SortaCrunchy

Warming Hearts and Filling Tummies: Tex-Mex Chili and Pioneer Woman's Tres Leches Cake

photo by adacito

Okay, I have to admit it.  If there is one redeeming aspect of the cold, it's the chance to prepare, serve, and enjoy the comfiest of comfort foods.

Saturday night, we invited friends over for dinner.  Because we are all still trying to acclimate to shivering, I thought chili would be appropriate.  Because I had run my first ever 5K Saturday morning (and I did it!  I ran jogged the entire course!), I decided Ree's Tres Leches cake was necessary for celebrating.

Because if after running 3.1 miles, you can't celebrate with cake, then may I ask, what is the point?

I pulled out my trusty Tex-Mex chili recipe, given to me by a fellow coach's wife when we lived south of Austin.  Once Kyle had tasted the chili she brought to the coaches' office, he could never settle for less.  Thankfully, like all chili recipes, it's easy, warming, and comforting.  And filling.  

Kim's Tex-Mex Chili

2lbs ground beef
chopped onion, bell pepper, whatever else you like to add
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz can of tomato sauce
14.5 can diced tomatoes
3 potatoes (more if you use more ground beef)
beans, if desired

Toppings of your choice

Brown ground beef with onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper. 

Drain grease, then I add a can of tomato sauce, about 3 cans of water (I use the tomato can), 1 can of diced tomatoes and Fiesta Brand Quick Chili Mix spice. (NOTE: I've only ever been able to find this at HEB in Texas.  I can't get it up here, so I have to settle for Williams brand Tex-Mex chili seasoning.)

Simmer this for at least 30 – 45 min. 

Then add diced potatoes (I've found 3 to be a good number.  Adjust according to size of chili batch you are making) (Note from Kim: I know that sounds weird but once you try it, it is hard not to have potatoes in it.   I grew up on chili this way.  My mom usually would always put a can of beans in hers, but we are not big fans of beans so mine did not have it in there.)  (Note from Megan: we don't put beans in ours, either.)

Simmer until the potatoes are tender - usually 20 - 30 more minutes.  You might have to add more water because the potatoes absorb the water.  Sometimes I add ketchup for more flavor or picante sauce.  It is all a trial and error.  And whatever else you like to throw in chili - just add it in!

The longer you cook it the better it is.  Honestly, the next day it is even better after the potatoes have absorbed up the juice. I serve it over Fritos and put cheese on top.  Sometimes we might add chopped onion and jalapeños.  Really - just whatever.

NOW, I have to tell you we happened upon a new-to-us topping that Kyle and I both loved.  After we had fixed up bowls of frito chili pie on Saturday night, our friend J asked, "I know this sounds weird, but do you have any mustard?"  Like, regular yellow mustard?  Sure.  Our friends J and M topped their chili with mustard and a skeptical Kyle and I tried it, too.  OHMYGOODNESS.  Yum.  It makes complete sense if you've ever had a chili cheese coney with mustard on the hot dog.  It had just never occurred to me how well that would translate to frito chili pie. 

Seriously.  Yum.

Okay, so on to the cake.

Recently my friend Jaime essentially dared me to try The Pioneer Woman's Tres Leches cake. 

Have you ever had Tres Leches?

It's on the dessert menu of any respectable Tex-Mex eatery in Texas - especially Austin and southwards.  We've eaten it many times, but I had never attempted to make my own.  Ree's recipe looked easy enough, and tasty too, of course.  I figured serving it to four adults and four little girls who love some cake gave me the perfect excuse to try.

You can read the recipe at PW, but I'll share some insights I gleaned:

• The cake browned up almost immediately.  I thought there was no way  it would make it the entire 25 minutes of baking time without spontaneously combusting.  I worried quite a bit over that, and in fact turned the oven off and let the cake sit for the last 10 minutes of baking time.  What I discovered when the timer rang is that when the cake is truly finished baking, it will have pulled away from the sides of the pan (as you can see in Ree's pictures of her finished cake).
• I read through the comments (which I am now not seeing? head-scratcher) and noted that it's easier to pour the milks over the cake if you leave the cake in the pan for that part rather than when it is turned out onto the platter.  Considering the fact that I don't have a rimmed platter, this worked out nicely for me.  In fact, it allowed me to make sure I got those edges good and soaked.
• Ree suggests serving from the middle of the cake and perhaps trimming off the edges entirely.  I trimmed the edges before serving.  Approximately ninety minutes after I served the first piece of cake, this is all that was left:

Now, let me me tell what I did with that.  I piled up those edges on a plate, and it formed a sorta sloppy trifle.  It sat in the fridge over night and made a most excellent dessert, shared in secret the next day by Kyle and I.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

What was lovely about the Tres Leches is that it served as the perfect foil to the chili.  The heat from the chili balanced perfectly with the cool milkiness of the cake.  It was, if I do say so myself, a perfect winter meal to share with beloved friends.

So, potatoes in chili?  Topped with mustard?  Cake with milk poured on top?  Do you think I am weirder than ever?

