Delicious Dinner Rolls

Bread is a favorite here at the Cottage, there is nothing like stepping inside the house and being greeted by the scent of baking bread. This recipe is super easy, and tastes amazing! We like to use our cast iron pan for this but you can use a casserole dish. 

Ingredients:

4 - 4 1/2 Cups Organic All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup Organic Whole Milk

1/3 Cup Raw Sugar

1/3 Grass-fed Butter

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

2 Grass-fed, Pasture-raised Eggs

2 1/4  Teaspoons Yeast

Related Article: Country Loaf

Directions:

In a large mixer combine 2 cups of flour and yeast. In a small pan heat milk, sugar, butter, and salt until just warm and butter is nearly melted. Add the milk mixture to flour, add eggs. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly. Beat on high for 3 minutes, turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, punch back down and shape into balls and place in an oiled cast iron pan. Preheat oven to 375. Allow rolls to rise until they double in size. Bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Are You Where You're Meant To Be?

Are you where you're meant to be? This question is something I've been wrestling with lately. Like a splinter, it festers in my heart until I pull it out and examine it.

The bible talks a lot about gates, they weren't just an entrance in defensive walls they were a hub of life, often a mix between market, courtroom and town hall. Not like the ornate gates you sometimes see at the end of a driveway or entrance of a neighborhood the gates of the bible would have been a set, an outer gate, and the inner gate. This added a second layer of defense if the city was under attack.  

In between these two gates is what the bible refers to as "in the gates" this place would be a bustling hive of activity, from prophets crying out, to elders sitting in judgment to vendors selling their wares throw in that it is, in fact, a gate so there would be constant traffic. It was a place where justice would be administered, a place where deals were sealed and negotiations would happen. It was the heart of the city.

As you pour through the bible it's obvious that a lot happens "in the gates", from Abraham buying a tomb for Sarah, to Boaz and Ruth's story. One story, in particular, is the story of David waiting for news on the battle for his kingdom. His son Absolum had chased him from his throne and across the Jordan river. As we read through 2 Samuel 18-19 we find him sitting in the gates waiting for news, before his army left he had cautioned them to deal gently with this rebellious child of his. Perhaps he blamed himself for his son's actions. Perhaps he questioned if he had been a good enough father.  And as he waited anxiously for news a runner came and spoke the words he was dreading "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man."

Related Article: Plant Your Flag

The coming verses tell us that he left his place in the gates and retreated to a place above the gates, and there he mourned the loss of his son. He cried out "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!" and word came to Joab his general that the king mourns the loss of his son. The day of victory turned to a day of mourning, the victors returned to the city as if they had lost. The bible says they slipped into the city as those who are ashamed that they fled from the battle but Joab gets on the scene. We could all use some Joab's in our life. People who will speak the truth into our lives even when we don't want to hear it, even when it could hurt them. David was the king, and yet Joab dared to come to him.

Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now. 2 Samuel 19:5-7 NIV

It's easy when disaster and heartache come to retreat, to leave "the gate" and hideaway. But the loss of his son was not the beginning of the story, but the consequences of dealing with him at the gate... if we back up to the beginning of this story we find that Absalom was standing on the road outside the gates, and when people would come to tell their complaints to the king he would turn them away...

He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.” 2 Samuel 15:2-4 NIV

And so the bible says he stole the people's hearts. If David had dealt with this son at the gate turning his subjects against him, he never would have found himself above another gate mourning the death of his son. If he had dealt with the root of the problem when it began, he never would have had to fight the symptoms. We can pick our decisions. We can choose for better or worse, but we can't choose our consequences. When we allow sin in the outer gates of our lives and our heart, we find ourselves much like David- retreating, alone, broken and lost. Caught up in what if's and should have dones...

