Crock Pot Recipe: Taco Soup

Up until about a year ago, I'd never really made taco soup, but my friend Sarah makes a great one! Having it at her house inspired me to give it a try. This is one that we enjoy.

Taco Soup (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 medium onion, diced
1 (16 z) can pinto beans (Sometimes I put in red kidney beans instead.)
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (I usually use Bud Light or Corona.)
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I put them in frozen, so they stay moist
2 cups frozen corn (I usually just dump in what looks good to me.)

Taste to see if you'd like to add:
salt and/or pepper
Tabasco
jalapenos

Optional Toppings:
shredded cheese
sour cream
crushed tortilla chips

Place all the ingredients in the crock pot with the exception of the corn. Stir. Turn the crock pot to low and set for approximately 6-8 hours. After 6-8 hours, shred the chicken with two forks and add the corn. (I usually shred and add the corn when I get home from work and then we usually eat about an hour or so later, so the corn has a change to cook but not become mush.)

Taste it to determine if other seasonings are needed. Serve with the optional toppings for an easy and delicious dinner...one of our favorites.

picture credit: allrecipes.com

Seed Sowing

Last week, I planted one square of spinach (nine seeds) and two squares of peas (eight seeds each). The spinach will be ready to harvest beginning in April--by far one of the earliest crops.
Earlier this week, I also planted six squares of onions (a whopping sixteen seeds each) and one square of lettuce (nine seeds). The lettuce will be ready around the same time as the spinach, but the onions take about sixteen weeks, so they won't be ready until late June. Whereas we're staggering the spinach and lettuce squares, we planted the onions all at once because they take so long to grow and they're easy to store.

To make planting easier, I created a sort of jig to ensure even spacing.

I then added a pinch of vermiculite to each hole. It acts as a sponge to absorb water and also makes it easier for the seeds to sprout through the surface.

As you can see, the onion seeds are rather tiny, so it was no simple feat to place one in each hole, but single-seed sowing avoids having to thin the veggie beds later. Plus, then we don't waste any seeds. I'll be interested to see what percentage of seeds actually sprout and survive.

Award Winning Moment...

You might think this sweet little face is incapable of causing any trouble. Well, that is if you haven't formally been introduced. Our sweet, little Gunner (Gunnie to me and Gunboat to my dad) has had his fair share of moments you might call "mishaps."

At the end of a recent Friday, my team at work held a video contest. (It had been a rough week - we needed a light moment!) Our challenge was to bring the funniest video we could find that was under 2 minutes in length. Upon hearing this challenge, I knew instantly my video of choice. I did not need to search You Tube or think back to my favorite SNL episodes. A video known in our house as "Gunner's Marley Moment" was the perfect choice. It is a must see!

I am proud to announce that I did in fact win the contest and my prize was a "teacher" necklace complete with school houses, ABCs, and pencils. A fine treasure!

Cloche Building

A few weeks ago, after reading Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, I measured, cut, and stapled pieces of string to form our grid of one foot by one foot plots. My hope was that this would inadvertently keep Gunner out of the veggie beds as well--no such luck.

So I then used five-foot-long stakes to construct what will eventually be a trellis for our peas, beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I also attached two shorter stakes at the opposite corners and wrapped two levels of twine all the way around the veggie beds. Mackenzie said it looked like a boxing ring, but my hope was that this, in addition to the grid, would keep Gunner out--wrong again.

In thinking through the best way to Gunner-proof our beds, I decided to try building a cloche. This would also help keep the birds out, and allow us to regulate the amount of water the seeds/plants get.

We first tried to simply drape some pieces of plastic over the existing "boxing ring" structure, but after a few straight days of rain, despite the slope from the five-foot-high stakes to the much shorter stakes, the plastic collapsed, causing one of the stakes to snap.

So we made another trip to Home Depot, and found some ten-foot-long, thin and flexible PVC pipe, as well as some metal brackets. We attached one side of the pipe to the outside of the veggie bed and then arced it over to the other side. I wasn't sure how much tension the pipe or brackets would be able to withstand, but the first attempt went off without a hitch.

The only problem was that the pipe was so long, it made the veggie bed look like a covered wagon--not much of an improvement from the boxing ring. So I took about a foot off the pipe, tried again, and then decided to take about another six inches off. Pleased with the results, we cut and fit all the other pipes, draped the plastic over, and stood back to admire our finished cloche.

