From the Vine to the Urban Stack

  • May13th

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    Noosa Yoghurt {yes, I spelled it right}

    Posted in: Recommendations | Posted By:

     

    If you are not yet aware of this yoghurt called Noosa, you need to get in the know. This stuff is seriously good. My friend Lori introduced us to it and we’ve been addicted for a few weeks now. I eat it like ice cream {aka it is a treat!} Strawberry rhubarb is my absolute favorite–the sweet+sour combo is just…there are no words. Nana agreed with me, she even said she wanted to lick the bowl when she was finished. Their website has a handy store finder. I’ve gotten it from our local Whole Foods, Harris Teeter and Target.

    You’re welcome.

     

  • May10th

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    Nana came to town

    Posted in: Our Life in a Photo | Posted By:

    Thomas’ grandmother (Nana) came to stay with us for a few days at the end of April, and we loved having her! Adam enjoyed having his Nana around to play with–she is so great with him and he just loves her. She was a great sport, even when he threw her glasses case in the toilet, poured out her bottle of pills (don’t worry we called poison control!) threw his food on the floor, and just generally created havoc around her all day. I hope I am as much fun as she is when I get older. She was so easy to have around!

    Nana also had some great suggestions for our new house, and she even helped us rearrange our living room! We LOVE the new look. Jeannie had been suggesting it but until I got Nana’s expert advice, I wasn’t sure. ;) Pictures of that to come later. It is boring having my morning coffee alone, and I have nobody to enjoy my cinnamon tea with and Noosa yogurt. I miss you Nana!

    When we took Nana back to her house, Adam was obsessed with her little dog Coco. Coco did not really feel the same way about Adam–he hid under the couch the entire time we were there.

  • May9th

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    It’s daughter’s day…

    Posted in: faith | Posted By:

    Mother’s Day is fast approaching.  I just read this article this morning and it was a deep source of encouragement.  If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, not only is Mother’s Day fast approaching but it’s Daughters Day.  A day to remember that we have been bought with the precious blood of Christ and we have been adopted into His family.  If you’re not a follower of Christ, consider the truth that Christianity gives us new identities and it’s an identity not rooted in our performance and abilities.

    As one who is deeply grateful for my own mother, my mother-in-law, and the gift of being a mother myself, I know that we should cherish the gift of motherhood.  But what an amazing gift to know that “the best gift any woman (or man) has ever received was given on another Mother’s Day: this one was 2,000 years ago in a borrowed feeding trough when God was born and nursed at a young mother’s breast. It continued to be given some 30 years later when that perfect Son of Man was nailed to a tree and his Father turned away from him while his mother wept. No Hallmark cards or saccharine sentimentality for Jesus. Nothing. Just blood and despair and an anguished “It is finished” for us.”

    Some of us are mourning the loss of mothers, unborn children, stillborn children or children who are living in rebellion towards God.  But none of those losses can compare to the riches of being loved by Christ.

    Here’s a link again to the article: http://theresurgence.com/2013/05/08/happy-daughter-s-day

    And on this Mother’s Day, I’d like to share this gem of a photo (before sister Margaret arrived!)  Check out my mom’s 80s attire and cool hair!

  • May9th

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    Spiced Curry Rub

    Posted in: Main Dishes, recipes | Posted By:

    Jeannie posted about this cookbook last week. She recently gave me a copy, and I am loving it. We used this Spiced Curry Rub for chicken tenders on the grill tonight. The author suggests using the rub on roasted chicken (with bones) but I’m squeamish about bones so we’ve only tried it with chicken breasts and tenders. We love it–the cinnamon is a nice addition. This makes enough for 3-4 lbs of chicken. I made the full recipe and just stored half.

    Spiced Curry Rub

    4 t curry powder

    4t chili powder

    1t cumin

    1t allspice (I didn’t have this)

    1t cinnamon

    1/2t coarse salt

    Mix spices in a small bowl. Rub evenly on chicken prior to grilling.

