Righteousness, Rain, and Recipes!

2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God." When I read this I just had to stop and praise God for making us so special to Him although we are so unworthy. We are the righteousness of God the Almighty?! We have been washed clean by the only one who lived without sin, one who actually became the sin of that generation, and the next, and the next, and every generation to follow?! What an awesome, incredible thought! I think our days would change immensely if we woke up with the attitude and belief that "I am the righteousness of God".  Our interactions with others, the words we say, and even our thoughts would take on a whole new look when we step into the role of the righteousness of God. Lord, help us to better assume this role every day as we grow into the people You want us to be!

Well it finally rained last night!! Glory to God!! And I woke up to a deliciously dark, cloudy morning! Don't get me wrong...I am such a sunshine girl, seriously I think I need to see the sun each day not only so I can live but so that I do not harm those around me :) ...but after this yearlong drought (I exaggerate, naturally) there was no sweeter sound than the sound of a few sprinkles hitting our kitchen window!

In other exciting news...week 3 of Couch to 5K has started off with a bang! Actually a yawn and a whine "I don't want to doooooo this" as my alarm screeches at 6:30 am. But Clarisse has definitely stepped it up this week. We do two repetitions of 90 seconds running, 90 seconds walking, 3 minutes running, 3 minutes walking. Surprisingly the 3 minutes aren't too bad (if anyone reading this is an actual runner, forgive my pathetic-ness). And I can't believe it's been 3 weeks already! Just 6 more to go....ok that's depressing...haha!

So for kid news...they are just so precious! Even when their behavior is most challenging/insane, I just can't help but love them! Monday afternoon was one of those "two margarita days" as one of my college professors put it, but was followed by a wonderful afternoon the next day. We went on a whole-class car ride (aka I put our chairs in rows of 2 like an extra-long suburban) and took turns being the driver. Our first little man took us to "Water Buffalo Town" where, and I quote, "they have a brand-new playground, they just built it!" Every one in the car had to have their imaginary seat belts and some small toy from the classroom. Our next driver took us to Whataburger, where we ordered play-doh hamburgers, fries, tea, etc. from the kids that got off a Water Buffalo Town. We also stopped at McDonald's and Chick-fil-A....apparently my kids have a passion for fast food! One of the best quotes of the week was from my sweet little boyfriend (he calls me Ms. Sawah Baby) who asked me to throw away his trash at lunch. After calling my name several times in the chaos of opening everyone's juice boxes, I finally got over to his chair and picked up his baggie (he used his polite words). As I threw it in our trash can I hear a high-pitched, excited, "Yay for Ms. Sawah!!!!" Totally made my day...all I could do was laugh, as usual.

We also made homemade play-doh this week and the kids had a blast smooshing it around on the tables. My version was a little, um stickier let's say, than the store version and ended up being a huge mess to clean up but that is not the point! They had fun and learned in the process. The kids were hitting their play-doh to make it flat and I commented that it sort of sounded like a rain storm. That led to a whole class performance of a thunderstorm. I'd say "It's starting to sprinkle a little bit!" and the kids would quietly hit their play-doh pancakes with a few fingers...then...."It's getting harder, it's getting harder, it's getting harder!" and we'd all make a whole lot of noise (I apologize to anyone else in the building but sometimes learning is loud). Then we all would stop and I'd say, "The rain stopped!" and all the kids pointed to the window and exclaimed, "And the sun came out!" followed by screeches of laughter. How many times did we do this? I lost count!

On Sunday, my husband got back from a wedding he had been to and I surprised him (well, not really because I usually make dinner every night haha) with a nice dinner aka I made a little menu on scrapbook paper. It was so easy and so good! I got this chicken recipe from one of my fave blogs "Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour":

Smothered Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6-8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

4 slices cheddar cheese

BBQ sauce

Montreal steak seasoning (I didn't have this so I used Tony Chacheres)

Green onion

Honey mustard sauce (1 cup mayo, 1/2 cup dijon mustard, 1/4 cup honey)

(I omitted this, partly because I didn't have mustard, and partly because I'm not a huge condiment fan)

1. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with seasoning and cook in skillet on medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes per side.

2. Cook and chop bacon.

3. After chicken is cooked on both sides and is all white throughout, leave it in the skillet and spread a tablespoon of bbq sauce on each piece.

4. Layer with chopped bacon then top with 1 slice of cheese each.

5. Cover skillet and continue cooking until cheese is all melted.

6. Top with green onions and serve with honey mustard sauce, if so desired.

Delish!