A Beginner's Guide to Green Smoothies

My sweet friend (and possibly AJ's mother-in-law someday if we have our way!) Jen wrote up this guest post for me last summer about making green smoothies.  I'm running it now because with the kick-off of cold and flu season, we all need all of the vitamins we can get into our systems.  Green smoothies are a yummy way to do that!

photo by tiffanywashko

At least three times a week someone stops by my desk at work and gets a horrible grossed out look on their face and queries me about my mason jar of green “sludge”.  I have heard every comment under the sun from a simple “What is that?” to “Are you growing a science experiment?” to “Are you insane?”  I generally laugh and patiently explain to them that “that” (aka jar of greenish-brown goo) is my daily green smoothie. 

Every morning my family makes a pure fruit smoothie and then – purely for the added health benefits – we blend in leafy greens (spinach, Swiss chard, romaine, mixed greens – take your pick!).  My bloggy friend Reesh introduced me to green smoothies and after my first taste I was absolutely hooked.  You probably won’t believe me until you’ve actually tried it yourself, but you really can’t taste the “green”. 

If you can get past the horrid colour resembling something you might find in the back of your refrigerator after a month away from home, I guarantee you will like it!  What’s not to like about a smooth, cool, refreshing jar of your favourite blended fruits?? Especially one that has great health benefits such as keeping your bowels regular and giving you more energy along with a good portion of your daily recommended fruits and veggies?  And the very best part?  You might even convince your kids to “drink” their veggies!

I won’t go into too much detail about the science behind the benefits of eating raw blended greens, but for those of you who are interested, I would highly recommend checking out Victoria Boutenko’s website Green for Life or even checking her book of the same name out of your local library.  Both the website and book also include a few recipes.

If you’re thinking this all sounds complicated, it really isn’t. All you need is a blender, some fruit (anything goes!), some type of leafy green and a little bit of water, juice or ice.  Unless you have a powerful blender (we use a VitaMix since we make smoothies everyday) add the ingredients a little at a time and add water as needed to get the consistency you want.  Whether you like them so much you make smoothies a part of your daily diet or just have one every now and then  - they’re perfect for St. Patty’s day or to accompany a reading of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham – you can feel good about feeding yourself or your family these yummy treats!

Just to give you a little more incentive to pull out and dust off your blender, here are a few of our favourite blends:

Great Starter Recipe:

1 Apple (cored but not peeled)
1 Pear (cored but not peeled)
1 Banana
Blend with approximately one cup of water/juice until smooth
Fill blender with as much spinach (or other green of your choice) as you can and blend until smooth.
Yummy Summer Recipe:

Watermelon
Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Ripe Pear or Banana
Swiss Chard

Blend as above

Fruit Salad Mix:

Grapes
¼ Cantaloupe
1 Orange
Romaine Lettuce

Blend as above

A few final notes: greens such as spinach and romaine have a fairly mild taste, but you can also use stronger greens such as arugula, dandelion greens, stinging nettle, or even carrot or beet tops (often free at your local market!); be sure to taste test along the way to find your perfect mix; get your kids involved in making the smoothie so they’ll be more likely to enjoy drinking it (Nate loves packing the blender with spinach and pressing the buttons); and you can store any left over smoothie in the fridge for up to 3 days but you will need to either shake really well or re-blend slightly before drinking as it will settle out.

Happy Blending!

Jen is mom to two year old Nate, wife of her high school sweetheart Dale and third favourite person of Turner the amazing labradoodle.  Besides chillin' with her 3 boys, she works full-time as a member of the Canadian Forces Air Reserve and is trying to reconcile both her west coast-learned hippie tendencies and her city-grown roots with the conservative (and slightly redneck) ways of Northern Alberta.

Getting to Know Tea, Part Two

I was so excited to see that so many were as enthusiastic as I was about Trisha's introduction to all things Tea.  Today she returns to share some practical pointers.

The last time I visited SortaCrunchy, we got to know Tea a little better and swooned over its impressive traits. Hopefully you’ve been persuaded to accept a date with Tea, so I’d like to give it a chance to make a good impression. There are four keys to the perfectly brewed cup.

The Right Leaf.  All tea comes from the same plant, the difference is in the fermenting & drying process. The result is either a dark black or pu-erh tea, a medium oolong tea, or a light green or white tea. Discovering what you prefer comes with dating around a bit. Tea offers something for every palate. For the devoted coffee enthusiast who is euphoric at the smell of freshly roasted beans, there’s the deep toasty flavor of hojicha green or roasted pu-erh (without the coffee breath). For the foodie who thrills at exploring diverse culinary flavors, there’s the wide range of teas infused with blooms, extracts, and spices. Herbal teas, while not considered truly tea by purists, will appeal to the juice and cocoa drinkers. (These tisanes are brewed from dried herbs instead of the camellia sinensis plant.)

Once you’ve selected the type of tea for you, consider the quality. I prefer loose teas to individual bags because the full leaf retains the essential oils and allows the flavor to completely develop as it unfurls. There are plenty of options for brewing loose tea, from reusable bags to infusers and tea presses. You can also find full leaf teas packaged in beautiful pyramid bags that give more steeping room. But if you go for a ground leaf bag, you can still find the quality you want with the convenience you need. You’ll never find me without a few packets of the good stuff in my purse (and often ordering hot water at restaurants). Three tea-makers I can count on for consistent quality are Republic of Tea, Stash, and Yogi. These brands are also fairly easy to find.

