Today after lunch, Ian and I were playing with his trains in his room. (Ok, that could be said for every single day of my life, but whatever.) It was almost nap time, and I advised him to only get out some of his tracks instead of all of them so we would have more time to play. You would have thought I'd asked him to stand outside in the snow with no shoes for two days, or something equally abusive and horrific. Oh, the crying and screaming and thrashing about that ensued!
In the midst of this typically toddlerish tantrum, he began kicking and throwing around the tracks that were already out of their box. I was immediately reminded of something that our former pastor in Bloomington, Bob Whitaker, said in a recent sermon about the 6th commandment. He reminded us that we are made in the image of God, and therefore, are not made to destroy, but to create, reconcile, restore, and heal.
Try explaining that to an upset 3-year-old.
After Ian calmed down enough (and after a well-deserved 3-minute time-out), we cuddled in the rocking chair and talked about how God made us to help him take care of things and not to hurt them and other people. Surprisingly, he seemed to get it. We got up, went back to his room, and played happily (and constructively) with choo choos until nap time.
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Check out Bob's sermon in its entirety here. (23 minutes, 15 seconds)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Life and Death Are All Around Us
Last night, Eric and I were watching the movie "the Namesake" on our couch, having just enjoyed a wonderful dinner and some Cadbury creme eggs for dessert. It had been a somewhat rough day for both of us, for various reasons, and we were intentionally celebrating with thankfulness the goodness of our lives: good food, a good home, good friends and family, and each other. During a rather sad scene in the movie where a woman gets heart-wrenching news about her husband's death over the telephone, our own phone rang. It was my mom, calling to tell us that a 25-year-old family friend had committed suicide yesterday afternoon.
In the midst of our attempts to choose life, it felt like death was winning.
But I was reminded this morning of what Jesus said to us in John 10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." To the full can also be rendered "abudantly" or "a rich and satisfying life." The final goal of everything Jesus did was to give us life -- and not just a wimpy, poor existence like the struggling daffodils in my snowy flower beds, but a powerfilled, content, joyful kind of life that is bursting at the seams. Life in abundance.
The terribly sad thing about living on this earth in its current state is that we are confronted with death on a daily basis. But there is hope because there is life all around us, as well. The question is, which one are we going to let color our thoughts and attitudes and rule our lives?
With the help of God, I pray it is life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those of you in the habit of praying, please remember our friends Mike and LuAnna Schone and their daughter Christina as they mourn the loss of their son and brother Ben. Please pray, also, for Ben's young friends, as many of them are dealing with something like this for the first time in their lives. Pray that their pain is not wasted, but will lead to life.
In the midst of our attempts to choose life, it felt like death was winning.
But I was reminded this morning of what Jesus said to us in John 10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." To the full can also be rendered "abudantly" or "a rich and satisfying life." The final goal of everything Jesus did was to give us life -- and not just a wimpy, poor existence like the struggling daffodils in my snowy flower beds, but a powerfilled, content, joyful kind of life that is bursting at the seams. Life in abundance.
The terribly sad thing about living on this earth in its current state is that we are confronted with death on a daily basis. But there is hope because there is life all around us, as well. The question is, which one are we going to let color our thoughts and attitudes and rule our lives?
With the help of God, I pray it is life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those of you in the habit of praying, please remember our friends Mike and LuAnna Schone and their daughter Christina as they mourn the loss of their son and brother Ben. Please pray, also, for Ben's young friends, as many of them are dealing with something like this for the first time in their lives. Pray that their pain is not wasted, but will lead to life.
