New Pictures.....New Fun

This is my friend Amy who just loves to see us come to Ocean View. She is especially excited about her nails today beacuse I put a flower on two of her nails. She is a doll and we have lots of fun and lots of hugs when we see her on Thursday mornings for crafts.

WE HAVE A GREAT NEW LOOK

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted you to know we have a great new look and a new blogspot at www.loveserveandconnect.blogspot.com . When my journey started I thought it was going to be primarily cooking classes. We did enjoy some great classes but the Lord had more in store for me. We have lots of people in this world who are hungry in many ways. What I have discovered is my calling has been to fill those needs at three local nursing homes. Please watch the new blogspot for lots of stories and pictures. The www.cookingwithpat.blogspot.com is still up and you can access it anytime from the new site which has a convenient link for you.

Have a great day! Love, Pat

Please me at our new blog to better Love, serve and connect with you at loveserveandconnect@blogspot.com.

This blog will stay up for awhile so you can enjoy recipes and read how love, serve and connect grew into a wonderful ministry that God has blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

love, Pat Howard

We continue to serve at Ocean View Nursing Home. We have a weekly craft class and as you can see Rose Chamberlin is working with the girls on a painting project. Today we are having a Beauty Day at Ocean View in the upstairs dining room. I have a team of 5 who will be serving the residents. We will do hair, nails, makeup and crafts. Pictures will follow on the next blog. Have a great day and if you should decide to serve with us please come and join the fun.

My granddaughter Hali and her friend Grace came to Fairgreen Assisted Living to help love, serve and connect with some of the residents. Hali and Grace both attend Edgewater Alliance Church. They were a tremendous help to me and a blessing to the residents. The women loved the hand massages the most. It is truly amazing how human touch is so meaningful. We all left feeling blessed.

Meet my dad, Merrill Evan Cobb

This is my Dad, Merrill, who is visiting with two of his great-grandchildren on Friday June 12 over at my home. Emma came all the way from California to see him and Owen lives here in NSB. Please go to www.baldwinbros.net so you can meet my mom and dad, and read about who Merrill Evan Cobb was. We love and miss him! Pat

JUNE RECIPES - SUMMER FUN

SLICE-YOUR-OWN-SALAD

This recipe is a quick and easy cold salad that will go with anything. Your children will enjoy this one.
One 16-ounce can sliced pineapple
One 3-ounce package strawberry, raspberry or lime jello

Remove the top from the can of pineapple and drain the liquid completely into a small saucepan. Leave the pineapple rings in the can. Heat the pineapple juice and mix with the jello. Stir until dissolved. Cool and pour back in the can with the pineapple slices. Let them set for awhile and then use a fork to put into the can and lift the slices to allow the jello to get between the slices of pineapple. Cover the can and place in the refrigeraor overnight. When ready to serve open the other end of the can. Shake out onto a plate and slice between the pineapple rings. Serve each ring on lettuce with a scoup of cottage cheese, mayonaise or even whipped cream. This is yummy and great for the hot weather. Enjoy....................................

CHICKEN ROLL-UPS

I have altered this recipe because you could use a number of ingredients to stuff in the chicken. I will share what I have cooked twice and we consider it delicious, easy and a family pleaser.
Buy 3 or 4 chicken breasts if you are feeding a family and just 2 breasts for 2.
Take the breasts and put in a plastic storage bag or between wax paper and using a rolling pin or tenderizer pound the chicken until thin and flat. This exercise is a great stress release! :)
The following ingredients are for two breasts so add more of everything if you increase the recipe.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded flat and thin
1 (4-once) piece imported italian fontina cheese (you can use other cheeses, I have, but the fontina is by far the most delicious)
2 slices imported prosciutto (I have used ham off the bone from the deli thinly sliced also and they are both delicious)
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (you could use canola or a different choice)
Salt and Pepper
1 cup portobello mushrooms (I have used a variety of different mushrooms)
1/2 cup dry white wine (if you don't want to use wine you could use chicken stock)
Rosemary if you have it in your spice cupboard, just a couple of shakes
Take your flattened chicken breast and lay it out and place in the center the ham and cheese. Roll the chicken breast with filling into a sausage shape and secure with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil (2 tablespoons) and butter in your frying pan. Quickly brown the chicken roll-ups over medium high heat turning from side to side. Reduce the heat to low and scatter the mushrooms into the pan. Add the wine (or chicken stock) and rosemary. Cook turning the chicken rolls frequently. Cook about 10 to 15 minutes. When the cheese starts to seep out the chicken is done. Remove it from the pan to a cutting board. Cut the roll-ups at an angles and cover to keep warm. Reheat the pan juices and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Season to taste. Arrange the chicken and mushrooms over fresh steamed spinach, romaine lettuce, pasta ( your choice) and add the sauce. This is absolutely delicious! Enjoy...............................

