AMEN

divine creation

My sweet mother-in-law forwarded me an email that went along perfectly with what my Bible study has been studying for two straight weeks: the careful planning and order of creation. I've spent two weeks really reading and discussing the first two chapters of Genesis; focusing on God's order and planning. Amazing and unimaginable...faith in what you don't totally understand is perfectly displayed in those first chapters.  Here's what the contents of the email were:

the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
those of the canary in 14 days;
those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
the eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
those of the mallard in 35 days;
The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
(Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!)

God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.

The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first.

A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!

God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.
-Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
-Each orange has an even number of segments.
-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
-The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.
-All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold all even numbers.

God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed.

why i love my food processor

Exhibit A: almond butter
Pulse 2 cups of almonds (I like to toast mine), scraping down the sides periodically. It will eventually form a ball and then spread back into a liquid...about 4-5 minutes total. I drizzle in a little honey at the end. Yummy on English muffins or on a banana cut in half.

Exhibit B: hummus
Ingredients:
1 large head of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 tsp tahini
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Slice off the top of the garlic head, drizzle with oil, wrap in foil and roast for 45ish minutes in 400 degree oven. Let cool. Squeeze cloves into food processor with remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth...about 3-5 minutes. Eat. I recommend in a pita pocket with avocado and red bell pepper slices.

Exhibit C: grain-free granola
Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
pinch of salt
1/4 cup raw honey
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cocoa powder (I used dark chocolate)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut (NOT sweetened)
2 oz dark chocolate

Preheat your oven to 200 F.
Using a food processor, coarsely chop the walnuts and almonds (I'd pulse only a handful of times). Leave the nuts in the processor and set aside for later use.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the honey and whisk occasionally. Once combined, add the cocoa powder, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Whisk together.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the nuts in the food processor. Pulse briefly, just until the chocolate is consistently mixed in. Add the coconut and pulse one more time.
Spread the mixture out over a baking sheet. Bake for 4 hours in the preheated oven.
Once the granola has finished baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Break the granola apart into small chunks. Also break apart or chop up the 2 oz chocolate and mix in with the granola. Try not to eat it all at once.

No, I am not going Paleo...although I'm very intrigued by it. Too bad I ate this with Greek yogurt while drinking a glass of milk, which is very un-Paleo...so was the pita bread and the hummus I ate all last week for lunch. Paleo peeps are missing out!

HOT OFF THE GRIDDLE NOW!!

We've been in our house for a little over a year now, and it's taken that long to use the griddle on our stove top...for real. Shame on us. I've been making up for it during the past couple of weeks, however. I started off by trying out a new savory pancake recipe that was a surprise hit. As in, I already want to make it again. Then I had some buttermilk to use up, so I tried a basic pancake recipe. My most current attempt was the result of a big summer project: cleaning out and organizing all the recipes I've pulled out of magazines over the years.

All I could think about while flipping pancakes was the time Kerry and I made pancakes while living in The Heights apartment complex. Emily and Robyn lived in a nearby building and Emily was coming over for breakfast. I had an old school cell phone and until that morning, didn't realize that everyone's phone didn't text in all caps. While I was flipping cakes, Kerry was texting Emily from my phone to let her know her pancakes were ready and getting cold. I don't remember exactly what Emily's hold up was, but if I had to guess it's be a run or a quick trip to Starbucks. Anywho, when Emily got to our apartment, she thought she'd been being yelled at via text message because Kerry had texted "PANCAKES HOT OFF THE GRIDDLE NOW!!" Fixed that all caps feature on my little phone and we enjoyed our chocolate chip cakes.

Here are my attempts over the past couple of weeks:

Pancake #1:
Corn Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Lemon-Chive Cream

1/4 cup light sour cream

Click to see savings

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind

2 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels, divided (about 3 ears)

2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 large egg

12 thin slices cold-smoked salmon (about 6 ounces)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; chill.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Combine 1 cup corn kernels, buttermilk, butter, and egg in a blender; process until coarsely pureed. Add pureed corn mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in remaining 1/4 cup corn.
Pour about 2 tablespoons batter per pancake onto a hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet; spread gently with a spatula. Cook 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 3 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Arrange 2 pancakes on each of 6 plates; top each pancake with 1 slice salmon and 1 teaspoon lemon-chive cream.

*My thoughts: make this now. And make more of the cream/sauce...you'll want it. We were pleasantly surprised by the combination of unexpected flavors. This is a great, great, easy recipe!

(Cooking Light)

Pancake #2:

Whole-wheat pancakes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup lowfat buttermilk

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, nonfat milk, buttermilk, honey and vanilla.
Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium-low flame. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup pour the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown.

