Oregano and lemon chicken

Hello everyone. Today I'd like to share a chicken recipe with you. 

Ingredients:

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp honey

2 tbsp light soft brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp dried herbs, e.g. oregano, rosemary or thyme

8 chicken thighs, skin removed

800g new potatoes, halved

Method:

1. Put the lemon zest and the juice into a large bowl and add the honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and herbs. Mix together.

2. Add the chicken thighs, cover and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to 4 hours). Stir occasionally so that all the chicken is covered in the marinade.

3. Arrange the new potatoes in a roasting dish. Top with the chicken and marinade, and roast for 40-45 minutes, basting occasionally.

Serves 4

340 calories / 3.3g fat / 0.9g saturated fat / 26.6g sugars / 1.6g salt per serving

green - low

yellow - medium

red - high

Enjoy your meal!

What? Where? When?

No woman's life could be more satisfying than the life enjoyed by a woman after God's Own heart, a woman whose heart's desire is to do God's will.

When I read this, I paused and my heart was delighted. I couldn't agree more... but then, I paused a second time and asked myself, "Do I do God's will all the time?" At that moment, my heart was like a balloon when you let the air out...


=( 


All the time? Hmm... I realised that I don't do God's will all the time and was ashamed. Can you see now how deceiving and transitory our feelings are? One minute I was delighted, the next I was disappointed. 


I thought of the times God asked me to do something and I pretended I did not hear, see or understand it. He did not punish me for not doing what He asked me to do, but for sure I missed a lot of opportunities to make a difference and be blessed.

"And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'" (Acts 13:22)

Sweet potato à la Mineira

(*Mineiro/a = something of, from, or related to the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.) 

Hello everyone. Today I will share with you a recipe and would like to dedicate this to Ana Cristina, from the UCKG Leicester. She’s a very nice Portuguese lady who’s never eaten sweet potatoes. Here is the recipe. I hope you like it, Ana!

The photo above is of the sweet potatoes that I made.

A big kiss to all of you and bon apetit!

Ingredients:

1 kg sweet potato

1 onion, chopped

3 tbsp. oil

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

2 cubes of vegetable stock

1 cup grated Parmesan/Grana Padano cheese

Method:

Cook the potatoes until tender. Do not peel the sweet potatoes. Drain. Peel and cut them into thick slices.

Pour the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until golden to light brown. Add the tomatoes, the parsley, and the vegetable stock dissolved in 1 cup of hot water. Sauté these ingredients for a few minutes. Then add the potatoes to the sauce and cover the pan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the potatoes, allowing it to melt slightly and serve immediately.

Preparation time:

30 minutes

Serves 8 people

Batata doce à mineira / Sweet potato à la Mineira*

The English version of this recipe is on its way! 
(*Mineiro/a = something of, from, or related to the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.) 

Olá gente. Hoje vou compartilhar com vcs uma receitinha muito boa e quero dedicá-la à Ana Cristina. É uma portuguesa muito gente boa que nunca comeu batata doce. Aqui vai a receita, Ana. Espero que goste.

A foto acima é da batata doce que eu fiz.

Um beijo e bon apetit! 

Ingredientes:

• 1 kg de batata doce
• 1 cebola picada
• 3 colheres (sopa) de óleo
• 2 tomates sem pele e sem sementes picados
• 1 colher (sopa) de salsinha picada
• 2 cubinhos de caldo de legumes
• 1 xícara de queijo ralado grosso

Modo de preparo:

Cozinhe a batata com casca até ficar macia. Escorra. Descasque e corte em rodelas grossas. Reserve.

Em uma panela, coloque o óleo e frite a cebola até dourar. Acrescente o tomate, a salsa, o caldo de legumes dissolvido em 1 xícara de água quente. Refogue mexendo por alguns minutos. A seguir, acrescente as batatas ao molho e tampe a panela. Deixe cozinhar em fogo baixo por 10 minutos.

Polvilhe queijo ralado por cima das batatas, deixe derreter um pouco e sirva logo em seguida.

Tempo de preparo:

30 minutos

Rendimento:

8 porções

Cornmeal cake

Hello everyone. This cornmeal cake is delicious and sure to please even the fussiest taste buds (trust me!). If you follow the recipe carefully, it will come out nice every time.

Enjoy.  =)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup fine cornmeal
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup cooking oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Butter and flour a 20cm cake tin (I used a bundt tin, but you can use the one you have). 

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients but the baking powder. Add the milk, the egg and the cooking oil and beat all the ingredients until you get a smooth cream. Add the baking powder.

