I realized in a discipleship meeting last week that for the first time in a VERY long time--maybe ever--I feel like me. For much of my adult life, I have been a chameleon. I have changed and adapted myself to meet the expectations of others. I molded myself to be what I was told was right or the best way to be without really studying the scripture and seeking God to see who He says I should be. No more. After almost two years walking out a life that is being transformed by God's grace, I finally feel free. Free of expectations, pressure, and a "law" mentality. This was affecting every area of my life, even the clothes I chose and how I worshipped. I figured out that I was living my life a certain way because I wanted to do what was in my heart for God (lead women to love Jesus), but I did not think that I would be allowed to do it unless I followed the rules and was a "good girl" by a certain set of religious standards.
I finally feel authentically like Lara. I am moving into living life abundantly--love and grace filled. I am beginning to walk in what God has called me to do and who He has called me to be. I want to live an extraordinary life, and I think I am now in a place where I can do that.
Thank God that He is patient and teaches us lessons when we are in a place to hear them. I hope this encourages you to be YOU as God has made you and called you to be. It is true freedom in Christ.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
I'm BAAAAACK
For all of my blog readers, I apologize. I realize that I totally dropped off the face of the earth without warning. Please forgive me, come back, and read my blog. (Also, leave me comments. It really does make my day.) Why the absence? I had a serious case of the blahs. I needed to focus on God, my husband, and Remnant. I didn't have a single ounce of me leftover to give...even in a blog. Plus, I didn't want blogging to be a chore that I had to do. I am on the road to recovery from the blahs and will be talking to you a lot in the upcoming weeks. Things I want to write about:
1. Discipleship
2. Remnant's first Encounter with Rod and Mary Aguillard
3. Trusting God (aka faith)
4. Friendships
5. My life plan
6. Why Jessica and Bobby should move to CA (Hhmmm okay, I won't actually devote a blog to this Jess, but I thought I should give the bride a shout out.)
7. More lessons from the puppies plus a tale of explosive diarrhea--quite possibly the most disgusting thing that will ever appear on this blog. Seriously, it will be worth reading every blog I write just to hear this gem when I am healed enough to talk about this very scarring experience.
That's all for now. I look forward to more goodness and sharing with you soon!
1. Discipleship
2. Remnant's first Encounter with Rod and Mary Aguillard
3. Trusting God (aka faith)
4. Friendships
5. My life plan
6. Why Jessica and Bobby should move to CA (Hhmmm okay, I won't actually devote a blog to this Jess, but I thought I should give the bride a shout out.)
7. More lessons from the puppies plus a tale of explosive diarrhea--quite possibly the most disgusting thing that will ever appear on this blog. Seriously, it will be worth reading every blog I write just to hear this gem when I am healed enough to talk about this very scarring experience.
That's all for now. I look forward to more goodness and sharing with you soon!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Yeah, about that
Proverbs 8:13
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil..." (Do you ever read a verse and think to God, 'Yeah, about that...')
This is kicking my butt right now. Do I really HATE evil? Do I HATE pride, greed, doubt, lust, and fear (not of God)? I think I want to hate it and would say that I hate it but tolerate sin and evil a lot of times. Satan really has lulled most Christians to sleep when it comes to actively standing against evil. I think this mainly happens through the media. Sin is made to be normal and even humorous. Eventually, even Christians begin to forget that sin is evil and leads to death.
God has done such a work of grace in me since moving to CA. I have truly learned to love people regardless of their sin. However, I think God is going to teach me to love sinners and actively hate evil simultaneously. It really will change the way I live and pray. If I really HATE evil, I will truly fight for the evil and darkness in people's lives to be defeated. So, this is just a first pass at this verse. I'm not really sure what it will look like once it gets a little deeper in me. Just wanted to share my walk and challenge you to think about how you react to evil.
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil..." (Do you ever read a verse and think to God, 'Yeah, about that...')
