Rosemary Bread

I am not a huge baker, but I love these flavors and it seemed very simple and worth a shot

1 packet yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1 c. warm water

Mix these all together and let them hang out until everything gets bubbly

2 c. flour

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary

Add the second group of ingredients to the first and mix for about 5 minutes until it gets sort of shiny and elastic (this was in my stand mixer with the dough hook). Add some more flour if you need it (I needed about 1/4 cup).

Put the ball of dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let it rise for 1 hour. Then punch it down and let it rest a few minutes.

Instead of baking it into loaves, I decided to make it into rolls. I rolled walnut sized balls and placed them into a round cake pan that had been sprayed. Then let them rise for another 45 minutes. (This is the perfect time to let the oven be pre-heating to 375)

I actually had a little extra dough so I made two slightly bigger rolls for Jeff and I to "test"

Pop the rolls in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Then brush the tops with a little melted butter and sprinkle with salt or more fresh rosemary.

Oh my gosh. SO stinking good! And it really was very easy. The hardest, most time-consuming thing was rolling the little balls for the rolls. From now on, I will have to double the recipe because this is one of those that will go so quickly! Served with a little olive oil and some good balsamic vinegar, I could make a meal out of this!

One thing that struck me as I was making this was the fact that this recipe was very close to vegan - no egg, no milk, only 1 Tbsp of butter, which really could have probably been replaced with olive oil very easily. In fact, I am going to try that the next time around to see if it comes out as well (but I don't see why it shouldn't). If you do try it, let me know how it goes.

Cranberry Pork Chops

Sorry for the lack of picture. I threw it all together without even thinking, and it wasn't very pretty when it got done.

This is another crock pot test drive. Although I got the idea from a few recipes I've seen online, this one was all me. It was very simple - one package of pork loin chops, one can of whole berry cranberry sauce, some thyme and a little salt, and a little bit of water cooked on low for about 8 hours.

Verdict - This was not bad. Jeff said it was too sweet, but I didn't think so. It was a slightly different twist on a regular old roasted pork loin or chops. It did need a little bit more of a kick, so I think next time I might add a little chipotle. Not something I would make all the time, but a nice way of doing something different.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Lloyd's - Hoover, AL

Lloyd's is a local Birmingham place out 280. Now, it's not that much of a haul, although fighting 280 can be less than pleasant. However, when Lloyd's opened, it was out in the boonies! Because this place has been in the exact same location since 1937! Pretty stinking cool. I had never been but had seen it and had heard good things, so when my friend Ben invited me to join him for lunch there, I figured this was as good a time as any to give it a shot!

The menu is pretty basic, and like many old places you need to know the "insider secrets" to get the most out of your visit. For example, during lunch time you can get half portions of most anything on their menu. It's not printed anywhere on the menu and wasn't mentioned as a daily special or printed on a board. You just have to know! This is sort of a meat and three type of place, but on the menu it states that all entrees are served with salad and your choice of french fries, baked potato, or onion rings. There is a big long list of vegetables on the menu, and we were informed (after asking) that you can substitute any two sides with your entree. Maybe this is just me, but it seem it would be easier to print that on the menu!

I ordered the grilled chicken with a baked potato. Jeff got a half order of hamburger steak with french fries. Ben got the ham steak with mashed potatoes and squash. Jeff and I also got salad with ours (which I would have substituted something else for the salad if I had thought about it.) This was served "family style" with dressing on the side, so Jeff helped himself. My grilled chicken was pretty simple. It was obviously marinaded in something that was a little too salty for my taste (I'm guessing a little too much soy sauce). Not bad, but probably not something I would order again. The baked potato was ok (I mean, it's pretty hard to screw up a baked potato!) but it had not even been cut open and was only served with a little paper cup of sour cream. The butter was on the table with the bread, thankfully. Jeff devoured his hamburger steak, which is one of his favorites. The french fries looked to have been cooked a little too long but there were no huge complaints. Ben enjoyed his ham, but the only complaint was that it came with honey that was in two packets slung on top of the ham. The problem with putting packets on top of greasy meat was that they were almost impossible to open, and we had to resort to the scissors on my pocket knife! I'm not terribly impressed with sit-down restaurants who serve their condiments in packets to begin with! His vegetables were reported to be very tasty, which again makes me wonder why they aren't featured more!