Place the cake mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or until you can no longer resist the smell.

Tip:

1. To obtain a lighter cake, add only 4 tsp. cooking oil and ½ cup orange juice.

2. If you prefer, you can beat the egg whites separately and fold in at the end. 

Bolo de fubá / Cornmeal cake (recipe in English coming soon!)

(Note: Hello everybody. I know the recipe is in Portuguese and some of you cannot understand it. Don't worry! I will post the recipe in English soon. Enjoy!)

Olá meninas (e quem sabe, meninos!). Esse bolo de fubá é uma delícia e tira elogios até dos mais exigentes (eu que o diga!). Se vc seguir a receita direitinho, vai dar certo sempre. 

Beijinho.  =)

Ingredientes:

• 1 xícara de leite
• 1 xícara de fubá
• 1 xícara de açúcar
• 1 xícara de farinha de trigo
• 1 colher (chá) de fermento em pó
• 1 ovo
• ¾ xícara de óleo

Modo de preparo:

Antes de começar o preparo, aqueça o forno a 180 graus centígrados.
Misture os ingredientes secos, menos o fermento. Acrescente os líquidos e bata até ficar homogêneo e liso. Acrescente o fermento e mexa. Se preferir, bata a clara separadamente e envolva no final. Despeje a massa numa forma untada e enfarinhada. Leve ao forno até ficar dourado e começar a cheirar.

Dica:

Para um bolo mais sequinho, coloque apenas 4 colheres de óleo e suco de ½ laranja.

God's recipe book

I heard an entrepreneur saying that success is predictable. And it's true. Let's say you follow a recipe to bake a cake. If the recipe is correct, the cake will come out as expected - delicious. 


If you bake a cake following the same recipe over and over, you will end up learning how to prepare it - the recipe will be engraved on your mind.


Now, my question is, can anyone say, "WOW, this cake is delicious! This is a miracle!"? No, they can't. 


You followed a recipe. That's all. 


Now, the same principle applies when we follow "God's recipes". The Bible is like a recipe book, full of delicious recipes for you to follow every day. And guess what - all recipes have been tested and approved. 


Success guaranteed!

Unless a grain of wheat...

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12:24)


Many of us are feeling lonely right now because they are not willing to "die", i.e. to sacrifice their own will and way of doing things.


I've spoken to women who wanted to find a man who loved them, but they were not willing to pay the price of sharing their private lives with someone else... Today, they have their entire private lives only for themselves!


I've spoken to women who were feeling lonely, without any friends to talk to, simply because they used to push people away from them. They always wanted people to do things their way, they always wanted to receive but never give, they always chose to look at people in a negative way, they were judgemental and didn't make any efforts to control their mood swings. In other words, they made sure they were unbearable, unpleasant, yet they wanted people to be around them anyway. 


If you're like this, I've got news (bad news, that is) for you: you will end up alone.


We will always have the choice of either doing things our way or being flexible, either keeping or sharing, either putting up a long face or being pleasant... We choose. We sow. We reap.


=)

Lonely

Have you ever felt lonely because of your faith? Have you ever felt as though you couldn't really communicate with your sister because she doesn't seem to understand you? Have you lost any friends because you started coming to church and got committed to the things of God? 


I have.


Do you know what I did to overcome loneliness - especially when I was single? I will share my secret with you.


I tended His sheep.


The Lord Jesus knew His disciples would feel lonely after His death. They were different from everyone else because they had been set aside for His Work and, without the Lord Jesus, they would feel lost. That's why He told Peter, "Look after My people. Get busy with the Work of God."


This is my secret. I get busy with the Work of God, and so I don't have time to think about foolish things. If you are feeling lonely right now, get dressed and go to church. When you get there, ask the pastor what needs to be done, e.g. clean the toilets, evangelise in front of the church, stamp a few leaflets etc. If you are an assistant, talk to people in the church, help them, pray for them every time loneliness knocks on your door. I can guarantee you that you will not feel lonely anymore.


Do you know why? Because He said so.


"I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

A promise for the sheep

"But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those who love* Your name be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield." (Psalm 5:11,12)

This is wonderful. God promises to defend, bless and protect those who trust, love* and live an upright (honest, correct) life.

God bless.

*This is love: that we walk according to God's commandments (read 2 John 6).

With you always!

