People I work with assume that I have always been an outdoorsy person.
However, it wasn't very long ago that I was much more concerned with looking cute for my boyfriend while ice fishing than I was with doing any fishing. I didn't want to wear warm socks and boots to hike in cool weather because it wasn't "hot."
A couple of things have changed my outlook on spending time outside. The first was when my husband told me, "You are much cuter when you're not complaining about being cold than when you are cold and trying to look cute." The second was when I started working for a conservation board.
Spending time outside with my husband, and actually being comfortable while doing it, and learning about nature has increased my love of the outdoors by the umpteenth factor.
That love of the outdoors grew when I started to see that every little thing a honeybee does has a purpose, from the chains they make with their bodies to plan their honeycomb to the flapping of their wings that creates a vacuum to help dry down their honey. The world in its minutia is amazing.
My love of the outdoors grew when we first went on a truly outdoorsy vacation to Utah, and I hiked for the first time. It was a strength-building challenge for our marriage (see my blog about Bryce Canyon), but I found a sense of accomplishment in completing a goal and seeing the beauty of what the world had to offer.
My love of the outdoors has also grown as we have worked on our land. Yes, my parents made me pick up sticks and help garden when I was growing up. However, that was nothing compared to the work of cutting down a tree and chopping wood. The hard, sweaty days we have put into our land have continuously left us with a sense of accomplishment, and the nights spent around fires and in the tent listening to raccoons curiously sniff us has made us happy and relaxed.
With my love of the outdoors has grown my love of our great creator. Some people claim that the more you know about science, the less you can believe in God. I have found the exact opposite to be true. The more I learn about the world and experience nature, the more I can't help but see the creator behind the creation.
I simply can't believe that a monarch butterfly caterpillar evolved to grow 1,800 times larger in only four weeks before going into a hard-sided chrysalis to basically liquify and change into a butterfly. The fact that it tastes with its feet to know it is on milkweed so it can lay its egg, because its caterpillar can only eat milkweed, the fact that it can sense the earth's magnetic poles with its antenna so it can find its way south, the fact that its biology changes in the fall so those overwintering are different genetically and live six months as opposed to six weeks --- that can't all be coincidence.
There is a creator behind our world.
And that doesn't lessen nature, it makes it so much better.
When I see the world, I immediately think, "Thank you Lord for creating this moment. Thank you for creating the beauty before me. You are such a huge God."
What would I thank if I didn't believe? It's a gift to be able to thank someone bigger than yourself, someone so huge that a black hole billions of miles away is small to him.
So as we come up to Earth Day and Easter, it seems appropriate that the two are only a day apart. Our God cared so much for us, for this earth that he created, that he sent his only son to become a human, to die for our sins and to rise again so that we can accept his gift of life and live with him forever.
Thank you God that you are so big, so creative, so generous, so graceful.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Flatbreads and family
I have seen a lot of people I grew up with move away only to end up coming back to live near family.
I get it, especially people who move back after they have kids. It's awesome to be near your family, it's great to have back-up to help with kids as well.
My husband and I live about 5.5 hours away from our parents and siblings, and it sucks sometimes because we miss out on celebrations and we don't get to see our families as much as we would like to.
However, the good thing about living farther away is that we get so excited when we get to visit them or when they come visit us. It's awesome to share things about your life, to play games, to reminisce. It becomes a special treat when it doesn't happen as often as if you lived in the same town.
I especially love when our families get to come to church with us or when we get to visit their church homes. My brother's family ended up choosing a different church than the one that we grew up in, and when we visit, it makes us so proud of them. He plays every week in the praise band, and my sister-in-law runs the nursery. The little girls feel right at home. People speak well of them, like they're family.
It makes my heart about burst that they have a church family that loves them and that are working for the kingdom of God. I love it.
Another thing that we love to do when people visit us is take them to fun places to eat. We have a place in town that has a beautiful view and is known for its flatbreads. We also love the brussel sprout appetizer there.
That was the inspiration for a new dish that I tried.
