How-To Guide: DIY Wooden Sign

Psalm 5:11 "But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You." While I sit here in my safe, protected little bubble I think about all the Christian missionaries around the world who live in constant danger while spreading Christ's light and the life-saving Good News to the darkness. I think about those who are persecuted and killed because of their faith. I think about the fighting and wars that have reigned in areas for centuries. It is so easy to become so content in our safe space and so immune to the hardships and struggles of those around the world. I just pray this psalm over them, that God's protection be spread over all who love His wonderful name, spread to all who rejoice and take refuge in our mighty Creator. Praise the Lord for His goodness and love. Praise the Lord for each person risking their lives for the sake of the Kingdom and the Gospel.

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Well the nursery is finished except for just one teeny tiny little detail, such as the crib...which won't be delivered until a couple weeks after my due date. But not to fear, backup plan B is in effect. As I was working on a collage wall over the rocking chair, I just kept commenting to myself, Angelo, James, but mainly to myself {don't judge, some of my best conversations take place that way} that it was missing....something. You know those times when it just irks you every time you look at it? You just know it needs one more finishing touch? Anyone else that obsessive out there? Moving on.

After searching high and low at TJ Maxx and Homegoods, which failed to come through for me for the first time ever, I decided to forgo the store-bought decor and create my own. Which means I had to do it right then-that minute-no time to waste. These moments always occur on a Sunday when the beloved Hobby Lobby is closed. And so my impatient and immediate desire to start a new project had to wait. In the meantime, I scoured Pinterest and assorted blogs to find exactly what I wanted to make. Little did I know that this project, originally intended to take an afternoon or two, took about a week altogether. Not what I expected, but a learning experience nonetheless. And now I pass that learning on to you, in hopes that if you desire to make a wooden sign you have success on the first try on the first day rather than the tenth try by the end of the week, by presenting.... 

"My Guide to a DIY Wooden Sign"

1. Decide to make a wooden sign. Overestimate your ability and shoot for the stars, aiming to create a sign with an incredibly long quote.

2. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and purchase a cheap wooden board. Debate with yourself over the size and type of wood for so long that an old man standing in the board aisle {who knows exactly what he's doing} comments about the project you {who does not know exactly what she's doing} are trying to accomplish.

3. Take the decided-upon board home and realize it is too long for the space on your collage wall.

4. Sweetly ask husband to cut said board to the correct size. Now. No I mean right now. This. Cannot. Wait.

5. Paint background a nice cream color and let dry. Begin to stencil a damask pattern on top of the cream with a light pink. Realize the light pink is way too light and bright. Hold it up to the other items on the wall and notice that it does not go at all. Paint over the damask pattern 

and let dry.

6. Stencil a damask pattern on top of the cream with a light taupe. Fall in love with it. Discover the awesome trick of using a Mr. Clean magic eraser to distress the paint instead of sand paper. Bask in this accomplishment. Paint over taupe damask with a thin coat of cream to really get a cool distressed vintage look. Feel so proud of this paint job that you consider hanging just a board with a pattern on the wall. 

7. Begin the task of lettering your quote onto the board. Find the quote {in this case, I aspired to writing "Let her sleep for when she wakes, she will move mountains"}. Print out the quote in a fun font off your computer. Hand write the quote painstakingly carefully with pencil, copying the font exactly. Feel as though this will be the best DIY project ever.

8. Drive to Hobby Lobby and purchase paint pens in light pink and gray {not silver...take special note of this. Specifically do not buy the pen that says "silver", but choose the gray one instead}. Spend way too long debating in the aisle of HobLob, calling and texting your sister so many times you feel you may actually be stalking her. Drive home, ready and excited to trace those perfectly written words.

9. Follow directions on the pen {shake well, depress tip until paint starts flowing}. Trace over a word in pink. Notice that the paint is not flowing freely and instead looks like you tried to write with a dried out marker. Make that a dried out highlighter because the pink is waaayyyy brighter than the label indicated. Trace over the paint again before it has a chance to dry, making it look worse rather than better. Call sister to vent.

