The Bootlegger's Daughter

The Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron was a great book!  It's a murder-mystery set in the part of North Carolina that we just moved to, and some of the characters are at least loosely based on actual people in this area.  The bootlegger dad in this book, for example, is based on Percy Flowers, Moonshine King, whose store is right across the road from our new neighborhood.  I enjoyed the story itself, and I also enjoyed reading about people and places that are familiar to me.

2016 Book Count: 19

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Special Rehearsal Edition Script)

I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Special Rehearsal Edition Script) by Jack Thorne earlier this summer, but I'm obviously really far behind on writing about the books I've been reading.  This book (script) is based on the book by JK Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne.  It's been a long time since I've read a script (probably since college), and it was fun!  I definitely still prefer reading regular books, but I have to admit I wondered for a few minutes if we could put on the play if all of my cousins got together... : )  I might have to start teaching again to have enough kids for this play though.

I love the Harry Potter series.  My favorite thing about it, though, is how thoughtfully JK Rowling planned out all of her characters, places, and things in the book.  I would get a kick out of the interesting titles of Harry's textbooks at school and the names of the candy he would eat on the train.  Everything was so clever and funny, and I appreciated the time that she took to plan out all of those things.  Since this was a script and not the novel, it was all dialogue and was missing a lot of the details that I loved about the books.

It was interesting to read about the children of the Harry Potter characters though!  The main characters in the play are the son of Harry and Ginny and the son of Draco.  I wished that Harry, Hermione, and Ron played a larger role in the story, but it's possible that they do in the actual book.

Overall, it was good- but I'll look forward to reading the actual book at some point too.

2016 Book Count: 18

Elements Of Style

Elements of Style by Erin Gates was a fun, lightly informative read.  I chose this book hoping to learn lots of tips for interior decorating that I could use in our new house.  I did learn a few tips (like a "rule" for how many patterns you should have in one room- which I've already forgotten.. one floral, one geometric..?, and that at least two legs of each piece of furniture should be on the rug in an area).  Her writing style was humorous and entertaining though, so I probably read the book a lot faster than if it really had been all about interior decorating tips.

2016 Book Count: 17

Building a Discipling Culture

Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Breen is one of those books that will change the way you think about things.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I remember reading an article (probably in high school) about whether ideas or words came first.  There are certain words and phrases in this book (like "kairos moments" that definitely helped to frame the way I think about things, and that is part of Breen's point.  He states that in order to build a discipling culture you need a common language, and he proposes a shape-based language in his book.  For example, the kairos moment (a time when you see or feel God's presence breaking through into your life) begins a circle.  Once you identify a kairos moment in your life you take it around the circle by reflecting on it, discussing it with someone, and then making and acting on a plan for how that moment is going to change your life moving forward.  This is a very simplistic explanation for just one of the shapes that he discusses in this book.

2016 Book Count: 16
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Where She Went

Where She Went by Gayle Forman is the second book after If I Stay.  It wasn't my favorite, but I wanted to at least give it a chance.  Like If I Stay, this book takes place over the course of just a couple of days and continues the story of the two main characters but from the guy's point of view.

2016 Book Count: 15

Reasons My Kid Is Crying

Reasons My Kid Is Crying by Greg Pembroke is another book I found through the NC digital public library.  It's a quick, funny read full of great pictures.  We're caught up in the process of selling our house right now and this was the perfect book for a night that I just needed a laugh.

2016 Book Count: 14

Throw Out Fifty Things

This book, Throw Out Fifty Things by Gail Blanke, was surprisingly great.  I chose it (from the NC digital library) expecting a book with tips on how to declutter and organize your house, and the first half of the book did address that, but it was the second half of the book that was more impactful.  These are some notes I took while I was reading and some of the author's advice that stuck with me:

- Throw out things that weigh you down or make you feel bad, like a paper you got a poor grade on, a shirt from an old job you didn't like, etc.  Keep only the things that you need, that you love, and that fit with the person you want to be.

- Throw out the thoughts that pigeonhole you into being a certain type of person (I'm the shy type, I'm not a morning-person type, etc.).

