Thanksgiving Menu Rundown!

This Thanksgiving was an eventful one in the kitchen for me. I came across a lot of great recipes and, with a few tweaks, made them my own.

I am not a follower of the belief that once December rolls around you can't cook with the ingredients of fall like pumpkin, squash, caramel, cinnamon, etc.

I say bring 'em on...

Apple Sourdough Bread Stuffing = super flavorful and moist. I especially loved the apple flavor!

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- 2 apples (peeled, cored and diced - I used braeburn apples)
- 2 celery stalks (chopped)
- 1 tsp fresh parsley
- 4 cups sourdough bread (day old and cubed)
- 1 cup chicken broth (warmed in microwave)
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onion, apple and celery and saute until soft (take a DEEP breath in because this smells SO good!)
Add the herbs and stir to coat. Transfer to a large bowl and add the cubed sourdough bread and warm chicken broth.
Toss to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer stuffing to a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
*Variation: add 1lb. of ground sausage (browned) to the large bowl and toss to coat with stuffing


Harvest Bisque = I took a recipe I had used for butternut squash and altered it a bit - YUM!

- 3 or 4 butternut squash
- One 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling - I made that mistake once and I'm trying to spare you!)
- Three 14 oz. cans of vegetable or chicken broth (I like veggie in order to make this a vegetarian dish)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups of half-and-half

Halve squash and remove seeds. Place squash halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn cut sides up and bake for another 20 minutes until squash is tender.
Scoop squash pulp out of peel and place pulp in batches in a blender. Cover and blend until squash is smooth, adding the broth as needed to make the mixture smooth (you'll want the consistency to be creamy and not liquidy)
Stir together pureed squash and remaining broth in a large saucepan. Add ginger, salt, pepper and cinnamon and mix. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in half-and-half.
Heat through, but do not boil.
That's it!! SO easy and YUM!! (makes about 10 servings)

Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust = OMG!!!!! This was heavenly and probably one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had - you must try!

CRUST
- 12 oz of gingersnap cookies (I used Trader Joe's because, well, they're the best)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- dash of salt
FILLING
- Four 8 oz packages of cream cheese (I used 2 regular and 2 light and it tasted fine)
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- One 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 of caramel topping (I used the Smucker's ice cream topping because it's easy to spread)
- extra chopped pecans
- extra crushed gingersnaps

CRUST PREP - In a food processor, crush gingersnaps. Add chopped pecans, melted butter, brown sugar and salt. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Press into bottom and sides of a 10 inch springform pan and chill for 30 minutes (I chilled in the freezer)
FILLING PREP - In a mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy (about 15 minutes). Add pumpkin and spices and mix for another 5 minutes or so. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds between each addition. Add cream and mix until combined.
Remove crust from fridge or freezer. Sprinkle with extra chopped pecans. Gently pour cheesecake filling into pan and even out the top with a spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cake should not be soupy but it should still be somewhat jiggly - hahaha :)
Cool on your counter for 30 minutes. After cooled, pour about 1/2 jar of caramel topping over the top and smooth with a spatula.
Cover and chill cheesecake for 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, sprinkle each slice with extra crushed gingersnaps.

Happy Holidays from my family to yours! ENJOY!

Be assured that from the first day I heard of you, I haven’t stopped praying for you...I pray that you’ll live well for the Master. I pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy,thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us. - Colossians 1:12 

Almost 2 months ago I went to Haiti. When I was first approached with the idea, I didn't see any reason for me to go. Sure, I had heard about the struggles of the Haitian people - especially after the January earthquake - I knew there was a lot of devastation and hurt, but why did I need to go? I had prayed for them and even donated to the relief efforts. What more did I need to do?


I've traveled to Croatia, Guadalajara, Malaysia and many other countries on mission trips and seen much poverty and need. Why did I need to go to Haiti? How would it affect me differently than these other countries had? 


These questions, and my own doubts about raising $1,000 in one month and taking time off work, caused me to turn down the offer to travel to Haiti. As far as I was concerned, it was impossible. 


Well, God has a funny way of dealing with our claims of the impossible. 


Only 30 minutes after I said "no" to Haiti, God and I got into a conversation about my hasty decision. It went a little something like this...


God: "Did you even ask me if I wanted you to go to Haiti?"


Me: "Well, no...but, what about the cost and my work schedule and the short notice? It just seems impossible!"


God: "Aren't you always telling other people, 'All things are possible with God'"?


Me: "Yes..."


God: "Then show Me you really believe that."


Needless to say, I had no doubt I was meant to go to Haiti. God had called out my unbelief and hastiness to answer a call without seeking His will. 


About a month later I was on a plane from Charlotte to Miami to Port au Prince and my life has changed forever. 


Not only did I learn a stronger sense of obedience to God, but I fell in love with a country that is not easy to love. There is devastation, hurt and extreme poverty. It's often ugly, smelly and uncomfortable. I don't speak Creole, I don't struggle with finding clean water or food, I have a warm bed to sleep in and safe home to live in. All in all, Haiti and I are a strange match.


