Caramel Apples

Tis the season for sweet treats!

  From Krystal's Kitchen

I love making caramel apples for my family because they are sweet and indulgent, but you also have the healthy benefits of an apple.. A perfect after-school-fall-snack!! Everybody wins!

Ingredients

8 small Granny Smith apples
20oz caramel squares
1/4 cup of Orange juice
2 squares of milk chocolate almond bark
8 craft sticks
Sprinkles (your choice)

.

You will need 8 small Granny Smith apples (or 6 medium if you prefer) washed and dried

Stick craft sticks in the tops of each and unwrap all your caramels. Put them in a sauce pan on medium heat and add 1/4 cup of orange juice. Stir constantly until its to a light simmer

(Yummm)

Let the caramel cool slightly.. (And then..let the fun begin!!!!) dip, dunk, swirl, twirl, and completely cover the apple in this goo-y deliciousness! Repeat 7 more times and let them rest on parchment paper. After the apples have cooled and the caramel has hardened, melt your milk chocolate almond bark. (I used the microwave) use a fork to drizzle the chocolate on the tops of the apple, and immediately add sprinkles!!! Let them set and then.. ENJOY! Remember a (caramel) apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Blessings~ Krystal

Posting with Purpose!

I have spent some time searching my soul and on my knees before God.  In looking at what A Cord of Three Strands is all about I could quickly say, "It isn't all about me!"  In the last few years Jason and I have been blessed to meet several amazing couples as we have journeyed to continue to improve on the marriage that God has blessed us with.

Along the path we have found a few couples who really make us feel understood, who share the vision to really see the restoration of Marraige as the biblical foundation that God spoke of.

As I write this I find myself giddy as a school girl for the next few weeks of what God is unfolding.   I am working with the help of a couple of wonderful gals to share more regularly in a few key areas of this blog!

1.  We will be posting a few weekly recipes to the Restoration Cafe with the help of my wonderful cousin and special friend, Krystal.
2.  We will be posting more heart felt moments in God's presence: What it means to be the wife God has called us to be.  I will be introducing more special ladies as the days go on!!!! So check back for more updates. 
3.  I feel as if God has asked me to specifically focus on the grieving spouse section in this season.  I am getting calls and messages from couples in marriage crisis and I want to make sure that I am focusing some key helpful prayers, scriptures and encouragement to help with focus on this part of the journey!.

God has really asked for something for everyone in regard to focusing on the four seasons of marriage.  So please look for us to share season by season some great insights and opportunity for you to share as guest if God might lead you!

Blessings~ R

Starbucks Clone Pumpkin Scones

 Start the Pumpkin Scones by pulsing together the dry ingredients including flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, with warm, pumpkin pie-esque spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger in a large food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, just whisk them together in a big ‘ol bowl.

 Next, pulse in 6 Tablespoons cold, cubed butter until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal.

If you don’t have a food processor, use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to incorporate the butter. It will take a little bit of time, but it’ll work just fine. 

Next, bust out the star of the pumpkin scones – PUMPKIN, of course! 100% pure pumpkin puree is what we’re using to flavor and color the yummy pumpkin scones, not pumpkin pie FILLING, which is already sweetened and spiced.

 Combine the wet ingredients including 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 3 Tablespooons half & half, and 1 egg in a small bowl.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture, then pulse until just combined. If you’re going the big ol’ bowl route, stir with wooden spoon until the mixture comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead a few times to get the dough to come together, then press it into a circle about 1″ thick. (NOTE: I made a 1/2 batch for these pics, so I just did a half circle!)
 
Next, bust out your trusty pizza cutter.  Cut the full circle in half, then cut each half into 3 wedges.

 Place the wedges onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then pop into a 425 degree oven to bake for 14-16 minutes, or until they’re just starting to turn golden brown.





After pulling the scones from the oven, cool them completely on a wire rack. I placed mine in front of our back door so the cool breeze would help them along. Worked like a charm!

Once the scones are cool, stir together the plain white glaze that coats the outside of each scone. Simply stir together 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar, with 2 Tablespoons half & half in a bowl.
 
Then drizzle over each scone! Yummy!

Transformation Series: T is for Time....

T- is for Time with your spouse and with God

As I worked through what transformation might look like.  God spoke to me in a way that really drew me to him.  He simply asked me to spend time in his presence with Jason.  He didn't ask for any set schedule.....Just invite the engagement.  The first time I tried this I had been in my prayer closet for a couple of hours.  During that time our house was under major construction so my prayer closet had been relocated to the center of our main living room floor.  I sometimes start my prayer time with praise music when my heart is heavy but I am not sure what to pray about.  This particular evening was no different I think I had brother Franklin playing on my computer and was crying out to God when Jason walked in our front door home early from class.... He stopped and watched me for a few minutes while I prayed.  After a few minutes I asked if he wanted to pray with me and he said yes.  Here was my chance.  We sat together in the living room floor expecting God to meet us there....And He did!  We both felt the Holy Spirit's presence.  We felt like we were experiencing the perfect will of God.  I will tell you I have never experienced Unity like I did during that evening!  It was an awesome experience.  By the time it was over we were both pretty emotional and drawn closer together.  I'm not sure I could pinpoint any one thing that really changed in those minutes with God but I can tell you that after it as I look back it was a time where God wove us closer to each other and closer to him. 

A therapist once drew the diagram of God and us in marriage as a triangle.  God is the top point of the triangle and we are the left and the right angles.  As we strive to focus on God and become more Christ like we lean into our spouse for support our balance is aligned and the marriage of the two becoming one is fulfilled through the unity of the triangle.  It takes all three points of the triangle working together for it to maintain it's purpose....

In our busy world it can be so easy to overlook the most simple but very important components of marriage, Time.  Time with God is crucial  and essential to growth.  The same can be said of a marriage.  If you don't spend time with your spouse the flame will flicker and burn out.  The fire of marriage is no different than any other fire.  It must be tended and maintained in order to be steady and to grow.