Friday Five - Recycle, Re-gift, Reflect

I know I haven't done a Friday Five in a while, but today's seemed like fun.

Recycle

1. What is some "old news" for this year that you'd like to repeat: My "Season of Sabbath" over the last six months has been really good for me, even though it hasn't always been easy. Although some of the things I've started will continue, but I think I have reached a point where my own soul has been sufficiently replenished so that it no longer needs to be the focus of my attention.

2. What "new thing" have you started that you want to keep going in 2013: Academy for Spiritual Formation #34 has been an amazing experience that I am very excited about continuing! I know the active pursuit of growing our family isn't exactly "new" but the specifics that are required are new and will continue.

Re-gift

3. What event, experience, or gift would you just as soon "return to sender": Thankfully, this year hasn't been full of "real tragedy" the way previous years have, but I won't go so far as to say that there's nothing I would do differently. I guess if I had to pick something specific, it would be our cruise in October. It was fun, but I can think of many other things I would have rather done.

Reflect

4. What was the brightest bit of joy that was a part of your year: Beginning the Academy for Spiritual Formation and the connection that I have made with so many wonderful people in this community has been a blessing beyond measure. The fact that this wonderful gift is 1/4 of the way through is both exciting and saddening at the same time.

5. Share a picture that says more than words:

It's amazing what you can see when you are willing to take a step back and change your perspective just a little bit! I took this during my last trip up to Camp Sumatanga. I love the colors of fall and the view from the chapel.

Bonus: Share a recipe!

My new favorite thing to make (I've loved to eat it for a while!) is quiche because it's so simple and can contain anything you want! I use a pre-made pilsbury pie crust, 6 eggs (or egg substitute), 1 cup of milk, and about 1/4 cup greek yogurt, plus whatever meat, veggies, and cheese seems fitting and baked at 350 for about 45 minutes. I'm currently fond of peppered bacon, caramelized onion, and cheddar cheese. It goes together really quickly, but can also be made the day before and kept refrigerated before baking. The leftovers also re-heat really well! A big slice of this and a cup of tomato soup makes for a fabulous lunch or dinner in my mind!

Photography on a Cruise

One of the best and worst things on a cruise is the availability of photos. There are photographers all over the place taking pictures all the time. There's no cost to you to have photos made, and there's no obligation to buy any of the pictures that are made. The pictures usually come out pretty nice, but they are very pricey. The "fancy" ones are generally about $20 each and only come in the 8x10 size.

I have been on exactly one cruise where I didn't buy a single photo. The reason we didn't buy any was because we didn't have any made. We knew we didn't want to buy any so we avoided the temptation. We skipped the embarkation photo before getting on the boat. We didn't pose in our fancy clothes on formal night. We refused to stop getting off the boat in port. We declined the photos at dinner. Because just as there are no limits to how many you can have made, there aren't any that are required.

On our last Dream cruise, we took advantage of something new that was being offered, and that was private sessions with a photographer to take pictures around the ship (and it was also available in port if you wanted a few beach shots), not just a quick pose in front of a fake backdrop. (That's where the picture at the top of this post came from) The pictures were beautiful and I was very happy with them, but they were pricey. The advantage to these was that, because we made a minimum purchase, we got the ones you purchased on a CD so we could share and re-print them. Even with that block of time, it was kind of chaotic because we had a group of about 14. I am not going to coordinate it again like I did last time, but if someone else wants to be responsible for it, they are welcome to it and I will be happy to participate. One day, when we're taking a cruise with our kids, I could definitely see doing this with them!

This is an easy way to spend a lot of money if you aren't careful because they do add up very quickly. If you're a scrapbooker, they're very tempting because they often have props, dates, place names, and other details that you might like to have included. They can be cute and funny, and they don't require you to keep up with your camera, especially if you're going on a water excursion where something might happen to it! There is something to be said for the convenience of it.

There is a down side to buying pictures, besides the price, and that is getting them home! Sure, they put the pictures in a heavy-ish folder to keep it from getting bent up, but you need a place to store it and then transport it home. I have found that, if you have a laptop sleeve in one of your bags, that's a great place for keeping and transporting them!

Being aware of all of the good and bad, Jeff and I are probably going to have a few made on this next cruise. I like having good family photos made at least once a year, and the timing on this next cruise will be perfect for Christmas cards so to me, it's worth the cost to get one or two good pictures. I always hope that I end up with a couple of good ones taken by family members, but I'm not going to expect that. We're going to budget for a couple of good photos, and if we end up not getting them we can spend that money on something else!

I have heard that some cruise lines have started doing a "buy a CD of all your photos for a set price" and I really REALLY wish Carnival would do something like this. Even if it was $250 I would probably buy it, which is more than I would normally even consider spending on buying the printed photos, but I would make it a point to have pictures made and get my money's worth out of it! Plus, it would eliminate the whole transportation issue!

More Goats!

In honor of the fact that I'm spending some family time in Cullman right now, I thought I would share a few more photos from Cabrito Farms!

Edward says hello! He wants to make sure nobody forgets about him!

Wait a minute, you're not my momma!

Nom nom!

Donkey talk!

The babies like to go through the gaps in the fence. They can fit for now, but once their horns start coming in, they'll get stuck!

Lots of goats!

Lunch time!

The triplets. Obviously not identical!

Look at the sibling sweetness!

Momma keeping an eye on her little ones!

Smothered Pork Chops 2.0

I recently came to the realization that I hadn't made my smothered pork chops in quite a while and decided it was past time. But also being incredibly lazy (and slightly inspired) I decided to give a crock pot version of these little lovelies a try. All the ingredients are the same as last time - pork chops, onion, bell pepper, chicken stock, dales, cayenne. Please ignore the butter in the photo. It was a reflex.