- Throw out needing to be right about things.  Ask yourself: Would I rather be right about this, or would I rather have a great long-term relationship with this person?  Instead say: You're right.  I totally get where you're coming from.  Then give your opinion.

- Throw out the need to have everyone like you.  Some of the greatest people in history were controversial and not liked by everyone.

- Throw out negative interpretations of events.  There are few facts in life.. most of what occupies our thoughts are interpretation of those facts.  Blanke writes, "This is your life, you know.  Not some movie you're watching.  You get to decide how it all turns out.  You get to make it up.  So make it up good."  She advises people to decide what they want and then no matter what happens, you should assign a positive interpretation to the situation.  How much energy have you spent worrying yourself or making yourself unhappy with negative interpretations of events?  Let go of negative interpretations.

- Throw away waiting for the right moment.  This is the life you get to live.  Do what it is you want to do right now.

- Throw away the need to feel secure.  Blanke writes, "Let go of needing guarantees that your lives will evolve according to the plan you devised decades ago.  Given half a chance, your life will evolve into something better than anything you could have imagined- even in your wildest dreams."  Take chances and have adventures.  "Most of the greatest possibilities in our lives are not currently on our radar screens."

- After you've thrown out all of the physical and mental clutter in your life, come up with a vision for yourself and do what it takes to get there.  For example, the author says she has a vision of running down the beach holding the hands of her grandchildren.  So, she gets up early to run around the park, eats healthy, keeps an optimistic attitude, and "throws out" (or eliminates from her life) things like potato chips, getting worked up about little things, etc. to keep her heart healthy enough that she'll be able to do that one day when she has grandchildren.

- Finally, Blanke recommends coming up with a song that makes you feel unstoppable and singing it regularly.

2016 Book Count: 13

Movie: The Fault in Our Stars

This movie was pretty good.  It definitely followed the book pretty well (entire sections of dialogue were exactly the same), but I still enjoyed the book better.  That might be partially because I read the book first and could be surprised by the plot when I read it.  Sometimes I feel like I ruin movies for myself by reading the book first.. but a book takes longer to read than a movie takes to watch- so I'd still rather ruin the movie than the book.

If I Stay

If I Stay by Gayle Forman was a quick read about a girl who was in a car accident with her entire family.  They all died instantly and she was left in a coma but is watching everything unfold from outside her body.  The whole book takes place over the course of a few days, from the morning before the accident to the end of the book when she decides whether she'll stay or go.  She spends her time watching friends and family visit her in the hospital and reminiscing about memories with each of them.  It wasn't necessarily my favorite book.. maybe because it was all pretty predictable.  I do plan to read the second book though.

2016 Book Count: 12

Horngren's Financial and Managerial Accounting (5th Edition)

I read this book, by Miller-Nobles, Mattison, and Matsumura, and filled a notebook with notes on it (partly so I'd be able to help my husband with his accounting class should he want the help, and mostly because I really enjoyed taking a couple of accounting classes one summer while I was in college and took it as an opportunity to brush up what I once knew.  Accounting is almost like a foreign language.. when you don't use it for a while you start to forget how it all works.  One day I think I might really enjoy being the accountant for a school or a small business.

2016 Book Count: 11

Covenant and Kingdom

I read this book with a group of women from church.  In Covenant and Kingdom, Mike Breen is presenting a method for reading and analyzing the Bible by viewing it though the lens of two major themes: covenant and kingdom.  The covenant part of the Bible is the part that talks about our relationship with God and with one another.  In the Bible there are many scenes where a covenant, or promise, is made between two parties.  These biblical covenants tie two people together so closely that their identity is tied up in the other person.  We also have a covenant relationship with God as God's children.  The kingdom part of the Bible are the passages that talk about our responsibility.  In this book, Breen says our responsibility is to make disciples- and the next book that I'm reading with the church group (Building a Discipling Culture) is all about that.

