As a part of the New Beginnings' program, we participate in family traditions including having a group meal over the holidays. Everyone brings a homemade dish to pass for the entire group - as we all know, WELS people love their potlucks! This provides an excellent opportunity for the mothers at New Beginnings to learn new cooking skills, as well as try new dishes. We were so excited about the dishes made this year, that we would like to share them with you. The main event - WHat's Thanksgiving without turkey?Our Executive Director, Brianne Hansen, has made the turkey for our Thanksgiving Dinner for 2 years. I suppose it is tradition now. We usually have about 15 people at our Thanksgiving Dinner, and a 15 pound turkey is just about perfect! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the butter mixture. Set aside. Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Pat dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, shallots, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pieces of butter in the turkey cavity. Roast the turkey about 2 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Take the turkey out of the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice the turkey and serve. the necessary (and delicious) sidesOkay, so let's be honest. Thanksgiving isn't all about the turkey - it's about the bird's friends! Here are some outstanding recipes made by our staff and residents that will leave your guests wanting more. The terrific part about these recipes is that not only are they the traditional, and completely necessary sides for any Thanksgiving celebration, they are also HOMEMADE completely from scratch! Even the cream of mushroom soup in the green bean casserole was created - no need for canned soup here, people. Are you dying for the recipes? After tasting these dishes, I know I was! For your tasting pleasure, I have included them below: green bean casseroleOur Resident Supervisor, Eden Ehlers, created this green bean casserole recipe from scratch. Boy, was it worth it! INGREDIENTS Baked "Fried" Onions
Green Bean Casserole
INSTRUCTIONS
cranberry sauceOur Program Manager, Karen O'Leary, made cranberry sauce this year. As we know, cranberry sauce is a hallmark Thanksgiving day side, and ....it is one of my favorites! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools THE BEST DRESSING...EVERWhen I say the best...ever, I mean it. This dressing is the best...EVER! Our Outreach Manager, Christina Pritzlaff, made a recipe for dressing that was passed down by her mother. Hopefully it was not meant to be a family secret because we have to spread this love around! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Follow the directions on the bag for preparing the stuffing. Add the chicken broth to the bacon and sausage grease to make the full amount required for the stuffing mix. We are just substituting some of the broth with the grease. Cook the fresh veggies in a pan with the butter and add it to the stuffing mixture. More tasty sides!CREAMY MAC & CHEESEOne of our mothers, Shaneka, made a classic Southern macaroni and cheese dish! It was one of our favorites. Shaneka always does an outstanding job making dishes for group dinners! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9"x13" dish. Boil macaroni until tender (about 12 minutes) and drain. In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, cheese, milk, and eggs. Add salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake until golden and bubbly, abut 30 minutes. Savory garlic mashOne of our mothers, Kim, made crockpot garlic mashed potatoes! Who knew that you could make mashed potatoes in the crockpot? They tasted great! INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Add potatoes, thyme, garlic, butter, and chicken broth. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high. Add heavy cream and use a hand mixer to blend the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. What we have all been waiting for...dessert! |
Thanksgiving is simply not the same without a stunning dessert! Peach cobbler is not only beautiful, but delicious too. INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS Melt butter in 9"x13" pan. Mix together flour, sugar, and milk. Pour mixture into plan. Spread peaches (including syrup) around the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until crust turns golden brown. |
See below our chefs!