I also made some homemade cheddar biscuits that I got from my Christmas cookbook. While I was slightly disappointed in the fact that the cheese flavor was hardly noticeable, they turned out to be really soft, deliciously salty little biscuits. The cheese is so subtle that I've been having one with my morning coffee with jam. And believe me I would not eat cheese-jam :) Next time I think I'll double the cheese or omit it altogether.

Cheese Biscuits

2 cups sifted flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup Swiss or cheddar cheese, grated

2/3 cup milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 to 3 Tbsp butter, melted

1. Sift dry ingredients together.

2. Cut in shortening and cheese, mixing well.

3. Add milk and egg, stirring quickly until soft dough is formed.

4. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead into smooth ball.

5. Roll lightly to 2-inch thickness (mine were more like 1 inch) and cut into rounds with floured biscuit cutter (I used a circle cookie cutter).

6. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

7. Brush with melted butter immediately after removing oven (this is the best part!!)

The wonders of being weak :)

2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me." In a world where strength is not only expected but also highly valued and at times exalted, our God designed us in such a way that we can come to Him weak, broken, and in need. In our humanly weakness God's almighty power is made even more perfect, and therefore we can bring glory to Him through this very weakness! What a beautifully-crafted, wonderfully-backwards relationship God put into place. Does He know us intimately or what??

The Lord truly blessed me with a wonderful last day of my first week at work. I only had four precious kiddos which made for a peaceful, relaxed Friday. We painted with tempera paint mixed with shaving cream on a huge piece of butcher paper spread out on the floor, danced around the classroom, and studied the various aspects of play-doh very seriously (make-believe pancakes with invisible syrup anyone?) One of my sweet little guys and I read almost every book in our bookshelf, with him jumping up after every picture to point out colors on the posters on our walls that matched the book's illustrations (literally, every...single...picture!) One of  the best moments, however, was when we were reading a book about how God made each person unique and the illustration depicted a little boy with blond hair and blue eyes. I quizzed this cutie on the color of the eyes, to which he correctly responded, "Blue!", and I made the remark that he had blue eyes too. Looking at me with his big, and in fact blue, eyes, he asked, "I do??? Where is the mirror?" and ran over to the full mirror. From around the bookshelf I heard this high-pitched, delighted squeal, "Oh my GOSH!" and saw his tiny little arms fling up and down excitedly. I could not help myself. I sat in the middle of the butterfly rug amidst various books, toys, and puzzles, cracking up and thanking God.

My husband is out of town this weekend, which you know what that means....Hobby Lobby!!! I went this morning to peruse those deliciously-wonderful aisles filled with 50% off goodies. I was a little disappointed, however, when nothing of my interest was half-off!! I guess I will just have to wait a week...thanks for the patience lesson (and financial lesson) God! I did walk down the fall and Christmas decor aisles wishing for cooler weather (seriously, even 95 degrees would be better!) I am definitely going to miss my fall tree colors this year as I moved back to the land of the evergreens and pine trees! Those aisles definitely got me thinking of all the decorations I want to purchase/make for our first season of decorating together! This Hobby Lobby-induced fall mood could possibly be the reason I bought apple cinnamon Glade air freshener at Walmart....

Speaking of weaknesses (see Bible verse above).....delicious carbs. I thought I'd surprise my sweet husband with one of his favorite weaknesses when he gets home tomorrow....banana bread! I've tried several different recipes before and for some reason, the middle would never cook correctly. Raw dough, anyone? I found this one last year and it not only cooked right, but was delish!

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter or vegetable shortening

2 eggs, beaten

3 small overly ripened bananas, mashed

2 1/2 cups flour, divided

1 tsp. baking soda

6 Tbsp. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Chopped nuts (optional)

1. In mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter.

2. Add eggs and bananas.

3. Add 1 cup of flour.

4. In separate bowl, stir baking soda into buttermilk and add to mixture.

5. Add remaining flour, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt.

6. Grease and flour 1 large bread pan.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, testing with toothpick for doneness.

8. Cool about 5 minutes and remove from pan to cooling rack.

Find rest in God alone (and then enjoy some good food!)