There are no "steps" here - just toss it all in. As far as quantities, it all comes down to personal taste. I used 4 pork chops, half an onion, and about 1/3 cup of bell pepper pieces (you know, one good handful). The joy of a slow cooker is that the same amount of liquid can cook a lot more meat, and one can of chicken stock could easily do a whole pork tenderloin if that's the route you wanted to go for a party or if you just wanted lots of leftovers!

Let it cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. I tend to let it go 8 hours (or more). I think mine cooked for right about 7.5 hours. I had planned to let them go the full eight but I had a hungry husband who did not agree with that plan.

I like it served over rice or even pasta. This time I went with herbed rice (white rice cooked in chicken stock and seasoned with seasoned salt, garlic pepper, and thyme) I don't have a picture of the finished product, but it really wasn't all that impressive to look at. Trust me when I say the looks didn't matter because it tasted great! You didn't even need a knife. As soon as you stuck your fork into the pork chop it just fell apart! Yum...

If you're not a pork person, this would also be great with chicken. I'm going to have to remember to try that...

Sugar Cookies

There are absolutely no redeeming health benefits to these cookies (unless of course you eat them with a glass of milk...). I found the recipe in high school and fell in love with them. I don't make them often because they make a TON and I don't need the temptation, but what the hey! For this occasion, I just cut the recipe in half, but I'm giving you the whole thing in case you need a zillion delicious cookies in your life.

Cream together 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 c. oil, 1 c. sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 c. butter, 2 eggs.

Then sift in 4 1/2 c. four, 1 tsp. soda, 1 tsp. salt.

You're also supposed to add 1 tsp. cream of tarter but I accidentally left it out this time. The cookies came out fine, so if you don't have it don't sweat.

I added my dry stuff in 1/2 cup increments for a couple of reasons. Number one, it keeps the flour from flying everywhere and it gets incorporated more quickly. Number two, that's all my sifter will hold!

This is what the finished dough should look like. It'll be pretty thick and pull away from the sides a bit.

Roll the dough into small balls, the flatten slightly (unless you like your cookies a little on the thick side)

Sprinkle the tops with sugar. I used my pink sugar because I had it and it's springy!

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Don't let them get too brown. They'll need to cool for a few minutes.

Enjoy! They are very rich, but very tasty!

Bacon Ranch Cheeseball

This one is complicated, so get ready. Are you sure you're up for this?

2 blocks cream cheese (softened), 1 packet ranch dressing mix, 5 strips bacon, chopped (or bacon bits), and pecan pieces.

Dump your first three ingredients in a bowl together.

Now mix it all up.

Scrape it all together and form it into a ball. This is easier to do when it's still a little soft. Then press pecans around the outside. This is also much easier when it's soft.

Now, you can do one of two things - you can serve it with some crackers or your can cover it with plastic wrap and stick it into the fridge to get a little more solid. I recommend refrigerating over night to let all the flavors mix and mingle. It does get much better!

Now, as for the little bit left in the bowl that didn't quite make it into the ball... Well, you certainly don't want to waste!

Cheese balls also freeze well. Wrap in plastic wrap, then put into some slightly more solid container and stick it in the freezer! Then when you need it just let it defrost in the fridge for about a day

*Variation* Want more of a dip than a ball? Use 1 block of cream cheese and 8 oz of whatever combination of sour cream and mayo that suits your personal taste. Then skip everything after "mix it all together".

Forgotten Cookies

I'm still working on remembering to take "start to finish" pictures of recipes. I remembered about halfway through this one.

Forgotten cookies are one that my mom used to make and I loved. I still love them, but have never made them before. I am not entirely sure why. Anywho, I decided our open house was the perfect chance to make them.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Just let it go and heat.

Beat 2 XL egg whites (or 3 med to large) until stiff. Then beat in 3/4 cup sugar and 1/8 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Make sure it's very well mixed. Then FOLD in about half a package of chocolate chips and 3/4 cup chopped pecans (you can leave these out and just use the whole pack of chocolate chips if you want or mix in anything else you might like)

This is what it looks when it's all mixed together.

Now, drop spoon fulls onto two parchment lined cookie sheets. See?

Now, this step is very important - TURN THE OVEN OFF!

Put your cookie sheets into the oven and walk away. Don't peek, don't turn the oven back on, just walk away.

Leave the cookies in the oven until it's completely cold. Overnight is best. The cookies shouldn't be brown, and really shouldn't look that different than when you put them in, but they are cooked, I promise. This is what the finished cookies look like.

The are light and sweet and fabulous. Go ahead and have one for breakfast. You deserve a reward for being so patient!

Wedding Photos

I got my wedding album back from the photographer on Friday. This is just a little preview. If you want to see the whole thing you have to visit in person (or let me come visit you!)

Tybee Island Photos

I enjoy photography for several reasons. I think the biggest one is that it's a creative outlet or me. I know that none of what I do is technically brilliant or terribly creative, but I enjoy it and am pretty proud of what I do.

Most of my favorite pictures are those that capture moments of genuine emotion, unique perspective, and simple beauty.

I really enjoy taking photos of nature because I always feel close to God in nature, and my pictures serve as a reminder of those feelings and occasionally inspire me.

I will probably take two or three of these photos, blow them up, frame them, and hang them in my hall bathroom. My colors are ivory and dark brown so I may also convert them to sepia tone, but I'm not sure. Thoughts would be appreciated.