But, we have the hope of Jesus and the promise of strength from God. It's because of these commonalities that I will always be connected with the people of Haiti and do what I can to share their beauty and struggles with my sphere of influence. 


I'm going back in March...and this time I'm certain of why I'm going and Who is sending me.

Here are some of my photos from Haiti...I'll keep adding more but these are my favorites so far...

I'm Going to Haiti!

Click here to find out why....

Faith is believing in the seemingly impossible:

The past few days have been a whirlwind of changes, leaps of faith and doubts. 

I started out the week pretty confident I knew how things were going to unfold - just like any other week.

Wow, did I forget Whose in control :) 

God reminded me in a big way that His plans are not my plans and if I would just take a moment to be obedient, life could be lived to the fullest.

More on that another time....

I was reminded of this prayer as my faith was stretched this week:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, hard hearts, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live from deep within your heart where God’s Spirit dwells.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world and in your neighborhood, so that you will courageously try what you don’t think you can do, but in Jesus Christ you’ll have the strength necessary to do.

May God bless you so that you remember we are all called to continue God’s redemptive work of love and healing in God’s place, in and through God’s name, in God’s Spirit, continually creating and breathing new life and grace into everything and everyone we touch.

   Amen (Franciscan Prayer).

Check out this blog post I found yesterday: World Vision Sponsor

Rob Wang is a child sponsor with World Vision, just like I am, and he had the unique experience of meeting his child on a recent trip to Chile.

That is my dream.

I have sponsored this little girl, Gorret, for the past 6 years.

She lives in Uganda in a village that has been ravaged by AIDS. It is my dream to visit Uganda one day and meet her. I also want to experience a little bit of her world - the sights, sounds and smells of her village.

Put this on my bucket list.

TGIF!

This Friday was a fun-filled day for me (I love starting off the weekend early with a great Friday)!

It all started at 8:30am at Walter G. Byers Elementary near Uptown Charlotte, a school where 40% of the students are homeless. I visit Walter G. every Thursday to have lunch with my buddy Kaali. He's a six year old homeless boy and first grader at Walter G. We talk, tell stories and eat together for 40 minutes every week. 

Friday was Field Day at Walter G. and I spent my morning with Kaali and some of his friends doing things I haven't done for far too long. Things like, the egg and spoon race, musical chairs and the limbo! 

I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but with these kids on a Friday morning, cheering them on and watching them burst with excitement throughout each activity. 

Kaali, me and Chutney (Chutney and I decided to swap my sunglasses for her hat, even if they didn't fit us quite right!)

Chutney again with the HUGE sunglasses!

Musical chairs to "Beat It" by Michael Jackson - these kids have rhythm!!

The hilarity of musical chairs!! Everytime someone was eliminated for not finding a chair on-time, the kids rolled around laughing hysterically :) 

After Field Day, I switched gears in a big way and met my sister-in-law, Kathryn, at Rooster's in South Park. One of my favorite restaurants! Here's a shot of the insanely good lemon tart with honey, lavender oil and fresh berries:

Later in the evening, it was time for my date night with Russell. It was nice to go out, just the two of us, since we'd had two weeks of constant family in town for the wedding and then Memorial Day. 

We tried two new Charlotte experiences.

First, dinner at Ratcliffe on the Green, a small, intimate restaurant in a restored florist shop. All the items on the menu are locally grown or raised and it was amazing! For dinner,  I had the monk fish wrapped in prosciutto with fingerling potatoes, asparagus spears and a shitake mushroom sauce over top. Russell had their famous shrimp and grits!

Our appetizer was for the sake of nostalgia, Moules and Frites (or Mussels and Fries) - a Belgium specialty!

After dinner, we walked across the street to the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art - a beautiful museum featuring the personal collection of the Swiss Bechtler family. The first Friday of every month they have live jazz in the lobby, drinks and appetizers for those admitted to the museum. We ended up loving it so much, we bought a annual membership! I guess we'll be back soon :)

Here's a view from the second floor terrace of the museum onto Tryon Street. The Catholic Church on the green, the Harvey Gantt Cultural Center and the Westin Hotel are in the background. That metallic figure in the front is a sculpture commissioned by the museum - it looks like a rock star cockatoo!

Two of my favorite pieces are above. Left is a Pablo Picasso, "Femme au Chapeau" and to the right is a Max Ernst, "Study for a Monument to W.C. Fields" (an abstract of actors W.C. Fields and Mae West).

Here is Russell with one of his favs :)

And here I am ending a perfect Friday :)

S.O.S....Layout Help Needed!


All you fellow blogger.com users out there, I need some help!

As you can see, the header image of my blog is a really great picture of the sun bursting through a grove of especially twisty trees (my sweet husband took this pic in San Diego!).

Problem is, I'd like the header image to stretch horizontally across the top of my blog - not just take up the left side as it does now.

I've tried to customize how it fits and even tried to crop and edit the original photo. Alas, I have failed.

Anyone willing to rise to the challenge and help me out? Just click the comment button below with your suggestions.