Psalm 62:5-6 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." I love the gentleness of the beginning of this verse, with the visual image of our souls dwelling and resting in God, followed by the strength and confidence of these words, especially that last proclamation "I will NOT be shaken"! I don't know about you, but I almost seem to sit up straighter and feel more empowered to start the day. He alone is our hope. He alone is our rock. He alone is our salvation. That is who He is in us and for us and we can go throughout this day knowing that no matter what may come, we have a safe refuge in the Lord. He has already made the sacrifice and saved us and will continue saving us (from ourselves!) throughout each and every day of our lives. Rest in that thought. He knows what you have done, He knows what you will do, and He loves you enough to send His own son to die specifically for you. Now that truly is good news :)

Well, I successfully completed week 2 of Couch to 5K this morning before work! I actually, and surprisingly, feel like I might have built up a little bit of stamina and was not dragging my feet along the pavement by the end of the last run. This run was pretty uneventful despite running through a spider web and looking insane as I attempted to grasp, pull, and swat away invisible threads as I ran by many, many cars stopped at a stoplight. I had to give them something to start their mornings off right! I also got chased  by an scary-looking dog as I took Clarisse and myself on a jaunt through a neighborhood. Now, when I say "got chased" I mean the dog took a couple steps in the same direction as I was headed as I ran by his home but it appeared to me like he could take after me at any moment. In all seriousness, I did actually get chased by a dog on two of my runs last week. However, this dog was a weiner dog so it posed no serious threat (I had thoughts of drop-kicking this tiny, incessantly-barking thing...is that wrong? If only my hand-eye coordination was better....).  After nearly escaping with my life, I seriously contemplated running through (aka standing in the water with my arms out and forgetting all about this supposed "run" I was on) a sprinkler that was blissfully watering a suspiciously green lawn. Sir, how is it that your yard is that vibrant shade of green in this mega-uber-drought we are having? I know a much better use for that water....me!

My first week of work has also been a success! Although it can be physically (and emotionally) exhausting, I am having alot of fun with my three-year-olds! We played with shaving cream the other afternoon, which is awesome because not only do the kids get to draw and write with it, it actually cleans the tables too! I prepped them on this activity we were about to do and one of my little boys proclaimed to the whole class, "We are going to shave our heads!!!" Lord knows what they tell their parents at home haha! After I squirted a pile in front of each child, they seriously stared at it and me as if I lost my mind. They had no idea what to do with it until I showed them how to spread it out and use their fingers to draw! Once they got the idea they could not get enough. I wish I had my camera to document their surprised and delighted faces coupled with the shaving cream covering their arms all the way up to their elbows. Definitely going to make this a regular thing!

Yesterday, I was in the block area building a house/castle with some of my little friends when one of the sweetest of my little guys asked if some of the animals could live in the house. Of course! Well, this started him off on a mission to place every small item in the classroom in our house, asking "And this too?" each and every time he handed me a new object. We soon had a pile of plastic animals, people, binoculars, small books, random legos, and literally every other small object within his reach in our house. Moral of the story that day: inlcusion is a good thing. And this too?

After working all day, we decided that breakfast night was in order. I am a huge fan of breakfast night, not only because there is not a breakfast food I don't like (ok...maybe oatmeal) but also because eggs cook in a total of what, four minutes? Slap those eggs with bacon and cheese in a tortilla and you are done! This got me thinking on another delicious breakfast recipe that I made for one of my classes last semester and I just had to share it with y'all:

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

This was just the right amount of salty and sweet. But the real reason any of us like coffee cake is it is an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. At least that is my reasoning :)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup oil

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. oil

2 tsp. cinnamon

1. In bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

2. In separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup oil, egg, and milk; blend into dry mixture for batter.

3. In another bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, 2 tablespoons oil, and cinnamon. 

4. Pour half of the batter in greased 8x8 pan. Top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mix.

5. Add remaining batter and top with remaining cinnamon-sugar mix.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy for breakfast or breakfast night! Or both :)

Those who hope in the Lord!

Isaiah 40:31: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Who needs coffee, Red Bull, or any other source of caffeine when we have the Lord Almighty behind us, supporting us, and making us soar on wings without growing weary! He truly is an awesome God and renews our strength if we rely on him as our source. Some may wonder why they are so very tired and weary of life if the Bible presents a promise such as this. It might be time to ask if what you are devoting your time and energy is aligned with God. Are we really doing what God has envisioned and desires for us and our lives if what we do on a day-to-day basis leaves us feeling weary and disheartened? (Disclaimer...as a teacher, I am most definitely weary by the end of the day but it is a physical weariness. There is a weariness of a different kind that I have experienced before that is a spiritual and emotional tiredness.) Focus on God and let Him renew your strength. Hope in Him....He knows what He is doing!!!