Related Article: He Drew Me Out Of Deep Waters

It is much harder to deal with the devil "in the gates" than outside them. Especially when we are no longer standing in our gates when we move over and let the devil sit in that seat to run over us and shackle us in pain and heartache. When we leave our defensive position we leave the gates of our heart unguarded free game for the devil to lay claim to our hearts and lives. We give him permission to shackle us in guilt. We hide in shame and allow our broken places to fester. Joab found his king, removed from the place where he belonged. Giving victory to his enemy, and he spoke the truth he needed to hear...

So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,” they all came before him... 2 Samuel 19:8 NIV

Are you sitting in your gate? Or like David do you need to get up and take your seat in the gateway? Draw a line in the sand, look the devil in the eye and tell him you're done. Your done living in shame. You are done hiding from the place you belong. You are done negotiating for the ground that has already been won. Yes, you are broken, yes you've been hurt, yes you've been running, no you don't have all the answers. You don't have it all put together, but you are reclaiming your seat in the gate and there is no room for him there. Because someone else is on the throne of your heart, and you are sitting with Him in that gate. The victory has already been won. I am the child of The King, and my daddy told me this is my place and I will not be moved.

He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. Isaiah 28:6 NIV

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

This recipe is so easy and tastes great! We originally made it for our Smore Mocha Frapp drink but discovered it tastes great in/on coffee, drizzled lightly over fruit or just to top a delicious drink. This is perfect whether it's hot or cold. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Organic Cocoa

1 Cup Raw Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (try our recipe)

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Salt

1 Cup Water

Directions:

Heat the water and chocolate together in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat until dissolved.  Add sugar and continue heating. Stir continually. Let boil for 8-10 minutes to thicken. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't overflow. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Allow it to cool before pouring it into an airtight container. 

Refrigerate.


We keep in a squeezable container so you can just squeeze into your coffee or use it to drizzle over your whipped cream for a special treat.

So, what do you say? Are you going to try it?
Let us know below in the comments what you think!

Delicious Zucchini Bread

We aren't huge zucchini eaters, actually, Mr. Cottage is the only one that really likes it. So every year we grow it just for him, this year we decided to plant golden zucchini instead of our normal kind. All too soon zucchini season found us and we had baskets of this bright golden colored veg. Mom decided to try her hand at zucchini bread, I have to say I was a little apprehensive to try it. I really don't like zucchini, but we have a rule in our house you have to try everything. So expecting to hate it I took a really really small bite- to my surprise it was amazing! Moist, sweet but not over the top. It almost reminds me of the pumpkin bread we make every year.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Organic Zucchini grated and a bit of the moisture squeezed out

3 free range eggs

1 cup avocado oil or olive oil

3 teaspoons organic vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

2 1/4 cups raw sugar
1 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups organic all-purpose flour

Related Article: Asiago Cheese Bread

Directions:

Oil and flour two bread pans, preheat oven to 325F. Sift together salt, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda in a medium-size bowl. In a separate large bowl beat oil, eggs, and sugar together. Add dry ingredients to the wet, beat well. Stir in zucchini and pour batter into bans. Bake 40-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes and then remove bread from pan. Allow to cool the rest of the way before storing. 

When You Are Frustrated With Your Walk

Yesterday the pastor asked, "Are you ever frustrated with your walk with the Lord?" He went on to read Acts 16:6-8

Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. (NKJV)

Have you ever been here? You've felt the call- the urge. You've left everything you knew to journey into everything you didn't, only to have God lead you in a completely different direction- leaving you wondering if you were wrong all along. Did you miss His call?

Several years ago now we were working with some foster kids. Going in we were told one would be short-term (a couple days to a week tops) the other one would end up with us permanently. Three months later they were both still with us. It was amazing to watch these world battered kids begin to grow and bloom and spread their wings to try new things.

Lil' Bit the older one came to us at age two speaking only two words "Dada" and "Eat", we taught him sign language to help him communicate. He loved church so much, every time we got in the car he would sign church over and over and nearly cry when we told him we weren't going today. And then suddenly 3 months later he was gone, back to his biological parents for better or worse and a huge hole was left in our hearts. But we trusted that God had the answers, and He knew the big picture. And six months later Baby Bit was gone too, and we found ourselves asking God what did we miss? Did we miss His calling? If we had raced ahead of His plan? Or if He hadn't led us here after all?

