The Neely Team

The Lord has called each of us to serve. But many times along the road we become exhausted, feeling as if we can’t move another inch. Have you ever felt this way before? Do you ever wake up in the morning with the thought that you simply can’t do one more extra thing? Have you lost your strength for the race of life?

Recently struggling with some similar thoughts, the Lord brought me Isaiah 61 to get my focus right again. I would highly encourage you to take some a moment next time you are feeling weak and empty to ponder this beautiful passage. The Lord reminded me that part of my purpose in life is service – to both Him and others. But if that is truly part of why I am alive, why is it so hard sometimes?

God has a way of putting us all through these “servant-hood tests” to see where our hearts really are. In His mercy He reminds us that He has laid up the rewards of joy, peace, strength, and contentment for those who are faithful and daily give Him their all.

So today… trust God’s sovereignty in asking you to go another mile with Him, rejoice in His presence as you journey, and rest in His promise of strength as the road becomes rocky and difficult.

Press on – for one more mile!

The Lord often blesses us with times of refreshment and encouragement as we strive to serve Him in the corner of the world where He has placed us. Like-minded families may seem few and far between, but the refreshment of gatherings is hard to describe! Times like these are what could be termed “recharges.” Just as a battery gets low, our “fellowship meters” often are in need of charging.

We had such a weekend when the Barnes family came for a visit. Puzzles, trampoline, guitar, meaningful conversations, National Ice Cream Day…. it was definitely a weekend not soon to be forgotten!! Thank you, Barnes family, for your joy and love for our Lord!

We praise the Lord for repeated evidence of His blessing and power during the entire conference! To Him be the praise and glory!

Family – a God-given treasure which He blesses us with for our edification and enjoyment. Family — the indispensible building block in society. Family – a group of individuals who have common ancestry or goals. Family – a gift not to be taken for granted.

We recently had a mini reunion with some of Mom’s side of the family. Mini because not everyone was able to come. But a reunion it was, and a great one at that.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

To celebrate today, Kathryn and I made this yummy recipe (from a sweet lady at our church). We had lots of fun doing it together! It is easy and doesn’t take very long. Enjoy!

Creamy Almond Cheesecake

Crust:

1 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp. sugar

6 Tbsp. melted butter

Filling:

2 (8 oz. each) pkg. cream cheese

2/3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 eggs

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Press cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar into a pie pan (or a spring-form pan) and bake at 325 F for 10 min.

Meanwhile, process cream cheese, sugar, and flour in food processor for 30 sec. or until smooth. Add eggs and process 30 sec. Add lemon juice and extracts and process 15 sec. or until blended. Pour into hot crust. Return to oven – bake 30-35 min. Refrigerate uncovered 5 hrs. or overnight.

Optional  berry topping:

2 c. strawberries, washed, stemmed, and halved

1 1/2 c. blueberries

1/4 c. raspberry or blackberry jelly, melted

After cheesecake is cold, arrange strawberries in 2 rows around outside of edge. Place blueberries in center. Gently brush berries with melted jelly. Store in refrigerator.

Notes from Chef Hannah: To make graham cracker crumbs, put the crackers in a plastic bag and beat them with a hammer (but put the bag on a cutting board first so you don’t mess up your counter top!). Be sure to lick the food processor bowl and spatulas. The filling is very yummy! If you use a spring-form pan instead of a pie pan, it takes a little longer to bake.

Guess what we’re having for lunch today!?!?

So much has been happening… and we have a whole list of blog posts that need to go up……

But we had to stop here for a moment and give you these simply scrumptious sauce recipes we tried tonight! In a flurry of trying to get dinner for a hungry bunch of people and running into a few difficulties (i.e. missing ingredients ), Jessi, Amanda, and I had an absolute blast researching, dreaming, concocting, mixing, and revising them. The final results were a hit! The first one is out of From the Kitchen of Two Sisters cookbook with some of tweaking. We call it Shanghai Surprise Sauce because we didn’t know how it would turn out – - but thankfully it ending up being a pleasant surprise, though not quite like we expected! The second one is a delectable replica of a normal Chinese sweet-n-sour sauce that we found on the internet – - contorted to Neely specs as well.  Serve both sauces hot (but separately, of course ) over Basmati rice and chicken with steamed or sautéed vegetables on the side. Enjoy!!

Chef’s Notes: You can substitute white rice for Basmati. To prepare the chicken, we sauteed it in olive oil and a little salt. If you have any left-over rice after this meal, serve it for dessert with Cool-Whip and your typical ice cream toppings. Voted by the Neely Team as quite yummy!

Shanghai Surprise Sauce

Start by making soy sauce…

6 beef bouillon cubes

4 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. molasses

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of garlic powder

1 1/2 c. water

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together all ingredients. Boil together until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 15 min.

Then add…

1/2 c. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. cornstarch – mixed with 1/4 c. water

Bring soy sauce and other ingredients to a boil again on high for 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.

Chef’s disclaimer: We have not used the soy sauce substitute in anything but the Shanghai Surprise Sauce, and we even forgot to try it before we added the extra ingredients. Ooops! So, if you try it with something else and like it, drop us a comment.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2/3 c. distilled white vinegar

4 tsp. olive oil

1 3/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice

1/4 c. ketchup

1/2 c. brown sugar

In medium saucepan over med-low heat, whisk cornstarch and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook until thick.