This is kicking my butt right now. Do I really HATE evil? Do I HATE pride, greed, doubt, lust, and fear (not of God)? I think I want to hate it and would say that I hate it but tolerate sin and evil a lot of times. Satan really has lulled most Christians to sleep when it comes to actively standing against evil. I think this mainly happens through the media. Sin is made to be normal and even humorous. Eventually, even Christians begin to forget that sin is evil and leads to death.
God has done such a work of grace in me since moving to CA. I have truly learned to love people regardless of their sin. However, I think God is going to teach me to love sinners and actively hate evil simultaneously. It really will change the way I live and pray. If I really HATE evil, I will truly fight for the evil and darkness in people's lives to be defeated. So, this is just a first pass at this verse. I'm not really sure what it will look like once it gets a little deeper in me. Just wanted to share my walk and challenge you to think about how you react to evil.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Freakin awesome chicken and Michael Jackson
I'm suuuuper busy between work and Remnant. I have been dreaming of blogging but find myself tired of my keyboard between work work and church work. So, three minor updates:
1. I'm staying on top of the Bible reading still...yeah! It is good like an old friend that I haven't talked with in a while but can just sit down and pick up where we left off.
2. I made some freakin awesome chicken. Normally, the meat is not my favorite portion of a meal...and then I made my freakin awesome chicken. Check it.
a. Ingredients: 8 chicken breasts, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce, 1 entire clove of garlic, black pepper, diced dehydrated onions
b. Put all of that in a crock pot and let it do it's thing for like 5-6 hours shredding it into chunks after about 3 hours of cooking.
c. Be amazed.
This was maybe the best chicken I have ever eaten in my life. My recipe making brain astounds me sometimes...and bonus that it was pretty healthy.
3. I finally watched the Michael Jackson movie "This Is It" with David last night. He might have been crazy but man could he dance. I really recommend it even if you aren't an MJ fan.
1. I'm staying on top of the Bible reading still...yeah! It is good like an old friend that I haven't talked with in a while but can just sit down and pick up where we left off.
2. I made some freakin awesome chicken. Normally, the meat is not my favorite portion of a meal...and then I made my freakin awesome chicken. Check it.
a. Ingredients: 8 chicken breasts, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce, 1 entire clove of garlic, black pepper, diced dehydrated onions
b. Put all of that in a crock pot and let it do it's thing for like 5-6 hours shredding it into chunks after about 3 hours of cooking.
c. Be amazed.
This was maybe the best chicken I have ever eaten in my life. My recipe making brain astounds me sometimes...and bonus that it was pretty healthy.
3. I finally watched the Michael Jackson movie "This Is It" with David last night. He might have been crazy but man could he dance. I really recommend it even if you aren't an MJ fan.
Friday, January 29, 2010
I'm Going to Disney World!
Not really. That's just what people normally say when they win a lot of money. No, I didn't win a lot of money either. I was just contemplating what I would do if I had an obscene amount of money like Oprah. Why was I contemplating this? I don't really know.
So, I once heard Oprah say that she has her sheets changed every other day (by a maid of course) because she just cannot stand it if her sheets don't have the crisp "just washed" feeling. This leads me down the rabbit hole for today's train of thought. What would I do if I made as much money as Oprah? (This is purely for fun, so no serious things like giving to the church, feeding the hungry, etc, will be included. Those are a given.)
1. I would only use fresh bars of soap. I love a big fresh bar of soap the first time you get it all sudsy.
2. I would have someone come to my house to wash my hair in one of those salon sinks every other day. The water is always the right temperature, they massage your scalp, and the Aveda products where I go are just amazing.
3. I would hire a really great photojournalist to take pictures at all major life events and then twice a year at random times to take family pictures.
4. I would hire a personal trainer like Bob or Jillian from the Biggest Loser to kick my butt every day in the gym.
5. I would build a Panera within walking distance from my house.
6. I would wear ridiculous amounts of diamonds all the time. (Diamonds match everything.)
Alright, now let me know what you would do...and be creative.