Related Article: When The World Tells You To Take A Vacation

A well-meaning friend took it upon herself to tell us that we were cursed, that we were outside His perfect will and He was punishing us- I don't know about you, but I serve a loving, merciful God. Who sent His one and only son to rescue me. Not a petty, vengeful deity that takes pleasure in my pain. My bible says I am engraved on His hands.

The pastor went on to explain that there are seasons when God doesn't show us the whole picture, He doesn't light the entire walkway but only the next step. Because He doesn't want us to run ahead of Him. But instead learn to trust Him, even when we don't understand. That sometimes there is a lesson in the journey we are on, so He directs us somewhere else because we aren't ready for that destination.

As I was working in the garden planting flowers around our new river (pix to come) it suddenly struck me -I could almost hear an audible voice saying- those were your Phrygia and Galatia. Your Mysia and Troas.

Related Article: I Have Cared For You

You see it wasn't that they missed God's call. It wasn't that God didn't love the people in those towns. It wasn't that He didn't want them to hear the Good News. It was about teaching Paul and those with Him to trust God, even when His plan, His direction didn't make sense. It was about them learning to trust, even though they didn't have the why. It was about teaching them to walk in the illuminated step in front of them without turning to the right or the left- without racing ahead. It was about learning to walk next to Him.

Are you in this place? Wondering if you missed His will, hurting and frustrated?

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105 NIV

For you have delivered ... my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Psalm 56:13 NIV

Take the next step illuminated step, and trust Him for the one after that, trust Him with the destination and walk with Him.

Lemongrass Spa Review

Recently we were introduced to Lemongrass Spa by Ruth Anne, we try to be very conscious of what is in the products we use -whether in the garden, in our recipes or on our skin- so we were very excited to try out this companies product. Especially when we heard that they don't use chemicals like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Petroleum byproducts, and parabens (who wants that stuff on their skin? Not me!)
All of their products are natural, organic, toxin free, gluten free, cruelty-free and most are also soy free too!

When the package arrived we were so excited to try them, and we were not disappointed! They all smell good enough to eat! I can't tell you which is our favorite because we love them all! They make your skin feel amazing, without feeling heavy or greasy. They don't burn our sensitive skin like some other products we've tried and you have peace of mind using them! They are definitely some of our all-time favorite skin care products!

Lemongrass Spa has a wide range of products -skin care, family and baby, beauty, body care and spa luxuries, men's collection, essential oils, and aromatherapy. Check out their products HERE.

Have you tried Lemongrass Spa products before?

Building A River In The Garden

Grandma Cottage absolutely loved Jesus, ponds, and roses so when we moved to this house 18+ years ago she was thrilled. There was plenty of room for ponds and a rose garden! We had a convenient, rather large gully in our yard that always collected water and was a pain to mow. Just like that, the idea for the big pond was born. We tried a hard plastic liner, but Mr. Cottage just didn't care for it so we pulled it back out and dug the hole wider and got a rubber pond liner. We covered the edges with rocks a variety of rocks (most of those are from our yard believe it or not). Originally we had a river behind the waterfall so the water traveled down it and then over the waterfall but we ended up changing it to what you see now. 

A while later we added a small little plastic pond further down the path, again we didn't end up liking it so we removed it and used a rubber liner and covered the edges with rocks. Grandma always wanted to add a river between the two ponds but we never got around to it- until now. Last week after several days of rain I decided to make her dream a reality.  

This is the pathway and patio before we started our project, the bushes have grown out enough that it was annoying to walk down the path. We put our cowboy grill and extra chairs from our outdoor table out here so we could enjoy the evenings.

Related Article: Beginnings Of The Cottage

We already had some of the landscaping done, with some slight transplanting we had it set.

We pulled up 4 rows of stones along the walkway to the pool and all the stepping stones along the path.

