Epiphany

We celebrated Epiphany quietly this year. Always the puzzle of the Magi graces the table in the living room. Always we invite somebody to share a sweet treat and look for the hidden baby Jesus inside. 

Last year, we invited a family with small ones to come to our house. This year, we went to a home with many small ones and several big ones, too, and shared our chili and our cottage cheese cake. Then, we sang hymns around the table and enjoyed a sweet time of worship together.

Stewardship

"Bringing our body under subjection doesn't begin with diet and exercise, but with searching for and confessing idols of the heart that interfere with the discipline to which we have been called and which grace makes possible. You see, the stewardship of our physical body is not an addition to our gospel ministry calling; it is a significant part of of it." 

~P.D. Tripp, "Lead"

As I'm trying to jog more, my knees have been rebelling. I've added a simple turmeric latte to my daily routine. Using this inexpensive turmeric with black pepper extract, I use one caplet for every 1/3 cup milk. Drinking this helps me pause each afternoon, something I often forget to do. And my knees are happier, too!

In addition to stewarding our bodies well, we strive to serve our community effectively. Sometimes that looks like standing in line to vote.

And sometimes it looks like buying from local farmers who work hard to grow sustainable meat and produce. Our Thanksgiving turkey once again came from Shaky K Farms. I sure do love this farmer friend!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal always shows up on the menu when the days get colder. Saturday breakfast on the back patio is a treat and a refreshing way to begin the weekend.

Advent Sweet Sabbath and Baking

"We are tempted to view seasons of dormancy as failure, but the Sabbath invites us to resist that temptation and see fallow seasons as an opportunity to trust and grow in one's capacity to wait." 

~Eryn Lynum, "The Nature of Rest"

Growing in one's capacity to wait. Isn't that one of the goals of Advent? Cancer certainly thrust a season of dormancy upon me. As I regain my strength, I don't want to lose that opportunity to trust in the Lord and in His perfect timing.

Yeast bread is another reminder of waiting and trusting, as the yeast works its magic bubbles in the dough. This cheery sweet bread from our favorite baker, Beatrice Ojakangas encourages me to be patient and watch for the delicious things God is doing in our lives.

Cherry-Nut Christmas Wreath

from The Great Holiday Baking Book

2 packages (5 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom

1/2 cup hot water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Cherry-Nut Filling

3/4 chopped walnuts, pecans, filberts, or almonds

1/2 cup chopped candied cherries

1/4 (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine the yeast, flour, sugar, salt, and cardamom in the work bowl of a food processor; mix until blended. Or combine in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, mix together the water and butter. Pour the water-butter mixture and the eggs into the flour. Process or mix until the dough is smooth and satiny. If using the food processor, process until the dough turns around the bowl about 25 times. If necessary, add additional water a tablespoon at a time until the dough has a soft, satiny, springy texture. If the dough seems to be too soft, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, processing between each addition until the dough is no longer sticky. If mixing by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and satiny, then return to the bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. If you have used the food processor, cover the bowl of the food processor and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

In a mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface. Roll the dough into a 24x9 inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin. Soread with the filling. Roll up starting from a long side in a 24-inch roll and pinch the seam to seal. Carefully cut the roll in half lengthwise using a sharp knife. Turn each half cut side up. Pick up each half of the dough and carefully lift one side over the other, twisting them into a rope, keeping the smooth side down and the exposed filling side up. Place on a lightly grease or parchment-covered cookie sheet and shape into a wreath or circle, pinching the ends together. Let the wreath stand in a wrm place, covered, until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until brown. Serve warm.

Sweet Sabbath

"Sabbath is a way to say yes to YHWH. To silence Pharaoh's voice and break free from Egypt's pull and to tune our life to YHWH, the rest-God. It's a way to remember and never forget that what we're craving, and even coveting, isn't found in the world of space, but in the world of time - in God himself....The world and all the stuff in it are gifts to enjoy, not gods to worship."

~John Mark Comer, "Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human"

 This recipe for Sausage and Egg Cottage Cheese Breakfast Casserole is certainly a gift to be enjoyed. The combination of sitting on the porch with a cup of tea and eating off these autumn dishes that belonged to my great-grandmother? That adds up to slowing down and saying "yes to YHWH".

Kickin' off November

Once November began, the days and weeks flew by. The month started with a sweet bonfire/potluck/worship session with some of our favorite people.

As the weather turned colder, I realized I needed to find some wool clothes, especially skirts. America Jane Vintage to the rescue! The owner, Tina, is a sweet friend who shares many of the same experiences.