THE PERFECT SUMMER DESSERT

This light, moist cake is a family favorite and potluck pleaser.
1 Cake Mix ( any flavor you like)
1 small package jello (any flavor you like)
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cup milk
5 to 6 oz. whipped topping or your own whipped cream

Make and bake the cake according to directions. While cake is still hot, poke holes all over the cake with a fork. Mix jello according to package directions and very slowly pour all over the cake. Let soak in good and let the cake cool. Mix the vanilla pudding and milk and let set up a little and then fold in the whipped topping. Frost cake. Keep in the frig. Use a 9x13 pan .
Lemon cake mix with lemon jello or orange cake with orange jello is yummy. The kids will love this and they will be ready to help with the project. A tremendous treat for company or an outing! ENJOY..........................

The Taco Shack is up and running and we appreciate the support from all of you. Emily and Mike had a tremendous first week. The food is yummy, the prices are right and the atmosphere is upbeat and fun. Come meet us at the shack...........you will definitely come back!

Emily is on a role, I am packing food and our grandson Dylan is helping with cooking the food.

Matty is adjusting to the shack!

Opening Night with so much support from our friends.

Mike is cooking up a storm!

Opening Day - Sara is the first customer! Thank You

THE TACO SHACK

NEWSFLASH......THE TACO SHACK

Our daughter Emily Colon and her husband Mike are opening the Taco Shack on Rt. 1 in NSBeach. Mike is a culinary graduate and great chef and Emily has her degree in Hospitality Management. They have both been in the food business for years. They have been praying and believing for an opportunity and God has opened this door. The grand opening is May 18th. and they will be open 6 days a week. Their food will have an upscale flair that you will love. Come join us at the Shack!! Congratulations Mike and Emily.

GREG IS LOVING AND CONNECTING WITH THE GROUP

I was thrilled to have Greg come and present the word and study. We had a great time and truly the residents love the Lord. This gathering is special. Thank you Greg for your time.

FROM YOUNGEST TO OLDEST.....WE SERVE

Our 4 yr. old Owen served today. He is helping Kay with her coloring project. In the picture you see two flower arrangements which were given to us from the sewing class at EAC. The residents were thrilled and many pots were put in the gals rooms. Thank You!

ALL IN THE FAMILY

My husband Greg came to Smyrna West this week with me and he read the Bible story. I have more pictures to follow as our grandson Owen attended also. Everyone loves the word.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE LOVED

Grannie is 91 and she comes to our round table every week. It is important to involve everyone and we help them out however we can. Grannie sings, listens to the word through story and participates in our activity. We love Grannie!

FAIRGREEN GALS

Lorette came to my rescue last week. She served at Fairgreen with me doing nails for these lovely ladies and Lorette served at Smyrna West the day before with Sara and I for our Bible Study. Thank you Lorette, we appreciate your serving spirit.

Meet Victoria - an Angel at Smyrna West

We love working with Victoria at Smyrna West. Victoria just got married. Congratulations!! Sara is working with Kay. We finished our Bible Study and are doing an activity. You see Rose, Frank, David, Kay and Terry.

COOKING WITH PAT AT OCEAN VIEW

Hi everyone,

Sharing some pictures of our activity cooking class last Friday the 23rd. at Ocean View. I had a class of seven and this was the first time for all of the gals. We gathered before 10:00a.m. and they went back to their rooms about 1:00 p.m. What a great time we had! We made meatloaf, twice baked potatoes with cheddar cheese, steamed vegetables and frosted baked brownies. It was a wonderful time together as we laughed and told stories from the past. All the girls participated in cutting, stuffing, mixing, decorating and eating...........the best part. :0)
God is so good and we share his love each time we are together. They, all the gals, are happy for this opportunity and I am blessed to be able to give to them and be a part of their lives.
We give our Mighty God the glory and thank Him for each and every opportunity He allows us to Love, Serve and Connect.
God Bless, Pat Howard

Taking a Break

Lastly you see Joanie, Barb the activity director and Liz once again. We are enjoying a beverage while I prepare the next steps.

Ruth and Mary are also newcomers. Because we have limited space and everyone is in wheelchairs we had to sit in different areas. They also loved our time together.

COOKING WITH PAT

Meet Iris and Mae. This is also a first time in my class. They are frosting brownies. YUMMO!