I'm great with the covenant side of things in this book.  I feel like I understand it and agree with it.  I'm still a little shaky on the kingdom side of things.  Personally, I am secure in my faith and know it is right for me.  However, I also strongly believe that other paths are right for other people.  For example, I have several Jewish friends who are secure in their faith, and I wouldn't want them to be any other way.  For a long time I wrestled with whether or not I could really be a Christian when I believed the way I did, and sometimes I still feel that way.  I know a lot of people who would strongly disagree with me, but also a lot who agree.  All I know is that I, personally, don't believe God would exclude people from heaven just because they grew up with, or later identified with, a different system of beliefs.  I know what the Bible says (I've read it) about Jesus saying he is the way, and I don't disagree with that- because he is the way for me.  But, the Bible was written by men.  The Bible also says many other things that aren't taken literally, and it leaves out a lot as well.  I know every word Jesus said was not recorded in the Bible.  Maybe he said something about other religions while he was on earth that would have given me some peace about this internal struggle of mine, and the writers of the Bible just didn't see fit to include it because of their purpose for writing and their audience.

The way I see it, when Jesus said to go and make disciples, I don't think he wanted people who would blindly follow him.  I think he wanted people who would wrestle with and sometimes question their faith, because that causes it to grow and change and strengthen over time.  So, I disagree with the way "making disciples" is often treated in the Christian church- to scare or guilt people into believing a certain way... specifically, trying to "save" as many people as possible through whatever means necessary (although, that's not a Lutheran thing, thank goodness).  Jesus didn't try to scare or guilt people.  Jesus spent time reading the Bible and praying to God.  He talked with people in small groups and he did a lot of good while he was here.  Instead of going wide, he went deep.  I think of disciples as being people who live their lives in a similar way, spending time learning, growing, and getting to know God by asking questions and wrestling with their faith.

So, I guess it's not that I'm "shaky" when it comes to the kingdom side of things.. it's just that I'm not sure whether or not I agree with Covenant and Kingdom because I'm not sure if what the author says about our responsibility to make disciples is in alignment with what I believe.  Maybe the book I'm reading now will clear things up a little.

2016 Book Count: 10

**Off Topic: If you are reading this blog, please forgive any typos.  Writing helps me to think through things (much better than talking about them), and a lot of times my stream of conscious thoughts don't flow perfectly.. but I'm choosing not to edit them.  Also, I have a seven month old- there's just no time for that right now.

The Fault In Our Stars

So far this is my second favorite book of the year: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  In a nut-shell, it's about two young cancer patients (Hazel and Augustus) who fall in love.  Mostly, I love how honestly the author writes.  He gives really great insights into what his characters are thinking, putting into words things that I have thought about before too.  These were some of my favorite quotes from the book (*page numbers may not correspond to the actual text because I was reading this online through the digital public library):

"Isaac and I communicated almost exclusively through sighs.  Each time someone discussed anticancer diets or snorting ground-up shark fin or whatever, he'd glance over at me and sigh ever so slightly.  I'd shake my head microscopically and exhale in response." (27)

Hazel describes this as the one redeeming part of her cancer support group meetings.  As a pretty quiet person, I can definitely relate.  I typically didn't speak up much in class when I was younger.. and later- in staff meetings at work, I would communicate how I felt about what we were discussing through  looks or "microscopic" head nods to friends.  And in some of those situations, the unspoken communication was the best part of the class or meeting.

"I paused a second, trying to figure out if my response should be calibrated to please Augustus or his parents." (49)

In this scene, Hazel is meeting Augustus's parents for the first time and they ask how the support group meeting went.  If she answers truely honestly, her response would probably make Augustus laugh.. but would also most likely be considered rude by his parents.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like even the most honest people "calibrate" their responses for their audience.  It doesn't mean they lie, but they choose which part of the truth to tell.. and when you have a split audience it becomes even more apparent that you are choosing what to say.  For example, when I'm with a friend and we talk about cooking, I say that I can follow recipes and the things I make are easy.  When I talk about cooking with my mom or grandma, I tell them about some of the more interesting recipes I've tried lately or experiments that have turned out well.  With my friends, I don't want to seem like I'm bragging; with my mom and grandma, I want them to know that I can feed myself fairly healthy foods.  The completely honest truth is somewhere in the middle: I can follow recipes.  I can make things up and sometimes they turn out well.  I eat lots of vegetables and not much fruit.  I often have hot chocolate for breakfast, and sometimes I have Oreos and milk for dinner.

