Love is a Verb

So, I started my day off a little differently than I thought I might. I pretty much helped change a diaper - of a man in his eighties. Yeah, not what I woke up counting on. But it was one of those events that instantly add perspective and teaches you all kinds of truths that you never knew.
I have seen how some care for older family members. I have been aware of my family caring for my grandaddy. I even thought that I had 'helped' some. But today, today I found myself right in the middle of it. I had a choice - be okay with it and do what needed to be done with an upbeat spirit that could encourage him or let myself be grossed out and end up belittling him. I would like to be self-righteous and say that I had no doubt how I would naturally react and it would be correct. If I am being honest, I can't say that. I had no idea what to expect from myself. That is not where you want to be on a day like today.
My grandaddy has always been such a great man. He has lived an adventurous life that has given him much to be proud of. He is the greatest story teller I have ever met. And he loves me - really loves me. I hate what Alzheimer's has done to him. H.A.T.E.
But, God used my granny to tender my heart to how to react with her gentle hands and her continued loving touch. Her love for him was a verb right in front of my eyes today.
It made it easy for me to slip right in line behind her and act loving. Not just in word and deed, but in spirit. That is the thing I learned today. Love can be admired in others, talked about with fancy terminology, faked without your heart in it, or it can be something we open our hearts to and give the power to change who we are. It can take a self-centered girl and allow her to overflow love onto someone who she has cared for her whole life. It can be a verb. Not a thing I can exhibit, a thing I can relent control to. It works on its own; with no need of my ability, just my willingness to relinquish control to it.
Today I felt, even for just a little while, how powerful love can be. I appreciated Christ's ability to love through humans in a whole new way. I came to love my grandaddy even more than before. I have always counted it a privilege to truly know and love him. So many people of my generation view grandparents as figures they are forced to visit on Holidays, that smell badly, and can't drive. I have never felt that way. I have always been invested.
Tonight I have a grateful heart that I was able to take that investment and watch it pay back dividends in my life and in the way Christ is growing me.
I don't kid myself about the path my family is walking. Today I decided - I'm all in! I can only pray God will continue to use me and grow me into a person worthy of my grandaddy's legacy!

Christmas - The Decorations

Okay, the last post was insane. This will be full of pictures, but not many words. I have two objectives with this post: 1) to be able to remember where to put things next year 2) so Bo can show off what an awesome job he did decorating my house. In my defense, I helped!
I am just going to go room by room:

The Mantel

 I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pinecone wreath I made this year! It took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to make, but it has been soooo worth the effort!

The Christmas Tree

The Kitchen

 My very favorite Christmas Dishes....

 Yes, I put a fireplace screen in the kitchen window. It went so much better in there and actually looked pretty cool. It almost had a stained glass look. 

 I love my new Polka-Dot Christmas Tree Canvas!

Entry & Stairway

Dining Room

Alaynah's Room

Carlie's Tree

I am sure there are things I left out, but hopefully I got the highlights. I do love my house all decked out for Christmas. I also feel like things are so uncluttered when everything gets put away! One of my resolutions this year is to get rid of stuff! That will have to be a post all on its own!

Up Next: Christmas - The People

(This will be my favorite one!) 

Christmas - The Food

Disclaimer: This is a crazy long post. I added all of the recipes so I could be sure to find them again someday. If you skip past them it won't take nearly as long to read as you might think!

I didn't do the best job of taking photos of all of our Christmas festivities, but I wanted to do my best to share what I did capture. I figured why not start with the food?!?! I will attach as many recipes as I can.

One of my very favorite traditions I remember from growing up is that my mom would invite a few of her friends over with their favorite cookie recipe and all the ingredients and we would spend the morning baking and sharing great recipes. It is one of those things that I really want to pass on to my girls... This is ours from this year:

 Brooke, Jennifer, and all of our 6 girls conquered some cookie baking.

 My mom even came to help.

 Normally the kids get us started and then they go play while the adults finish everything up. This year the girls helped until the end. Carlie helped me make Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies. We chose them because they are pretty.

 Cake Mix Cookies

1 Box Dry Cake Mix (you can choose the type)

9oz. Cool Whip

1 egg

Mix together. Roll spoonfuls in powdered sugar and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for approx. 10 minutes. It is difficult to tell when they are finished. Just look for the edges of the cookies to get a little brown and they are done!

