sweet simplicity

I’m missing the ranch a lot lately. My heart is so ready to be back.

 Jesus cast a look on me, Give me sweet simplicity, Make me poor and keep me low, Seeking only Thee to know.

All that feeds my busy pride, Cast it evermore aside, Bid my will to Thine submit, Lay me humbly at Thy feet

 Make me like a little child, Of my strength and wisdom spoiled, Seeing only in Thy light,Walking only in Thy might

Leaning on Thy loving breast, Where a weary soul can rest, Feeling well the peace of God, Flowing from His precious blood

In this posture let me live, And hosannas daily give, In this temper let me die, And hosannas ever cry!

-John Berridge

Boondock Saints and Irish Soda Bread

With March right around the corner & St. Patricks day coming soon after, it seemed appropriate to spend my Saturday morning baking Irish Soda Bread and learning the Boondock Saints Theme song on the fiddle.

Irish Soda Bread is a type of quick bread that uses baking soda as its rising agent. Traditionally, it was to be made in a cast-iron pot or a dutch oven that could be placed right onto the coals of a fire. The base ingredients consist of flour, buttermilk, salt, and baking soda. However, other ingredients are often added including: rasins, currants, oatmeal, dates, and caraway seeds.  Let me tell you this bread was about as easy as it gets. No yeast, no kneading and NO RISE TIME. All you need are about 5 simple ingredients and 1 hour (and a good Irish Pub Pandora Station).

What you end up with is a rustic loaf of bread with a golden crusty outer layer and a chewy scone-like center. I decided to add the oatmeal and honey to give it a richer flavor. I also drizzled honey on the crust during the last few minutes of baking time. I’m telling you, I could have finished off the loaf by myself, it was that good.

Serve  warm with honey.

Music parining: Boondock Saints Theme Song (“The Blood of Cuchulainn”)

Honey & Oatmeal Irish Soda Bread

adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (feel free to substitute whole wheat flour if you want)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup rolled oats

3 TBSP honey

1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and rolled oats in a bowl.

2. Add honey and mix well.

3. Mix in the buttermilk and form a dough.

4. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a ball. Place it on a greased baking sheet and dust with flour.

5. With a knife, cut an x about 1/2 inch thick into the top of the bread

5. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 35-40 minutes (the top should be golden brown).

*No Buttermilk in the fridge? No worries, in a measuring cup, place 1 TBSP lemon juice and then add milk to fill up the cup. Let it sit for about 4 minutes. This substitution should work just fine.

Bluegrass Saturday and Sweet Potato Fries

World Cafe (WXPN) often has a great bluegrass session on Saturday afternoons. Check it out. Especially on a rainy day like today, it will be just what you are in the mood to listen too.

Sweet Potatoes are so versatile and inexpensive. I eat at least 5-6 a week… no seriously, I love them. But sweet potato fries are a great side option for any meal. They are simple to prepare and are packed with so many good-for-ya nutrients. I love the combination of Cinnamon & Chili powder on these fries. They are slightly sweet and have a little chili powder kick. Got about 20-30 minutes of free time, try this recipe.

music pairing: Alison Krauss & Union Station “Unionhouse Branch”

Spicy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

1-2 medium sweet potatoes

sea salt

pepper

cinnamon

chili powder

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425. Wash and clean the pototoes. Cut into 1/2 inch slices (I like to leave the skin on). Drizzle the fries with olive oil and toss onto a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and chili powder (careful now, its spicy). Bake the fries until tender. Sorry, I can’t remember how long it takes, my bad. ENJOY!

Cookie Cake

Happy late Valentine’s Galentines Day y’all (for you Parks & Rec watchers)

I posted this recipe a few years ago, but it is worth posting again. This cookie cake is chewy, moist, and so easy to make. It does not require any butter, but not to worry, it is just as delicious as any Paula Dean recipe. I always add extra vanilla (like 1-2 teaspoons extra) because I love my cookies to have a rich vanilla flavor. This cookie cake works well with any kind of fillers: M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, pecans, toffee, peanut butter chips. Be creative.

Quick Candy Cookie Sticks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup Baking M&Ms

1) Preheat oven to 350. Mix sugars, oil, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in 1/4 cup M&Ms.

2) Divide dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet into whatever size and shape you want.  As long as you flatten it until it is about 1/2 ” thick. My mom divides it into 4 ovals. However, you can see I made one huge heart. Sprinkle the rest of the M&Ms onto the cookie cake and press into the dough.

3) Bake 6-8 minutes until the edges are golden. Take out and let cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes. EAT!

*make sure to take the cookie cake out as soon as the edges are set, to prevent it from being too dry. As long as you make the cake pretty thin, it will continue to bake as you let it cool on the pan.

sunrise

5:30 comes early every morning, yet…

every morning, from my front porch, this is what I get to watch.

The love of Christ is rich and free;
Fixed on His own eternally;
Nor earth, nor hell, can it remove;
Long as He lives, His own He’ll love.

 His loving heart engaged to be
Their everlasting Surety;
’Twas love that took their cause in hand,
And love maintains it to the end.

Chorus: Love cannot from its post withdraw;
Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law,
Can turn the Surety’s heart away;
He’ll love His own to endless day.

 Love has redeemed His sheep with blood;
And love will bring them safe to God;
Love calls them all from death to life;
And love will finish all their strife.

 He loves through every changing scene,
Nor aught from Him can Zion wean;
Not all the wanderings of her heart
Can make His love for her depart.
(Repeat chorus)

 At death, beyond the grave, He’ll love;
In endless bliss, His own shall prove
The blazing glory of that love
Which never could from them remove.

Words: William Gadsby

Music: Sandra McCracken

Sautéed Butternut Squash and Spinach

denying the blog.

why, you ask?

Because:

-I’m student teaching this semester AND trying to be a somewhat social college student

-My computer crashed ( over 15,000 pictures & 6,000+ songs… I am praying they can be recovered)

-I’m now a member of a bluegrass/rock band (rowdy but heartfelt) 

Trying to manage a lot of things at the moment, and I just had to forget about the blog for a while. So my posts will  be few and far between. Oh well, such is life. Someday I will be able to post on a regular basis.

My love for butternut squash has grown exponentially. I eat it quite a lot. It is just so versital and delicious.  I have used it in soup, made homemade gnocchi, roasted it with olive oil, and today I tried sauteing it.Saturday and Sunday are usually my experimentation/cleaning out the pantry cooking days. This recipe is simple, fresh, and very flavorful. I bought this squash from Greg’s Produce Barn and it was fabulous!

music pairing: Beirut, “Santa Fe”

Butternut Squash & Sauteed Spinach

1 butternut squash

1-2 cups fresh spinach

lemon juice

salt & peppa

parmesan cheese

olive oil

Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1 inch cubes. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a medium size pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the squash until it is tender (season with salt and pepper). Add the fresh spinach (maybe a little more olive oil) and sauté until it is wilted and cooked through, adding the lemon juice and a little salt and pepper. Serve warm and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.