If you’re new to this site because of this morning’s announcement during the service then…WELCOME…and thanks for listening to me.

I want to invite you again to join us at my house (Patricia’s) Monday night if you’re interested in being a part of this blog in anyway. This includes:

• any ideas you have to improve this site
• wanting to write every once in awhile
• writing all the time
• ideas you have that we can write about
• design ideas
• writing about any topic of interest to you
• or any thing else you can think of.

I look forward to seeing you Monday night. I’m SO excited!!!

If you have questions or need my address you can email me at: patricia@orangejack.com. My info is also in today’s church bulletin.

I’ve heard the word “Frittata” before, but never even knew what is was. Laura made this Frittata for our LIFE group recently, and it was delicious.

Spinach and Potato Frittata from Laura Buhl (from Allrecipes.com)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 small red potatoes, sliced
1 cup torn fresh spinach
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but firm. Mix in spinach, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

Laura said: The only change I made was to finish it up in a 375 degree oven for about 8 minutes or so.

Below are some of our hopes when Craving Grace began 2 years ago.

I hope that women of all ages and stations will find encouragement and challenges and humor here.

I hope that women will read and comment on this blog, only to find out that the perfect strangers that submit such interesting, insightful and funny comments aren’t actually strangers, but real women that sit next to them in the Worship Service on Sunday morning.

I hope that this blog will be a catalyst for both community and connection, driving women to befriend one another in real life, caring for, praying for, and talking to one another every stinking chance they get.

But most of all, I expect that God himself will be glorified through our humble efforts to love and support each other through this simple blog.

I know we’re all so busy. But I encourage you to find time to read what women from UPC are writing. We write with authenticity in hopes of encouraging our readers, and to show that we are real people.

We would love to have you join us in any way possible. Come to our next meeting on Monday, June 16th @ 7pm at my (Patricia) house to find out more. I don’t want to put my address on here but you can send me an email by going to “Contact Us”

Maybe you want to just write about specific topics - great!
Or you just have ideas to make the site better - great!
If you want to find out more about Craving Grace, come on Monday night. There’s no obligation. You don’t have to be an expert writer. In fact I usually write like I talk. You don’t even have to know a lot about the computer.

Please pray about this opportunity. There’s great potential in building relationships through this site. I guarantee you’ll learn more about the women of UPC than you ever have!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my dog and spoil him ridiculously. But this seems a little overkill, doesn’t it?

I was recently checking Sarah’s blog, and asked her if I could post this recipe from it. It sounds delicous.

“I’ll share my latest bean adventure which came thanks to a last minute dinner date with a vegetarian friend of mine. In the midst of the last-week-of-school craziness, we crashed at my apartment for a brief respite from the mounds of projects, tests, and papers. We created this recipe by modifying my mom’s recipe for chicken in a spicy black bean, tomato, and corn concoction. I love the sauce part more than the chicken, so I thought it would fly solo as a delicious dish. I tweaked some of the measurements, added fresh garlic, and we topped it with shredded cheese for a little extra protein.

Fiesta Black Bean Skillet

1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can black beans (drain for a thicker consistency)
1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain!)
1 small can mexicorn
1/4 c. cilantro
3-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
3/4 t. chili powder
2. c. dry rice
8 oz. shredded chedder cheese

In large skillet, heat oil and add onions and garlic. Cook at medium temperature until slightly soft (just a couple minutes). Add corns, beans, tomatoes, and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Turn down heat and simmer 5 minutes. Serve over rice, top with shredded cheese.
*note: Always use the juice in the tomatoes. You can drain or not drain but the black beans, depending on how thick you want it.

Though we ate the beans over rice for dinner, I ate the leftovers in multiple ways - as a salad-topper with lettuce, as a dip dumped over tortilla chips with a dollop of plain yogurt, and as a soup (simply add a little water and some more chili powder). Next time, I’ll try to have some avacodo on hand.”