spirit, then why do I need to bother renewing my mind?
  • You do have the faith and power of Jesus, but you need to read the Word of God ( the Bible) in order to know the word, and you need to believe what it says.  You need to meditate about it to know your spiritual identity.
It's only the truth that sets you free.
John 8:32
  • Your mind is like a valve and it has the power to release or obstruct the power of God. (This is from the Workbook for Sharper then a Two-Edged Sword)
  • If your mind is focused on your body or soul you will not feel and experience God in your Spirit, but getting your mind in agreement with your spirit will open the full power of God to you.
  • We need to renew our mind in God's word in order to come into agreement with God.
  • Our Spirits are already perfect. When our mind aligns with our spirit we begin to see the ability of God that is in our Spirits spill over into our bodies and souls.  Our bodies will get healed, our emotions will be healed, and we'll see the anointing of God pour into our lives.  (This is from the Workbook for Sharper then a Two-Edged Sword)
Question 8: How is the word of God relevant to my daily life?
  • If we do not know God's word, then we open ourselves to being deceived by false teachers and doctrine.
  • How will we know what is true and what is not, if we have never bothered to learn God's word?
It is a lamp to guide our feet and a light to help us find our path through life.
Psalms 119:105
  • The Bible is basically our instruction manual that God has given us on how to live our lives.
  • God's word is how he speaks to most of us. 
  • It is through his word that we get to know him and how he wants us to live our lives on a daily basis.
Question 9: How should I go about reading the bible?
  • I believe that you should read the Bible systematically.  You should start with the new testament, and learn about Jesus and the redemption that God gave us through Jesus.  
  • I believe that the first four gospels are really important for you to get to know Jesus, and then go from there.
  • I always pray for wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and truth to be revealed before I start to read the Bible.  I believe that this helps with all of the distractions that try to come in and stop you from receiving the fullness of the Word.
  • I believe that you should meditate and understand what has been written in the New Testament before moving on to the Old Testament.
  • I believe that we need to know both testaments of the Bible.  We have lessons to learn from all of the Word of God.  I think that reading the New Testament first will give a better perspective on the Old Testament.  
  • The Old Testament has the stories and the laws that God gave, but I believe that we need to know about our redemption through Jesus first, so that we understand that following the laws will not give us eternal life.  Only belief in Jesus and what he did for us by dying on the cross will give us eternal life.
This is the end of this weeks Bible Study.  I hope that it is helpful to you.  I would love to hear what you have to say, and what you would like to add.  Please send me any comments or questions.  I am never too busy to answer.

Enjoy your day!!!
Debi
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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Christian Fiction (Spotlight on Left Behind Series)

A Link to Barnes and Noble and the book Left Behind

My spotlight today is on the Left Behind Series by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B Jenkins and how Christian fiction can play a part in bringing people to the Lord.

Christian fiction has played a big role in my life over the last seven years.  You see, in a small way, it was a big part of what led me back to Jesus.  I have a friend Karen who was reading this series of books with a book club in Denver about 11 years ago.  I noticed that she was reading these books, but did not pay a lot of attention, because I had converted to Judaism.  It is funny how this series of books led me back to Christ. 

My journey to Christianity has been fairly circuitous.  You see, I was brought up, probably like most of you, in a Christian family.  I was baptized Episcopalian as an infant.  We were not a family that went to church, but my parents did send my brother and I to an Episcopal school in Los Angeles.  My mom was Christian and my dad was Jewish, we celebrated all of the holidays of both religions, but not in a religious way.  They were just holidays. Christmas was about Santa and Hanukkah was potato latkas, these holidays were not about the birth of Christ or that one day of oil lasted eight days for the Jews.  They were just times for my family to spend together and they were fun.

Eventually, I had my own children, and my husband and I raised them the same way, you see he was Jewish and I was Christian.  Then one day our 12 year old son came to us and said he wanted to be Jewish.  So the three kids and I converted to Judaism.  We were practicing Jews for probably about 6 years, when my middle son came home and said he had gone back to Christianity, that he had gotten a bible and he had accepted Jesus Christ in his heart as his Lord and Savior.  This presented me with a dilemma.  How do we have a Christian and Jewish household again?  The rest of us were still practicing Jews. 

Unfortunately, I had never found fulfillment in being Jewish.  I always felt like something was missing.  When times were tough I didn't feel like my religion could help me through these difficult moments.  I felt alone and sad.  In the meantime my friend Karen was praying for my family to find our way back to Jesus.  One day, I was at Walmart and I saw a movie called Left Behind, and I remembered that was the book that she had read so long ago.  So I bought the movie and brought it home and watched it.  To my amazement,  I enjoyed this movie, and wanted more.  Amazing how God can touch you like that.  Once we have a little of him we want more.  I then went to the library and checked out the rest of the series in audio books.  At the time I was knitting a lot and I liked to listen to the books while I was knitting.

I devoured the Left Behind Series.  I think that I had listened to almost the whole series of books in about 3 months.  At that time I think that there were probably 10 books.  A funny thing happened when I was listening to these books.  I came to realize that what had been missing in my life was Jesus.  I had felt to empty when I converted to Judaism, and as I was reading this series of books I found my way back home.  I found what I had been looking for in my life.

