Peppermint "Oreos"

Oh man, oh man, oh man, these cookies are incredible. I have wanted to make these for weeks, especially because they are peppermint-y and it is the holidays, but time always seemed to escape me. Today, I decided that I couldn't end 2010 without testing them out so I grabbed a best friend, walked to the store for butter and powdered sugar, and pulled out my beloved KitchenAid mixer.
They are simple and they are fantastic. Try them.
...and Happy New Year!


Ingredients for the cookie:
1 devils food cake mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil. Roll into balls and bake for 10 minutes. Cool.


Ingredients for Peppermint Butter Cream Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
Cream butter and shortening until fluffy. Add peppermint. Slowly pour in powdered sugar, then add milk while mixing.

After the cookies and frosting are made, frost the middle and put together.

Pumpkin Ravioli

On the menu for this week? Pumpkin Ravioli. Homemade, of course.
My grandma, bless her, gave me the tools to make ravioli a few years ago as a Christmas present, but they have yet to be used.
I've made ravioli before and it's a complicated process...one that I told myself isn't quite worth it when you can buy really good fresh ravioli in the grocery store. BUT, I do have the tools and I should make use of them, right?
It's better late than never.

Me, myself, and I will gladly enjoy these little guys.
Feel free to invite yourself over. There's plenty to share.
(and no, I did not take the photo. I'm "borrowing" it from savorysimple.net)

Pumpkin Ravioli

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 shallot, diced
• butter
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t dried sage
• fresh grated nutmeg
• pinch of cayenne

Fresh Pasta

• 2 cups AP or cake flour
• 1 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 T olive oil
• semolina flour to prevent sticking

Brown Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

• 5 T unsalted butter (preferably European butter such as Plugra)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter and then slowly brown the milk solids. This will take about 5 minutes.
2. Once the milk solids begin to brown, add the chicken stock and reduce the heat, allowing the sauce to simmer and thicken a bit.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spaghetti squash is baaack.

thank goodness for best friends. they are the best.

I have neglected delicious spaghetti squash for 2 whole years. luckily, a few days ago my best friend texted me with a spaghetti squash cooking question. naturally, I answered her question and then pulled out my grocery list and added spaghetti squash.

it has been a good month since I bought that poor squash. it has sat all lonely on my counter waiting for me to roast it buuuut, it's the holidays and that means half of my weekday dinners are filled with family and friends and holiday get-togethers so I haven't had much time to contemplate what to do with my squash...

until now.


there is so much I could do with spaghetti squash, but these fritters caught my eye so I am giving them a try.

• season the squash strands with any of the following: cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, curry powder, red chili powder, salt, pepper.
• in a bowl, whisk an egg with some milk.
• portion out some seasoned squash strands into the holes of a muffin pan and pour egg mixture on top of the squash.
• sprinkle some bread crumbs over (for top crusting).
• bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. broil for last minute to crisp the top.
  
  
  

I'm making this. ASAP.

I KNOW I said that a New Year's resolution is to eat less sweets...but I said "less", not "no", therefore, it is entirely okay to make this sweet batch of ice cream at some point.

I've heard that it's deadly to those with little to no self-control. I believe this rumor.

Double Chocolate peanut Butter Ice Cream

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of salt

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup smooth salted peanut butter ( I like the all natural peanut butter)

In a sauce pan over medium heat, stir together 2 cups whole milk, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Heat until the milk start to steam, but before it starts to boil.

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup of whole milk and the cornstarch. Stir until no lumps remain.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the heated milk and chocolate mixture and bring to a low boil. Boil until thickened. The mixture will look the consistency of chocolate pudding. Remove from flame.

In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Once boiling, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir the cream and chocolate mixture until incorporated.

Stir the cream and chocolate mixture into the cooling chocolate ice cream base. Place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, and put in the fridge until cool.

Once cool, follow the manufacturers instructions on the ice cream maker to churn ice cream. Once the mixture has chilled and thickened in the ice cream maker, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Don’t over mix. You want a nice ribbon of peanut butter running through the ice cream.

Transfer the ice cream into a freezer safe container and fold in the remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Cover and freeze until solid.

New Year's Resolutions.

I'm starting early, mostly because I never have any ideas when Jan 1st actually rolls around.
Without fail, every year someone will ask me what my NY resolutions are and I simply have to stare blankly back at them and say "um, uh, hmm" because I haven't really given it much thought.
This year, I'm thinking ahead.