When you’re ready to take it to the next level, visit your local tea room and the tea-nies there will eagerly assist you in navigating the endless options of teas and accessories.

The Right Water. Tea, like coffee, is mostly water, so if your brewing water tastes bad alone, then your tea will taste bad. Always start with filtered, cool water.

The Right Temperature. It’s absolutely true that different types of tea steep best in different water temperatures, but for many this seems too complicated. Most of us need an easy method to determine the brewing temp that doesn’t take much effort. Follow these basic guidelines: when the kettle squeals, remove it from the heat and pour immediately over pu-erh or herbal teas, wait 1 minute for black teas, 2 minutes for oolong or green, and 3 minutes for white.

The Right Brew Time. It matters. Unless you want your mouth to feel like you’ve been sucking on a lemon, the tea needs to be removed at the right time to stop the steeping process. To avoid astringency or a bitter aftertaste, steep white tea 1-2 minutes, green 2-3 minutes, oolong and black teas 4-5 minutes, and pu-erh and herbals 6-7 minutes. It’s also best to cover while brewing.

Once you’ve brewed your perfect cup, you can choose to sweeten it, cream it, ice it, or just wrap your hands around a warm fragrant mug and sip. Yes, Tea is a little high-maintenance; but as with most relationships, the more you put in to it, the more you get out of it. I have a hunch that after a few dates, you’ll find it difficult to resist Tea’s charms.

Trisha is an Oklahoma girl who is passionate about relationships, health, and natural living. Always the inquisitive student, she thrives on change and growth, and is enthusiastic about slew of hobbies including gardening, cooking, dancing, language, literature, and blogging about this mishmash of interests at ~~myOLIO~~. Trisha anticipates the day when her perpetual reading and research turns to pursue new endeavor - a family of her own.

 

photo credits: photo one, Augapfel; photo two, KaiChanVong

Getting to Know Tea, Part One

Today's guest post is one that I am so excited to share.  Trisha is a long, long-time friend of mine and she has an incredible amount of knowledge to share on an array of fascinating topics.  Several weeks ago, I asked her if she would take the time to share about her passion for the art of tea.  Today's post is the first in a two-part series.  Enjoy!

 

Aficionado.

Connoisseur.

Somehow those labels seem more glamorous with the flair of Spanish and the sophistication of French. But the truth is, I’m just a tea snob, plain and simple. I turn my nose up at Lipton and cringe at the thought of drinking tea with the bag still floating in the mug. It’s not because I consider my taste buds superior - I grew up in the south, where we equate “tea” with the syrupy iced bliss found at family gatherings and local restaurants. No, I am a tea-litest because I know how smooth and satisfying a good cup can be when properly prepared. I’ve spent some time getting acquainted with world’s second most popular beverage, and it’s evolved into quite the love affair.

My courtship with Tea began when we were introduced by my good friend Travel. The relationship grew as I learned to appreciate the subtle details of its character. Tea was full of exciting culture, and showed me a rich world of unique customs. Together we experienced the precise ceremony of brewing and drinking green tea with my Asian friends, the social time with sugar and cream in England, and the Argentine gourds filled with yerba mate and sipped all day through a bombilla. I knew this was more than a crush.

If you’d like to know Tea better, whether it’s to reap the health benefits, to engage in a historic practice, or just curiosity, I’d like you to meet the Tea I’ve fallen for. Don’t be intimidated by its complex personality, I think you’ll find you have a lot in common. Tea is a jack of many trades like most of you. Always the nurturer, at times the comforter, often the entertainer, periodically the nurse, occasionally the teacher and frequently the energizer, Tea wears multiple hats. These are just a few roles it plays.

Tea the Health Nut. Any time you indulge in tea of any type or grade, your health benefits. The properties in tea naturally protect, cleanse, support, and nourish your body in a powerful way. Stock up with a variety of teas and herbal tisanes, and you can open your pantry before the medicine cabinet for many mild ailments. No other drink can boast such vital assets without anything you’d want to avoid in excess (such as the sugar in juice or the caffeine in coffee). The record of the healthful perks of tea could fill volumes, and has.

Tea the History Professor. If you are looking for a way to expand you and your family’s horizons without a spending a small fortune on travel expenses, let tea bring the world to you. That little plant has influenced global history socially, financially, and politically, not to mention its role in medicine, industry and art. Each experience with tea is culturally enriching and academically stimulating, for students young and old.

Tea the Social Chair.Tea offers excellent opportunities for quality time with those you love. From a morning cup with your spouse to a cherished catch-up session with a dear friend, tea fosters meaningful connection because it’s not only something you have together, it’s something you do together. The activity of preparing the perfect cup is something that inspires engaging interaction more than an ordered coffee or soda. Tea is also fits in with more of your social circles, whether it’s an enlightening exchange with an international visitor, or a precious tea party with your children.

