Marinated Mozarella

This is one I've been wanting to try for a while now, but never had the chance. I figured the holidays are the perfect excuse for trying stuff, so I gave it a try. I was a slacker and forgot photos, but I'm guessing you can use your imagination on this one!

Making this is actually super-duper easy. I did it in all of 10 minutes in the middle of the night because that's when I was thinking about it!

I used basil, rosemary, and thyme because these are what are in my garden and what I think of when I think "Italian". Oregano or other herbs would probably also be fantastic.

I also added some whole peppercorns, a little bit of crushed red pepper, a tiny bit of salt, and a whole glove of garlic (next time I would crush the garlic, but whatever floats your boat).

Of course, the main ingredient, the cheese! There are a few ways you can do this - the hard way is to get a large piece like a big ball or a log and cut it into pieces yourself. The not-so-hard way is to get pre-packaged little pieces. Now, I have seen/heard the little balls of mozzarella called "bocconcini" in lots of recipes. However, when I went to the store, the package that said "bocconcini" were about five still good sized balls per pound. NOT what I needed for appetizers. Luckily, there was a package marked "Mozarella Pearls" and that was exactly what I needed.

Moral of the story: Look at the actual product, not just the name on the label. You know what you're going for here! (Had I not been such a slacker, I would have pictures here. Sorry!)

Now, fill the jar up with olive oil and put on the lid. You may want to shake it up a little bit (even though everything will probably make its way back down to the bottom anyway!) and then stick it in the fridge. It needs to sit in there and marinate for at least three days, but you probably want to eat it within a week. You may want to take it out a bit before serving, but either way it works.

I ate these on little pieces of toast with pesto and a drizzle of balsamic. YUM!

I'm sure this would also be great tossed in a simple pasta salad, stuffed in a piece of chicken, or any where else you need a little bit of special cheesy goodness!

Friday Five - Holiday Redux

Today's Friday Five invites us to take a little time to reflect on the holiday season that was before we try to move on to the things that are yet to come. The picture is our house the day after Christmas and the closest thing we have to a white Christmas is Alabama!

1. What food item was one of your favorites this year - a definite keeper? - I'm going to be a little self-centered here, but honestly my favorite thing from a holiday meal was my new recipe for dressing! No, I haven't shared this one yet, I think I'm going to hang on to it for a while. My favorite food from the time period in general not related to a specific gathering was the chicken and dumplings my step-mom's cousin made for us!

2. Was there a meal or party or gathering that stands out in your mind? - Well, no, not really. Nothing this year was like things have been in the past or like they will be ever again. It's not really a good or bad thing, it just sort of is. The one over-riding theme that I hope everyone takes away from this year and can remember in years to come is that there is a certain elegance to simplicity and that the holidays don't have to be synonymous with excess!

3. Were you involved in a jaw-dropper gift? Were you the giver, the recipient, or an on-looker? - I was a co-conspirator in my husband's "big" gift, which was his new helicopter and phone. In many ways I was in all three roles - I knew about and helped with getting the helicopter and the phones, I got a phone as part of it as well, but ultimately they were gifts from my family and I loved getting to see his face when he opened his present!

4. Was there at least one moment when you experienced true worship? I'm sad to say there really wasn't. I really REALLY missed having the opportunity to simply attend/participate in worship rather than planning and leading. The closest I got was the Christmas Carol service at the hospital, but at the last minute I got recruited to help lead so that killed a tiny bit of it for me.

5. What is at least one thing you want to make sure you do next year? Well, the first is that I want to make sure there is at least one worship service I am able to attend, observe, and participate in without having to have any sort of leadership or planning role in at all. (This one is on my list!) I am also going to make sure that we spend Christmas Eve at our house, preferably with nobody else there but us! In many ways this is directly tied to the first goal because I would love to be able to attend a Christmas Eve service close to home, then be able to make it home for pizza, the "Christmas Story" marathon on television, and to see Santa come through the neighborhood on the fire truck!

