Where has the time gone?.............(part 1)

Well, it's ONLY been about 2 1/2 months since I last wrote.
So much to say, so much to say, but where to begin?  Greek cooking class, recipes, chickens...
Let's start with recipes!
I think I will start with the good stuff first...

My friend, Lynne, let me come and pick a bunch of her sour cherries off of her gorgeous sour cherry tree.  By the way, I now feel it absolutely necessary to have a couple of dwarf sour cherry trees in our yard. 

So my husband (Steve) LOVES cherry pie.  When we were dating I found out about his cherry pie obsession and also heard that a neighbor down the road would make him cherry pie on a fairly regular basis but had not made him one in awhile.   I should double check that info, but let's just go with it for now.  So he said his neighbor made the best pies. Hmmmmm....What a great way to charm him even more than I already had by making him a homemade cherry pie.  I would use my grandma's pie crust recipe and buy sour cherries and do whatever it was that you do to make them ready for a pie.  So I did.  We had not been dating for very long when I decided that this lovely gesture would send him head over heals in love with me. Right?  Made sense to me.  I was so excited to surprise him with it.

I prepared everything with great care and love.  When it was finished (and cooled), I invited Steve over, had him sit down and then brought my beautiful, homemade pie to the table.  He smiled and I could tell he was already starting to love me...and he had not even taken a bite yet!!  So I placed a piece on a plate and gave it to him.  As he took a bite, my heart was beating fast waiting for the anticipated response of, "This is the BEST cherry pie EVER!  I LOVE YOU!"

Instead, he looked at me and it was as if he had taken a bite of that Christmas fruit cake that everyone re-gifts.  He didn't like it!!! He was not mean about it but then again, he did not take another bite.  So I thought I better try it and I LOVED it!!!  My mom even tried it and she loved it.  Hmmmmmmm.  What was the deal?  Little did I know that this moment was to mark the difference in our tastes in food forever.  Steve explained that he likes the cherry pies that he buys at Super Valu. You know, the ones that come in a box and that have 99.99% artificial ingredients in it?  Like the Hostess cherry pies? Really??? I suppose, the more high fructose corn syrup, the better.

Could he have faked it and eaten the rest of his pie? Sure, but I appreciated his honesty and I knew that I did not need to spend hours making him homemade pies for the rest of our lives. How awesome is that?!  So ever since that unforgettable day, I have been making Steve cherry pie with store bought crust and canned cherry pie fillling and he is as happy as pie!  Until now.....

Let's get back to the pie in the photo above.  I pitted all of the cherries I had and was ready to create a masterpiece. I googled cherry pie recipes and found one that looked great. It was so easy and the pie crust recipe included is now one of my favorites. FYI: I made the crust in my food processor and it really came together quickly. I also did not make the lattice top like the picture on the link.

Now remember, this is a sour cherry pie, not sweeeeet sweeeet cherry pie (although the recipe does allow for the use of dark sweet cherries).

I think the one I made (only sour cherries) has just the right amount of sugar to give it that sweet but then you get that tang with the sourness of the cherries. Perfect combination in my opinion. FYI: you do get quite a bit of liquid coming out during baking so make sure you place it on a rimmed baking sheet.  Let me know what you think. 

Oh!  Do you want to know what Steve thought of it?  Well, I kept asking him if he had tried the pie yet and he said he'd try it "later".  Two days go by and the only dents in the pie are mine and my son's.  BTW: Josiah had 2 huge pieces of it so I guess that means he likes it.  But I could not get Steve to try it.  I am sure he was leary after that "incident" almost 9 years ago.  But I was patient.  So this morning I came downstairs and noticed a fork on the counter with some cherries on it.  He did it!!  He tried the pie!!  So I quickly grabbed it out of the fridge because I was sure he had eaten the rest of it and just put the empty pie plate back in the fridge!  I took the cover off and saw a bite taken out of it. That's right! One bite!! Just like all those years ago.  But hey, like I said before...I found out long ago on that fateful day that our tastes in food would differ forever!  And thank the Lord that Steve's loving me did not depend on a cherry pie! Whew!

So I will continue to make him his "usual" or maybe I'll try the homemade one with sweet cherries! I'll keep you posted.

Here is the link to the recipe. Enjoy!! or not. ;)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Classic-Sour-Cherry-Pie-with-Lattice-Crust-242514

Middle Age...or is it?

