i have three plans for the month of december, and i would like you to join me in all of them.
1. blog every day. i attempted this in 2008 & 2009, and did not succeed. but each year i blogged more than i typically average in a month, and really that's the whole point.
2. the book of luke contains an account of the birth of christ. there are 24 chapters in luke. will you join me in reading one chapter each day leading up to christmas day?
3. my final plan for december is to squeeze out every last ounce of goodness that 2010 has had to offer. it's been a great year, but it's not over yet. let's go.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
it's beginning to sound like christmas.
first of all, my apologies. life has thrown some financial, emotional, spiritual, and holiday-ial(?) curve balls over the last couple weeks. things are fine, actually they are more than fine, but sometimes the little flubs of life get in the way of some routines, like blogging.
as an apology i would like to point you all in the direction of some good, free christmas music. because i love christmas music and i love free. and while i say it's beginning to sound like christmas, it's currently thundering here in nashville. which is very much unlike any christmas i grew up with in michigan. moving on.
1. andrew ripp - "christmas tunes". andrew is by far one of my favorite voices. that's really all the explanation you need. (and feel free to check out his non-christmas albums on itunes)
2. the civil wars - "tracks in the snow". these two have harmonies like no other. watch for their debut album coming in early 2011. i'll remind you.
3. slugs and bugs - "christmas sampler". midtown's old worship leader randall has created an album of christmas tunes for kids. and my roommate stacy rocks the bgv's on a few songs, including "building a gingerbread house". despite the album being for kids, stacy and i definitely listened to it on our thanksgiving drive home.
4. the atlas - "christmas music". ryan and rhett are friends of stacy's, and she played these songs for me on our drive as well. i downloaded them at work today and couldn't get enough. simply put, it's gorgeous.
5. dave barnes - "very merry christmas". today and today only this single is free. get it while you can. if you are reading this after today (november 29, 2010), you can still get it on itunes and it'll be worth every penny. an instant classic. in fact you should actually just buy the whole album. i've determined dave barnes was created for christmas music. or maybe christmas music was created for dave barnes.
and on that note, here's one of my favorite christmas videos, featuring dave. (but no, it's not what the album sounds like.)
as an apology i would like to point you all in the direction of some good, free christmas music. because i love christmas music and i love free. and while i say it's beginning to sound like christmas, it's currently thundering here in nashville. which is very much unlike any christmas i grew up with in michigan. moving on.
1. andrew ripp - "christmas tunes". andrew is by far one of my favorite voices. that's really all the explanation you need. (and feel free to check out his non-christmas albums on itunes)
2. the civil wars - "tracks in the snow". these two have harmonies like no other. watch for their debut album coming in early 2011. i'll remind you.
3. slugs and bugs - "christmas sampler". midtown's old worship leader randall has created an album of christmas tunes for kids. and my roommate stacy rocks the bgv's on a few songs, including "building a gingerbread house". despite the album being for kids, stacy and i definitely listened to it on our thanksgiving drive home.
4. the atlas - "christmas music". ryan and rhett are friends of stacy's, and she played these songs for me on our drive as well. i downloaded them at work today and couldn't get enough. simply put, it's gorgeous.
5. dave barnes - "very merry christmas". today and today only this single is free. get it while you can. if you are reading this after today (november 29, 2010), you can still get it on itunes and it'll be worth every penny. an instant classic. in fact you should actually just buy the whole album. i've determined dave barnes was created for christmas music. or maybe christmas music was created for dave barnes.
and on that note, here's one of my favorite christmas videos, featuring dave. (but no, it's not what the album sounds like.)
Monday, November 15, 2010
monday meals: sausage and squash stew*
last week i just kind of threw some ingredients together and out came a lovely fall dish full of all kinds of colors - orange, red, purple, green, to name a few. (i should start taking pictures to post.) here we go.
ingredients:
1lb package of italian sausage
1 acorn squash
2 15-oz cans of white beans
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of fresh baby spinach
1/4 c small red onion, chopped
salt, pepper, & ground cumin
directions:
heat the oven to 350. cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. lay the two halves cut-side down in a small pan with a little bit of water. bake the squash for about 30-45 minutes, until soft.
while the squash is cooking, cook the sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until the meat is cooked through and the onions are translucent. add the beans, tomatoes, and spinach and let it stew for about 10 minutes.
when the squash is done, dice it and mix it in with all the other ingredients. add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste.
*i'm sure there are better names for this dish, but i can't think of anything. suggestions welcome.
ingredients:
1lb package of italian sausage
1 acorn squash
2 15-oz cans of white beans
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of fresh baby spinach
1/4 c small red onion, chopped
salt, pepper, & ground cumin
directions:
heat the oven to 350. cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. lay the two halves cut-side down in a small pan with a little bit of water. bake the squash for about 30-45 minutes, until soft.
while the squash is cooking, cook the sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until the meat is cooked through and the onions are translucent. add the beans, tomatoes, and spinach and let it stew for about 10 minutes.
when the squash is done, dice it and mix it in with all the other ingredients. add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste.
*i'm sure there are better names for this dish, but i can't think of anything. suggestions welcome.