So this weekend was a monumental couple of days! We went up to Fort Worth, TX to help my sister-in-law (how fun is it to call her that?!) move in to her freshman dorm room. I sound like an older person (in order to avoid offending some of my readers "old" in this case refers to anyone 70 and older) but seriously...where has the time gone??? She was in eighth grade when my husband and I met and started dating, now she's a college girl!! With the cutest dorm room, of course. But moving her in brought up all those college memories that are not very far away considering I graduated only 3 months ago but I shall embrace the nostalgia nonetheless. I thought about two definite things that college taught me, other than the academics of course:)

1. God puts people in our lives at certain times for certain reasons.
When I went off to college I left not only my close group of friends and family, but also my boyfriend and the state I was born and raised in! But God had different plans for me and knew exactly what He was doing. I went potluck for my freshman roommate and.....ended up living with her for all four years of college! It is slightly creepy how much we got along from the very beginning and it is hard to put our relationship into words (haha!) but it is one that will literally last forever. Potluck? There was no luck about it. More like Godplan!

2. You truly can survive on peanut butter.
Lord knows I let the groceries run too low at the end of the month when money got tight and you're scraping the last bit of Jif onto a piece of almost-moldy bread, the butt of the loaf of course, not a nice soft-ish piece. But you slather that peanut butter on and you live to see another day! And that day involves PB&B (peanut butter and bread) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

As a little congratulations/good luck thing, I put together little goodie-gift bags for my sis-in-law and her new roommate. I found almost everything in the $1 section at Target (yet another reason to solidify my love relationship with Target, other than their adorable patterns on everything! Why'd you buy a plastic waffle fork? Well...it has a pattern you see...) I also made some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with the recipe found on the back of Nestle Tollhouse pb&choc chips. It is such a good, simple recipe and makes the best homemade cookies! Here it is in case you don't want to read the back of a package...that font can be somewhat small at times :)

Nestle Toll House Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts 

(I omitted the nuts)

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.

3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Gradually, beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.

6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Cool on sheets for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Another huge, momentous event occurred this weekend....we finished the first four seasons of Mad Men last night! After doing some calculations we discovered we watched the equivalent of a work week of television in a very short amount of time. Unfortunately, we now have to wait until the season airs on TV this spring before continuing our addiction. I foresee some withdrawals in our near future.

To celebrate (or mourn) our completion of Mad Men, and therefore completing a very noble goal, we had a tasty Mexican night complete with chips, salsa, margaritas, and quesadillas. I thought I'd share the quesadilla recipe with you because the chicken truly made all the difference. I got this recipe from my mom who got it from my aunt. I first made the chicken in the crockpot before compiling my quesadillas.

Crockpot Shredded Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Small jar of Pace picante sauce

(I didn't have any Pace so I scraped out the last of our salsa jars - about 1/2 cup total - and then supplemented it with some Rotel, with most of the juice)

1. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Take out and shred, put back in the crockpot.

2. Add one packet of Old El Paso taco seasoning and 8 ounces of light sour cream.

3. Cook for another 30 minutes.

*If there is alot of liquid, spoon out before adding the shredded chicken back to the pot.

This chicken alone was to die for, so creamy and delish! I took it and turned it into....

Chicken-Bean-Veggie Quesadillas

I took the shredded chicken just described and layered it with refried beans (I would have used black beans but we already had some leftover from tacos the other night so I thought I'd be resourceful), shredded cheese, and sauteed veggies (I sliced zucchini and squash and sauteed them in some olive oil and pepper).

I piled all these yummy ingredients on one side of the tortilla, folded it over, and heated it in a skillet until nice and golden brown on each side. Slice with a pizza cutter into thirds to make cute and tasty mini quesadillas! 

I had my first morning of Week 2 with Clarisse. As she so delicately put it, "I know this is difficult, but hopefully you built on the stamina you developed last week" or along those lines. Yeah, except that after my weekend full of bbq, bagels, burgers, and pizza, I'm pretty sure that stamina flew out the window with the aroma of my giant burger on a homemade bun dripping with bbq sauce and sitting next to a side of fries. But, the first of week 2 is done and crossed off the to-do list, and that is all that matters!!

Finally, yet ANOTHER monumental occasion...I had my first day of preschool today! It went fabulously. Children truly are a gift from God, even those ones whose behaviors are a little more "challenging". My kiddos are absolutely adorable!!! I just want to hug and squeeze 'em all day! This one precious little boy was looking at an I Spy book during nap time (this is the cutie with jeans, boots, a huge belt buckle, and a button down that had to be tucked in at all times) and came up to me, pointing to the picture on the cover. Here was our convo: "Miss Sarah (Sawah), is that a dinosaur?" "I think it might be a caterpillar. Do you think it is a caterpillar?" -it was most definitely a slimy-looking caterpillar crawling on a log- "I think it is a beta. They yook just yike that!" What kid knows the word "beta"? Major vocabulary points to you!