MONTHLY COOKING CLASS AT OCEAN VIEW

This is Joan and Liz and they attended my cooking class last Friday the 23rd. This was their first time and they are happy to be a part of it!

LOVE, SERVE AND CONNECTING IN OUR COMMUNITY

I have just completed a series of picutres from recent events at the homes we serve. I hope you feel the spirit of God and my compassion. As I read through the posts I cried. I remember each and every precious moment and I know that they all count. It doesn't matter if the residents have lost their memory...........we capture the moment. They feel the moment!

If you are interested in serving on our team we encourage you to do so. The blessings are far greater than any work involved. Maybe you have never served and want to do something for God. Contact us and let us help you to take that step and give of yourself in this ministry. Even for a one time serving you will be fed for life.

All Glory and Honor goes to our God..........the mighty God we serve. I thank him for giving me the passion to move forward and make this ministry, His ministry, a reality.

I am blessed and give Him the praise. Pat Howard

MY PRECIOUS STELLA

As most of you know who read my blog I have adopted Stella. She is 91 and can still walk around when you go and get her. She holds my hand and we walk to activities. Her words are few but she always tells me she loves me. She also sings to me and keeps a wonderful attitude. Does she remember my visits? Probably not! She does however get into the moment. She is holding an egg we found on the bench and she was so happy. He happy makes me happy. Praise God for the moments, the few moments for those who have lost their memory. I am blessed beyond words.

Rose Chamberlin and I are at Ocean View Nursing Home the Sat. before Easter. We helped to bring about 50 residents outside for an Easter egg hunt done by the children of the employees. We worked hard to get the residents out into open fresh air. It was a huge project and we had few helpers. The residents loved the outing and Rose and I left feeling blessed and very tired....a good tired. When you do God's work it is always about Him. How could we possibly do all this...I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Praise God he equips us. We received the blessing and do at every visit. God is center and our work is His. Amen

A SMILE FROM MISS KAY

This picture is one of happiest I have. Miss Kay wanted nothing to do with Sara and I and my daughter Emily. The first time we tried to get her to join us she slammed her walker and crumbled her name tag and threw it in my face. We smiled and told her God loves her and so do we. We asked her to join the group and have some fun. Do you see her smile? It made my day!
Just this past Wed. she was at our Bible study, sang and did crafts. We made her a necklace with a cross and beads and she was thrilled. Praise the Lord for these precious people who are locked in bodies that are old and not working. When we step into their world a light comes on. We are blessed!

In this picture you see Rose, who loves the color pink. Beside her is Odael and JJ. The three you see in this picture did not want to be involved in our project. We gently nudged them to come and join us. As you can see they had a wonderful time and we all sang and praised the Lord. We capture the moment with our residents. It is always a warm fuzzy when we connect!

TERRY'S SUCCESSFUL FILLED WHOOPIE PIE

Terry completed her whoopie pie and hadn't taken a bite yet so I told her to hold it up so everyone could see what they look like. Anna is sitting beside Terry. Kay is on the other side of Anna.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY - WHOOPIE PIES WITH GREEN FILLING

None of the residents had ever had a whoopie pie. This is a fun and yummy recipe from Maine. I brought the ingredients and we filled the pies. As you can see Dave and Dottie on either side of me could not wait to taste the pies. YUMMO ! They love Pat's baked goods and David loves chocolate.........his favorite. I always try to remember their favorites and bring them goodies. :)

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY

This is one of our Wednesday morning Bible Studies. JJ, one of the residents, is very happy to hug Sara as she tells the story. This is what we call our "round table" setting. We all join together to praise the Lord, hear Sara's story, sing and pray. After the Bible Study we do an activity craft of some sort as we laugh and tell stories. During this process we find out all about the residents and their lives. This has become a very special time for both Sara and I.

Frosting Sugar Cookies

This is Frank and David and they live at Smyrna West Assisted Living Home. I brought homemade sugar cookies and we colored the frostings and became very creative. As you can see David enjoyed a bite of his cookie immediately. This is one of our favorite fun projects.

April "Angel" Recipes.............Enjoy!

Hi Everyone, I am posting some fun recipes for April.


APPETIZER


Angels on Horseback


24 plumb raw oysters (shrimp, chicken livers, raw clams or water chestnuts will work)


1/4 cup lemon juice


3 dashes Tabasco sauce


1 teaspoon Worcestershire


1/2 teaspoon salt


12 strips of bacon


Drain oysters or others on paper towel. Place in bowl, add lemon juice, tabasco, worcestershire and salt. Stir to coat. Cut each bacon strip in half and wrap the oyster. Secure with a toothpick. Place on baking rack and bake at 450* until bacon is crisp.





