Bleu cheese and gratitude

It’s cold here.  Not the sub-zero, your breath freezes and falls to your feet, it hurts to breathe cold, but cold.  My living room windows radiate and imitate the chill of the drifting snow outside, a fierce competitor for my wood stove.  My blond child is napping, the other reading, and it’s just quiet.  Did I dare think that, let alone write it?  My, what am I asking for?!  I’ve got a bowl of left-over mashed potatoes and a glass of iced tea.  The trees are snow laden and the icicles almost touching the ground.  What amazing beauty in the midst of cold.  It has quit snowing for the moment.  Very welcome after almost eight inches fell this morning.  But what a time I had doing morning chores!  Yes, they took a bit longer than usual (my eldest claimed “Three hours!”  I think he was pretty close) but the peace in the cold quiet…  Ahhh.

 I thought, shoveling out the door to the shop to get to the plow, about our nation.  About the people frantically wondering what happened when the world didn’t end last month.  About those who are dependent upon our government for one reason or another and their frenzy over the [lack of] decision making in the legislature.  About my own family, are we raising them to see what is going on through a lens of truth?  Am I setting an example of what it means to strive for good?  To live righteously?  To serve our Holy God?  Am I setting them up for success or failure?  Where did we, as a nation go wrong?  (Please, it’s a rhetorical question, mostly.)  Why are we no longer living in the dreams that our forefathers dreamed for us?  Why did that lady at the store look at me funny when I told her ‘thank you’ when all she did was her job?  Gratitude has been lost somewhere in the hustle and bustle to get ahead, the climb up the ladder, the extra $0.50 in the paycheck, the difference between a 3.9 and 4.0 GPA.

Of all the random things that are said in my home, (and probably not yours) I hope that ‘Thank you’ isn’t one of them.  This year, my family is running an experiment in gratitude.  We have a cookie jar and a bunch of business card sized tags.  All year long, anyone in our home is encouraged to fill out a tag with their name and date and something that they are thankful for or something good that has happened to them recently.  At the end of the year, we’ll review them as a family.  But on a tough day, (I know you have them, too) anyone can wander by, grab and read one or two, and move on with some better perspective.   How might properly placed gratitude change your attitude?  How might changing yours affect your family and friends?  (That’s the one that hurts, isn’t it?)

I put another log on the fire.  My eldest is reading across the table from me.  It’s time for a cup of cocoa.  I watch my mallows swirl and dissolve in the frothy milk with melty chocolate and am reminded of people in my life.  Some of them are difficult.  To some of them I am difficult.  They need love.  Not just any love, but pure love; His love.  Something I do not rightly possess.  Can I love them with His love?  If I recognize that difficult or not they are a gift to me, and that love comes from Him, I suppose I can learn to.  But, what might it cost me?  My mallows are melted.  If I do not love, will I lose them?  A friend spoke to me, reminded me that loving others isn’t for me, it’s for them.  It doesn’t need to make me feel good; it’s to make them feel loved.  Holidays are hard for that.  A busy house full of laughter, tension, food, mess, family, friends, in-laws, outlaws….   Is there any willful social gathering harder than family?  More fragile than family?  More necessary than family?  At the end of the day, it’s not how I feel, but if they felt loved.  And I suppose, all in all, that’s worth writing down and putting into the cookie jar.

How might gratitude change our nation?  Would a heartfelt ‘thank you’ be enough to spur someone else into paying a compliment?  Would a proper view of what we have cause those who strive only for more to share what they have?  If we shared and were appropriately thankful, would our nation’s burden lighten?  Would you be willing to take a  chance at being part of the change?

Hot cocoa mix

Stir 2-3 tbs into steamed milk, to taste

2.5 C powdered milk
2 C powdered sugar
1 C cocoa powder
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
and if your feeling sassy... a dash of cayenne pepper

 

 

Bleu Mushroom Tenderloin

Marinate a beef tenderloin (or a tri tip) overnight in:

1 ½ c soy sauce

¾ c Worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves, obliterated

1 tbs ground pepper

Cook in shallow roasting pan with 1 can beef broth- discard marinade. 

