Simply Fun

January has come and gone, and so far my new year's resolutions are doing quite well! :) (give or take a few 'off' ' days.) 

Here are a few things I have enjoyed this year so far. Thought I'd share. 

1. My devotions. I'm reading Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling." If you're unfamiliar with it, check it out here. It's an overwhelming journey learning to walk and live in the Presence of Jesus, and trust Him with every problem and thought. 

2. A new addition to our family: Clear Play! I can't find enough positive words to describe this new technology we've purchased! Check it out on their website. Basically, it allows you to watch videos and movies and bypasses negative elements, language, etc. with the option to change the settings for each movie you watch. Super cool! 

3. Working on my Chopin Pedagogy Project. It's actually more fun than it sounds. I get to play some of the most sophisticated and beautiful piano music ever written- and call it 'homework.' :) Check out the Nocturnes by Chopin if you love relaxing piano music. Warning: you may fall asleep.

5. Enjoying scenery around me. I spend a lot of time on the road, and it's relaxing to observe the scenery. This was a beautiful sunset in High Point a few weeks ago. 

6. Eating good food. I love eating. Period. And, while I have been eating healthier this year (and enjoying the results), there's nothing like good ole Lexington BBQ, hush puppies, and sweet tea. Mmmm. Good for what ails ya! I love living in the South. :)

Then, there's mom's peach cobbler. Sugar free, except for the icecream. Wow- it's truly awesome! 

7. Random projects. I love crafty projects! And, these are a few I came up with. 

I have several dozen (no exaggeration) plastic easter eggs left over from last year. Blech. SO, brilliant me, decided to do something with them. So I painted and glittered them. I also painted polka dots on some of them. Anyways, they're pretty cute! 

The nest, Well. *clears throat* I wanted a cute little nest. Found one for $20.00, and thought to myself, "self, I can make that." So I did. With moss from Dollar Tree...and a Chinese Noodle Bowl dinner. Ha! No joke. I cut the bowl in half and hot-glued moss to it, and ta-da! Not difficult, cheap, and it's cute. Perfect combination! 

And, since it's February and Valentine's is soon approaching, I made cookies today for students and Sunday School kiddos! First time making the icing recipe and it was amazing! 

And. yes. that's a random green Shamrock on the right. March is soon too...right? :)

Happy February 9th! 

'till next time...

A day in the Kitchen...

I adore Friday's!

"Why?" you might inquire.

"Because."

I teach Monday-Thursday, so I essentially have

two Saturday's every week. Lovely! 

This certain and particular Friday, I devoted

to trying some new recipes I've had 'on the shelf' 

for a bit, thanks to pinterest. 

Here's how it turned out...

1. Baked Apple Cinnamon Chips

Delicious! Found it (via pinterest) on this blog:

http://www.delightedmomma.com/2011/09/baked-apple-chips.html

Terrific school snack! Give it a go.

2. Key Lime Pie

(via pinterest) http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fluffy-Key-Lime-Pie 

Believe it or not, this is: 1) comparable in taste to frozen Edward's,

2) only 3 grams of fat/194 calories per piece

3) extremely easy!

Definite make-again! You could actually adapt

this recipe with any flavor gelatin/yogurt. (raspberry, strawberry,

etc.) 

3. Hot Fudge Sauce

 This stuff is am-a-zing! I used it as a topping on the 

cheesecakes below, and can't wait to try it out on some ice cream. Mmmm.

Delicious with strawberries, too. 

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,197,156166-232202,00.html

4. Mini No-bake Cheesecakes

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/philadelphia-no-bake-mini-cheesecakes-53063.aspx

These are lovely! I adapted the recipe a bit...

I split the batter in half, added powdered sugar, and 

added peanut butter to one half. 

I also used graham cracker crust instead of a 

chocolate cookie.

Mmmm. Delicious.

They aren't as lovely as the picture on the website, but

they sure taste good. Mmmm. Freezing is a good choice, to 

help them solidify a bit more. 

