{7 ways to find solitude}

Lately I have been challenged to live a more simple life. After discussing this topic with our friends Cameron and Beth, and reading the New York Times article "The Joy of Quiet," I understood more about the ways technology and media can suffocate us and take away from true freedom and healthy communication. I am guilty of this attachment to technology, and I want to run from it.

I know that solitude is important, yet I keep filling my time to the point of stress. I am constantly busy and ignoring my need for quiet and stillness, even at the most crucial moments of chaos and overstimulation. Christmas break has reminded me to be more intentional with my time and to consistently practice the spiritual disciplines.

Source: jetheart.tumblr.com via Barbara

If you are anything like me, you might benefit from my list of  7 things to help find solitude in life:

1. check online communication only once or twice a day: don't let yourself be attached to your computer, TV, or phone. If you are with another human being, give them your full attention. Instead of checking Facebook or watching mindless TV when you're bored, do something that will rejuvenate you.

2. read before bed: Jordan and I read every night before bed. It is one of my favorite parts of the day. This habit slows you down and prepares you for a nights rest, and it gives you time in stillness that you probably desperately need. Plus, reading for pleasure is good for you. If you're a student, you will especially cherish this time with a book of your own choice :)

3. spend your first hour of the morning in solitude: wake up, make your breakfast, brew your coffee, and sit. Do whatever suits your needs and personality. Spend time with the Lord, read your Bible or devotional, write in your journal, or just sit and think. Start your day right.

4. cook or bake something new: time in the kitchen can be therapeutic. find a new and interesting recipe and make it. take your time, turn on some classical music, and tie your apron. Make a mess and don't apologize. This is a time for you to prepare something from scratch with your own hands.

5. exercise outside: exercising at the gym is good, but exercising in nature is even better. sometimes you just need to be outside and breathing in fresh air. Go on a walk, jog, (or hike if possible), and soak up all that is around you.

6. sit in silence: this one is simple. Just sit and let your mind flow. This might be challenging, but it's worth it after you experience it a few times. We need to sit in absolute stillness in order to really hear ourselves think. This is the best way to hear God and to understand yourself in a very vulnerable way.

7. do a weekly review: when the week is done, sit down and review everything that happened. Process it in your own way. Journal, talk about it with someone, or make lists. Review your goals and assess where and how your time was spent. This will allow you to be more intentional with your time.

If you want to really see what solitude looks like, watch this video. A simple task has never been so beautiful.

The Art of Making Bread

the art of making bread from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

{meals this week}

Being a full time student = no time to cook real food. 

Well, maybe there is time, but by dinner I'm just too exhausted and overwhelmed with homework to make an extravagant meal for two. Sometimes Jordan and I ask our on campus friends to kindly swipe us meals at the college, or we just make something easy like soup and sandwiches. This week we had a day of breakfast for dinner. Red Berries tea, Cheerios, and oatmeal. I was content. Today I went next door to the girls' house for a meal cooked by our new friend, Lawson. He made a fancy shmancy and delicious dinner for us: tomato basil soup with mushrooms, pesto pasta, seasoned mozzarella & tomatos, baked brie crescents, and garlic cheese bread. Our stomachs were full and to be honest, we were all pretty impressed.

 Now I am inspired and determined to try cooking at least one real meal a week. We will start there and see if I can stick to it. Wish me luck.

{Butternut Squash Soup}

Ingredients:
- butternut squash
- 1 small onion
- carrot
- celery
- potato
- nutmeg
- cinnamon
- chicken broth (about 32 oz.)
- italien seasoning
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp. butter

Peirce the squash with a fork, bake in the oven at 400 degrees for one hour.  Melt the butter in a pot on the stove, chop and add veggies, add seasoning, let cook for about 5mins. Pour the chicken broth over the veggies until covered. Bring to a boil, add the rest of chicken broth, cover, simmer for about 40mins. After squash is done, peel the skin and scoop out the seeds. Cut squash and add to veggie pot for a few minutes. Transfer the soup to the food processor in sections until the entire pot is pureed.

( I know, it looks like baby food. Never mind that.)