In 2011, I want to...

cook more for other people.

eat less sweets (sometimes I wonder if my sweet tooth has taken over my body).

laugh more.

go to Yosemite. yes, I am 23 years old, I was born and raised in California, and I have never been to Yosemite. that is going to change in 2011. I have a $500 bet riding on it.

cook with tofu (is that strange? it sounds strange).

go snow-shoeing.

Dear Santa...

can you please send me one of these in a cute
box, wrapped in a bow?

of course, if it was blue, it'd be even better,
but I won't be picky.

thanks.

Rudolph

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Cupcake. Isn't he cute?

Jump for joy.

Because we can.

If I Die Young...

OK Go (yes, again)

I'm sorry if you are getting sick and tired of OK Go (and if you really are getting sick and tired of them, you are weird)...but they are just too good.

I'd be lying to myself and you if I didn't put them up in this 12 days of favorite music videos.

Mumford & Sons.

OK GO (again)

Another round of OK Go. I really can't get enough of their creativity...like I said, they rarely disappoint.

Ritter. Josh Ritter.

Do I really need to leave commentary?

Falling Slowly.

Clearly I am not as computer savvy as I would like to believe because I was unable to imbed the video on this post...but click on the following URL, sit back, and enjoy. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSL_qayMCc


Gosh, I love this song.

New Soul.

Yael Naim makes me want a house in the middle of a lake. So creative.

Bon Iver = talent to the extreme.

If only my friends and I were this good.

and if only a hallway could carry our voices that well.

beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Buddy Holly

Weezer and a classic song, plus a little Happy Days playback.

OK Go.

This is one of my favorite music videos. OK Go rarely disappoints.

Someday I would love to be creative enough to make a video like this. Someday.

Poison and Wine.

Watch and fall in love.

Feel free to watch it three or four times in a row. I did.

12 days of...music videos.

I am going to reinvent the wheel a bit. Plus, I'm feeling adventurous and I love music.
Instead of turtle doves, French hens, and partridges in the pear tree, I am going to bring out some of my favorite music videos. One for each day to ring in the new month.
I hope you are excited.
Because I am.

Turkey Pot Pie. YUM.

Do you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving?

I hope so.
If not, you may want to barbeque (or roast, if that's your style) another turkey just so you can make this recipe. It's that good.
Giada's Turkey and Pancetta Pot Pie.


I'm not a huge pot pie fan (gasp!), but maybe it's because I haven't had really good pot pie...this pie, however, has changed my opinion of pot pies forever.

Ingredients
Filling:
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta, finely diced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large shallots, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup flour
2 1/12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 cups roasted turkey meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 tsp black pepper

Crust:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp olive oil

For the filling, heat oil in large saucepan. Add pancetta and cook until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Drain pancetta on paper towel. Add butter, shallots, carrots, and thyme to the saucepan. Cook for 6-8 min. until carrots are tender. Stir in flour and increase heat to high. Add chicken broth and cook until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Add cooked pancetta, heavy cream, turkey, peas, corn, and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes. Using a ladle, fill ramekins with the filling mixture.

For the crust, place flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a food processor. Add butter and cheese and process until coarse. Add 1/3 cup buttermilk and the oil. Process until the mixture begins to form a ball, adding extra buttermilk if needed. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10-inch diameter circle. Cut the dough into circles and place on top of filling.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 min. until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.

Gone, in 60 seconds. Just kidding...I don't eat THAT fast.

The most wonderful time of the year...

Christmas has arrived at Apt. #23!
I love this time of year. Really, I do.

My little tree may only be 2 feet tall, but it's perfect. After all, it just isn't Christmas without a Christmas tree. Can it be December for longer than 31 days? Ah, it really is the most wonderful time of the year and when it's gone, I'll miss it but at least I always know that it'll be back.

Groceries

You know it's time to go to the grocery store when...

you eat a handful of cereal for dessert because you're hungry and there's nothing else around.

2 out of the 3 refrigerator shelves are empty. completely empty and very lonely.

Thankful.

I'm thankful for...

...my family and friends. Obviously.
...a healthy body and all important limbs.

...the hugs of students and their genuine delight in seeing me at school.
...Trader Joe's vanilla cinnamon black tea (but it really should be sold year-round).

...a working car heater. Driving with the heater blasting is my favorite.
...the month of November. It's the best month.

