Stuffed Garden Peppers

These make wonderful little appetizers in the summer. I have used the small peppers that are yellow, orange, and red and I have also used the large sweet banana peppers from my garden. These make an very tasty appetizer as well as a colorful presentation.

Cut the very end off of your pepper and remove the membrane and seeds out of the pepper.

Filling
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh garlic chives (you can use plain chives)
3/4 cup frozen peas (thawed)
4 strips of crispy fried bacon

Blend Ricotta, cream cheese and Parmesan with a blender until creamy. Stir in chives, peas and crumbled bacon. Use a knife with a rounded end and stuff the filling into the pepper.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes... just until the cheese melts.

Mexican Brisket

This is one of my family's favorite meals in the summertime. It is a very simple and easy meal to prepare. I get a 6 to 7 pound brisket (trimmed). Place the brisket in a baking dish and add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. One jar of country style Dijon mustard. Spread the top of the brisket with the mustard. Then cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 300 degrees for about 4 hours. We like our meat well done. If you want the brisket medium well I would suggest cooking it for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

When the brisket is done, I let it cool about 20 minutes. I then place it on a platter and separate the meat with a fork. Be sure to leave the mustard on the meat....it adds a lot of flavor.

I make a salsa with garden tomatoes, fresh garlic, fresh jalapenos, sweet onions and salt. I chop the tomatoes and onions in small chunks and the jalapenos and garlic are finely chopped. I add salt to taste.

I then put strips of the brisket on a whole wheat flour tortilla with a dollop of sour cream and a generous amount of salsa. I serve this with guacamole and Spanish rice. The mingled flavors of the brisket with the fresh salsa is amazing.

Enjoy! :)

Great Faith

For Abraham, when hope was gone, hoped on in faith. His faith never quailed.

"The only way," replied the patriarch of faith, "to learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings." This is very true. The time to trust is when all else fails.

Be not afraid, only believe. And if you are afraid look up and say, "What time I am afraid I will trust in thee."

Great faith must have great trials.

If you are ever to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, your strength will be born in some storm.

Help me to stand strong and not give way to unbelief.