Turnip Green Soup

What a spin on a southern classic. It probably does not sound very good to most, but after hearing some co-workers talk about how good it was, I found a recipe!


Very easy. 16oz bag of frozen turnip greens (or fresh), 2 cans of northern beans, 4 cups of water, 1 can of diced tomatoes(these could be optional), s&p to taste, 1 pkg. of Knorr vegetable soup mix, and 1 lb. of sausage- I used deer sausage because we had some... and I just 'eyeballed' it, probably not quite a pound. Heat in large pot and simmer for 1-2 hrs. It smells so very good while it is cooking :)
You could probably use a crock-pot as well...

Life as a Coaches' wife

Wow. So there is a long road ahead of us. For the past 7 years I have watched my husband take on the role of becoming a coach.... from elementary volunteering to now being the youngest coach in the MAIS (formerly known as MPSA). I have had the opportunity also to watch 4 of the boys from Wes' very first 5th grade team play up until now, their senior year, I cannot believe how fast the time has gone and how different these boys play and act now. Everything is a learning process.. even for me, I have to learn to be a coaches' wife! It is not without difficulty that I sit in the stands for each game. Plenty of other coaches' wives have told me that they have to isolate themselves from the fans because of ongoing 'bashing of their husband' during the games. As of now, I don't do that... for now. I like to be behind the bench cheering the team (and my husband) on. Last night I had the pleasure(insert sarcasm here) of hearing a.... we will just say "fan" bash my husband's coaching ability after a loss of 2 or 3 points in which the TEAMmate that this "fan" was watching did not play enough. This "fan" chose to speak these words within my earshot. Thankfully, I was able to give a quick glance and a smile without saying a word in order to NOT give this person the reaction they wanted. Although, I would have loved to share my thoughts.
Wes, of course, is a big TEAM builder. Let's face it, this is basketball. Absolutely nothing that happens on that court happens because of one person. I imagine that even the amazing Lebron James could tell you that. If it is individuality you are looking for, then maybe you can go find that in the game of golf or tennis, not basketball. On this team it is about TOGETHER. Not everyone is going to understand that, I know. But I like to think of it in this way: When you try to live your life without seeking Christ within it. We can make plans, dreams, goals, etc. all day long, but does anything ever really work out perfectly?? Why do we (myself included) try to do things on our own, without HIM, when with Him we can accomplish so much more TOGETHER? In this way, the game of basketball cannot be played by one person alone. So much more can be accomplished by the coaches and players TOGETHER as one.
"You don't understand because you don't have children." This is probably the number one phrase that I cannot stand. It has been fed towards Wes and I so so so many times. You're right. I don't have children... God has not chosen to bless us with those yet. But I will tell you right now what I do understand... teamwork. I do not understand those parent's that encourage selfishness over teamwork.. never will... children or not. And this goes in all aspects of life, not just sports. It is together that battles are fought and goals are accomplished.
Colossians 1:17(NIV) and 1 Corinthians 12:19-24(The MESSAGE) read them or look them up on Biblegateway.com! Wow.

Christmastime is here at The Prather's

Spinach stuffed chicken

Going through the cabinets and fridge trying to materialize something out of not much of anything creates a challenge... a challenge that I won! This is what I decided to make for supper tonight with a few modifications:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts/Detail.aspx

This sounded great, but when I scrolled down to the nutrition facts I let out a gasp at the 40g of Fat and 500+ calories. Blah. No wonder it sounded so good.... Anyways, I did not have any feta cheese at the house so for the spinach mixture I used 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese instead. I omitted the mayo completely (didn't have mayo anyway) and used 1 egg mixed with the spinach and cheese. I also used 7oz. of mushrooms and 1tsp of garlic, which I chopped in my food processor and mixed it in as well. I followed the directions for stuffing the chicken except I didn't butterfly... b-c all I had on hand were thin cut chkn breasts...so I just rolled it over the mixture. I wrapped them with prosciutto instead of bacon (again to cut down on fat content) and used a toothpick to hold them together. I sprinkled some pepper and EVOO on top and baked in oven as directed. Served it up with instant mashed potatoes and english peas. Quick & easy:) Cannot believe I just got my husband to eat spinach! =Success.