The Father's Daughter

I remember going to the bank with my mom once as a little girl. Standing in the line to be waited on was an older gentleman who looked like he had experienced a hard life. Even as an elementary age school girl, I could tell that life wasn't easy for this man. His clothes were dirty, his hair unkempt, his appearance dissheveled. I remember feeling sorry for him.

Fast foward thirty-plus years to today. As I drove out of a shopping area today, having bought craft supplies and eaten at a fast food place, I saw a woman holding a sign. "Single mom. Out of work. Please help. God bless you." Those weren't her exact words, but that's the general idea of what she held. I had just spent money on frivolous things, yet here she was dressed in a simple t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, standing by the side of the intersection as car after car drove by without stopping. I rolled down my window a bit and handed her some cash. I could hardly hear her as she said "thank you" and "God bless you" over and over, almost as if she were too ashamed to speak out loud. Then I drove away.

Fifteen minutes later I was calling my husband to vent about some poor customer service I had received. I was downright mad. Not just aggrevated. Mad. I felt justified in my anger.

On the way home, I drove by the same shopping center. She was still there. Standing in the 80 degree weather, full sun bearing down on her. No shade. No respite. I continued driving. But then my heart nudged me. "She's going to get sun-burned." " She's thirsty." "How humiliating to have to stand there and hold a sign, begging." My heart wouldn't let me keep driving. I turned around and drove to a store in the shopping center near her, and bought some sunscreen, water, and snacks. When I gave them to her, I told her I had stopped earlier and had worried about her when I drove away. I wanted her to have these things. As I drove away, I saw her step back from the road, turn aside, and wipe her eyes.

As I drove home, I thought to myself, "What if that were my daughter in 25 years? What if my sweet child ran into hard times and couldn't provide for her family? What if she had no one to turn to for help?" Then an even greater thought came to my mind and heart....that woman IS someone's daughter. She is God's daughter. How many times have I driven by someone needing help? How many times have I rushed away from the check-out at a store to get home to my stuff, my duties? How many times have I gotten impatient driving down the road and honked at someone because I'm in a hurry and they aren't helping me get where I need to be by driving slowly? We are surrounded every day by the children of God. Some are in obvious need of help...like the lady today. Some are less obvious. Sometimes you have to look deep into their eyes to see the need. Sometimes they won't look you directly in the eye because it hurts too much....maybe they look just slightly to the side of your face instead. Too often I judge and think, she's not trying hard enough. She could get a job if she really wanted to. But then I thought, you know what? It's not my place to judge. That's God's job. My place is to love. Like Jesus loved when he walked this earth. My place is to love, no questions asked. Instead of focusing on my anger or frustration, I am called to love. Every day I am surrounded by his children. What a joy to be able to help someone if even just for today. What a joy.

Guinness Irish Beef Stew

This past Saturday, I made a new dish for dinner that I have to admit was amazingly good. My sweet Cameron especially loved it. Even if you're like me and don't enjoy the taste of beer, the flavors in this dish are so deep and complex that your mouth just says, "Yum!"

Guinness Irish Beef Stew

2 Tb. olive oil
2 lb. beef shoulder roast, cut into thin slices
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ cups well-reduced beef stock
2/3 cup stout Guinness
¼ cup butter
6 oz. thick-sliced bacon, chopped
8 oz. mini portabella mushrooms, sliced
3 oz. shallots, peeled and cut in half
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ bag frozen carrots/peas

1.       Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven and fry the meat, in batches, for a few minutes until evenly browned. Transfer to a plate. Saute the onion, leeks, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes in the pan.

2.       Add the meat back to dutch oven with the vegetables, and add the garlic. Pour in the stock and Guinness and stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 ½ hours.

3.       Remove the meat from the pan and strain the cooking liquid and reserve. Discard the vegetables.

4.       Clean the pan. Then in the same pan, sauté the bacon, mushrooms and shallots in the butter for 5-10 minutes. When the vegetables are tender, sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, over low heat for 2-3 minutes, then slowly blend in the cooking liquid, and cook, stirring, until it thickens.

5.       Tear/chop meat into small pieces. Return the meat to the pan. Stir in carrots and peas. Reheat, stirring until well combined. Serve with mashed potatoes.

You may wonder, "Where has she been?"

Well, as I look at the date of my last post, I realize that it's been more than 3 months since my last post! As Nessa would say, holy guacamole! Reflecting on why I haven't posted, I came up with several reasons:
1) My early posts were very philosophical in nature. I guess my mind wandered to the more mundane for a while?
2) Our home computer quit working...dead as a doornail...nothing. Cameron, my whiz of a husband, determined that the power source had been fried and fixed it.
3) Then Thanksgiving and Christmas happened. Need I say more?