  • May7th

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    Herbed Tomato Tart

    Posted in: Breads and pastries, Dips and Appetizers, recipes | Posted By:

    I needed a quick appetizer recipe yesterday, and I texted Jeannie at 8am saying “help. I am not feeling creative and I’m about to go to the grocery store.” She sent me THIS great recipe from Southern Living. Honestly, I looked at the picture and thought it was going to be complicated. But it was so easy! Using frozen puff pastry really helped. I prepped it during Adam’s nap time and then popped it in the oven just before we had to walk out the door. As you can see on the left-hand side of the photo, I tried to hurry it along by turning on the broiler. I should’ve known better–we have some kind of super sonic power broiler and it burns things in 60 seconds on LOW. Other than that, this recipe was definitely a hit and something I plan to add to my list of favorites.

     

  • May2nd

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    we’ve been eating, saying goodbye and singing happy birthday

    Posted in: Books on food, recipes | Posted By:

    Over on her blog, Sarah called me an “active blogger” which I felt was an untrue statement. :)   I haven’t blogged too often or with much consistency!

    The sister sent me a link to Cooking Light’s Sunday Strategist that began with these sentences: “It’s not the love of cooking that deters so many of us from the kitchen each night; it’s actually deciding what to cook from the millions of options bombarding us from so many different places. “  I couldn’t agree more!  I think that I’ve allowed myself to be bombarded with lots of different food ideas, plus meal-planning is not a strength of mine. Right now, I usually flip through my old favorite recipes (a notebook), sites I’ve posted that I want to try via Pinterest, and use this cookbook that I’ve loved recently especially since my kids have grown pickier and many nights feel like World War III at our table over one small bite of food.

    Life is full right now. Here’s some things we’ve been eating in the midst of this crazy journey.

    –close friends are moving this week and their two favorite desserts: Tres Leches Cake & Flourless Chocolate Cake had to be shared one last time

    –frozen meatballs from Trader Joe’s (my husband said “this is the best meal you’ve made in awhile!” ah, love that man!)

    –Chicken Piccata from the cookbook above

    –Shrimp pasta dishes (I usually make something like this and then toss in with pasta)

    – a friend says this is her new favorite pancake recipe that I’m excited to try.  In the meantime, this is our staple pancake recipe that we love. Overnight is the key word for me AND it feeds a lot!

    –Costco birthday cake for D’s 2nd and M’s 4th birthday last weekend

    Speaking of birthdays…here they are with their treasured birthday presents.

    D’s grandpa made a homemade, toddler sized baseball glove for our baseball-obsessed son

    And Little Miss M is practically a teenager now that she has her own set of wheels!

    This book is becoming a sweet addition to mornings here:

    Some glimpses:

    “If our heart’s foundation is solid, based on God’s truth, design and purpose for us, we will be able to build healthy, God-honoring relationships even though we are flawed people living in a broken world.  By contrast, broken community is always the result of broken foundations.”

    “Will we trust him?  That’s the obvious question after God reveals Himself to fearful people.  Whose kingdom are you seeking? Do you trust the King who is also your Father? Dangers abound, and life is comprised of hourly risks, but the real issue behind worry is that of spiritual allegiances….We sort of want the kingdom, and we sort of want to trust the King–until life gets precarious.”

     

  • May2nd

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    How to make yourself miserable

    Posted in: faith, Spiritual Encouragement | Posted By:

    I love reading Elizabeth Elliot’s Keep a Quiet Heart. Her wisdom is profound! I’ve probably shared this before, but my favorite page in this book is her excerpt on 9 Ways to Make Yourself Miserable. These are great reminders to steer clear of constantly worrying about yourself in a culture that tells us to “put yourself first,” and “take some time for just you.  You deserve it.”

    1. Count your troubles, name them one by one–at the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon as possible thereafter.
    2. Worry every day about something. Don’t let yourself get out of practice. It won’t add a cubit to your stature but it might burn a few calories.
    3. Pity yourself. If you do it enough, nobody else will have to do it for you.
    4. Devise clever but decent ways to serve both God and man. After all, a man’s gotta live.
    5. Make it your business to find out what the Joneses are buying this year and where they’re going. Try to do them at least one better even if you have to take out another loan to do it.
    6. Stay away from absolutes. It’s what’s right for you that matters. Be your own person and don’t allow yourself to get hung up on what others expect of you.
    7. Make sure you get your rights. Never mind other people’s. You have your life to live, they have theirs.
    8. Don’t fall into any compassion traps–the sort of situation where people can walk all over you. If you get too involved in other people’s troubles, you may neglect your own.
    9. Don’t let Bible reading and prayer get in the way of what’s really relevant–like TV and newspapers. Invisible things are eternal. You want to stick with the visible ones–they’re where it’s at now.