...good music.
...cell phones, texting, and Skype. But Skype, most of all.

...a mom who taught me how to bake/cook and how to be on time.
...a dad who taught me how to laugh in any situation.
...a brother who taught me that it's always best to look at what you're eating because you never know what's hiding in your food.

I'm pretty sure that I can say, without a doubt, that Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year. Especially in Santa Barbara.
Sleep in, take a long walk in the morning all bundled up but still enjoying the sun, hang with the fam, play a few competitive games of ping-pong, laugh a lot, play a few more games of ping-pong, try (in vain) to beat my brother, laugh some more, eat good food, play games, eat delicious dessert, talk, and laugh. Ah, I love Thanksgiving.

I'm a fan.

Forgotten God

"I struggle to always and actually keep in step with the Spirit moment by moment. To submit and give up everything truly is radical and terrifying.
However, when I think deeply about it, walking in my own wisdom, contrary to the Spirit's leading, is even more frightful.
Though I struggle, I know that ultimately I want nothing more than to live in total surrender and abandonment to the Spirit every moment I have left on this earth."
-Francis Chan

THE Pushing Daisies Pie.

I did it.
I patiently waiting for my pears to ripen.
I did the grocery store marathon trying to find cheap port wine (doesn't exist).

I conquered the homemade gruyere crust.

I baked THE Pushing Daisies Pear Gruyere Pie.


Is it good? Couldn't tell ya.

I'm waiting (yes, more waiting) for a friend from Ventura to make the drive north tomorrow and THEN we will do the taste test.
Honestly, though, I am quite confident that it will be amazing. Just look at it. And look at the ingredients. You can't go wrong.

I just wish Ned, Olive, Chuck, and Emerson were around to try it...
I guess I'll just have to open my own Pie Hole.

Pear Gruyère Pie
Gruyère Pie Crust:
2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp. sugar
20 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1 in pieces
3 oz. Gruyère, grated finely
6 tbsp. ice water

Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and grated gruyere in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter. Sprinkle ice water over flour in increments of one tablespoon, toss with fork after each addition. When dough begins to clump together as you stir, form two equal balls of dough. Roll out the bottom crust, place in pie dish, pour pears over crust and top with top crust.

Spiced Poached Pear Pie Filling:
3 lbs. Bartlett pears
1/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. port wine
1 1/2 c. water
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove
1 cinnamon stick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Add sugar, wine, water, vanilla, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and clove into a large stock pot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Put an empty medium bowl into the freezer to chill.
Peel and halve pears. Scoop the core and seeds out and then cut the halves in half. Once liquid mixture has come to a boil add cut pears. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the pears are tender.
Using a slotted spoon remove the pear quarters from the poaching liquid and put them into the chilled bowl. Return the poaching liquid to a boil and reduce until you have about 3/4 of a cup of syrup. Add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to the syrup to thicken the syrup further.
Remove the pears from the chilled bowl layer them into the bottom of the pie. Pour the syrup on top of the pears and top with top crust, sealing edges.
Bake pie until the crust is golden and you can see the filling bubble up between the slits in the crust, about 30 to 40 minutes.

3rd graders, take III

There must be something in the air of this 3rd grade classroom...they are the only students who consistently interrogate me with some of the most random questions.
They must love me. Or something.

Today's dialogue:

"Miss Heinz, I have a question."
ME (thinking it was academic): Ok...
"Would you have a baby?"
ME (surprised): Uh, yes, someday.
"Do you already have a baby?"
ME: No.
"Do you have a husband?"
ME: No.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
ME: No.
"Why not? Why don't you have a boyfriend? You're nice."
ME (laughing and not quite sure how to answer): Um, because the right person hasn't come along yet.
"Well, do you have a lamp?"
ME: Yes.
(Really? A lamp comes after boyfriend and husband?!? I guess that's the next best thing.)
"Is it a big lamp?"
ME: It's just a normal sized lamp. Wait, didn't Carlos already ask me all of these questions a few weeks ago?
"Yes, but I'm not Carlos!"

And then the questions started coming...
"Do you have a dog?
Do you have a yard?
Do you have a dad? A mom? Any brothers or sisters?
Does your brother hit you?" (WHAT?!? What kind of follow-up question is that?)

I love my job and the entertainment that it brings :)

Scones...with a kick.

