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e t s a T A e v o L of A BOOK OF COLLABORATIVE RECIPES SCRIPTURES AND MESSAGES TO GET YOUR MARRIAGE STIRRING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION SHAUNDRA STRAUGHTER

MY LOVE I TAKE NOT MY TIME WITH YOU FOR GRANTED I AM GRATEFUL FOR EACH DAY THAT I AWAKEN WITH YOU BY MY SIDE YOU ARE TO ME WHAT THE SUNSHINE IS TO THE DAY THE MOON TO THE NIGHT YOU LIGHT MY PATH YOU GUIDE MY HEART YOU WARM MY SOUL

Proverbs 18 22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord

REMEMBER YOUR WHY For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that you and I may have access to eternal life The greatest commandments are centered around love People say I love you everyday but do we truly understand the power behind the words We think that love is the feeling we have that makes us crave hugs kisses conversation company and even sex Yes all of those things are actions that allow us to express our love to one another but are we truly manifesting the very embodiment of the word LOVE In our marriages and our relationships we need to become more aware of actions that could cause the exchange of the phrase I love you to become a simple endearment of ritual and routine I m not saying that our exchange of this phrase should arouse a feeling associated with the first time we ever exchanged those words to our spouses but with each exchange of the phrase it should cause us to think about the truth behind why we love our spouse and those around us This will keep us in a state of gratitude recognizing that it is a true blessing to wake up to the very people we love each and every day 2021 The Faith Stir LLC All rights reserved

How Do I Love Thee Sonnet 43 How do I love thee Let me count the ways I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace I love thee to the level of every day s Most quiet need by sun and candle light I love thee freely as men strive for right I love thee purely as they turn from praise I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs and with my childhood s faith I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints I love thee with the breath Smiles tears of all my life and if God choose I shall but love thee better after death By Elizabeth Barrett Browning Retrieved from https poets org poem how do ilove thee sonnet 43 mbd 1

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e k i l s i e v o L

Banana Pudding

l l a h s o w T e th f o rs Here s to 10 yea become One Nicole Wiley https www facebook com latasha wiley 12

Our love is like Traditional Banana Pudding Cups This recipe fits our marriage because our marriage is full of layers that defines our imperfect perfect you must layer the pudding bananas and cookies That is what our marriage is layers of moments We have our moments of stirring layering and setting but we are there to support each other through every process that defines our key moments in life When I was at my lowest point in life he was right there and accepted all my flaws He knew I was not perfect and did not try to force me to be He has helped me through anxiety depression and now he walks with me as I walk into my purpose My husband is my best friend my provider my pillow He is the one who keeps my secrets In spite of challenges he constantly reminds me of our growth and how he wouldn t neglect to marry me all over again Our marriage may not make sense to others or seem perfect to others but it s perfect for us No marriage is perfect but mine is my oasis of perfect and I wouldn t change it for the world Here s to 10 years of the two shall become one

Banana Pudding Cups A traditional approach to goodness 2 3 Large bananas this is according to preference Whip cream Whipping cream Vanilla Wafers Vanilla flavor 2 boxes of pudding banana cream and vanilla Condensed milk Milk Start by mixing your puddings using the directions on the box After the pudding is mixed well you will start to see it thicken up As you fold the pudding in the bowl you will add teaspoon of vanilla flavor and 2 tablespoons of condensed milk Once all is mixed set in the fridge for 15 mins While you wait cut your banana in thin slices or thick slices the cut of your banana is according to personal preference After the bananas are cut take out the pudding and begin to layer wafers pudding banana and whip cream Repeat process Once you get to the top add a layer of whip cream and crumble the cookies Put in the fridge for an hour or until you are ready to eat I used a cup of whipping cream along with the milk You can place cookies in a Ziploc bag to crumble them

Marriage Needs Scripture as Foundation Proverbs 18 22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord When we obtain favor from God we secure God s approval and support of our marriages In life a man is prone to find two different feminine personality types for marriage the quarrelsome wife and the prudent wife The Quarrelsome Wife The quarrelsome wife is mentioned in Proverbs 19 13 This type of wife is equated to a roof with a steady leak Who wants that No one wants to live in a house that has a leaky roof First off you will have to put out a bucket to catch the water Now we have to listen to the sound of the constant drip How aggravating is that No one wants to come to their house after a long tiresome day and listen to the constant drip of water from a roof that shouldn t be leaking to begin with This wife is one that destroys her house with her own hands The Prudent Wife The prudent wife is also mentioned in the book of Proverbs This type of wife one that promotes the favor of God She is wise and builds her house She is a blessing from God a treasure Proverbs 8 11 says that this wife is worth far more than rubies Proverbs 31 teaches us more about the value this wife adds to her family She doesn t bring shame to her household She is business minded competent strategic forward moving and diligent She brings attention to her family not because of her ratchet behaviors but because of her humble operation of productivity In today s times we as women can be biased in saying a good man is hard to find Equally as important whether we want to think so or not so is a good woman What are your thoughts What makes you a good man or good woman What type of added value can you bring to your relationship or are you already bringing to it 2021 The Faith Stir LLC All rights reserved

