Color * Warmth * Beauty * Growth

March 14, 2023

Beloved,
          It was only 25 degrees, so Birdy had to wait for me to bundle up against the cold before we could walk this morning.  She was all but dancing by the time we were both ready.  The air was biting, but the sun was out and signs of Spring are everywhere.  The daffodils are full on and the sidewalks covered in oak tree buds.  Everyone is piling sticks along the curb for the first city pick up and a man is getting the neighborhood pool ready for another season.
          It was good to be outside and reminded that however much today’s air stings my eyes, Spring cannot be kept from us, any more than the world can stop turning.  Not just good but necessary, to see and smell and feel below, beyond and all around this aching cold that there is more, so much more.  More color.  More warmth.  More beauty.  More growth.  More life.  More days of light and joy.  That I don’t see and feel them today does not mean they are not there, and here.  For this I go outside, even when it is hard, even when it’s cold.  Even when it is oh so tempting to stay cozy on the couch in a pile of furry dog love (who, by the way, loves TV more every day! See photo of her below watching a British crime show).
          I am hardly the first or most eloquent to comment on nature’s power to heal our hearts and minds, yet I am no less amazed by it in this little neighborhood than anywhere else I’ve been in the world.  The planet is practically breathing with new life everywhere I look.  I pray you get outside today, if only for a moment.

~peace & prayers, 
pastor annette

I made something yummy and easy.  These are the fillings I used for this batch.  Next time I’m going to use spinach, mushrooms, artichokes, parmesan cheese and basil, oregano.

Muffin Pan Quiches
Ingredients

• 1 box of Pillsbury Pie Crust, thawed to room temp.
• 1 paper cupcake wrapper
• ½ cup of half/half
• 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar
• 8 eggs
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
• 2 chopped green onions
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp tomato powder (this is new to me and I put it in everything) 
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°. 
• Roll each crust out thinner, but not so thin you can see through it.  Flatten the cupcake holder a bit to use as a template to cut muffin tin size crusts.  Press them gently into ungreased muffin tins.
• Beat together eggs and half/half.  Add beans, tomatoes, onions, and seasonings ( I guessed on these amounts because I didn’t actually measure - use more, less or different, as you choose).
• About ¼ cup of filling fits inside the crusts.  I topped with a little extra cheese
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until browned, crust and top.
• Once they cooled I froze them in a freezer bag and am eating them for breakfast.  Microwave for about 1 minute. 

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