After my wonderful first day, I walked out to my car and realized....I locked my keys in my car. I locked my purse in on purpose but completely forgot that most people need keys to unlock the doors and operate a vehicle. So after attempting and failing to call James from the office (which was deserted all except for yours truly) I found a random pregnant lady in the hallway and bombarded her with my desperate plea to use her phone. Not exactly the way you wanted to end your day but everything worked out in the end! My husband picked me up, surprised me with an appetizer and wine cooler as soon as I walked in the door, and is now working hard in the kitchen to make a surprise dinner he planned for my first day! What a sweet man I married :) I'll let you know how his first independent kitchen adventure ends up! All I know is I'm not moving from this couch until dinner is on the table! I'll get my car later....for now, I hear some bubbly wine calling my name (yes...I make wine coolers out of cheap white and diet Sprite...deal with it).

All you who are weary and burdened....and craving a cookie!

Matthew 11:28-30: "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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I was reading the Bible the other morning, and although I was enjoying Colossians, I was really just craving some of Jesus' words in red. So I flipped to Matthew, picked a place rich with the teachings and stories of Jesus, and started reading. Doesn't this verse just evoke all kinds of wonderful feelings of relief and relaxation? After reading these words I could physically feel the tension leave my shoulders, unaware that there was stress even to begin with, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Our God, the Creator and Master of everything, the King over all the earth, the glorious God who is in absolute control of every breath you and I take, is inviting us (sinners!) to come to Him so that we can be weary and burdened no longer. What an incredible invitation!! I think this verse is such a perfect example of the nature of Jesus and one to keep in mind when feeling the stress and weight of the world. Come to Him, give Him your worry (because He can always deal with it so much better than we can),and  feel your stress be replaced with His peace!

Clarisse and I had our second meeting yesterday morning for the second run of Week 1 of C25K. It actually went slightly better than the first and the Lord blessed us with some cloud cover, making it only 95 degrees at 7:00 in the morning. (Prayer request...rain, rain, and more rain!!! Open up those clouds Lord and pour down your glory...in the form of water please:) Ok that was a sidenote.) Several random things I noticed and pondered upon as I completed the alternating runs and recovery walks:

1. It is incredibly difficult to run past Shipley's in the morning with the mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked donuts wafting through the thick, humid air. I seriously considered slipping a couple dollars in my tennies and stopping by on my run. I can just see myself coming home licking donut icing off of my fingers and brushing sprinkles from my mouth while energetically proclaiming, "Woo, what a great workout!"....for my stomach :)

2. I could make a gourmet meal out of those items discarded on the road/sidewalks on the route of my run. One French's mustard bottle. Two packets of Kool-Aid powder. One Lunchable container. One large Budweiser can. Bon Appetit! P.S. Maybe this is a sign I should keep my head up while running, rather than searching the ground for treasures haha!

3. Clarisse asks questions yet she could care less about my answers. For example, toward the end of the run when the fish-flopping manner of my running becomes more pronounced, Clarisse asks me, "Are you ready for your next run?" in a slightly judgmental tone (my perception might also be due to the lack of oxygen to my brain), to which I answer "No." As soon as I wheeze my answer out, she answers, "Ok! Ready? (no) Begin!" as if she is graciously bestowing a precious gift upon this lowly girl. I suppose we are just going to have to work out our differences. All joking aside, thank you Lord for legs that work and the opportunity to run in freedom.

In other news, we have now finished season 3 of Mad Men. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

While watching said Mad Men, we both got in the cookie mood. Luckily this coincided with my baking mood so I made some good ol' snickerdoodles. These are great because you are very likely to already have all of the ingredients on hand.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 2/3 cups flour

2 1/2 tbsp. sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine butter with sugar in large bowl. (I didn't soften mine enough in the microwave. I suggest making sure it's nice and soft.)

2. Add egg and beat until creamy.

3. Add baking powder, salt, and flour.

4. Stir until mixture forms thick dough.

5. Put cinnamon and sugar mixture in small bowl.

6. Form 1-inch balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mix.

7. Place on cookie sheet and use your hand to flatten slightly.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes and enjoy!

