mid-week recap

1. so i've been a little busier this week b/c i've been driving my man to and from work and also taking our jewel to school (normally she's in carpool in the morning so all i have to do is brush my teeth and pack our jewel her snack).  while i have to admit that i don't like getting out of bed earlier or going out in the cold, i have really enjoyed our family time in the car together. we've been praying for the day and it gives my man and me a few extra minutes to talk w/o the distractions of the internet.   i have to say that for a split second, i entertained the idea of working off one car so that we can continue this but honestly.... that only lasted that split second. 

2. this week i've been pondering the idea of what it means to hear God's voice. do you think that you find yourself going through the day, doing your thing... and not really listening? sometimes, i think we're listening but really we're just kind of coming up with our own answers to our prayers and then telling God this is how i want you to answer... we may not say it in those words, but that's what our actions say.  so this week, i've been praying that i can listen. no agenda. no stipulations. just have an open heart that wants to stick around and hear what God's got to say. 

3. on a completely different topic, have you ever had something really good at someone's house. they tell you the recipe. you go home and try to replicate it and it's not at all what you ate?? that's what happened to my lentil soup this week. it just goes to show that not all ingredients are the same.  fortunately, my friend/ mentor isn't secretive about what she did so i figured out that while most of our ingred. were the same, the quality of the ingred made all the difference in the world.  isn't that true of life sometimes?  two people can do the exact same thing - but one puts that extra level of care and effort into that and that makes all the difference. it's about the heart attitude in the process, more than the outcome. 

if you're curious, here's the lentil soup recipe:


diced carrots and onions (i also used celery).

• i sauted mine in chicken fat (from grass-fed chickens) and organic olive oil
• she sauted it in duck fat (huge difference!)
• also, while both of our carrots were organic, hers were from whole foods and mine was from costco.  i have to say, the sweetness of her carrots came through in her soup. i couldn't replicate that subtle sweetness in mine.

add lentils (soaked in filtered water) and chicken stock

• while both of our chicken stock came from grass fed chickens, i boiled the chicken.
• she said making broth from roasted chickens is a lot more flavorful.
• also, i used brown lentils and she used french lentils.

then add sea salt, pepper, and thyme

• in addition, she also added tumeric. (she said the tumeric probably wasn't the big difference).

simmer for about an hour and then blend 1/2 in a vita mix to get a smoother consistency.

4. i've started reading this book called: Fannie's last supper by Chris Kimball (the guy who does America's Test Kitchen and started Cook's Illustrated).  It's about a recreation of a 12 course Victorian meal, in true Victorian style (thus using stoves from the Victorian era, etc).  it's part culinary history and part cookbook.  it's pretty fascinating.  the other day, i just happened to be tv surfing and i was able to catch the PBS show that aired based on this book.  i'm not sure i would have wanted to live in that era; but i do think that we've lost a lot in terms of culinary appreciation and food preparation that was prevalent in the Victorian era. 

5. i'm so over winter. it's the end of march and there was snow in last night's weather forecast. are you kidding me???? fortunately i didn't wake up to it but last week, two days in a row, i woke up to whiteness on the branches and the ground. this is no good, people! i need my warmer weather.

be careful what you pray for

last night our jewel really really wanted my man to be able to work from home today. she loves seeing him and being in the same room w/ him even if he's not accessible.  this morning on the way to work, my man was unfortunately in a car accident. no one was hurt and it'll probably just be an inconvenience more than anything else, but as soon as i got home from my picking him up the first question i asked our jewel was.... did you pray that daddy would be able to work from home today? sure enough, she did. 

it was her first lesson in prayer... sometimes God answers prayers in ways we never expect.

spring break recap

it's always nice to go back home. we got to see lots of friends and spend good time with family.  we went down for my dad's birthday and i think he was really appreciative that we came down even though my parents kept saying not to trouble ourselves.  unfortunately the gift that the kids got together and bought for him did not arrive in time. they laughed when my sister pulled out her droid and said, "here's a picture of your gift that you will be getting later next week."

we always lament that we can't see everyone we wish to see, but we're so grateful that we have friends that want to see us when we are back. it makes us feel grateful for the community we have back home. it also makes me miss what we had while there. it's so easy to take it for granted until it's gone. 

along the same lines our jewel got to see some of her friends and it revived her soul. i could see the pure joy on her face and it's made me sad that we've pulled her away from those friendships.  esp since she hasn't found those same kindred spirits up here. 

this trip, especially more so than the other trips in the past, has made me wish we could go back.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! and mid-week recap

i'm about as far away from irish as you can possibly get but i'm always up for a reason to celebrate.