10. While waiting for the pink to dry, begin to trace the other words in gray. Notice that the gray paint pen is so metallic that it looks like silver. Notice that when you hold it up on the wall, it catches and reflects the light so much that you can't read what it says. Also notice that it too does not flow smoothly. Comment to husband that this paint pen is extremely metallic, only to have him comment back, "That's because you bought a silver paint pen". Momentarily explode as you shove the pen in his face and adamantly shout that you did NOT buy a silver pen, you made sure it was NOT silver, and you specifically bought a GRAY pen. Have husband laugh at your intensity while shaking his head 

and walking away.

11. Before the silver gray paint even dries, flip the board over and begin, once again, to paint the background cream. Pull out that stinkin' damask pattern and begin, once again, to stencil the stinkin' pattern all over the board, this time with pink. Use the magical Mr. Clean eraser to distress up the board {at least by this time you are a pro at the background technique}. Look up other ways to letter a sign. Find a DIY post on a blog about printing words backwards on regular paper with a regular printer, taping them ink-side down onto the piece of wood, then "burning" them into the wood by dampening them with water and rubbing them with the cap of a marker. See photographic evidence of this technique on the blog and know deep in your bones that this will work and 

this will be amazing. 

12. Decide that the quote was way too lofty of a goal and choose instead a three-word phrase.

13. Print out the phrase backwards and follow the water "burning" directions to a T. Remove wet paper and notice that it did not do anything. Not a single thing. Laugh at this point and how ridiculous this project has become.

14. Decide to use the printer and good ol' Modge Podge. Print out the phrase in black ink and cut out each individual letter. Lay them out on the board and have a very good feeling that this will work and this will be amazing. As you lay them out on the board and hold it up to the collage wall as best you can without the letters falling off, notice that the black stands out more than anything else on the wall. Decide to paint the letters gray. Why not just print them out in gray ink? That would have been a good idea...prior to the fact that you would have to cut out each letter again. Dab some gray paint on each letter and decide you like that better than gray ink because it gives a cooler textured effect {or at least justify the added step like that}.

15. Before gluing, make sure the letters are centered on the board, begin very careful and particular in the beginning then just eyeball it by the end. Dab modge podge on the back of each letter and press it onto the board. Without realizing it, glue each word slightly lower than the previous board. Realize it when it's all said and done, and decide to call it "rustic". Be amazed at how well the modge podge bonds the paper to the painted wood and wonder why you didn't do this is in the first place. Dream of all the possibilities of wooden signs {one for every holiday, every sports team, etc.} now that you know the easiest way to do it.

16. Hang the sign, feel very satisfied with the finished product, wash your hands of the matter, and call it a day. Or week.

I did not pose Angelo like that. I swear.

Next order of business...muffins! {Did not have a good transition into that one, sorry}. I promise these do not have nearly as many steps as the sign, not to fret. I found a recipe via Pinterest for lemon berry muffins using frozen berries, which we keep in the freezer for smoothies. The original recipe called for lemon extract and butter extract in the batter, which I omitted and replaced with the zest and juice of one fresh lemon. In addition to the delicious streusel-y topping the original recipe called for a lemon glaze. I decided to forgo the powdered sugar-lemon juice glaze, especially since it had the lemon juice in the muffin, and save us some calories. Actually, I did it to justify eating these for breakfast, mid-morning snack, and late-afternoon snack. Oh yeah, and dessert. Moist, fluffy, lemony, buttery, fruity....I could go on and on. If only they lasted more than three days in our house I would go eat one now. 

Adapted from: myfairbaking.blogspot.com

What you need....

For the muffins:

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 

{if I had applesauce on hand I think I'd do half oil-half applesauce}

1 tsp vanilla

Zest and juice of 1 whole lemon

1 1/2 cups flour + a little extra to sprinkle on berries

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mixed frozen berries

{I used blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries}

For the streusel topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 brown sugar

4 Tbsp cold butter

What to do....

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with liners or spray with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, oil, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. 