Once upon a time, a wonderful Irishman decided to make cider. Hard apple cider (aka: Apple Pie liquour). He and his equally wonderful wife chopped up apples and let them steep in vodka, brandy, rum, and loads of cinnamon until one day the apples and cinnamon were pulled out and separated.

What came of these apples, you might ask?
Apple Pie.
Apple/Lemon Cake.
and...

Apple Cinnamon Scones.

Please excuse the yellow tint to the photo. Darn kitchen light.

I followed my trusty scone recipe (see other scone blog entries) and added a very generous amount of cinnamon, plus one generous cup of chopped brandy/rum soaked apples.

I've got to admit, these scones have a kick if you get a bite with the apples, but who doesn't like a jolt in the morning? Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze and you've got a tasty midnight snack.

My favorite part? Packaging them up in Ziplock bags and dropping them off on various doorsteps. It's kind of fun being a scone fairy. Perhaps next week I'll be a cookie fairy...

Pie

I'm sorry if you are hungry...and I'm sorry if I make you start salivating or talking pie, but I've got pie on the brain and I need to get it out on paper, er, I mean blog.

I've been watching the show Pushing Daisies.
It's wonderful.
A tad bit strange. But funny. And the main character is a pie maker. It was love at first sight...sadly, there are only two seasons, but let's not talk about that.

I love pie. a lot.

Dear future husband,
I'm not the type of girl who has had my wedding planned since the age of 5 BUT I know one thing: there will be pie served. I hope you like pie.

Favorite pies?

Ollalieberry Pie (it's the best. it will be at my wedding. and at my funeral. and everywhere in between.)

Brown Bag Apple Pie.

Avila Barn Cherry Pie.

Pies to try?

Strawberry Lemon Meringue (it sounds intriguing).

Pear with Gruyere baked in the crust (THE Pushing Daisies pie).

Oh Carlos...(take II)

This kid is full of brilliance.

"I'm tired of working."
ME: We've only been working for 35 minutes.
(Another student) "Yea, 35 minutes is not long!"
ME: Carlos, you'll have to work harder than 35 minutes in high school and college.
"Yea, that's why I'm gonna flunk those two grades."


NOW my eyes are open...8 years of education was only two grades?!? Unbelievable.

Oh Carlos...

Dialogue with a 3rd grader:

"Are you in high school?"
ME: No.
"Are you in university?"
ME: No. I'm done with everything.
"So you're married?"
ME: No.
"Oh, so you're not done with married."
(pause)
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
ME: No.
"Do you have an ex-husband?"
ME: (starting to laugh) No.
Another kid chimes in, "Look, she's laughing. She DOES have an ex-husband. Miss Heinz, you have an ex-husband, right?"

And this is just one example of why the life of a teacher is never dull and boring.

Note to self: Always carry a Post-It to write down these kinds of conversations.

A day off...to muse, of course.

Muse? What a strange word. But, I do have some musings to share, regardless of how odd that word may sound.

-I went through an addiction of Tejave unsweetened black iced tea last summer...it's back. Blame it on the unreasonably hot weather we've been having. A friend (who grew up in Ireland, don't judge) called it "stupid hot" weather. I agree.

-Every time I open my front door, I'm greeted by cool air. Praise the Lord I have a downstairs, mountain-facing apartment that stays cool naturally...otherwise, I'd be living out of my car with the AC blasting.

-2 year old children make the best companions. They are little sponges. It's a great form of entertainment to teach them new words. Yesterday, the 2 year old I spend most of my free time with looked at my leg freckles and then gave me a face that said "what on earth ARE those?" I said "freckles" and he repeated "freckles" about 30 times as he attempted to count all of my freckles. By #22, "freckle" sounded more like "freak hold". Priceless.

-I greatly dislike the "Two of us.org" ad that pops up on Pandora. "Make your relationship recession proof?" "Tips on how to make your marriage last?" Really? (gag) Cheesy. I just want my music.

-Where the heck did September go? Seriously. I have rent due tomorrow and I'm pretty sure that I JUST paid rent last week. Wasn't last week Sept 1st? This year's months have flown by faster than I ever remember months flying by.

-The clouds were beautiful yesterday afternoon/evening. I wonder if the Netherlands have beautiful clouds in November. Hmm, I shall see. :)

-I risked it. I bought nectarines from the store today. They looked really good. I couldn't resist. I hope I'm not disappointed.

Eggplant Parmesan

You might need to check your jealousy at the door. Unless you aren't a big fan of quality girl time, grown-up slushies, or fantastic food...in that case, read on, oh cold-hearted.

