A Political Party Animal Appetite

Occasionally I take a departure from the usual fare served around here. So for my faithful reader, we'll be back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to plan an ordinary extraordinary encounter with my family for election night.

As we collectively watch states turn red or blue tomorrow night, I thought it would be fun to have a red and blue banquet (complete with recipes of course). If planning and cooking a big meal is beyond your desire, you could always fall back on something simple like Mitt Ramen-y noodles or Obamalicious Spaghetti O's (or combine the two for a taste debate).
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Red State Chili

1 pound ground turkey, browned
1 large onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 zuchinni, chopped
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can BBQ beans
1 Tbl chili powder
6 shakes Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
6 shakes Worcestershire sauce
6 shakes liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and let simmer on low all day. 

Blue State Corn Bread

1 box corn muffin mix made according to package directions
5-10 drops blue food coloring

Put food coloring in with other ingredients prior to baking. (Sometimes you just need to take the easy way out.)

Otherwise, make your standard corn bread recipe but substitute blue corn meal for yellow or white corn meal.

Red State Spinach and Strawberry Salad

10 oz fresh spinach
1 quart strawberries, sliced
1 c Gorgonzola cheese
1 c walnuts, chopped

Combine salad ingredients. Pair with Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette just prior to serving.

Blue State Jello

What colorful meal is complete without jello? 

Across Party Lines Blueberry and Raspberry Betty

2 pints blueberries
2 pints raspberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 40 wafers)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted

Toss together blueberries, raspberries and granulated sugar in large bowl. Combine crushed wafers, chopped pecans and brown sugar in medium-size bowl. Pour melted butter over wafer mixture; toss until well blended and evenly moistened. Sprinkle third of wafer mixture evenly over bottom of baking dish. Top with half of the fruit mixture. Cover with third of the wafer mixture. Spoon remaining fruit over top. Cover with remaining wafer mixture. Bake in 350 oven 1 hour or until top is golden and fruit is bubbling. Serve warm.
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A presidential election only happens once in four years. The average person only votes in about 15 of them. Why not turn this day into an opportunity for a magnificent mundane mashed potato moment. 

You're now prepared to satisfy your animal appetite - whether it brays or trumpets. Let's make the most of our day...

Make the best use of your time. 

Ephesians 5:16

Have an idea about how to make election night special for your family? Share it in a comment below...

Olympic Fan Fare

For those of you visiting Jesus & My Orange Juice for this first time, this is a serious departure from the typical post. So please join me again Monday when we will return for our regularly scheduled programming. Now onto the fanfare of fan fare...
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All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble...

Isaiah 43:9

A few notes in I recognize its call. The invitation is one part patriotism, one part dream and one part the impossible. The melody summons me to the opening ceremony. Each year I would pretend I stood among the participants. What little kid doesn't dream of competing in the Olympics?


The most common question I heard asked about the Olympics is the symbol of the rings. The five colors stand for the five major continents. In this configuration the Americas are combined and Antarctica overlooked (maybe the Olympic committee thought residents there couldn't thaw out in time). They symbolize the world drawing together in competition. We want to punctuate our kickoff watch party tonight with the colors of all five rings:

Black - Africa

Green - Australia

Red - the Americas

Gold - Asia

Blue - Europe

This is our evening fan fare (complete with recipes for your convenience).


African Crockpot Chicken (The Black)


5 frozen chicken breast
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's creole seasoning
freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste


Place oil and vinegar in bottom of crockpot. Place chicken breasts on top. Cover with water until almost covered. Shake seasonings on top. Cook on low 8-10 hours.


Aussie American Salad (The Green and the Red)


10 oz fresh spinach 
1 quart sliced strawberries


Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon minced onion


Mix all dressing ingredients well. Add to salad just prior to serving.


Asian Fruit (The Gold  Ring)


1 fresh pineapple cut into chunks.


The easiest way to cut up a fresh pineapple is to first remove the top and bottom. Then cut four pieces around the core which is too tough to eat. Slice off the remaining skin. Chunk and enjoy!


European Jello (The Blue Ring)


Buy a box of blue raspberry jello. Make it according to the package directions.


Dessert


For dessert we will make my sister's famous frosted sugar cookie recipe which I am not at liberty to share. We will frost them white and then use sugar crystals in the five colors to make an Olympic colored ring on each cookie.


Tonight we will anticipate and celebrate. True the Olympics only come around once every two years but I'm a big deal of tonight not because of the games. The competition is just an excuse to draw my family close, to paint my table with all the colors of my love and to make this ordinary day an extraordinary reason to celebrate God's goodness.


What's your favorite part of the Olympics? Do you have any special family traditions. Share them with me in a comment!