So I woke up this past Sunday morning, two days before my 40th birthday, looked in the mirror and saw a really long gray hair sticking straight up on top of my head. Well, it wasn't exactly straight but it was noticeably standing up, shimmering and waving at me screaming, "Welcome to middle age!"  Gray hairs are no big surprise to me. I've been seeing them pop up on my head for a few years now but this one seemed so significant for some reason and it led me to look at my skin next. Those darn flourescent daylight bulbs!!
I've always heard about collagen and how important it is for women's skin. Are you ready for a mini biology and chemistry lesson?  Collagen is a fibrous protein that supports and connects bodily tissue like bones and muscles and basically keeps your body from falling apart. In the case of your skin, collagen works with elastin and gives your skin its firmness, flexibilty and that youthful appearance.  As you age, the collagen in your skin breaks down which means you lose that elasticity and tightness, leading to wrinkles.  There goes that youthful appearance!  Did I EVER take this seriously? Not for a moment...until now. It's true! All of those years of listening to my Mary Kay mom tell me about my skin and collagen and I never took it seriously?!  Now a days there are so many skin products and treatments we can use to stimulate collagen production and fill in those lines and wrinkles. Before you know it, a nip here and a tuck there. I'll get back to this in a bit but let's get back to my gray hair...
So here I am, looking at my skin and my gray hair in the mirror while I was supposed to be getting ready for church.  And in case you're wondering, I arrived to church early which means I did not spend an enormous amount of time analyzing. ;)  But while I was staring into the mirror, I was thinking about when my dad turned 40.  I was 14 years old yet it seems just like yesterday. I remember thinking how crazy it was that MY dad was 40 years old!  It would be forever until I turned 40!  Well, forever is now and I am officially middle aged....or am I?
In the mid 90s, the pastor at the church I was attending was giving a message on a particular Sunday that really struck me. It was what he said about middle age and the relativity of it all. Not too long before that particular Sunday, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He talked about being middle aged and how he never would have guessed that his middle age was at age 21.  He had a verse that he clung to during his journey.  Nahum 1:7 "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,".  Rich knew Who was good. He knew Who to turn to in times of trouble. He knew Who cared for him. He trusted the Lord with his circumstances, with his life.  It did not matter if he was 21, 42, or 102. Rich knew the Lord would take care of him because he trusted Him. And the Lord did care for Rich until his very last breath on earth. The LORD is good.
So as I look at my life now, I realize my focus should not be on the condition of my hair or my skin or what potions, creams, and treatments I need to regain my youthful appearance, but rather on the condition of my heart. The only nipping and tucking I need comes from the Lord who is shaping and molding me to be more like Him.  Like that gray hair standing tall on the top of my head shimmering, waving and screaming at me, I want my life to be that shimmer, that shine that screams the goodness of Christ.
I have no way of knowing if I am middle aged now or if my middle age occurred 5, 10, or 15 years ago. But I am confident in the fact that no matter how many years the Lord blesses me with here, no matter if I have wrinkles or go completely gray, He is good.  He is my refuge in times of trouble and He cares for me because I trust in Him.
So what do you see when you look in the mirror? What's that significant something that catches your attention?

Did you miss me? ;)

So I have been thinking about this blog and pressuring myself to write something everyday. Ha! So much for that! Right?!! ;)
Well, I finally did it! I made the seafood boxty I was talking about in one of my past posts. What is a seafood boxty, you ask? And why would I make anything called a seafood boxty? Because it is out of this world delicious!!! That's why. And also because it is the dish I had when Girls Night Out went to Ireland via Paddy Ryan's Irish Restaurant and Pub last month.  Part of the reason I am writing this blog is so I can write about my adventures in cooking and recreating recipes from the various restaurants the Girls Night Out group goes to each month and maybe show pictures...if I think it looks appetizing. Awwww, don't worry, I'll still post pics even if it looks gross. I am by no means a chef nor am I an artist. So it may or may not taste good and it most likely won't look pretty.  Oh, and I need to let someone taste my creation too. A bit risky, I know, but you never know what can happen. I found this out when I had my fabulous friend, Kris Dodge try the boxty.....unintentionally. That is, I made it and did not intend for her to eat it because I thought it was a wreck of a dish. Now, I like 99.99999% of everything I eat and even if it's not that great I will still eat it. But this was just bad, or so I thought. ;)
So where do I begin? Let's start by explaining what boxty is exactly. It is a traditional Irish potato dish that has a little rhyme attached to it.  "Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get your man."  I wonder if Steve knows about this? Well, it's a good thing he wasn't home to try my boxty because he'd be headed out the door!
Boxty is basically a potato pancake and can be layered with various fillings. The filling I chose was salmon and cod in a creamy spinach and dill sauce. Paddy Ryan's make everything from scratch and with organic ingredients. It was sooooo good. Here is a picture of their Seafood Boxty:

~The filling is sandwiched between two boxty.~

I just had to try to make this at home. So I did some research on the internet and found a few traditional boxty recipe sites and I found a recipe for the sauce, but ended up creating my own based on what I thought was in it.