"...they were good songs, but because I didn't know them already, they weren't as good to me as they were to him." (58)

I also prefer to listen to songs I already know.  When I was dating a musician, this was probably not his favorite thing about me.. but you can't sing along unless you know the words!

"And then the line was quiet but not dead.  I almost felt like he was there in my room with me, but in a way it was better, like I was not in my room and he was not in his, but instead we were together in some invisible and tenuous third space that could only be visited on the phone." (99)

I like this image!

"The pleasure of remembering had been taken from me, because there was no longer anyone to remember with.  It felt like losing your co-rememberer meant losing the memory itself, as if the things we'd done were less real and important than they had been hours before." (305)

To me, this is one of the hardest things about losing a friend, especially when it's a friend you had for a long time or with whom you shared a lot of interesting experiences.  Once that friend is no longer a part of your life, you don't have anyone to reminisce with about your shared experiences.. and as those memories start to fade, it does make them feel less real and important to some degree.  It's a sad thing.

2016 Book Count: 9

Movie: The Book Thief

I saw the movie The Book Thief, and it was so much better than I expected!  I absolutely loved the book, so I was prepared to be disappointed by the movie.  There were a few differences (it didn't show the scenes of Liesel and Rudy stealing food, a few secondary characters were eliminated- like Hans and Rosa's children, and in the movie Rosa was toned down quite a bit).  But, the changes made sense.  In a movie there just isn't enough time to develop characters the way there is in a book, and by toning down Rosa's character (and eliminating a scene when Hans was hard on Liesel), it kept those characters truer to who they really are in the book.  Death was still the narrator, but he only interjected a couple of times, and I thought the casting decisions were fantastic.  Hans was lovable; Liesel was complex; Rudy was adorable.  It's definitely a movie I'd watch again!

The Inferno

SPOILER ALERT: This past weekend I finished reading The Inferno by Dan Brown.  I really enjoyed it!  I love dystopian literature and I also love historical or realistic fiction based on controversial issues (one of the reasons I like Jodi Picoult so much).  This book is realistic fiction centered around the controversy  of overpopulation, and while I wouldn't call it dystopian literature, it does hint at what the future could be like if someone decided to take it into their own hands to prevent overpopulation.  I've heard Dan Brown's writing style criticized by quite a few people, but he does a much better job than I could- and I really enjoy his books.  I like how slowly he gives the reader information (although, as a result, I feel like I'm spoiling parts of the book by even saying this little bit about it) and I also like how your perception of characters changes throughout the story.  Many characters in this book seem to be on the wrong side of things, then the right side, and then the wrong side again (and vice versa).  It's also clear that he does his homework before he begins writing.  He gives so many details about where the story takes place that I feel like I could find my way around if I ever traveled to the setting of his story.  I've read some of his other books as well, and they always inspire me to want to read more about certain topics.  After reading this book, I definitely want to read Dante's Divine Comedy.

2016 Book Count: 8

The Money Answer Book

The other day I finished reading Dave Ramsey's The Money Answer Book from the NC Digital Library.  It was written in a question and answer format, divided into sections based on major topics in personal finance.  It was also pretty direct and to the point, which I appreciated.  I've read some of Dave Ramsey's other books, and sometimes I feel like I get bogged down in the stories.  I understand that they're meant to be motivational, but I like practical tips best.

I've been making budgets Dave-Ramsey-style since before I knew who Dave Ramsey was, and my husband and I are doing pretty well in terms of his baby steps.  Reading through this book though did cause me to put a few more things on my to-do list (which consisted of a series of one-line emails to Steven).  He has some great tips!

2016 Book Count: 7

5 Days to a Clutter-Free House

I found this book (5 Days to a Clutter-Free House by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims) on the North Carolina Digital Library, which is probably my new favorite thing.  All you need is the number off your regular library card and your 4-digit pin number (many libraries  recommend the last four digits of your phone number- so try that if you forgot yours).  The selection isn't amazing, but you can definitely find something to read!

I wasn't too impressed with this book.  I felt like the first half of it could be summarized in about a paragraph, but the second half of the book had a few good tips.