This is them along with the Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies I made (but more about that later!)

My mom made her classic Honey-Nut Cherry Cookies.... Can you say YUMMY!

 Everyone loved decorating Sugar Cookies the most. We also made some Peanut Butter Kisses Cookies that somehow missed the pictures!

Christmas Eve Dinner:

This is not my fancy meal. Hayley was 'in charge' so she selected the menu, with a few of my suggestions. 

One of my suggestions was Red-Pepper Hummus in Cucumber Cups

They actually almost look like the picture in the magazine (almost).

Red-Pepper Hummus in Cucumber Cups

2 c. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 (7oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1 clove garlic ( I also added a good bit of garlic powder)

1/3 c. tahini 

1/4 c. lemon juice ( I used lime because it was what I had)

3 T. olive oil

1/4 t. ground cumin ( I used a lot more)

Salt & Pepper

2 English Cucumbers ( they don't have the seeds and mushy center like regular cucumbers, so they make good cups. If I were making this again I would just make the hummus and use carrots, cucumbers, and red pepper slices to dip)

Combine chickpeas, red peppers, garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, and 1 T. hot water in food processor, puree. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Cut cucumbers into 1 inch-thick slices; scoop out seeds leaving bottoms intact. Fill with hummus and serve!

Brown Sugar Carrots

1 bag baby carrots

2 c. water

1/2 c. brown sugar

4 T. butter

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan, covered. Then remove lid and stir occasionally until all the liquid is cooked out.

Cabbage (cooked with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper)

 Hayley baked squash. I know it looks gross, but it actually tasted pretty good. She sliced squash, laid them flat on cookie sheets, brushed with olive oil, covered with shredded parmesan cheese and baked at 400 for about 45 minutes.

We also had Lemon-Pepper Pork Tenderloin and Banana Pudding (which was amazing, especially to this carb deprived girl!)

I know this post is getting out-of-control-long. Sorry. Only one more meal.

Christmas Dinner: I try to make one fancy special meal a year. I got very few pictures, but I will share the menu and recipes (mostly so I can find them again).

First Course: 

Harvest Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

• Vinaigrette:
• 8  slices bacon
• 1  shallot, minced
• 1/4  cup  extra-virgin olive oil
• 5  tablespoons  red wine vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  honey
• 1  teaspoon  Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper
• Salad:
• 4  cups  sliced endive
• 4  cups  shredded radicchio
• 2  ripe pears, halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 4  ounces  Gorgonzola, crumbled

1. Make vinaigrette: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Discard all but 2 Tbsp. bacon fat. When bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble.

2. Just before serving, reheat bacon fat over medium-low heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into a bowl and vigorously whisk in olive oil, vinegar, honey and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Make salad: In a large serving bowl, toss together endive, radicchio, pears and crumbled bacon. Add dressing and toss lightly. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately

Blue-Cheese Puffs

These were served all throughout the meal. They were quite a hit! These are one of those things that you really have to follow the directions on and the directions seem crazy. Trust me, it is worth it!

• 1  cup  whole milk
• 4  tablespoons  unsalted butter
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  onion powder
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 5  large eggs
• 5  ounces  crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. In a saucepan, combine milk, butter, salt, pepper, onion powder and thyme and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until combined. Return to heat and cook, stirring vigorously, until a dough forms and pulls away from side of pan

Remove pan from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Dough will come apart with each egg and then come back together as you stir; add next egg after dough comes back together. You should end up with a sticky dough. Beat in cheese.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Beat remaining egg with 1 Tbsp. water and brush mixture on dough to glaze. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350°F and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer, until golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature 

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Dates

(Jason's Favorite Item of the Evening)

Mine didn't look nearly as good as these, but they tasted great! Bo said he couldn't even try them because they looked like bugs! I agreed that they did resemble bugs, but I can't help how random dates look.

• 4  ounces  goat cheese, crumbled
• 1  small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2  teaspoons  finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 16  dried dates, each cut in half, pits removed

Combine goat cheese, garlic, parsley and salt in a medium bowl and mash with a fork until blended.