It took me a least a year to tell my husband that I believed in Jesus again.  Not that he would be angry, but it just felt strange.  You see, when you convert to a religion like Judaism, you can't just convert to the secular part of the religion.  You have to follow the rules, become Jewish, not just make the food, and celebrate the holidays.  You have to go to synagogue and pray and live that life.  It is hard for Jews who are not religious to understand.  Well the same thing happens when you are Born Again.  You want to practice the religion, talk to God, have a relationship with him.  You don't just celebrate Santa and the Easter Bunny.

Through the Left Behind books I finally understood that I could have a relationship with God.  I could talk to him and pray, and he would hear me and answer.  To this day I believe that God is talking to all of us, but most of the time we are not listening.  Sometimes, it's that we don't want to hear God, because it might mean we have to give up doing something fun.  Sometimes, we hear him, but do not want to do what he is telling us to do.  You know that small voice that you hear in the back of your head, that's God talking to you.  He wants to have a relationship with us.  He wants us to hear him.  He wants us to turn to him in our time of need.  He wants us to love him the way he loves us, if only we would listen.  Well I am listening.  I am praying that you can hear him also.

I want to thank Tim Lahaye and Jerry B Jenkins for writing these books.  The first book Left Behind
actually has the prayer in it to invite Jesus into your heart.  I can tell you, it felt great to pray that prayer.  You see, I was a sinner with no way to be good enough to go to Heaven, but through Christ dying on the Cross, I am forgiven, and I will live with God forever.  What an amazing thing to learn from a series of fiction books.  I will forever be grateful to these two wonderful authors.

I pray that if you have not read these books yet, pick one up.  They are wonderful, fast paced, and exciting to read.  Please let me know what your favorite books are, and what books have made an impression in your life.  I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy!!!
Debi


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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Half and Half Baked S'Mores and Baked Reese's S'mores

The Apron Gal - Baked S'mores
I was inspired by the Pinterest Pin at the link above to make this delicious dessert pictured below.

Top is Baked S'more and two bottom are Baked Reese's S'mores

I made the Baked S'mores from the Apron Gal at The Apron Gal - Baked S'mores, but with a twist.  I am going to add Reese's Peanut Butter cups in one half of the pan for me and I will add the Hershey Bars on the other half for my husband.  I featured a link the The Brady Girls Blog this week Cookin' Up Good Times - Reese's S'mores.  I had wanted to make the Brady Girls recipe, but it is too windy today in Denver and will be the whole weekend to roast marshmallow outside.  When when I saw this recipe for Baked S'mores, I realized that this was the answer to my craving for Reese's Peanut Butter Cup S'mores.

I must say these Half and Half Baked S'mores and Baked Reese's S'mores were outrageously good. I of course had to test both last night.  The recipe from The Apron Gal is so simple to follow and easy to make.  So here goes. 

Half and Half Baked S'mores and Baked Reese's S'mores
recipe courtesy The Apron Gal, Baked Perfection, and Cookin' Up Good Times.
Adapted by yours truly Debi Bolocofsky

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 large Hershey Symphony Bars
12 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1 7oz jar Marshmallow Creme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 inch pan with non stick spray.

In a large bowl mix butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light.  Then add egg and vanilla.  Mix well.


In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, graham cracker crumbs, and baking powder.


Next add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.


Next separate the dough in half and spread one half in the bottom of the prepared pan.  Place the 2nd half in a large ziploc bag, and roll it out to the same size as the ziploc bag.  It can be about 2 inches narrower then the bag.  Set this aside until you have finished with the fillings.


Now sometimes I get distracted, and this was one of those times.  I forgot to take pictures of the next steps, so I will just have to tell you what to do, or you can go to The Apron Gal - Baked S'mores Recipe, she did not forget to take pictures.  My recipe is a little different, because we will be also using Reese's Peanut Butter cups.

So now, place your first Hershey Milk Chocolate bar and break your second bar lengthwise, so that you have 2 long rows of bars.  The chocolate bars should fit on 1/2 of the pan.  Next unwrap the peanut butter cups and start placing them next to the chocolate bars.  I had 3 rows of 4 peanut butter cups next to the chocolate bars.

Next, spread the marshmallow creme on top of the chocolate bars and peanut butter cups.  I used a knife, and just did it very slowly.

Next, you will cut open your ziplock bag.  Pull the sides all the way back.  The bag is wider and shorter then your pan.  Once I had the bag pulled back all of the way, I then spread the dough to make it longer, so that it would be the length of the pan.  Then I flipped the bag on top of the marshmallow creme, so that there was a top crust.  As you can see at the end I still had to piece it together a little bit.


Next, put it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Once done, pull it out of the oven, and let it cool off, before cutting.


I let it cool for about 45 minutes and then cut the pieces.  The second picture on the page is how it looked cut.

I would love to hear what you think of this recipe, or what desserts you are making this weekend.

Enjoy!!!
Debi

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