Thoughts

Thoughts. I have had many thoughts running through my brain lately. So many that when I lay in bed at night I try to piece the day together between running here and there, working, and doing this and that. Thoughts of a wedding coming up (225 days to be exact), thoughts of my future since everybody keeps asking what I am going to do next, thoughts of family, thoughts of a friend who is going through an extremely hard time right now, and being Catholic, thoughts on lent and the meaning of it all.

Lent is an important time for Catholics. It is a time for exactly what this post is all about. It is time to reflex, to ask for forgiveness, and most of all to experience what Jesus Christ did for us. We don't eat meat on Fridays (or Ash Wednesday), we are expected to fast, we are expected to give up something like He gave up for 40 days and nights. All of this, such a small price, for what He did about 2000 years ago for us.

This lent I decided that I was going to give up buying myself material items (excluding groceries and toiletries). I already have all the material things I need and more. But as I watch a friend struggle (you wouldn't know she is struggling because she has such a positive attitude) I keep asking myself what else can I give. What can I give so that in return she is given just a little break? Don't get my wrong, I am not seconding guessing my faith, I know that God chose a path for everyone and He chose this path for her because he knew she could handle it. But I just have so much and I am so blessed and it has me asking the question "what else can I give?"

At church on Sunday I received this:

Turtle Bread

I received this from a second grader who will be receiving first communion in May and in returned I promised to pray for him and the steps that he will take in his religious life starting with the step of first communion.

So please tonight, Sunday at church, Easter at church, or whenever you get around to it will you send up a few extras prayers. A prayer for my friend to be given more strength and to help her and many others around her to see the light in all this darkness. And a prayer for this little boy that he will continue to follow the light of God.

Tasteful Tuesday: Welcome to Ireland!

This Monday I started the "Tour of Europe". I decided that for the next few weeks I will explore and make traditional meals from some European countries. Just a way to branch out and try something new!

So this week in honor of St. Patrick's Day (on Thursday) I made a dish that you would find in Ireland. No, not corned beef and cabbage. I made Dublin Coddle and Irish Strawberry Bread for dessert. When looking at Irish recipes I found that many are simple and do not include a lot of ingredients. So here it is...

Dublin Coddle

1 1/2 pints of water (2 cups in 1 pint)

8 think slices of ham cut into chunks

8 pork sausages

2 large onions peeled and sliced

1 1/2 lbs of potatoes peeled and sliced

salt and pepper

2 heaped tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1. Bring the water to the biol in a saucepan, then add the ham and sausages and cook for 5 mins. Drain well and reserve the cooking liquids for later.

2. Set oven to 300 degrees

3. Place potatoes and onion in pan (I also added carrots)

4. Place the ham, sausages, and chopped parsley in pan and pour over just enough cooking liquid to cover (I did use it all) and cover with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper (parchment paper will do) and cover with lid (or foil) and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours or until the liquid is greatly reduced and the vegetables cooked but not mushy

*Adding some Guinness to the Coddle will give it an extra kick!

Strawberry Bread

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups vegetable oil

2 cups strawberries, rinsed, hulled, quartered

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Add eggs and oil and mix well. Stir in strawberries and mix again (will not be runny!)

3. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake 1 hour until golden brown on top.

4. Cool in pan 10 mins before turning out onto wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

 Leave a comment if you have a recipe or suggestion for a meal. Maybe you went to Europe and had a to-die-for meal, well let me know what it was!

 I hope you enjoyed this little visit to Ireland and stay tuned because next week we will be visiting France!

 

Tasteful Tuesday

This recipe is great for dinner parties and a great way to wow your guests! Tell them they are having Mac 'n' Cheese and then pull this out of the oven!

Grilled Chicken and Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese

I got this recipe from the "Rachael Ray" magazine and let me tell you this is gourmet Mac 'n' Cheese (nothing like kraft!) It took about 45mins to 1 hour to throw all this together and it was so delicious!