3. In a separate large bowl, sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly and gently stir in the wet ingredients until mixed. 

4. Toss the berries with a tablespoon or so of flour until coated so they do not sink when baked in the batter. Gently and quickly stir them into the batter.

5. Spoon batter evenly into the muffin tin {mine made 12 muffins exactly}. Mix together the crumble ingredients and cut in the cold butter. Sprinkle generously all over the muffins and press down slightly. 

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes {mine took 18} or until the tops are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack.

These are best eaten warm and often :)

Don't mind if I do!

Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This verse is such a good reminder of the sovereignty of our awesome God. No matter what stresses, deficits, or unknowns you are facing in your life, whether it be related to your job, your relationships, your future, the Lord will meet your needs. It does not say that He will meet only some of those needs and the rest you just have to figure out on your own, nor does it tack on "if you are good/smart/nice enough" to the end, for that is where grace comes into play. My God will meet ALL of your needs. It might look a little different than the image you had in your mind but I guarantee it will be better than what you could have pictured, for His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts {Isaiah 55:8-9}. What can He who has everything, for He created everything, do with those glorious riches He so abundantly possesses? He graciously blesses His children and meets every need they have, not because we have done anything at all to deserve it, but because we accept that free gift of grace and offer Him our broken little selves. And the Lord redeems us, makes us clean and beautiful in His sight and meets every need so that our lives may bring Him glory and honor. Thank you Lord for the many needs that I have. Thank you for my brokenness and utter dependence on You, for only You can fill up what I lack. For only You can redeem. For only You can save.

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To begin this post, I thought I'd share three reasons why I love my husband {Don't roll your eyes just yet!} Aside from actual, serious reasons why I chose to be with this guy for the rest of my life, here are a couple situations that have arisen recently that remind me just how much I love 'im.

Reason #1

These are the sweet potatoes he picked out for dinner one night last week. How the heck are these puppies ever going to cook at the same rate and be done at the same time? The only response he could give...

was laughter.

Reason #2

A couple days before my birthday this year my husband went to Target to pick out some birthday wrapping paper. He returned successfully and explained that he had gotten some wrapping paper on clearance. Ooh baby now that is speaking my love language right there! Then, as he began to bring out the gifts from the "no go zone" in his study, I realized that the clearance wrapping paper in question was "I <3 One Direction" paper. Which ran out before he had a chance to wrap all of the gifts so he used the leftover Christmas paper. And yes, that is brown packing paper in lieu of tissue paper in the gift bags.

Reason #3

I don't have a picture to accompany this reason just a conversation that took place a couple weeks ago. As we were driving along, ruminating on resolutions for the new year, I mentioned that maybe my resolution should be to wake up and get ready for the day more often {aka put on real pants more frequently and regularly, rather than staying in my oh-so-sexy assorted sweatpants until I absolutely had to, only to put on my "nice" sweatpants - plain black ones that are appropriate to be worn in public.}

His response:

"That sounds like a lot of laundry."

I knew I picked a good one!

Speaking of good ones, I thought I'd share a new recipe we tried, courtesy {again} of Ina Garten from her cookbook Barefoot Contessa at Home. This omelet was absolutely awesome - perfect for dinner on breakfast night or a brunch - and easy! It starts off in the skillet and finishes in the oven. One pan to clean? Sold. No attempting to flip an omelet only to get frustrated and violently "scramble" the eggs instead? Double sold. And no, I don't speak from experience...

Omelet for Two

From: Barefoot Contessa at Home

What you need...

1/4 pound  good thick-cut bacon

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup medium-diced Yukon Gold potato

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 Tbsp minced jalapeno pepper

5 extra-large eggs

2 Tbsp milk or cream

1 tsp kosher salt

*Far be it from me that I should correct the Contessa but I think next time I'd use less than a teaspoon of salt. James and I both ended up with some bites at the end that were super salty.

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts

4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, diced, plus grated cheese for garnish

What to do...

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Cook the bacon in an 8-inch ovenproof saute pan over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until browned. Drain the bacon on paper towels and discard 

the fat from the pan.

