He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life. ~ William Law

Prayer can sure make a difference in your life.  Right now I have a few very specific prayer requests that I have put before our Lord for consideration.  Still also remembering my friends - some still in Japan - others here.  We still have a lot of things happening in Japan.  They still need prayers for safety and salvation.

We had a wonderful time yesterday at church worship services.  In our last service, we saw the other half of the slides from Israel where one of our members went on vacation.  They were amazing to see.  In two weeks, we saw about 250 slides or more.  It was very interesting to see how things are there and what people think about where Jesus lived and walked and died. 

We had our spaghetti dinner yesterday and I've been deciding what to make for dessert all week.  I finally decided on a layered chocolate and peanut butter dessert and made a double batch -- none came home with me : )  It was good and a lot of people asked me for the recipe.  I promised to post it here today so here it is:

Enjoy !

Charlene


Four Layer Peanut Butter Cup Dessert

First Layer:

2 cups finely chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
1 stick of real butter

Mix in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Bake for 15 min at 350 degrees.  Let cool completely before adding next layers.

Second Layer:

1 ~ 8 oz pkg cream cheese - softened
1 ~ 8 oz container of cool whip - thawed
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter

Mix altogether until creamy -- DON'T eat this now !  Add 1 up of chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate chips and/or pecans, walnuts, almonds or butterfinger (PB cups or butterfinger is my favorite)

Third Layer:

1 lg box of chocolate fudge pudding made according to package directions for pie filling

Let the pudding set before adding the next layer.

Fourth Layer:

1 - 8 oz container Cool Whip

Top it off with chocolate curls or chocolate shavings.  Shavings are really easy -- just chill a chocolate bar and take a potato peeler to it : )  curls are harder.

You can serve anytime - doesn't need to set up or chill overnight either.  You're probably safer not leaving it in the fridge overnight - midnight snack people might take it : )

Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We. ~ Phil Jackson

Very true in sports and in a company.  I tell people this all the time in consulting.  Stop with the 'me' and let's get to the 'we'.  You can of course do things yourself and may prefer to, but in a company everyone has to be playing in the same direction for the same common goal.  You cannot have a successful team if no one  or only one person) knows what the expected outcome will be.  If you are in charge of directing your team, they must know the goal of the company.

Your position is such that you need to think outside the box.  Do you think players only show up on the court and run around and dribble and throw the ball?  You must be kidding !  They practice for hours with a "COACH" who tells them they want to win.  The Coach coaches them in the directions they need to take to obtain that goal.  It must be a common goal among the team members also.  Everyone playing on that team must want to win.  Winning requires everyone to know the who, what, where, how and why.

Your life can be no different.  You must be working towards a goal.  The who could be just you or your family.  The what is your expected end result ~ money for vacation?  The where is where you will be working towards this goal ~ a yard sale to make money to go on vacation?  The how ~ clear out your garage : ).  The why is so that you can relax on that vacation and not have to figure out where the money is being squeezed from in your already tight budget.

Everything is feasible when you put your mind to it.  Recently I discussed survival with a client. We discussed looking around your 'already existing world' to see where you can put your company to work for you.  And you know it is funny, you look at the world around you completely different when you have a plan in mind.

Today, figure out what your goal or goals are and start working your plan to achieve them.  If this means adding people to your team, then start looking - Get it done !

Enjoy your day and what's left of the weekend.

Charlene


Chile Con Queso
INGREDIENTS:
1½ lbs cheddar cheese, shredded
1½ lbs Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 can (27 oz) green chilies, diced
1½ cups sour cream
1 cup flour
3 tbsp crushed red peppers
2 tbsp black pepper
½ tbsp salt
1 cup yellow onion, diced

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated.
Melt in 350°F oven.
Serve with tostada chips.

Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

I was just about to go look for a regular job again when out of the blue, I get several clients all in at once. Talk about a real blessing for me, it was.  I will probably be screaming for help pretty soon  because I'll be running from Sun City to Queen Creek to Avondale.  I will take my Canon EOS Rebel with me  : )  just in case I find something spectacular to share with you.

