Spicy Gingerbread Men

Too early for gingerbread men? I think not!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup margarine, softened

- 1/2 cup molasses 

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1 egg yolk

- 2 cups flour

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon ground cloves

- 1 teaspoon ginger

First: In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk.

Second: In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Blend flour mixture into molasses mixture until smooth. Cover and chill dough for at least an hour.

Third: Preheat over to 350 degrees. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick and using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes. 

Fourth: Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 8-10 minutes. You can either sprinkle powdered sugar over cookies once cooled or frost with icing. 

I don't remember where I found this recipe, but I happened upon it last year and it made it to my cookbook! Hope you enjoy!

memories so real like a dream

Every time I listen to "Continuum" by John Mayor I am in the mustang with Shelby, driving home from Point Loma on the 15 freeway, both of us singing. Or sitting at the cliffs trying to get over boyfriends from home

Every time I watch the movie "Surviving Christmas"I think of my sister and brother and have to call them to quote the movie for a bit

Any time I hear swing music my feet just want to dance, remembering being a part of a dance troupe

Copeland puts my in the motorhome looking out the window at all the trees changing colors traveling across the country, ready to kill my brother

Franz Ferdinand is on the boat at the lake with my family and first boyfriend

The word "nineteen" makes me think of getting caught in the backseat of my car making out with Mason Dyer. The cop shined his light on us and asked us how old we were, I practically yelled "I'm twenty officer!" and Mason said with some anxiety in his voice "nineteen!"

The smell of my family's home when I walk through the door spills millions of memories growing up that I had no idea would even be memories

Panic at the disco put me two places: in the car singing with rachel and at the Starbucks on baseline and the 15 freeway at 1am standing on the front counter singing as loud as I can

Anytime I hear My Chemical Romance I am in the middle bench seat of Mason's old Suburban, he was driving and I was yelling every word to every song with Dillan Wheeler, on our way to get chipotle

Christmas Eve will forever be "Grandma's and Grandpa's house"

When I see an old Forerunner I think of all the times we had to coach Megan's forerunner up the grade and then congratulate ourselves that we made it (love that thing)

The Black Keys "Brother": I am in the Prius with Mason, headed up the coast with no destination in mind

College: living in a two bedroom apartment with 5 girls, all of us falling asleep in my room one rainy afternoon during finals, huge support group, 5 wardrobes, trying to learn how to workout, singing, dancing, crying, and then cleaning that stinking apartment, saying goodbye

Smelling Breakfast in the morning when you wake up = holidays

When I hear Death Cab for Cutie I am in my 68 mustang eating bags of swedish fish

Every time I open an energy drink I am in Bert's first toyota at 5am trying to beat traffic down to San Onofre to surf

Corndogs will now always remind me of how Mason proposed to me

The "E" channel and Eileen running out of her room saying, "Oh my gosh did you hear about this??"

Silverstein puts me in San Diego when Mike and my brother would come down to visit Shelby and me, I threw a pint of old ice cream out the window while mike was driving

The cliffs in OB with a bottle of Andre smoking my first cigarette, it didn't go well...

When I listen to old rock, I can picture my dad driving in his truck and me sitting in the passenger side, him asking, "Who is this? Do you know what album this song is from?" and then me taking a wild guess


These memories, they feel so real and close as if they happened yesterday. I had no idea they would be memories...
funny how some things stick and some don't

To Be or Not to Be... Cynical

Recently, I started thinking about life a little too much. I started to question things I normally don't give much thought to.

For example, lets take Mr. Homeless on the street corner in PB. I normally would give him some money if I had it, maybe offer to buy him lunch, or offer him my leftovers (I once saw guy with a sign that said "I love leftovers," no joke). The other day, I saw Mr Homeless and you know what thoughts came to mind? 

"I am NOT going to give you money! You know why? Because you will still be homeless, dirty, cold, and have a drinking problem. I will most likely see you in my ER next week and will give you more than you need, as you strip away needed resources from our hospital that other people could use."

