February Reads

7) Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis *****

You know those people who do such awesome things with their life that they make you feel completely inadequate and selfish in your own? Yeah, she's one of those. But I honestly don't think she means it. Katie Davis is a young woman from the United States who has found her calling from God in Uganda. She has adopted 13 girls, started a ministry, and serves the poor, hungry, and orphans every day of her life. All day. Every day. And while she gets praise and accolades from those around her, she turns everything around to praise her God. So let me add my voice to the chorus.... her faith is amazing, her work incredible, her story remarkable. Here's a link to her ministry...and her blog... check it out. And while I may not read the book again, I'll probably continue to read her blog.... which is kind of the same thing. Thanks, Friend, for getting it for me for Christmas!!!

8) The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski ****

I loved this book! It was just the right amount of brain candy I needed. Without giving the point away, the main character is trying to complete a list of somewhat random acts before a certain deadline. This is her story of trying to complete that list. Along the way she meets some very interesting people, gets herself into some very interesting situations, and finds herself in a very interesting romance. It's cute, out loud laughable, and all without being sappy. Again, this is no philosophically written genius of a book, but for a nice weekend at the beach..... perfect.

9) The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt ****

John shows up in Venice, Italy just a few days after the renowned Fenice Opera house is destroyed by fire. He then spends the next several years there discovering the characters of Venice and the story of the Fenice's restoration. I thought it would be mostly about the Fenice, but really the story of the Fenice's demise was merely an under-thread of the stories of the interesting characters that call Venice home. This was a very interesting non-fiction book.

10) Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet ***
I have never read anything by James Patterson before so I thought I'd give this one a try... even though it's co-authored. This book was cute and on more than one occasion left me saying, "Wait! What?" Some twists and turns that were not necessarily expected made me want to keep listening to this book even after I had arrived at my destination. A little search on Google, and apparently it has been made into a Lifetime Original Movie.... and we know those are always quality (totally being factious here), but really... I actually probably would watch this one (though I did look at the trailer for said film and it seems to follow the story only very loosely).

11) Things I've Been Silent About: Memories by Azar Nafisi ***
Sometimes I forget that not everyone lives in America and studies American history in school. Sometimes I forget that other countries have histories far deeper than my own. This book is a memoir from a woman who grew up in Iran. When I think about Iran I, unfortunately, think about all the terrible things that have come out of it in the last two decades.... not remembering that those actions/people are not the majority. Iran is a country with a deep religious history, one with legends and politics, and good people. Just like my own. It's full of secrets and revolutions. Just like my own. I appreciate Azar's bravery and candidness in this memoir. 

Favorite Email

This is my favorite email of the day.... (Sent to me after a 'slight' rant yesterday)

"hey, the meeting this morning was really good. They announced a new training called Tier III Updates: Anger Management for School Psychologists

I think you should go:) Just kidding, love you, I'll try to observe on Friday morning."

Ha!! I think I saw that flyer, too... It said something about three days off!

Think I should go?

First Observe, Then Serve

Ballsy. That's how someone described my lesson today. You can be your own judge. This month's lesson came from Sister Linda K. Burton, General Relief Society President. Here's how it went down in D4...

Activity, Part I: I had each sister write their name and a need/want on the card. It could be anything from an imminent need to something they've been meaning to do for a long time but haven't gotten around to, or something they'd like to do more of, or something they'd like to learn.

The Command: "Those of us who have entered the waters of baptism have covenanted to "always remember [the Savior] and keep his commandments," and He has said, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." Notice how the following words from President Monson include the same invitation: "We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness.... We are the Lord's hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.""

Activity, Part II: I collected the cards from the sisters and read them.... sans names

This was unbelievably overwhelming for me. I know it was partially because I could see the names, but I also think it was also partially because of my experience as a Relief Society President and know the amounts of needs that can be present in any given ward, and partially because I have grown to love these women so much, and partially because of the sheer honesty of heart written on those cards. 

