FUN FIRST TODAY

FUN:

  

MANY OF YOU MIGHT NOT APPRECIATE THE HUMOR IN THIS BUT THOSE OF US THAT ARE OF A CERTAIN AGE WILL FIND THIS FUNNY, 

OR SO I HOPE...*

                     *I sure did.....

FOOD: 

You are getting two pumpkin recipes today because it appears that someone, who shall remain nameless but likes to dress up their dog, didn't forward this recipe on to Alaska, like they were supposed to.

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

The pumpkin upside down cake is simple.  Just mix together like you are making pumpkin pie filling,
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
little nutmeg
salt to taste
1  cup white sugar (the recipe called for 1 3/4 c but I don't like mine that sweet so use your own judgment based on your own pumpkin pie filling recipe)
3 eggs
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
Pour this into a well greased (with butter) 9 x 13 baking pan
Sprinkle 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix (dry, don't add anything to it) over the filling
Pour 1 cup melted butter over that.
Top with 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. I used to pour the butter over the nuts but several times the nuts got too brown so I just add them last and that seems to fix that problem.  Guess it depends whose oven I'm using.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean
and let cool.

Top with whipped cream or whipped topping.....yummy.

This is one of my favorite soups for this time of year. I add chili powder when it's just me but not everyone likes that.

Pumpkin Bean Soup    
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped (optional)
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1.    Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the bell
pepper and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and
turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cumin and
cook, stirring, for an additional 2 minutes.
2.    Pour in the pumpkin puree, black beans, corn, chicken broth, tomato
sauce, and 1 teaspoon cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bring the soup to a gentle boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered,
for 25 minutes.
3.    Garnish each bowl of soup with a dollop of unsweetened whipped
cream and additional cilantro, if desired

FAITH:

Psalms 56:1-57;11~~~~David wrote Psalm 56 when the Philistines captured him in Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-15). He wrote Psalm 57 while hiding in a cave.

God is trustworthy. He is a rock, a hiding place, a fortress.  We have safety and comfort in him.

Many years ago, Frederick Nolan was fleeing from his enemies during the North African persecution. Hounded by his pursuers over hill and valley with no place to hide, he fell exhausted into a wayside cave where he fully expected to be found. Awaiting his death, he saw a spider weaving a web. Within minutes, the little bug had woven a beautiful web across the mouth of the cave.  The pursuers arrived and wondered if Nolan was hiding in there; but they thought it impossible for him to have entered the cave without dismantling the web. And so they went on. Having escaped, Nolan emerged from his hiding place and proclaimed, "Where God is, a spider's web is like a wall.  Where God is not, a wall is like a spiders web." 

God is our wall of defense.  He is the one who delivers us from those who want to hurt us. He is the one who gives us comfort and strength we need to be courageous and to endure the trials and trouble that enter our lives. 

By Gary Smalley

APPLYING THIS:

Christians will be persecuted. In what ways are you persecuted? Who opposes you? When life gets hard, look to your refuge- God.

EXPLORE FURTHER:

God as Refuge--2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 46:1; 59:16;, 62:7; Isaiah 25:4; Jeremiah 16:19; Joel 3:16; Nahum 1:7.

FRIENDS:

Father, you promised that there would be faith and strength and hope to meet life's problems.  Father give that strength to those whose anxieties have buried their dreams, whose illnesses have hospitalized their hopes, whose burdens are bigger than their shoulders.