Friday ramblings . . .

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One of my favourite scripture verses goes like this . . .

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in His temple.
~Psalm 27:4

These words give me encouragement to spend time with the Lord . . . to spend time discovering and enjoying who He is. They are an impetus to me to want to try to do better, to be better . . . to be worthy of resting in His presence . . .

To know the peace that comes when I walk hand in hand with Him . . . the comfort that comes when I am in step with His will for me . . . to feel the strength that comes when I am attuned to His teachings . . .



I am sure that Thomas Blake, a minister of the Lord who lived at the end of the 1500's, knew exactly how I feel. In his words:

Every morning lean thine arms awhile
Upon the window sill of heaven
And gaze upon thy Lord,
Then, with vision in thy heart,
Turn strong to meet thy day.

It is always amazing to me that someone so long ago and far away could have the same thoughts and feelings as I do now . . . I think no matter how different we may look on the outside . . . we each have the same yearnings and feelings tucked away in our hearts . . . that no matter how far away we may remove ourselves from the Lord, or think we have . . . there is still that God shaped hole in there that only He can fill . . .

Just my thoughts this morning . . .



Look at this little sweetheart! I got this idea into my head yesteday that I would put a red ribbon around her neck and try to get a photo that I could put inside our Christmas Cards this year . . . I m not sure I cracked it . . . so will try again, but thought this adorable just the same. I am sure that she thinks me to be quite crazy!

If you have potatoes in the house, you are never very far away from a tasty meal. At least that's how I feel at any rate! I just love stuffed baked potatoes. They are a favourite of mine. I have stuffed them with everything from chili con carne to tuna mayonnaise . . . you just can't go wrong with a stuffed baked potato! Everyone loves them!



*Leek, Mustard and Parsley Stuffed Baked Potatoes*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

These tasty potatoes have all the flavours of a potato and leek soup, except that they come in the lovely crisp jacket of a baked potato! It's like all your Christmas's have come at once!

4 large floury baking potatoes
3 TBS olive oil
1 large leek, finely chopped
2 TBS grainy mustard
4 ounces mature cheddar cheese, grated
4 TBS double cream
1 ounce butter
3 TBS chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 5. Scrub the potatoes and dry them very well. Prick a few times with the tines of a fork and place them into the pre-heated oven, directly on the oven rack. Bake until tender, about 1 ¼ hours or so. Remove from the oven and set aside until they have cooled down enough that you can handle them comfortably.

Carefully slice a lid from off the length of each one. Scoop out the inside flesh, leaving a thin shell. Try very hard not to tear the skin. Put the insides into a bowl, and keep warm.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the leek. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cooked leek to the potato flesh along with the mustard, cheddar and cream. Mix in well. Finally mix in the parsley and the butter. Season to taste and then stuff the mixture back into the potato shells.

Rub the outside of the potato shells with butter if desired and place the stuffed shells into a baking dish. Place back into the heated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the filling is hot and bubbly, the cheese is well melted and they are beginning to get all crusty and brown on the top. Remove from the oven and serve hot.



And in The English Kitchen this morning, a delicious plum clafoutis!