3. Add the butter to the pan, then add the potato and yellow onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm.

4. Add the jalapeno pepper and cook for 30 seconds.

5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper together with a fork. Stir in the scallions and diced Cheddar.

6. When the potato is cooked, add the bacon to the pan and pour over the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the omelet puffs and the eggs are almost cooked in the center. Sprinkle with a handful of grated Cheddar and bake for another minute.

Serve hot directly from the pan and enjoy!

P.S. Does anyone else automatically say "Omelet for two? Don't mind if I do!" in their heads when reading the name of this dish. Preferably in a poorly-imitated French accent. Just me? That's cool.

Finally, this post brought to you by "Kitties Who Will Lay On Anything You Put On The Floor"...

...including mirrors.

Mud.

This morning as I was doing my quiet time and reading my Bible, I came across this story in John. A story I'd read many times before, this morning it jumped out at me from the pages and stuck in my mind. I found myself going back and rereading it just for the calm, joy, and reassurance it gave me. 

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" Jesus proceeds to restore this blind beggar's sight with a little bit of spit and dirt. 

This morning I just want to encourage anyone who feels like they are in a hopeless situation, maybe even as hopeless as being blind from birth and reduced to begging every day to hopefully gain enough from passersby to merely survive. God did not give you that situation as a punishment for some sin or another, for our God is not punitive. He is Love. He gives us trials and challenges as a way for His glory and magnificent work to be displayed in our lives, for His goodness to be revealed and His truth spread to those around us. And the truth is this: if you are still breathing (which I hope is the case if you are reading this right now!) God is not finished with you yet. Trust in His power and His solution might be as simple as some good ol' fashioned spit. For in God's hands, even mud is a powerful thing. Praise God.

Well, I am taking full advantage of this actual-fall weather while we are still in Virginia, snapping a pic of every fall leaf or tree I come across and baking anything that involves pumpkin or cinnamon. And Baby Barnacle is a fan of the fall deliciousness as well. (Side note...I really don't know what I'm going to do when she is born and I can no longer call her Barnacle...it has such a ring to it!) I sense a fellow fall fanatic in the making! Speaking of Barnacle, I just can't help but share this pic. I had a 3D ultrasound the other week and the technology just blew my mind. My favorite picture of all....her sweet little profile between an arm (on the right) and her foot (on the right). I think we may have a dancer on our hands! And considering she engages in some sort of baby tae bo class each night, I'd say that's a safe bet. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his might heavens....

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing....

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

From: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/09/22/iced-pumpkin-coffee-cake/

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pumpkin Coffee Cake:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup milk

Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1-2 Tbsp pumpkin spice coffee creamer or milk (I used milk)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Make the crumb topping first: In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or fork. Mix until crumbly and set aside.

3. For the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (it will be thick!) Pour the batter into the baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly on the top and press gently into the batter. Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

4. Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and 1 Tbsp of the creamer or milk until smooth. Add more creamer or milk to thin, if desired. Drizzle over the cake. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Believe me when I say this cake is out-of-this-world! Next time I want to try doing half oil-half applesauce to keep it moist but make the nutritional content *slightly* better. We had it for breakfast the first morning then proceeded to eat it as dessert each night after. Plus some bites in between....like maybe every time someone walked past the dish...

Next pumpkin recipe.....muffins! Baby is all for fall breakfast treats!

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Adapted from: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/pumpkin-cinnamon-streusel-muffins/

*This recipe originally called for a brown sugar-cinnamon filling of 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. While I am always a fan of more brown sugar, after reading the recipe I decided to omit this. I am actually glad I did as these muffins are already very sweet and might be a little too sugary with the 

additional filling! Disclaimer over.

Muffins:

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg 

(I used pumpkin pie spice instead since I'm not a huge nutmeg person)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup water

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Streusel topping:

1 1/4 cup oats

1 Tbsp flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cooking spray or paper liners. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and combined.

4. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Mix until ingredients are combined.

