Cinnamon

I was very recently introduced to a new type of cinnamon, called Vietnamese cinnamon.  I always thought cinnamon was cinnamon.  I didn't know there were different kinds.  Kind of like basil.  I can't just go to the nursery and pick up a basil plant for my garden.  I have to choose which kind of basil.  Oh boy.  Me and decisions just don't mix well.  I just figure this is God's way of telling me I am now old enough to handle choices.  I can learn to decide.  I'm a big girl now!  Anyway, back to cinnamon.

A friend of mine has a certain affection for spices.  I do, too.  We learned that about each other recently and it led to a wonderful conversation about cooking, baking and a new spice shop in Omaha I have to find.  She opened up her spice cabinet for me and started pulling out jars and bottles of beautiful spices; some I was familiar with, others were new to me.  Vietnamese cinnamon (a.k.a, Saigon cinnamon) was one of the new ones.  The smell is just heavenly.  I have had a difficult time putting into words its scent.  It is very much like the cinnamon we are used to, but different enough to make you say, "Wow!  That's nice!"  So I Googled "Vietnamese cinnamon" and hit upon the King Arthur Flour website.  I'm familiar with King Arthur Flour and figured they might know what they were talking about when it came to baking goods. I'll share with you again the fruits of my research.

Vietnamese cinnamon is sweeter, more aromatic than the Indonesian cinnamon we find in grocery stores.  It is ground from the dried, cultivated bark of cinnamon cassia grown in Vietnam.   It has a higher oil content and therefore disperses more evenly through baked goods.  So your goodies will taste more "cinnamony" through and through.  KAF compares this cinnamon and regular cinnamon to a cup of rich espresso and a cup of watery coffee from a highway vending machine.  I think this makes the difference quite clear, don't you?

Which brings me to why I'm writing about cinnamon on French Press Friday.  I poured myself a mug of the heavenly, black goodness, added my half and half and then sprinkled on a good measure of Vietnamese cinnamon.  And...it...was...delicious.

Have a blessed weekend!

Worry Wart

Worrywart, n. :
 one who worries excessively
 and needlessly.



I might safely say that this has been me on several occassions.  Full of "what if's" and "Yeah, but's", I can think a situation to death and talk myself out of almost anything.  I can also turn what would be a fairly benign situation into a potential plague that might just destroy me!  I'm a thinker.  And that is not a bad thing; it can just get me into trouble now and again.

Still chewing through Grace Upon Grace, I read some gems on worry.

"Most of us, unless we are singularly serene, spend much time and energy in worrying, an activity that accomplishes little or nothing because it presupposes that the success of our relationships and work depends entirely on us and on our plans."  (pg. 181)

Did you catch the italicized part?  How true that is.  If I do this, then....  If I remember to tell him this, then..  If I can show her that...  If I...   If I...  If I...  Then the worry starts.  And I don't know about you, but when I reallly get to worrying, I start to feel alone.  Now if that's not Satan at work!  He gets you to worry then makes you feel alone.  How can anything get any better after that?  Here's another gem from Grace Upon Grace:

"...like guilt and shame, worry is a gift from God; He uses it to make us aware of our needs and our dependence on His gracious provision for us in everything." (pg 181)

Again, the italics.  Worry, a gift?  I had to stop there for a moment and let it sink in.  That put a whole new twist on it for me.  When I consider worry a gift, I consider the One who takes the worry away.  I consider the One who provides for all my needs. Worry can have us in three places at once, the past, the present and the future.  We miss what God has  given us, is doing for us, NOW.  Turn the worrying into thanksgiving.

"Our worries fall back into place once we give thanks.  (St.) Paul therefore urges us to use our worries as a God-given catalyst for daily thanksgiving and prayer.  That's how God's grace turns us into people who practice the daily art of prayer."  (pg 181)

Am I still going to worry?  You bet!  I'll worry with the best of them.  But I think learning this will help to keep the worry at bay. And, what a blessing, it will cause me to pray.  Because now every time I worry I will think of giving thanks.  I may even lose the self-given title of "worrywart".  Maybe a "worrry beauty mark" instead. 