Spoon a heaping teaspoon of cheese mixture into each split date. Serve dates immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 hours, then bring to room temperature and serve

Main Course:

Country Style Pork Ribs with Wild Mushroom Marsala Sauce

Sorry, no picture or recipe. I blended several recipes to make this one.

Apricot-Spice Cranberry Sauce

 I obviously stole this picture from the internet site I got the recipe from. The one I made is at the bottom left.

• 2 bags (12 oz each) fresh cranberries
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp grated orange zest

1. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.
2. Remove from heat. Cool slightly, then refrigerate covered up to 2 weeks.
APRICOT-SPICE VARIATION: Stir 2/3 cup chopped dried apricots, 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice into cooled Cranberry Sauce.

Sweet Potato Puffs

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups shredded coconut, sweetened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large marshmallow per potato ball

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the potatoes until tender, then peel and mash them. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, zest and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, toss the coconut with the sugar and cinnamon. Press mashed potatoes around each marshmallow, creating a 2 to 3-inch diameter ball. Roll the balls in the coconut mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully for the last few minutes of cooking; the expanding marshmallows can cause the potato balls to burst open,

Roasted Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Zucchini, Onions, Red, Yellow, & Orange Peppers, Garlic, and Brussel Sprouts

I took the picture before I cooked it because it isn't nearly as bright after (although to me it still looks colorful and yummy) I did this for Stephanie's benefit since she told me one of the other recipe's I blogged about looked gross. I am not bitter or anything, I just wanted this dish to look as good as it tasted! ;).

Combine all the veggies. Coat with olive oil, mix in fresh Thyme, Rosemary, & Cilantro, and slice up 4 T. of butter over top. Bake at 400 for about an hour.

Dessert:

This year I decide to have a dessert table instead of serving just one dessert. I had collected several individual serving recipes that I wanted to try and this gave me the perfect opportunity. The girls photographed the table for me.

Gingerbread Cakes

• 1/4  cup  molasses
• 1/2  cup  boiling water
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon  cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cloves
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 6  tablespoons (3/4 stick)  unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3  cup  sugar
• 2  cups  confectioners' sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat indents of a cakelet pan or a jumbo muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Cake. Blend molasses, water and baking soda in small bowl; this will bubble. Mix flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt in another bowl.

3. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl, 2 minutes. Beat in eggs. Stir in flour mixture and molasses mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes from pan to rack.

5. Trim cakes level. Make Icing. Blend confectioners sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Pipe outlines of bows; fill in with icing

Holiday Biscotti

• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 1  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  refridgerated egg product
• 1/2  teaspoon  almond extract
• 2 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  dried cranberries
• 3/4  cup  pistachio nuts
• 1/2  cup  chopped apricots
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla

1. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in refrigerated egg product, vanilla and almond extract. Beat in as much of flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour, dried cranberries,pistachio nuts and chopped apricots. Cover and chill dough 2 hours or until easy to handle.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into a 12-inch-long loaf. Place loaves about 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet; flatten slightly to 3/4 inch thick.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 hour.

4. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Using a serrated knife, cut loaves diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake for 6 to 8 minutes more or until dry and crisp. Transfer to a rack; cool

Rolo Turtles

I only got this recipe word of mouth, so I had to make it up as I went along.

Basically you get square pretzels and lay them flat on a cookie sheet. Place a Rolo on each one. Put in the oven at 200 for about 5 to 10 minutes. (Just until the chocolate gets soft. It is hard to tell without touching them. They start to look shiny). Then place a pecan half on top of each turtle and let cool for at least 1 hour before moving them. Unless you are moving them into your mouth and in that case dive in!

Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies & Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I already posted the recipe for the cake mix cookies, but here is the recipe for the mint chocolate chip:

	1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
	1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
	1/2 teaspoon mint extract (I used peppermint extract)
	8 drops green food color
	1 egg
	1 bag mint and dark chocolate baking chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.
2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature

These were supposed to be Red velvet Truffles. They didn't really work out. This is the third time I have attempted an 'easy' truffle. I can't seem to make one work. I think I need an intervention!

So that about wraps it up! It should also explain the extra pounds I am sure I am sporting. 

Up Next: Christmas - The Decorations