The boxty ended up like a flat hockey puck that could be used as a weapon for sure. Paddy's were lighter a fluffy. Mine were dense like cement. Like I said before, I found a few recipes out there and all were just a bit different. Some added egg, some had both shredded potato and mashed. Some included baking powder, some not. it was hard to say what Paddy's used. But the sauce! The sauce was deeeeeeelicious!! It had organic, unpasteurized cream; white wine, lemon juice, fresh dill, paprika, salmon and cod. I later realized that I forgot to add the spinach but it was fantastic without it.

So I had the sauce down but the boxty is the foundation for the dish and if I had that wrong then I was not doing so well. So I put it all to the side.

Meanwhile, my friend Kris, was over around lunch time for a meeting when her tummy started to grumble. I thought I could make her a tuna fish sandwich?? But this was my chance to try my recipe out on someone. But who really wants to eat a slab of cement with some fish sauce on top? Surely not Kris!

But as I walked to the kitchen, she followed me and saw my concoction sitting on the counter and on the stove. I told her what I made and she said she wanted to try it!! Seriously?? Yes, she was serious. The only thing was, she did not like salmon but she said to give her the sauce without the salmon. So I reluctantly made her a plate of my sad rendition of seafood boxty.

I have to say that I was quite leary and feared I might accidently poison her like the time I almost killed my husband when I canned dill pickles for the first time. They went way wrong! He didn't really get sick and in fact he only took a bite and realized something was not right. But the potential of me giving away jars and jars of pickles to people who might keal over due to a malfunction in something I did during the canning process made me a bit nervous. I had actually given a jar to my in-laws and had to call them before they opened them. I am sure some might let it pass and let their in-laws eat the pickles but I truly love them and did not want anything to happen to them!! Side note: I have since then perfected my pickle making ability and they are now one of Steve's favorite things to eat. Whew!

Okay, so you can understand why I was hesitant about feeding Kris. I suppose the worst that could happen  was she'd feel like she had a rock in her stomach. So I decided to let her have it. I only placed one boxty on the plate and topped it with the sauce (minus the chunks of salmon). To my complete amazement, she LOVED it!! Not liked, but LOVED it! She inhaled it!!! Maybe she was just really hungry but within minutes, it was gone! And I am quite confident Kris is not like me who likes 99.99999% of the things she tries. ;)

I did not get a picture of her eating it, but I did take a picture of another plate of my creation the next day when I decided to try it one more time. Guess what?? I LOVED it!! When I originally tasted the recipe I had eaten mostly the boxty with a little bit of sauce. I needed to smother the boxty with the sauce and let it soak in a bit. So are you ready for a picture of my seafood boxty? (Are you wondering how many times I wrote the word "boxty" in this post?) I am because it feels like more times than necessary. Anyway, here it is........................................................

Not so pretty and a bit assymetrical but it was tasty! The salmon and cod in the creamy dill sauce had a wonderful rich flavor yet not too heavy. The dill and hint of lemon accentuated the salmon and cod nicely and the boxty gave you something to soak it all up with and added a welcoming texture.

So there you have it! It was not exactly like Paddy Ryan's version but it was tasty and satisfying.

Steve still would have run if he had tried it!

So until next time....go try something new!!

Day 3--Experimental Baking and Coffee

Warning---This may be one of those posts that cause you to put up your plexiglass window if you don't like to read about food. ;) But just read it anyway.