Bake, uncovered, at 425* until desired doneness.  Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt ½ c butter.  Toss in:

1 lb. sliced mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, obliterated

2 cups (about 8 oz.)

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp caraway seeds

A bunch of scallions, chopped.  (Yes, they come in bunches)

When veggies are tender, melt in about 2 cups crumbled bleu cheese (about 8 oz.)- more is better- stirring constantly.  Remove promptly when cheese is melted, overcooking it will result in an oddly dry gravy.

Serve over meat.

From outside to inside......

It's that time of year again.  The red and purple autumn sky behind the ever changing treeline behind my barn.  The time of year when we put away our camping gear and our boat and get out our ATV, dust off the snowmobile, and pray for just a few more weeks of watching the leaves flit to the ground before the earth is put to sleep again for the year.   As poetic as it sounds, I sit here looking out across the yard and think to myself how nice it would be if the tamarack trees would just drop all their needles at once so I could get it cleaned up and over with.  And wonder if the snow advisory warning is going to hit my elevation before we get the cows corralled into warmth because I don't think their soft, woolly coats will be enough. 

Not ready to give up the camaraderie of the campfire, my husband asked recently if we could make s'mores in our fireplace in the living room.  After looking at him like he was bonkers, I came up with an almost-as-good-but-really-easy solution.  Voila Indoor S'mores.  While he said it took part of the fun out by not roasting the mallows, it was still fun to see the kids get it everywhere.  Or at least it was until it was time to clean it up.

Indoor S'mores

Make Chocolate pudding.  Garnish with mini mallows and graham crackers.  Easy-peasy.

Preparing a list of soups for the month, reveling in the fact that dinner is just so much EASIER when it can prepare itself in the slow cooker three or four nights a week, I reflect more on the changes outside.  And the changes inside.  Not only moving away from tents, swimming, camping, fishing, sand castles on the beach and target practice to family games, movies, holiday feasts, Nerf dart wars, and fellowship with friends and family, but also the constant change of life- inside me.

Over and over again I am seeing the need for gratitude in life.  Gratitude in itself would have prevented (and could fix) so many of the social (and economic) problems our society faces.

Gratitude in my life is an even bigger deal.  Being thankful is easy sometimes.  It takes no thought for me to be able to (honestly) say that I am thankful for my home, food, family, friends, church, etc.  To be able to say that I'm thankful for the military service men and women who volunteer to defend our nation and therefore my way of life.  But what about the hard things?

Wednesday we lost another dog.  Not even a dog, but a puppy.  Sweet, innocent, vibrant, potential yet unfilled puppy.  Can I be thankful for that?  I can say that I'm thankful it wasn't my kids.  But am I really thankful that my puppy was hit by a car and killed by someone who didn't even notice or care to stop?



I'll miss you, my Josephene, my Jojo P.



I've embarked on a challenge, a journey if you may, of gratitude.  Alongside many women I know, we're reading an amazing (and challenging) book and making our own lists.  A list of things for which I'm thankful.  One Thousand Gifts given to me from my great God above. (Hint, hint... One Thousand Gifts is the title of the book.)  I must say, the first 40 or so came almost as quickly as I could write them.  Wow!  To see on paper before me things that I have to be thankful for.  :)  How amazing is that.  But in a few months, to hold in my hands a whole book of them- I can only imagine. 

And at a time when the whole of our country is gripped by a sense of entitlement, self-pity and greed. 

To sit back and say, "Look at all I have, my goodness, how it's so much more than enough!"  It's my goal.  Not just to say it, or to feel it, but to really live it.  To live a life of gratitude, and to teach it to my children.

To bring them up in a way that they learn to fail in a safe environment, girded up with love, and to be thankful that they had the chance to try, to learn, to experience and to move forward.  Wow.  How great would that be?