The service was very efficient and friendly. The atmosphere was what I generally expected for an older meat and vegetable place. It was a surprisingly large space, and Jeff reported that at lunch time it usually fills almost to capacity. We were a bit after the lunch rush so it was far from full, but it stayed pretty consistently busy for at least a couple of hours.

I did pay attention to what the people around me were eating, and the fried chicken seemed to be a very popular choice, and I am curious to try it next time. The onion rings looked rather tasty as well. I have never heard anyone sing the praises of the barbeque but it also might be worth a shot. This is far from "fine dining" or complex flavors and I would venture that, like most other southern cooking places, even the vegetables are not terribly vegetarian-friendly. However, if you want some simple soul food that isn't terribly expensive, give Lloyd's a try! And if you try it, let me know what you think!

Crock Pot Mac & Cheese, Take 2

You can read about the first attempt at this recipe here and my suspected reason that it failed. Well, I decided to give it another shot. The recipe is basically the same

2 cups pasta (about 1/2 pound)

4 cups (1 lb) cheese FROM A BAG - I used the mexican 4 cheese blend

4 cups milk - I used 1%

2 eggs

1/2 tsp dry mustard

salt and pepper

Same basic instructions - mix noodles and cheese inside the lined pot. beat eggs and add milk and seasoning, then pour over noodles. Close it up and cook it on low.

Because I knew how long it took for the noodles to cook from last time, I tried to resist the temptation to to look until 3 hours, but couldn't help myself and stirred it once or twice between hours two and three.

Verdict: Much better than last time. Jeff loved it, but something still seemed a little "off" to me. I will keep working and tweaking, but in the meantime I could see myself making it again!

Friday Five - Storms of Life

I have been without internet for a few days so I am behind on getting some things published. Sorry about that! But I figure better late than never! This week's Friday Five is about storms and the storms of life. Hope you enjoy!

What's the most common kind of storm in your neck of the woods? - Most of the time we don't get anything bigger than Thunderstorms, but we will get at least one or two tornados a year.

When was the last time you dealt with a significant power outage? - at the house we really haven't had too many. Our utilities are buried, so we don't usually have ton of problems with storms knocking out the power. The last time I can remember a big outage (more than maybe 30 minutes) was last summer at the condo. At the church it is another story. We lose power pretty easily and last year we almost had to cancel services once or twice because it was too hot and humid, nobody could see, and there was no air!

Are you prepared for the next one? - I think so. We have flashlights in every room and I really don't know what else we might need. I suppose if things got too nasty we could go in the basement.

What's the weather forecast where you are this weekend? - Hot and sunny. I'm glad things are finally cooling off a bit, but I'm ready for "real" fall!

How do you calm your personal storms? - I have a wonderful group of supportive friends and family who often know what I need even better than I do! And funny movies or TV shows that allow me to let loose and laugh always do wonders when I get too stressed or upset.

A little funny to share - Although there's no official "bonus" this week, I do have an appropriate little story to share that I don't know if I've ever told. During my very first Sunday at this, my very first church, I was understandably nervous. And to make matters worse, it was pretty stormy out that day. Well, the utility service around there is not the best, and in the MIDDLE of my sermon, (actually, in the middle of a sentence!) the power goes out. The only thing I could think to do was keep going! Thankfully, I had enough light from the candles to be able to see my notes so I kept going and finished. The power came back shortly before the end of the service. And the only comment I got about the whole thing from one of my parishoners was "Well, if you added another page or two to your sermon it'd be pretty good."

My Favorite Things - p.34

I have been blogging (although not calling it that) for more than seven years now in a variety of different places. This one in particular has been much more intentional and has really made me think about this unique form of communication and what it means to my life. These are a few of my favorite things about blogging.