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chipsters

Oh my, yes, you read that right!  Chunky peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate - num!  Made these cookies yesterday for the first time and I have to share the recipe.  They are so good and hearty and full of deliciousness.  Well, just read on and see for yourself if you don't have the urge to bake some very soon. 



from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures



3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats (or just use the baking sheets).  Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips.  If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about two hours, or for up to 1 day.  (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)

If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto the baking sheets.  If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2" apart on the baking sheets.  Press the chilled balls gently with the heal of your hand until they are about 1/2" thick.

Bake for 13-15 minutes.  The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges.  Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

I used 1 cup of sucanat and only about 1/4 cup brown sugar because, well, that's all I had!  And they were still plenty sweet.  But my family is used to that, because I've been cutting sugar in half in pretty much everything I bake for quite a while now.  Do as you wish with your recipe.  I chilled my dough and used a cookie scoop, pressing them flat as directed.  I always have such a hard time with cookies - they bake too long, not long enough....  So I really liked the description given about how they should look when you pull them out of the oven.  And the tip about how they'll firm when they cool.  Very helpful for me!  Ah, but cooling the baking sheets.  Skipped that part.  Actually didn't even see it til I typed it out for my post.  Oh well!

Hope you enjoy them as much as we are.  I put most of them in a jar on the counter.  Some went into the freezer.  We'll see how long they last...

French Press Friday

It's Friday already?  Wow, this week went fast.  I really thought I had posted more than once this week.  Maybe I'm just posting in my head....

Last week I introduced, or re-introduced, you to french press coffee.  A friend had a concern about the amount of cholesterol in coffee, specifically french press.  That fact was new to me, so I decided to research a bit about it and share my findings.  Do with it what you may.

The oils, called terpenes, found in coffee tends to be what increases the cholesterol.  These are typically removed by filters.  So, when we use our coffee makers that require filters, we do not need to worry about the impact our morning cup o' joe has on our cholesterol levels.  This made me very sad because I love my french press coffee!  Do I need to give it up?!  I continued my research.

It seems that a healthy person with low cholesterol levels may not need to worry too much about the effects of coffee.  (Happy!)  But what about my friends and family who DO need to be more careful about cholesterol?  For some reason, the following did not surprise me:

"People try to pin a culprit" when it comes to coffee and cholesterol, "but people do not live in an isolated world," says Dr. Gail C. Frank, a professor of nutrition in the department of family and consumer sciences at California State University Long Beach. According to Frank, there are "several pieces to the coffee story," including not only whether people drink filtered or unfiltered coffee, but how much they drink and what they are doing besides drinking coffee‹such as smoking. (link)







It's true.  We don't live in an isolated world.  So many of our choices affect so many aspects of our lives and it seems coffee and cholesterol follow that same truth.  So are you ready for this no-brainer?  If you are a friend or family member who needs to be mindful of cholesterol:

  Eat healthy foods.  Get some regular exercise.  Don't smoke.  Drink plenty of water. And don't go overboard on things that aren't beneficial for you! 

 Here's another good article.  Easy to read.  Nothing about it screams "the sky is falling!!" if you know what I mean.  Just good common sense.

True Love

This morning, after the boyos left for school, I went upstairs to change.  I got waylaid by the light that was left on in JoJo's and Mouse's bedroom.  I went in to turn it off as I've done so many, many times before.  I crossed the room to shut off their radio and open the curtains, and it hit me.  I love my boys so much.  Sometimes the amount of love I feel for them overwhelms me and I can't help but smile.  Even when they leave their lights on and the radio is still singing away.  Even when the dirty clothes are anywhere but the laundry basket.  Even when their room smells like BOY.  Dirty...sweaty.  And I love it.