Pesto brussel sprout flatbread
1 prepared pizza dough
About 2 cups brussel sprouts, stemmed and quartered
1/4 pound bacon, sliced
3 Tbsp. jarred pesto
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1. Place a pizza stone or a baking sheet turned upside down into a 425 degree oven until hot.
2. Meanwhile, begin frying bacon until crispy. Take out to drain.
3. When pizza stone or baking sheet is hot, sprinkle with cornmeal and place pizza dough --- stretched into flatbread shape --- on top. My pizza dough made three flatbreads. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. While dough is par-baking, cook brussel sprouts in the bacon grease left in the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Remove dough from oven. Spread pesto on top, leaving an edge and add brussel sprouts. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese and top with sliced, crispy bacon.
6. Bake 10-15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.
I get it, especially people who move back after they have kids. It's awesome to be near your family, it's great to have back-up to help with kids as well.
My husband and I live about 5.5 hours away from our parents and siblings, and it sucks sometimes because we miss out on celebrations and we don't get to see our families as much as we would like to.
However, the good thing about living farther away is that we get so excited when we get to visit them or when they come visit us. It's awesome to share things about your life, to play games, to reminisce. It becomes a special treat when it doesn't happen as often as if you lived in the same town.
I especially love when our families get to come to church with us or when we get to visit their church homes. My brother's family ended up choosing a different church than the one that we grew up in, and when we visit, it makes us so proud of them. He plays every week in the praise band, and my sister-in-law runs the nursery. The little girls feel right at home. People speak well of them, like they're family.
It makes my heart about burst that they have a church family that loves them and that are working for the kingdom of God. I love it.
Another thing that we love to do when people visit us is take them to fun places to eat. We have a place in town that has a beautiful view and is known for its flatbreads. We also love the brussel sprout appetizer there.
That was the inspiration for a new dish that I tried.
Pesto brussel sprout flatbread
1 prepared pizza dough
About 2 cups brussel sprouts, stemmed and quartered
1/4 pound bacon, sliced
3 Tbsp. jarred pesto
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1. Place a pizza stone or a baking sheet turned upside down into a 425 degree oven until hot.
2. Meanwhile, begin frying bacon until crispy. Take out to drain.
3. When pizza stone or baking sheet is hot, sprinkle with cornmeal and place pizza dough --- stretched into flatbread shape --- on top. My pizza dough made three flatbreads. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. While dough is par-baking, cook brussel sprouts in the bacon grease left in the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Remove dough from oven. Spread pesto on top, leaving an edge and add brussel sprouts. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese and top with sliced, crispy bacon.
6. Bake 10-15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.
Monday, March 4, 2019
A failure turned into delicious pesto mozzarella paninis
We encourage kids to try and fail.
It helps them learn skills. It helps them find their limits. It helps them learn to overcome.
However, I think that as adults, we often don't try for fear of failure. We may think that we've already learned what we need to learn from failure, so there isn't a reason to do something risky. We may think that failure will cost too much.
I am not necessarily a risk taker, but I often do try new things in the kitchen. I get inspiration from Pinterest and try it out.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
Sometimes there is a happy accident.
I posted about my homemade hamburger buns last week, and we love them so much that I decided to try to make them into hot dog buns.
I wasn't exactly sure how to shape them, so I tried a few different things.
The first ones were hilarious. They came out about 4 inches wide instead of the 1.5 inches I was hoping for. The second batch was a bit better.
I wasn't about to waste the first batch though, so I vacuum-sealed them and froze them, because they looked about the right size for paninis.
I had also gotten some pesto from Aldi, so I created a panini in my head --- Googled it to make sure it made sense and that someone had tried something similar before me --- and tried it out.
It is now on next month's menu as well. It was so unbelievably good, and even microwaved for lunch the next day it was still delicious.
I'll share with you how I made them. I'm sure you could tweak them to your taste as well.
Pesto mozzarella paninis
2 homemade panini rolls
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded smoked gouda
4 Tbsp. pesto
4 slices hard salami, optional
1. Heat up a panini pan or a stovetop grill pan. You can also use a skillet if you want to, they will just be more like grilled cheese, which is totally fine. Make sure to butter your bread if you have a skillet.