So I invited my friend Ann to come over for coffee and treats yesterday. I decided I would make two new recipes I had never made before, which is always risky.  But no matter how they turned out, Ann would love me no matter what....right? And I know she would also provide honest feedback. She's just that kind of friend. You know, the kind that tells you there is something stuck in your teeth when everyone else lets you walk around with a piece of spinach screaming out to all who see you flash that beeeee.....(uh)...eautiful smile. Or the kind of friend who tells you that the paint color in your bathroom is not working. That's my Annie! :)
So I decided to make a yummy looking cheese blintze brunch cake for her, which I found on the web (of course). It tastes like a cheese blintze. If you've ever had a cheeze blintze then you know exactly what I am talking about. The filling is not very sweet yet has a rich and creamy texture that is a bit reminiscent of cheese cake, depending on the recipe you've tried. The filling is rolled into a delicate crepe and topped with a fruit compote of some sort. The brunch cake recipe I made takes the basic ingredients of the filling and becomes slightly sweet, rich, yet not too heavy, cheescake-like dessert. It has lemon zest and fresh lemon juice in it to give it a little zip and is topped with either powdered sugar or a fruit filling...or both! :)
The 2nd recipe I chose (off the web again), was a "healthy" breakfast coffee cake. I think this was my first mistake...making a "healthy" recipe. Not that healthy is bad. I love to make healthy recipes but when I read the ingredients, I should have known that the outcome might be a bit blaaaaaaaaand. But hey, I had all of the ingredients already so I decided to make it anyway and add a couple of my own twists. I did title this post "Experimental Baking" after all.
So let's get to the recipes and then the critiques...

Blintze Brunch Cake (kraftrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened (I used regular but but can use light)
1 container (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese (I used whole milk ricotta but can use any)
5 eggs, divided
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup flour 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted (I used butter)
1/4 cup milk ( I used 2% but can use any)
1 Tbsp. baking powder


Preheat oven to 325°F.
Beat cream cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 of the eggs, 1/4 cup of the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended; set aside.

Place flour, butter, remaining 3 eggs, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, milk and baking powder in separate large bowl; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Spread 1/3 of the dough onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with cream cheese mixture. Gently spoon remaining dough over top.

Bake 45 minutes or until center is set. (I had to bake mine for almost an hour so times may vary depending on your oven. When I saw the top start to get brown then I took it out of the oven.) Cut into 16 pieces to serve. (I made mine the night before and served slightly chilled.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar or fruit topping, if desired.  I used cherry pie filling to top it with. (These also freeze well, without the topping of course.)
So before I share the nutritional info with you, take a look at the finished product. :)

~Blintze Brunch Cake~

(I debated sharing the nutritional info with you but hey!, the good stuff is gonna cost ya a bit) ;)
Calories 310 Total fat 26 g Saturated fat 15 g Cholesterol 140 mg Sodium 340 mg Carbohydrate 12 g Dietary fiber 0 g Sugars 11 g Protein 7 g Vitamin A 20 %DV Vitamin C 0 %DV Calcium 15 %DV Iron 0 %

While I was eating my piece of yummy goodness, I was waiting for Ann to try her's. But she decided to try the Apple Walnut Coffee Cake first. Ann is also the type of person who likes to eat one... thing... at... a... time.  So I finished my blintze cake while she critiqued the apple cake--which will come later.
Between Ann and I, we both decided that while the blintze cake was good, it could have had a little more pizazz. So next time I will try adding orange zest in addition to the lemon zest and top with lemon curd. Yum!! So if you like less sweet desserts and a cheesecake-like texture, try this one!! Let me know what you think. :)

Okay, so on to the 2nd recipe... The name given on the website is called "Apple Bars". I think the name is as bland as the recipe tasted, unfortunately. But this was a good experiment and some good ideas came from it.
After all, healthy does not have to mean tasteless.
Here is the original recipe along with (my additions):

Apple Bars (mrbreakfast.com)

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups fresh apple or 2 large - shredded (I used Gala but would recommend 1 sweet and 1 tart, like a Granny Smith)
1-1/2 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts - chopped
2/3 cup dates - chopped (I omitted but you could also add raisins or craisins in place of the dates.)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
(I also added  1/2 C of unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 C brown sugar)
In a large mixing bowl, stir ALL ingredients together. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F.
 
In addition I made a streusel topping to add a little more to it.
In a separate small bowl add:
1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)--I used just a couple of dashes but should have used more.
Using a fork, mix together until crumbly.


Prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish with a coat of cooking spray ( I used butter)
Spread mixture into pan. Bale for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is just golden brown. Let cool ( I did not do this but YOU should) and cut into squares.