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength Mark 12 30

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Whipped Banana Pudding

rs of a e y 7 1 to s e r e H e f i W a s d n i f t a He th Arrica Hess www achildshallleadthemblog wordpress com Instagram a_child_shall_lead_them_blog Facebook https www facebook com achildshallleadthemblog

Our love is like Whipped Banana Pudding This whipped banana pudding recipe was given to us by a lady who made it often at the church potlucks where we grew up attending It is the first recipe that we made together in our first home When I decided to share it I had the thought about firsts First love First home First recipe My husband and I have been married for 17 years We are high school sweet hearts We dated for 6 years before I got to marry my first love

Marriage Needs Scripture as Foundation Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength Mark 12 30 In this scripture from Mark 12 30 Jesus tells us that our first love is to be for God This goes beyond a simple feeling He asks us to love God with everything we are our heart soul mind and strength When it comes to love there is no place for anything left incomplete If we were to leave a main ingredient out in a recipe what would happen Simply put it would not turn out right The same goes for the love in any good marriage If we leave out the main commandment of scripture to put God first things aren t going to work out right On the other hand when we love God first with everything that we are loving our spouse is easier because His love is complete in us The very next scripture verse 31 says The second is this Love your neighbor as yourself There is no commandment greater than these It may be odd to think of our spouse as our neighbors but Jesus is referring to any relationship after our first one with the Lord Our instruction is to love them as ourselves and we are told there is no greater command than these We cannot fully operate in our marriages in the very act of LOVE if we don t first learn to embrace these commands What is your current level of understanding as it pertains to this scripture Do you truly put God first and love him with everything within you How are you currently relating to your spouse as a result of this Prayers and blessings to you as you grow in your understanding of TRUE LOVE 2021 The Faith Stir LLC All rights reserved

Whipped Banana Pudding A fun twist on a classic 1 8 ounce block cream cheese room temperature 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk 3 small boxes 3 4 oz instant banana pudding 3 cups cold milk 1 8 ounce container Cool Whip divided 4 bananas sliced 1 box of vanilla wafers 1 Mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth about 2 3 minutes on medium speed 2 Add in the dry pudding mix and milk Mix this for 4 5 minutes until thick By hand stir half of the Cool Whip into the pudding until combined 3 Line the bottom of a 9 13 dish with vanilla wafers Place the banana slices on top of the cookies Spread the pudding on top of the bananas Spread the remaining half of Cool Whip on top of the pudding Top with cookie crumbles and extra banana 4 Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours

Genesis 2 18 Then the Lord God said It is not good that the man should be alone I will make him a helper fit for him

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Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms

1 3 s b r e v o r P to s Here es i b u R n a th e r o m She is worth far Felisha Whitlow Felishawhitlow1 gmail com IG Queen_flwhitlow www queenfee org

My love is like Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms and Angel Hair Pasta This dish magnifies my love for the culinary arts I enjoy serving my family new dishes that awaken the tastebuds with each new experience Like love food is substance for the soul Serving is my love language and I enjoy the feeling of completeness when the work is done During this season of my life I am enjoying the redemption of time by implementing a growth mindset renewed pursuit and cooking One of my most favorite meals to make is Chicken Marsala Hopefully I will prepare this meal for my future husband

Marriage Needs Scripture as Foundation Genesis 2 18 Then the Lord God said It is not good that the man should be alone I will make him a helper fit for him For I do believe that it is not good for a man nor a woman to be alone However I do know there are times when we are called to be alone to be closer to God As singles when he calls us to be alone He is building us and preparing us to be ready for the one he has crafted for us As I wait patiently I am allowing God to improve me I am also being productive in improving things about myself that I have control of As a single divorced woman this scripture really resonates with me During my time of singleness I have developed my love for cooking and thoroughly enjoy preparing meals for my family This is one of my love languages that I use to express my love 2021 The Faith Stir LLC All rights reserved

