Crab Stuffed Pita Pockets

This is a super easy recipe I've modified from one I found. It's super easy and great on a night where everything seems rushed because it doesn't take much time to prepare at all.

Crab Stuffed Pitas

1 can crabmeat
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened
1 Cup frozen or canned corn (just make sure if you're using frozen it's mostly thawed)
cayenne pepper (to your liking)
1/2 t or less black pepper
1/4 t salt
1 T dried parsley or 1 t basil
pita bread
butter

In a bowl, mix together cream cheese and corn. Add in the spices keeping in mind how spicy you would like the dish with the cayenne pepper.

Drain the crab meat making sure to remove any shell flecks. Add the crab meat to the mixture and stir well.

If your pita bread isn't sliced, carefully cut a slit in the side to create your pocket. This can be tricky, so be careful and go slow at first. Once you have your slit, spoon in your crab mixture.

Butter both sides of the pita bread and place in a skillet or on a griddle to brown. Cook on each side about five minutes until browned and inside mixture is warm.

 Serve with sour cream and/or salsa.

You can always adjust the seasonings to give this dish a new flavor. It might taste good with a cajun or a classic seafood seasonings; use your imagination and you might end up with a new family favorite!

The hardest part about this dish is finding a side that goes with it. Generally we stick with chips and salsa. Let me know if you have any other ideas!

Love for a Purpose

I've been doing some soul searching lately, and with recent events, I've really felt that God is trying to teach me something. I'm not exactly sure yet what that is, but I think a big part is really looking at my idea of God's love.

walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:2 

We've been going through Ephesians at the new small group we started attending and love is definitely front and center in this book. I've felt God tugging on my heart, wanting me to be reminded just how much he loves me. Not the me that I think I should be or the me I used to be, but he loves the me I am right now. That's awesome! And it's something I've needed to remember lately.

It doesn't matter what our circumstance is; we don't have to just be biding our time and waiting for something better to come along, we have His love now. We are important to Him; we have a purpose for which He created us. Probably one of my favorite verses that brings me comfort:

"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."

Jeremiah 29:11

I love this verse because it shows us that we are loved now, and we can have dreams. He wants us to have those God-given dreams, why else would He give them to us! Knowing He loves us can certainly make the waiting time in between much easier.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

That means even the waiting you're doing now is worth it in the end! Patience in the meantime is certainly a virtue I know I need help with learning.

The other things I love in this verse: purpose. We all have a purpose, just like in the verse from Jeremiah tells us. We are all a big deal in God's eyes!

12 Days of Christmas

I saw a few different blog posts about doing a 12 days of Christmas gift giving for your husband. I thought this would be a fun idea and that I could do it instead of stocking stuffers.

I gave him his first present this morning, and I'm pretty sure this idea is a hit! He's super excited about getting to open a present every day for the next twelve days. I'm so happy I could bring him joy, especially before he heads off to work in the morning. I know he works so hard, and I hope he knows just how grateful I am for him and all he does.

Here is my twelve day list if you're looking for ideas:


Day 1: plastic cereal bowl (for the days he goes into work early and eats there; and so he stops taking my nice Tupperware)

Day 2: pair of thin gloves (for the mornings the steering wheel is cold; being from up north all the gloves we had before are heavy-duty insulated types that are too much here)

Day 3: three pack of chapsticks (he's always using mine)

Day 4: set of pens (this is my least favorite of the group, but it's a useful item)

Day 5: five rolls of mints (the kind he knows I don't like, but he loves)

Day 6: six packs of gum (he goes through gum like crazy!)

Day 7: individual packets of nut/trail mix

Day 8: granola bars (I won't make him share)

Day 9: homemade coupons (I might share the tutorial in a later post)

Day 10: Scooby-Doo fruit snacks (a fun treat and his favorite cartoon)

Day 11: fishing stickers (these are kind of silly, but he can put them on something or I'll make a scrapbook page of him fishing and use them)

Day 12: candy canes (since this is Christmas Eve, I figure we can place them on the tree to decorate and eat during the REAL 12 days of Christmas leading up to the Epiphany.)

I can't find my file with the gift tags to share, but will be sure to add them if I can locate them on the computer!