  • April30th

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    The Envy Effect

    Posted in: Recommendations, Spiritual Encouragement | Posted By:

    I read this article recently and was struck by the truths here regarding social media. We just got back from speaking to a group of teens & parents in Massachusetts and we talked a lot about social media before, during, and after the conference. Clearly our children need guidelines when using smart phones & the internet, but do we as adults have guidelines for ourselves? I’ve recently had to unfollow different “celebrities” that I followed on Instragram because I felt myself envying their lives, looks and clothes. I can hardly look at Pinterest past 8pm or I find myself so hungry. I know it sounds ridiculous but seeing all those pictures of food makes me downright grumpy (just ask Thomas). Or, it makes me wish I could buy more things for our house, more clothes, and more expensive ingredients to prepare fancier meals for our family. Oftentimes I see Facebook statuses that make me cringe–people posting about their awesome child, their awesome body, their awesome meal, their awesome godly self, their awesome workout, how they just delivered their awesome baby via their awesome drug-free water birth….the list goes on and on. Rarely do people post their painful moments, rarely do we see reality via social media. Do we ever stop and ask how our online presence might make others feel? I’m guilty of not thinking through potential ramifications, or just simply not caring enough about how it might make someone else feel.

    The last thing I am suggesting is for all of us to completely unplug all technology and apps. I’ve gotten some of my best recipes via Pinterest; I love sharing photos of Adam via Instagram and seeing pictures from friends we’ve made in Houston, New England and Clemson. What I am suggesting is to think about how you use social media and what it does to your heart. After all, what she says here rings true in my own heart: “My life looks better on the Internet than it does in real life. Everyone’s life looks better on the internet than it does in real life. The Internet is partial truths—we get to decide what people see and what they don’t. That’s why it’s safer short term. And that’s why it’s much, much more dangerous long term.”

    I hope to apply Ephesians 4:29 to the apps in my life: “say only what helps, each word is a gift.” Each share, each like, each app is a gift. Share only what helps.

  • April23rd

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    Slow Cooker: Coconut Chicken Curry

    Posted in: Main Dishes | Posted By:

    I tweaked this recipe  and came up with a new favorite in our house. Thomas’ grandmother is visiting and she gave it two thumbs up for dinner tonight, so I figured it was worth a share. I serve it in a bowl atop plain quinoa.

    • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
    • 2 inch cube of fresh ginger (about 30 grams), roughly chopped (or I just use 1 tsp. jarred ginger)
    • 1 small sweet onion, peeled, quartered
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 Tablespoons butter
    • 1.5 lbs chicken breast, diced
    • 1.5 cans light coconut milk
    • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
    • 1 can of baby corn cobs
    • 1 small bag sugar snap peas
    • 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
    For the spice blend
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground tumeric
    • 2 teaspoons curry powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    1. Combine ingredients from the spice blend together and set aside.
    2. In a food processor or blender, combine garlic, ginger and onion and pulse until it forms a paste.
    3. In a large pan, heat olive oil and melt butter. Add pureed aromatics and stir well. Cook for a few minutes, then add spice blend. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
    4. Move aromatics to one side of the pot and add chicken pieces to the pot. Cook chicken slightly on all sides, using a sturdy wooden spoon to move it around the pot. It should get thoroughly coated with the spice mixture. Transfer mixture to crock pot.
    5. Pour the coconut milk over the chicken, reserving about 1/2 cup.
    6. Drain the corn cobs and chop in half. Add to the slow-cooker.
    7. Cook on low for 4 hours.
    8. Whisk cornstarch with reserved coconut milk until smooth and add to the chicken. Stir well. Add vegetables. Cook for another half an hour to allow mixture to thicken and vegetables to soften.

  • April8th

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    Spring is springing

    Posted in: Our Life in a Photo | Posted By:

    So thankful that spring is finally here!  Our backyard is beautiful thanks to our neighbor’s tree that was very late blooming this year.

    and D is loving the freedom of outdoors!

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