The reality is that asking “why” is not the issue; the issue begins when we allow the “whys” to push us away from God. As Christians, we must vitally reach for the “whys” that bring us closer to our Lord. He says in Romans 8:29, “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.” We must begin to trust that the Lord will bring good from this, that we will learn from this, and that we will love more because of this. |
I like to view the world as a large machine. We all work together to keep the machine running smoothly. For example, workers come into work so that the machine can continue to run (I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills if the post man didn’t come into work, and my bills would not be sent to me if WE Energies wasn’t keeping track of the energy used at my home, and so on and so forth). We each do what we can to maintain the motion of the gears. But, what happens when we are thrown off balance? |
Falling off the bandwagon does not mean we give up; in fact, losing our balance means we must work harder to make up for lost time. Keep pushing forward! Our residents sometimes struggle with this. They are late for school one morning because their baby was crying until 3am, and now the mother questions whether she should attend school at all. Boy, it is easy to think that way! It is easier to give up on something before “it” gives up on you, right? But, what happens when you find your balance again and make it to your goal – if you give up how will you know if you could get there? |
So…as we move forward together, we should know that we have some back up ammo in case things go awry. We have our friends and family for support, we have the support of our family at New Beginnings, and most importantly, we have our Lord and Savior. We have all the tools in our tool belt! All we need to do is… keep pushing forward to live lives according to God’s will. |
We are not a finishing school. I recently attended the Heartbeat International Conference in Atlanta and a woman at the conference made this statement in our session entitled “Trauma-Informed Care in the Maternity Home.” This particular session was 8 hours worth of need-to-know information for individuals working with single mothers. As many Executive Directors voiced their struggles with the work God has called us to do, this particular woman reminded us of one important fact: we are not a finishing school. |
At New Beginnings we recently had a Thanksgiving Dinner in place of our regular Thursday night group session. Everyone brought a dish to pass and we had an amazing meal of turkey, cheesy potatoes, salad (made by staff), corn bread dressing (Shaneka), homemade mac n’ cheese (Dana), green bean casserole (Resident Assistants), apple pie (Volunteer, Lisa), and more! What a blessing.
After the meal, we had a short devotion and then wrote down some of the blessings in our lives. I was surprised by the range of answers: friends, family, sharing this meal together, police officers, education, toys (yes, kids were present, but I am thankful for toys too!), and Jesus, were just some of the answers. One of the blessings that surprised me most was “haters,” and I can honestly tell you it was written down by more than one person. Now before I go any further, let’s see how Urban Dictionary defines a “hater:”
hater
A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.
Hating, the result of being a hater, is not exactly jealousy. The hater doesn't really want to be the person he or she hates, rather the hater wants to knock someone else down a notch.
It is unfortunate that our residents also experience this; coming into the New Beginnings’ program can be a major life change. Often times, our residents have at least one “friend,” or even family member, that does not support their decision to make a change in their lives. Despite the lack of support, we can all have the motivation to move forward knowing that we have a support system at New Beginnings AND, more importantly, that God supports us!
“ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:29-32).
“ 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).
Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel. |
The reality is that if we continue to tie the shoes or do the laundry, the next generation will grow up wearing Crocs to job interviews and heading out to the store once a week to buy clean underwear. Okay, you understand my point. All silliness aside, we KNOW that skill training remains a vital piece of life’s journey to self-sufficiency. In fact, God says in Luke 6:40, “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” So how does that play out in the New Beginnings’ program?
At New Beginnings one of our goals is to break the cycle of poverty for the mother, and subsequently break the cycle of dependency for generations to come. Below are some researched points about the importance of education in our work at New Beginnings:
Will you join the movement and provide opportunities for skill development for generations to come? New Beginnings is always in need of tutors, individuals to lead Thursday night group sessions, mentors, and more. Feel free to jump on the bandwagon!
Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel. |
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel. |
Although the hustle and bustle feels arduous at times, we need to remember that God invites us to come to him when we are tired and weak: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
Isn’t it encouraging to know that when we are fatigued physically and mentally, God never tires and gives us strength when we need it?
I remember being “released from the nest” when I left for college. My life felt so busy, and sometimes I found it difficult to stay on track. Mom and Dad were no longer around to remind me to schedule my dentist appointment or insist that I study for my Statistics exam. In my early college years, I found difficulty in maintaining structure to facilitate my own personal progress, but I looked to God for guidance and called on him for help when I was exhausted from life’s fast-moving pace. I constantly reminded myself in Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
New Beginnings provides a unique opportunity to instruct generationally-poor individuals of the value of routine, as planning ahead and staying on track prove vital in achieving self-sufficiency. Our program takes this opportunity one step further by providing spiritual guidance along the way. At first, the structure of the New Beginnings’ program often seems difficult for our residents; after all, many of our moms have never experienced set schedules, the requirement to arrive on time, or even the concept of accountability. Over time, however, the moms begin to appreciate the value of routines and apply structure to their own lives independently. In addition, our mothers begin to turn to God in times of exhaustion and difficulty; after all, God reminds us that we can do all this through him who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).
Brianne Kluge is the Home Manager at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, refurbishing furniture and spending time with her fiancé, Daniel. |
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