5. For the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix in the butter with your hands until crumbly. 

6. Fill the muffin cups with the batter and top each one with streusel topping.

7. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean. Cool muffins on a wire rack. Enjoy!

And last but not least, the Franken-treats. While these do not contain any sort of pumpkin ingredient they are quintessential Halloween-y (anyone else giggle when making the word "Halloween" into an adjective? Just me? Okay cool.) Inspired by Pinterest of course and super easy, although slightly time consuming, these really don't even need detailed step-by-step directions. Here's pretty much the gist of it...

Franken-treats

What you'll need....

Recipe for classic Rice Krispie treats - butter, marshmallows, Rice Krispies, and green food coloring

Melted chocolate chips for the hair, smile, and pupils

White chocolate chips (unmelted) for the eyes

Toothpicks and mini marshmallows for the bolts

Cute paper straws from Target, Michael's, or other craft store

Pretty simple and almost too cute to eat....sorry Frank, I said almost :)

Happy Halloween everybody!

Hello, old friend.

Mark 10:43-45 "Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." What a humbling reminder! I tried to keep this verse present in my mind and centered in my attitude as I went about today. Try adopting this attitude while doing mundane, ordinary tasks, for example while battling the crowds at the grocery store (I speak from experience...). I promise it will change the way you see those around you!

September 4, 2013. The day an old lover walked back into my life. The day I said, "Hello, old friend" as I once again enjoyed this relationship filled with warmth and love. The day Starbucks brought back the Pumpkin Spice Latte. This day signifies the return of Fall Spirit, no matter what the thermometer might read or the weathermen might predict. I happened to be in Austin, TX for this grand annual event where the high that day was a crisp 102 degrees. And yet we sipped on, wiping away those beads of sweat with determination and confidence! We even developed a new term...."sweatering".

sweatering [swet/er/eeng]
verb
1. The act of sweating in a sweater in the beginning of September because you really want it to be fall but it's still 100 degrees.

My fall spirit is out in full blast and I am quickly becoming my obsessive self with anything remotely reminding me of this fresh season. Fall scented Febreze candle? Why yes, I picked one up today. Chai tea latte with breakfast? Fall in a cup, I always say. And since we enjoyed a nice day in the 70's today, albeit 90 degrees is just lurking around the corner for tomorrow, a pumpkin recipe was a must for my day of fall. With "Apples and spice" burning cheerfully away, I whipped up this {healthy} pumpkin bread recipe, dreaming of patterned scarves, riding boots (never to actually be worn on a horse), rotund little pumpkins, and trees with leaves aglow.

**This is the doubled recipe since it originally called for 7 ounces of pumpkin and I didn't want to waste or have to store leftover Libby's so I made two loaves - one plain and one with chocolate chips for the hubby. Oh darn, more bread to eat. How will we ever stand it? :)

Pumpkin Bread

From: http://www.itbakesmehappy.com/2012/07/pumpkin-bread.html

1 can {15 oz} pumpkin

2 eggs

2/3 cup applesauce

1/2 cup water

1 cup honey

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. ginger

Optional:

2/3 cup dried cranberries and/or 1/2  cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two loaf pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, applesauce, water, sugar, and honey. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips (if using). Spread batter in the loaf pans and bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Although a tad early, I must say it...

Happy fall, y'all!

What's in a name?

The name of these delectable little muffins instantly drew me in and I just had to try out a batch. As an avid carb lover, the thought of a single item encompassing not one but two carbalicious treats was mind-boggling. Muffins that taste like donuts? Yes, please. Nutritional information? No, thank you. Gym the next morning? Well, if you insist. 

After making these muffins-that-taste-like-donuts, I decided that I would actually change that inspirational name that pulled me in like the classic dance move...you know the one...throwing out an imaginary rope/lasso to rhythmically tug in someone who is flopping like fish to the same rhythm. I'd call these babies muffins-that-taste-like-coffee-cake. Maybe Coffee Cake Muffins would roll off the tongue more smoothly. Although with the delicious cinnamon-sugar topping, you're not going to want these muffins to roll anywhere. Dense, moist, cinnamon-y, sugary, perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or late-night dessert.