We tried this next recipe for the first time last night for dinner. I found it on another blog that I love "Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour". I have to admit I was slightly wary just because I'm not a huge casserole fan. I have distinct memories of unrecognizable vegetable/meat combos in some sauce from the Crockpot. (Don't get me wrong though...I love my Crockpot and I have a couple recipes I am  excited to try/share very soon!) At the same time, I am a huge broccoli-cheese-soup girl (although I try to limit how much I order it since it has about a week's worth of fat in it...but it's just so good!), which is what drew me toward this recipe. Oh my goodness, it was so good! Even my husband, who avoids everything green (the boy doesn't like cucumbers...who doesn't like cucumbers??), loved it!! Winner!

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli

I actually halved this recipe and had more than enough for the two of us.

3 chicken breasts

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1 cup mayo

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded colby and mont. jack cheese

1 bag frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped

(I used the frozen broccoli like it called for and bought the cut kind. I gave it another chop but next time I think I'd use fresh broccoli and chop it pretty fine.)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook and shred chicken.

2. Chop broccoli.  

3. Mix all ingredients together (I started with the soup and mayo, added the cheese, then the broccoli and chicken.)
4. Transfer to a lightly greased casserole or baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Serve with rice! I used my fave...

   

New (School) Year's Resolutions!

Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I, like many people, often start each new year with a determination to really stick to my resolutions this year. However, after this passage, any of my former resolutions seem dim and unworthy. Seeking FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and fully trusting in His provision in such a way that daily worry is dissolved, should not only be my "new year's resolution" but my daily commitment! Completely trusting in God has always been one of my areas in need of improvement and I do tend to be a worry wart. But if we truly take Matthew 6 to heart and look around at the beauty He has put in the world for our unworthy eyes to see, then how can we ever worry that He will not provide for us, His chosen children?? Our God is so good.

With a new marriage and new job, I decided I would make some new (school) year's resolutions. I resolve to....start running! This aspiration was mainly brought on by my sweet husband, an avid runner, who insists I have the body type to be a runner. You mean my chicken legs?! I always thought those were perfectly suited for laying on the couch and eating chips...Anyways, I decided to pursue this by downloading "Couch to 5K" off of iTunes. This program takes you literally from the couch to running a 5k in just 9 weeks by building up your stamina gradually. I could have bought the version that allows you to listen to your own music between a voice that tells you what to do, but this version could not be supported by my teeny-tiny, clip-on, iPod nano. I'd have to run with my husband's ginormous iPod touch and I do not intend to lift weights in addition to pounding the pavement! Running is more than enough physical activity. So, being the cheapie I am, I downloaded the entire 9 weeks of podcasts for free! Which also means I have the pleasure of listening to an assortment of British alternative-ish music, instrumentals, and, better yet, techno. There is also a delightful British woman who speaks encouraging words in her monotone, unemotional voice just when I am most in need of that extra push! I have named her Clarisse and I am looking forward to our time spent together in the coming weeks...haha! It is quite handy to have someone to keep time for me since whenever I am on a treadmill, I swear I have run at least ten minutes, only to look down at the pathetic stopwatch showing a meager 1:35. So, my morning started off great and after my brisk 5-minute warmup walk I was off to begin the 60-second runs, alternated by 90-second recovery walks. At one point I wondered why I had chosen to wear such a long t-shirt, since my iPod continuously slapped my leg with each stride. Oh wait...my shirt is normal length...I've just sweated so much the cotton continues to stretch....delightful. And although I looked like fish flopping around on land or Phoebe in the Friends episode where she and Rachel decide to run together, it truly was not as bad as I anticipated, although I have a sneaky suspicion that Clarisse counts slowly during the running portion... All in all, day 1 was a success and I have to complete this same week 1 drill two more times before the week is up. Here's to you Clarisse! I'll see you in a couple days:)

In the spirit of beginning new things, we also started "The Love Dare" last night, a daily, year-long devotional for married couples, given as a wedding present by my sweet friend. I am really excited to see what God does in our lives together this year! Our weekly challenge is to pray, "Lord, show me what real love is and make me a loving person". I have a feeling this prayer will become one of my "devoted prayers" this year, especially as I begin my job teaching 3-year-olds!! I believe (no, I expect!) there will be a great increase of patience and love this year....

Finally, a last aspiration of ours is to make our way through Mad Men in a record number of days. As I mentioned earlier, we finished an entire season in about a day and a half. We are now through seasons 1 and 2 and are into the third. I am not even going to divulge how many days it's been....it's too embarrassing...but we have resolved to enjoy our time together before my job starts and his last school year begins as well!

