Feeding the soul

So after giving it some great thought I have decided to transition my blog from the randomness of life with the occasional smattering of oddities. Into something of some substance.

I want to share what has become a passion of mine and that is cooking.  I dream that I am the next Julia Childs or Ina Garten but in reality I am a woman with a passion for cooking with a kitchen that wouldn't be featured on Food Network or HGTV.  I don't know when this passion started but it has been with me for as long as I can remember.

The fun part of it all is that my husband will let me experiment with cooking food and thankfully he will eat just about anything (or at least give it his best to try it).

So in this new blog adventure I will share some of my favorites with cooking; both in recipes and the whimsy in the kitchen...



To start I want to show off my pride and joy... my Mushroom Risotto.

Below I will so some images of the steps and stages of the process.  Keep in mind this recipe is not for the faint of heart or who has a lot of distractions.  This dish will keep you stove side for a least 2 hours.

So here goes..

You need to saute about 2 quarts of mushrooms with 2 tbsp of butter you don't want to add to much liquid or the mushrooms will become mushy (I prefer the white button and baby bellas).  Once these have been saute'd remove from the pan and place on the side for addition later.  In the same pan saute one small onion and three stalks of leaks. With the leaks I cut about a half and inch from the root base up about 5 inches where the stalk starts to spread apart.   You will need to saute the onion and leaks in 4 tbsp of butter until tender, salt and pepper to taste.  While this is happening you will want to be heating up in a separate pot about 5 cups of Chicken Stock or Vegetable stock (I prefer Mushroom) for vegetarian recipes.

 You will then add 1 1/2 cups of Aboria rice, this rice is the best for Risotto.  Mix the rice with the onions and leaks then add 1 cup of a dry white wine.  If you don't like the taste of the wine in the bottle you don't need to use it.  I like a dry Chardonnay, it ends up in total being about a cup and half in the pot and a glass for me. :-)  Reduce your heat to low/medium low.

Once the wine has been mostly absorbed you will need to add one cup of simmering chicken stock.  You will repeat this process of adding 1 cup or 1 ladle of stock into the rice.

Just before you add the remainder of your stock you will want to stir in 1 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese and the saute'd mushrooms.  This will transform your risotto to a creamy texture.  Once the parmesan cheese is mixed in add the remaining stock.  I would reduce heat to low or turn off your burner and cover.

Your end result should look like this.  I simply served it with a baked chicken breast and topped with slivers of Parmesan cheese.  It was delicious.

My husband kindly informed me that this was the best meal I had cooked for him in our entire marriage.  I just laughed.

Well I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I had making it.

There will be more to come as my mind seems to always be creating new recipes, even when I am sleeping.  The notebook on my nightstand is proof alone.

Enjoy!

Time's a wasting so let's get blogging again...

Well I'm back. I didn't realize it has been so long since my last blog.  I doubt I even have followers anymore.  But for those of you who have stuck out the wait, I am back.  So let's do some updates:

Joey and I are still in Texas, an enjoying it (the winters that is).  We are both happily employed and loving our little boy who joined us last fall. His name is Spritz he was born September 12, 2011 and we brought him home to be a part of our family in November.

Here he is when we was 10 weeks old:

And now he looks like this a year later:

He is growing up fast and has been such a delightful addition to our family.

Now as for  Joey and I we finished our first 5K Turkey Trot together on Thanksgiving morning.

This is how we looked at the end.

We have been blessed this year and I know that we are so thankful for all that God has given us.  So now that my feet are trotting my fingers will follow along.

Look forward to more to come....

Born or not born

Today I was hung up on by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts registry office. I called them to verify if the copy of my birth certificate was official. I have used it to get a passport, marriage certificate, a California drivers license so why won't the state of Texas accept my birth certificate. The Texas DPS office told me it wasn't official since it didn't have a seal (which it does) and that it doesn't look like the official one from the state. This whole process has been so frustrating and to be hung up on didn't help. So I had to go to their recommended website to order an "official copy" of my birth certificate for 90 dollars (which I don't have because we are officially broke) just so I can get my TX license to update at my PT job and in case I need to show ID for whatever the reason may be.

I apologize if this sounds like a pity party rant but I am just exhausted by the hunt. The hunt for a job with benefits, decent pay (I don't even care if it is good pay just so I can pay the bills matters to me now) and a church that I can call home. I miss Calvary, I miss WACC, here in TX it feels like you need to be showy of your money or showy of how much you love God. And right now I am just tired, tired of being patient and tired of trying to figure out since we are early to the party (moved to soon to TX) what God is trying to tell us. I know I was running from exhaustion and frustration but I think we could have stayed longer in Omaha and would have been happy at least one of us would have had a job.