Barriers to Serving: 

1) It takes practice! Sister Burton shares an example of when she and her husband went to the temple after they were recently married. She hadn't been very often and was still not sure of what to do when. The sister sitting next to her noticed her nervousness and offered her help. Sister Burton uses this example to encourage us to get the practice of serving by first observing, then serving. 

2) Observing and serving sometimes requires great effort! Sister Burton shares an example of a group of young women who helped another young woman earn her Personal Progress medallions. 

3) Observing and serving is not always convenient and doesn't always fit our own timetable!

4) Sometimes we are tempted to serve in a way that we want to serve and not necessarily in the way that is needed at the moment!

...Throughout all this discussion, I read examples from the talk, and several sisters shared experiences how they have served or been served. One comment was made that sometimes service requires us to step out of our comfort zone. That reminded me of a Relief Society lesson I had several years ago where the teacher reminded us that if we don't want to step out of our comfort zone, we can invite others into ours. 

Activity, Part III: Encouraging people to keep the aforementioned lessons Sister Burton wanted us to learn in mind, I read the cards again and asked for volunteers to meet the listed needs. As they raised their hands to indicate they could meet that need, I handed them the card so they could see whose name was on it and make contact at a later date. 

The promise: What's in it for us? Sister Burton states, "As we [first observe, then serve], we are keeping covenants, and our service,... will be evidence of our discipleship." And disciples of Christ are promised to be at His right hand. We will be standing in holy places and be acting in the name of our Savior. 

What was written on the cards? Here's a sampling: a babysitter so I can go to the temple, a dresser for my baby's clothes, help organizing closets, hanging pictures, a exercise and diet partner, learn to make a busy book or picture album, babysitting so I can look for a job, learn to make bread, prayers from my sisters, someone to talk about my sister with, help learning to be more productive during the day, hanging curtains, get more sleep, someone to take a walk with, learn compassion, help sorting/folding baby clothes, a washing machine, sell my house, find a job, someone to have dinner with...

Slow Cooker Sunday: Pomegranate Beef Roast

I'm a good thief this week... But I stole from another thief. I found this recipe on Stephanie O'Dea's blog, Crockpot365. Back in 2008 she used her crockpot everyday for a year. Amazing!!! Anyway, she stole this recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess website. I'm a double thief, though, cause I stole Stephanie's picture of her ingredients, since I forgot to take my own.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 pounds beef roast (I used a chuck roast)

4 garlic cloves (whole is fine, or you can chop them)

1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions:

Use at least a 6-quart slow cooker. Swirl the olive oil into the bottom of the stoneware. Add the onion. Rub the spices on all sides of meat and add to the stoneware with the garlic, the whole can of tomatoes, pomegranate juice, vinegar, and syrup. Sprinkle the raisins on top. 

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 5. The meat is done when it has reached desired tenderness. Serve with mashed potatoes, and drizzle with the sauce.

Notes: 

Herbs de Provence....herbs that grow in the area of Provence, France... It usually includes basil, thyme, fennel, and savory. Some mixes include lavender. I had all the spices separately so I just sprinkled them on rather than spending a lot of money on a fancy spice packet. But I realize I also have an unusual amount of spices in my kitchen. My pomegranate juice was from concentrate. I couldn't find the pure stuff like Stephanie. 

Verdict:

I haven't had a post roast this tender in who knows how long. It was soooo good. The raisins plumped right up and looked like the little baby grapes they were in a previous life. You could still taste the balsamic vinegar, which gave it a fun tang, and everything just melted in your mouth. Most delicious. This recipe makes a TON of sauce... I actually saved the sauce and plan on dumping it on another smaller roast, and bam.... another dinner will be done. At least that's the plan. We'll see how it works someday. 