I thought I'd leave with you two delicious pasta recipes from my cookbook, "The 12 Days of Christmas". My mom got this for me last year and it is the cutest cookbook ever (some sections are 'Six Cookies a-Cooling' and 'Twelve Soups a-Simmering'). I found I use this all year-round, not just at Christmas time!

Mainstay Macaroni Casserole

This is truly gourmet mac-n-cheese and can be a meal all in itself, or as a side! Plus it takes no time at all. Take that Kraft!

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper 

(I usually do the same amount as salt, I'm more of a pepper girl!)

2 cups milk

3/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Stir flour into butter until smooth and bubbly.

2. Stir in salt and pepper. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.

3. Continue to cook and stir until thickened.

4. Add cheese, stirring until melted.

5. Alternate layers of cheese sauce and cooked macaroni in 8x10 inch baking dish.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Seriously, SO good! And I like to add some Italian seasoning to the top of mine, just to make it even better!

Fettuccini Alfredo

I had no idea it would be so easy to make your own Alfredo sauce...although it's best to forget you know what the ingredients are while enjoying the dish:)

6 ounces fettuccini, uncooked

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (optional...I just used dried parsley)

1. Cook fettuccini according to package directions; drain and set aside on serving dish.

2. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Gradually stir in cheese, then add whipping cream, stirring until well blended.

3. Continue heating sauce, stirring constantly, just to boiling point. Remove from heat and stir in parsley if desired.

4. Pour sauce over noodles, and serve.

Delish!

Gentle spirit, Good food!

 Philippians 4:4-5 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." My husband and I have recently gotten into the TV series "Mad Men" and began watching from the very first episode of season 1 on Netflix. We may or may not have finished the entire first season in one day..... Anyways, I made the remark that I would not have done well in the 1960's (the decade the show is set in, for any non-viewers), for some of those wives appear to be too submissive, their own ideas and free will too defeated by men, and their lives too focused on being the "perfect" housewife for my own feisty-ness to handle. However, sometimes I think I might confuse submission in that manner with the gentleness that God calls us to have. I believe the gentleness instilled in us by God and the Holy Spirit stems from a place of peace, "a peace that surpasses all understanding". It is this gentleness that allows us to better show God's love to others, to spread His word, and to offer His light to those still living in darkness. I think the ups and downs that often occur throughout each of our daily lives would be steadied by a God-given gentleness of spirit. Another prayer to add to this feisty girl's list!

This morning, I got in one of those "cooking" moods and wanted to make something for breakfast that was different than the scrambled eggs I often make (although I do love me some breakfast burritos!) I must be on an egg kick...see Thursday's post. Anyways, while browsing Giada's site on the Food Network, I saw this quick little video she posted on making mini frittatas. I remembered that the steps did not seem all that different than the prep work for scrambling eggs. I also remembered that my keyboard might have gotten slightly damp from drool after watching the video. So, determined, I quickly went to the Food Network website, put in my search, found the recipe AND....realized I would need to do some tweaking since I did not have the same ingredients as one of my fave cooking show stars. No problem, just did some tweaking and came up with these super easy and oh-so-delicious frittatas. They were just as good as hers if not better! Well, I doubt that haha! She used a mini muffin pan, I used a regular size one (more to love, right? And you don't have to put as many mini ones on your plate....it's all a big mind game...)

Fab Frittatas

*This recipe makes 12 regular-muffin-pan-sized frittatas. I halved it and the six little ones were perfect for James and I to scarf down in an embarrassing lack of time...I mean enjoy at a leisurely pace.

8 large eggs

1/2 cup milk (I used what I had on hand..1%)

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

8 oz. ham, thinly sized (I used our lunch meat ham...so good!)

1/2 cup cheese 

(Giada called for Parmesan, which of course I was out of, so I used shredded cheddar) 

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 

(I just had dried parsley so I used about 1 tsp. in my halved batch. It is safe to say you could eyeball this)

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Spray muffin cups with nonstick spray.

3. Whisk together eggs, milk, pepper, and salt. Stir in cheese, ham, and parsley.

4. Fill each muffin cup until it is almost full.

5. Bake until eggs puff up and the center is just set, about 15 minutes. 

(Funny story, I baked mine for 10 minutes and they seemed pretty done. When attempting to transfer them to a plate, one fell face down and liquid, runny egg ran all over the plate. Luckily, James was in the other room so I just popped them all back into their spots, scraped that liquid back in the center and baked them for an additional 5 minutes....then they were perfect!)

