Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Why I Write

I write for Him.
I write because He has given me a passion and a heart for marriage.
I write for broken hearts.
I write because I stumble.
I write to help marriages that are hurting as well as help strengthen healthy marriages.
I write to help you enjoy and grow in the beautiful covenant that God created.
I write to let you know you aren’t alone. Ever.
I write because I’m not perfect.
I write to share that we all have our own story and our own past.
I write to share my pain and joy, my struggles and triumphs.
I write in hopes that my journey will help you in your own walk.
I write to honor God with my words.
I write out of love.
I write because He nudges my heart.
I write because He is still working on me.
I write because He knows my heart.
I write because He has a plan for my life.
I write because He has called me to write.
I write to share love, not anger.
I write to heal, not cause conflict.
I write to share harmony, not criticism.
I write to speak truth that is sometimes hard to hear.
I write because I believe.
I write simply out of my absolute love for Him.

Q + A With Amy

I want to share an opportunity for YOU lovely gals (and guys if you’re out there!), one I’m so super excited about! And something I’ve never done before. Send any and all questions my way for a little Q&A session on Monday, how fun is that!

I wanted to treat this as a chance to share more of my story with you, and to have some fun while doing it. Ask me anything! Feel free to ask about blogging, faith, chickens… anything you like.

You can ask in the comment section below, message me on Facebook, shoot me an email at gypsytree@windstream.net or ask on my post on Instagram!
Let’s have fun!  I’ll be answering all questions in a post next Monday, January 9th.  

 

Ham Salad Spread

In this house, the week after Christmas {and Easter} means having a lot of leftover ham.  I always put some aside for ham pot pie and ham and bean soup.  Which leaves me with just enough left to make ham salad, one of my favorites!

The first thing I did was borrow my Mama’s vintage 1971 Oster electric food grinder.  My Mama bought it new in 1971 and she’s been in our family ever since.  She’s over 40 years old and is still in perfect condition and works beautifully!  I use her every year when we make our homemade relish and hot pepper dip.

I start out by cutting my ham into cubes about 1″ in size.  I put the cubes into the top of the grinder and push it through.  If you don’t have a grinder, you could also use a food processor.  If you are using a food processor, be careful.  One too many pulses and you’ll end up with mush.  I would pulse only 3-5 times.  Keep a close eye on it to make sure it’s the consistency you want.

Next I put the mayo in a bowl along with some of my sweet pickle relish that I’ve canned. I added the dijon mustard, a few cut up sweet pickles, the onion powder and mixed it all together.  I poured that over the ground ham and mixed it up.  Perfection!

You can eat this on a roll as a meal, or use crackers and eat it as a dip. I guarantee that if you put this out at a party, it would all disappear fast!

But the ham salad is equally good as a sandwich spread, or you can put it on a lettuce leaf if you’re watching your carbs.

See how gorgeous and creamy this ham salad is. It has the right balance of a little crunch from the pickles, a little sweetness from the relish and a whole lot of goodness from the ham. Enjoy, I know you will love this recipe!!

Ham Salad Spread

Ingredients
3 cups ham, fully cooked and ground
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
5 heaping tsp sweet relish
2 tsp chopped sweet pickles

1/4 tsp onion powder

Instructions

Finely grind ham, set aside. Combine mayonnaise, relish, dijon mustard and sweet pickles in a separate bowl; pour over ham mixture. Stir to coat. Refrigerate until serving time.