 And then there's Bud.  That boy is growing up so fast.  I think he's taller than me now.  It makes it strange when I have to discipline him.  I had to the other day and I almost started laughing at the oddity of it.  Guess I'll have to start sitting him down from now on.  So much of the time, though, he is a joy.  He makes me so proud!  More and more of his decisions are showing thought and consideration for others.  Less and less are self-centered.  He babysat his brothers the other day while Hubby and I went to see a high school production of Phantom of the Opera (excellent, by the way).  I was terribly nervous, but he did well.  I guess I knew he would, but a mother's mind can get away from her sometimes and start to think the worst.  He remembered our rules and cared for his brothers.  What more could I ask for?   I'm not ready to leave them home alone in the evening though.  It's different. 

The overpowering sense of pride and love for my boys makes it all worth it.  All the worrying, all the frustration, all the disappointment.  That is all so little, so temporary in the scheme of things.  They are good boys.  They know that Jesus died for them and that every one of their sins is forgiven.  They are my most precious gifts from Heaven.  And I'm thankful I can call them my sons.  My Heavenly Father lavishes me with His grace.

French Press Friday

**WARNING! THIS POST MAY PRODUCE A STRONG URGE FOR COFFEE**

Good Friday morning to you!  At our house, Fridays have become known as French press Fridays. Friday is Hubby's day off, so we take some time to enjoy a cup (or several) of French press coffee.  We take a lot of time to enjoy it.  We sit on the couch and talk, read, share what we're reading.  It's wonderful.  So, in my Queenly fashion, I thought I might officially dub Fridays as "French Press Fridays".  There.  They are now so dubbed.

In case you don't know about French presses, I thought I'd provide you with a little enlightenment.  The above picture shows the gorgeous coffee being poured generously out of said French press.  Ohhhh, it looks so good....(and I've already had 2 cups!).  The taste is richer and more aromatic than coffee from a drip brewer.  Although there's nothing wrong with that!  We use a drip brewer most mornings.  But back to our French press.  According to Wikipedia, the first French press (or press pot, coffee plunger, coffee press) was patented by Attilio Calimani in 1929.  It was very rudimentary, basically being a cheesecloth screen fitted to a rod and pressed down through a pot of boiling water. 

Here's another picture.

You can see the post that goes down through the middle of the carafe and the filter attached to the bottom.  Generally it goes like this.  Coffee beans are ground to a coarser grind than would be used for drip coffee makers.  What beans do you use?  That's up to you to discover.  I have used several different roasts, but by far our favorite is Kenya AA.  I haven't been able to find them in the stores anymore so I order 3 bags at a time from Amazon and store them in the freezer.  The ground beans are then put into the press along with hot water.  The ratio is usually 1 rounded tablespoon to 1 "cup" (4 oz.) of water.  Give the "sludge" a stir with a plastic spoon or wooden chopstick so as not to crack the glass.  Then you let it steep anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your personal taste. Slowly and evenly, press down on the plunger.  This forces the grinds to the bottom where they will be trapped by the filter.  Then pour the delicious beverage into your cup and enjoy!  I add half and half, myself.

Brewing coffee like this captures more of the coffee flavor and it's essential oils because they don't get trapped by the paper filter used in drip brewers.  And this wonderful contraption can be used to brew loose leaf tea, too!  How handy, right?  Just do it the same way you would with the coffee.  Put the loose tea in the carafe, then the hot water, stir, let it steep, and pour.  I would transfer all of the tea, after it has steeped, to a warm teapot so it doesn't sit in the water, making the tea too bitter.  Coffee, however, can sit in the press, waiting to be enjoyed as a second cup. 

This beauty to the right is an insulated press made especially for travel use.  I'll be setting aside some money for one of these.  It'll make camping this summer that much more enjoyable!

sadness

So much sadness around me today.  I sit in my sunny room, full of things that make me happy and all I feel is this cloud surrounding my head and shoulders.  It threatens to burst open and drench me in tears.

So many of my thoughts and feelings are sad today.

divorce of friends

lonlieness

disappointment in myself and others

restlessness

anger

I can't see how to get past it today.  The wind blows outside as it does so much in the spring.  I wish it would blow away this cloud of mine.