2. Slice the roll and put a generous helping of pesto on one side.
3. On the bottom side of the roll, layer half of shredded cheese, salami and more shredded cheese.
4. Place top on the bun and squish down.
5. Place on hot panini pan and squish down with panini pan press. Leave press on top and cook for five minutes or until golden brown and cheese is beginning to melt.
6. Flip, squish down with press and cook for five minutes or until cheese is fully melted.
7. Remove from pan, slice in half and enjoy!
The second batch I ran out of gouda and just used mozzarella. It was also good. You could even sub out turkey for salami or just leave out the meat all together. However, my husband is not a fan of no meat, so that is a must for us.
It helps them learn skills. It helps them find their limits. It helps them learn to overcome.
However, I think that as adults, we often don't try for fear of failure. We may think that we've already learned what we need to learn from failure, so there isn't a reason to do something risky. We may think that failure will cost too much.
I am not necessarily a risk taker, but I often do try new things in the kitchen. I get inspiration from Pinterest and try it out.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
Sometimes there is a happy accident.
I posted about my homemade hamburger buns last week, and we love them so much that I decided to try to make them into hot dog buns.
I wasn't exactly sure how to shape them, so I tried a few different things.
The first ones were hilarious. They came out about 4 inches wide instead of the 1.5 inches I was hoping for. The second batch was a bit better.
I wasn't about to waste the first batch though, so I vacuum-sealed them and froze them, because they looked about the right size for paninis.
I had also gotten some pesto from Aldi, so I created a panini in my head --- Googled it to make sure it made sense and that someone had tried something similar before me --- and tried it out.
It is now on next month's menu as well. It was so unbelievably good, and even microwaved for lunch the next day it was still delicious.
I'll share with you how I made them. I'm sure you could tweak them to your taste as well.
Pesto mozzarella paninis
2 homemade panini rolls
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded smoked gouda
4 Tbsp. pesto
4 slices hard salami, optional
1. Heat up a panini pan or a stovetop grill pan. You can also use a skillet if you want to, they will just be more like grilled cheese, which is totally fine. Make sure to butter your bread if you have a skillet.
2. Slice the roll and put a generous helping of pesto on one side.
3. On the bottom side of the roll, layer half of shredded cheese, salami and more shredded cheese.
4. Place top on the bun and squish down.
5. Place on hot panini pan and squish down with panini pan press. Leave press on top and cook for five minutes or until golden brown and cheese is beginning to melt.
6. Flip, squish down with press and cook for five minutes or until cheese is fully melted.
7. Remove from pan, slice in half and enjoy!
The second batch I ran out of gouda and just used mozzarella. It was also good. You could even sub out turkey for salami or just leave out the meat all together. However, my husband is not a fan of no meat, so that is a must for us.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Getting to Denver and the best burger sauce
We sat in our grayish-blue plane seats, waiting to roll back from the gate when the dreaded announcement came.
"Due to weather, Denver has stopped all inbound flights at their gates until they can further assess. They will let us know more in a half hour."
OK, a half hour, not so bad.
After that half hour --- "Denver is not allowing us to take off right now. They will make a decision in 90 minutes."
We only had two full days in the Denver area with our friends, and the weather where we were wasn't getting any better either.
Lord, please let us get to Denver tonight.
The minute the thought crossed my mind, I felt guilty. There are so many people worse off than maybe having a trip canceled due to a storm. All the Christians suffering in the Middle East and China certainly had more important requests of our great Father.
But, does that mean that God doesn't care? I honestly don't think it does. I think God cares about everything we care about, and that means even my menial request to go have fun with our friends like we had planned.
It put our trip into perspective though. If it got canceled, we would deal with it. It would be fine. Our lives would not end. I said a prayer for the people throughout the world much worse off than me, turned on the Iowa game and hoped for the best.