This whole process took me a little over an hour. You can alter the amount of veggies you use or add your own seasonings or other fun ingredients to it. I have heard that adding sour cream to this soup is great too. I didn't measure most of it because I was making it up as I went along. By the time I was done I ended up with a giant bowl of soup that is going to last me all week :)

You know what else? Plain butternut squash without any of the other veggies is real tasty too. So if you only have the squash, go for it.

Fun fact: In Ireland, all the soup is pureed. You never know what's in the soup, it just tastes really yummy. It's almost like solving a mystery.

I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did. Please tell me if you end up using this recipe!

{My First Pie}

For our friend Hannah's return home after being sick with the mono, we threw a party. A party to celebrate her health and also an excuse for our group of friends to have a summer grill out with yummy food.

The breakdown of the meal: grilled chicken sandwiches, corn on the cob with honey butter, roasted veggies, pasta salad, lime chips and salsa, and juicy peaches. Beth and I organized the meal, Jordan and Cam handled the meat, and Han helped with the rest. Thankfully the girls live next door, so we had two kitchens and lots of space to work, including our great big porch for the boys to do the grilling business. 

My favorite part of the night was surprising Han with a blueberry pie. My first pie ever, and I think it turned out to be a success. Really, I was glad to finally get domestic and spend the entire day in the kitchen. It felt so good.

YUMMMMM.

{summer snacks}

 This week I have been inspired by food. I have made it my new goal to experiment and put a little more effort into what I make and put into my body. With this new mindset, I spent over three hours yesterday devouring my cooking binder, which is an amazing tool and work of art my Mother made for me as a wedding gift. She clipped articles on food tips, saved recipes from magazines and books, and then organized all of the hundreds of clippings into categories for me to refer to as I cook and learn more about food. I found great ideas for meals and new ways to use herbs and spices that I never knew existed. I had way too much fun, and it didn't stop there. 

After I finished with the binder, I moved on to blogs. Food blogs, video blogs about food, and websites that offer healthy and unique recipes. Next, I went to my cookbooks. After hours of this, I finally narrowed down our shopping list for the week with each meal planned as well as some new desserts to attempt. Wow. 

So today I started out with a few of my summer favorites. 

 1. Salsa. I have blogged about homemade salsa before, but I need to mention it again. This is what I crave all summer long, and I finally got to make it today. I use Roma tomatoes, green and red pepper, onion, garlic, salt, cilantro, and fresh lime. perfection.

 

 

2. My drink of choice in the hot months: crystal light lime margarita flavored lemonade mixed with cranberry pomegranate juice. I think I have already drank 3 glasses today.

3. Cheddar and horseradish cheese spread with wheat thins. Perfect for a mid-day snack. This one is a childhood favorite of mine. 

Food is good.

What is your favorite summer snack or recipe? I would love to have some more ideas to add to my collection.

Salsa Salsa




I have been craving homemade salsa this month. Last summer, I helped my friend Marie make salsa, and I fell in love with the taste of flavorful and fresh chunky peppers and tomatoes. She inspired me to try it out on my own.

My salsa experiment started with Meijer. I found all of the ingredients in about a half hour (I was a little distracted by the odd fruits and veggies I had never seen before).


What I used:

Red pepper
Green pepper
Yellow pepper
Orange pepper
3 Roma tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
Cilantro
Onion salt
Freshly squeezed lime juice




I found a cutting board, a big knife, and I cleared the table for a large work space. Chopping everything into little pieces took hours. A food processor would have been a magical help, but I managed without it.



Molly wanted to help with the salsa. She was great company as always.

After much chopping and playing with the ingredients, I finally had the perfect tasting salsa.





....after I made the salsa, I realized that guacamole was a must have for our Mexican meal that evening.









It only took a few minutes to whip up the mixture of tomatoes, avocado, garlic, and onion. I was pleased with the final result, and my sister was the biggest fan of both my creations.


Dinner was especially yummy that night, and I was happy to contribute in some small way. I think I will be making this on a regular basis from now on.

I suggest that everyone attempts making their own unique salsa. The best part is, there is no specific recipe you have to follow. Experiment and try something new!