Grilled Soy Pork Tenderloin
Two things contributed to this recipe being added to our repertoire:
Soy Pork Tenderloin with Asian Vegetables
Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins, about 3/4-1 pound each
6 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. sesame oil
3 T. water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground ginger (or 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 large carrots, peeled and quatered
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1/4 c. cold water
1 tsp. cornstarch
Directions:
Blend soy sauce, onion, brown sugar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, water, garlic, ginger, black pepper and cayenne in a large zip-lock bag; add the pork and mush around with your hands to get it coated. Refrigerate the entire bag for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
Prepare a medium-hot, indirect fire in a grill (push all the coals to the sides and leave the middle open if you're using charcoal). Remove the pork from the bag and reserve the remaining marinade. Place the meat on the grill; cover for 10-15 minutes, then turn, cover, and grill for another 10-15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 155 degrees. There should be the slightest hint of pink in the center.
Meanwhile, bring some water to a boil in a large saucepan or wok, and add the carrots. Cook for about 6 minutes, then add the green beans. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, or until the green beans are a brighter green. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 c. water and cornstarch. Bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cornstarch mixture (also called a "slurry") and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add the warm sauce to the still-warm vegetables and toss to coat. Serve warm with some cilantro for a garnish.
Rice Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. honey
1 T. cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Blend all ingredients except the cilantro in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until heated through. Toss with 1/2 pound cooked rice noodles and sprinkle with cilantro.
- Sherri and Adam gave us a "Grilling for Dummies" recipe book for Christmas, and
- Eric used his saved-up birthday money towards a new Weber charcoal grill.
Soy Pork Tenderloin with Asian Vegetables Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins, about 3/4-1 pound each
6 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. sesame oil
3 T. water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground ginger (or 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 large carrots, peeled and quatered
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1/4 c. cold water
1 tsp. cornstarch
Directions:
Blend soy sauce, onion, brown sugar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, water, garlic, ginger, black pepper and cayenne in a large zip-lock bag; add the pork and mush around with your hands to get it coated. Refrigerate the entire bag for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
Prepare a medium-hot, indirect fire in a grill (push all the coals to the sides and leave the middle open if you're using charcoal). Remove the pork from the bag and reserve the remaining marinade. Place the meat on the grill; cover for 10-15 minutes, then turn, cover, and grill for another 10-15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 155 degrees. There should be the slightest hint of pink in the center.
Meanwhile, bring some water to a boil in a large saucepan or wok, and add the carrots. Cook for about 6 minutes, then add the green beans. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, or until the green beans are a brighter green. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 c. water and cornstarch. Bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cornstarch mixture (also called a "slurry") and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add the warm sauce to the still-warm vegetables and toss to coat. Serve warm with some cilantro for a garnish.
Rice Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. honey
1 T. cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Blend all ingredients except the cilantro in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until heated through. Toss with 1/2 pound cooked rice noodles and sprinkle with cilantro.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Where, O Where, is Spring?
At about 2am this morning, while we were snug under our heavy comforter in our blissfully dark, black-curtained bedroom, Eric and I were rudely awakened by what sounded like something being repeatedly yet randomly thrown at our roof. This continued for a few minutes, and Eric decided to manfully see what was up. As it turned out, our neighborhood trees were launching snowballs at our house. Wet, nasty, cold snowballs. In April.
Imagine my delight.
So I turned on some soft music to muffle the thud, thud, thud, buried my head under the covers (for those of you who know me, it takes something drastic for me to cover my face, especially my nose), and attempted to salvage a good night's sleep.
Here is what we woke up to:
On the bright side, more snow means that we'll enjoy the warmer temps, the soothing sunshine, and the spring fragrances that much more when they do decide to stay for awhile!
Imagine my delight.
So I turned on some soft music to muffle the thud, thud, thud, buried my head under the covers (for those of you who know me, it takes something drastic for me to cover my face, especially my nose), and attempted to salvage a good night's sleep.
Here is what we woke up to:
On the bright side, more snow means that we'll enjoy the warmer temps, the soothing sunshine, and the spring fragrances that much more when they do decide to stay for awhile!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Spring Pea Soup
While we have our standard year-round favorites, our menu choices are often determined by current seasons. As spring gradually makes itself more known, one of my favorite soups comes out of hiding and graces our table on a more regular basis: Spring Pea Soup. 