The plastic at each end isn't tied down or attached, so Gunner could still potentially get in and make a mess, but if he does, I just might lose it. We don't need another "Marley and Me" moment.

Spring has Sprung!

It's hard to believe that so many signs of spring are popping up in our front yard!

It is only February.

Crock Pot Recipe: Apricot Glazed Chicken

Apricot Glazed Chicken

(adapted from Pennies on a Platter)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of Catalina salad dressing (or French)

1 cup apricot jam or jelly

1 packet onion soup mix (I use Lipton.)

1 white onion, sliced

Put all the above ingredients in your crock pot and stir to coat the chicken and onions with the sauce. Turn to low and set for 6 hours.

Serve chicken over rice with a side of broccoli. Enjoy!

picture from Pennies on a Platter

2010 Book #3: From Clutter to Clarity

From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out by Nancy Twigg

I consider myself to be a pretty organized and “clutter free” person. I like to use my label maker (yes, I have one!), buy bins and labels at The Container Store, take donations to Goodwill frequently, and enjoy the yearly “clean out” of my kitchen cabinets.

Despite my self-proclaimed “amazing” organizational skills (ha), the book From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out by Nancy Twigg appealed to me. I added this book to my Reading List for 2010, because I thought it would be an interesting read and it came recommended from a blogger I enjoy. I didn’t think I would learn much, but that it would have some good reminders and be a check-up; boy was I was wrong.

Nancy Twigg states her definition of clutter as “anything that complicates your life and prevents you from living in peace as you live out your purpose (p.15).” My purpose is to live for Jesus, honoring him with my marriage, home, family, job, money, time, etc.

In her book, Nancy outlines three big areas where clutter can impact our lives: thoughts and attitudes, lifestyle, and money matters. After praying and searching my heart, these are some of the areas that “clutter” my life and take my focus off of Jesus:
· Comparing myself and possessions to others
· Over committing – saying yes, when I should say no
· Shopping – the desire for “stuff” that we do not need
· Technology – a time waster (facebook, my Google Reader, etc.)

This book challenged me to examine the ways in which I am allowing distractors into my mind, our home, and our lives. I am praying about how to eliminate some of the clutter in my life and talking with Cliff about boundaries that would be helpful to establish. My desire is for my life and home to honor God through clarity rather than living life distracted by clutter or being so bogged down by the stuff that I lose track of my real purpose.

I would encourage you to read this book and examine your own life. What gets in the way of you fulfilling your God given purpose? What is the clutter in your life that needs to, by God’s grace, be removed?

I’m thinking about and praying over these verses:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” –Hebrews 12: 1-2

Off to Friday Harbor

For Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Cliff and I decided to give each other a night or two out of town rather than trying to figure out what to buy each other! So, tomorrow we’re heading to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Cliff has been up to the San Juans with his family when we were still in college, but I’ve never been.

One of our very favorite things to do is explore new places, so this is the perfect adventure for us. We’re looking forward to a beautiful room at Friday Harbor House, delicious food, exploring a new town, taking the ferry, and leaving the “to do” lists for a couple of days. If the weather is anything like the sunny 50 degrees we’ve enjoyed the past few days, it will be an amazing treat.

We’ll post pictures soon and share our adventure!

Crock Pot Recipe: Black Bean Chicken

Lately, I've been using my crock pot a lot. I just love how easy it is and when I get home, dinner is already made!

Because I'm a faithful crock pot user, I thought I'd share some recipes that I make over and over again with success. This is an all time favorite at our house. The basic recipe is below and I've added some additional info in parentheses.


Black Bean Chicken
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I put them in frozen.)
2 cans (15 oz.) black beans
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning (I use a hot taco seasoning packet.)

Put all the ingredients in your crock pot and stir. Set to low for 6 - 8 hours. After about 6 hours, the chicken should be fork tender. Shred the chicken. Serve in warm tortillas with all the "fixins"!

Serves 4 adults. (You'll likely have leftovers.)

Other additional ingredients you may choose to toss in your crock pot: corn, canned green chilies, jalapenos, red pepper, onion, etc. Be creative!

2010 Book #2: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

This is a book I simply did not want to end.

Having never read anything by Barbara Kingsolver, I didn't know what to expect. Each time I've mentioned that I was reading this book, someone would exclaim their love for her writing or this book in general. I was a skeptic. Did I really want to read about her family's gardening adventure? Did I care to read 400 pages about vegetables? It turns out, I did!

