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July 2006 ETC Corner
Celebrate Our Freedom and Those Who Make it Possible
This Year Celebrate the 4th of July by Supporting Our Men and Women in the Military
By Janet Burke
We've all heard the saying that freedom isn't free. It's true! Every day men and women in the military put their lives on the line to protect our country and our freedom. So what can we do to for our soldiers who are overseas? Sending a care package is a great way to show God's love in a tangible way. Get your family, a Bible study or small group from your church together for an evening of fellowship and fun as you put together care packages for men and women serving in the military overseas.
Step 1: Find an organization in your area that forwards care packages to the military. Visit www.americasupportsyou.mil to find out how you can support our troops. For a list of organizations throughout the U.S. that send care packages visit this page www.americasupportsyou.mil/AmericaSupportsYou/send_packages.html
For example, I live in the Phoenix area and an organization called "Packages From Home" (www.packagesfromhome.org) assembles and delivers packages to our troops.
Step 2: Organize your family or small group and get them motivated to put together donated items, and/or volunteer to assemble the packages according to the specifications of the organization you have chosen. Include personal notes of encouragement from those in your group if possible.
Step 3: Deliver the packages to your local organization and pray for the men and women who will receive the packages.
Picnic Recipes and Checklist
Nothing says Summer like a picnic! Gather up family and friends and head to your favorite park or your backyard for time of food, fun and fellowship! Here are some salad and side dish recipes and a picnic checklist to get you off to a great start!
Watermelon Basket Fruit Salad
1 watermelon
(for the rest of the fruit, mix and match as you see fit)
cantaloupe
honeydew melon
seedless grapes
peaches
nectarines
strawberries
blueberries
raspberries
blackberries
plums
oranges
To begin, take a sharp knife and slice a small thin piece off the bottom of your melon. This will allow the finished basket to sit flat on a plate or table without rolling.
Next, take the tip of your knife and score the watermelon in half, horizontally. Then mark a strip of about 1 1/2 - 2 inches wide that will form the handle of your basket.
Carefully separate the cut sides from the body of the watermelon.
Take a melon baller and hollow out the inside of the watermelon. After removing all the edible parts, take a large spoon and gently scrape out the sides of your "basket". Be careful not to scrape too thinly on the handle, as you want it to have some stability, even though you will never try to carry it this way.
Cut drainage holes in the bottom of the watermelon so that excess liquid will not accumulate. Place your watermelon basket in a large oval roasting pan filled with ice to keep it cool.
Fill watermelon basket with assorted cubed fruit and melon balls.
American Potato Salad
(Remember to keep this cold, put on ice or store in a cooler)
5 pounds red potatoes
6 eggs
2 cups mayonnaise
1 onion, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small green pepper, seeded and diced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender but still firm. Drain, cool, cut into cubes.
2. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
3. In a large bowl, combine chopped potatoes and eggs. Mix together mayonnaise, chopped onion, green onion, green pepper and celery. Season with salt and pepper, then mix well. Cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Pasta Salad with Fresh Herbs
(Does not need to be kept cold)
12 ounces rotini (corkscrew) pasta
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon leaves or ½ teaspoon dried
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
2 pints red or yellow pear tomatoes or cherry tomatoes or combination, halved
¾ cup shredded carrots
¾ cup diced Fontina, Edam, or Swiss cheese
½ cup fresh basil leaves
1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until it's tender, about 8 minutes. Drain it in a colander, rinse well, and drain again.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the viengar, water, salt, sugar, taragon and pepper. Add the oil in a stream, whisking until well blended.
3. Add the pasta and remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss well. Serve the salad at room temperature.
Serves 8-10.
Easy Picnic Beans
These are wonderful to take to a potluck or have at a park with barbecued hamburgers and a fruit salad.
1 (16 oz) can butter bean
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans
1 (16 oz) can baked beans
1 large onion, sliced in rings
6 slices bacon, diced
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¼ cup vinegar.