We dug the outline out slightly so we could see it, once we got the angles and layout right we went ahead and continued digging.

We decided to have the river cascade at this point into the smaller pond. We removed the rocks on the end and dug a ditch 4 inches deep to the big pond. Don't worry that isn't the water line on the smaller pool we drained it to get the gunk off the bottom from several years of just sitting there.

We got a little too wide so we ended up backfilling and raising sections to 10 inches tall.

Related Article: Cottage Garden Tour

We picked up 2 rubber liners from Lowes, and attached them together with tape (also from Lowes) then spread it down the ditch making sure it was well over the sides. We tried to get as many wrinkles out of it as possible. We saved digging out the section next to the big pond for last so we wouldn't have water everywhere. We ended up cutting some of the excess off the side of the liner and using a piece to help cover the seam between the pond and river so we wouldn't have any leaks. Next, we added rocks, one of the very few good things about having a rocky yard.

It took a little adjusting to get the flow right, but after some shifting and digging we got it working right and began thinking about landscaping!

Here is another view of the river flowing down to the little pond.

We stopped by our local Lowes and found some beautiful flowers on clearance for 50% off and "adopted" them for this space.

The brown mulch was also on sale so we went with that to mulch around the pond. I love how rich the color is!

Mr. Cottage also built a bridge for us [Tutorial coming soon!]! We also brought two of our butterfly benches out to the patio and some cute garden art. It's so nice to sit out here in the evenings and watch the dragonflies and butterflies dance through the air and listen to the water!

Do you have a water feature in your garden? 

Chili Cheese Omelets

There is just something wonderful about a big pot of chili on the stove. The smell of the spices filling the air... mmmmm, wonderful! Grandma was the queen of chili and neighbors loved when she would make large pots of it and make them care packages to take home with them. It was the best.  The next morning she would make these omelets for us for breakfast. Oh man! What a treat! Try her recipe and see what you think.

Related Post: Our 4 Bean Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

2-3 Pastured Eggs
Coconut oil, grass-fed butter or olive oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
Pepper
Cheese of your choice
Leftover Chili (Try our recipe)
Optional: Sour Cream we use organic but you can use what you have

Directions:

Heat your chili in a small saucepan.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and season to your taste.  
Pour into an omelet pan (with butter or coconut oil).  
Cook until the bottom of the eggs are sturdy enough and ready to flip.  
Using a spatula, turn the egg over and then ladle your chili inside on half of the round egg, add cheese then fold over the eggs to cover your mixture. 

Place lid on the pan to help it cook and cheese to melt for a couple of minutes and turn on low. Remove lid and use a spatula to move it to your plate. Top with more chili a bit more cheese and you even can put on some diced tomatoes, and green onions. Whatever you like!  Enjoy!

Related Article: Chili Baked Potato

Leave a comment below and tell us what you think. If you try it, be sure to let us know.

It's Worth It

Life at the Cottage isn't always cute sundresses, fun photoshoots, cuddling adorable animals, flower beds full of flowers and bountiful harvests. It's not always smiles, and bare feet. Or quiet evenings on the porch. It's not always sunshine and rainbows. It's not always perfect, in fact, most of the time it isn't.

Most of the time it looks like overalls, dirty hands, broken nails, blistered fingers, chipped polish, sore shoulders, tired feet, scratches, scrapes and sunburned skin. It's tired, so tired all you want to do is drop in bed.

It's late nights and early mornings. Sometimes it's a lot of tears and feeling like a failure, somedays it's hard to keep all of the balls in the air and some days it feels a whole lot like failure. It's loss and heartache and fighting losing battles.

 It's falling in bed swearing your done, only to get up in the morning and start all over. Why? Because it's worth it. It's hard work, and sweat, and laughter between tears.

It's carefully raising plants and nursing sick animals back to health. It's early mornings treks to the chicken coop and quiet moments listening to the ducks play in their water bowls. It's peaceful moments tending the garden and whispering heartfelt prayers.