I believe they said these resembled cake donuts, which might be why they seemed more like a coffee cake to me. (There are only two ways to do doughnuts in my humble opinion...chocolate icing with sprinkles or classic glazed, hot out of the oven, all the way). 

P.S. You will die when you see the method to the cinnamon-sugar-topping madness.

Muffins That Taste Like Donuts

From: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/muffins-that-taste-like-donuts/

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

(I went a little light on the nutmeg. I don't care for strong nutmeg flavor but if you are a fan, go big or go home. Don't go home, you can stay if you want.)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

(Now on the other hand, I am a huge cinnamon fan so I definitely used a heaping teaspoon)

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

For the topping:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg, and  milk. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir only to combine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping in another bowl. Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins into the butter then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Let cool.

Enjoy!

Eh-spicy Rico

Psalm 23:1-3 "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in path of righteousness for his name's sake."  When life seems to be getting busier and busier each day, and time is slipping by too fast to get everything done, these verses of Scripture evoke a peace that settles over any of life's craziness. The Lord's promises are always true and faithful - this is no exception. He will restore our souls, He will make us rest, He will make sure we are not lacking anything. Let His love wash over you this week and remind yourself that our Almighty Father is guiding you down paths of righteousness. As we follow these paths we can bring glory, honor, and praise to His awesome name!

First off I'd like to apologize for how infrequent my posts have been! We've been out of town almost every weekend this month, which is usually when I post the babies. But Pinterest has been its usual sweet self to me and I found a couple awesome recipes I can't wait to share!

Allow me to explain the title "Eh-spicy Rico". This is my father's Latin alter-ego. (For those of you who know my dad, this is priceless considering he often glows in the winter and makes up for his lack of Spanish skills with effort, enthusiasm, and of course, optimism!) He often whips out this Spanish accent at gatherings, especially when relaxing on the lake, and it is truly a delight to all! In true segue fashion, I present to you this eh-spicy pasta recipe courtesy of Pinterest.....

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

From: http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2423433-Spicy-Chicken-Rigatoni

1/4 cup oil

1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper (cut in half to cut down on the spice if you're not a fan)

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

6 oz chicken, sliced

3/4 cup Marinara sauce

1/2 cup Alfredo sauce

**I didn't have any Alfredo on hand so I just made some of my own. You can find that sauce recipe 

by clicking here: Homemade Alfredo

2 tsp butter

1/4 cup peas

1 zucchini, sliced (I added this to the original recipe)

1 lb Rigatoni pasta, cooked by package directions (I used whole wheat penne)

additional 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (for garnish, optional)

1. In a saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, and garlic and saute just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. Add sliced chicken and saute briefly to coat in spices and garlic. (I sauteed the chicken longer than just "briefly" to be sure it cooked all the way through). Add zucchini and saute until tender.

2. Add Marinara sauce first, then Alfredo sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken is cooked through. Turn off flame, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.

3. Toss pasta with sauce. Garnish with crushed red pepper (or extra cheese!) and serve. Enjoy!

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Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

From: http://healthy-delicious.com/2012/03/baked-chicken-and-spinach-flautas/

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used a couple boneless skinless chicken breasts instead)

16 oz beer

2 cups water

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder 

(so I used garlic salt instead since I don't have garlic powder and my flautas turned out a bit on the salty side....luckily my husband likes salt like a deer...but next time I'd definitely use powder and maybe even cut the salt down anyways)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 jalapeno, minced

3 cups baby spinach, chopped

5 burrito-sized flour tortillas (9 in) - I used fajita size and just kept filling til the mix was gone

6 oz shredded cheese

1 Tbsp olive oil, or cooking spray

Salsa, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Place chicken in deep saute pan and cover with beer and water. Bring to a boil. then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from liquid and shred it. Mix together the chicken and seasonings. 

3. Pour out all but 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add jalapeno and spinach and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.

**The original recipe said to layer chicken, then spinach, then cheese in the tortillas. I mixed the spinach and chicken together to make it easier, then just topped with cheese.