It wasn't 90 minutes later, it was more like two hours, but we did take off. We did get to Denver safely, and we did have a fun weekend with our friends.
Thank you Lord for that blessing.
Although there isn't one in Denver, one of our absolute must-stop-at places when we're traveling anywhere there is one, is In-N-Out.
Their burgers and fries are so good. And that is coming from someone who doesn't really enjoy fast food, and who rarely finds it even worth it to eat out.
The sauce takes the cake, and I say that even though it is mayonnaise-based, and I don't like mayonnaise, in general.
So when I stumbled across a copycat recipe on Pinterest and paired it with my homemade hamburger buns, which were also an absolute game-changed for our house, I was excited to try it.
It is now my husband's favorite homemade burger.
We make our burgers pretty simple, with ground beef or ground venison, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. With this sauce, you don't need anything else. Top the burger with American cheese, this sauce, iceberg lettuce and place it on a grilled homemade bun.
I promise you won't be disappointed.
Copycat In-N-Out Burger Sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar (you can use regular vinegar too)
1 Tbsp. dill relish (or chopped dill pickles)
Mix all the ingredients together and chill. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
"Due to weather, Denver has stopped all inbound flights at their gates until they can further assess. They will let us know more in a half hour."
OK, a half hour, not so bad.
After that half hour --- "Denver is not allowing us to take off right now. They will make a decision in 90 minutes."
We only had two full days in the Denver area with our friends, and the weather where we were wasn't getting any better either.
Lord, please let us get to Denver tonight.
The minute the thought crossed my mind, I felt guilty. There are so many people worse off than maybe having a trip canceled due to a storm. All the Christians suffering in the Middle East and China certainly had more important requests of our great Father.
But, does that mean that God doesn't care? I honestly don't think it does. I think God cares about everything we care about, and that means even my menial request to go have fun with our friends like we had planned.
It put our trip into perspective though. If it got canceled, we would deal with it. It would be fine. Our lives would not end. I said a prayer for the people throughout the world much worse off than me, turned on the Iowa game and hoped for the best.
It wasn't 90 minutes later, it was more like two hours, but we did take off. We did get to Denver safely, and we did have a fun weekend with our friends.
Thank you Lord for that blessing.
Although there isn't one in Denver, one of our absolute must-stop-at places when we're traveling anywhere there is one, is In-N-Out.
Their burgers and fries are so good. And that is coming from someone who doesn't really enjoy fast food, and who rarely finds it even worth it to eat out.
The sauce takes the cake, and I say that even though it is mayonnaise-based, and I don't like mayonnaise, in general.
So when I stumbled across a copycat recipe on Pinterest and paired it with my homemade hamburger buns, which were also an absolute game-changed for our house, I was excited to try it.
It is now my husband's favorite homemade burger.
We make our burgers pretty simple, with ground beef or ground venison, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. With this sauce, you don't need anything else. Top the burger with American cheese, this sauce, iceberg lettuce and place it on a grilled homemade bun.
I promise you won't be disappointed.
Copycat In-N-Out Burger Sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar (you can use regular vinegar too)
1 Tbsp. dill relish (or chopped dill pickles)
Mix all the ingredients together and chill. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Sometimes life makes no sense
If God is really God, then it makes perfect sense that at times God makes no sense.
If God was small enough for us to always understand him, then he wouldn't really be God. He would be too small. He wouldn't have enough power, enough knowledge, enough wisdom, enough foresight. If we could comprehend all that God does, then we wouldn't even need a God. Humans would be plenty powerful enough on our own.
However, God is big enough. He works in ways that we just don't understand.
If I had looked at my future, I wouldn't have placed myself where I am today. Yet, I am so grateful that I am where I am.
That's my continuous prayer, that God continues to lead me and Nate to places that we wouldn't imagine right now but where we go "God had a plan all along. I'm so grateful for where we are now."
It's nerve-wracking. We want to know the future. We want to know how to make correct choices right now. We want to know how to plan for where we're going.
But we can't.