Tea has the total package, likely to turn the head of any crunchy-minded individual. And the best part is, it’s available! I encourage you to flirt with this “hot” beverage – we’re not an exclusive item.

Trisha is an Oklahoma girl who is passionate about relationships, health, and natural living. Always the inquisitive student, she thrives on change and growth, and is enthusiastic about slew of hobbies including gardening, cooking, dancing, language, literature, and blogging about this mishmash of interests at ~~myOLIO~~. Trisha anticipates the day when her perpetual reading and research turns to pursue new endeavor - a family of her own.

 

Photo credits: photo one, courtesy of modomatic; photo two, bridesmaid tea, courtesy of Trisha.

five senses friday

This week.  This week feels like a good time to indulge in a Friday feature I've long enjoyed at abby try again: five senses friday.

 

smell
- wildflowers. 
- the newest shave soaps to find a place in kyle's ever-expanding stash. yummy.
- non-smell of fresh laundry a la charlie's soap (which i am running dangerously, treacherously low on.  must re-order today)

taste
- pizza dough- made twice this week, once for pizza, once for breadsticks.  made the remarkable discovery that it does not, in fact, need two hours to rise.  twenty minutes in a warm oven, punch down, thirty minutes covered with plastic wrap in the fridge, and you are ready to roll (it out).
- cheese grits

sound
- that dog up there, the dog named Dufus.  he lives next door to my parents and barking is his love language and boy, does he love my girls.
- Dave Ramsey's message of hope last night.  so inspiring and encouraging. and I totally saw my high school friend trisha in the audience several times which was pretty much just as exciting as hearing dave's wise words.

 

touch
- creamy, soft, kissable baby skin. my mama holding my newest niece, kadence.

 

sight
- i always make the most unexpected discoveries at my parents' house.  the wall hanging now sitting on our mantel was collecting dust in their office.  mom sent me home with it.
and that bib? my grandmother made it for her little tribe of grands so many years ago. i am in love with it. little cap sleeves! and that crumb catching pocket is divine.  it's completely reversible, too.  they do not make bibs like they used to, no ma'am they do not.  my mother suggested i cut it apart to use it as a pattern to make my own (or have some made, more likely), but the thought of taking scissors to this treasure nearly broke my heart. we'll have it on long-term loan before taking it back to grandma's.
- a wardrobe of spring and summer clothes for AJ once worn by her big sister. i was quite actually in tears unpacking them from the bins, calling to mind the spring/summer/fall Dacey wore them - the things we did, the places we went.  Mistress Size Six (!) couldn't fit her big toe in them now.  looking forward to those t-shirts and sundresses appearing in a whole 'nother summer's worth of memories.

this was nice.  hope your weekend is restful and lovely.

7 Quick Takes: April 17th

I have hopes of at some point alternating Fridays between 7 Quick Takes and five senses friday (hosted by the lovely abby try again), but it somehow always seems to work out that I have far too many random thoughts to unload come Friday, and not enough space to make room for the five senses.  Maybe next week . . .

For now, behold the random:

<1> Firstly, I have to make apology for yesterday's confession.  In a world where parents bury their babies and little ones fight for life hour-by-heart-wrenching-hour and a nation has made rape legal within marriage (and these are just a few of the stories we hear about, countless other stories of heartbreak go untold), well, to be longing after a place to be creative rings of absurdity to me this morning.  I guess the confession within that confession is the revelation (again) that I am such The Spoiled American, the product of privilege steeped in ingratitude for all that I do have.  It strikes me that if my soul should be longing for anything, it should be Come Lord Jesus, Come.

<2> Thinking back a bit, I know I've not yet shared my thoughts on practicing Lent this year.  Lent was an amazing and powerful time for me, and I am deeply saddened that my denomination doesn't practice it corporately.  I'm somehow at a loss for how to explain what Lent did in my heart.  Closing comments was extremely good and healthy for me, helping me to examine a lot of heart issues that I don't often enough take time to allow up to the surface.  A beautiful surprise in closing comments were some of the private emails I got from friends and readers - some of whom I'd never "met" before!  Other regular commenters shared insights privately that they never would have said "out loud" in the comments.  But even if it weren't for those emails, I still would have been deeply blessed my the time I spent with comments closed.  In my own private life, I celebrated Lent in some unspoken ways that were also, indeed, powerful.

I am looking forward already to next Lenten season.  Easter most certainly did not sneak up on me this year, and my heart is so grateful for that most precious benefit of practicing Lent.

<3> Oh, our time with the Taviano family so deeply blessed us.  SO deeply.  I just cannot say enough what a delight it was to host them in our little hillybilly hotel.  Funny and fun and vibrant and just all manner of wonderful. Marla's report of their time here was just simply way, way too gracious.  We were remarkably simple hosts - Kyle did cook out (of course) and I did make guacamole but I should state for the record that we are guac simplists.  Our recipe is simply smashed avocado, lemon juice (or lime if the mood strikes), and salt to taste.  We were feeling sassy when the Tavianos were here so I stirred in a little sour cream, but oftentimes we leave that out.  Kyle likes his with some extra hot salsa stirred in, but that makes it all a bit complicated for me.