With Halloween behind us, nobody wants pumpkins and winter squash anymore. So the prices are dropping, and local bounty is easy to find. To save time, we'll take a monster pumpkin, peel and dice it, then measure it out and label it for specific recipes throughout the week. 

In addition to my old standby Chicken and Pumpkin Goulash, we're often making Butternut Squash Hash with Apples, Sausage, and Kale for breakfast.

Sunshine in the House

"A good laugh is sunshine to a house." 

~William Makepeace Thackeray

Sarah arrived for a visit shortly after Aaron returned home. She was sharing about her ministry in the Solomon Islands with several different groups at my parents' church.

Sarah always brings joy and laughter and good food and singing and allllll the things. Truly she brings sunshine to our home.

With our newly purchased bushel of local apples, we baked (and ate) a lot. Including this Danish Apple Cake from The Great Holiday Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas. 

Delight

Now more than ever, we need to pour the light of our souls into the world. We need to gather all the goodness and love and forgiveness and playfulness and joy and gratitude and attention and encouragement and silliness and presence we can and offer it to everyone we meet. We need to reconnect with our own delight, and we need the delight of others."

~Travis West, "The Sabbath Way: Making Room in Your Life for Rest, Connection, and Delight"

I surely love volunteering at CARTI. Last week when I showed up, the waiting room was eerily quiet and almost empty. I quickly learned that the oncologist was absent and the chemo side of the building wasn't giving infusions. When I asked what else I could do to help, one of the employees led me to a storage room and asked if I could label and restock bottles of Ensure for patient nutrition. This involved taking all of the bottles off the shelf and reloading the shelf in order of expiration date. I delighted in helping this way! It was a small offering of my presence and gratitude and attention.

Sometimes answering the question: "What delights you?" can be challenging. Not only does volunteering at CARTI bring me delight, but so does growing my own food and cooking it to share with the people I love. The chocolate beauty sweet peppers I harvested today are beautiful and delicious! Tonight, they will go into creamy chicken pasta salad to bring my family delight.

July Garden Bounty

My little backyard garden isn't producing much this year. Too much shade! But I'm grateful for the farmers market and my friends who faithfully bring their abundance to share.

Eggplant recently morphed into something that looked fancy, but was simple to make. Eggplant Involtini with Moroccan Marinara Sauce was delicious!

My long beans are finally producing. They love the heat and humidity that July offers them.

And we have a volunteer butternut squash that grew out of the compost! What a good reminder that no matter how hard I try to make things grow, God is the one who does the work and provides the bounty.

Raspberries Galore

Our raspberries produce abundantly, but briefly. I made these Raspberry Oat Crumble Squares for a church women's dessert night, and they were delicious! We have a couple of ladies with Alpha Gal Syndrome, and a few more who are gluten free, so whenever we have gatherings with food, I try to bring something they can eat.

More often, I layer our raspberries in jars for overnight oatmeal, one of my favorite summer breakfasts:

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup raw milk

1 tsp chia seeds

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (or vanilla)

1/2 cup raspberries

Refrigerate overnight, stir and eat for a yummy start to the day!

 

It's Still Cold Outside

As my next round of three-month checkups draws near, giving my body the best chance to recover from cancer treatments is on my mind. So is strengthening my body to fight in the future, since HER2+ is the most aggressive form of breast cancer.  

According to Native Path's website, good physical health is based on these five pillars:

1) Sleep 

2) Hydration

3) Sunshine

4) Movement

5) Nutrition

Katherine and I tackled this list when our town was snowed in and school was cancelled for several days. We walked to a new coffee shop, Secret Nook Coffee and Books. She did homework and I checked email while our toes thawed and we sipped hot coffee.

The sun was shining, but the wind stung our cheeks and made the cold temps feel even colder. But you know what helps make everything warm and cozy? Soup.

African Peanut Stew

Adapted from "The Oh She Glows Cookbook"

1 teaspoon avocado or coconut oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 pieces

1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes, with their juices

salt and pepper

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked 

8 cups baby spinach

roasted peanuts for serving

1) In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

2) Add the bell pepper, sweet potato, and tomatoes with their juices. Raise the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season the veggies with salt and pepper.

3) In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and 1 cup of the broth until no clumps remain. I find mixing them is easier if the broth is warm. Stir the mixture into the vegetables along with the remaining 3 cups of broth, chili powder, and smoked paprika.

4) Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is fork-tender.

5) Stir in the chickpeas and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

6) Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with roasted peanuts.