Basically, the authors recommend gathering together a group of people (2 people per room of your house if possible) and focus on clearing surfaces, using body benchmarks.  Day 1 is feet to knees, day 2 is knees to shoulders, day 3 is shoulders to the ceiling, day 4 is reserved for inside cupboards and cabinets, and day 5 is for storage areas like a garage or shed.  As you go through clearing surfaces, everything gets put into those neat little white cardboard storage boxes, labeled with where you found the stuff and where it goes.  For example, a box might be labeled "Papers from coffee table in living room- going to office" or "Shoes from dining room- going to master bedroom."  At the end of each day, you take the boxes to the room in which they ultimately belong and neatly stack them against the wall.  Later, the homeowner, will go through the boxes, either putting each item where it "lives" in the house, putting it in a pile to donate, or putting it in a "maybe" box.. which will have to be sorted through eventually.  When the initial work crew goes through the house, any obvious trash can be discarded, but "likely trash" stuff should be put in a box labeled trash for the homeowner to make ultimate decisions about.  So, obvious trash would be things like gum wrappers and used paper plates.  "Likely trash" might be something like a broken toy.

That's really the meat of the first half of the book, in a nutshell.  Most of the book was meant to be inspirational rather than strictly practical.  The second half of the book gives tips for sorting through those white boxes and keeping your house from getting cluttered again.

2016 Book Count: 6

Hominy Casserole

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
15 oz can of white hominy
15 oz can of yellow hominy
about 2 tbsp flour
about 2 cups of milk
1 8 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Ritz crackers, most of one sleeve

Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, and a tiny bit of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and add your chopped onions and bell peppers.  Stir them around until they're soft and getting brown.

Drain and rinse both cans of hominy, and add it to the skillet.  Cook it until it's nice and hot.

Push your vegetables to one side of the skillet and tilt it so your butter pours away from them into another corner.  Add the flour and stir it around until it starts to brown.

Then add your milk.  Be sure to stir it really well and make sure any little clumps of buttery flour are incorporated.

Add your grated cheese and stir it around until it melts.  It's okay if it's not totally melted though, because you're going to put it in the oven.

Crumble up the Ritz crackers and sprinkle them over the top.

Bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the crackers on top are starting to brown and you can see the sauce bubbling through a little.

It is not the most beautiful casserole ever, but it is so good!  It's really rich and heavy- good for a cold night.

The Book Thief

This past weekend I finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  It is one of the BEST books I've read in years.  It's set in Germany during World War II and follows a German girl (Liesel) whose foster family hides a Jewish man in their basement.  Liesel can barely read at all when she first joins the family, but her foster father teaches her and she comes to love it.  The Book Thief is written in ten sections around ten of the books that impact Liesel's story, and it is narrated by Death.  The characters in this book are endearing and complex, and Zusak's writing style is powerful and even humorous, despite the subject matter.  I would highly, highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet.  I haven't seen the movie, but I can't imagine that it could possibly do this book justice.

2016 Book Count: 5

Do The Work!

Last week I finished the book Do The Work! by Steven Pressfield.  This is a book a friend loaned me a while ago, but I didn't get around to reading it until just last week.  It is a very quick read, entertaining, and definitely motivational.  It was written to coach you through a project, and the author made several points that really resonated with me.  For example, he says to start a project before you're ready and go on a research diet.  Or, in other words, don't spend forever researching an idea and just go for it.  He says that you can research more later, and even spend your evenings researching- but during prime working time you should be working on your project.

This is something that I definitely struggle with.  I am a reader and a planner, and it is easy for me to spend all my time preparing for something rather than actually doing it.  I think my husband and I balance each other pretty well in this regard.  He definitely goes for it when he decides he's going to do something.  Just in the past year or two he has: changed careers, put up a fence, built a front walkway for our house, started two different businesses, sold his car twice to buy another one, started taking classes again...  I could have easily spent a year just planning for one of those things.  With the fence, for instance, I wanted one for a while, but I was busy comparing options (privacy/wood/metal), prices (pay someone else vs. do it myself, prefab fence panels vs. shipping pallets vs. starting with posts and going from there), watching youtube videos of how to put up a fence...  Once I mentioned my idea to Steven, he went to Lowes and Tractor Supply to compare prices, rented a U-Haul to get the supplies back to our house, bought some materials and started digging fence post holes.  Our fence was completely built about two weeks after he began working on it.