I made this for my mother-in-law's birthday a few weeks ago, prepared it today for a luncheon at our house, and plan on serving it at our annual Resurrection Feast on Easter Sunday. The first bite is often met with surprised exclamations of, "I like this!", as if pea soup were the last thing my guests would choose to eat of their own accord. And granted, pea soup is often over-cooked and under-flavored, and usually turns into a brownish-green mess of mush, in my experience. But this one is smooth, flavorful, and fresh tasting, thanks to the mint that is added towards the end. Plus, it's SO EASY! I absolutely love this recipe. So here ya go:
Spring Pea Soup
Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups of red potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3-4 potatoes)
32 oz. chicken broth
20 oz. frozen green sweet peas
2 T. chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 c. sour cream
Directions:
Put the onion, potatoes, and chicken broth in a large soup or stock pot and bring to a boil; decrease heat to medium. Allow to simmer until potatoes are almost tender, then add the peas. Increase the heat to bring to a boil again. Immediately remove from heat, then puree in a blender or food processor, or in the pot with a stick blender until very smooth. Add the mint and sour cream and blend again. Serve hot.
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Ian helped prepare the food for the luncheon today, and asked to make the cucumber cranberry salad himself. Doubtful that he could do it, but wanting to reward independence, I let him go at it. This is what he showed me after announcing "All done!"
I made this for my mother-in-law's birthday a few weeks ago, prepared it today for a luncheon at our house, and plan on serving it at our annual Resurrection Feast on Easter Sunday. The first bite is often met with surprised exclamations of, "I like this!", as if pea soup were the last thing my guests would choose to eat of their own accord. And granted, pea soup is often over-cooked and under-flavored, and usually turns into a brownish-green mess of mush, in my experience. But this one is smooth, flavorful, and fresh tasting, thanks to the mint that is added towards the end. Plus, it's SO EASY! I absolutely love this recipe. So here ya go:Spring Pea Soup
Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups of red potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3-4 potatoes)
32 oz. chicken broth
20 oz. frozen green sweet peas
2 T. chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 c. sour cream
Directions:
Put the onion, potatoes, and chicken broth in a large soup or stock pot and bring to a boil; decrease heat to medium. Allow to simmer until potatoes are almost tender, then add the peas. Increase the heat to bring to a boil again. Immediately remove from heat, then puree in a blender or food processor, or in the pot with a stick blender until very smooth. Add the mint and sour cream and blend again. Serve hot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ian helped prepare the food for the luncheon today, and asked to make the cucumber cranberry salad himself. Doubtful that he could do it, but wanting to reward independence, I let him go at it. This is what he showed me after announcing "All done!"
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A Budding Artist
The other day, I was going to be painting some clay pots to make some flower arrangements for our living room, and Ian wanted to "help." So I put a tarp down on the table, gave him some paints on a paper plate, and let him run wild. Little did I know he'd love it so much! The whole rest of the day, and even for days afterwards, he kept talking about painting with Mommy. He even thanked God for it that night when he went to bed!
He actually did a really nice job on his little pot, and now it's sitting on our side table in the dining room, adorned with some faux hydrangea:
He actually did a really nice job on his little pot, and now it's sitting on our side table in the dining room, adorned with some faux hydrangea:
Sunday, March 22, 2009
All Things New
Yesterday, I was doing something or other around the house, when Eric came up to me, beckoned me with his finger, and said expectantly, "Come 'ere...I want to show you something." He led me to the front door and pointed to a spot in the front yard where three tiny crocuses were peeping up from the grass, stretching their thin purple necks toward the sun's rays -- the first ones to show themselves in our yard this spring.Premier blossoms of spring always fill me with excitement -- not only excitement for the numerous other green and colorful things that are awaiting their debut from the cold, brown, earth, but also the excitement that comes with the newness of life, the resurrection of things that once seemed dead. In the spring, like no other season of the year, I'm reminded time and again of joyful promises like, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (1 Corinthians 5:17) and "Behold! I'm making all things new!" (Revelation 21:5). Simple things like the first crocuses of the year remind me of the hope we have in Christ, not only for "the next life", but also for this one. Just as crocuses are little glimpses of the wide array of beauty that we will soon enjoy in late spring and summer, so too, little events throughout our days are reminders of the great peace and joy we'll one day experience in their fullness: a welcoming hug from a friend, a happy chat with one's spouse, a kind word from a coworker, a helping hand from a stranger. These types of things are indicators that life is not full of death as we often feel that it is, but instead, glimpses of life are actually all around us, pointing us toward that day when Life will reign supreme. And the more we share that life, the more evident and powerful it will be.