Slow Cooker Sunday: Tikka Masala

I stole this recipe from my sister Sonja's blog, Bunko Babes in the Kitchen. And it looks like her friend, Susan, stole it from the interwebs. Brilliant. Anyway.... I had Indian food on Tuesday and remembered how much I love it. And then I remembered this little gem on the blog... and wa-la! We have this week's edition of Slow Cooker Sunday

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CHICKEN:

9 whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 TBS ground coriander

1 TBS ground cumin

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 cup yogurt

4 TBS butter

1 whole jalapeno pepper, stem removed, pepper pierced several times w/ a sharp knife

FOR THE SAUCE:

4 TBS butter

1 whole large onion, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 TBS Kosher salt

3 TBS Garam Masala

1 piece fresh ginger, about 2-3 inches, peeled and grated

4 cups crushed tomatoes

1 TBS raw sugar (can substitute white granulated if necessary)

2 tsp cornstarch or clear gel

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

TO SERVE:

Rice

Chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.  Sprinkle the coriander, cumin, and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated.  Cover lightly and let sit for ten minutes before proceeding.

Melt 1 TBS butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Raise the heat to medium high and quickly brown about 1/4 of the chicken. Using 1 TBS butter per batch, repeat until all the chicken is browned. Transfer browned chicken to the slow cooker as it is finished.   Throw the pierced jalapeno in on top of the chicken.

Prepare the sauce. Return the pan to heat and melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and kosher salt, then stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to lightly brown around the edges.

Stir in the garam marsala and ginger and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute) before raising the heat to high and adding the crushed tomatoes and raw sugar.  Stir well, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil.  Pour over the chicken in the slow-cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.

Use a fork or whisk to stir the cornstarch or cleargel into the heavy cream until smooth.  Pour into the slow-cooker and stir gently until the color is even.  Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Serve over hot rice, topped with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.

VERDICT:

I ended up halving this recipe cause there is just two of us in this house and one of use had never even had Indian food... so I figured I shouldn't make a hot mess of it all. I also did not add the cornstarch. That's something Susan didn't do when she made it. I can see how it could be useful, but I was so hungry I didn't care if it was runny. I really like the taste and texture or the chicken thighs, too. I don't typically cook with them so that was a fun adventure. 

Overall, when thinking about how this turned out.... I kept thinking of what I typically say about Navajo Tacos... they're better when made by real Navajos. I think the same may be true of Indian food. Though this was not bad by any means, it wasn't the same as Bombay Grille. The pic is what it looks like at the restaurant. Mine did not look like that. I don't know if they add turmeric or what, to make it so orange in color, but mine was definitely not that color. Again, it did not taste bad.... it just wasn't the same. I'd make it again though... because not everyone has the privilege of having Bombay Grille practically next door!  

Too much

Oh boy....

Love Boat

Love, exciting and new 

Come Aboard. We're expecting you. 

Love, life's sweetest reward. 

Let it flow, it floats back to you. 

Love Boat soon will be making another run 

The Love Boat promises something for everyone 

Set a course for adventure, 

Your mind on a new romance. 

Love won't hurt anymore 

It's an open smile on a friendly shore. 

Yes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! 

It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! (hey-ah!) 

Love Boat soon will be making another run 

The Love Boat promises something for everyone 

Set a course for adventure, 

Your mind on a new romance. 

Love won't hurt anymore 

It's an open smile on a friendly shore. 

It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! 

It's LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's 

LOOOOOOOOOOOVE! 

It's the Love Boat-ah! 

It's the Love Boat-ah!

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/theloveboatlyrics.html

Slow Cooker Sunday: Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (6oz) can minced clams

1 (6oz) can chopped clams

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Cook bacon until crisp. Crumble. Reserve two tablespoons of bacon grease goodness and discard the rest properly. Add butter to bacon love and cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes. Drain clams, reserving the liquid. Place clams in bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Combine carrots, celery, potatoes,salt, pepper, and onion mix in 4qt slow cooker. Add stock, water, and reserved clam liquid. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or until veggies are tender. In bowl, mix cornstarch and cream until smooth. Stir into slow cooker and cook on high for 15 minutes. Stir in bacon and clams and cook on high for 10-15 minutes or until chowder is heated thoroughly. 