Oh, and The Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings?  As Kyle would say, the are absolutely punch-yourself-in-the-face ridiculously amazing.  Heaven help me. 

<4> I have some friends whose gift for creating and displaying beauty in their homes just never ceases to amaze me.  One such friend is the delightful Stephanie.  Take a little look at her spring shelf, won't you?  I come back to it time and again for inspiration.  So lovely, so sigh-worthy.  For some particular reason, I just wanted to make sure you met Stephanie today.

<5> A little while back, Missy shared her plan to celebrate The Year of Their Marriage.  In her plan, she included a link to the Forty Day Prayer Challenge.  Kyle and I decided to take the challenge, too, and I have to tell you - it has become a fixture in our morning routine.  Each morning before he walks out of the door, we stop for just a few minutes to pray for each other.  The only mornings we get a little lazy are on Saturdays as he is usually not heading out the door then.  I'm so glad she shared the link and the challenge.  It's doing mighty things in our marriage.

<6> The girls and I are happily a bit groggy this morning as we had a late, late night yesterday evening in the home of my dear and long-time friend Jaime.  Our beloved and beautiful friend Laura is home from California for just a bit and completing our fab four was our friend Andy who has landed in-state for a while, so Jaime opened her home to host an evening of Pei Wei take-out, choco-tastic brownies, political/social/spiritual discussion and much, much hysterical laughter.  The easy conversation that comes with friends for whom no background information or point-of-reference clarification is needed is what I have been craving for months.

As a bonus to the conversation with old friends was seeing my children play with Jaime's.  Our youngest two children are just a few months apart and we all noticed that viewing the two of them from behind - with their blonde locks that fall into perfect curls - well, they look more alike in some ways than AJ and Dacey do.  Jaime's Little Man and AJ shared popcorn and resisted sharing toys.  I tend to think that AJ repeated attempts to steal the soccer ball from Little Man are just her earliest efforts at flirting, as was Little Man's stealing of her popcorn and throwing it on the floor.  I could swear sparks flew.

What really made my heart soar was how famously Dacey and EB, Jaime's oldest, got along.  Peas. And. Carrots.  They were born just days apart and it was sheer delight to watch them enjoy each other's company.  EB was generous in her willingness to share everything from dress-up clothes to lip gloss to princess high heels.  As the evening wound down, both of them climbed up in a chair together and EB read quietly to Dacey while Dacey leaned in with intent listening to her every word.  I want to treasure that picture in my heart forever - these two girls whose mothers shared the emotional highs-and-lows of that first pregnancy, the weary, bleary newborn days, the hand-wringing and fretting that is the native tongue of the First Time Mom.  In spite of our obsessive worrying and second (and third) guessing our every decision with them, I have to say that they have grown to be quite lovely little ladies.  I think we are doing okay after all, don't you, friend?

<7> Oh, this may be my longest 7QT yet!  Just so much to say.  The girls and I have been in and out of town much of the week and that will continue on in to next week.  I haven't had the time to attend to comments like I usually try to, and for that, I am so very sorry.  Many apologies if comments and other emails have gone unanswered!  My inbox is spewing  with incomplete conversation.  A little madness in the Spring is wholesome even for the King - so says Ms. Emily Dickinson.  (There's a little Poetry Month goodness for ya!)  Our schedule feels a bit like madness at the moment, so I beg a measure of grace until things settle a little.

Stay tuned for more on marriage (a very special post coming up on that!), book reviews, giveaways, and more!

Happy Friday and may your weekend abound in blessing.

7 Quick Takes: March 13th (lots of food edition)

1.
Just so much going on in this past week . . . so much I haven't fully processed and am not ready to talk about here.  I'm gonna fall back on one of my favorite things to talk/learn about: food!  Cooking and baking are hobbies I've aquired by necessity in the past few years, and though I am nowhere near possessing the kitchen prowess my writing parter/mind twin Laura displays, I am always willing to learn more.

2.
A year or so ago, I came across Hillbilly Housewife.  The link that first led me there was her $70 low cost menu, and from there I discovered a wealth of frugal recipes.  Most all of her recipes are of the "from scratch" variety and are worth the effort.  Her homemade breadsticks are a quick and YUMMY favorite.  The cheese enchiladas get made a lot around here - far better than any I've had out-to-eat.  (Better - dare I say it? - than Joe T's!)

3.
I'll be honest - all that cooking from scratch leaves behind a mountain of dishes to wash.  I'm reminded of Brennan Manning's thoughts from Ruthless Trust, the chapter on "The Geography of Nowhere" in which he relates an exchange between Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and Christian leader Jim Forest (as told in The Miracle of Mindfulness):

So they finished dinner and Nhat Hanh said he would wash the dishes before getting the tea.  Jim offered to do the dishes, while Nhat Hahn was preparing the tea; but Nhat Hahn said, "I am not sure you know how to wash dishes."  Jim laughed at him and said, "Of course I know how to wash dishes, I've been doing it all my life."  "No," the monk said, "you would be washing the dishes in order to have your tea and dessert.  That is not the way to wash dishes.  You must wash dishes to wash dishes." (bolding mine)

Manning follows with

Washing the dishes is not a mindless interlude before the banana creme pie.  Rather, at its best - done with alertness and attention to the washing - it is excellent preparation for prayer (p. 157).