4. Cut the tortillas in half (not necessary if you use smaller tortillas like I did). Spoon chicken-spinach mixture along long edge of tortilla and top with cheese. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the straight edge. Place seam down on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

5. Spray the flautas with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until crispy. (I caught mine right before they got a little two crispy, I'd say only 5 minutes on the second side).

Crispy (but not fried!) and oh-so-good, especially served with some black beans or salsa. Ole!

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Caramelized Onion, Zucchini, and Cheese Frittata

From: my brain plus inspiration from skinnytaste.com

1 zucchini, sliced into thin half-moons

1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced

5 strips bacon, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tsp olive oil

6 eggs

Splash of milk

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup shredded Italian cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese (not sure how much I used to sprinkle on top, just eyeball it according to your preferences)

2. Cook bacon (I used microwave bacon) and slice.

3. In separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add salt, pepper, Italian cheese, and bacon. Stir to combine.

4. Pour eggs into skillet with veggies and allow to cook slightly (the edges will begin to firm up).

5. Transfer to greased glass baking dish and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

6. Cook for 14 minutes at 400 degrees or until eggs are cooked through (do the shake test and see if the middle wiggles - if it does, keep cookin')

So tasty! Serve with toast for a breakfast night or with a side salad for a complete meal! 

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Before I go, here's a little pic to brighten your day! And yes, our obsession with our cats has not dwindled in the least. On the contrary, it seems to grow stronger each day ha! Good thing I married James or I would most definitely, without a doubt slip down the slippery slope of being a cat lady. 

It's bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up others according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." This is often one of the most difficult things to do. It is so easy to vent, complain, gossip, or make negative comments, especially if your day  has been less than wonderful. If you make a point to review each thing that comes out of your mouth in the course of a day, it becomes very obvious that much of what we say does not build up others, let alone the kingdom of God. However, the good news is that all things are possible with the Lord and He alone can help us use our tongues in positive, helpful, Godly ways. Let's make a point to benefit those around us in all the things that we say and do!

I found this recipe via Pinterest and was just itching to try it out. Unfortunately I halved this recipe when I tried it for the first time. Mistake #1! It just left us wanting more and more....and this is coming from a non-oatmeal lover! I've never been a fan of the mushy consistency, but the baking part makes it firmer and oh-so-amazingly-delicious! Plus it's heart healthy so you can feel really good about licking your plate (or the entire pan) clean!

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas

From: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/baked-oatmeal-with-blueberries-and.html#more

2 medium ripe bananas (the riper the better), sliced into half-inch pieces

1 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen ones)

1/4 cup honey

1 cup uncooked quick oats

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray the bottom of a ceramic baking dish (I used a glass 8x8 one).

2. Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the bananas, 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon, 1 Tbsp of the honey and cover with foil.

3. Bake 15 minutes or until the bananas get soft.

4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, remaining cinnamon, and salt. Stir together.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining honey, egg, milk, and vanilla.

6. Remove the bananas from the oven and sprinkle oat mixture evenly over the top.

7. Pour the milk mixture over the oats, making sure to distribute it as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries and nuts over the top.

8. Bake for 30 minutes or until oatmeal is golden brown and set. Serve warm from the oven.

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Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

From: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/08/chicken-rollatini-stuffed-with-zucchini.html

1 tsp olive oil

4 gloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan)

3 oz part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each (I just sliced through my chicken breasts horizontally)

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and fresh pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450. Lightly spray a baking dish with 

non-stick spray.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano or parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and saute 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella and mix to combine.

3. Lay chicken cutlets on work surface and spread 3 Tbsp zucchini mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam down.

4. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a dish. In second bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and pepper.

5. Dip chicken in lemon-olive oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs, and place seam down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining chicken. When all chicken in done, lightly spray with cooking spray.

6. Bake 25-30 minutes and serve immediately from oven.

So tasty and a good way to sneak veggies in! It seriously just tastes like yummy, melty cheese!

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 :)

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?