ANGEL EGGS (known as deviled eggs)


1 dozen eggs or more depending on the crowd


mayonaise, yellow mustard, squirt of horseradish cream sauce, salt and pepper


Boil the eggs for at least 10 minutes and once you can handle them peel immediately. Cut length wise and pop the cooked yoke into a bowl. Add above ingredients (you want enough of the ingredients to help you mix the yokes until they are smooth). I use my small electric beater so they are creamy. Great hint..........you can add drained canned shrimp, scallions and even bits of ham to make them even more yummy!





ANGEL BISCUITS


This is a very easy recipe and yummy. The biscuits can be served with your meal warm or can be used for a strawberry shortcake. Heck.............do both :)


1 envelope dry yeast


2 tablespoons lukewarm water


5 cups unsifted flour


1/4 cup sugar


2 teaspoons baking powder


1 teaspoon soda


1 teaspoon salt


1 cup shortening


2 cups buttermilk


Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and let stand 5 minutes. Measure flour into cup by spoonsfuls. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening. Add buttermilk and dissolved yeast and mix well. Turn onto floured board and knead two or three times. Roll to desired thickness and cut into biscuits. Place biscuits in a greased pan and use a pastry brush to paint the top of biscuits with melted butter or margarine. Bake at 450* for 12 minutes.





HE IS AN ANGEL (My husband Greg) GREG'S HAM GLAZE

1 cup whole-grain dijon mustard



1/3 cup light brown sugar



2 Tablespoons real maple syrup


Combine the above ingredients. Preheat oven to 350*. Score your ham and let it cook for 1 1/2 hour. Remove the ham from the oven and spread the mixture over top and sides of ham. Return to oven and cook another 35 minutes. Your ham should be at least 8 lbs. or larger.


Let your ham sit for 15 minutes before serving.


MUSTARD SAUCE


1/2 cup dijon mustard


1/4 pure maple syrup


Stir together and serve as a dipping sauce for the warm ham


By the way, Greg's does this part of the dinner which is yummy and he does the kitchen clean up. I would say that is definitely "Angel Work" :) Praise the Lord!





ANGEL CAKE DELIGHT


One large angel food cake (you can buy this if you decide not to bake)


1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple


1 cup miniature marshmallows


1 9-0unce container whipped topping or 1 pint of cream (whipped by you)


Break angel food cake into small pieces. Drain can of crushed pineapple. Mix angel food cake pieces, drained crushed pineapple. marshmallows and the whipped topping by folding together carefully. Turn into a buttered dish or leave the mixture in the bowl. Chill all day or overnight.


If you put the mixture in a pan you can cut it into squares and serve. If the mixture is in the bowl you can spoon it into pretty glasses and top with a cherry.





Have a wonderful meal with your loved ones as we celebrate Easter.


Love and Hugs from our kitchen to yours, Greg and Pat

WE ARE COOKING ON A BUDGET WITH PAT

Pat's Kitchen - March Recipes

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to send along some recipes for this month that are easy, yummy and should please the family.

Quick Cheese Puffs - Appetizer or Snack

1 tube refrigerated biscuits
3 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 grated cheddar cheese (mix the two cheeses)
Separate biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Roll each piece in melted butter and then into the grated cheeses. Place on baking sheet and bake at 450* about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Five-Cup Salad

1 cup canned mandarin oranges
1 cup small marshmellows
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chunk-style pineapple
1 cup sour cream
Drain the fruit and mix all the ingredients together. Allow to stand refrigerated 3 to 4 hours to blend the ingredients. Enjoy!

Best Ever Meat Loaf
1 and 1/2 lbs. hamburger
1 and 1/2 cups bread crumbs (use white bread and cut in pieces)
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper
1 egg
Pinch of sage or poultry seasoning
Mix bread pieces , milk, beaten egg and seasonings together in a bowl and let the bread and mixture sit and soften for 1/2 hour. Mix in the hamburger until well mixed. Turn into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake as follows. 1 hour at 400*, 1 1/4 hr. at 375* or 1 1/2* at 350*
You can throw some potatoes in the oven to be baked at the same time as your meatloaf.

Stuffed Hotdogs................yes stuffed hotdogs and they are yummy and easy!

6 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 small onion diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon peper
1/2 teaspoon sage
3 cups dried breadcrumbs ( I like to cut white bread into small tiny pieces)
1/2 cup water
Cook diced celery and onion in butter or margarine. Add salt, pepper and sage. Add bread crumbs and water. Split 8 or 10 hotdogs and stuff with dressing. Wrap each stuffed dog with a strip of bacon. Secure with toothpick and bake at 425* for 30 minutes.