Jesus said to His disciples:

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

So if we are His disciples, that is, if we follow and obey Him, He is always with us. So if your family has despised you because of your faith in Him, if you "friends" have turned their back on you, and you seem to be doing everything on your own, remember: He's always with you. He promised. He will not fail.

Talk to Him as you would to your best friend. He doesn't need us to speak so He may know what's going on inside of us - He knows our thoughts! But when we speak, we express our dependence on Him. And this makes all the difference.

God bless.

Sandra =)

The mind - Part 2

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."

(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

We are human beings, therefore it's impossible to exterminate our feelings and emotions. But here the apostle Paul teaches us that, though we are human beings and have feelings and emotions like everybody else, we don't need (and must not for that matter) live/be controlled by them. He also teaches us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 

This means that we should always examine our thoughts and, if they are not of God, we should do what the man in the picture did with that butterfly - we should lock them in a bottle! Yes. As you can see, the butterfly still exists, but it cannot fly and go wherever it wants. It's there, but it's under control. 

The same must happen with our feelings, emotions and thoughts: we must control them. How?


1. by not allowing them to interfere with our decisions, and
2. by doing what we know is the right thing to do - which is to obey Christ.

God bless you.

Sandra  =)

The mind - Part 1

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

(Romans  12:2)

Why does the mind need to be renewed?

Think.

If there was a mental video device that could record all the thoughts that go through your mind, would you want to play it back for everyone?

Does this not reveal the necessity of renewing the mind?

Hate, abhor, detest!

Those who know me well know how much I hate, abhor, detest spiders. They are the creepiest creatures on earth. I hate them so much, they are so disgusting, so despicable,  that I couldn't post its picture on my blog.

I stamp on them, I crush them, I curse them. I remember that many years ago, when I was still living with my mum, that I was alone at home and saw a huge spider on the buckle of my belt - no I was not wearing the belt! I had just taken off my clothes and, in less than 10 minutes, there it was. I took a broom and hit the beast. Once it shrank, I began hitting it even harder, until I completely destroyed it. My brother was coming home and got scared, because he could hear me fighting and cursing the spider.

I hate them this much, yeah!

And you? What do you hate, abhor, detest?

Stop.

Think.

Carry on reading.

David, a man after God's Own heart, said:

I hate and abhor lying. 

(Psalm 119:163)

A fountain of water springing up

Strokkur, a geyser in Iceland

Jesus said, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13). 


Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit - a fountain of water springing up. Do you know what "spring up" means? To spring up is to suddenly develop or appear. This means, the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with those good and old tranquil waters. No. He's more like a geyser!


In most cases, water springs up at 300km/h - the sky is the limit. Can you imagine that?

Now, think what happens when the Holy Spirit springs up inside of you. There's no place for depression, fear, sadness, sin, pornography, evil thoughts, gossiping, evil eyes, envy, promiscuity, lies, pride... they simply disintegrate!

God bless.

Priests at home

My niece, Desiree, and me

I've just read something very interesting and would like to share with you. Bishop Macedo said:

"Our loved ones continually demand that we practise what we preach. In fact, what they really want is to see Jesus in us. If we fail to behave as true Christians, they will use this as an excuse to make fun of our faith. But if we have a patient and generous character, they will be able to smell the perfume of the Lord Jesus in us, and will respect us and even listen to what we have to say."

Isn't he talking about reputation, about how our family should see us? Hmm...

My big sister hated the church and Bishop Macedo. She would provoke me and whenever I lost my temper, she'd immediately say, "Bishop Macedo's assistant!" 

But deep down, she knew I had God's character, that I was honest, sincere and that I loved her despite her attitude. One day, she fell pregnant and her boyfriend dumped her. She was scared to tell my mother about it, thinking that she would send her away after all she had done to us. 

I was washing my uniform on a Friday evening when she broke the news to me. At that moment, I asked her, "What do you expect me to say?" She looked at me and with tears in her eyes, she asked me to speak to our mother and convince her not to send her away. I said to her, "Go and talk to her. She will not turn her back on you. As for me, I will help you, but you have to be responsible for your acts."

My sister's been attending the UCKG for 8 years and my beautiful niece attends the VYG and got baptised in water last year. 

My sister and my mother go to church together.

Style: rainy Tuesday

This outfit is perfect for a rainy Tuesday in Leicester...

Reputation

UCKG in Santa Catarina, Brazil

I've been thinking a lot about reputation lately. There's a passage in the Bible that says, "Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ' It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business'" (Acts 6:1-3).

Reputation is how people see us. And I tell you, our reputation "travels al lot". Before we get anywhere, there it is ahead of us!