 

Soup

When I checked out snow books, this little gem of a book showed up. "Everybody Serves Soup" checked all of the boxes. The author took my favorite topics, food and community, and wrapped them up into a snow filled story. (Our library doesn't have her other books, "Everybody Brings Noodles", "Everybody Bakes Bread", and "Everybody Cooks Rice", but I can't wait to read them, too!)

We're eating a lot of soups and stews these days. The Indian curried cauliflower and lentil soup is on repeat. White chicken chili is another favorite, and it's a great recipe to have available for our friends who have alpha-gal syndrome. One of my favorite things to do is to host people for chili and games (like Goat Lords), then serve both a red meat chili and the white chili with all the toppings.

Choate Chili

Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1/2 lb ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 16 oz can of petite diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups dark red kidney beans

6 oz tomato paste

6 oz water (just fill the tomato paste can)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic salt

In a large saucepan, cook ground beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic till meat is brown. Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, chili powder, basil, and garlic salt. Dump it all in a slow cooker, turn it on high for 3-4 hours.

Gumbo Time

One of my beef-producing-farmers-market-friends makes a fabulous, slightly spicy sausage. But only once a year. The temperature has to be just right, and the farmers need to have several days free to complete the process. So this special sausage deserves its own place in the deep freezer and in my meal plan. The weekend before Christmas, I got the text: "We're making the sausage this weekend, want some?" And I quickly replied, "Yes, please. Ten pounds!" We met in a parking lot where I handed her some cash, and she handed me a black plastic bag. We looked suspicious. But the results were delicious. Gumbo is one of the recipes that waits until I have this local beef sausage available. 

PSA: My taste buds still aren't back online after chemo, so most people want to add a little more spice to their bowl. I just add my old favorite, garlic salt :)

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

Serves 4

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cooking oil (I use olive or avocado oil.)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth, heated

8 ounces smoked sausage, cut into slices

1 1/2 cups sliced okra

2 bay leaves

5-6 oz chicken breast

For roux, in a large heavy saucepan, combine flour and oil till smooth. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir about 15 minutes more (mine never takes this long!) or till roux is dark reddish brown (matching the color of a penny).

Stir in onion, bell pepper, & garlic. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or till vegetables are just crisp tender, stirring often. Gradually stir in hot chicken broth, smoked sausage, okra and bay leaves. Add chicken. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. If desired, serve over rice.

 

Pot Pies

This cold weather makes me crave hearty comfort foods like soup and pot pies. So I pulled out a little gem of a cookbook, Pot Pies by Beatrice Ojakangas, to try a new recipe. I still had a ton of cabbage from a local farmer and had recently picked up some mushrooms on the sale rack at the grocery store. Choosing the recipe was easy, because I had every single ingredient for the Russian Cabbage Pie.

Russian Cabbage Pie

Makes 6 servings

3 Tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 small head green cabbage, trimmed and finely shredded (about 3 cups)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms. cleaned and sliced

1 recipe lemon pastry

3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

4 hard cooked eggs, sliced

1 tsp dried dill

Lemon Pastry

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, in half inch slices

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Stir the flour and salt together. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork, stir the egg, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the ice water together. Sprinkle the liquid over the flour mixture and mix just until the pastry holds together, adding more water if needed. Knead the dough in the bowl for 2 or 3 strokes - just until the dough makes a smooth ball. Cover and chill for 30 minutes or until firm. 

In a large, heavy skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and cabbage, and cook over medium-low heat, turning with a spatula until the cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil, marjoram, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking another 10- to 15 minutes or until soft but not browned. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring over medium heat, until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and fit it into a 9-inch square (or round!) pan. Spread the pastry with the cream ccheese and top with the sliced eggs. Sprinkle with the dill. Top evenly with the cabbage, then top the cabbage with the mushrooms. Roll out the remaining pastry and fit it onto the top of the pie. Moisten and flute the edges to seal. Make a few short slashes for vents. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Friday Favorite Five - Cold Weather Edition

Hygge is just a temporary fix. It's a lifestlye Band-Aid that will help create a home in the short term. True and lasting comfort, though, can't be tablescaped or found in some twelve-step Scandinavian formula. The perfect blend of coffee can't cultivate true contentment. There's no flannel blanket big enough to cover deep soul ache. A long walk in the woods won't change a life for the long haul. Reshaping an atmosphere can never permanently reshape a heart. But it can help, especially when paired with the hope of Jesus. 

~Jamie Erickson, "Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow"

My friends north of the Mason Dixon line are laughing at me, but these temps are unseasonably cold for us in Arkansas. I took this screen shot earlier this week, but as the week progressed the temps got even colder, and we had several inches of snow predicted for this morning.

