Caprese Salad- Cheryl’s Favorite Food Memories…

 I remember walking through my Daddy’s garden and him handing me a tomato fresh off the vine. I would bite into it like an apple. It was the yummiest and messiest snack. Oh so good.  Grandma Grace had this small herb patch that she would send me out to snip fresh herbs for whatever was being cooked that day. I adored the smell of the basil and rosemary. Many years later my father-in-love, Richard, loved to cook and he brought these two memories together. It’s one of the simplest things he ever taught me to make, Caprese salad.  It seemed that two of my favorite childhood memories burst to life when he taught me how this oh-my-goodness-so-easy salad was made. He also created yet another food memory when he introduced me to balsamic vinegar. I am not quite sure how I survive before knowing about this wonderful flavor in my food. I hope you get to enjoy this summer along with me and get an opportunity to take a walk in the garden and enjoy a red ripe tomato.

Caprese Salad (pronounced “cah-preh-zseh”)

Ingredients

3 vine-ripe tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (I prefer Roma or Caprini),

1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices

15- 20 leaves (About 1 bunch) fresh basil

Balsamic Vinegar for drizzling

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Coarse salt and pepper

Assemble your salad.

On a large shallow platter or on individual plates.

Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each.

Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic and season with salt and pepper, to taste

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee - Marc's Music Notables

The words for this hymn were written by one great man and the music by another.  The words were written by Henry van Dyke, a great 19th Century clergyman, poet, and educator.  A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, van Dyke later taught English literature at Princeton University.  It must have been in that setting that he came to know Woodrow Wilson, the university president, who appointed van Dyke to be Ambassador to the Netherlands when Wilson became President of the United States in 1913.

The music for this hymn comes from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.  While Beethoven never wrote hymns, a number of people adapted portions of his music to serve as hymn tunes.  “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” is the best known of those.

Van Dyke was quite taken by the joyful sound of Beethoven’s Ninth, and thought that it should be used as a hymn tune.  Others had tried without great success.  Then, while van Dyke was serving as guest preacher at Williams College in Massachusetts, he was seized by inspiration — perhaps because of the beauty of the surrounding mountains.  He presented it to the college president to be sung in the chapel.

Van Dyke was the author of the Christmas story, “The Other Wise Man,” and wrote several books of poetry.  He was known for his devotional writings as well.  But this hymn, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” is his more enduring work.

It is Beginning to look a lot like Summer - Kayla's Korner

Many of us are excited for summer. Summer means: warmer weather, bonfires and marshmallows, vacation time, and swimming.

All these's things are great, but we can get so caught up in camping and amusement parks that we forget about it being a time of rest. A time we can rest from the work we have completed from winter. Psalm 4:8 "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety." I love summer and also get so wrapped up in camping and other fun activities that I sometimes forget that summer can be a restful season. With summer approaching I encourage you to continue to read your Bibles, study God's Word, and rest. Because God will use you to build His kingdom and you will need to rest in His word to gain the knowledge needed to grow yourself. I hope you all have a wonderful summer.

Blessings,

Kayla Marie Beeler

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.