Now the question I ask myself is, what does my reputation say about me? 

lazy

gossiper

irresponsible

negligent

hard-working

trustworthy

caring

diligent

deceitful 

liar

discreet

sexy

disrespectful

loud

loyal

reliable

spiritual

carnally-minded

talebearer 

and the list goes on...

Would I be chosen and appointed over a responsibility should there be a need? 

Can God count on my reputation?

What do people say about me? How do they see me?

It's not that I should live my life worrying about what people think about me, because I will not please everyone - that's for sure. But, if I am a woman of God, even those who don't like me or don't agree with my faith should be able to see the character of God in me. 


I remember when I was raised an assistant back in 1995, my pastor made a point of telling me that from that moment on, I was no longer Sandra - I was Sandra + Jesus + the UCKG HelpCentre and all the bishops and pastors and assistants and members of the church. If did anything wrong outside the church, I would tarnish the name of Jesus and His Church. What a responsibility!


Until today I carry those words in my mind because my reputation depends on what I do today - it's a work in progress.

Style: revamp the good and old jeans and t-shirt

Hello everybody, I'd like to share these fashion tips with you. I found them on Mrs Marelis Brum's blog. I hope you like this post.

jeans + white tee = a base for many looks!

Are you the kind of woman who always wears jeans and t-shirt, thinking that you’re not good at creating a great look, but would love to know how to dress in a more creative and feminine way?

Trying to change overnight is not the solution. You’d probably feel frustrated, like a fish out of water.

Change your style little by little. Using accessories to refine the new look is a great beginning!

Look at what some accessories can do to this jeans-and-white-tee outfit:

Who said jeans and t-shirt have to be basic?

1. Using natural elements such as stones, wood and leather can be the first step to start using accessories every day.
2. The knit waistcoat and the flower and pearl accessories created a romantic look.
3. The check scarf and tennis shoes create a preppy look, whilst the boots create a country look.
4. From basic to casual chic! The leopard print scarf created a sophisticated look. Belt, sunglasses, bracelets and earrings: mix & match to your liking.

See? All you have to do is use a little bit of creativity and be BOLD to change your style. Dare to be more creative and feminine! You’re gonna love it!

What do you think?

See you!

Marelis Brum

Parmesan chicken breasts with Jamie Oliver

Parmesan chicken breast with salad (lettuce, mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes and black olives) and rice.

Hello everybody. Today I'd like to share a chicken recipe with you. Very easy and delicious. I had it for dinner yesterday and my husband liked it.

Note: Do not add salt. Parma ham is salty.

Believe me - it pays off!

Marriage is a journey... It consists of sacrifices (sometimes swallowing a few frogs), self-denial, sharing, respect and trust. It's not easy, but it pays off.

Thank you, my Lord, for my husband.

So you think you're too busy, huh?

I was reading about Daniel this morning. The Bible says in Daniel 2:48 that "the king promoted Daniel and gave him many gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon." If we slip to chapter 6 verse 3, it says, "Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm."

Now think: Daniel must have been a busy, busy man, right? He was in charge of the whole province of Babylon, the whole realm. If Daniel lived today, I guess he would have loads of documents to sign, emails flooding his inbox, important phone calls, countless meetings to attend and hold, important decisions to make, trips, speeches, dinners, etc. In other words, he would have an extremely busy, hectic life.

But then, the Bible says in Daniel 6:10 that, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days."

Oh, my! There are so many things I'd love to talk about right now! One of them is that a decree had been established that no one could pray to any god or man, except the king. Whoever disobeyed the law would be thrown in the fiery furnace. Yet, Daniel went home and prayed to the God of Israel, as it was his custom. Nothing changed. Nothing shook him. He was not affected by the circumstances, but remained faithful, consistent, persevering.

Another point I'd like to raise is that despite being a busy man, Daniel would often (and consistently) leave his many responsibilities aside and make time to speak to God. And God would answer him. God would speak to him. 

I tell you, we are never too busy that we cannot find time to speak to God. Especially if we have an excellent spirit like Daniel, our responsibilities will never end. We will never get caught up. We will receive even more responsibilities because of our excellent spirit. BUT we need to set our priorities right. Remember what I said in a previous post? We need to stop doing some things and start spending more time on the few activities that can really make a difference in our lives. 

This is it: we need to start spending more time with God, because our relationship can really make a difference in our lives.

I think I've already spoken too much! I love writing and sometimes I get carried away... Bear with me, please.

Have a blessed day.

God bless.