This book documents the adventures of Barbara Kingsolver, her husband, and their two girls, as they commit to eating only locally grown food for a year. Her writing interweaves unbelievable statistics, hilarious tales of farming adventures, and deep questions about how the food we choose to place on our table now will impact the next generation. Camille, Barbara's oldest daughter, documents the teenager's perspective after each chapter. She shares recipes and how this experience impacted the family.

I consumed this book in about a week; reading whenever my schedule would allow. You know it is a good book if I can't go to bed and just keep on reading long after Cliff is asleep. (He is gracious enough to let me keep the bedside lamp on and read in bed.)

For gardener, skeptic, and locavore alike, I'd recommend this book wholeheartedly. I hope it will cause you to think more deeply about the food choices you make; it certainly did that for me. What are you supporting with your dollar?

My action items after reading this book:

• A renewed commitment to growing our own food (We're getting this year's garden plans together now.)
• Learn how to can, in order to preserve the food we grow (I just took a class last weekend!)
• Learn how to make my own cheese
• Shop regularly for produce at our local farmer's market and/or continue our organic produce delivery
• Keep trying to talk Cliff in to letting me raise chickens (not having much luck)
• Buy only grass fed, organic meat and poultry (probably at our local farmer's market)
• Continue to learn and educate myself about how the choices I make in the grocery store affect our health, the health of our planet, and our local economy

Currently Reading: Womanly Dominion: More than a Gentle and Quiet Spirit (by Mark Chanski)

Our Garden Adventure Begins...

Believe it or not, this is the time of year us west coasters start thinking about our gardens. Cliff and I haven't quite motivated ourselves to actually DO any hands in the dirt gardening yet, but we did a lot of talking this weekend particularly about our vegetable gardens.

You might remember that last year, we built vegetable beds in our backyard. We had some luck growing peppers, celery, sugar snap peas, and squash. Learning from last year's experience though, we definitely needed more of a plan and to do more than guess what works best for growing our own veggies. We learned that it is a bit more complex than our "throw it in the dirt and it will grow" philosophy.

For the last year, I've been intrigued by my friend Stacy's blog, Growing Green. She's had such success with her gardening adventure and her experience really motivated Cliff and I to be more thoughtful this year.

In developing the plan for our garden, we learned about the book, Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work by Mel Bartholomew. This book is amazingly simple and really helped us plan our garden for the year to hopefully maximize our yield.

On Saturday, after putting our plan in place, I ordered our seeds for the year...

cucumber, beans, brussel sprouts, carrots, spinach, onions, radishes, beets, peas, leek, kale, lettuce, and swiss chard. The only plants we have yet to buy are tomatoes, red peppers, jalapenos, and our seed potatoes. We're ready for this growing season to begin!

2010 Book #1: Death by Love

One of my goals this year was to read at least one book per month. So far, I've met my goal. (I love the success of resolutions in January!) I wanted to share my thoughts about my first book of the year. If this sounds interesting, I'd encourage you to add it to your list!

Death by Love: Letters from the Cross (Re:Lit) by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
This book is a series of letters that Pastor Mark writes to different people he has counseled or come into contact with over the years. Each section or chapter starts out with him describing the person's situation and the context in which he knows them. Then Pastor Mark writes that person a letter to help them see their sin, need for Jesus, and ultimately shares the Gospel with them. He writes to a woman devestated by sexual abuse, a husband who is not faithful to his wife, and even to his youngest son, emphasizing that his faith must be his own.

As a member of Mars Hill Church, I have the priviledge of listening and learning from Pastor Mark each week. What I appreciate about him as a pastor and preacher came through loud and clear in this book. He has a deep love for Jesus, which he communicates on each page. He also does not mince words. He writes like he speaks; with clarity, passion, and a whole-hearted submission to Jesus.

This book was a good reminder that we all need Jesus and the answer is always the Gospel. Whatever our life experience, whatever sin we've committed or has been done to us, Jesus is the answer. He died on the cross to forgive my sins and yours and those who sin against us. Death by Love presents this truth in an interesting and unique way.

Currently Reading: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (Review coming soon!)

Mackenzie's 2010 Reading List

Last year, Cliff and I sat down at the beginning of the year and established goals for ourselves in a number of areas: spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, social, financial, etc. In keeping with this new tradition, tonight we reviewed our list of goals from last year and set new ones.