A New View

Kind of a cool picture, isn't it?  Goggle "change of perspective" and you get all kinds of interesting photos.  I like this one too, although it kind of scares me.

I was having a conversation with a friend several years ago, about how much we dislike certain household chores.  For her, it was laundry.  For me, ironing.  She had come across the notion of simply changing the way we look at our chores, the way we view them.  For example, we may not have servants to help us as in the days of Jane Austen (ahhh...).  No maid, no cook, no maidservant.  But we do have washing machines and dryers, dishwashers, electric irons, even bread machines!  So as my friend dreaded having to do laundry for her family of 5 several times a week, she decided to change her perspective.  She decided to look on that washing machine and that dryer as her servants.  All she had to do was toss in the load and some soap, push a button, crank a knob and she was done!  The hard work of actually cleaning the clothes was left up to her servant.  Not a bad deal, huh?

Now as far as ironing goes, I think I have it tougher.  (Pity me, please?)  I still have to do the work of smoothing out that blasted shirt and ironing out those little curves and wrinkles...oh, how I dislike it.  BUT.  If I challenge myself to change my perspective, I begin to see that all I need to do is plug in my iron and set it to the desired temperature.  Thank God I don't have to mess with one that needed to be heated on the stove.  I'm sure I would have burned a hole in each one of Hubby's shirts.  Oh can you imagine the mess?  And the attentiveness it required!  Nope, not for me.  After thinking on this, I look a little more lovingly on my electric iron.  Not much, but a little. 

And then there is the simple fact of showing our family how important they are to us; how much we love them.  We can use our household servants to help us be better servants to our loved ones.  I like this quote by Mary Engelbreit:

"If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."

A Few of My Favorite Things

A friend once shared with me a new way to view our household chores.  And I'll get to that, but first I thought I'd show you some of my favorite things when it comes to working at home.  These are some things I decided I just can't do without.  I'd be interested to hear what your favorite things are, too!

Hm.  The picture's not the best.  Oh well, we make do, right? 

Starting from the left is my food processor.  Oh how I love my food processor!  And for the longest time I thought one of these was an unnecessary waste of precious space.  Not anymore.  I have used it for soups and biscuit dough and shredding and chopping and I love it! 

Next is my new toy I got at Christmas, the immersion blender.  So cool.  Hubby uses it mostly for his smoothies.  But I've used it to quickly smoosh up beans or tomatoes in soups.  Such a useful tool.

Then there is my Swivel Sweeper.  Fell in love with friend Kassie's and had to get my own.  Ooo, this thing is fun.  Battery operated, easy to use, empty and clean, and even the boyos like to use it!  Does it do as good of a job as a broom?  Maybe not.  It can't get under every little thing or in every tight corner, but it does the job well enough for me.  It sucks up the mess. And it's quick.  And the boyos like to use it, did I mention that?

My french press!  (La-La-LAAA!!)  Oh don't ever take this away from me.  Or Hubby.  We love our french press coffee!  But you have to use Kenya AA beans.  The beans do make the difference.  And Kenya AA is our favorite.  Mmmm.

Then, of course, is the dishwasher and stove.  We've had to go a few days now and then without the dishwasher because of drain problems.  We made it through.  But I didn't like it.  I so much prefer loading the machine and having it do the work for me.  Same goes for the most blessed washing machine and dryer in my basement.  Oh the blessings of electricity and indoor plumbing!  Have to say, though, I'd like my stove better if it were gas...

What I did today...

I took a nap.  It is one of my very favorite things to do on a Sunday afternoon.  I curl up on the tiny couch with a blanket pulled up around my ears and I doze off.  Doesn't matter if the TV is on, or if the boys are playing.  In fact, somehow, that makes it better.  I know my loved ones are near and safe and off I go, into dreamland. Here are some more naps.

The "I'm exhausted and I can't go on" nap.

The "searching for the right position" nap.

The "I have to pull over NOW!" nap.

The "I'm so comfy, I don't care how I look" nap.

The "I feel safe" nap.