Quick Party Bars

1 stick margarine or butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup chocolate bits
Nuts (optional)
Cream shortening and add light brown sugar. Add vanilla and egg and beat until light and creamy. Add sifted flour, fold in oatmeal. NO baking powder in this recipe. Turn into buttered 8 x 8 pan and bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Place on rack to cool and spread melted chocolate chips all over the top. Add chopped nuts if desired. Cool and cut into bars.

Love and Hugs from my kitchen to yours! Pat

SUGAR COOKIE FROST-OFF with our GRANDSON'S

Our grandson's love to cook , especially when it's sugar cookies. They had a blast frosting the remainder of cookies before I took them all to the Smyrna West Assisted Living Facility. They decided the cookies were good with or without the icing! We had fun. See Pap in the background? He is always there to help out. Love, Pat

SMYRNA WEST - OPENING

We served at Smyrna West Assisted Living Facility on Sat. Feb. 27th. I was there with Sara and Wanda Langford to serve the residents. We spent the first hour visiting the residents in their rooms getting to know them and then invited those who wanted to participate to come and frost some sugar cookies I had baked and brought to Smyrna West. It was a fun time and we told stories while the residents sat around the table. This gave our new friends time to share about their lives. It is so important to take the time to talk, laugh and learn about each other.

Thanks Wanda for joining us at this event.

Love, Pat and Sara

NEW OPENINGS - FairGreen Assisted Living

We opened FairGreen Assisted Living Facility last Thursday afternoon on Feb. 25th. I was there with Sara and we had Debbie and Megan Godfrey along with Sandy Smith to help with the residents. It was a great day of serving. We specialized by doing nails and hand messages. The gals loved being pampered and here are the pictures to show their excitement.

Thanks so much to all of you who are willing to Love, Serve and Connect. It matters!

Love, Pat

Adopting Stella

These two pictures are of Stella, a resident of Ocean View. I have fallen in love with Stella and we gifted her with one of the quilts from the Thursday Sewing Class. Stella was thrilled! She is one of the residents that I have decided to take under my wing, I am adopting Stella and will spend lots of time with her when I visit. There are many like Stella who would love to be nutured by you.

Love, Pat

Cooking with Pat at Ocean View

Friday Feb. 19th. I was at Ocean View for my monthly cooking class. This time we had 9 residents who participated. We made stuffing and baked 2 large chickens. While the chickens were baking we made hot crab dip and enjoyed with crackers. Lastly I had baked some of my sugar cookies in advance and I brought them for the class to frost. They totally enjoyed this and before the chickens came out of the oven the cookies quickly disappeared. YUMMO, it was a delicious day full of fun and laughter. We told our funny cooking stories and decided that "whatever happens in the kitchen............stays in the kitchen". It was a great day of serving.

Check for my recipes on patsrecipes on the blog. Jan. and Feb.

Love, Pat

Sat. Feb. 20th. Youth from EAC

On Sat. Feb. 20th. we had a large group of youth from EAC come to Ocean View and Love, Serve and Connect with the residents. Since the building is huge and the residents are many I did not have the time to run around the facility for pictures. I was able to get the group together in the dining room for a group shot. Thank You to the youth who are making a difference in our community by giving back. We are proud of you!

Come back soon, we appreciate you!

Love, Pat Howard and Sara Simpson

TUESDAY TEAM AT OCEANVIEW

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share these wonderful pictures of our Tuesday Team Loving, Serving and Connecting with our precious residents. My thank you to Sara, Sue, Joan, Rose and Emily. For those of you who didn't know, Emily is my daughter. She is featured twice in this series. How wonderful to have your children and grandchildren know the blessing of serving and be willing to give.
Rose has joined our team and will be be serving on a regular basis at Ocean View. This was an exciting day for Rose as she was employed at Ocean View years ago and is now visiting with residents and friends once again. I watched Rose as she finished up with her resident and she asked if she could have a prayer before Ruth (resident) went back to her room. Ruth gladly accepted! We are sharing our Mighty God> Thank you Rose for being willing. It is our blessing.

I will be cooking with residents at Ocean View tomorrow the 19th. and we will serve on Sat. the 20th. for the coffee social. We need volunteers who will say yes and commit to weekly, every other week or monthly serving with us. We open Fairgreen next Thursday afternoon with a new team and will open Smyrna West next week also. We need your help.

Come Love, Serve and Connect on our team! Pat Howard