All of this from a movement from outside, to inside.  From my circumstances, my too-quick judgements, my rash decisions, to fostering a heart of gratitude- to true joy.

~*~ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~*~

Am, am not, should be

At the risk of overly upsetting someone, I've opted to share a recipe first. And anyways, there really was no great segue from my current ramblings and thoughts into food.  :)

Caesar that Pita!!

Slice pocketed pitas in half.  In spread caesar dressing generously inside of them.  Add sliced provolone, if desired.  Fill with tossed spring greens, spinach, romaine, tomatoes and chicken.  Devour and repeat.

An incredibly easy, cool, filling meal on a hot summer day...  that we just may have a few left of! 

But remember, to take as a lunch, wrap ingredients seperately or you'll have caesar mush.  Yuk!

*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Sometimes I sit and ponder.  Sometimes I just sit.  But either way, in those moments of stillness are typically profound thoughts.  Lately they all scream at me the same thing: who are you?  Not in the sense of knowing who I am, but rather in the sense of what gives me the particular right to think a certain way, act a certain way, make a particular decision, or give a friend advice.  Who am I to know what’s best?  And in reality, I’m just not.  Odd as it may be to sit here and know that I am; there’s no possible way that I’m a figment of my own (or some one else’s) imagination.  I feel, I see, I touch, I remember, and therefore I can’t possibly be not- er not be.  But in the context of every day life situations, especially of those outside of my cute little farmhouse, the fact is that I’m not.  So sitting here with my bowl of chips and salsa (though I really want rocky road ice cream) as I wonder about how I am yet am not, I’m caused to examine the origin (for lack of a better word) of what I am, am not, and should, therefore, strive to be. 

In practical terms I am:

          a woman, a mother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a niece, a wife, a cousin, a granddaughter, a teacher, a domestic goddess (hey, what stay-at home mom isn’t?), a personal assistant, an accountant, a friend, a confidant, an adversary, intimidating (or so I’m told), increasingly thankful, occasionally too outspoken, a princess (we’ll get to that!), an advocate of tough love, stubborn, hard to read, mechanically inclined, hard working…  I could go on and on. 

However, I am not:

          head of my household, always the most important person in the decisions made for my family, entitled to tell my husband what to do, somebody’s employee, someone who gets walked on by others, someone whose feelings are easily hurt (though I do have feelings), a liar, a cheater, a thief, the best at anything (phew, what a relief!), lazy… did I miss anything?

So where does that leave me?  What am I supposed to be?  Before I get back to the princess thing, I’m going to lay a bit of a foundation in the best way I know how.

Going way back to Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth, day, night, sun, moon, stars, all the stuff upon land and in the sea (oh, He created those, too) then He created Adam.  From Adam he created woman, Eve.  So, as woman, I’ve been created from PART of man.  Intended to be his helper and companion but, after the fall, cursed to desire to be him while serving him.  No, I don’t serve my husband in the way you’re probably thinking.  No silly uniforms, no bowing to his every whim.  But I do strive to be a good companion, to meet his needs (by making dinner, keeping up after the house, good conversation, and other such stuff), and I am subject to his authority.  Does he tell me, “Do the dishes!” then beat me when I don’t?  No- I’d beat him back.  But does he have the right to tell me, “I don’t think what you’re wanting to do is a wise choice and I think you shouldn’t?”  Absolutely.  And I listen; well, I do my best to listen.  But I feel I’ve overstepped something- marriage.  Man and woman were designed to be married because they were each part of a whole. 

It makes me think of a transmission and transfer case.  A transmission can do its job just fine without a transfer case.  Shifting into different gears, moving your car along.  A transfer case can work, also, without engaging a transmission; allowing your car to be in two or four wheel drive, changing how it rolls, where the power will eventually go.  But when you marry the two together (yes, that’s the automotive term) you get this wonderful WHOLE that does more than either of them could alone.  Two transmissions or two transfer cases couldn’t produce the same result- they just weren’t designed to.