5. Fried Rice (see previous blog post)

Which, I might add, was absolutely amazing, as well! 

It was a profitable day in the kitchen, and what fun it was. 

Happy Day. 

The secret...to Fried Rice

In my opinion, one of the most commonly 'mis-cooked' Chinese foods is Fried Rice.          I l.o.v.e. good fried rice! When I spent a summer in Taiwan, a 'wish' came true: I learned to cook authentic Chinese/Asian food! (I don't think I've been back to a US Chinese buffet since...ick!) And, that's right: today I'm going to let you in on the secret of making authentic Chinese Fried Rice! (hooray, everyone)                                                                            The very aroma gives the essence of sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of a low table, wearing sandals (because you left yours at the door), attempting to juggle chopsticks, and surrounded by Asians happily chattering in their native tongue. Sigh.           


 Here we go...










1. Cook white rice according to directions. (I use basmati rice, and always use a rice cooker...Ahh!) 

2. At this point, you must either decide to: a) make fried rice immediately, or b) put cooked rice in fridge as soon as it is finished, and let it sit in fridge overnight.

3. Finely chop onion, green/red peppers, and thaw frozen peas (or used canned). Set aside large egg. 

4. Cover bottom of large skillet with olive oil and heat. Saute' onions, peppers, and peas until thoroughly cooked. Put on one side of skillet. On other side, scramble egg; then mix egg in with vegetables. Put egg/veggies on one side of skillet. Add cooked rice (warm or cold) to other side of skillet.

5. Thoroughly stir rice in with eggs/vegetables until rice starts to brown. Add extra oil as needed. Add seasoning packet (adjust amount to amount of rice cooked. I use about half the packet for 6-8 servings.) You can buy this at any grocery store. (Wal-mart sells it.) 

6. Thoroughly stir rice with seasoning. Rice should have a brown hue, especially compared to cooked white rice. Serve hot and enjoy! Delicious with terriaki/bourbon chicken. Re-heats very well. 

And, there you have it: the secret to perfect Fried Rice! It's a definite crowd pleaser! 

Enjoy and pass it on.                                                                                                                *Disclaimer: This blogger will not be held responsible for any business lost at local Chinese buffet's due to the amazingness of this recipe.* :)

Spring business...or busy-ness...

This morning when I awoke, I knew there were several things I really should accomplish. 


1. Wear green, listen to lively/fun Irish tunes, and eat great food. It's St. Patrick's Day after all! Hope yours was grand! Made the traditional Irish Soda Bread (best recipe ever, from an Irish cookbook mum bought in Ireland several years ago), and looking forward to enjoying the rest of it at lunch tomorrow with friends. Mmmm. Along with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, etc. 

2. Iron. *Check. Nothing exciting there.


3. Practice piano. *Check. Beethoven Op. 27/1, I have conquered you (evil laughter). Good feeling. :)


4. Try a new craft I've been wanting to do for a while- make a flower pin. *Check. 
This is the second one I did today; light yellow with a small pearl ornament in the center. Pins either in your hair or on a schnazzy jacket/cardigan, or anything really. Love it, muchly! I see more of these in my future. Very easy to make- no pattern required. Just lots of hot glue. Now, that's MY kind of craft. :)

5. Exercise. *clears throat* If practicing piano counts, I did overtime. If not, well...there's always Monday...


6. Blog. Which, *check,* I am now doing! Ah-hah! There are a few reasons for my intentional sabbatical from blogging, which I will now list FYI (for your information, if you care to know. If not, skip down to next paragraph). 


a. I spend a lot of time on the computer each day, howbeit school related, email, frivolity, research, etc. and blogging was one thing that wasn't really 'necessary.' Neither is pinterest or facebook, but still...


