Weekly Bible Study

Margaret and I have been hosting a weekly Bible study in our house for quite a while. Some of the participants have asked for a way they could participate remotely when they could not attend in person. We are excited to now have the option for people to attend via conference call!

The Bible studies are every Tuesday at 2:30 PM EST.  To join via conference call just phone (712) 432-3030 and enter PIN 852153#. You can enter the conference call from up to 10 minutes before the beginning of the study until the end of the session.  The studies last from 30 to 45 minutes each.

Each Bible study is recorded, podcast, and archived. You can subscribe to the podcast with iTunes®, your favorite RSS reader, or via email at this link: http://ChaplainSamsBibleStudy.com.  You can also listen to the archived studies at the same link.

This week’s study, covering Acts 4:1-17, was our “dress rehearsal” conference call and it is now in the archive. We will officially begin conference calls next Tuesday, September 7th, when we will start with Acts 4:17.  Please join us!

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Blue Hubbard Squash Soup

A friend gave us a Blue Hubbard Squash. I had no idea what to do with the monster.  It weighed about 10 pounds and was approximately 18 inches long, shaped like a giant football.

Here is a picture I downloaded from the internet.

I searched the internet and found directions for preparing a Blue Hubbard here.  After washing the monster, the next step was to open it.

Per the directions, I borrowed a hatchet and took a good wack at it to split it in two.

After removing the seeds and fibrous stuff I hacked away some more to chop it into manageable size pieces which filled Margaret’s largest roasting pan.  This is a great way to work off your frustrations!

This is what it looked like after 90 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

The chunks cooled for a few hours and then I removed and cubed the flesh.  I got about 6 or 7 cups of cubes to use to make soup the next morning.

My all-time most favorite restaurant is L’Auberge Provencale Bed & Breakfast located in White Post, VA. They recently posted a recipe for Winter Squash Soup on their Facebook site.  I have a copy of the recipe posted here.  I decided to make this soup using the Blue Hubbard Squash.

Each Tuesday we host a business luncheon at our home with two of our business partners.  This Tuesday morning I made the Winter Squash Soup and served it at the luncheon.  It was a big hit!  Thanks to L’Auberge chef/owner Alain Borel for the recipe, and his wife, Celeste, for posting it.