"Your kingdom come, Lord, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." May I be a crocus to someone today.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
(75%) Success!
Many of you know that I've been trying to perfect a whole wheat bread recipe for many months now. It all started when I bought a honey whole wheat loaf from Breadsmith and realized that 1) it was made from all normal kitchen ingredients (no preservatives or dough conditioners), and 2) it was delicious! Not a brick at all! The problem was, it was $4 a loaf. Eep. This got me to thinking: "Hmmm....maybe I can make my own organic whole wheat bread, save some money, AND it'll be healthier than the organic stuff I've been buying from the store because it won't have all that crap in it!" Light bulb moment!
So I started searching for good recipes. I tried several of them. One in particular involved me practically having to prepare days in advance, do a few incantations, run around a crazy obstacle course, and finally....end up with bread that was still solid as a rock and wouldn't rise. Back to the drawing board.
I finally consulted the guru of all that is food: the Joy of Cooking, particularly my wonderfully basic 1967 edition. It had a half whole wheat, half white recipe that looked promising as well as easy, and I decided to try it "in the meantime" until I could get a good whole wheat recipe down pat. Well, it was so yummy (with a few healthy modifications on my part), that I just kept making it instead of trying out new recipes. Eric was eating so much of it that I had to resort to economic logic to get him to slow down on his bread consumption: we were spending more grocery money on bread (ingredients) than we were when I was buying the store-bought kind. Oops.
Add that experience to another: I was perusing the flour selection at my local Meijer, looking for good quality flours (as any good cook knows, it's all about the quality of the ingredients), and after trying several of their middle-of-the-road products, I took the plunge and bought the king of flours: King Arthur's Organic Whole Wheat flour, which comes in at $6 for 5 pounds. Yep, ouch. But hey, it was worth a shot.
And the shot hit the bulls-eye. Folks, this is REALLY good bread flour, even though it's whole wheat. After using it in various baking adventures, I gradually started increasing the ratio of white to wheat flours in my bread recipe, and lo-and-behold, it's still delicious! Moist yet firm, flavorful but not woody, sweet but not too much so. We love it! And Eric figured out for me that it's costing us $2 a loaf, which is actually comparable to most of the whole wheat breads in the store, but a heckuva lot healthier.
I haven't gone "all the way" and used 100% whole wheat flour in it yet; I guess I'm nervous that we won't like it and I'll have wasted $4 worth of bread ingredients. So I'm still slowly adding more whole wheat and less ultra-processed white to the mix. As of today, I was at 6 cups of wheat to 2 cups of white -- 75%! And it's still absolutely scrumptious! My next batch will probably only contain 1 cup of white flour, and we'll see how that goes. At any rate, I'm pleased with the outcome so far.
So here you are....drumroll, please.....The Bread Recipe:
Mostly Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
2 tsp. yeast
1/2 c. hot water
1 T. sugar
1 beaten egg
1/4 c. melted butter, still warm
2 c. hot water + 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar (or 1/2 c. honey)
6 c. King Arthur’s organic whole wheat flour
2 c. King Arthur’s organic white flour
Directions:
So I started searching for good recipes. I tried several of them. One in particular involved me practically having to prepare days in advance, do a few incantations, run around a crazy obstacle course, and finally....end up with bread that was still solid as a rock and wouldn't rise. Back to the drawing board.