*My thoughts: I'm all for healthy food, but these tasted healthy...know what I mean? I think I'd play with the all-purpose flour vs. whole-wheat flour ratios next time. Were light and fluffy though, even with that much whole-wheat flour.
(Elie Krieger cookbook but can be found on foodnetwork.com)

Pancake #3:
Carrot cake pancakes

5 3/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Dash of ground cloves

Dash of ground ginger

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound) 

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons honey

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.

*My thoughts: this was very sticky batter, which made it difficult to spread out on the griddle. The flavor was good, but they were pretty thick which made it hard to cook them all the way through. I used 1/8 teaspoon of allspice instead of a dash of cloves and a dash of ginger...that's what I had on hand. I chunked this recipe but was glad to try it out.

(Cooking Light)

Happy pancaking!

anniversary

I've loved you for a thousand years.

I'll love you for a thousand more.

and this is why ellen and i would be good friends

I. Want. One.

Disclaimer: I know, know, know I am high risk of becoming a cat lady one day.
I volunteer once a week with some kitties who are up for adoption at a nearby Petsmart, which is how sweet, sweet Frank came to become a Loudermilk. I seriously think he's the sweetest cat on the planet who also never stops eating. But alas, the real reason for this post: munchkin cats!!! For. Real. The second strangest cat I've ever seen was at Petsmart on Sunday. His legs were about 2 inches long and because of this, he sort of looked like a ferret or a dachshund in a cat's body. I texted the lady in charge to find out what in the world he was and she introduced me to my newest obsession. Meet munchkin cats:

These hilarious things are SUPER rare; there are 2 available for adoption Texas (the one in FW was already swooped up) and only about 5 breeders with online websites. Told you: obsessed. I'd never buy from a breeder, but it just shows how rare these guys are. If you see one on the streets, call me! But not really...there's no more room in this house for any more 4-legged family members. Call my mom, she thinks they are awesome. ;) One day...

i heart food.

While my plate wasn't quite that pretty, it did taste as good as it looks. I'm back on an egg kick in a big way...breakfast, dinner, both meals. I figured this was a good recipe to try while my guy was out of town, and it didn't disappoint. It caught my eye because it's super healthy and has four (count 'em, four!) of my most favorite ingredients of all time: thyme, eggs, Gruyere cheese and shallots. I did my own thing with acorn squash, but I'm sure the accompanying recipe is great.

Poached Eggs with Spinach & Walnuts (serves 4...or less if you know eating only one egg for dinner will make your stomach rumble right before you go to bed)

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 (10-ounce) bag baby spinach, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced
3 sliced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
3/4 teaspoon chopped thyme, divided (I put it all in at once)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, quartered (I bought already sliced)
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped and divided (I put it all in at once)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
8 cups water (I cut this in half for 2 eggs)
2 tablespoons white vinegar (did you know this keeps the eggs from separating?)
4 large eggs (I did 2 eggs since it was just me...1 egg wouldn't have been enough for dinner)

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Add spinach; sauté 2 minutes. Remove spinach from pan; drain, cool slightly, and squeeze out excess moisture. Add remaining oil to pan. Add garlic and shallots; sauté 3 minutes. Add sage, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, salt, and mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, 1/2 cup walnuts, red wine vinegar, and cheese; cook 30 seconds.

Combine water and white vinegar in a large saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Break each egg gently into pan. Cook 3 minutes. Remove eggs using a slotted spoon. Spoon mushroom mixture onto

plate(s). Top each serving with 1 egg. (Sprinkle evenly with remaining thyme, pepper, and walnuts. Unless you didn't follow the directions and put everything in the pot at once to save time/steps).

Just fab!

From Cooking Light, March 2012

home project

I fell in heavy like with this wine bar/cabinet from Pottery Barn...but alas, the asking price was a bit high as can often be the case with PB.
So my man (and a very handy friend) built, painted, and antiqued this beauty. I love, love, love the finished product!

Eat your heart out, PB (but I still love your towels and little silver bowls that are in our house).

__________________

For weeks, maybe even months, I've been thinking about what I would title this blog entry. I had faith that prayers would continue to be answered, and that for reasons all his own, God would heal my little mama. Now that I actually get to write, I am at a loss for words for a title that would encompass the emotions felt. I love using song lyrics for titles, but could not choose any that were worthy. I looked over quotes and Bible verses but again, couldn't find the perfect words. So, this entry is title-less, which says much more than words ever could.

You see, this little lady right here, she got the all clear yesterday from her oncologist. A little over seven months ago, she was diagnosed-out of the BLUE-with stage four cancer.

Our world was shaken, our faith was strengthened, and our friends and family swooped in like nobody's business.

Do you believe that lady in the middle had a golf ball-sized tumor removed from her brain on Monday and was on the dance floor on Saturday?! I mean, really... Those ladies surrounding her have done just that from the moment our world was turned upside-down. They are some of the most remarkable and loving women on the planet and I'm so thankful they are my mom's dearest friends.