A few weeks ago, a good friend (who is working her butt off in PT grad school) migrated south from Seattle for a much need R&R in her hometown. This, of course, meant fro yo, quality conversation time, debriefings on life, and a date with our favorite person ever: Cari.

You can't have a girl's night without a little vodka, lots of laughter, and good home-cooking. Am I right, or am I right?

Enter Eggplant Parmesan.

Neither of us had ever made this dish before, but there's a first for everything...and our grown-up slushies gave us the extra boost of confidence we needed (if we were lacking any).

Needless to say, it was a success.

As always, we made our voices hoarse from talking, had sore cheeks from laughing and smiling, and left with the feeling that we are so blessed to have such great people as friends.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced

1 egg, beaten

2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

3 cups spaghetti sauce

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 Parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in breadcrumbs. Place eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes on each side.

In a 9x9 dish, spread half of the spaghetti sauce on bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices on top of sauce, sprinkle with cheeses. Repeat with sauce, eggplant, and end with cheeses. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Zucch.

I present to you the mother of all zucchinis...and there were TWO of these monsters.

It is time for a baking transformation. Zucchini bread (lots and lots) here we cooooooome!

Bakery Dreams

I may be running hard and training a lot for the upcoming half marathon, but I've also been eating goooood and making up for all that running. That's how it works, right? You run and workout so you can eat extra dessert, right? I'm pretty sure that's why I choose to be active.

My mom is incredible. Baking runs in our blood. It's a Giorgi/Heinz thing.

She recently created Margarita Cupcakes (picture tangy fresh lime cupcake with lime margarita frosting, crushed pretzels on the bottom and sprinkled on top) that were amazing.

Then, we fell in love with a Caffe Latte cupcake from a local cupcake bakery and the hunt for a similar recipe was on...and we take these recipe hunts very seriously.

Well, the hunt ended on Monday. My mom created a homemade chocolate cupcake with espresso buttercream frosting. Incredible. Seriously, the best cupcake that has even been baked in the Stow Canyon kitchen.

Confession: I ate one for breakfast the next morning.

My dream of owning a bakery or selling pies/cakes/cupcakes out of my kitchen (or a roving van??) will become a reality. Someday. And I know who my co-owner will be...my mom.

Start placing your orders!

Peru

My friend is living the South American life...and she's living it well.
She's down there for a few months working for a travel agency, Peru For Less, and recently got an article published!
So proud.

www.enperublog.com/2010/08/13/from-lima-to-the-rock-gardens-of-marcahausi/

Of course, I can't wait for her to return to the states, but I'll have to wait a bit longer to see her face-to-face. For now, I live vicariously through her adventures and photos. Peru is beautiful. Hmm, looks like I just added another country to my loooong list of countries that I would like to visit someday...

Current obsession?

Cilantro and Jalapeno Hummus from Trader Joe's.

It's good.

It's really good.

Especially with these:

The right way.

Today, I woke up the right way.
Okay, so technically, the right way would have been getting my lazy bum out of bed and to the gym with errands and a grocery store run thrown in there all before 11am BUT that didn't happen. Or maybe a beautiful morning hike with a breakfast date to follow would have been the right way.
Hmm, there are so many "right ways" but today I woke up the way my poor body needed to be woken up: no alarm clock (well, there was one but it got "dismissed"), light streaming in the window, and a leisurely sloth-like pace of eating breakfast and checking e-mails with a big mug of green tea. Ahh, this is the life.
Of course, the past few days have consisted of me getting up before the sun rises, running, babysitting, working, babysitting, chasing kids, babysitting, and being a social butterfly with friends who are leaving me soon. And the next 5 days consist of the very same activities, so today's morning of leisure is not one that will be repeated for a while...maybe that's why I'm taking my time getting out of my pajamas. Denial. I'm in denial.
We all know that I secretly love the busy, productive life, but these times of relaxation sure are wonderful!

RFKC

My voice may be raspy, my shoes coated in layers of dust, and my eyes heavy with tiredness (is that even a word??), but I would gladly drive back up the 154 and do camp for a second week if it was an option. Heck, I'd probably even do it for a third and fourth week.