Brown onions and bacon until bacon is crisp. Add sugar, vinegar, garlic salt and mustard. Mix well and cook 10 minutes. Drain butter beans and kidney beans. Add all beans to sauce and mix well. Turn into a greased casserole and bake 40 minutes at 375º. Serves 6 to 8.
Picnic Checklist
Blankets or ground cover cloths
Table cloth
Eating utensils
Serving utensils
Sharp knife
Napkins
Paper towels
Can and bottle opener
Salt and pepper
Condiments
Water and beverages
Ice
Plastic zipper bags for leftovers
Small cutting board or plastic cutting mat
Hand cleaning wipes or gel
Sunscreen
Bug repellent
Deck of cards
Frisbee, beach ball or other toys
Radio or CD player
Camera
Portable chairs
For Grilling:
Grill or hibachi
Charcoal and wood chips
BBQ tongs, spatula, fork
Matches or lighter
Serving platter
Marinades or sauces
Meats (in a cooler)
Happy Trails-Family Style
By Amy Carroll
Are you facing hours of travel with your family? Maximize the time and arrive with a smile with a few simple tools.
You just know that if you hear one more "Are we there yet?" or squabble in the back seat that you are truly going to turn into the legendary Screaming Mimi. Have you been there? I think that it may have been the story of my parents' lives during my own childhood. My extended family lived in the Midwest, and it was a longggg trip from my home in North Carolina for visits in the summer. As a parent, I can now appreciate the lengths to which my mom and dad went to keep my brother and me happy and busy.
Ideas for Keeping Your Kids Occupied
The first key to pleasant family travel is to keep your children occupied. Bored children are bound to find ways to amuse themselves, and they usually find ways that are unacceptable to the adults around them. My brother and I each started long trips with 2 bags in our hands. One bag was filled with items from home that we had chosen. It might have included books, magnetic games designed for the car, crayons, markers, paper and a journal. These were things that were already available. The other bag was given to us by my mother on that first morning as we crawled into the car. It was filled with things that she had purchased and hidden until the day of departure. Coloring books, words searches or puzzles of any kind, tapes of music, new colored pencils, car bingo games and snacks are examples of items in our surprise bag that kept us delighted and busy.
Today many cars are equipped with modern technology that helps on long trips. Certainly bring along some new videos, DVDs or CDs if your car is equipped. Hand-held video games can also be a life-saver when the day starts getting long, but limit the time that your children spend with electronic pass-times. Trips are a terrific time to encourage your children to entertain themselves. My brother and I spent hours with a tape-recorder producing our own radio shows that we could listen to over and over again. We also used that tape recorder to listen to books on tape as we followed along with our own written copy. Writing seems less of a chore if a child keeps a travel journal or writes postcards to friends at home, and reading comes to life if you visit some of the settings of your book along the way.
Make the Most of Family Togetherness
Another advantage of a long trip is the time that it allows family to be together with a slower pace. Don't miss the pleasures associated with this! Take along a novel to read aloud that the whole family can enjoy. Your local librarian will be happy to recommend titles that appeal to parents and kids alike. Family car games are a fun and challenging way to spend time. Visit www.momsminivan.com for descriptions of games to play along the way. Also, use the time to delve into the souls of the people traveling with you. Gary Poole's book The Complete Book of Questions includes 1001 questions on topics ranging from childhood memories to core spiritual beliefs.
Travel is a terrific time to nurture your child's spiritual walk as well as your own. Make sure to commit time for family devotions each day. With more leisure, older children can be encouraged to create and lead devotions on "their day". Sweet family memories come from times like these and the bonding both with the Lord and with other family members is sacred.
Family travel sometimes does bring to mind negative scenes that are replayed everyday in commercials or in movies like Chevy Chase's "Family Vacation". Time together as a family can bring blessings, though, along with the challenges. Make it a goal this summer to enjoy the journey as much as the destination!
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