The Confessing Lunatic

I am on a roll - three nights in a row cooking! Tonight's recipe, Penne with Chicken and Pesto, was adapted from another Food on the Table recipe. It is rich and creamy with lots of flavor. Caitlin, Jim and I loved it, but the little ones wanted the plain pasta and plain chicken. Oh well, can't hit it out of the park every time! I've tried again to get good pictures but alas, no luck. I will have to read up on tricks of photographing food. None the less, the recipe: PENNE WITH CHICKEN AND PESTO INGREDIENTS 1 16.0 ounce package penne pasta 2 T butter 2 T olive oil 5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips 2 T minced garlic salt and pepper to taste 1 pint heavy cream 1 10 oz jar pesto 6 T grated Parmesan cheese 1 tomato, diced (I used my Ninja on a cup and half of grape tomatoes. I strained the juice before adding.) Servings: 6 DIRECTIONS Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta ...

Tonight's meal was excellent - time intensive - but excellent. I have a subscription to Food on the Table , an online recipe collection that allows you to add meals to a meal plan and then it builds a grocery list for you. It even recommends recipes based on the sales at your local grocery store. This recipe was adapted from one of their recipes, Shrimp and Quinoa. According to WHFoods.com , "quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked." I love it because it has about the same about of carbs as pasta and is higher in protein, amino acids, magn esium, phosphorus, and potassium. The Food on the Table recipe was only for 4 servings and had onion and bell pepper that I didn't have on hand so the veggies are different. I marinated the shrimp, too. The time to prepare was more than stated on the recipe (15 minutes) as well as cook (30 minutes). I imagine the time to peel and de...

This has been quite a week. Since Friday I've only cooked once. So much for my resolution to cook at home and eat more healthy. After the bulgogi adventure on Friday, I was worn out. Certainly more worn out than I should be. Turns out I would come down with something that completely took my voice and my will to get out of bed! Despite that, I did have the opportunity to have two great family dinners with my Mom, Dad and Uncle Larry, one courtesy of Cracker Barrel and one home-cooked meal. For the home-cooked meal, I decided to bring out the Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, and try a new dish called Vegetable Tian , and roast two whole chickens using the new roaster trees that I got Jim for Christmas. The recipe for the roast chickens was inspired by Beer Can Chicken . I used a half a can of chicken stock and a q uarter cup of white cooking wine instead of the beer. Mom provided us with an apple coleslaw and pecan and pumpkin pies to round out the meal. Then I had a great meal with...

So, the Asian food craze struck again. Friday, a week ago, we feasted on bulgogi and dak galbi - or a version thereof - and several sides. About a week ago I made Sweet Pickled Daikon Radish and homemade pickles. Then I fixed another banchan (Korean side dish), apples and cucumber with Greek yogurt. I'm not sure how authentic it is but it is similar to one that I have enjoyed at the Korea BBQ House in Fort Worth. The marinade for the bulgogi is a compilation of a several of different recipes: recipe 1 , recipe 2 and recipe 3 and the card that came with the Korean grill pans that I bought Jim for Christmas. Once I try it again, I'll write down exactly what I did, but for now, you can get the gist from these three. With the bulgogi, I sauteed several red and green peppers and an onion. Now, these recipes are not near as healthy as they should, so I need to see how to adapt them to be more healthy. Certainly the veggies I've added are healthy but the amount of sugar ...

Leftovers, leftovers how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1. I don't have to think too hard about what I'm going to serve! Serve up the leftovers with a salad and I'm good to go. 2. It's easy on my pocketbook because I have what they call in the business world "sunk costs". 3. I know my kids will like it because they've eaten it before! 4. Did I mention that I don't have to think too hard? 5. I am being a good steward of the resources God has given me (okay, so I have to have one churchy-sounding point to extol, right?). Tonight it is especially good because it's FWF - or First Wednesday Food. FWF is held the first Wednesday of each month and Jim and I feed the youth during our regular meeting. For our New Year's eve service and watch party I made my customary super large crock pot of chili. Normally my chili is completely gone and there are only memories of how good it tasted, but this year was strange. We came home with almost a...

I confess, lately I have been craving all kinds of Asian cooking! I can't seem to get enough. I don't know if it's that garlic-ginger combination that comes in many dishes, or the Korean bulgogi and dol sat bi bim bop I recently enjoyed at Korea House BBQ, or the home cooked bulgogi and dak galbi that we enjoyed in December using the Korean bbq plate I gave to Jim for Christmas. At any rate, tonight's meal was a savory yet sweet Thai-inspired Ginger Chicken. I adapted the recipe below from the blog, Edible Obsessions . The biggest change was I increased th e quantities of my recipe and added mushrooms. The pictures on the Edible Obsessions blog are incredible! Reg ardless, here are a couple of mine: Fresh veggies are terrific! Love the color and the taste. Cooking the onion , garlic and chicken. The finished product! And now, for the moment you've been waiting for...the recipe: Thai-inspired Ginger Chicken Serves: 6 plus two healthy leftovers for t omorrow...

