Heart Hope by Olga

My friend Susan is intrigued with why God gave her a love of horses. She has adored them ever since we first met and has been known to take me on all kinds of adventures from riding them in the mountains of Colorado to the sandy beaches of the Bahamas. At times we have laughed so hard that we cried on these experiences. Susan is much more of a horse woman than I. She has competed in cutting horse competition and has done quite well, so I have always just been the tag-a-long on the adventures. Each time Susan asks me why I think God gave her the love of the equestrian sport, I think about why God has put diverse feelings, desires and passions within each of us. If no one loved horses, God would not have anyone to be His vessel to minister to, love, teach or serve others with that passion. There would be no one to pass along the gospel message to them. It's the same with each of the things we love whether it is sports, culinary, creativity, animals or any other thing. God wants to ...

One of my favorite days of the season--Susan Brooks' package arrives with her delicious Caramel Crunch enclosed. She has graciously supplied the recipe in case you need a last minute gift. 12 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 c unpopped) 1-3 oz can chow mein noodles 1 c dry roasted peanuts 1/2 c raisins 1 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 c butter or margarine 3/4 c light corn syrup 1 t ground cinnamon 1/2 t baking soda Combine the first 4 ingredients in a lightly greased roasting pan and set aside. Combine brown sugar and next 3 ingredients in a large saucepan;cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture boils. Remove from heat, and stir in soda (mixture will bubble). Pour brown sugar mixture over popcorn mixture; stir with a lightly greased long-handled spoon to coat evenly. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately pour onto waxed paper, breaking apart large clumps as they cool. Store in airtight conta...

4 cups plain yogurt ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted ¼ cup good honey 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons grated orange zest ½ to 1 cup peach nectar ¼ cup raisins 1 peach, peeled and diced ½ pint fresh raspberries Line the sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and suspend it over a bowl. Pour the yogurt into the sieve and allow it to drain, refrigerated, for 3 hours or overnight. Place the thickened yogurt into a medium bowl and add the almonds (reserving 1 T for the garnish), honey, vanilla, and orange zest. Thin with peach nectar until it is a desirable consistency. Add the raisins, peach (reserving 1 T for garnish) and raspberries (reserving 2 T for garnish). Garnish with the reserved almonds, peach and raspberries. hearthope.org