Indeed.  In my least grateful posture, a countertop and sink that spill over with dirty dishes invites resentment, bitterness, and exhaustion.  If I accept the invitation as a preparation to prayer, then standing at my kitchen sink places me in a posture to be so grateful for an abundance of food, the beloved tummies that are now full, hot and clean water with which to wash, a kitchen in which to stand, and so on and so on.

And again, I digress.

4.
So, I'm a bit fixated on granola right now.  After I mentioned this in a previous 7QT, my blogging friend and reader Jeana emailed me to suggest another great granola recipe she has come across: Gluten-Free granola from the Ordering Disorder blog at Work It, Mom (which seems to be a great resource for working moms!).  I look forward to trying this granola recipe (steel cut oats - yes!) and it looks like there are many family-friendly recipe finds at Ordering Disorder to try out with my four year old sous-chef.

5.
So everyone knows Cake Wrecks and Bakerella stand out in the land of baking blogs.  One I bet you haven't read that is every bit as clever, visually appealing, and drool-worthy is Velvet Lava.  Go.  Enjoy.  (Introduced to me by Laura.  She never disappoints in her recommendations.)

6.
Another great recommendation came from my friend Karen who showed me the way to My Kitchen Cafe (totally unintentional rhyme there).  Karen suggests the Vanilla Pudding Cinammon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting which I have not dared to try yet.  I have, however, tried the Bourbon Chicken (we had it on Mardi Gras - seemed appropriate), the Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken, and the Best Sloppy Joes and all were delish.

7.
Finally, as the weather turns warmer, you know you are going to be firing up your grills.  May I tell you again that my husband makes the best burgers ever ever ever in the history of mankind?  He whipped up a slew of them last weekend - the grape jelly and BBQ sauce kind - and oh my.  Just unbelievable.  The sugar in the grape jelly gets all dark and burnt-ish on the outside (carmelizes?  it's over my head) and the inside is so moist and full of flavor.  I could eat one now, at 9 in the morning.  Yes I could.
(Sidenote - we can't find ground brisket around here, so we are back to plain ol' ground beef.  Still just as yummy as ever though.)

Happy 7QT on this Friday the 13th!  Have a delicious weekend!

Comments closed during Lent 09

granola picture courtesy of moria

7 Quick Takes: February 27th

I am hesitant to even post today as I am not sure I have anything to say that comes close to being relevant or having worth, yet that has never stopped me before, has it?

Here we go:

1.
You know how when you first start Weight Watchers and you are keeping track of every. single. bite. and after the first day you think, "My gosh! I had no idea I was eating so much!"  That's how I am feeling about my Sitemeter fast.  I had no ideahow many times I would peek in on the stats, mostly just out of sheer curiosity as to who was stopping by and where they were coming from.  It gives me a much better idea of who is reading and when than my comments do.  This feels very strange.  I could quite literally be talking into an utter vacuum right now.  Odd.

2.
AJ is going through that stage of Mommy Possessiveness.  She cannot bear for me to hold other babies, whether it's my niece or a friend's little one . . . she even gets mad (truly angry) when I hold and cuddle Dacey!  I think it is so amusing and quite funny, actually, that in her toddler mind, I belong to her and her alone.  There's probably some kind of deep spiritual connection I could make in that statement, but I haven't enough coffee yet to go there.

3.
Speaking of AJ, the weather dared to turn warm this week and taunt us with the promise of spring to come, so I have spring/summer clothes for the girls on my mind.  I went up to our spare bedroom/storage room/disaster area to see what I have in the way of 24 month clothes for her.  I opened an unmarked tub and immediately thought, "Oh this must be the 3T tub.  I know I JUST put these clothes away."  Nope!  It was the 24 month/2T tub alright!  Oh my goodness, it has been so bittersweet to go through these clothes that it seems I was dressing Dacey in just yesterday.

4.
You know, on my About Page, I attempt to further define "sorta crunchy" as "sorta granola," but would you believe I've never made granola myself?  I'm so ashamed.  I also rarely buy granola because it's so stinkin' expensive, but I picked up a box on sale last week and Kyle and I devoured the whole thing in less than two days.  So we're gonna mix up more for ourselves here in the cottage.  I've found that granola recipes abound (tell me again why I haven't been making this from scratch all along?  Because I'm lazy?  Oh yes, that's right), and as I was reading the lovely and inspiring anah na uwr I came across her recipe for granola, and so I think we'll start here.

5.
Speaking of making from scratch, I was cajoled motivated by Dacey to fix pizza last night, even though it wasn't really on the menu plan.  We always use my mother-in-law's scrumptious pizza crust recipe, but I normally use store-bought sauce from the jar.  (again with the lazy) We didn't have any on hand last night, but I had tomato sauce and paste on hand.  Chef Google rescued me with this delish-sounding recipe, and it did not disappoint.  We had no fresh tomatoes on hand, but I did have some petite diced tomatoes in a can and those worked splendidly.  I highly recommend.

