Santa's Got A Brand New Bag

Last Wednesday a good friend of mine and I went to IKEA - pretty much my second residence!  I wanted to check out their new Christmas ornaments and get another pot for my largely expanding herb garden, while my newly-wedded friend needed some other home-ish necessities. Little did I know I would stumble across this beauty in my travels.  Now let me preface this blog by saying  I have wanted a cast iron pot since before we were been married in 2007.  I registered for one, but of course it being somewhere in the $150 range, I didn't get one - hey a girl can dream can't she?  If you know me, three years is a long awaited purchase.  I'm a get it done kind of girl so my patience truly was a blessing - who knew!  However, the best news has yet to come - this was in the clearance section for........drumroll, 29 bucks!  It wasn't returned or damaged but was merely a display item not needed any more. YAHOO! And by the way, the bigger the "dutch oven" the more expensive and this one is huge measuring over 12 inches wide not to mention her nice oblong shape.  Needless to say I will find some use for it on Thanksgiving even if I have to serve rolls in it! Boy do I love a good - and long awaited - deal.

Gimme Your Tots!

For my last birthday, my dearest husband bought me a TON of my favorite food network stars' DVD series.  One of my favorites, who is a little lesser known, is Anne Burrell.  She is hilarious and if you don't know who she is, think about the lady with the crazy bleach blonde pixie hair, whit to kill, and whom often speaks in a growling voice.  Ring any bells?  Okay - just google it.  Anyways, this recipe was on one of the DVDs that I received and although I'm not a huge mash-tater fan, this recipe includes heavy cream so I can only imagine it tasting pretty close to heavenly.  Again, this is for THANKSGIVING, the holiday that exhorts gluttony so just roll with it and repent later.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, washed and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, warm
• 1 stick cold butter, cut into 9 pats

Directions

1. Place the potatoes and garlic in a large sauce pan. Cover with 1 to 2 inches cold water and season generously with salt. The water should taste like the sea. TASTE IT! If the water is under seasoned at this point it will be hard to have a well seasoned end product. 
2. Bring the pot of water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. 
3. Drain the potatoes and garlic well and pass through a food-mill or ricer. DO NOT use a food processor or blender. It will result in a very sticky and rubbery end product.
4. While passing the potatoes, bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Once the cream has come to a boil remove from the heat.
5. While the potatoes are still hot add 1/3 of the cream and butter and stir vigorously into the potatoes.
6. Repeat this process 2 more times until all of the cream and butter has incorporated. 
7. Taste the potatoes for seasoning and add salt, if needed. 
8. Serve immediately or cover with foil and keep warm in an oven on low heat.

New Layout

What do you think?  
Also, I got a little signature.  
Pretty sweet.  Any thoughts?


Sincerely,

The "Green Stuff"

This recipe hales from the great state of Minnesota i.e. my mother-in-law.  She is a born and raised Midwesterner and knows all about the word "salad."  Now to me, salad means things like lettuce & croutons but trust me, as any Minnesotan and they'll tell you differently.  If this seems confusing to you then you need to see the movie "New In Town."  However, if you haven't acquainted yourself with the, hmm, culture, you are missing out - Don't ya know?  So onto this beloved recipe which I'd say is a GREAT substitute for lettuce and croutons any day of the week - it is green right?

Randall Scale:
Grocery...............$7-9
Skill Rating..........a blind person could make it (no offense)
Serving Size........10-15 (this recipe is doubled)
Prep time.............30 seconds + refrigeration over night


Ingredients:

• 2 boxes JELLO Pistachio Pudding
• 2 tubs 8 oz cool whip
• 20 oz can crush pineapple in juice (not syrup)
• 3 cup mini marsh mellows 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts *optional*

Prepare:

1. Mix all dry JELLO mix with pineapple - combine well.
2. Add walnuts if you so desire, we never add nuts but if you're feeling nutty...haha.
3. Add marsh, combine again.
4. Fold in cool whip.  Be sure not to over mix or it won't hold.
5. Pour into serving dish or mold and allow to sit in fridge overnight.  
6. Serve WITH main course - yes you heard me right. I LOVE THE MIDWEST!

Broccoli & Cheese? Yes Please.

Good Evening Ladies & Gents!  This here is the kick off for my Thanksgiving recipe series - I do hope you enjoy them and dare I say, try them out this upcoming turkey day!  The first star to enter the spotlight is the daring and rather, unusual Broccoli Vee Casserole.  Now - know this, I don't eat broccoli any other day of the year but this recipe makes me want to swim in it - props to my Mom as she is the brilliant mastermind behind hiding good things is bad food (that will make more sense once you see the recipe). Now before you jump all over my velveeta, yes, you use velveeta in this recipe, you have to try it.  It doesn't taste like velveeta when used in this recipe because all you can taste is buttery ritz cracker goodness.  Here we go!