On a random/funny note...I had a visitor take over my office earlier today:

Can't you just hear him saying (in a thick Boston accent): "Step into my office."

Happy Monday!

The weekend is almost here...

But, if you can't wait that long to read the newest issue of Forest Hill's Connections magazine, click here to see it online.

The cover story is one of my favorite interviews I've done in the past 2 1/2 years. Callie Richey is an amazing servant for Christ and her life is a reflection of the kind of love that Christ is talking about here:

Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

- Matthew 25:37-40

When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.

- Matthew 9:12-13

This passage stood out to me as I was reading Matthew 9 last night. What is mercy? What is sacrifice?

I took some time to think about the literal meaning of each word, what they mean to me and how Jesus meant them when responding to the Pharisees.

Mercy = compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone who is deserving of punishment or harm

Sacrifice = the act of slaughtering an animal or surrendering a possession as an offering to God OR the act of giving up something of value for the sake of something more worthy

So, in this passage, Jesus is explaining to the Pharisees that He has come to offer restoration for those who are sick. THEN, he challenges the Pharisees by quoting a piece of scripture from the prophet Hosea - a passage the Pharisees probably knew like the back of their hand but never understood the TRUE meaning.

Hosea 6:6 is the passage Jesus is quoting. God is speaking to the people of Israel:

"I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices.

I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings."

God is pleading with the people to love Him and know Him instead of try to impress Him and others with deeds, vain sacrifices and offerings.

Jesus wants the Pharisees to change their ways and turn from their pride and selfishness and realize they are sinners also - no different than the tax collectors he was sharing a meal with.

That is the beautiful thing about mercy...we have been given an invaluable gift that we could NEVER afford or work to earn.

Christ wants to be with us, really know us, and heal us despite our sins and guilty hearts.

When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.

- Matthew 9:12-13

Glorifying God today in all His goodness...


LOVE listening to this song today..."His glory appears like the light of the sun, age to age He shines!"

Pics from San Diego!

Russell and I visited San Diego in early April. I have finally uploaded the photos from our camera and here are a few of my favorites (by the way, did I mention that I would pick up and move to San Diego TODAY if it wasn't so dang expensive!):

Beautifully wild beaches

Picture perfect sunsets

Handsome men...oh, wait...that's my husband :)

Lush, spanish gardens

And, lots of fun had by all :)

Click here for the full album.

Commands for those who are blessed in this world...

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly blesses us with everything for our enjoyment.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

"Why me, Lord?"

Oftentimes, I struggle with the fact that I was blessed to be born in the U.S., to loving parents who were always financially responsible and gave me everything I ever needed (and often wanted).

I'm also blessed to have graduated from a private college, find a job I love, marry a wonderful Christian man and live in comfort - never in want of anything. Although I have minor health problems, it is nothing compared to facing the risk of deadly disease or not having sufficient medical care.

Don't get me wrong, I thank God almost everyday for everything He has given me and I know everything I have is really His - He has merely entrusted me as a steward while I'm here on earth.

But, I can't help asking the question, "Why me, Lord?" Why was I chosen to be born in a free nation where I can choose how I live, where I work and what god I worship?

Why wasn't I born in Africa, where children die every day from mosquito bites carrying malaria and families are often faced with deadly religious persecution or persecution based on their economic status?

Why have I been blessed with wealth (at least relative to the majority of the world and even our nation)? Most of the time, I don't give a second thought to turning on the heat or air conditioner when the house feels a bit too warm or too cold. I thoughtlessly jump in my car and drive to Target to spend money on clothing and items to make my home more comfortable. I spend far too much money on eating at restaurants and filling my refrigerator with any type of food I want or crave.

Why wasn’t I born in the slums of India where children drink, bathe and defecate in the same water? A place where adults and children work long days in appalling conditions because they have no choice if they want to live. A place where streets are filled with the crippled, diseased and dying begging for scraps and coins to survive just one more day.

God has a plan for my life and a reason for blessing me as He has. Is it wrong for me to ask why? Maybe. But, it also seems natural to question my place and situation in life and compare it to the injustices that so many of our brothers and sisters face.

I don’t have an answer, but I know God loves all people equally as His creation and children – rich or poor, white or black, healthy or sick, American or not. To God, we are all valued. He sees our hearts, not our situation in life, and He desires that we use the blessings He's given us to bless others in return.

So, instead of dwell on the question of “Why me, Lord?” I’ll cling to this verse in the book of Luke and take a responsibility to bless others with the same generosity God has blessed me with:

eHe

“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” (Luke 12:48)

A day in the field...

Sorry for the long break away from my blog (I blame it on Twitter, Facebook, texting and other distractions!).

Here are some photos I shot this past November when I went to field training with my father-in-law and his Vizsla, Maggie, near Monroe, NC (out in the hollars as we say in the South). Spartacus came along too and pretended he was a bird dog - although I made him wear his sweater since it was cold :)

The lighting was amazing because we were there in the morning and the red coats of the dogs look great in the sunlight.

Enjoy!