b. Blogging was listed among my new year's goals. However, I am excited to report that the other goals for this year (extensive reading on various subjects, devotions, personal goals, etc.) are going so splendidly, that I've had little or no time to even think of blogging! Many times I've done/seen something and thought, "That would make a really great blog article." That's as far as any of them have gotten. 


c. I'm realizing that it's far too easy to share my thoughts and problems on cyberspace before I talk to the One who actually has the answers: God. I've been doing this for the past few months, and goodness, what a difference. Do I still seek council from people? Of course. But, knowing that God is personally interested in seeing me succeed and prosper helps me to take confidence in confiding in Him before blabbing to others. Do I enjoy facebook, etc.? Yes. The problem lies when ones reliance for rejuvenation, inspiration, and encouragement comes from seeing how many friends can be added in 10 minutes, versus thinking about the C.S. Lewis/Ravi Zacharias devotional thought for the day, or that 'little' matter God is working on in your life. No, I do not think about Chronicles of Narnia all day or sit in a meditative state. :) However, keeping Christ at the forefront of my thoughts, rather than an afterthought or 'emergency plan,' makes life better all around. That's what I've been attempting. God is helping me, and I am grateful. 


So. Here's the paragraph you can skip to if you found the previous comments/thoughts repulsive, weird, strange, or otherwise odd. Which, may be most of you. All 3 of you.


In all seriousness, God has been good. And, I'm finding it extremely rewarding to focus my emotions, efforts, thoughts, words and actions centered around pleasing Him 24/7. I'm even attempting to become less sarcastic. It's a work in progress. :) 


To end these 'returning' ramblings, I thought I would share a few of the books I've been reading and would recommend to you. 


1. The Resolution for Women (centered around the movie "Courageous." Phenomenal movie and book, very convicting for women in any stage of life, and very practical. Awesome read.)


2. "Hook, Line, and Sinker." New novella by one of my favorite authors, Susan May Warren. Short book, cute theme, great message, neatly portrayed. You should read it for fun.


3. "The Grand Weaver." A new book I received for my birthday by another favorite Christian apologist/author, Ravi Zacharias. An amazing book about how God weaves the events and circumstances of our lives together. God has a plan in everything.


4. "A Year with C.S. Lewis." An incredible -read-once-a-day- devotional from one of the greatest authors of all time- C.S. Lewis. I find myself re-reading the devotional each night before I go to bed. The thoughts shared within the pages are incredibly practical, deep, thought-provoking, and can be convicting. Not for the faint of heart searching for a "Now I lay me down to sleep" devotional. For those who are serious about knowing God, and discovering more about Him. 


My apologies for the many rambles shared...this happens when I return after a long blogging absence. :)


Best wishes for a terrific holiday weekend. 
Until next time...

Sensational scones

Today has been officially declared 'sleep, cold-medication, reading, blog-catch-up, lesson plan' day. :) 
I posted this picture on Facebook of some scones I made, and many expressed interest in acquiring the recipe, so here it is. Do enjoy! :)

Blueberry Coffeecake Scones

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour                                1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar                                                      1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 teaspoons baking powder                                1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon salt                                                 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed, drained frozen blueberries

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled                           1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 large eggs                                                         dash of all-spice or cinnamon

crumb topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour                                      1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar              1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled 

Preheat oven to 375* and grease a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender or two knives used scissor fashion, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and lemon peel. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The dough will be sticky. With lightly floured hands, gently knead in the blueberries until evenly distributed.

Pat the dough into a 9-inch diameter circle in the center of the prepared baking sheet.

To prepare the topping, in a small bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the dough to cover. Press the crumb topping lightly into the dough. With a serrated knife, cut the circle into 8 wedges. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a cake tested inserted into the center of scone cones out clean. (Often takes up to 45 min. to completely bake thoroughly.) 

Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Recut into wedges, if necessary. Freezes well. 

Makes 8 large scones. 

Enjoy this favorite! It's absolutely delicious with a cup of fresh, hot, mint tea. :)