Its silly, really, that I would have those thoughts, but I couldn't stop them. They were there before I even realized it and all of a sudden I was mad. I started thinking about the ins and outs of life a little too closely. I became overwhelmed with the plight of the human story. "Am I really making a difference?" "In the grand scheme of things, does love and compassion win over poverty and hurting?"

I think a lot of people get to that point. The point where... you just think about taking a break from fighting. Honestly, treating people with love and respect, with patience and kindness is a daily fight. I have to WILL myself to put others first and to put myself in their shoes. 

BUT IS IT WORTH IT?

I think I am becoming cynical. 

Last week I was reading a book by Donald Miller called "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." In the middle of the book, he tells a story of a woman named Kathy, who had gone through more bad than good and was about to give up on her relationship with God; she wondered how a good God could exist with so much hurt around her.

This woman happened to take a trip to Rwanda near the time when the Rwandan genocide was taking place. She was overwhelmed by how many lives were lost, how much devastation was around her. She traveled to a memorial site that was a church and the book reads, 

"Kathy took the tour bus to Ntarama. She walked into the church and looked at the bones lying cold on the iron rails. She looked at the ragged and bloody clothes hanging from the walls. She was ready to feel the same old anger at God, only a thousandfold more. She was ready to pray her last prayer, announcing that she could no longer believe in God in a world with such pain, with so much devastation. But Kathy told me it was then and there, in that church that she heard from God. Instead of the old anger, she felt overwhelming tenderness and sorrow. This is what happens when people walk away from me, Kathy. I have brought you to this place to show you something important. This is what happens when my compassion and love leave a place. It is when people do not allow God to show up through them, she realized, that the world collapses in on itself." 

It is when people do not allow God to show up through them that the world collapses in on itself!

That's it. There is it. 

I read it over and over. 

When I do not show compassion to others, when my heart does not break when I see people hurting, when I turn the other way instead of helping, THAT is when the world really starts falling apart. If I give up on the good I have inside me through Jesus, how can I expect to see great things in the world?

I am still learning. I haven't chased any homeless people down this week with my new found passion, but I think I am heading in a better direction than before.

I forget that when I am busy judging other people, Christ is busy extending grace to them, extending grace to ME. What an amazing God we have...

The Wood-Burning Stove

My husband woke up this morning and said, "it's freezzzzzing!" 

And then he got up and said,

"I have an idea!"

He got a magazine and proceeded to try and light our wood-burning stove for the first time

A little unhappy that we are using HIS magazine

Putting the paper in just the right spot

The final outcome! Man made fire!

And the fire alarm didn't even go off once

now that's impressive

Homemade Corn Chowder

There is some rain in the forecast and this is the perfect recipe to warm some bellies!

Ingredients:

- 5-6 ears of corn (or you can substitute with 2-3 cans of corn)

- 2-3 medium Yukon potatoes, chopped

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 1 carrot, chopped

- 1 stick of celery, chopped

- 3-4 pieces of turkey bacon, cooked and chopped

- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

- 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or reg. milk)

- 1/4 cup butter

- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves only)

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- Pepper to taste

- 1/2 teaspoon Tumeric

- A few tablespoons of flour

First: start by turning on your crock-pot to low and pouring in the chicken broth. Next, peel and chop the veggies and the potatoes and put in the crock-pot. 

Second: If you are going to use fresh corn, strip the corn of the husk and all that hairy stuff and slice the corn off the cob. Hold the corn up and using a large knife, cut the corn off (as if you were cutting it off the cob for a child or someone with braces). Mix the corn in the with rest of the veggies in the crock-pot. 

Third: Cook the turkey bacon in a skillet and let cool. Break it into small pieces and add to the crock-pot with the rest of the ingredients, except the flour (milk, butter and seasonings). Let simmer for a few hours. 

Fourth: As it comes close to serving time, if the texture is not as thick as you would like, add a few tablespoons of flour as needed until you get the right thickness. Then serve!

You can tell this is my recipe by the lack of intelligent instructions. But really, you can make this recipe exactly as you like it with trying different spices and additives. I got most of my ideas by looking at different recipes online to see how others made it and I combined the ingredients I liked! Have fun!