So my husband and I were perfectly designed to work well separately but to work better together, and do more together, than we ever could on our own.  How super neat is that?

So fast-forward a ways to the New Testament.  Close your eyes and imagine- no, better keep them open so as to read!  Imagine living your whole life according to a set of rules designed to make you right with God, and having to ask someone else to intercede for you when you screwed up, not knowing if it was enough.  And hearing from your family that it’s the way your people have lived for generations.  Enter Jesus.  A man who walks uprightly among your people who tells you that He is the Son of God, the King of kings and that if you would believe and follow Him that you’re no longer bound to the stringent rules of your old lifestyle, but now bound to Him to follow His commands.  And by the way, they’re few in number.  He promises you that you will no longer be bound by death.  You, like everyone else, may just look at Him like you aren’t sure what to believe.  Let me tell you, I believe.  And being a daughter of the King, washed clean by His blood, I am a princess.  (I have lots of information if you want it on this topic!)

Looking at life from that point of view, I am:

Made in the Image of God.                                   Genesis 1:26-27      

Not who the world says I am.                               Genesis 6:5

Not what my environment could make me.          Genesis 6:9   

Fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous.         Psalm 139:14    

God’s fellow worker.                                             1 Corinthians 3:9

The temple of the indwelling Spirit of God.           1 Corinthians 3:16

God’s workmanship, created to do good works.    Ephesians 2:10

Made new in Christ and reconciled to God!            2 Corinthians 5:17-18

What I am listed above sure makes the normal things I think of myself as pretty insignificant.  So what should I strive to be?  A friend told me she saw a shirt that puts it very plainly.  It reads:

JESUS FREAK

Whose freak are you?

Well, whose freak are you?

Love... and carbohydrates

OK, so I've been trying to post, getting frustrated, and walking away...  for probably two weeks now.  I thought I had something profound to share, but now can't for the life of me remember.  Apparently it wasn't so important.  Which leads me to sit here and wonder what really is important.  I know that it's not how clean my house is, or even the stuff that sits inside it.  An Amish proverb states something to the effect of 'teaching your kids to count is fine, teaching them what counts is better.'  I know that what I teach my children is important is implied less in what I say and more in what I do.  :)





Buttercup, Meatball and Stir-Fry

It's been a season of change for us, moving away from long summer boating trips and camping 'vacations' to being home bound with the addition of real farm animals.  (I was told that though chickens are a lot of work, they don't make us a working farm!)  My hubby even asked me, "Are there other farmy-type animals we could get?  Do you want a goat?" 

This season of change has me getting out of bed at the same time every day- well, except for Sunday, which is EARLIER!  Those of you who've known me for a while now know that morning isn't a time of day that I like to experience.  But I'm up, and outside, by 7am to bottle feed the cows, and move them out of the barn into their field.  Most days, believe it or not, I don't even go back to bed when I'm done.  :)  And that's a real feat.  But it all comes back to one thing: love.

My eldest recently told me that he knows I love him because I go grocery shopping so I can make him food, because I do his laundry, and because I teach him things like how to read.  Yes, those are all acts of love.  It was interesting to me that he didn't cite the fact that I hug him, take him places, buy him gifts, or tell him that I love him.  He really enjoys all of those things, but he equates how I spend MY time with how I love him and others. 

What I do tells him what is important.  He sees me using my time to love, and I think that's pretty powerful! 

So what am I doing other than feeding small animals, outrageous amounts of yard work, grocery shopping, folding laundry, and homeschooling my kids??  Baking.  Lots and lots of baking!  (And I made butter this week!)  So here are a couple of easy favorites.

Almond Joy Brownies

You need:

1 1/2 C flour

3/4 C cocoa

3/4 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C almonds

1/2 C shredded coconut

1/2 C chocolate syrup

1/2 - 3/4 C oil

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Mix well.  Spread into greased baking pan. (It will be stiff) Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes.  :)





yummm!



Oatmeal Spice Cookies

(This is truly a group of approximates.  I don't actually have a real recipe.)