Please don't get me wrong, I love being in a different place each day.  It breaks up the week and makes things interesting.  The main thing I love about consulting is that people call you because they want you there.  You have a proven track record and they trust you - plus they are happy to see you when you show up.  You go in, you help them solve their issues and you are gone.  You only come back when they need you again and you aren't there long enough to annoy them  : ).  You get paid to tell people what to do and to teach them what they need to change and they love you because you 'made' them successful.

That is my goal to be too busy and be able to keep my sister busy too with lots of work in the East Valley and keep myself primarily in the West Valley.  I know I have clients in the East Valley that will always want me to come but it's because I know so much about their business already, there will be no learning curve but for new clients, I will work with my sister to set them up and then turn them over and just be there when needed.  The company my sister was working for was great but sold out and she was laid off : (  so she has agreed to work with me in consulting : ).

It's Saturday, what are you doing in front of your computer?  Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad you are here but it is Saturday and beautiful weather in Phoenix today.  It's supposed to be in the mid 70's and a little breeze.  Absolutely beautiful -- this is when I enjoy Phoenix.  All summer I wish I could afford to be a snowbird : )

Get out and enjoy your day and then try these enchiladas.  They are wonderful -- not for the lactose intolerant but wonderful : )

Charlene


Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 Serranos, diced (seeds-in if you like the heat; reduce to 1 if you’re not a fan of spicy food)
1 Jalapeno, seeded, minced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sour cream
16 oz jar of  Ortega Medium Salsa Verde
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
12 tortillas, small fajita size
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
1/2 medium onion, diced

Preheat the oven to 350. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute Serranos and Jalapenos until soft and then add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and let cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth until smooth and let cook until bubbly. Stir in the sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
Spray/grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken, cheese, and chopped onion to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, top with leftover cheese, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.
To freeze: Cook the sauce and cool completely (I do it quickly using an ice water bath). Assemble the enchiladas in portion-friendly dishes and wrap well with plastic wrap or foil. To cook thawed, bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes (or to an internal temperature of 165). To cook straight from the freezer, increase the baking time to 45-55 minutes.
Yields: 12-15 enchiladas

"Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work." - Robert Orben

Today, I'm off to work.  Tomorrow that could all change but today, I am off to work.  : )

Don't get me wrong, I really like what I do, it's just that I would love to travel and photograph some of the amazing places we have in this country.  I would love to photograph from all 50 states and write about all of the states and the beauties I find there.  Pictures from the lighthouses of Maine to the fjords of Alaska and all points in between.  One book with 51 chapters (all 50 states and the points in between including that 51st chapter on Canada ~ I didn't want you to think that I didn't know we only had 50 states : ) in America.)

Tomorrow is baking day for Sunday and I'm leaning towards yesterday's cake but I know it is the year of the pie so . . . :-/  I'm not so sure -- ANY suggestions?

So here is one from the place we went to on Tuesday with the baby bunnies and flowers.  This little bunny was so cute I just wanted to hold him and squeeze him but couldn't get too close or else it ran back into the brush.

Do you see it sitting beside the rock eating the flowers?  You can get an idea of his size by looking at the flowers which were about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.  In this one, it caught me taking the picture : ).  We all need our salad bar and I interrupted dinner here.

So today it is time to decide between cake, pie and death by chocolate ( I'll post this one tomorrow) and I'm not so sure which one I'll make.  Maybe it will be a surprise to everyone on Sunday - I don't know.

Enjoy your day -- It's FRIDAY ! ! !

Charlene


Black Bottom Pecan Pie

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
One 9-inch chocolate graham cracker pie crust
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, corn syrup, melted chocolate, butter, vanilla, sugar, and salt; mix well.
3. Stir in the pecans and coconut; mix well.
4. Pour into the pie crust and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until firm in the center.
5. Allow to cool completely before serving.