Bonus - What do you have to remember to do differently next year (or not at all?) - Honestly, I can't think of anything other than what I have already said. Keeping meals simple will be a change from the general past, but not from this year. Not trying to run all over creation and meet everyone else's needs is going to be a priority for us for the next year (not just around the holidays, but all year!) And taking time to be together and enjoy being together is what's driving it all!

In addition to my Friday Five, I have decided to take this opportunity to make myself a bit more accountable because I know more people will read on Friday than probably any other day. I mentioned last week that one of my hopes for the coming year was to be intentional about doing something for myself each week, so I am going to share what that thing has been this week!

Self Care for the week: Therapy on Monday. It wasn't nearly what I had hoped for, but that is entirely my fault because I was out of it. It was still what I needed.

You can expect to see therapy as a recurring theme for a little while, but I know that I will eventually not go every single week and even if that is the plan, life happens and often gets in the way of plans, so I want to begin being accountable now!

Rosemary Roasted Cashews

Ok, these didn't come out as pretty as I had hoped, but they are pretty stinking fabulous, so you should totally make them and try them out. They're very easy and a lovely blend of sweet and spicy.

First things first - take some cashews (about a pound) and toast them for about 10-15 minutes.

1 Tbsp. Butter, melted

1 tsp. Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp. Cayenne

2 tsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. Rosemary

Mix all that stuff together and toss the hot nuts with it. That's it. Let them cool a bit and eat them up. They're better while they're still a little warm (but not bad leftover at all!)

I served these in my fabulous wooden bowl and they were a huge hit. They will keep well in a sealed container (if you can keep your mits out of them!)

My grocery store had some raw, unsalted cashews with their healthy foods, but if you can't find anything but the ones that are already roasted and salted, I wouldn't worry about it too much. You probably just want to leave out the salt in the recipe and make sure you don't toast them so long as to burn them!

101 in 101

I am totally borrowing this great idea from Mary Beth but tweaking it a little. The original idea was to make a list of 101 things you want to do in 1,001 days. Well, I decided that I would make the list of 101 things, but my goal will be to do it in 101 weeks. This was actually much harder than I thought it would be.

X Have a child

X Pay off our credit cards (completed)

3. Put enough money to live on for one year into savings

X Get commissioned

X Go to the beach (completed)

X Give away all the clothes I haven't worn in a year (completed)

X Get a massage (completed)

X Replace our oven (completed)

X Redo the countertops and backsplash in the kitchen (completed)

X Finish the basement (completed)

X Buy a china cabinet (completed)

X Go to the lake (completed)

X Ride in a limo (completed)

14. Visit 4 new states

X Take a dance or yoga class (modified) (completed)

X Go to an Auburn football game (completed)

X Go see a musical (completed)

X Attend a worship service where I don't have to have any sort of leadership role (modified) - (completed)

19. Keep a prayer/devotional journal for 6 months

20. Get a marker for Jeff's dad's grave

21. Knit a blanket

22. Take a vacation with my side of the family

23. Actually use my boating license

X Write a real letter to someone just to let them know I'm thinking of them (completed)

X Write a will

26. Read 3 classic novels

X Have Jeff teach me to use AutoCAD (completed)

28. Teach Jeff to play a song on the piano (modified)

X Go away on retreat (completed)

X Go to bed before midnight every day for a month (completed)

X Have family portraits made (completed)

32. Eat at home every night/ don't go out for two weeks (modified)

X Institute a cuss jar (completed)

X Take a cooking class (completed)

35. Make something at one of those "painted pottery" places

X Go without chocolate for 1 week (modified) (completed)

X Go without the computer for one week (completed)

38. No fried food for 2 weeks

X Donate, throw out, or recycle 1 box of stuff I don't need. (completed)

X Give away 1 box of books (completed)

X Update our family photo album (modified) (completed)

X Take Jeff on a surprise trip (completed)

X Get a pedicure just for the heck of it (completed)

X Let Jeff do the grocery shopping and don't say anything but "thank you" (completed)

X Have friends over for a cookout (modified) (completed)

X Try six recipes I've never made before (completed)

47. Get two more sets of good sheets

48. Walk 4 miles a week for a month

X Bake a cake from scratch (completed)