I finally consulted the guru of all that is food: the Joy of Cooking, particularly my wonderfully basic 1967 edition. It had a half whole wheat, half white recipe that looked promising as well as easy, and I decided to try it "in the meantime" until I could get a good whole wheat recipe down pat. Well, it was so yummy (with a few healthy modifications on my part), that I just kept making it instead of trying out new recipes. Eric was eating so much of it that I had to resort to economic logic to get him to slow down on his bread consumption: we were spending more grocery money on bread (ingredients) than we were when I was buying the store-bought kind. Oops.
Add that experience to another: I was perusing the flour selection at my local Meijer, looking for good quality flours (as any good cook knows, it's all about the quality of the ingredients), and after trying several of their middle-of-the-road products, I took the plunge and bought the king of flours: King Arthur's Organic Whole Wheat flour, which comes in at $6 for 5 pounds. Yep, ouch. But hey, it was worth a shot.
And the shot hit the bulls-eye. Folks, this is REALLY good bread flour, even though it's whole wheat. After using it in various baking adventures, I gradually started increasing the ratio of white to wheat flours in my bread recipe, and lo-and-behold, it's still delicious! Moist yet firm, flavorful but not woody, sweet but not too much so. We love it! And Eric figured out for me that it's costing us $2 a loaf, which is actually comparable to most of the whole wheat breads in the store, but a heckuva lot healthier.
I haven't gone "all the way" and used 100% whole wheat flour in it yet; I guess I'm nervous that we won't like it and I'll have wasted $4 worth of bread ingredients. So I'm still slowly adding more whole wheat and less ultra-processed white to the mix. As of today, I was at 6 cups of wheat to 2 cups of white -- 75%! And it's still absolutely scrumptious! My next batch will probably only contain 1 cup of white flour, and we'll see how that goes. At any rate, I'm pleased with the outcome so far.
So here you are....drumroll, please.....The Bread Recipe:
Mostly Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
2 tsp. yeast
1/2 c. hot water
1 T. sugar
1 beaten egg
1/4 c. melted butter, still warm
2 c. hot water + 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar (or 1/2 c. honey)
6 c. King Arthur’s organic whole wheat flour
2 c. King Arthur’s organic white flour
Directions:
- Mix yeast, 1/2 c. water, and 1 T. sugar in a glass bowl and let sit for about 10 min. or until foamy, while you mix the other wet ingredients.
- Mix together egg, butter, water, salt, and sugar; add the yeast water. Add the flours and blend well.
- Let rest for 10 min. Knead on a flat surface (or in a KitchenAid stand mixer with a dough hook) until smooth and elastic, about 10 min.
- Place into a greased bowl and turn over. Cover w/ a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until just doubled in size. (I put it in a slightly warm oven that has been turned off.)
- Punch the dough and place it on a flat surface. Knead again for a minute or two.
- Roll out the dough with a pin or your hand until about 1” thick. Fold the sides up, then fold the ends up to form a loaf pan shape. Place in 2 greased pans, sprinkle w/oats and cover with damp towels. Let rise another 45-60 min., or until almost doubled in size (again, in a barely warm oven).
- With the bread still in it, turn the oven heat to 400 degrees. After 15 min., reduce heat to 375 degrees, rotate the pans, and bake 20-25 minutes longer. Test for doneness by removing from pan and knocking on the bottom; if a hollow sound emerges, the bread is done. Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing. (I refrigerate one loaf, and freeze the other.)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
What the Bugger-Boo is NOT doing right now
This picture is taken from a week or two ago and is the opposite of what transpired today during nap time. Instead, this is the wide-awake face that greeted me following this afternoon's nap time:
Sigh....What's a mother to do?
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