 Grilled Chicken and Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese

6 slices good-quality smoky bacon, such as applewood-smoked

Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat short-cut pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lightly pounded

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, quartered lengthwise and very thinly sliced

2 rounded tablespoons flour

1/2 cup cloudy apple cider or chicken stock

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

1 1/2 cups shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese

1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded

Chopped flat leaf parsley or celery greens, for garnish

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

Arrange the bacon on a slotted broiler pan or on a rack placed over a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Chop and reserve. Switch on the broiler and position the rack in the center of the oven.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the instructions indicate, or until just shy of al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

While the pasta is working, heat a grill pan or cast iron griddle over medium-high heat. Drizzle the chicken with EVOO to coat lightly, then season evenly with the paprika, salt and pepper. Grill the chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a cutting board and halve the pieces lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

While the chicken cooks, melt the butter in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until light golden and very soft, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the cider (or stock), then the milk. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 3-4 minutes. Add the thyme and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the cheeses until melted.

Add the chicken, bacon and sauce to the pasta and transfer to a casserole. Broil until bubbling and browned, about 5 minutes. Garnish with the parsley (or celery greens).

I am sure you can mix of the cheeses and I did not use fresh Thyme so I only added 1 tablespoon and it was still very strong. I hope you enjoy and let me know how impressed your guests were!

Tasteful Tuesday: Slowcooker Style!

This Monday I decided to find a slowcooker recipe for all those busy bodies out there! It actually turned out to be a great Monday to do it on as I was quite busy myself and ended up not being home for dinner! This recipe was delicious.

Apple Glazed Pork Roast

Pork Loin Roast (Your desired weight, mine was 3lb and it was plenty for 5)

6 Apples 

1/4 Cup Apple Juice

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon 

1. Rub Roast with Salt and Pepper

2. Brown pork roast in broiler to remove excess fat. (I did not do this step)

3. Core and quarter apples and place in the bottom of the crock pot.

4. Place roast on top of apples

5. Combine apple juice, brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. Spoon over top of roast, moistening it well.

6. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours

*I did add a bag of carrots to the crock pot.

A couple tips that I found online when using a slow cooker are:

• Only fill the crockpot one half to two thirds full. The foods will not cook properly if the appliance is filled to the brim. If the food and liquid level is lower, the foods will cook too quickly.
• Foods cooked on the bottom of the slow cooker cook faster and will be moister because they are immersed in the simmering liquid.
• Remove skin from poultry, and trim excess fat from meats. Fats will melt with long cooking times, and will add an unpleasant texture to the finished dish. Fatty foods will also cook too quickly.
• You can thicken the juices and concentrate flavors by removing the lid and cooking on HIGH for the last half hour of cooking time.
• Most meats require 8 hours of cooking on LOW. Use cheaper cuts of meat - not only do you save money, but these meats work better in the slow cooker. Cheaper cuts of meat have less fat, which makes them more suited to crockpot cooking. Moist, long cooking times result in very tender meats.
• Follow the layering instructions carefully. Vegetables do not cook as quickly as meat, so they should be placed in the bottom of the appliance.(Notice in the picture I did not follow this step and the carrots were not done!)
• Don't lift the lid to stir, especially if you are cooking on the low setting. Each time you lift the lid, enough heat will escape that the cooking time should be extended by 20 minutes to half an hour. To check progress without lifting the lid, spin the cover until the condensation falls off. Then it's easy to see inside.

8 Months

Josh and I

In 8 months Josh and I will be saying our I Do's from this exact spot! Better attire though! Happy 8 months till one of the best days of my life Josh!

Confirmed!

Today my not so little little brother got confirmed! Sponsored by the one and only Josh!

Josh and Nathaniel (John)

I am so proud of you Nathaniel for making this adult decision to be confirmed! Congratulations on your confirmation!!!!

BFF's

You know how back in elementary and middle school you had that one person who you considered your BFF (best friend forever). You each had the heart necklace that was split in half, one part saying best and the other saying friends. Well I was blessed with more then one BFF. A heart necklace couldn't break into enough pieces to give each one of them one. They each are special in their own way and each have taught me something different about life.

Missing a few special people!

You know someone is special when they know your strengths AND your weaknesses. When you can tell them how you really feel about a situation and you know it won't ruin your friendship. When they know your deepest darkest secrets and still that does not scare them away. When you all go to separate colleges but still manage to be friends after 4.5 years. When one is in need of strength you help provide that. When one needs ears to listen you sit patiently and listen to what they have to get off their chest. When you don't need to sugar coat an explanation because they already understand. When they ask you your opinion you give them YOUR opinion, you don't worry about hurting their feelings. And when you just love each other because that is what BFF's do!

So who are your special people?