Proverbs 24:3-4: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

greek goodness!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!! We ALL have SO much to be thankful for!!
I can't believe it has been nearly TWO weeks since I've posted!
So....
for the past few months, I've been on a big "Mediterranean" food kick. I am all about a good kabob, some hummus, pita, and rice! Josh and I have tried out at least five different places since October! It's kind of nice that we have lots of choices near to us!

Over the weekend, I thought to myself....'You could totally make your own hummus!'

I found some recipes online and bought the necessary items. I also bought some yummy pita...and last night, I tested out some hummus on my Bible study gals! They seemed to really like it! Here's the recipe I used....

απολαύσετε!

(that means "enjoy!" in greek!)

2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

liberal

growing up, liberal was a dirty word in my house (still is, actually).

i have always thought of liberal as a "political" word,

so i don't think of myself as liberal. at. all.

last week, i got to thinking....

about how liberal is the opposite of conservative (profound, right?!),

and about how there are some areas where the christian should be liberal.

very liberal.

we should be liberal in....

****

sharing

the word of God.

what we've been given.

our blessings.

giving

to others.

of ourselves.

of our time and resources.

worshiping

the Lord.

the Creator of the universe.

and singing praise to His name.

complimenting

those around us.

people that we love.

people that are hard to love.

even when we don't feel like it.

serving

the Lord...

at church.

in our communities.

in our homes.

others.

praying

and talking with God.

for others.

and dialoguing with Jesus.

seeking

His will in/for our lives.

and searching His Word and love letter to us.

thanking

Jesus, our Savior, for dying for our sins.

others and telling them how much we appreciate them.

God for all that He does for us.

God for the blessings He pours out upon us...daily!

the Lord for answering our prayers.

****

this conservative is going to strive to always be liberal in the areas listed above!

below, i've included the definition of liberal....taken from webster's 1828 dictionary.

Lib"er*al (?), a. [F. libéral, L. liberalis, from liber free; perh. akin to libet, lubet,it pleases, E. lief. Cf. Deliver.]1. Free by birth; hence, befitting a freeman or gentleman; refined; noble; independent; free; not servile or mean; as, a liberal ancestry; a liberal spirit; liberal arts or studies. Liberaleducation." Macaulay. A liberal tongue." Shak.2. Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver. Liberal of praise." Bacon.Infinitely good, and of his good As liberal and free as infinite. Milton.3. Bestowed in a large way; hence, more than sufficient; abundant; bountiful; ample; profuse; as, a liberal gift; a liberal discharge of matter or of water.His wealth doth warrant a liberal dower. Shak.4. Not strict or rigorous; not confined or restricted to the literal sense; free; as, a liberal translation of a classic, or a liberal construction of law or of language.5. Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish; enlarged in spirit; catholic.6. Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint; licentious. Most like a liberal villain." Shak.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

adventures in cup-caking!

since the boys on are their special diet, i no longer make boxed cakes/cupcakes.

i love walking through borders, and a while back- i had come across this book.

i exercised some serious self-control and did not purchase it (the first time).

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat

i went back to borders with my friend (kim), showed it to her, and put it back on the shelf (self-control....two times now).

a week later, when both boys were in school and i had some time to kill, i went strolling through borders, found and looked through the book...and still....i put it back (third time now!).

finally, i could bear it no longer. i waited until i received an online coupon, i hustled the kids to the car, drove to the nearest borders, and snatched up martha stewart's cupcakes.

phew! finally.....i had it. i flipped through it many times for the following few days. i just couldn't decide which ones to make first.

i decided to make the snickerdoodle cupcakes. my friends (theresa and leah) were my guinea pigs and they [said they] loved them!! i found them quite delightful myself and all three of my boys loved them, too. they are light and fluffy and the frosting was delicious, too!

the second recipe i tried were the s'mores cupcakes. i was soooo excited to make these and take them camping! well, i must say....they were a bit of a disappointment. the cupcake tasted more like a thick and heavy muffin and the chocolate ganache and marshmallow creme (all from scratch...thank you very much!) weren't as sweet as i expected. after all the work, i decided to still take them to all our camping buddies. no one said they weren't good....but tommy and jessica did keep referring to them as muffins! ha....anyhow....i won't be making those again!

this past weekend, i made the brown sugar pound cakes (with brown butter frosting), and i got rave reviews! josh loved them, and he took a bunch to his coworkers- who loved them, too! i took some to leah and tommy...and tommy requested more.

well, tonight....i am hosting a coffee n' cupcake night for my bible study friends. last night, i made the cookies n' cream cheesecakes...and this morning, the boys and i snuck a taste. they are rich...and delicious!!

i just took the pumpkin brown butter cupcakes out of the oven (and i made cream cheese frosting for those)...and they smell wonderful!

later on today, i will be making the chocolate flourless cupcakes! i am so excited for my friends to taste test.