Verdict:

Tasty! While not as "white" as some you'll get in restaurants or out of a can, this stuff was pretty good. I'd eat it again. I used homemade chicken broth so I ended up having to add more salt, but my roommate liked it (or at least ate her portion without remark) without the extra salt. One could also add more bacon to give it more of a kick. No pictures today... I plumb forgot. Go look for images on google. You'll find one I'm sure. 

Sinai

So there's one painting in the Raleigh LDS temple that portrays an Old Testament scene. It's a painting of Mt. Sinai by Michael Coleman. 

It hangs in the front lobby of the temple, so I often get time to just look at it. Which is awesome in its own right. It's got me thinking about the story of Mt. Sinai though. 

So imagine.... the children of Israel have just been led out of Egypt by Moses (and seeing all the miracles that came with that) and have been wandering for a few months. Then they come to this place called Sinai. Moses says, "Let's set up camp and stay for a bit." Relief. Then Moses, who is always talking to God, comes with a new message. God says, "if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people..."  Now in Greek and Hebrew, peculiar doesn't mean odd like it does today. It refers, instead, to something that is laid up or reserved; something exceedingly prized and diligently preserved. God goes on, "And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." The children of Israel didn't have the Priesthood yet.... they had been slaves in Egypt, remember. They had just seen some amazing miracles, been preserved, and had basically feasted on God's goodness.... and now he wanted to preserve them and call them exceedingly prized. And meet them! Face to Face?! Done. Their response (in unison) was, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." They were ready. 

God then told Moses to get them ready even further by making sure they were clean and sanctified. They had three days. On the third day, there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud came upon the mount, and they heard the sign.... a long trumpet blow. 

I imagine that the painting above represents that time frame. The morning of the third day. The mount is beginning to 'glow' as it were, but the children of Israel had yet to see God as promised. The laundry is out on lines - proof they had been busy cleaning themselves and their surroundings. Yet you still see the movements of everyday life... cook fires and sleeping rolls. In the bottom right hand corner of the painting sits a family... they are sitting toward the mount and appear to be waiting for the sign. In the bottom center is a man engaged in prayer. Despite the glowing mountain top, all seems fairly calm in the Mt. Sinai world. 

But then the sign came.... the long trumpet blow. The scriptures tell us that all the people that were in the camp trembled. Despite their hesitations, Moses leads them, "out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the foot of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." Oh boy. I can just imagine that thoughts that would/could have been going through their heads. I'm not ready for this? Bring it on? What would your thoughts be?

Either way, apparently they weren't really ready to handle the sight of God... because in the very next verse of Exodus, God calls Moses up and tells him to warn the camp to not come up. Why? We'll get to that. But they did still hear the voice of God. 

So they hear the voice of God, and He gives them instruction that we now call the Ten Commandments. After they had heard the voice, and the thunderings, and the trumpet, and saw the lightnings and the quaking, they pretty much had a change of heart and basically said, "You know what, Moses? You got this. You're good at speaking to God, so we'll let you handle it. We don't really need to hear from Him directly. We'll just let you be our spokesperson." In fact, they say, "Let not God speak with us, lest we die." 

Moses tried to convince them that this was a bad idea, that God was just trying to prove them, but they were not convinced. They were perfectly okay with the status quo.

So why didn't the want to see the face of God? I think the biggest thing is that they were afraid. In Deuteronomy (4-5), Moses is giving his valedictory and says that they (the children of Israel) wanted Moses to do all the talking, rather than fear death. He tells the people that God lamented their decision..., "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever." Instead... He had to send them back to their rooms (tents). In Doctrine and Covenants (84:21-25) it also says that they had hard hearts. My question is... can't fear and a hard heart be the same thing? 

Anyway.... the story continues in that Moses gets the laws that the children of Israel need to deal with one another peacefully. These were written in a book of the covenant, and eventually a sacrifice was given to ratify them. Once it had been ratified, God was going to give Moses some stone tablets with the law written on them. So he went back up mount Sinai, leaving Aaron and Hur in charge. After about a week, the mount looked like it pretty much was on fire on top (even more so than before I can imagine), and the children of Israel didn't quite now what to make of it all.