Related Article: Beginnings Of The Cottage 

It's good days and bad. Some days you win and others you don't, plants die, animals get hurt, and critters destroy what you worked so hard to make grow and protect. Predators break-in and hurt the babies you raised and laughed at their antics. Projects don't turn out how you wanted them too.

Some days you feel defeated, some days you feel like you are on top of the world, and some days people point out your weeds instead of seeing the beauty and hard work that has been put in- and sometimes that person is you.

But every moment is worth it because you grow and change with the very things you raised and planted. Yes, it's hard. Yes. somedays we want to quit. It can be discouraging. Somedays it's downright heartbreaking...

Related Article: Our Raised Bed Garden

But it is also amazing adventures, laughter, and endless lessons in faith and perseverance. It's learning new things, its simple moments that turn to beautiful memories. It's learning to pray about everything, and notice the little things. And it is totally worth it...

Easy Strawberry Tarts For Independence Day

Needing a last-minute Independence Day dessert? We've got you covered! Try these adorable little tarts! Super easy to make, and so tasty! 

Crust:

1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Grass Fed Butter
1/2 Cup Raw Sugar
1 Free Range Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Combine flour, soda, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. In an electric mixer beat butter for 30 seconds or so. Add sugar and beat until fluffy, follow that with egg and vanilla. Beat until combined then add dry ingredients a bit at a time. When combined grease a medium size muffin tin, press 2-inch rounds of dough into each cup. Make sure the dough isn't too thick and comes up the sides of the cup. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and use something round and slightly smaller than the cup to press the dough back down (I used an ice cream scoop). Allow to cool and harden before removing from pan.

Related Article: Patriotic Cherry Pie

Filling:

1 pkg Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
Stevia to taste
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Place cream cheese in an electric mixer beat until smooth, add powdered sugar, stevia, and vanilla mix until combined. Spoon into an icing bag or a ziplock bag (I just used a ziplock bag with an icing tip in one end because I couldn't find my bags.), pip filling into the cups once they are completely cold.

Topping:

Slice strawberries, slide one through the "V" of another so it becomes three dimensional and looks somewhat like an "X". Place on top of filling. Serve cold.

He Meets Me With Reckless Love

Love... My sin nailed Him to that cross, yet I was met with love. I threw angry words in His face, I've run from him- spit on his grace and did things my way. I've ignored Him like a wayward child dancing on the line I was told not to cross until finally the ground  I presumed as solid slips away like sand in the tide and I find myself lost in a world of pain and hurt. It might as well have been my hands that held the hammer posed above that nail ready to strike.

And yet His love meets me in this place, in the arid wasteland of my creating. It finds me in this broken place, in this fortress I have built around myself to hide away and wallow in my pain. And yet He finds me in this place- where no one else dares to venture. He comes swooping in and rescues me... Even when I was His foe, he rescued me. Though my sin nailed him to a cross, still His love chased after me. Still, he tore down the wall of carefully laid stones and lit up my dark prison.

Recklessly He meets me right where I am, knowing that I'm the one who pushed Him away, knowing I am the one who ran, knowing that I might do it again- still He comes. And meets me with love, He meets with grace, He meets me with forgiveness. He meets me. He comes running after me, waiting to pick me up and hold me close like a loving father. To whisper His goodness over my bruises and fill me with His overwhelming love.

Are you lost? Are you locked deep inside a fortress hiding from the world? Are you wandering through a wasteland as your life burns around you? He's there, He's waiting, He'll never stop chasing you, never turn away and say you aren't worth it. He will never stop fighting for you. You are his precious child, Matthew 18:12-13

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:12-14 NIV

He is El Roi the God sees you. The father who knows all of your pain. Jehovah-Raah the shepherd that will leave his 99 to seek you.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? if I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139: 7-12 NIV

He is El Elyon, The Most High God who sent his son to be your Jehovah Nissi - your banner, that He may become your Jehovah Mekoddishkem the God who sanctifies you.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:2-5 NIV