Wednesday morning thoughts . . .

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful giver.
~2 Corinthians 9:7

There is a well known American Opera singer called Beverly Sills. I don't think there are many people who have not heard of her or have not heard her wonderful voice. What a lot of people don't know though, is that she is also known as "the special mother to special children." She is the mother of two children who were born with disabilities, and she has used her fame to help raise many millions of dollars to help families in the same position.



When asked about happiness one time, she replied, "I'm not happy. I'm cheerful. There is a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all. A cheerful woman has cares, but has learned how to deal with them."

I like that explanation, and it makes perfect sense to me. Perhaps God loves a cheerful giver more because He sees the pain in the giver's heart that makes the smile all the more precious . . .

Just my thoughts for today.



Oh my goodness, but I made a delicious chicken dish for our supper last night. The original recipe comes from Cooking Light, but I have adapted it to our own tastes and have developed my own way of cooking it. Originally it called for grilling the chicken, but I think I like my way better.



*Sticky Spiced Chicken Thighs*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I love chicken thighs because they are always moist and have a lot of flavour. In this recipe they are rubbed with a wonderfully tasty mix of spices before cooking and then glazed in a delicious sweet and sour honey glaze. We love this. It is a recipe I adapted from a Cooking Light one. In the original recipe the thighs were grilled, but in mine, I gently glaze them in a pan on top of the stove.

Spice rub:
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp mild chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to your taste)

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat
nonstick cooking spray
6 TBS honey
2 tsp cider vinegar



Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl, mixing well together. Remove your chicken from the package and trim off any visible fat. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, coating it well on both sides. Spray a large non stick skillet with a bit of the cooking spray. Heat the pan and once it is hot add the chicken pieces a few at a time, browning each well on both sides. Once they are all browned, return them all to the pan. Whisk together the honey and vinegar. Pour this mixture over top of the chicken thighs, reduce the heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear. Remove the lid and turn the heat up under the pan. Continue to cook, turning and glazing the chicken thighs in the pan juices until they have thickend quite considerably and the chicken is coated nicely in a tasty glaze. Remove from the heat and serve.



We had pilau rice and a green bean salad on the side. Delicious! If you would like the recipe for that tasty salad, hop on over to The English Kitchen. It's a real winner too!