The original recipe said to serve it warm, but Ann and I both agreed that it should NOT be served warm. It literally tasted like a piece of nothing.
The texture was heavy and dense with a hint of chewy crunch from the walnuts. I could not eat mine after the first bite but Ann finished her piece. She appeared to be analyzing and was talking through her bites to see what could be changed.  Always thinking, that Ann.
Ann's advice was to use tart instead of sweet apples. I compromised and said, IF I were to make this again, and I certainly had no intention of doing such a thing, I would use one sweet and one tart apple. She also suggested adding craisins since she does not like raisins (reminds her of bunny droppings). She just can't get past the look of them. Ann, I am sure they taste NOTHING like bunny poop. ;)
I would also add much more spice like cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter next time.
And it needs a topping of some sort.  Ann suggested clotted cream. I know, the word "clotted" does not sound so appetizing but if you have ever had it, you will agree that this could be the answer! Clotted cream is like a cross between butter and whipped cream and is usually served on scones. You will find this on any English tea room menu. You can buy it in higher end grocery stores or you can make it yourself.  If you do, I would recommend using an unpasteurized cream (usually found in the organic section and is distributed by a local dairy farm). Or just plain pasteurized whipping cream (not ultra pasteurized whipping cream) would work well.  If you want a recipe for it let me know and I will get it to you.
OR you can top with good ole whipping cream. I suppose you could use the kind in the can (which is not the real deal but I still like the taste) but NEVER use the ultra processed NON-dairy Cool Whip, PLEASE!  If you do, don't tell me.
Making your own whipped cream is VERY easy and there is nothing like the real deal: Chill a stainless steel bowl (I have used glass also but stainless holds the cold temp much longer), the beaters from an electric mixer, and either 1 cup of heavy whipping cream or the unpasterized cream in the freezer for about 10-20 minutes. Make sure not to freeze the cream. ;)
Whip the cream until it begins to get stiff. This may take a few minutes. Then add 1/4 C granulated sugar (or to taste--some like it sweeter and some a little less) and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Whip until it forms peaks. You want to be able to spoon some up, turn the spoon over and the cream sticks to it.
That's all there is to it!
Okay, where was I...
So after Ann and I sat, talked, ate, and drank lots of coffee, I walked over to the counter and thought I'd give that apple coffee cake another try just in case...After sitting for awhile it had cooled down to room temp and it actaully had a bit of flavor! I could actually taste something! It still needs all of the things mentioned above in my and Ann's opinion but it was at least it had little more flavorful. So serving at room temp is the way to go!
If you really wanted to try it warm, crumble into a bowl and pour a little cream (the real kind) over the top.
Here's a picture of the final product without all of the bells and whistles:

~Apple Walnut Coffee Cake~

Here's Ann after I finally remembered to take pictures of our morning.

So all in all it was a good morning spent with a great friend.  I have some more experimenting to do in the kitchen. So until then, have a fabulous day!

Day 2...God has such perfect timing!

So I put on a video for Lydia this morning, sit down at the table with my coffee and bible and open it up to where I had stuck a bookmark in no particular spot. I was ready to ask God to show me something of Him this morning.  If you have not done this before, opened up the bible that is, I would hightly recommed it.  There was a time I used to think it was a waste of MY time and so was God, but He certainly changed my attitude on that. :)
So before I even start to pray, I look at  the page and there it is. The passages that I needed to read today. How appropriate for this week. How appropriate for every week, every day...
John 15:10-13  "I have obeyed my Father's commands, and I remain in his love. In the same way, if you obey my commads, you will remain in my love.  I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have and so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy.  This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you.  The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."
The disciples did not fully understand what Jesus was saying and what was going to happen in just a short while. The depth of Jesus' love for them, for us was about to be displayed.
Jesus, the perfect role model of faith, obeyed God to the point of death. He looked beyond His very painful circumstances and He knew what His sacrifice would bring...Life to others.
This next passage is from the book, God Came Near by Max Lucado...Read this slowly and soak it all in.
He looked around the carpentry shop. He stood for a moment in the refuge of the little room that housed so many sweet memories.  He balanced the hammer in his hand.  He ran his fingers across the sharp teeth of the saw.  He stroked the smoothly worn wood of the sawhorse.  He had come to say goodbye.
It was time for him to leave.  He had heard something that made him know it was time to go.  So he came one last time to smell the sawdust and lumber.
Life was peaceful here. Life was so...safe...
I wonder if he wanted to stay....I wonder because I know he had already read the last chapter.  He knew that the feet that would step out of the safe shadow of the carpentry shop would not rest until they'd been pierced and placed on a Roman cross.
...If there was any hesitation on the part of his humanity, it was overcome by the compassion of his divinity.  His divinity heard the voices...
And his divinity saw the faces....From the face of Adam to the face of the infant born somewhere in the world as you read these words, he saw them all.
And you can be sure of one thing.  Among the voices that found their way into that carpentry shop in Nazareth was your voice....
And not only did he hear you, he saw you.  He saw your face aglow the hour you first knew him.  He saw your face in shame the hour you first fell.  The same face that looked back at you from this morning's mirror, looked at him.  And it was enough to kill him.
He left because of you.
He laid his security down with his hammer.  He hung tranquility on the peg with his nail apron.  He closed the window shutters on the sunshine of his youth and locked the door on the comfort of ease of anonymity.
Since he could bear your sins more easily than he could bear the thought of your hopelessness, he chose to leave.
It wasn't easy.  Leaving the carpentry shop never has been.