X Practice 3 new spiritual disciplines for at least one week each (completed)

X Make 2 new friends (completed)

X Buy an outfit that makes me feel fabulous (completed)

X Learn to use a power tool (completed)

54. Make a piece of artwork with my old CPE post-its

55. Make a needlepoint picture

56. Have a picnic in the park

57. Learn to quilt

58. Use the good china for no reason

X Learn to play chess (completed)

60. Begin re-writing my M.Div thesis incorporating research on process theology

61. Get a new Madame Alexander doll for my collection

62. Get all my stuff out of the storage unit in Cullman

X Go to a BSC sporting event (completed)

X Go back to a Boards and Agencies Dinner - I don't know how this got marked as completed earlier, but it isn't!

X Re-plant my herb garden (completed)

X Plant another rose bush to replace the one Patches ate (completed)

67. Learn to care for and shoot a gun

X Read the next "Miss Julia" book (completed)

X Video tape at least six sermons

X Go without wearing flip flops for two weeks (completed)

X Move the computer out of the bedroom (completed)

72. Go to the zoo

X Set up a permanent craft space (completed)

X Replace the ceiling fan on the back porch (completed)

X Move the office supplies out of the closet (completed)

76. Get a good rug for the living room

X Play in the rain (completed)

X Have a girls night out (completed)

X Have a breakfast date with Jeff (completed)

X Go to a movie (completed)

X Be a counselor at Sumatanga (completed)

X Find a job as a chaplain (even if just PRN) (completed)

X Begin APC board certification process

X Begin seriously looking at D.Min programs (completed)

X Get Jeff back to school

X Have dinner at the Melting Pot (completed)

X Go to the symphony (completed)

88. Go see a ballet

89. Bake bread

90. Get my box of wine glasses back from Lillian

X Get a dutch oven

X. Clean out my nightstand (completed)

93. Get a wide format printer for Jeff's drawings

X Take a spontaneous trip (completed)

X Go 3 days without checking e-mail (completed)

X Give away something I feel an attachment towards (completed)

X. Ask someone for exactly what I want (completed)

X Do something nice for myself for my birthday (completed)

X Learn to make Key Lime Pie (completed)

X Read the first Harry Potter book (or listen to it on CD) (completed)

101. Learn to make jam

So there you have it! 101 things I want to do in the next 101 weeks! I'll try to remember to do weekly updates to let everyone know how it's going.

Bamboo Bowls and Spoons

Are these little bowls and spoons not cute? I won them back in September in a giveaway over at Reverent Irreverence. I had almost forgotten about them until they came as a wonderful pre-Christmas gift! I used them for serving some Rosemary Roasted Cashews at Christmas, and it was perfect! I love, love, love them. They are lovely little Pampered Chef goodies, which Anne happens to sell. So if you are searching for some great gift ideas, buzz on over and check out her stuff!

Thanks Anne! I love my little bowls and spoons!

Ornament Exchange 2010

Remember how I told you about OneWed and its fabulous forum community? Well, one of the things they do every year for the "regulars" is a secret santa ornament exchange. It's always tons of fun! This year, my secret santa was Keely. She did a wonderful job and got me the most precious peppermint ornament! I love love love it!

It totally suits me, my personality, and our tree! All our stuff is the glass, "old world" style, so my peppermint is perfect. I got lots of compliments on it over the holiday, so I'm thrilled to finally get around to showing it off here!

Thank you, Keely! It's perfect and I will think happy thoughts about you, Chad, and Paisley every time I see it!

Sour Cream Biscuits

Happy 2011! Let's start the new year off right - with baked goods!

I was introduced to these by my step-mom and I was absolutely in love. The best part about these is that they are SO stinking simple.

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup sour cream

1 cup melted butter

Mix it all together and bake in a mini muffin tin at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Think you can handle that? There's no rolling, no cutting, and they still taste like honest to goodness biscuits! You could easily spice them up with herbs, or cheese, or anything else you want.

As you can see, mine got a little more brown on the sides and bottom than I would have liked, but they were still quite tasty! Hopefully the new year will also bring me a new oven!

Fabulousness. Trust me! Try them!