I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to make it to Royal Family Kid's Camp this year. Seriously. For the past 4 summers I have been sad that I wasn't able to participate but I don't think I realized how MUCH I was missing it. Looking back, I'm not quite sure how I was able to go FOUR years without being at camp. I love teaching summer school, but nothing compares to spending 5 full days loving kids who have gone through unimagineable pain and pouring into them while they pour into you. I am definitely praying that in the summers to come, school will continue to get out in early June so that I can teach summer school before RFKC...otherwise, I'll just have to say no to summer school because RFKC is just a little closer to my heart. :)

The kids are sweet, funny, dramatic, wacky, goofy, thoughtful, spontaneous, wounded, hurting, energetic, innocent, amazing...and it breaks my heart that most of them are living with foster parents who don't genuinely care about them or that they are living a yo-yo life where they shuffle from foster home to foster home without consistent support and stability.

Pray for these kids.
And pray for the group of us who will continue to reach out to these kids through the Royal Friends' Club!!

Wishful thinking...

I wish that my bike had blinkers, preferably ones that made a nice 'tink'ing sound.
I wish that ollalieberries grew year-round.
I wish that my name would be whispered around the Superintendant's office every hour on the hour...so that I can be hired, of course.
I wish that I could bake fresh scones every morning and hand them out to people...it really would make people less grumpy.
I wish that I could teleport. man, that would be ideal.
I wish that my hair would hold curls.
I wish that I had an iPad so I could have every book at my fingertips without worrying about where I am going to store them.

Wishes are pretty great. A few of these I can help come true, but some are just going to have to wait or stay on the 'wishful thinking' list. Oh well.

PTL

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord for HG. for people who love God. for the people in my life who encourage me to love God and live for Him. for worship and voices joining together to sing.

Praise the Lord for friends. for unexpected friendships. for people who make me want to be a better person. for people who inspire me and encourage creativity.

Praise the Lord for college. for books read, stories shared, prayers prayed, laughter laughed. for dogs who ate our dessert. for girls who desire to grow closer to the Lord and urge me to do the same.

Praise the Lord for old friends. for spontaneity. for reading in the sunshine on rooftops. for dancing. for awesome plaid boxers. for good conversation and memories.

Praise the Lord for sisters from other mothers. for laughing until you cry. for friends with whom you can share everything. for "the vault". for trials and tribulation and for overcoming those trials. for best friends.

I eat vegetables.

...especially when they are prepared like this:

layer of zucchini. sliced.
layer of salsa.
layer of monterey jack cheese. shredded.
layer of zucchini.
layer of salsa.
layer of monterey jack cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
Yum.

During the summer, we have a garden (and by "we", I mean my parents) that produces incredible amounts of zucchini. When I was younger, that was a BAD thing because I hated steamed, mushy zucchini. Thankfully, I have matured (or maybe it's just that we FINALLY found a killer recipe) and I thoroughly enjoy my zucchini. Other than zucchini bread, there is no better way to eat zucchini than in a casserole-inspired dish with salsa and cheese.

Prayer

My tendency to self-sabotage (is that even a word??) is incredible.
...more on that someday in the future when I feel it's time to finally bare my soul.
I don't admit this very often...even though it's often the truth...but I need prayer.


Also,
please pray for Daisy, Britt Merrick's daughter.
http://www.prayfordaisy.tumblr.com/

Musings

-Trader Joe's should get an award for their pizza dough...it's delicious and easy to use. I am a "make everything from scratch" kind of person, but not for pizza dough. try it. it's wonderful.

-SBS (Saggy Butt Syndrome) exists. in my life, at least. and I need a cure.
oh, I'm sorry, do you not know about SBS? let me explain. or should I let my dad explain...because he loves to tease me (in a loving way, of course) about my SBS dilemma.
SBS is a phenomenon that occurs when your jeans fit everywhere BUT your butt which leaves you with a lovely and comfortable pair of jeans that sag in the butt. not cool.
and sadly, SBS is the story of my life.
only once have I found a pair of jeans that were long enough for my legs, fitting around the waist and hips, comfy, and snug on my bum. only once. and that was years ago and they are definitely much too small now.

-Fruit pie (FRESH fruit pie, especially) is the best dessert. in the world. and I'm not exaggerating.
okay, maybe I am. real tiramisu eaten in Florence, Italy is pretty hard to top.

-Spandex are wonderful.

-Booths in coffee shops were an excellent decision by owners who have them in their shops. so cozy.

-July gloom and July rain in Santa Barbara is uncalled for. I'm considering moving to Australia...

I'm happy I live on the coast...