What really happened during the 40 days Moses was on the mount is in chapters 25-31 of Exodus. But while the children of Israel waited for Moses to come back (that is, if he hadn't been burned to a crisp, they didn't know), they did something a little different... something I think is portrayed quite nicely in the painting below:

This is a painting by Jan Steen, a dutch painter of the 17th century. He was a contemporary with Rembrandt and studied in the same primary school. Anyway.... this painting is currently in the North Carolina Museum of Art - a place I love. But thinking about this painting is juxtaposition to the one above is interesting to me. 

There's music, there's food, there's dancing, there's conversation, there's flirting, there's inattention. You don't see anyone looking with anticipation toward the mount. You don't see anyone engaged in prayer. Pretty much everything about this painting is opposite of the one above. 

In this painting, the mount is no longer on fire, but the people haven't left. Which to me, shows that at least someone relatively in charge thought Moses was coming back. Or that they were comfortable enough to just be out of Egypt; that they considered setting down roots there. And who knows how long Moses had been gone when this level of festivities ensued. (Though we know it was less than 40 days.) And just recently they had made a covenant to obey all the laws Moses had just given them. But they had no idea if he was even still alive. Hmmmm.... the dilemma. 

So they go to Aaron and ask him to make them a god. So he did. He made them a golden calf. And I can't help but think about Aaron, "what were you thinking???!" In my Old Testament student manual from my college days, it has a comment... "Possibly he only intended to make them some symbolical representation of the Divine power and energy, that might be as evident to them as the pillar of cloud and fire had been, and to which God might attach an always present energy and influence; or in requiring them to sacrifice their ornaments, he might have supposed they would have desisted from urging their request...It must however be granted that Aaron does not appear to have even designed a worship that should supersede the workshop of the Most High; hence we find him making proclamation, "Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord" and we find farther that some of the proper rites of the true worship were observed on this occasion.... hence it is evident he intended that the true God should be the object of their worship, though he permitted and even encouraged them to offer this worship through an idolatrous medium, the molten calf." 

The end of the story is that Moses did come back...was madder than all get out, broke the tablets and was about ready to walk out on the children of Israel with those that still believed. He got rid of (killed) the 3000 people who didn't want to play nice anymore. Then the next day, Moses went back up to the mount to try to convince the Lord to not destroy them completely... even offering to take the punishment himself. And luckily, and not surprisingly, God had mercy. 

So anyway...That's the story of Sinai. Pretty remarkable, right? So I wonder.... has God promised me peculiar blessings that I am eager to take up... until it comes down to the nitty gritty of following through on what he asks? You bet. In some ways, friends, I am at the foot of my own mount Sinai. I am fully aware of the blessings God has promised me. I probably know more about them than the children of Israel did. Yet still, I'm not so sure I want to go through with what it takes to get them. Instead, I keep saying to myself, "I'm good. I have enough blessings. I don't need anymore. Thanks anyway."

So why am I afraid to climb the mount and see the face of God? Oh boy... that's a deep subject. And probably not one for the blog at this time, but let's just say I have some empathy for the children of Israel. Don't worry, I haven't made a golden calf, but I have my own idols that God, I'm sure, is less than pleased with. I'm also lucky enough to have an understanding of my Savior and His own pleading with the Father to let me live. He has already taken the punishment Himself. 

But still, it's up to me to claim that grace. To hang on to that mercy. I now have to decide which side I'm on. I've been caught. The party's over. And Moses is asking, "Who's on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me." 

Slow Cooker Sunday: Vegetarian Lentil Stew

I take absolutely no credit for this one. My roommate made it for her ward's Break the Fast (which I promptly invited myself to!) It's from the book Soup's On!

Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
2 cans (14oz) chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons dried onions
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions:
Put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Verdict:
From the minute Jessica poured the coconut milk into the crockpot, I was sold. This stuff smells so delicious! The color is really way more orange than yellow, lighting was bad. And it was oh so tasty... super good for you... super tasty! Make it! Now!