today's reason for celebration was the servanthood of my man who got up an hour early to pick up bagels for all. we sat down and had a nice leisure breakfast w/ bagels, muffins, and coffee (or in the case of our jewel hot chocolate)... actually i ended up drinking her hot chocolate too. he even went as far as setting the table and everything. such a dear man!

mornings like these just encourage my heart!

in other news, i may have mentioned in the past my man's obsession with espresso. not coffee - espresso. and when i say obsessed - i mean, obsessed. it all started about 8.5 years ago when we got a basic espresso machine as a wedding gift.  that began the journey of learning espresso. soon, it was upgraded to "miss silvia". (that's actually the name, my man did not name her).  he then got a manual espresso machine (le pavoni) where you can control the pull of the cup.  (how quickly the water goes through the espresso grind).  then it went to researching grinders and upgrading that.  from there, it proceeded to researching beans. he even went as far as buying beans that were roasted the night before and fed ex'd to your door so that you would get it exactly 3 days after the roasting - as that was the optimal time to grind them.  so you think that would be it, right?  of course not! as of this week, he has begun buying raw beans so that he can roast them himself.  he made his first batch earlier this week. he's been experimenting with when to grind them. it's amazing how different the coffee tastes when you grind them 1 day after versus 2 days after the roasting.  he's met a few guys who makes my man look like small potatoes - so of course that has spurred my man on to new heights.  i find this whole thing amusing, entertaining, and just overall enjoyable to watch. mainly because if you know my man at all, you know he's one of the most humble guys you'll probably meet in life.  he's also very easy going - not really bothered by much in life.  but give him a bad cup of espresso - esp. if you are a certain italian restaurant that has a very good espresso machine and toots good espresso - and he will turn his nose up to you.   one of these days, i would not be surprised if he sets up his own barista bar in our basement.

also amazing is that after 8 1/2 years, he's finally gotten me to enjoy an occassional cup of coffee... i do not care for coffee. i think it's bitter and just plain nasty.  but he's finally figured out a combo that works for my palate and that my man agrees is enjoyable for him as well.  i would tell you what it is; but i think if he were ever to open an espresso bar, it would be on his menu as one of his signature cups.  i will give you a hint - it will be called cappuccino miele.

oh and over the weekend we got to see some relatives who came down from upstate to visit.  my man's aunt, her mother, and her two girls came down for a weekend shindig.  it was cool to see 3 generations of females enjoying each others' company.  we hit lunch and then adventure aquarium. do we have pictures? of course not! that would be so unlike us! we pull out the camera to get a picturisque shot w/ the phily skyline behind us, only to see the battery was dead! boo hoo!! but it was a good time had by all and the afternoon flew by.  it was especially nice that my man's cousins were so into our jewel and let her lead them all over the displays.

what's for dinner tonight?

does chicken noodle soup go w/ hot dogs? i don't know but that's what i'm serving tonight.
and of course the ice cream for dessert.

No churn ice cream recipe

i saw this from foodrenegade.com and it's been on my "to make" list FOREVER! i finally got some cream from the farm so i made it this afternoon. it should be ready for tasting just in time for dessert tonight. so excited! comments to follow...

UPDATE: blah! it was no good! i'm not sure why but the cream i got from the farm this time was really really thick!  and it crystallized; the problem that i often get w/ making ice cream not in an ice cream maker.  unfortunately the cream is not cheap; so while the experiment went bad; we still have to eat it. i wonder if it'll be good if i thaw it back out; whip it up and spoon it on top of chocolate chip cookies???

book review: The guernsey literary and potato peel society

it's a book of letters about the german occupancy during ww2 of the channel islands.   it took me a little while to get into, but once i did i finished it up in 2 days.  it's a great light read.

mid-week recap

• monday night my man went to a private concert to see this guy.  the irony? the way they took my man in for the concert, he was using the same elevator the band used. guess who he was in the elevator w/ and didn't even know it? that's right - the feature performer.

• as i stare at a sink full of dishes, i can't help but think how this is just another illustration of how marriage changes people. when we first got married, i couldn't stand anything in the sink... not even a fork.  now my general rule is that i do dishes once a day.  and yet, my hands are still so dry they crack and bleed. 

•  why is it so much harder to motivate myself to go for a walk than for a run??  

•  i was telling my man that i can't wait til saturday... this is coming from the stay at home mom who has entire mornings free after she sends her little one off to school.

bye bye chipotle

there was a time in my life when we went to chipotle multiple times a month.   well last friday's visit killed my urge for it and i no longer have the chipotle bug. 

i'm very particular about what i get there: it's the vegetable burrito bowl, with everything minus the sour cream.  that means: the rice, grilled green bells and red onions, black beans, 3 different types of salsa, corn, cheese, lettuce, and then guacamole.  well, this time, they completely messed up my order - TWICE. the second time, i just said forget it, i'll just eat it and what a mistake that was. it wasn't my burrito bowl and i didn't like it at all! in fact, it gave me an upset stomach and i kept burping up hot salsa til the next day! (by the way, in case you don't know. spicy salsa is great going down; not so good coming back up) so now i no longer hunger for my sweet, spicy chipotle dish. 

good bye, my dear friend. it was good while it lasted. 