6.
I think I will go ahead with branching off with a photography blog, mostly just for the purpose of recording growth in the hobby and posting helpful articles I come across.  I am at a loss on what to call it.  Ideas?  Email me at sortacrunchy at gmail dot com.

7.
Finally, next Monday Jenn of Conversion Diary welcomes baby number four.  If you haven't yet, please take a moment to read her thoughts on how fulfilled her life has become since she and her husband have chosen to be open to life.  "Children are only burdens when they are theoretical."  Mmmm-hmmm.  Good stuff there.  I know you will be blessed.  My prayers will be with you, Jenn, throughout the weekend and into the big day!

Others are sharing their 7 Quick Takes here.  Great weekend reading!

Comments closed during Lent 09

Sizzlin' Summer Recipe: Best. Burgers. Ever.

Alright, ya'll.  My gorgeously named sweet friend Megan of Fried Okra opened up her recipe files and commenced with revving up our taste buds with her top ten sizzlin' spring and summer recipes.  (That creamy linguine with zucchini?  Yum-O!)  She has invited us to share our best o' the best, and I am only happy to oblige.

(First, apologies to Veggiemommy, Reesh, and my other vegetarian friends and readers.  You may not find today's offering quite so sizzlin' . . .)

Spring and summer offers us the perfect time to fire up that backyard grill, and that is a double blessing for this mama in that 1) grilling keeps the heat outside where it belongs and 2) my man is all-too-happy to work his grilling wonders on that shiny monument to manly cooking.  He really is quite the grill master, and his repertoire ranges from perfectly cooked steaks to deliciously grilled bananas and all manner of fare in between.

One of his specialties that we eat pretty much year 'round are hamburgers.  Of course, this is a staple in backyard cuisine, but we were unsatisfied with just your average ground beef patty seasoned with a little salt and pepper.  Rather than inventing new and unique ways to dress the grilled burger, my husband went a'hunting for a new and unique way to create the perfect patty. 

A little digging led him to two schools of thought: be creative in the meats used in the patty or be creative in the seasonings you add in.  It's no surprise that, as Texans, we take a more-is-more approach to dining, so we decided to combine the two schools of thought.  The result - best burger ever!

Here's what we do:

1) Start with a pound of ground beef.  Now, pick another kind of meat to add to the mix.  We originally were going to add a pound of ground veal to ours, but our small town grocer doesn't keep ground veal in stock (go figure), so the butcher suggested we might try ground brisket.  The result was pure burger perfection for us, but you might play around a little to find the taste, texture, and flavor combination you like best.  Ground bison, perhaps?

2) So work your two pounds of meat together and prepare to add your seasonings.  Sure, you could go with basic salt and pepper, but why stop there?  I'll tell you our favorite way to season - add equal parts barbecue sauce and brown mustard.  Add just a bit at a time, you don't want to overwhelm the meat and end up with raw hamburger mush.  We've also used equal parts soy sauce and lime juice with great success.  We've been known to add grape jelly in after we salt and pepper (you won't believe how smashing the result is), and once we even added in some leftover bean and bacon soup.  Now, if you do find your meat mixture is getting too moist, you'll want to crumble a piece of bread (plain old white bread works fine) to sop up some of the juiciness.  You want moist burgers, but too much moisture and those burgers will fall apart on our grill. 

Pop those beauties on the grill, and you've got yourself some sizzlin' summer perfection!

You may find with such flavorful burger patties, you can dress them as minimally as you like so you can really appreciate the taste of the meat.  We usually just have potato salad or chips on the side.  Can't go wrong with a big pitcher of Texas sweet tea, but if you use our recipe, keep your toothbrush handy for efficient cavity prevention.

Make sure you head back to Megan's place to drool over all her recipes and see what everyone else has to offer up today!

(burger photo by (nutmeg) )

 

Q&A: What's the deal with gluten free?

If you are anything like me and have been known to stalk and shop your local health food store and the "healthy living" aisle at your local grocery, then perhaps you've come across a variety of foods labeled "gluten free." I know I was sorta puzzled when I first happened upon this category of foods, knowing neither what gluten was nor why anyone would need foods that were free of it.

Eventually, I was introduced to the world of gluten free cooking and eating through my sweet friend Melissa. She and her sister Melanie have chosen gluten free lifestyles as a way to counteract the effects of Celiac Disease. Melanie was gracious enough to do this Q&A with me as a way to explain more about her family's experience with Celiac Disease and how to make the switch to gluten free living:

What is Celiac Disease?