*did you see julie and julia? such a cute movie....where a girl decides to make every recipe in julia child's mastering the art of french cooking. i may just be the girl who decides to try every cupcake in martha's book!! maybe she'll call me and invite me onto her show...and...oh, who am i kidding???....i would rather die than be on tv!

well, friends....

it wouldn't be my blog if this post wasn't long winded and full of information you really didn't need! i am not even sure what the point of this post is??? i guess it's to tell you that you should go out and snag yourself a copy of this book.

while some of the recipes are labor intensive and require things such as kitchen torches and candy thermometers, and refer to things like the "soft ball stage" and "firm ball stage" (who knew that cooking involved sports?! see, i can even call it exercise!).....i believe that the finished product is well worth the time spent in the kitchen. i am finding that i truly enjoy baking and cooking....and i am 100% convinced that "food" is the 6th love language!! okay...that's a whole 'nutha post!

happy cup-caking........

Monday, November 8, 2010

a yummy fall treat

i was looking through a pampered chef catalog last week (thanks, neva!), and i found a recipe for "sweet and salty party mix." this type of mix is a favorite of josh's. i knew my boys would love it, too. so far, i have made it twice. i followed the recipe the first time, and the second time- i left out the pretzels and replaced them with more popcorn and crispix. i also used whole foods already popped/bagged popcorn! enjoy! this is quick, easy, and very addicting. make with caution....

sweet & salty party mix:

1 pkg. (3-3.5 oz) microwave popcorn (about 5 cups popped)

3 cups mini pretzel twists

2 cups dry-roasted salted peanuts

2 cups oven-toasted rice cereal squares (crispix)

1 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup corn syrup

1 tsp. baking soda

1. preheat oven to 300. prepare popcorn according to package directions. in a large bowl, combine popcorn, pretzels, peanuts, and cereal. combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. continue to cook without stirring for 3 minutes. remove from heat; carefully stir in baking soda.

2. pour caramel sauce over popcorn mixture; stir until evenly coated. spoon onto cookie pan and bake for 30 min., stirring occasionally. remove from oven.

3. transfer popcorn mixture to large piece of parchment paper. cool completely, breaking mixture into clusters as it cools.

(cook's tips: this recipe can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. do not use dark brown sugar when preparing this recipe, as it may alter the taste and appearance. pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts can be substituted for the peanuts.)

Monday, November 1, 2010

campin'.....

get ready for a bazillion pictures of our weekend away.

we got to take a short camping trip, up to leo carillo (malibu)...

with five other families from our church.

there were fifteen kids....and they outnumbered us adults!

it was a super fun weekend of (in no particular order):

* pumpkin carving * adventuring with sticks and rocks * laying on the beach * splashing in the water * checking out the tide pools * playing games * eating * hanging out * dressing up in costumes * "trick or treating" for toys * watching a "glow" parade * doing bible study on the beach * sittin' by the campfire * chatting with friends * making caramel apples * sharing meals with friends * letting the kids stay up late * o.d.ing on candy * walking along the beach and the jetty * decorating bags * cramming nine people into a 26-foot trailer * looking up at the stars * thanking God for friends * enjoying God's beauty all around!

drew and hudson enjoyed playing together!

me, trying to be artistic!

josh and tommy....

the squirrels wanted to carve their own pumpkins!

hudson and some vampire teeth (given to him by a "neighbor")

all of the kids had a blast...playing in the rocks and leaves!

early on saturday morning, josh took jake and bryson to watch the sunrise....

God painted a beautiful one for them!

josh....doin' this thang....

boys+trees= fun!

...the gorgeous beach!

an amazing sea star....

hudson...enjoying the tide pools and the sunshine...

our wonderful hubbies watched the kids, so that we could enjoy some quiet time, down on the beach! we each took our bible studies/books...and sat together...but didn't talk- if you can believe it!

(jess, michele, kristi, leah)