Chicken Marsala w Mushrooms 5 tablespoons of olive oil 6 boneless skinless chicken breast cut in half Black pepper Salt 1 cup of flour 3 cups of sliced mushrooms 3 tablespoons of minced Garlic 3 tablespoons of chopped shallot 5 tablespoons of Unsalted butter 1 cup of Marsala wine 1 cup of heavy cream 1 box of angel hair pasta Fill a medium size pot with water add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt Bring water to a boil add 1 box of angel hair pasta Boil pasta to desired softness Season chicken with salt and pepper to desired taste In a medium size frying pan heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat Put 1 cup of flour in a bowl season the flour with salt and pepper to taste Coat chicken in the flour and place in hot oil for about 3 mins per side Add the mushrooms garlic shallots and 3 tablespoons of butter Cook for about 10 mins and remove chicken from the pan and place in a dish on the side While the mushrooms garlic and shallots are still cooking add the Marsala wine and let it simmer for about 1 minute Then add the heavy cream with a whisk Add the final tablespoon of butter and return the chicken back to the pan and let it simmer for about 5 mins Drain the pasta once it is cooked to desired softness Place desired amount of pasta on plate Put the chicken on top with the Marsala sauce Enjoy with your loved ones

Love is patient love is kind It does not envy it does not boast it is not proud It does not dishonor others it is not self seeking it is not easily angered it keeps no record of wrongs 1 Corinthians 13 4 5

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Million Dollar Pound Cake

of s r a e y 8 to s e r He able or on h s i d or g n i k e self se ot n t n e ti a p s i e Lov Shaundra Straughter IG the_faith_stir FB FaithStirred thefaithstir com contact thefaithstir com

My love is like Million Dollar Pound Cake This dish is so accurate when it come to marriage Pound cakes take patience and requires the ability to follow directions exactly how they are given I have learned that in marriage it s best to have mentors and leaders that you can glean from and seek for wisdom in all situations Having this support in place makes marriage easy It s not enough to have the support but you also need to know how to follow the directions provided That is why our love is like a Million Dollar Pound Cake Knowing how to follow directions in life is key Also there will be times that you are able to speed up but at other times there may be a need to slow down and pay closer attention to what is happening Marriage has its ebbs and flows and every minute is worth it when you know how to adjust

Marriage Needs Scripture as Foundation 1 Corinthians 13 4 5 Love is patient love is kind It does not envy it does not boast it is not proud It does not dishonor others it is not self seeking it is not easily angered it keeps no record of wrongs Love truly is what love does Love is patient in all aspects of your relationship with your spouse and others Love is not disrespectful or impolite Love covers a multitude of sins It covers our weaknesses It covers the weaknesses of others It does not boast and neither is it envious Love craves to see every individual win in life Love keeps us moving even when we feel like giving up It s love that gets us out of bed in the wee mornings to cover our day in prayer and cover our night in praise and reflection Love reshapes us every day as we implement strategies of love in our daily activities Not only is God s strength made perfect in our weakness but so is his love His love never fails and it never runs out It flows to the lowest valley and reaches the very depth of our souls where our ugliest secrets may lie I pray that every heart that is open to receive experiences this type of love Thank God for love 2021 The Faith Stir LLC All rights reserved

Million Dollar Pound Cake 1 pound of butter 3 cups of sugar 8 ounce cream cheese 6 large eggs at room temp 4 cups of cake flour 1 2 tsp of baking powder 1 6 tsp of salt a pinch 3 4 cup of milk 1tsp almond extract 1tsp vanilla extract All ingredients should be room temp I prefer Land O Lakes butter Directions 1 Preheat your oven to 325 degrees 2 Grease and lightly flour your bundt pan 3 Beat butter on high until smooth and creamy 4 Add cream cheese and beat on high until mixed and creamy Scrape sides of bowl if needed using a rubber spatula 5 Add sugar gradually still beating on high 6 Add vanilla and almond extract 7 Be careful with this next step You don t want to over mix at this point Add your eggs one at a time beating on low mixing one at a time Make sure each egg is fully combined before adding the next 8 After the 6th egg you want to stop the mixer to add the flour baking powder and salt Mix on medium just until combined Be careful to not over mix 9 Pour spoon batter into your well greased and floured pan evenly 10 Bake for 100 120 minutes at 325 degrees Time will depend on your oven type conventional vs convectional Do not open oven prior to the 100 minutes this will cause your cake to fall if you do 11 Place a wooden stick in cake to test whether cake is done wooden stick must come out clean if it is done