Venting - I like having the freedom to say what I want, to "yell" and get everything off my chest when I need it and know that if you don't like it you don't have to read it, and you are welcome to disagree. But this gives me a certain boldness and ownership over my own emotions that I have yet to find in any other medium, while still making me feel "heard".

Thinking - Something about putting my thoughts into a tangible medium and knowing that they are being read (or could potentially be read) makes me think a little harder and maybe even a little deeper about things. It gives me a way to chart my stream of consciousness and observe my own patterns of thought and concern.

Expressing Myself - I am an opinionated person. I like to be able to express that opinion. I like to share the things I am doing and explore the areas where I am interested at a given time. I like being able to spread my creative wings and feel fulfilled in knowing that whatever I produce will be floating out there in the universe.

Getting Comments - Comments give me some sort of sense of community that I really miss. I know there are people who read this who don't comment, people who aren't on my "followers" list, in addition to those that I know of. I love this ever-expanding circle of friends. I love hearing what people think about what I have to say, whether they agree or disagree. I love being the medium through which other people are able to engage in some sort of conversation and I love sitting on the sidelines of these conversations.

Reading Other Blogs - I love the inspiration I gain from reading about the lives and thoughts of others, most of whom I may not know otherwise. I also love to know that I can inspire others to think about different things or try something new. I love the places I am able to visit and the experiences I am able to share thanks to other people who are interested in some of these same things.

So basically, thank you for indulging me and letting me share all this with you. Thank you for reading, commenting, and generally tolerating me and my madness! And if I'm not currently following your blog and you would like me to do so, leave me a little note and let me know where I should be reading!

Sabbath

I love when I get to take some sabbath time. But recently I have started to contemplate what that really means to me and for me. I know it is supposed to be a day of rest. But can we be a little more specific? Is it a break from work? Is it a break from chores? Is it a day of simply being lazy? I can't speak for everyone on this subject, because I feel that there really are no universal standards for what is and is not sabbath. For me it's a little bit of all of these things.

On the one hand, it is a break from work and responsibility. However, it must be an intentional break. It is rarely a "lazy day" where I sit around in my pajamas and do nothing. It rarely involves going somewhere else, because that is often a rather stressful experience rather than a relaxing one. Family vacation almost never qualifies as sabbath. It does not happen by chance, but it also cannot be planned, created, or forced.

For me, sabbath is a celebration. A time to put stress and worry and so many other things on the shelf, either for a few hours or even a few days. An opportunity, and often a reminder, to relish the blessings of my life. Not to show off or be excessive or extravagant, but to take a moment to enjoy the here and now. Rather than simply squeezing a little "oh by the way thanks" into my prayers before more "gimme, gimme", I want to take the time to BE thankful. To be a good steward of the resources that I have, even if the greatest resource is my time. To take some time to not only care for my needs, but to actually love and value myself and my desires.

I do not believe that sabbath has to be on a certain day of the week or last a certain amount of time to be valid. I would rather have two hours of true sabbath in the middle of the week so that I can have my soul fed, than to have a weekend of laziness that left me feeling more drained than when I started! Obviously, for me, Sunday isn't a great option for taking my sabbath. In many respects, it isn't an option at all. In fact, taking days away from work, while they are an important step towards sabbath, are not in themselves enough to constitute sabbath.

Right now, for me, Thursday is my sabbath day. Thursday is one of my days "off" from the church. Generally I wake up whenever I feel like (or whenever the dog feels like I need to be up) and I do what immediately needs to be done. This is rarely more than taking out the dog or maybe getting something to drink. Then I sit down to read my e-mails, check on the news, and maybe play a game. My morning is pretty leisurely. If necessary, this is the day when I do my grocery shopping. For me, shopping is a perfect sabbath activity because I enjoy it and it gives me some time alone with my thoughts, without too many distractions. I will do things around the house, but only as far as they help to keep me from being distracted and allow me to appreciate what is around me.

How do you observe Sabbath? What are your obstacles? Do you have any suggestions for things I could add to my own sabbath practices?