I am resolving this year to make healthy meals for my family and reduce the number of times we go out to eat. Often I am too overwhelmed with all the kids' activities and working full time to cook. However, when I looked back at our spending for the last three months, and took into consideration how much weight I have gained in that time, I realize I have to do things di fferently this year! So, I plan to chronicle my meals to help me be accountable and share the fun I have in creating great tasting meals. Yesterday's meal was roast lamb with herb jus, orzo with zucchini, yellow squash and roasted red peppers, roasted rosemary baby red potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and of course, blackeyed peas with bacon. I must confess that these dishes weren't necessarily the most healthy because I was mostly concerned about taste. The recipes for these were found on the Internet and adapted f or my family and tastes. I'll post the recipes at the end. Today's meal was Lamb St...

Yes, it's been over a year since my last post. Wow, how time has flown and with little to show for it than a couple extra pounds, I am wondering how am I going to be different next year. I have followed a blogger by the name of Faith Barista . She is currently writing on a series called, "Unwrap Jesus." In her post toda, she asked readers what they could dial down to enjoy Jesus this season. My problem is not in enjoying Jesus during this season but the rest of the year. As the mother of four, I am continually trying to remind my children of God's plan for His Son at Christmas and how that leads one naturally to the cross. As we sit each night before our regular prayer time, we read a story about Christmas - funny, sad, poignant stories of others finding the Christ of Christmas. It's our tradition. I am ashamed to say though, that the nightly reading rarely continues through January of the next year. So, my challenge is to "dial down" the rest of the yea...

I ran across the following poem while perusing through the list of blogs I read (that I haven't done much of since I've been working my Master's degree). It's called "The Speaker" by Louis Jenkins. I want to share it with you since it hit me like a brick... The Speaker by Louis Jenkins "The speaker points out that we don't really have much of a grasp of things, not only the big things, the important questions, but the small everyday things. "How many steps up to your front door? What kind of tree grows in your backyard? What is the name of your district representative?What is your wife's shoe size? Can you tell me the color of your sweetheart's eyes? Do you remember where you parked the car?" The evidence is overwhelming. Most of us never truly experience life. "We drift through life in a daydream, missing the true richness and joy that life has to offer." When the speaker has finished we gather around to sing a few inspira...

What is silence? Dictionary.com defines silence as "the absence of any sound or noise; stillness; the state or fact of being silent; muteness." This week we've been studying Psalm 46:10 where the psalmist says, "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." Too often we are unable to be silent... In fact, Donald Whitney, author and teacher, puts it this way, "Many of us need to realize the addiction we have to noise. It's one thing to turn on the TV, tape, or radio to listen to while ironing or doing other chores, but it's another thing habitually to turn one of these on immediately upon entering a room just to have sound. Even worse is to feel that it's necessary to have background noise during Bible intake or prayer. I believe the convenience of sound has contributed to the spiritual shallowness of contemporary western Christianity. The advent of affordable, portable sound systems, for ...

I stumbled upon this website that allows you to make an image of the most frequent words on your blog or website. This is what it came up with for me... Thanks, Wordled.net! You can see it on the Wordled site here .

Jim was studying for his Sunday School lesson and came accross a hymn that neither of us had ever heard. It is, without a doubt, one of the coolest songs I have ever heard so I want to share it with you! Complete in Thee! no work of mine May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine; Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, And I shall stand complete in Thee. Yea, justified! O blessed thought! And sanctified! Salvation wrought! Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, And glorified, I too, shall be! Complete in Thee—no more shall sin, Thy grace hath conquered, reign within; Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee, And I shall stand complete in Thee. Complete in Thee—each want supplied, And no good thing to me denied; Since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be, I ask no more, complete in Thee. Dear Savior! when before Thy bar All tribes and tongues assembled are, Among Thy chosen will I be, At Thy right hand—complete in Thee. I found an a cappella version of this song on YouTube. It's really wonderful!

During lunch today I sat and just watched my kids, marveling at how distinctly different each of my children are AND knowing that I had nothing to do with it; God did. When Jordan was born there was no one to compare him to. He was unique. Then Caitlin came. Since she was a girl, we naturally assumed that she would be completely different from Jordan. It was when Jaden was born that I realized just how marvelous my children are and how wonderful God is. Jaden is nothing like the first two. Sure there are glimpses of Jordan and even hints of Caitlin but he is definitely his own person. In fact, looking back on my pregnancy when Jaden was thirteen months old, I knew he was strong-willed even in the womb. When Calise was born is was no surprise that she was not like the other three. She is girly; Caitlin is not. Caitlin is outgoing; Cali is not. Jordan is obedient; Jaden is, well, learning to be obedient. Jordan is reserved; Jaden is extra active. But one thing that is common to each of m...