I noticed that I had "read one book a month" on my list from last year. I may have done this most months, but I had no purpose or intentionality with the books I chose to read or any confirmation that I'd accomplished the goal. This year, I wanted things to be different!

Cliff suggested that I make a list detailing the books I will read this year. He knows me well...I like to check things off a list! As I read the books, I'll try to review them and share what I've learned.

The books I plan to read in 2010:
Death by Love: Letters from the Cross (Re:Lit) by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears
Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit by Mark Chanski
The Majesty of the Law by Sandra Day O'Connor
Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.) by Barbara Kingsolver
Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper
Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd-Jones
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out by Nancy Twigg
Humility: True Greatness by C. J. Mahaney& Joshua Harris

Throughout the year, I'll also be reading:
Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon
The Bible (ESV): I'm working on getting through the New Testament this year!

If you have any suggestions of books I should add to my list, please let me know! What are you reading this year?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

From Luke 2:10-17, ESV:
"And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child."

We are thankful for the birth of our Savior! We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Last night we had dinner with our community group and then on our way home, stopped by a house in West Seattle that is known for their phenomenal light display. We were mesmerized. The lights are synchronized with music, so we sat in our car and enjoyed the show.

We're definitely adding this to the list of holiday traditions!

Check it out!

Wizards In Winter - TSO from Jim Winder on Vimeo.

Coffee Toffee

I made this toffee as a holiday gift for friends at work. It was my first attempt at toffee and it turned out great! I'll definitely make this again. Enjoy!

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (toasted, skinned and cooled) or another nut of your choice

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a heavy saucepan with a candy thermometer attached, melt butter, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, salt and espresso powder together over together. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk until the temperature approaches 250 degrees, at which point you should stir constantly until it reaches 300 degrees.

Pour immediately into the prepared baking sheet — you can spread it more evenly with a offset or silicon spatula. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee and let them sit for a minute until soft, then spread the chocolate evenly over the candy base. Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped nuts and then, if you’re as impatient as we are, you can slide the sheet onto a cooling rack in the freezer until the toffee is set.

Break into pieces and store in an airtight container. If you’re kitchen runs warm, you might prefer to keep it in the fridge so the chocolate doesn’t get soft.

Testimony

One of the web wizards at the Ballard campus, Haden Sutton, recently updated the pastors and staff page on the Ballard campus website. In preparation for the update, Haden asked us to videotape the abridged version of our testimonies.

Trying to narrow down all that God has done in my life to a few minutes is a difficult task. I'm continually reminded of his mercy and grace each day. But the video below captures some of the highlights for those who are interested (or who just want to see me be nervous on camera).

In the Tank

Well over seven hundred people have been baptized at Mars Hill this past year. It's been amazing to see God change so many lives and an honor to get to help perform some of those baptisms the past few weeks. Standing next to someone in the tank and holding their hand as they profess that Jesus is their Lord and Savior never gets old.

The video below is from last week. Pastor Bubba starts off by recapping the day and then you get a front row seat as eighteen people are baptized. (See if you can find the one where I almost slipped and fell on my butt.)

The Web Economy

Mashable, "the world's largest blog focused exclusively on social media news," has quickly become one of my favorite blogs. Pete Cashmore does a great job providing helpful news and information for utilizing various forms of social media, as well as technology in general.

In a recent blog post entitled, "Twitter Ads are Evil: Here's Why," he explains what he calls the "web economy." According to Cashmore, the web economy is built on trust and attention. He says that "Brands need to befriend us, build relationships, and offer so much value that we broadcast our positive experiences out to our own networks of trust. They might entertain us. They might help us. They might become enablers of our own personal goals. And when they do, we’ll return the favor. 'Spend your attention on this', we’ll say, 'It’s important!'"

Before reading this, I hadn't really considered the power and influence individual consumers have thanks to the internet. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it at this point, but I thought I'd share this in the meantime.

What are your thoughts? How have you seen this in action?

Thanksgiving

We had a great time this past week. Mackenzie's sister, Katie, and her husband, Brent, were in town from Kansas City. We stayed busy, but also enjoyed some quality time together.

During the week, we took an Argosy cruise through the Ballard Locks, went for a hike at Rattlesnake Ridge, took a tour of Safeco Field (and saw Ichiro!), and enjoyed tons of food.