In his book Steven Pressfield also writes about how to overcome resistance and how to not get discouraged by the problems that will inevitably arise (because a problem is just a problem, and problems can be solved).  Finally, he says it is important to finish your project.  Resistance is often the strongest once you get close to the end, but once you finish- whether you succeed or fail- at least you've done what you set out to do!  He writes that when his first movie tanked, "That was when I realized I had become a pro.  I had not yet had a success.  But I had had a real failure."  Failing is sometimes "the price for being in the arena and not on the sidelines" (93).

My favorite paragraph in the book, though, is when he quotes Marianne Williamson on page 89:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

2016 Book Count: 4

Chicken Enchiladas Blancas

Ingredients:

2 tbsp canola oil, plus a little to grease your baking dish
2 onions
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 8oz blocks of cheddar cheese (or substitute monterey jack or pepper jack for one of the blocks!)

2 7oz cans green chilis

1 cup sour cream

1 10oz can of green chili enchilada sauce

6 large flour tortillas
Spices: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, optional- parsley

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the canola oil in a pan on medium heat and add your sliced onion.

Cook the onions until they're turning translucent with brown edges.  Add a good shake of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Add your shredded chicken to the pan.  I already had shredded chicken in my freezer, but I'm guessing the amount I used was about the same as 2 chicken breasts.  If you like a lot of meat in your enchiladas, you could go with 3 chicken breasts.

While your shredded chicken is warming up in the pan, grate all of your cheese.  I happened to have one block of sharp white cheddar and a block of milder orange cheddar, so that's what I used.  But, monterey jack or pepper jack with cheddar would be delicious too!

Then, in a mixing bowl, combine about half of your cheese blend, 1 can of green chilis, and a good amount of chili powder.  I rarely measure my spices, but I probably used about 2 teaspoons.

Mix that together, add your chicken and onions, and mix again!

Now add about 1/2 cup of sour cream and stir that in.  This will be the filling for your enchiladas.

Fill your tortillas with the chicken/cheese mixture, roll them up, and put them in a greased baking dish (I just used a little more canola oil to grease mine) with the seam facing the bottom of the pan.  Having the seam face down helps them to not flop open.

In a new mixing bowl (or just use your first one again so you won't have so many dishes to wash!) combine the other half of your cheese blend, the can of green chili enchilada sauce, the other can of green chilis, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and a little sprinkle of cayenne pepper.  Don't go overboard on the cayenne pepper unless you really like a lot of heat!  If you had any of the chicken mixture left after filling your tortillas, you can also add that to your bowl.  This is going to be the creamy sauce for your enchiladas.

Pour the sauce all over your enchiladas, using a spoon or spatula to spread it out evenly across the surface.  Put it in the oven and bake it at 350 for 30 minutes.

When your enchiladas come out of the oven, you can sprinkle a little parsley on top to make them look fancy (optional).

Serve with arroz rojo and refried beans!

Yum!  With sides, this recipe serves 6 very hungry adults, or 12 adults who exercise portion control.  Ours was gone in two days...

Homemade Refried Beans

Ingredients:

2 cans of pinto beans

1 onion

2 tbsp canola oil

4 oz cheddar cheese

Spices: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Heat the canola oil over medium heat and add a chopped onion and the spices.  I don't measure my spices, but I probably used about a teaspoon of garlic powder and cumin and maybe 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Cook the onions and spices until the onions start to get translucent and brown around the edges.

Drain and rinse the pinto beans and add them to the skillet.  Cook until they're heated through.

Mash the pinto beans and onions with a potato masher.

Grate your cheese and stir about half of it into your beans.  Smooth your beans into an even layer in the skillet, and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Put the skillet in the oven and cook just until the cheese has melted, or for about ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Arroz Rojo (Red Rice)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp canola oil

1 small onion

3 cups long grain white rice (or 4 of those little measuring cups that come with your rice cooker)

8oz can of tomato sauce

~1 box of chicken broth (you won't use the whole box)

Spices: garlic powder, salt, black pepper

Directions:

Finely chop the onion and sauté it in the canola oil over medium heat until it starts to brown.  I also add my spices at this point: a good shake of garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

Add the rice to your pan and sauté for a few more minutes, just to toast the rice a little.