We have to take one step at a time in faith. When we find ourselves in places we don't want to be but don't have a choice, like illness, God says, "Don't judge me. Don't judge my character for not working in your time table. I know what's going to happen. I'm working everything out for good."
It might not be good in our time. It might not be the good that we expect, but it is for the good for God's great plan.
I heard a pastor talk about this topic and how Habakkuk wanted to understand all that God was doing during his time. He begged God to explain what was happening, but God said, "You won't understand." Habakkuk continued to ask for an explanation, so God gave it to him, but Habakkuk responded, "I don't get it."
God knew he wouldn't get it. God knows we won't get it. Our brains are too small. Our visibility is too current. God sees the big picture. He has a great plan. We just have to trust him to execute and take it one step at a time, trusting him to guide us along.
Let me guide you along in one of my new recipes. Trust me, it's delicious.
Crab rangoon pizza
1 pizza dough (I make mine with the Better Homes & Gardens recipe, you might like a store-bought dough/crust)
8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces imitation crab
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups mozzarella
2 corn tortillas or wonton wrappers, whatever you have on hand
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. sweet chili oil
1. Begin by making the pizza dough. Press it onto a cornmeal-covered pizza pan, prick with a fork and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes until partially done.
2. Remove from oven. Spread crust with softened cream cheese, sprinkle on green onions and flakes of imitation crab. Cover with mozzarella.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
4. While baking, heat oil over medium heat in a small skilled. Slice corn tortillas or wonton wrappers into strips. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.
5. When pizza is finished, remove it from the oven and sprinkle with tortilla strips and drizzle with sweet chili oil.
If God was small enough for us to always understand him, then he wouldn't really be God. He would be too small. He wouldn't have enough power, enough knowledge, enough wisdom, enough foresight. If we could comprehend all that God does, then we wouldn't even need a God. Humans would be plenty powerful enough on our own.
However, God is big enough. He works in ways that we just don't understand.
If I had looked at my future, I wouldn't have placed myself where I am today. Yet, I am so grateful that I am where I am.
That's my continuous prayer, that God continues to lead me and Nate to places that we wouldn't imagine right now but where we go "God had a plan all along. I'm so grateful for where we are now."
It's nerve-wracking. We want to know the future. We want to know how to make correct choices right now. We want to know how to plan for where we're going.
But we can't.
We have to take one step at a time in faith. When we find ourselves in places we don't want to be but don't have a choice, like illness, God says, "Don't judge me. Don't judge my character for not working in your time table. I know what's going to happen. I'm working everything out for good."
It might not be good in our time. It might not be the good that we expect, but it is for the good for God's great plan.
I heard a pastor talk about this topic and how Habakkuk wanted to understand all that God was doing during his time. He begged God to explain what was happening, but God said, "You won't understand." Habakkuk continued to ask for an explanation, so God gave it to him, but Habakkuk responded, "I don't get it."
God knew he wouldn't get it. God knows we won't get it. Our brains are too small. Our visibility is too current. God sees the big picture. He has a great plan. We just have to trust him to execute and take it one step at a time, trusting him to guide us along.
Let me guide you along in one of my new recipes. Trust me, it's delicious.
Crab rangoon pizza
1 pizza dough (I make mine with the Better Homes & Gardens recipe, you might like a store-bought dough/crust)
8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces imitation crab
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups mozzarella
2 corn tortillas or wonton wrappers, whatever you have on hand
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. sweet chili oil
1. Begin by making the pizza dough. Press it onto a cornmeal-covered pizza pan, prick with a fork and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes until partially done.
2. Remove from oven. Spread crust with softened cream cheese, sprinkle on green onions and flakes of imitation crab. Cover with mozzarella.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
4. While baking, heat oil over medium heat in a small skilled. Slice corn tortillas or wonton wrappers into strips. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.
5. When pizza is finished, remove it from the oven and sprinkle with tortilla strips and drizzle with sweet chili oil.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Loving differences, except those people who don't like chocolate
Nate and I watched a video yesterday about how country music is trying to become pop.