When I was a little girl, our family would go to Kentucky to visit my Dad's parents. All the little kids would sleep on the couch bed in the living room of my grandparent's house, a double wide trailer on the side of hill. My Dad, the oldest of seven children, would get up early and have coffee with one or more of his brothers. I loved waking up in my grandparent's house. Rather than get up right away, I would lay there quietly and listen. I closed my eyes so I could tell which voice was my Dad's. I don't know why but it was important for me to know to which voice one I belonged. It was tough because my Dad and his brothers sounded so similar but I would eventually be able to pick out my Dad. Fast forward thirty something years...I woke up hearing Jim talking in the kitchen. As I lay in the bed, I strained to hear who he was talking with. As the memory of my Dad and his brothers flooded my brain, I could have sworn he was talking to himself. Did Jim's Dad come o...

I confess...I dislike making new year's resolutions because I have such a hard time keeping them. In 2007, I resolved to continue the weight loss I began in 2006 only to gain most of it back. In 2008, I resolved to cook at home more to save calories AND save money only to continue going out at least once a week. In 2009, I resolved to keep my house picked up -- especially my bathroom -- only to take my first trip of the year in late February and blow it once again. Now as I approach 2010, I am faced again with the dilemma of making a resolution and trying to stick with it or skipping it all together. While Googling "resolution" I ran across the following quote by Benjamin Franklin: "Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve." This quote puts the whole idea of making resolutions in a new light: 1)The first part is very clear -- do that which you should do. I don't have trouble doing what I'm supposed to do: go to work, c...

On November 22nd we held our annual "Harvest Dinner" at church, complete with all the traditional Thanksgiving foods. As in years past, I complained about this dinner ruining my Thanksgiving dinner. I know, I know, that isn't a very thankful spirit to have but let me explain... I am very particular when it comes to turkey, how it tastes and the dishes that are served with it. And I'm not that crazy about turkey so I'm content to have it once a year, eat it for left overs for several days in turkey sandwiches with copious amounts of Miracle Whip, lettuce and pickles and then not touch it again until the next year. I've suggested for several years that we should have a different theme to celebrate our thanks -- like Mexican or Italian. But alas, no one at the church is particularly fond of that idea! When the list went up for the dinner, I complained yet again to Jim. After a couple of weeks of grumbling, I finally signed up for the "other meat" catego...

If you're a parent, gather your kids and kiss them. Tell them how much you love them. Hug them so tight they beg for air! If you're a grandparent, call your grandkids and tell them you miss them and just how much you love them. What has prompted this? I confess...after 14 years of parenting I didn't realize just how blessed I was to have healthy, happy, well-adjusted kids. In 14 years, not one overnight stay until now. It wasn't until I was walking back into the hospital after staying one night at home while Jim stayed with Cali that I understood just how blessed Jim and I are. Sure, we've had our bumps and bruises. We've had our sleepless nights. We've even had multiple trips to the Emergency Room (more with some kids than the others). But nothing that compares to this recent illnes of Cali's. And in the grand scheme of things, Cali's illness is nothing compared to other children. Don't get me wrong, it was scary enough. I never left her side u...

I confess...this has been the strangest September, a September of firsts. Many of you know how extra difficult my job is during the months leading up to and including September. In fact, this year I started working overtime in May so yeah, it's been a difficult year. There hasn't been a September in 13 years (except the one or two while I was a stay at home mom) when I didn't work a lot of overtime in September. Then this year I have been wearing three hats at work since I got a promotion -- my new job, my old job (because we haven't hired anyone) and that of Section Chief since that Chief deployed to Afghanistan. To top it off, Jordan is in the high school marching band...HIGH SCHOOL. I am still freaked out about this since I only have four years with him before he goes to college. I am quite certain I'm not ready for this -- heck, I cried the day we discovered he was officially taller than me! And, Cali started pre-school three days a week. I can't bel...

Thank you for your prayers for Cali. For those who haven't heard, Cali has been in the hopsital since Saturday. We learned on Thursday that she had pneumonia. She was given a shot of antibiotics and went home from the doctor's with an oral antibiotic. On Saturday (September 12th) when she looked like she was getting worse despite the antibiotics, we took her back to the doctor where she got another shot. Despite that, we still ended up at the emergency room. After taking x-rays, they admitted her due to the complications from the pneumonia. Her right lung was completely white-ed out on the x-ray. We were told that we should expect to be here a week to 10 days. As medically advanced as we are, pneumonia is just not a disease that goes away quickly. Today was an improvement, Cali felt well enough to play with dishes and play dough. Now though, as the fever has come back she is sitting in her big hospital bed shivering. What I'm beginning to understand about pneumonia is that...

I recently read a Facebook post from one of Jim's younger cousins that shows a Godly wisdom beyond the earthly age of many. She was describing how God is teaching her that her view on service is not as God intended (my take on what she said) and that Jesus Christ should be the object of her heart -- not service. Part of her post included a quote that I was almost certain that I had read before so being the curious one, I Googled the quote and discovered that C.A. Coates had written an article entitled, " Occupation with the Object " is where the quote came from. I am struck in particular by the thought that we become restless and discouraged when our service isn't doing any good. Consider what Coates says, " Very often young believers who have not even peace with God are encouraged to take up service, and they become so occupied with what they are doing that they are not at leisure to learn or to take their place in the favor of their Father. Hence, so long as th...