Randall Scale:
Grocery......................$12.00
Skill Rating..................Kindergarten Friendly
Serving Size................10-12 peeps
Prep Time...................30-40 minutes tops


Ingredients:

• 1 large bag frozen broccoli florets 
• 1 medium brick Velveeta Cheese
• 1/2 stick-a-butta
• 1-2 sleeves Ritz Crackers
• 1 casserole dish (somewhere around 12 by 12)

Prepare:

1. Open cheese. Now, again, I know Velveeta is the king of all kings of processed cheese - heck you get it OFF THE SHELF next to the pasta sauce.  If you just can't bear to use dear old V then substitute this with a nice melty cheese like gouda or gruyere.
2. Cube into small 1/2 inch bites - pop a few if you are so inclined.
3. Remove Ritz sleeve numero uno and empty contents into gallon sized ziplock.  Bang bang bang til its nice and crumbly, but not too fine - a good time for the kids to help.
4. Take broccoli out of freezer and pour into greased casserole dish or corning wear.
5. Cover broccoli with cubed cheese like it's your number one job. Mmm mmm good.  
6. Cover cheese with Ritzy ditzy crumbs, if you run out of crumbs enlist the kid's help again and proceed to cover completely.
7. Remove half stick of butter from fridge.  Melt in microwave and pour over crackers - this keeps getting better and better, my mouth is watering!
8. Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.  Cook for 15-18 minutes.  Watch.  When finished, the crackers should be golden brown and crispy and the cheese yummily melted.  If not put back into oven until crispiness and meltiness is achieved.
9. ENJOY & HAVE SECONDS!

My Latest Shoot - The DiBernardo Family!

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of shooting portraits for the DiBernardo Family!  Their three kids are nothings short of adorable and it was such a gorgeous day outside that it was really more fun than work! I hope you enjoy this little snapshot (forgive the pun) of their photoshoot at Madard Park!

Marvelous & Holy

You see a painting & it's beauty - it doesn't take a brilliant man to know that a painter created it. 
You see the earth and it's intricacies of design, the perfect workings of the human body are evidence enough for the existence of an Intelligent Designer. 
Consider the human eye: it is made up of more than two million working parts - TWO MILLION!  The eye is a ball with a lense on one side that has a light sensitive retina made up of rods and cones inside the other. The lense itself has a sturdy protective covering called the cornea that sits over the iris which designed to protect the eye from excessive light. The eye contains an amazing watery substance that is replaced every four hours, tear glands that continually flush the outside clean, an eyelid that sweeps the secretions over the cornea to keep it moist, and eyelashes to protect the eye from dust. On top of that EXTRAORDINARY muscles are attached to the eyes that instantaneously move the eye and shape the lense at the same time for the function of focus.  Did this amazing piece of complex machinery come together by some mindless process & random series of accidents?  Atheists have to muster up the faith to answer, "yes" to that question. I don't have enough faith to be an atheist. [alwaysbeready.com/Charlie Campell] In speaking about the human eye, Charles Darwin (world renowned proponent of Darwinism, natural selection, & evolution) says, "The eye to this day, gives me a cold shudder. To suppose that the eye [...] could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree."  Even Darwin knew there had to be something, or rather, Someone greater.
It seems so simple to me to KNOW that there is a Creator.  
Another example for you: 
"You could leave the barren side of a mountain exposed to wind, rain, the forces of nature, chance and millions of years of time …and you would never get a Mt. Rushmore, let alone a living, breathing human being. Why? It takes intelligence. You need intelligent intervention. [It took 400 intelligent workers fourteen years (1927-1941) to carve those four faces. And George and Abe just stare at you. They don’t talk. They don’t smile. They don’t do anything. How much more intelligence would it take to create a living breathing human being? Good question.] As Dr. Norman Geisler points out, it would take great intelligence to create a robot that operates like a human, and it would take even greater intelligence to create a real human being. No one alive today would believe that the faces of Mt. Rushmore came about by millions of years of... erosion, wind, rain and undirected random acts. And yet atheists believe that real-life human beings with… 206 bones, 640 muscles and hearts that beat over 100,000 times a day…are the product of a mindless, random series of accidents. This is foolish." (Charlie Campell)
And even greater truth, this one is my favorite, that this Creator - that created the vast mountains & fields & oceans & everything in them - this Creator created ME in His image.  I bear the image of Christ!  Christian, how encouraging to us!  He could have made the beautiful mountains or the deep oceans in His image, but he chose to make US like Him. I simply cannot contain such amazing news.  I am in complete awe of my God's love for me. "Oh love of God how rich and pure, shall forevermore endure.  How measureless and strong, the saints and angels song we sing, HOLY HOLY!"
How can you not believe, I ask you?  Or rather, how can you believe & keep the news to yourself?  We only have one job, and that is to go forth and make disciples of ALL nations!  Whether that be leaving the comfort of our own homes to tell others, telling our neighbors while checking the mailbox, or moving to a third world country, spread the Good News!  Jesus, perfect and without sin, came to this earth and took on the image of man.  Not only that but he came without reputation.  He dwelt among us and yet even those who SAW Him denied Him.  I will not deny my Father, nor keep His reputation quiet.  He is the author of my life, the designer of my physical being, the lover of my soul, and I am made WHOLE because of Jesus' atonement on the cross. He died and rose again so that I can go to heaven - that's good news enough!  I get to go to heaven and be with Him forever!
Challenging myself to "make disciples" today and everyday.
"Oh God be my everything, be my delight. Jesus my glory, my soul satisfied!"


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