So, I once heard Oprah say that she has her sheets changed every other day (by a maid of course) because she just cannot stand it if her sheets don't have the crisp "just washed" feeling. This leads me down the rabbit hole for today's train of thought. What would I do if I made as much money as Oprah? (This is purely for fun, so no serious things like giving to the church, feeding the hungry, etc, will be included. Those are a given.)
1. I would only use fresh bars of soap. I love a big fresh bar of soap the first time you get it all sudsy.
2. I would have someone come to my house to wash my hair in one of those salon sinks every other day. The water is always the right temperature, they massage your scalp, and the Aveda products where I go are just amazing.
3. I would hire a really great photojournalist to take pictures at all major life events and then twice a year at random times to take family pictures.
4. I would hire a personal trainer like Bob or Jillian from the Biggest Loser to kick my butt every day in the gym.
5. I would build a Panera within walking distance from my house.
6. I would wear ridiculous amounts of diamonds all the time. (Diamonds match everything.)
Alright, now let me know what you would do...and be creative.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tasty Results
Alright, so my Rachel Ray recipe was a huge success. Taking a picture of the meal? Not a success. David and I dug into the meal so quickly that I totally forgot to snap a picture of the uneaten food. It looked very pretty though...I promise.
David said, "This is the tastiest thing you've ever made." This is a high compliment in my book.
So, I told you last time that I had some planned modifications to the meal, but once I got cooking, I totally strayed from the recipe. Instead of mashed potatoes, I quartered the potatoes, mixed in some olive oil and a fresh clove of garlic, and baked at 400 with some salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. P.S. the clove of garlic should have been with the broccoli. I ended up just steaming the broccoli.
Really, the only part of the recipe that I actually did right were the meatballs. They were amazingly delicious with the tomato/pesto sauce.
So, huge thumbs up to the meal even though I can't follow a recipe to save my life. Thank you Rachel Ray, you helped me break out of my recipe funk and make the tastiest meal ever.
David said, "This is the tastiest thing you've ever made." This is a high compliment in my book.
So, I told you last time that I had some planned modifications to the meal, but once I got cooking, I totally strayed from the recipe. Instead of mashed potatoes, I quartered the potatoes, mixed in some olive oil and a fresh clove of garlic, and baked at 400 with some salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. P.S. the clove of garlic should have been with the broccoli. I ended up just steaming the broccoli.
Really, the only part of the recipe that I actually did right were the meatballs. They were amazingly delicious with the tomato/pesto sauce.
So, huge thumbs up to the meal even though I can't follow a recipe to save my life. Thank you Rachel Ray, you helped me break out of my recipe funk and make the tastiest meal ever.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Rachel Ray = genius
In my effort to improve my repertoire of recipes, I have been watching Rachel Ray's 30 Minute meals whenever I can. Now, most days, I veto her recipe due to the ingredients being 1)things I don't like--I am picky 2)too expensive 3) too fattening--I eat enough sweets that I don't need my dinner to help me pack on the pounds.
However in a stroke of pure genius, Rachel introduced the following meal:
Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Sausage Balls with Tomato-Basil Sauce, Cacio e Pepe Potatoes and Roast Broccolini
Serves 4
•2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
•1 tub bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella in water)
•2 pounds Italian hot or sweet fresh chicken or turkey sausage
•Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling, 4-5 tablespoons total
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 1/2 pounds broccolini
•1 head garlic
•1 can San Marzano tomatoes (28 ounces)
•1/2 cup milk
•1 tub grated Pecorino Romano
•1 tub good quality, freshly prepared pesto
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
Quarter the baby potatoes and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then salt the water and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.