6. Serve while hot!

Luckily I found my camera that had gone missing (somehow it was under the couch...?) so I was able to take some pics like a pro-blogger haha!

I served mine with toasted beer bread (see previous post for recipe!) with strawberry and peach preserves, OJ, and coffee....what a great way to start your Saturday! 

I thought I'd share one more family recipe that is in store for us tonight! I made this for the first time when I still was not very accustomed to cooking and my husband (fiance then) flipped! It is one of his favorite meals and looks really impressive without being too difficult at all! Tonight I'm doing a tweaked version due to the fact that I only have chicken tenderloins left in the freezer, but I think it will work just the same! Here's the original recipe...enjoy being fancy shmancy yet easy-shmeasy :)

Chicken Cordon Bleu

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

6 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp. butter

5 Tbsp. dry white wine

Garlic

Parsley

4 Tbsp. bread crumbs

8 ham slices

8 Swiss cheese slices

1 stick butter

Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. Saute onions in 1 Tbsp. butter.

2. Add wine, garlic, and parsley (these last two don't have a specific amount, just do it to taste).

3. Beat chicken breasts to flatten. Salt and pepper the chicken and spread each breast with onion and wine mixture combined with 4 Tbsp. bread crumbs.

4. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of ham and cheese.

5. Combine melted butter and lemon juice.

5. Roll up chicken (I secure mine with toothpicks) and dip into butter/lemon juice mixture, then roll into bread crumbs.

6. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes uncovered.

These may be frozen before baking if you like to work ahead. Seriously so good and look very impressive! Two kinds of meat plus gooey cheese....what could be better?

Be watchful, thankful.....and hungry!

Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." We often devote ourselves to other things - job, school, boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife. But what an awesome task we have been charged with by the Bible to daily devote ourselves to being in close, intimate communication with the Creator of everything! I admit I often begin a fervent prayer at night only to wake up the next morning realizing I fell asleep before finishing it yet again! I attended a Passion conference recently during which a speaker urged us to model our prayers after the prayer Jesus himself taught us, the Lord's prayer. Following this example, we would not begin to unload our long lists of petitions without first exclaiming to the Lord that He is holy and praising His awesome name. After praising and enjoying glorifying the Father, we proclaim that His will be done in our lives and not our own! Only after giving him the praise He deserves do we begin to ask for the desires of our hearts, for his healing, provision, protection, etc. Let us embrace this wonderful charge into our daily lives, being devoted to prayer, being watchful, and being thankful for all He does for us!

Recently, every time we watch TV and see a Texas A&M preview for this upcoming football season, all I hear is "I cannot wait for Aggie football!" Multiply this phrase by about 100 times and that is how often I hear it....per day! So in the spirit of the upcoming college football season, I decided to share a family recipe for an awesome breakfast dish, unfortunately named "Aggie Eggs". My family would often eat this on Christmas morning, not only because it is absolutely delish, but also because you can make it up the night before and bake it in the oven the next day! Growing up in a Longhorn family, I always slightly resented the name of this dish, but since marrying an Aggie, I suppose I can deal....maybe:)

Aggie Eggs

This recipe makes a TON, but can easily be halved or quartered.

2 cups Canadian bacon, diced

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

3 Tbsp. butter

12 eggs, beaten

Cheese sauce: (Oh, yeah...you know it's gonna be good!)

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 cups skim milk (I've used 1% and it works, so use whatever you got)

1 cup processed American cheese, shredded

Topping:

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup bread crumbs

1/8 tsp. paprika

1. In skillet, cook bacon and onion in 3 Tbsp. butter until onion is tender and transparent.

2. Add eggs and scramble until set. Set aside.

3. Melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper.

4. Using medium to low heat, add milk and stir until thick.

*Side note....whenever I make a sauce with flour it never gets thick like the recipe promises me that it will. The last time I made it I just kept on stirring to my little heart's content and got the heat just right....and voila! The sauce thickened! Long story short, play around with the heat, it might just take a little tweaking.

5.  Add cheese and stir until melted.

6. Slowly fold eggs into cheese sauce (or add cheese sauce to eggs, I decide based on which pan is bigger).

7. Put in greased 9x13 glass pan.

8. Mix butter, crumbs, and paprika and scatter over top of the eggs (this is crucial, I don't know why but these bread crumbs make all the difference!)

9. Bake at 325 for 25 to 30 minutes.

I hope all Aggies, Longhorns, and any fan of any sport for that matter enjoy!!