Wow now this really does sound like a pity party. I just ask for your prayers and comments. Maybe we should sell it all and whatever is left pack up, put it in storage and move to Africa. At least there I could feel like I was making a difference in someone's life and that I was needed for something. Enough of the pity party for now, being hung up on really brought some frustrating feelings up to the surface. When I write again it will be on better terms.

Check please, Pity Party for 1 is out.

Wheaten and Coldwater

Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers

Hopefully Joey and I will be adding to our family in the near future.

Here is the picture of the proud papa! Isn't he handsome?

Coldwater Creek

I start my new part time job at Coldwater Creek tomorrow. I am so excited to be given the chance to get out of the house and earning some money. Even though my friend Will thinks it is a spa (it would be a very odd spa), it is a fine women's clothing store. I am really excited for the chance to help women pick out some new clothes! I will let you how it goes as I start my training. Wish me luck!

Patience, patience and just a little bit more patience

So I figured since I have some time on my hands I would give all of my avid readers some updates.

1. Joey and I are still looking for work. Although we have both applied for some part time work in the mean time while we are waiting out some potential leads through our new friend Bryan.

2. Living in Texas has been interesting. We haven't seen a lot but when the money comes back in we will go an check this big state out.

3. I really want a Cairn puppy, an apartment of our own to make it our home and decorate with all of my fall decor (that are currently sitting in storage) and an iced Venti non-fat Chai Latte.

4. Joey and I are on a new adventure with food. No details to give now but lets just say it is working no matter how much we hate it.

Can't seem to get it to go away...

Have you ever had an image in your mind that you just can't seem to get it to go away. Not that you don't like the image or not that you really truly want it to go away. It just seems to be there every time you close your eyes?

Well this is my image. This is what I keep seeing everytime I close my eyes.

This image is of some orphans in Uganda in one of 13 different villages I visited several years ago. I saw the same smiles, on the same faces with the same hands stretched out risking everything to be greeted and smiled at by a Muzungu (me, or a white person). The typical Muzungu just drove by in the Land Rovers on their way to Safari but this Muzungu stopped and cared and loved these children. It took everything within me not to take one or even all of these children home with me. It was even harder when they opened their mouths and praised our Lord with their sweet Angelic voices. Praising him for the blessings he bestowed on them, the meals he provided for them and the care that they had received. They praised him for the lives that they have had and how they knew that their parents who had died a year or even a month before were in the presence of their King and these children praised him for it.

All of the while this Muzungu couldn't get past that these children didn't have shoes, couldn't afford to go to school, didn't have dinner last night or breakfast this morning and yet they praised their Lord! They praised him with their voices, they praised him with their dances, they praised him as they wept for they knew they were saved!

Oh I pray that this Muzungu would one day praise the Lord the way they did that day! Praise him for the blessings he had given me, the life that I live because of him, or the people that I have gotten to know over my 34 years. That I would praise him just for loving me and for giving me the greatest gift of all and that is eternal life in heaven with him. I should praise him for the sacrifice that he made for me, praise him for loving me despite my shortcomings, praise him for blessing me each day with breath and people around me who love me. Let me dance for him and sing him praise, let me rejoice in knowing that this coming Sunday we celebrate that he conquered death for me! But not just for me but for you as well. So join with me and let us praise him together. We can sing, dance and rejoice in our Lord and Savior!

The Thaw has finally come.....

The seasons are changing the grass is getting greener and the snow if finally melting away. I never thought I would say that I am glad it was 45 degrees out today!!

Joey and I are doing well and I am sorry I haven't kept this blog up to date. I honestly didn't realize that it had been so long that I last blogged. Until I went to post a new blog on some changes in our lives when I realized that it had been almost a year since I last blogged. I guess you could say I have been a little busy.

Well here is the biggest change of all. Joey and I are moving again. I have found myself too often over the past few months desperately missing my family. I miss seeing my nieces and nephews and now that there are 6 of them (2 girls and 4 boys)Joey and I want to see them grow up and be a part of their lives as much as we can. Now we have always wanted to be a part of their lives but as Joey and I have been on the adventure of trying to become parents being around those precious little gifts from God has become more important to both of us. We don't want to be Uncle Joey and Auntie Jenna who they only see everyother holiday or some random summer vacation trip as the family passes through. And I can't tell you how many times I have cried in my office, in bed or even sitting on the couch because I have missed another birthday or dance recital or sporting event. I don't want that to continue. So all this to say that we are moving to Texas! At this point it looks like it will be the end of June, early July but if something comes in sooner for Joey or myself we won't let that opportunity pass us by. Thankfully Joey would be able to go down ealier if need be and I will finish out the school year here in Omaha.

So needless to say what we are asking for is your prayers during this new turn in the path of our lives. I know that God is definitely in charge of this and has his plan worked out already so we are anxious to see where we land in the great state of Texas. Wherever that will be...

By the way does this mean I have to start saying, ya'll? Oh geez.