Even though Jesus left the comfort of his carpentry shop to do God's will, to endure such pain and suffering, He could see the joy that lay ahead. He knew there was a divine purpose to what He was doing. He was willing to step out of his comfort zone and take on our sins to fulfill God's plan so that we could know a peace and joy that is not found in this world, but in Him, in eternal life with God.
Are you willing to look beyond your pain and find God's purpose for your struggle? for your pain? for your difficult time? There is great joy to be found in our sufferings, a joy that surpasses all understanding in this world.
So be encouraged today that we can be joy-filled in all circumstances because of what Christ did for us. We are called to follow the perfect example of Jesus, who overcame difficult circumstances. Wow!
To that I say, AMEN!!!

I said I wanted to start a blog so here I go...

So one day I wrote a status update on Facebook stating that I wanted to write a blog and asked what it should be about. Here are some of the things people wrote: Nothing, me, healthy recipes/cooking, life on the farm, cooking through The Encyclopedia of Cooking (which would take me until about 2013)...
These are all great things but I still could not land on one or even two ideas.
I really wanted to focus on one thing but I am the kind of person who likes to talk about a lots of things.  So I have decided that I will do just that...talk about a lot of things and also focus on one thing (in between). That's kind of how my brain works. I can get a single thought in my head and then talk about it and before you know it I am rambling on about a lot of things that DID actually have something to do with the original thing I started talking about (I think). Then when I realize that I have gone off track, I start the process of tracing back each thought to my original thought. Ever do that? My poor husband wishes I would just get to the point. He occassionally puts up that invisible plexiglass window when it looks like there is no end in sight to my conversation...or rather my monologue. But this is the beauty of a blog. I can write what comes to my mind and you can either read it, read and respond, or put up your plexiglass window.  Are you ready?  Here we go...
Let's start with the one thing I want to focus on in this blog.
About a year ago I had a taste for sushi and asked a few gals if they wanted to join me in a sushi dining experience. I think there were about 13 or 14 of us that went to a little place in Stillwater, MN.  Some loved sushi already, some never tried it before and liked it and some tried it and decided it was not happening again. We talked about getting together again and trying another type of food. This was the beginning of the Girls' Night Out-Eating Around the World in the Twin Cities group. My idea was to go to a restaurant each month that represented a different country. There are approximately 195 countries so I knew we had our work cut out for us. I wanted to bring women from all different circles together to have food, fun, and fellowship with one another. It was also a good way for me to get out with the girls and enjoy something that I love, love, love...trying different cuisines!!  I love my husband dearly, but his idea of a good meal will always consist of red meat (with ketchup) and a starch (limited to potatoes or rice)---and usually hold the starch and just eat the meat. Afterall, he is a beef farmer. So it makes sense, right? ;)
Up until now, we have gone to: Japan, Thailand, Italy, England, Ethiopia, The Caribbean, Germany, Afghanistan, and Ireland all via restaurants in the twin cities and western Wisconsin area who make authentic cuisines . It is important to me to make sure the restaurants we go to are authentic and reflect that countries' culture in their food. I research the web mostly to find these restaurants and read their reviews. So far so good.
So, my idea for the one thing to focus on or rather the constant in this blog will be to take a recipe from each restaurant we go to, make it at home, and blog about that experience. I am in the very beginning stages of my thought process on this idea but I am excited to see what happens. And then inbetween all of these cooking experiences I will blog about life on the farm which out of that comes some crazy stories. I will also blog about my cooking concoctions that I like to make just on a whim, and also my thoughts as I dig into God's word to find out more of who He is and what that means for me, my kiddos who are always interesting (in my opinion of course), and probably add a whole lot of "nothing" in there as well.
So keep an eye out for a post on the first meal I make from Ireland. It won't happen until next week so don't hold your breath...