Korean Chicken and Potatoes Stew Recipe (Dak Tori Tang)

marinade:
1/4C Soy sauce (jin gan jang)
3/4C water
1 tsp grated ginger
2 TBL minced garlic
1 - 2 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp coconut sugar
1 heaping TBL Korean red pepper paste (go chu jang) *
1 TBL Korean red pepper flakes (go chu garu) *

1 package of chicken (i use thigh b/c it's juicer)
4-5 potatoes - thick cubes
3 carrots - thick cubes
1 medium onion - thick cubes

* I make this a little mild for my man but you can probably up the spice by adding a total of 3 TBL total of any combo of the two red peppers (ie. 1/2 TBL of each or 3 TBL of just go chu garu, etc) play w/ the ratios to see what you like best.  

1. put chicken in large pot and pour marinade over chicken. let sit while prep veggies
2. once veggies are ready, turn stove on w/ the chicken and marinade over medium heat.  let cook until chicken is almost done.
3. add cubed potatoes and mix - let cook until potatoes are almost done.
4. add rest of the veggies and mix - cook on low for another 30 minutes.

serve w/ rice.

family meals that make you feel productive

i try to have a legit meal for our jewel when she gets home from school. i prefer not to do sandwiches unless they're made from homemade ingred. often i don't take the time to make healthy bread... so that rarely happens.

yesterday i felt guilty for serving her fruit and nuts for lunch. that's not a real meal... so later that afternoon i served her a PB&J bagel with a can of chix noodle soup, but that didn't sit well w/ me either...

but today i was all ready for her when she got home from school. pasta salad, stuffed shells, and cantaloupe.  ok - i know what you're thinking... pasta salad and stuffed shells? isn't that just more processed junk? you're right. but somehow i feel better about serving her that then a can of soup.

tonight, we're doing family date night at chipotle and our jewel is so excited! somehow i don't feel guilty about going there.  i know, i'm so not consistent about my food choices!

rejoicing in the small steps

since my back incident, my active level went to ZERO. my man commented last night that sometimes, tiredness begets tiredness. so today, after my doctor's appointment, i stopped by dunkin' donuts and sat and read instead of going straight home.  it was nice, just enjoying a cinnamon bun all to myself along with some leisure reading.  then i got home and went for a 3 mile walk/run (ok it was mostly a walk interspersed w/ a cumulative 1/2 mile shuffle). i have to admit that the jogging didn't feel natural at all. in fact, it almost felt like my legs forgot what a run was supposed to be and my body feels 50 pounds heavier.  i just felt awkward. it was strange.  running used to be so carefree,  natural, ... an extension of my legs. but today, it just felt wrong.  but i figured you gotta start somewhere and it was just nice to get out and get some fresh air. my body really needed it.

mid-week recap

food highlights
the last few days has been a naughty one of us as far as food goes.  the other night, we had hot dogs and also finished off a family bag of potato chips at 11:30PM!!
then yesterday, we had mcd's for dinner... my man vowed to never eat a burger from there again. over the years, our palate for salt has really changed since we've transitioned to celtic sea salt. we now find almost everything is salty unless i cook it. 

our jewel highlights

yesterday was dress as book character day in honor of finishing reading rally month.  our jewel went as eloise.  very last minute. very 5 minutes. but it worked.

we're going through the pilgrim's progress together but can i just tell you that it is a most depressing book?? i asked my man if he'll take over reading duty w/ her cause that book just brings me down. christian on his journey encounters nothing but the valley of death, the giant despair, etc... making him all the more eager to run to the celestial city.  i don't know. hopeful for eternity yes, but there is still glimpses of God's beauty and blessing that we can enjoy while we're here, no?

yesterday, our jewel got to take her roller skates out for the first time. it was finally warm enough to spend some time outside. by the end of our little walk, she was really starting to get the hang of skating on her own.  at first she wouldn't let go of my hand and by the end, she wanted to do it herself ;)

misc highlights

today i'm going to meet up with a friend to go for a walk. it's the first walk i've been on since the incident w/ my back. i'm eager for some exercise... ha! how things have changed! i would not have considered going for a walk as exercise, but if you've been immobile as i've been then anything is now exercise.

i'm still reading the paul revere book. it makes me thankful for our country.

honor

"honor is treating people as special,
doing more than what's expected,
and having a good attitude."
  -  Scott Turansky