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Salmon Burrito Bowls

Marriage is like Salmon Burrito Bowls I chose this dish as my additional contribution because this particular dish is well balanced although it can be tedious if you aren t a multitasker Salmon is the most fragile item in this dish If you aren t careful when you cook it the heat and technique for cooking could dry out the meat and who wants dried salmon Not I To cook a dish like this it is great to prepare all ingredients beforehand Dice your veggies Prep the fish That way you can time everything as you begin and finish with the ebb and flow of getting all essential foods cooked in a timely manner This is much like relationships and marriage You consider what is of high importance and what might take longer and begin there Then you go down the list and take care of remaining factors This keeps you from being overwhelmed by the process of getting things done

Salmon Burrito Bowls 6 oz skinless salmon fillets Olive Oil 1 tablespoon 1 cup of white or brown rice Black Pepper Salt Thin Sliced Onion Thin Sliced Bell Pepper any color Sliced Avocado Diced Tomato Sour Cream Salsa Jalepeno Peppers 1 can of Black Beans 1 can of Corn Directions 1 Heat the oven to 425 F with a rack placed in the middle Line a roasting pan or baking sheet with foil Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel 2 Coat the salmon with a little olive oil Not too much A little goes a long way 3 Use salt and black pepper to season You may substitute a different seasoning 4 Place the salmon skin side down in the pan Cover with foil to prevent drying Bake for no longer than 6 minutes Salmon is done when it flakes at the touch of a fork 5 Take your fresh veggies and saut them until soft to touch You olive oil to oil your pan 6 Bring your can of black beans to a simmer Season with garlic and dried oregano Also Simmer can of corn on your stove top 7 Follow directions on bag for cooking brown rice 8 Spoon cooked brown rice in bowl This is your first layer Then add black beans thereafter corn Add sauted vegetables slices of avocado and diced tomatoes Lastly place salmon Garnish with sour cream peppers and salsa if you d like Enjoy

Scriptures for marriage Have moments of conversation with your spouse where you can take one of these scriptures and read them together Discuss your point of view in terms of the meaning for you Share how you are currently applying or could apply these scriptures to your lives and marriage Need help guiding your conversation Use these guided questions What did you think about the scripture Did you understand it What stood out to you the most during your time of reflecting upon it Do you think our marriage represents this scripture Why or why not How can we assure that we align and apply this to our lives

Colossians 3 14 And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity Ephesians 4 2 3 With all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Ecclesiastes 4 9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor If either of them falls down one can help the other up But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up Also if two lie down together they will keep warm But how can one keep warm alone Ecclesiastes 4 12 Though one may be overpowered two can defend themselves A cord of three strands is not quickly broken

Mark 10 9 Therefore what God has joined together let no one separate Ephesians 5 25 For husbands this means love your wives just as Christ loved the church He gave up his life for her 1 Corinthians 13 4 5 Love is patient love is kind It does not envy it does not boast it is not proud It does not dishonor others it is not selfseeking it is not easily angered it keeps no record of wrongs 1 Corinthians 16 14 Do everything in love Ephesians 4 2 Be completely humble and gentle be patient bearing with one another in love 1 Corinthians 13 13 And now these three remain faith hope and love But the greatest of these is love

It All Points to Love Song of Solomon 8 6 7 Set me as a seal upon your heart as a seal upon your arm for love is strong as death jealousy is fierce as the grave Its flashes are flashes of fire the very flame of the LORD Many waters cannot quench love neither can floods drown it If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house he would be utterly despised We will never be able to match the ultimate gift of love that was shown by God offering his son for our lives He showed us the greatest measure of sacrifice that we might not be found needing to do the same The greatest commands are that we love the Lord God with all our hearts minds and souls and that we love our neighbor as ourselves Nothing can seperate us from God s love Love is needed Love is required Love has us covered Let love ignite your passion Let love push your purpose Let love keep you set and fixed on your journey 2021 The Faith Stir LLC All rights reserved

If you d like more engaging exercises for you and your spouse reach out to us at contact thefaithstir com Keep your ears and eyes open as we approach the month of May There will be opportunities for you and your spouse or significant other to participate in some great events that we are planning God designed relationships and we pray that no matter what your experience has been that you not give up on love or each other Keep growing in the faith Keep growing in love We re cheering for you to WIN Be sure to stay connected with us at facebook com faithstirred thefaithstir com 2021 The Faith Stir LLC All rights reserved