Listen to the background "Clap, snap" beats or the snare highlights, and they do sound a whole lot alike. The video said that basically musical genres are saying they are trying new things and bringing in sounds from different genres, creating music that is more diverse than ever before. However, it's actually becoming less diverse. Everything sounds the same.
We looked at each other with wide eyes. It sounds a whole lot like our society. People are claiming that we're celebrating diversity by being "open" to everything and people become less different. Yet, it seems that forcing people to all have the same views and act the same is not celebrating diversity but is actually make us less diverse.
Seeing differences between people isn't a bad thing. Having different cultures, different viewpoints, discussions about what we believe and why is good --- it's open and diverse. Not everyone has to think the same or like the same things.
I like to cook. And bake. A lot.
There are a lot of people that don't.
There are people that spend all their free time bird watching. I don't.
There are people that love to play pool. I don't.
We're all different, and that's the way that our God created us. He loves us all, no matter who we are, where we live and what we enjoy. He offers forgiveness to all of us equally through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, because we're all sinners.
We don't all have to be the same, think the same, have the same down beats and upbeats. I think seeing differences is good, and being able to talk about our differences and compromise through our differences is also good.
However, I did hear one difference a couple of weeks ago that I think is ridiculous. That difference is that some people don't like chocolate.
Those people are just wrong.
So for those who are right, I'm sharing my favorite brownie recipe. I hadn't found a homemade brownie recipe that I really loved until I saw this one from King Arthur Flour on Instagram. I learned that the ratio of sugar to flour has to be way beyond what I would have imagined for a truly fudgy brownie experience.
Then I wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day by making the brownies more festive, so here's what I did to doctor my brownies. You'll need:
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
1 plastic piping bag
1 heart-shaped cookie cutter
Heart sprinkles
Make your brownies according to instructions on the linked website above. Line your 9x13 cake pan with aluminum foil, enough to grab onto to lift your brownies out after they have cooled. Bake and cool about 10 minutes.
Lift your brownies out and let cool completely.
Use your heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your brownies. Flip the cookie cutter upside down every other one so that you can get the most out hearts of your brownies.
Eat the scraps!
Melt your white chocolate chips and put into a piping bag. Cut the tip off of the bag, leaving just a very small opening.
Drizzle white chocolate over your brownie hearts, and place a couple of heart-shaped sprinkles on your brownies.
It's a simple way to take a plain, yet delicious, brownie and spice them up for the holiday!
Listen to the background "Clap, snap" beats or the snare highlights, and they do sound a whole lot alike. The video said that basically musical genres are saying they are trying new things and bringing in sounds from different genres, creating music that is more diverse than ever before. However, it's actually becoming less diverse. Everything sounds the same.
We looked at each other with wide eyes. It sounds a whole lot like our society. People are claiming that we're celebrating diversity by being "open" to everything and people become less different. Yet, it seems that forcing people to all have the same views and act the same is not celebrating diversity but is actually make us less diverse.
Seeing differences between people isn't a bad thing. Having different cultures, different viewpoints, discussions about what we believe and why is good --- it's open and diverse. Not everyone has to think the same or like the same things.
I like to cook. And bake. A lot.
There are a lot of people that don't.
There are people that spend all their free time bird watching. I don't.
There are people that love to play pool. I don't.
We're all different, and that's the way that our God created us. He loves us all, no matter who we are, where we live and what we enjoy. He offers forgiveness to all of us equally through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, because we're all sinners.
We don't all have to be the same, think the same, have the same down beats and upbeats. I think seeing differences is good, and being able to talk about our differences and compromise through our differences is also good.
However, I did hear one difference a couple of weeks ago that I think is ridiculous. That difference is that some people don't like chocolate.
Those people are just wrong.
So for those who are right, I'm sharing my favorite brownie recipe. I hadn't found a homemade brownie recipe that I really loved until I saw this one from King Arthur Flour on Instagram. I learned that the ratio of sugar to flour has to be way beyond what I would have imagined for a truly fudgy brownie experience.