So, to kick off the new year, I decided to post the recipe for a delicious and easy dinner that we had last night. It has a lot of flavor packed into a pretty simple dish. I found the initial recipe on a cooking website, but then I tweaked it a bit.

Roasted Anaheim Pepper Chicken Over Smashed Potatoes

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

seasoning salt

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil for pan
1 (10 ounce) tub Philadelphia Savory Garlic cooking creme
2 Anaheim peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 slices Virginia ham, chopped
1/2 can petite diced tomatoes, drained

Smashed red potatoes (with skins on, butter, salt, milk added to reach desired consistency.)

1. Put a little olive oil in large skillet (I use a mister for this.) Heat skillet over medium heat.

2. Season the chicken with the seasoning salt and pepper and place in skillet to cook. Brown chicken on both sides. Once chicken is browned, place the lid on the skillet to trap steam, and continue cooking for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

3. Remove chicken from pan, leaving juices in the pan. Chop chicken to bite-sized pieces and return to skillet.

4. Stir in cooking creme, peppers, ham and tomatoes. Be sure to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you stir. They'll add a yummy depth of flavor to your dish. Continue to heat over medium-low heat until heated through.

5. Serve with smashed red potatoes.


Happy Eating!

Comfort food for fall

I recently tried a new recipe I found in the October 2011 issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray. A delicious aroma wafted through our house all afternoon as the mixture of chicken and herbs simmered away in the slow cooker, tempting my nose and promising a delicious meal to come. That evening, my husband must have told me at least three times while he ate that it was "delicious." Creating in the kitchen brings me joy. Bringing joy to my husband after a long day at work? That's even better. I hope you and your family enjoy a bit of comfort, cooked up in a crockpot, with a dash of love stirred in.

Tarragon Chicken (crockpot)

½ cup plus 2 Tb. Chicken broth

4 Tb. Spicy brown mustard (I used Gulden’s) or Dijon mustard

Up to 4 lb. chicken pieces (I used 2 boneless, skinless breasts,  as well as 4 bone-in, skinless thighs)

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. dried tarragon (or 2 Tb. chopped fresh tarragon)

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tb. cornstarch

1 lemon, finely zested and juiced

1 Tb. chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

¼ tsp. dried tarragon (or 1 Tb. chopped fresh tarragon)

1 package cooked, buttered noodles (pappardelle is my favorite)

1.       Pour the broth into a 6- to 7-quart slow cooker that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; rub the chicken with the seasoned mustard. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and top with the garlic and 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or 2 Tb. fresh). Cover and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thigh away from the bone registers 165 degrees or above, about 5 hours.

2.       Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. Strain the pan juices into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. In a small bowl, combine the cream and cornstarch. Whisk the mixture into the saucepan and cook until the sauce is thickened; stir in the lemon juice. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken pieces, reserving the other half to serve in a gravy boat to serve with the cooked noodles.

3.       In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, parsley, and ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon (or 1 Tb. fresh). Sprinkle half of the lemon-herb mixture over the chicken, stir the remaining into the reserved sauce.

4.       ENJOY!

I don't proclaim to be a deep or profound thinker...I'm a wife and stay-at-home Mom. But I am a daughter of the King and a follower of Jesus. Maybe that's why, every once in a while, I see a glimpse of what my Jesus sees in this beautiful world. Some may call me odd for sharing my "glimpses," but I call myself blessed.
A couple of nights ago, our daughter, Nessa, asked a question about the stars in the night sky. I explained to her that the stars we see are actually the light from uncountable suns so far away that we'll never see them in our lifetime. Yet God gave us the joy of looking into a nighttime sky and marveling at his wondrous, creative hand. As often happens with children, a different conversation stemmed from the original conversation. My husband, Cameron, explained how everything we see is actually light. The endless variations of color that we see on a daily basis are reflections of light coming from those objects which we then perceive as color. So today, as I walked through the produce department at the local grocery, I was struck by the sheer multitude of colors God chose to paint his beautiful, life-giving fruits and vegetables. How beautiful! And how beautiful to think that every day we see light, created by the Light, for us to enjoy his creation in which we have the privelege of living. How even more beautiful!

Each and every day I search for a little taste of God's beauty to enjoy and appreciate. Whether it's the trees whispering praises to their Creator or our children collapsing on the floor in a fit of giggles, I am amazed by the little gifts of joy that Jesus places in my life every day. Whether I'm cooking, playing the piano, quilting, crafting, or simply doing the dishes, I am continually blessed with reminders of His ever-present spirit, giving my life joy in the beauty.