Add the rice to your rice cooker along with the can of tomato sauce and enough chicken broth to bring your total amount of liquid up to 6 cups (or the 4 mark on your rice cooker).

Close and start your rice cooker, or bring your pot to a boil, cover, and cook according to the directions on your bag of rice.

Fluff the rice with a  fork when it finishes.

Stovetop Hot Chocolate

Since becoming a mom, it has become oooooh so much harder to leave the house.  My old favorite pastime of going to coffee shops to read or work on lesson plans while sipping on a delicious doctored-up coffee, was replaced by going through the line at the drive-though Starbucks about once a week (for a large decaf caramel mocha.. yum!).  The drive-through Starbucks is at least a good 15 minutes out of my way no matter where I'm headed (and I pass several other coffee shops on the way there), but it was worth it for the drive-through!  I didn't want to expose my tiny, sweet baby to any germs that might be hanging out inside crowded coffee shops, not to mention it takes roughly ten minutes to get him in and out of the car with all of his stuff.  Now that I'm also taking care of a friend's baby during the day, there's no way I'll even be going through the drive-through at Starbucks anytime soon.  Luckily, I have a hot chocolate recipe that's even better than a mocha, in my opinion.  There's no coffee in it, but since I was drinking decaf anyway.. that doesn't matter to me.  Here's the recipe:

Stovetop Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I've also used the special dark cocoa powder, and it's delicious!)

1/2 cup white sugar

dash of salt

1/3 cup hot water

4 cups milk

Directions:

Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a pan and whisk it together.  Turn the stove on to medium heat and add the hot water.  Whisk it until it comes to a boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.  After two minutes, you should have a thick chocolate syrup in your pan.  Slowly add 3 1/2 cups of milk, whisking as you go, and let it get really hot but not to a boil.  Pour it into mugs and top off your mugs with that last 1/2 cup of milk to cool it so it's drinkable.  This is enough for 4 small mugs, or 3 large mugs.  It is so good!

I've also made this recipe adding the whole 4 cups of milk to the pan, and then pouring it over frozen whipped topping in my mugs.  Today I made a spicy version by adding a good shake of cinnamon and a smaller dash of cayenne pepper to the pan when I was whisking together the dry ingredients.  If you did want it to taste more like a mocha, I'm thinking you could probably add 1/2 cup of strong hot coffee instead of the hot water.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

Last night I finished reading The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago.  This book was a gift from a sweet friend of my husband's when we had our son.  I had been reading him (my son, not my husband..) a story a day for a while, but he was having a hard time falling asleep last night and I ended up reading him the second half of the book in one night.  I love the beautiful illustrations in this book and the way the author ties each of the stories back to Jesus, even stories from the Old Testament.  It's my new favorite children's Bible!

2016 Book Count: 3

Snow Day Hash

It's snowing in Asheville!  We have about 8 inches right now, but it's still coming down!

When it's cold outside and you've been playing in the snow all day, you can't beat a hot, filling meal.  For dinner tonight, I made a hash using some pantry and fridge staples.  Here's the recipe, which is enough for two hungry people plus leftovers:


Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
1/2 lb. sausage
1 onion
1 bell pepper (mine was green, but the color doesn't really matter)
1 cup corn
4 eggs
~1/4 cup olive oil (I didn't measure)
Spices: salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder

Directions:
Peel and cube the russet potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Toss them in olive oil and microwave them on high for about ten minutes, or until fork tender.  Meanwhile, brown the sausage in your skillet.  Drain off any excessive fat, leaving about a tablespoon or so.  Chop up the onion and bell pepper and add them to your sausage.  Add the corn.  Cook everything on medium heat until the onions are transparent and you're starting to get some nice brown color on your vegetables.  When the potatoes finish in the microwave, add your spices to them (a good, hearty shake of each), and toss them around to make sure they're all evenly coated with spices.  Add them to the skillet with your sausage and vegetables.  Then cook your eggs however you prefer (I like them over medium).  Serve the eggs over your hash with another sprinkle of salt and pepper.