blueberry breakfast bake

deanna sent me this recipe a few days ago. i tried it this morning and really enjoyed it so here you go:

Serve this sweet and custardy breakfast bake for breakfast or brunch. It’s assembled the night before, so pulling together a delicious breakfast for guests is a snap. Ingredients with an asterisk (*) are available in the Whole Foods Market Family of Brands.

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) day-old baguette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pint blueberries, divided
12 ounces Neufchâtel cheese, softened*
1/2 cup sugar
8 eggs*
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup milk*
Maple syrup* (optional)

Method
Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with blueberries, reserving a few for garnish.

In a mixing bowl, beat cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Gradually add milk until blended. Pour half over bread. Top with remaining bread, then remaining cheese mixture. Cover and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350ºF about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 25 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with reserved blueberries. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

all you need

sometimes all you need is a good drink and a couple hours with some old friends.

dinner with the new guy

last night was the first time in a month that my community group got together. we normally meet every other week, but two weeks ago i was in michigan, heather had a meeting, and emily and gregory were on their honeymoon. so it was good to regroup and catch up on life together. we also invited our new pastor, russ, to join us. it was good to get to know him a little bit and hopefully we were able to help him feel at home while he waits for his family to make the move from kansas city*.

what originally started as a "get to know russ" question-and-answer session turned into some really good conversations about community, relationships (with both friends and family), and transitions. russ shared a lot of things that i really needed to hear. he reminded me that "god is sovereign, and that we aren't living an accident or a big mistake." while i never thought to that extreme (of living an accident or mistake), it was good to be reminded of his sovereignty.

so here's to family, friends (old and new, close and far), and being thankful that i'm not the one in charge.

*if anyone reading this blog knows of anyone looking to buy a house in kansas city, i know someone trying to sell. :)

a quote.

two guys are talking to each other, and one of them says he has a question for god. he wants to ask why god allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world. and his friend says, "well, why don't you ask?" the fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. when his friend asks why, he mutters "i'm scared god will ask me the same question." over and over, when i ask god why all of these injustices are allowed to exist in the world, i can feel his spirit whisper to me, "you tell me why we allow this to happen. you are my body, my hands, my feet."

-shane claiborne

books galore.

i have a pretty long, ever-growing reading list. i thought i’d share it with you. some of these i have already read but want to read again. others i have owned for quite some time but haven’t picked them up yet.

a cry for mercy - henri nouwen
letters to street christians - jack sparks
journey of desire - john eldridge
ps i love you - cecelia ahern
tom sawyer - mark twain
shadow of a doubt - william j coughlin
seizing your devine moment - erwin mcmanus
grapes of wrath - john steinbeck
ragamuffin gospel - brennan manning
wild at heart – john eldridge
captivating – john & staci eldridge
sacred romance – john elderidge
searching for god knows what – don miller
praise of folly - erasmus
unstoppable force - erwin mcmanus
mere christianity – c.s. lewis
to own a dragon – don miller
the inferno - dante
screwtape letters – c.s. lewis
the wounded healer – henri nouwen
watership down - richard adams
radical reformation – mark driscoll
hinds feet on high places - hannah hurnard
telling the truth the gospel as tragedy comedy and fairy tale – frederick buechner
redeeming love – francine rivers
glittering images – susan howatch
the divine consipriacy – dallas willard
a brief history of everything – ken wilber
engaging god’s workd – cornelius plantiga

i think that should last me awhile. what are you reading?

stacy lantz

there is much excitement buzzing around my house right now. my roommate and dear friend stacy lantz is officially on itunes today! so you can just click on this little link here and get your own copy of "patchwork plains". you won't regret it. her songs will take you through all stages of life and love, and will absolutely be sure to brighten your day.

welcome to beda

beda = blog every day august. i did this in 2009, and i loved it. the thing with forcing myself to blog every day is that, yeah, i get some stupid, pointless posts in there, but i also feel like i get more good posts than i do in a typical month. especially a month like july where i only blogged three times. i also think it's good exercise to force myself to write a little each day, even though i would never ever claim to be a writer (nor do i really want to claim to be a writer). i think it just helps me process things. i should probably apply the same discipline to my personal pen-on-paper journal as well.

so. welcome to august 2010. let's do this.