Friday, November 12, 2010
friday photos: week 6
friday, november 5
playing with a new lense on the hipstimatic app, i took a picture outside the car window in the black of night. this was the result.
saturday, november 6
adrienne, brad, kirsten, natalie and i went to the guest's cabin in maggie valley, nc. this is what we woke up to this morning.
sunday, november 7
this was the view on the way up to clingman's dome in the smokey mountains.
monday, november 8
another day on the set of "blue like jazz". i waited in line and went up and "bought" these tickets from tania raymonde to vote for my new pope.
tuesday, november 9
one of nashville's iconic venues. myka, jeff and i went to see dave barnes, gabe dixon, brandon heath, and jon mclaughlin.
wednesday, november 10
shadows.
thursday, november 11
coffee
playing with a new lense on the hipstimatic app, i took a picture outside the car window in the black of night. this was the result.
saturday, november 6
adrienne, brad, kirsten, natalie and i went to the guest's cabin in maggie valley, nc. this is what we woke up to this morning.
sunday, november 7
this was the view on the way up to clingman's dome in the smokey mountains.
monday, november 8
another day on the set of "blue like jazz". i waited in line and went up and "bought" these tickets from tania raymonde to vote for my new pope.
tuesday, november 9
one of nashville's iconic venues. myka, jeff and i went to see dave barnes, gabe dixon, brandon heath, and jon mclaughlin.
wednesday, november 10
shadows.
thursday, november 11
coffee
Thursday, November 11, 2010
a weekend in the mountains.
i know that tomorrow is photo friday, but this post would not do my weekend justice if i did not include pictures.
my roommate is a nanny, and the family she works for owns a cabin in maggie valley, north carolina. so a group of us went out there to spend the weekend away from the city, away from the busyness of our lives, and away from internet and phone service. it was incredible.
we got to the cabin late, around midnight friday night. when we woke up saturday morning, this was our view:
thankfully, all five of us loved snow. we were acting like kids on christmas morning.
this was the walkway up to the cabin:
after our pancake breakfast, we all headed into the mountains to go for a hike. we hiked the boogerman trail. it was so snowy and gorgeous.
and we were all acting a little silly...
on our way out of the park we drove through a meadow with about two dozen elk.
we got back to the cabin, made a fire in the wood burning stove, drank wine, and played clue (it was colonel mustard with the rope in the hall).
sunday morning we cleaned up the cabin and headed back towards nashville. we drove through the cherokee reservation and then went to the top of clingman's dome - the highest point in the smoky mountains.
it's been in the 70's this week in nashville, and i already miss the snow. being out there this weekend made my roommate and i want to come home and decorate for christmas. (but don't worry, we haven't... yet.)
my roommate is a nanny, and the family she works for owns a cabin in maggie valley, north carolina. so a group of us went out there to spend the weekend away from the city, away from the busyness of our lives, and away from internet and phone service. it was incredible.
we got to the cabin late, around midnight friday night. when we woke up saturday morning, this was our view:
thankfully, all five of us loved snow. we were acting like kids on christmas morning.
this was the walkway up to the cabin:
after our pancake breakfast, we all headed into the mountains to go for a hike. we hiked the boogerman trail. it was so snowy and gorgeous.
and we were all acting a little silly...
on our way out of the park we drove through a meadow with about two dozen elk.
we got back to the cabin, made a fire in the wood burning stove, drank wine, and played clue (it was colonel mustard with the rope in the hall).
sunday morning we cleaned up the cabin and headed back towards nashville. we drove through the cherokee reservation and then went to the top of clingman's dome - the highest point in the smoky mountains.
it's been in the 70's this week in nashville, and i already miss the snow. being out there this weekend made my roommate and i want to come home and decorate for christmas. (but don't worry, we haven't... yet.)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
wednesday wisdom: #6
"it is one thing to be set free. it is another thing to become free."
-erwin mcmanus
-erwin mcmanus
Monday, November 8, 2010
monday meals: chicken curry
five years ago, my friend melissa went to sri lanka for a couple weeks and came back with this recipe.
ingredients:
2 lb chicken breasts, diced
3 tsp salt
1/2 c oil
1 1/2 c finely chopped onions
1 tbs minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger (fresh)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 c water
1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 c plain yogurt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
directions:
springle chicken with 2 tsp of the salt. in a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. add chicken in batches, browning on both sides. transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
add onions, garlic, and ginger to the remaining oil. saute for 8 minutes over medium-high heat. stir in cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, 1 tbs of water. stir well for 1 minute. add tomatoes, 1 tbs cilantro, yogurt, and remaining salt (1 tbs).
add chicken and any accumulated juices. pour in remaining water. bring to a boil, turning chicken about to coat with sauce. sprinkle with garam masala and remaining cilantro. cover skillet and simmer for 20 minutes.
serve over white rice.
ingredients:
2 lb chicken breasts, diced
3 tsp salt
1/2 c oil
1 1/2 c finely chopped onions
1 tbs minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger (fresh)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 c water
1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 c plain yogurt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
directions:
springle chicken with 2 tsp of the salt. in a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. add chicken in batches, browning on both sides. transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
add onions, garlic, and ginger to the remaining oil. saute for 8 minutes over medium-high heat. stir in cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, 1 tbs of water. stir well for 1 minute. add tomatoes, 1 tbs cilantro, yogurt, and remaining salt (1 tbs).
add chicken and any accumulated juices. pour in remaining water. bring to a boil, turning chicken about to coat with sauce. sprinkle with garam masala and remaining cilantro. cover skillet and simmer for 20 minutes.
serve over white rice.
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