Then I wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day by making the brownies more festive, so here's what I did to doctor my brownies. You'll need:
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
1 plastic piping bag
1 heart-shaped cookie cutter
Heart sprinkles
Make your brownies according to instructions on the linked website above. Line your 9x13 cake pan with aluminum foil, enough to grab onto to lift your brownies out after they have cooled. Bake and cool about 10 minutes.
Lift your brownies out and let cool completely.
Use your heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your brownies. Flip the cookie cutter upside down every other one so that you can get the most out hearts of your brownies.
Eat the scraps!
Melt your white chocolate chips and put into a piping bag. Cut the tip off of the bag, leaving just a very small opening.
Drizzle white chocolate over your brownie hearts, and place a couple of heart-shaped sprinkles on your brownies.
It's a simple way to take a plain, yet delicious, brownie and spice them up for the holiday!
Sunday, February 3, 2019
The polar vortex is a lot like life
Last week a polar vortex hit the Midwest, and that meant crazy cold temperatures --- I mean -60 degrees windchill temperatures.
And that meant time spent inside for most of us.
When I woke up on Saturday, it was 35 degrees, and the outside was calling me. We were out of coffee, and I had a gift certificate to a coffee shop two blocks away, so I decided I would just walk there to get an americano.
While I was walking, I was thinking how that polar vortex really resembled life.
That's because, one of my first thoughts was, "Lord, thank you for cold temperatures that make 35 degrees seem so warm."
There's nothing quite like a 90-degree increase in temperature in the winter, and although I didn't enjoy the freezing cold, it did make what would seem cold to some feel super warm. Life is a lot like that too, the hard times make us appreciate when times are good.
I think of a post by a friend who is going through cancer right now. She is going to have surgery to remove a tumor, and it has a lot of terrible side effects, but her response was "But I'll be alive!" She is going through a terrible time, but those struggles have so made her appreciate life, and that is truly a blessing.
There's nothing quite like the cold that makes you appreciate the warmth.
As I was walking, a breeze picked up. However, it didn't bother me, because I had probably over-prepared for being outside after the frigid temperatures last week. I had on fleece-lined leggings underneath my jeans, and I had on a T-shirt and sweatshirt underneath my heated coat. The breeze was chilly, but I had prepared, so it wasn't too bad.
When bad times in life come at us, we learn from them. We learn to overcome those times. We learn to prepare for those times so that next time, the bad isn't quite so bad.
When you're prepared for the cold, it isn't so terrible.
The polar vortex is a lot like life. And I'm thankful for quiet moments on walks that let me think through things like that.
And that meant time spent inside for most of us.
When I woke up on Saturday, it was 35 degrees, and the outside was calling me. We were out of coffee, and I had a gift certificate to a coffee shop two blocks away, so I decided I would just walk there to get an americano.
While I was walking, I was thinking how that polar vortex really resembled life.
That's because, one of my first thoughts was, "Lord, thank you for cold temperatures that make 35 degrees seem so warm."
There's nothing quite like a 90-degree increase in temperature in the winter, and although I didn't enjoy the freezing cold, it did make what would seem cold to some feel super warm. Life is a lot like that too, the hard times make us appreciate when times are good.
I think of a post by a friend who is going through cancer right now. She is going to have surgery to remove a tumor, and it has a lot of terrible side effects, but her response was "But I'll be alive!" She is going through a terrible time, but those struggles have so made her appreciate life, and that is truly a blessing.
There's nothing quite like the cold that makes you appreciate the warmth.
As I was walking, a breeze picked up. However, it didn't bother me, because I had probably over-prepared for being outside after the frigid temperatures last week. I had on fleece-lined leggings underneath my jeans, and I had on a T-shirt and sweatshirt underneath my heated coat. The breeze was chilly, but I had prepared, so it wasn't too bad.
When bad times in life come at us, we learn from them. We learn to overcome those times. We learn to prepare for those times so that next time, the bad isn't quite so bad.
When you're prepared for the cold, it isn't so terrible.
The polar vortex is a lot like life. And I'm thankful for quiet moments on walks that let me think through things like that.
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