About Celiac Disease:

Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disease, is an inability to break down the protein gluten which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. Oats are off limits for the most part as well, since they are almost always processed right alongside wheat. When a person with Celiac eats gluten, it destroys the villi lining the small intestine, and causes microscopic tears in the lining of the intestine. Typical symptoms are gastrointestinal - constipation, diarrhea, but because the gluten leaks out of the gut, it can manifest in MANY different ways - other common symptoms are headaches, fatigue, mental fogginess, restlessness, chronic congestion, skin irritations (in fact dermtitis herpatiformis is an itchy rash that is caused by Celiac disease). Celiac is highly associated with ALL auto immune diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc. In many cases, a person struggling with one autoimmune disease will benefit greatly, or be cured by eliminating gluten from their diet. Many autistic kids are either much improved or completely healed by going on a gluten free diet. About 1 in 100 people have celiac - some never know it because the symptoms may be tolerable, and so it is never investigated. Ireland is the Celiac capitol of the world at about 1 in 75 people. All children in some European countries are tested for it prior to entering the public school system. Celiac is most common in those of European descent. It is also genetic.

Describe your family's experience with Celiac.

Cooper, my middle son, began having chronic headaches about 5 years ago. They worsened over the course of a year, and instead of just having them every night at bedtime, he began having them all day, and even waking up at night in pain. He also complained of stomach aches quite a bit, developed a few nervous tics, and began to just have a sort of grey appearance, circles under the eyes, and a constant complaint of "Mom, I don't feel good." He underwent an MRI (horrific experience!) to see if there was a tumor, as he was also complaining of fuzzy vision. No tumor and the pediatric neurologist (with a very big ego!) diagnosed him with migraines and tourettes! I just knew that wasn't it, but we tried the migraine diet of no nuts, chocolate, strawberries, cheese, etc. Nothing changed. A friend mentioned Celiac, because her son was in the process of being diagnosed and our boys had a lot of similar symptoms. I got online and did the research, then asked my pediatrician to do the blood test. (They test for certain elevated antibodies) He said he doubted this was the problem, but didn't mind testing. Cooper's results were inconclusive as we discovered that he lacks an antibody which throws the results off, but one antibody was elevated enough to convince me to try the diet. (Cooper also had an endoscopy where they take a biopsy of your small intestine to look for damaged villi under the microscope - his results were negative, but a lot of people have a false negative reading because of the length of the intestine and the patchiness of the damage. This test remains the gold standard, and you cannot be truly diagnosed as Celiac without it - oh well - no more tests for us, thank you!) Two weeks gluten free and an almost complete removal of all symptoms! I was totally convinced!

As I researched on behalf of Cooper, I realized that I had all the common symptoms - things I just thought were "normal for me." I was tested by a doctor in Dallas (all through the mail - and a stool sample this time!) and found that I had very elevated antibodies indicating a gluten intolerance and was malabsorbing fats with off the charts numbers - I had been loosing weight pretty steadily as well. Not long after this, my daughter started complaining of stomach aches and having daily diarrhea, so we tested her and she was positive. My oldest son had a blood test just to rule it out - no symptoms really except for chronic congestion and a need for ear tubes because of it at age ten! His blood work was negative, but about two years later, we did the stool test and it came back positive. So, my husband is the only family member that eats gluten, although not much of it since I hardly have it in the house!

How did you did you make the adjustment to gluten-free living?

At first it seemed very challenging to think of things to eat, but when your child's health is in jeopardy, you just don't look back. I joined a support group in my town, collected recipes, read books, found cookbooks and just forged ahead. Honestly, we eat much healthier - fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, beef, eggs, nuts, rice, and potatoes! Anything highly processed is usually off limits because it has wheat in it - cookies, prepared foods, breadstuffs. And anything with a long list of ingredients is usually off limits as well - canned soups, salad dressings, sauces, etc. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but often I'm thankful that some things are just not an option in our house! (I've made us corn syrup, msg, and food dye free as well!) I do use some alternative flours for baked goods - mostly rice, tapioca, potato, bean, and nut flours. Almost everything is from scratch, but we do indulge in ready made frozen waffles and pancakes from Trader Joe's (small quirky chain - sorta resembling Whole Foods), brown rice wraps, and Gluten Free Bakehouse sandwich bread and pizza crusts from Whole Foods. Both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are on the same street as me and less than a half mile from my house! HUGE BLESSING - except for the temptation to go to Whole Foods every single day and deplete the checking account!

Tell a little about the book you've written.

I wrote and self-published a book for kids about Celiac Disease. There was nothing out there to read to kids when we were being diagnosed, and I always look for a book to help explain things! It's called Bagels, Buddy, and Me, came out in September, and can be purchased through the website bagelsbuddyandme.com. In it Cooper tells his story of being diagnosed and making the transition to eating gluten free. The story idea came after the first three of us had been diagnosed, and our new golden retriever was needing to go out several times a night because of diarrhea. A friend told us their retriever could not tolerate wheat, and we should try switching food. We switched from a wheat based food to a rice based food and he was never sick again! We could not believe it - how weird is that? The WHOLE family except for dad!

Thank you so much, Melanie, for taking the time to share this insight into Celiac Disease and the benefits of gluten free living! Both Melanie and Melissa have more gluten free links in their blog sidebars. If you are interested in learning more, I know either of these wonderful women would be happy to share more with you!

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And now, if you really want to be blessed today, I highly encourage you to click here to listen to "Music From Another Room" - an amazing, inspiring, thought-provoking treasure of a song, written and performed by Melissa. (Melissa didn't know I was going to do this. Hope she isn't mad! I just can't NOT share it!)