You need:

1 C each: shortening and brown sugar

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 eggs

1tsp each: vanilla, baking soda, ground cloves, cinnamon

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 tsp each: salt and ginger

2 1/2 C oatmeal

about 1/2 -3/4 C nuts

Cream shortening and sugars, add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in spices, then flour, salt, and soda.  Add oats and nuts last.  Bake at 350 until the bottoms start to brown and the tops don't shake when you move the pan.

 

Honey Whole Wheat Bread



Great with that homemade butter :)



For one loaf you need:

1 C hot water

2 Tbs oil

2 Tbs honey

1 Tbs vital wheat gluten

1Tsp salt

3-4 C whole wheat flour

1 Tbs yeast

Optionally

1/2 C each: chopped walnuts and almonds, sunflower seeds

Mix ingredients together in order, utilizing only 1/2 the wheat flour until all are incorporated.  Be mindful that when using whole grain flour, you want a sticky-ish dough or it won't rise.  Knead (8 minutes in your stand mixer).  Let rise, covered, until at least doubled.  Deflate dough, and press into a greased loaf pan.  Let rise until about 1" over the top edge of the pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

~Let love be without hypocrisy.  Abhor what is evil.  Cling to what is good.  Romans 12:9~

Honesty... and Lasagne.

So, I haven’t been avoiding my blog; well, not entirely.  Things have been hectic around our little place for the last month, culminating in my littlest breaking his leg last week.  L Poor guy.  But more than that, I haven’t been able to put any organization at all into my thoughts.  Apparently when God works in me, he lets the process be His, and keeps me out of it.  I’m sure that I’m better off for it! 

A couple of weeks ago, a challenge was posed to me in a Bible study that I’m going thru with some other ladies at church.  We were challenged to be very purposeful in our speaking by not lying for one week.   You may think, ‘No big deal, I’m an honest person!’  I know I sure did.  But about ½ way thru my week, I found little things sneaking up on me: exaggerations, most-truths, half-truths, suppositions, competition!  Yikes!  And after I noticed that I let one slip, I had my own little ‘white-lie’ parade going.  It’s not that what I was saying was hurting anyone, or was blatantly, purposefully dishonest, but it was amazing to watch one slight exaggeration turn into a feeling that I needed to say something bigger or better or more impressive than someone else…  hmmmm….  Lies, pride, what do you have in common?

I’m still trying to stick to this ‘no lies’ thing.  But it’s hard.  That week, we had an extra dog at our house, trying to breed our female.  Answering the questions of a 5 year old, and appropriately, was challenging.  To tell him the dogs were ‘just playing’ would have been a lie.  While I settled for, ‘They’re just dogs, doing what dogs do,’ I’m still not certain that qualifies as a whole truth.

So where does this pre-installed lying come from?  I know my 5 year old does it.  I’m sure at some points my husband does it.  I know I do it… my friends probably do, too.  Yes, it’s easy to say, ‘it’s just sin nature,’ but I think that’s a little ominous and broad for me.  Also, I think that for people who don’t understand the nature of sin that it’s a little…. charged (for lack of a better word).   I see lying, at least my lies, rooted in pride.  Stick with me here.

The first exaggeration (lie) I caught myself in was stating that I knew ALL the lyrics to a song.  That’s a stretch.  At one time I did.  Had I looked at it, listened to it, or sang it recently before making the statement??  Nope.  So would I have missed a few?  Yep.  So did I know ALL the lyrics?  Nope.  But why did I say it?  Do people expect me to know them?  Do I want people to perceive me a certain way?  Do I believe that in knowing them I’m better/smarter/anything than someone else?  Possibly.  But I wasn’t thinking those thoughts.  Looking back, I see it was pride.  I wanted people to see something in/about me as better than it was.  That’s pride.  And it’s an ugly thing.  (and I could go on and on there... but I'll save it for another afternoon.)