While the potatoes come up to a boil, place a nonstick baking sheet alongside a mixing bowl. Remove 12 pieces of bocconcini from the water and set them on your work surface. Remove the sausages from their casings, if bulk sausage is not available, and place in a bowl. Combine the meat into a single mound, then score it into four sections. Each section will yield three large sausage meatballs. To form each ball, take a handful of meat and wrap it around a piece of mozzarella. Roll 12 balls. Wash your hands after handling the raw sausage.
Coat the balls with a drizzle of EVOO. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cooked through and evenly browned.
While the balls are cooking, trim the ends of clean broccolini and scatter evenly over a baking sheet. Grate or chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and drizzle the broccolini and garlic with olive oil, then season with the salt and pepper and roast for 12-15 minutes to crisp the broccolini tops.
While the broccolini is roasting, add the tomatoes to a small pot or skillet, mash with a potato masher and season with salt and pepper. Heat over medium heat, then simmer to reduce, about 8-10 minutes.
When the potatoes are tender, drain and return them to the hot pot to dry them out a little. Mash the potatoes with 1/2 cup stock or milk, 1/2-2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, a few generous handfuls, lots of black pepper and a little salt.
Turn the heat off the tomatoes and stir in 1/2 cup of the prepared pesto.
Serve three stuffed sausage balls with tomato-basil sauce on top or underneath and the cacio e pepe smashed potatoes and broccolini alongside.
Here are my modifications: I will use baby potatoes with red skins and mash them with grated Parmesan cheese. I will use a dry pesto mix with just a little EVOO since the store made pesto is expensive and contains a lot of EVOO. I will use broccoli instead of broccolini.
Taste results and pics tomorrow....
However in a stroke of pure genius, Rachel introduced the following meal:
Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Sausage Balls with Tomato-Basil Sauce, Cacio e Pepe Potatoes and Roast Broccolini
Serves 4
•2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
•1 tub bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella in water)
•2 pounds Italian hot or sweet fresh chicken or turkey sausage
•Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling, 4-5 tablespoons total
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 1/2 pounds broccolini
•1 head garlic
•1 can San Marzano tomatoes (28 ounces)
•1/2 cup milk
•1 tub grated Pecorino Romano
•1 tub good quality, freshly prepared pesto
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
Quarter the baby potatoes and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then salt the water and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.
While the potatoes come up to a boil, place a nonstick baking sheet alongside a mixing bowl. Remove 12 pieces of bocconcini from the water and set them on your work surface. Remove the sausages from their casings, if bulk sausage is not available, and place in a bowl. Combine the meat into a single mound, then score it into four sections. Each section will yield three large sausage meatballs. To form each ball, take a handful of meat and wrap it around a piece of mozzarella. Roll 12 balls. Wash your hands after handling the raw sausage.
Coat the balls with a drizzle of EVOO. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cooked through and evenly browned.
While the balls are cooking, trim the ends of clean broccolini and scatter evenly over a baking sheet. Grate or chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and drizzle the broccolini and garlic with olive oil, then season with the salt and pepper and roast for 12-15 minutes to crisp the broccolini tops.
While the broccolini is roasting, add the tomatoes to a small pot or skillet, mash with a potato masher and season with salt and pepper. Heat over medium heat, then simmer to reduce, about 8-10 minutes.
When the potatoes are tender, drain and return them to the hot pot to dry them out a little. Mash the potatoes with 1/2 cup stock or milk, 1/2-2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, a few generous handfuls, lots of black pepper and a little salt.
Turn the heat off the tomatoes and stir in 1/2 cup of the prepared pesto.
Serve three stuffed sausage balls with tomato-basil sauce on top or underneath and the cacio e pepe smashed potatoes and broccolini alongside.
Here are my modifications: I will use baby potatoes with red skins and mash them with grated Parmesan cheese. I will use a dry pesto mix with just a little EVOO since the store made pesto is expensive and contains a lot of EVOO. I will use broccoli instead of broccolini.
Taste results and pics tomorrow....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)