1) All. The. Soups. We have been working through the winter squashes and pumpkins we bought at Drewry Farm and Orchards last fall. This chicken, pumpkin, and garbanzo stew has been a family favorite for many years. I admit I use less chicken than the 1 1/2 lbs the recipe suggests. The spice combination and the ease of popping everything in the crockpot make this recipe one we reach for again and again.

2) Versed Aging Skin Collection. The resurfacing mask is my favorite, but all of these products (focusing on exfoliation, moisture, & skin texture) check the boxes for me: unscented, cruelty-free, recyclable, and free of all the sodium laurel sulfate and paraben and aluminum, etc. Exaxtly what I need during the cold weather.

3) Pothos plants. I don't have a green thumb, but I've been able to keep a couple of these guys alive for the last few years, and they make me smile, especially in the dark, cold days of winter. Research suggests plants benefit us in multiple ways!

4) I love our little fixer upper. Built in 1939 with an addition in the 1960's, our home is drafty and cool in the winter, but I love the light that pours through our many windows. We've slowly added a few area rugs (yay for gift cards!), most recently in the kitchen. I'm shocked at the huge difference it makes for my feet, but I'm especially surprised at how much cozier our home feels with a rug on the floor.

5) Flannel sheets. The biggest game changer for the colder weather. I love my soft, warm, beautiful floral sheets. Flannel sheets tend to go on sale in the fall, and we took advantage of coupons and sales to replace our threadbare sheets. We have several sets for the three sizes of beds in this house, some prints are spunkier than others :)

New Year's Eve

The day Sarah left, a bonus son arrived. Schwane was a groomsman in Benjamin and Hannah's wedding, and we count him as one of our own.

Hannah switched our Sarah for my gym buddy, and we noticed that our kettlebells matched our shirts :)

On New Year's Eve, we scarfed down broccoli and bread dipped in cheese fondue

then we shifted to chocolate fondue for dessert,

before playing Seven Wonders. Aaron and the exuberant young adults stayed up till midnight, I made it all the way to 9:00, which is still late for me!

 

Christmas Baking

Katherine requested a longer Christmas break this year so she could fully enjoy all of the experiences to delight her ISFP self. One of the things she asked for? Make Christmas cookies with friends.

They began by making truffles while the sugar cookie dough chilled. Simple, yet delicious. And then they began the laborious process of cutting out the sugar cookies. My mama received this recipe from our sweet neighbor across the street from the house where I grew up. It's the recipe that tastes like home and needs no icing.

 Mama's Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

 2 tsp vanilla

 1 cup oil

5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cream oil, butter, and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Fold into creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate. For cut out cookies, roll out about 1 cup of dough at a time between two sheets of wax paper. Roll to 1/8"-1/4" inch thick. Thinner =crispier. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until cookies just begin to brown on edges.

My mom included a note on her handwritten card: "This recipe is from Mrs. Brady [our neighbor from across the street]. One time when I served them to Grandma and Grandpa, Grandpa said his mama (Grandma Nettie) used to make them thicker and call them tea biscuits. You can do them like peanut butter cookies and rolled them in sugar and flatten them to get tea biscuits. I like them thin best.

Caramel Corn

When I was growing up, I remember my mom making huge vats of caramel corn to give away in gallon glass pickle jars she procured from the seafood restaurant where she worked weekends. As the oldest of six kids, our family needed a large amount of teachers' gifts for school and piano lessons and church children's choir. Caramel corn was the inexpensive answer to that dilemma.

Now I've picked up that mantle. Our family loves to make (and eat) caramel corn. It's so easy to whip together! My financial resources are limited, but I have the currency of time to give. The gift of availability once again.

Caramel Corn

from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

(aka the red and white cookbook I received as a wedding present from my kindergarten teacher)

8 cups popped popcorn (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup unpopped)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Remove all unpopped kernels from popped corn. Place popcorn in a greased 17x12x2 inch baking pan. Keep popcorn warm in a 300 F degree oven while making caramel mixture. Butter the sides of a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan. In the saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat to boiling. Clip the candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook and stir over medium heat to 255 degrees, hard ball stage (about 4 minutes).

Remove the saucepan from heat. Stir in the baking soda and vanilla; pour over popcorn. (If desired, you can add 1 1/2 cups of nuts before baking.) Stir gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir. Bake 5 minutes more. Transfer the popcorn mixture to a large piece of foil; cool completely. Break into clusters. Store tightly covered.