I also let that one lie slip into other little exaggerations.  Telling someone something, but over glorifying certain details.  (Yep, those are lies.)  Eliminating points in the story that weren’t so flattering.  (Yep, still lies.)  And why?  Pride.  Disgusting.  It’s a terrible thing when you have to question your own honesty; how honest are you being with yourself?

Leaving you with that thought, ask yourself the question:  am I honest with me?  And really look to see the answer.  You may not like what you find, but dealing with it can make a big difference. 

In the sprit of honesty, here is something yummy, made from REAL ingredients.  And I know that for me, it’s way faster than its traditional counterpart.  J

Rolled Lasagne

You need:

Lasagne pasta, 1 per serving (I usually use 16-20)

1lb each, ricotta, mozzarella, cottage cheese (or others if you like)

About 2 ½ cups marinara or not-overly-chunky tomato based sauce

Veggies…..  I like to use chopped spinach and shredded zucchinis

Meat -if you really want it.  Sweet Italian sausage or beef kielbasa would certainly be good!  (And let’s not forget about bacon!)

Cook your pasta until just before it’s al dente.  You want to be able to manipulate it, but don’t want it smushy.

Stir together your ricotta and cottage cheese, add about ½ the mozzarella.  If you’re adding veggies, put them in the bowl too. 

Cover the bottom of your pan with a thin layer of sauce.  Yum.

One at a time, spread your cheese mix onto the noodle (add meat here) leaving a space about 1 ½ -2 inches at one end.  Roll toward the cheese-less end and place in pan seamed side down.  Repeat until your pan is full.  (about 16 of them in a 9x13 pan)

Cover with remaining sauce and mozzarella. 

Bake at about 350 until hot in the middle and cheese is melted.

Serve, garnishing with extra cheese, if you please!

**This is also great for easy freezer meals.  You can let it cool, and then you already have equal sized portions prepared to wrap and freeze for later. 

~  "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement."  Matthew 12:36  ~

Something warm for when it's cold.

The water is frozen.  Considering the high temperature forecasted for the day is 13, it's probably at least -10 out there.  And everything is frozen.  Living in a home with small kids and no water is challenging, even when you see it coming.  New years we woke up to the same issue, when we had the same forecasted temperatures.  At least I fared better than my hubby.  He had his shower cut short when the pressure tank and hot water heater became empty.  Had it been me, I'd have had a head full of shampoo.  But still, I'm sitting in a warm house, with food in my cupboards and my hubby is at work.  How blessed are we?

And how blessed am I to have a husband who actually doesn't mind the occasional culinary experiment?  I've decided to try incorporating some different meals from various other cultures, as well as vegetarian dishes, at least once a week.  So once a week, we'll have something seemingly random and 'new'.  Last night we went vegetarian.  To my delight, both boys loved it, and my husband willingly took leftovers for lunch.  He may have told me that it was lacking 'steak', but he ate it and more.

So, form my kitchen to yours, experience Shepards' Pie.  The recipe was passed to my by a lovely friend who is vegan, and she got it from a cookbook, I believe, called How It All Vegan.  (If I'm wrong, she'll correct me.)

As I'm not vegan, and have a love of cheese, I did alter it, as you likely will in your kitchen as well!

Shepards' Pie

Filling:

1 medium onion, diced

3 small carrots, chopped

1/2 cup spinach, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced

1 large tomato, diced

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup smashed lentils (or beans)

1/2 tsp dried basil

3 cloves garlic, obliterated

1tbs soy sauce

salt, to taste

Topping:

Smashed potatoes, I used 3 massive baking potatoes

Shredded  cheese

In a medium saucepan, sauté the onions, carrots, spinach, celery, zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes in the oil.  Once the carrots are tender, add the mashed lentils, basil, salt, and soy sauce.  Stir and simmer without a lid until the liquid cooks off.  Yes, you will feel like you're sautéing a salad.  You are.  :)

Once your veggies are ready, spread them in the bottom of a 9" pie plate.  Yes, all of this will fit.  Top with your potatoes, then cheese.