I'm so thankful for the doctors and nurses who helped her, for my dad who was her rock, and for every single person who prayed for her and for our family. May she be a living example of God's goodness and his love and a testament to the power of prayer.

My sweet mama defied some really ugly odds and did it all with grace and a smile on her face.

XOXO

move over, beethoven

So this used to be my favorite salmon recipe, sans puff pastry. It's easy, healthy, contains one of favorite ingredients on the planet: pesto, and was introduced to me by friend Giada. Tough competition in my opinion.
Salmon with Pesto and Puff Pastry (but minus the puff pastry)
4 pieces salmon
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup purchased pesto
2 tomatoes, sliced

EASY: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Place salmon on foil and top with almonds. Cook for 10 minutes. I spread pesto on top of the fish and then top with tomato slices.

Then I bought salmon yesterday and was looking around online for an easy recipe with ingredients we already have in the house.

BINGO.

I have kinda been in love with coriander for about six months now, so I was initially excited it was an ingredient. Then I read the reviews, checked our pantry and fridge, and realized we had a winner.

Salmon with Honey-Coriander Glaze
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1/4 cup honey
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
salmon (I bought a pound)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

EASY: Mix first four ingredients. Brush mixture onto one side of salmon. Heat oil in a pan and cook salmon 1-2 minutes per side. Then I wrapped the salmon in foil and put it in the oven for about 8-10 minutes (the recipe calls for cooking on the stove top the whole time, but the oven was already on and cooking cute little potato gratins in muffin cups, so I figured I'd throw the salmon in there). I reduced the rest of the sauce and drizzled it over the cooked fish. One of the tastiest things I can remember making!!

I thought about it all day today.

a hit and a partial miss

I tried out two new recipes tonight. One didn't turn out as pretty as the picture, but it was delicious. The other was so easy and so exciting to watch that I danced around the kitchen.

Dinner:

Um, yeah...mine did not look like that when I cut it. Unfortunately.

I caught an episode of my good friend, Giada, making this last week and ever since then it has been on my mind. I read the reviews of it online and decided that Sunday evening would be the best night to attempt this since it is pretty time-consuming, although not difficult.

Eggplant Timbale (serves 4-6)
2 medium eggplants, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound penne pasta
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian pork sausage
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 cups store-bought marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups diced smoked mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until tender and colored with grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and pork, and brown the meat, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the peas and marinara sauce and stir to combine. Add the cheeses, basil, and cooked pasta. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a springform pan with the grilled eggplant. Be sure that the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. Fill the pan with the pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the pan is filling up evenly. Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta and add a few more slices on top to completely enclose the timbale. Bake the timbale until warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Let rest on the counter for 10 minutes to set.

To serve, invert the timbale onto a serving plate and remove the springform pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese over the top. Slice and serve.

My notes:
*I did my research on Marsala wine. It is comparable to Port, which I find revolting. The recipe calls for such a small amount that I chose to use Marsala cooking wine instead of the real thing. I know this is frowned upon but I didn't want to buy a whole stinkin' bottle of wine to use a tiny amount and throw the rest out.
*Eggplant: I'd say three medium or two very large. I think I would peel it next time. Also-I heart my mandolin.
*It needs to cook for longer than 30 minutes; I'd say at least 45.
*The flavors were fabulous! While the presentation would be stunning (if it worked out well), I think I would just throw the filling in a glass baking dish and top it with eggplant or use the eggplant like lasagna noodles and just layer the whole thing up next time.

Any-time-of-the-day-goodness:


I bought a giant bag of almonds a while back during an overwhelming trip to Costco. I looked around online for almond butter recipes since I thought that would be a good way to use up some of those bad boys. All the recipes I found were pretty similar, but the one I ended up using had a fabulous description of the different stages of almond butter making, accompanied by pictures of what the mixture should be doing. I kept the website up as my little food processor went to work. :)

Almond Butter
2 C Almonds
1 T Raw Honey (optional)
1/2 t Sea Salt (optional)

Place almonds in food processor. Process for 8-12 minutes. You will need to scrape down the sides in the beginning. If you choose to use the honey and salt, stir in by hand after the butter is made as it will seize the mixture if you try to add it before.

Here's the website with step-by-step pictures:
http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-recipe-almond-butter

My notes:
*I toasted my almonds in the over for about 12 minutes and then let them cool.
*It only took about 8 minutes for it to go through the whole process.
*Your food processor will only sound like it's shattering for about 10 seconds when the almonds are first getting chopped.
*I stirred in a little drizzle of honey when it was all finished.
*I'm definitely not into the raw food movement, especially after looking at some of her recipes for things that are supposed to be cooked...like cinnamon rolls and doughnut holes. She hit a home run with this nut butter recipe, though.