Bake at 350 while you make gravy....  mmmm..... gravy.

Mighty Miso Gravy

6-10 mushrooms, sliced (I use the egg slicer!!!)

1 medium onion, diced

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs soy sauce

basil, cayenne pepper, dill, pepper, to taste  (I omitted cayenne, because I didn't have any.  Do NOT omit the dill.)

1/3 cup flour

about 2 cups veggie stock

1tsp miso (I used barley miso-  you can buy it at health food stores)

Sauté the mushrooms and onion in the oil until the onion is translucent and the 'shrooms are tender.  Add your seasonings.  Remove from heat, and stir in your flour.  You want everything to be pasty and dry.  Return to heat, and slowly stir in your veggie stock, making sure to get rid of lumps.  Once your gravy thickens, add the miso.  Stir well, then remove from heat.

Sadly, if there is a way to plate this and make it look pretty, I don't know what it is.  This is one of those yummy dishes that looks better in the oven or on the counter than it does on your plate.  (Or at least in my kitchen it does!)  So I've got a shot of the finished pie, but you don't get to see what my plate looked like! 

This did take considerably longer to make than I had anticipated.  I'm sure doing it a second time, it'd be faster, but be prepared to spend about an hour and a half putting this together.

Happy Veggie Comfort Food!  :)

~While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22 ~ 

On days with no sleep....

Blow out your candle, Mr. Man!

Sometimes we need to be reminded of wherein our sufficiency lies.  Is it my husband?  Is it my to-do list?  Is it me?  It's amazing how God can hit our personal re-set button when we think we have life under control.  Last night, well, this morning.... er...  it all blends together.  We were up yesterday at 10 to 6 to get ready for church, and I still haven't really been to sleep.  My littlest, who turned one over the weekend, was up all night, quite vocally unhappy with a fever.  Am I up?  Yes.  Is he still up?  You'd better believe it.  Do I feel like I'm making a dent in my to-do list?  Absolutely not.  Am I taking care of what God wants to be my priority?  Yes, and if I don't, he cries at me some more.  That being said, grocery shopping is being put off yet another day, and I'm watching my oldest love on my youngest.  Taking him ice water, reading him books, and just asking, "Mom, can we just let him be up to play since he's not sleeping.  I know he's tired, but isn't tired and happy better than tired and sad?"  Gotta love it!

That in mind, I thought I'd share about his cake.  Nothing too homemade or fancy about it, but instead a dressed up cake mix, and dressed up frosting.   Yes, I bought frosting, too.  (You can punish me for it later.)  I had (and have) been fairly sick, and therefore accordingly slothful.  Sometimes mom just has to get a little help.  This time, it was from Betty Crocker!

M's Tall Ship Carrot Cake

2 boxes carrot cake mix

1/2 cup applesauce

1 6oz plain Greek yoghurt

eggs (as called for on mix)

about 1 1/2 cup craisins

about 1 cup fresh grated carrot

2 tbs olive oil  (I don't even buy the hydrogenated oils anymore!)

Makes some for party, some for later!

Put your cake mix in a large bowl, and add the amount of water called for per box.  In lieu of all the oil, add 2tbs olive oil, applesauce, yoghurt and eggs.  Once all mixed and incorporated, add the carrot and craisins.

Grease or spray your cale pan (pans) and pour in your mix.  Bake according to mix directions.

For your frosting....

2 tubs cream cheese frosting (not whipped)

1 block cream cheese

Colors!!

Here, I put my mixer to work again.  Once the cream cheese was about room temperature, I put it and the two tubs of frosting into the bowl and just beat the tar out of it.  Once it was mixed completely, I seperated it and colored it as needed.  There will be frosting left over.  I promise.  (Maybe you should make cinnamon rolls, too!)

I will warn you, however.  This frosting is really hard to work with in this capacity.  You have to keep it almost frozen (which is hard on your muscles) and you have to keep the room temperature on the really cool side, or it will melt, like this one tried to before I got it in the fridge.

~ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1John 4:11~