Treasures of Darkness

Sometimes moments, days, weekends, just seem to big, too fun, and too awesome to be able to shrink down tiny enough to fit onto the interweb...but alas for fear of being cast out I must attempt.

It's a funny beast to make friends in the real world post college. In high school you had slumber parties, and college is just one big fat slumber party, I suppose if I were to continue the analogy post college life would be the walk of shame? It's just an interesting beast to make friends after college. The evolution of friendship might look something like this. I don't know anyone here, I have no friends, I know some people, I go to lunch with some people at work but we don't really talk after work, I met some friends at x, y, or z but that is the only place we see each other, I think I have some friends we do lunch, oh my gosh I have something to do on Friday night!, etc, etc. But with all of that it just takes longer to make friends. It's not really the cool thing to do to ask your new friend you met if she wants to come spend the night when you're 27. The majority of people my age or older are having a "shackin up" (as g-mama likes to say) every night with those roommates they call husbands.

So, a few weeks about a month ago I went on a mountain weekend with my Small Group...i.e. our first slumber party. I got the idea after my parents showed me the super swank mountain house they were staying at with their friends for new years...a girls weekend in the mountains was going to be necessary. The end of January magically worked for all of our schedules, the single jet setters, the ball and chainers, and those with ankle biters. I think approximately 347 emails were sent in preparation for the trip, who would bring what, who would cook what, oh and the small detail of where we would go. The original plan was Gaitlinburg, but that was before Global Warming strike 1 and the pending snow storm of doom. Global Warming strike 2 changed us from Lake Lure to Lake Jocassee...that apparently was exactly where God was asking us to meet him, little did we know.

Friday afternoon we all got off work early to beat the snow, and well, because who wouldn't want to spend as much time as possible on girls mountain weekend 2K10? Two of our nine were planning a Saturday afternoon escape return for some things they had going on but "global warming" was already threatening their plans. Never the less, we hung out at Kelly's awesome lake house which was the perfect size for us, for the afternoon and snacked on some salsa.

Sometimes I forget how big I am until I see myself in a picture next to people like Nikki.

Also, please note the swoop bang party foul which makes an appearance in nearly every picture from the weeked. Thanks for letting me know girls...

That evening Anna and Amy prepared us a feast of the Barefoot's spaghetti and meatballs. Those were some darn good balls of meat. Oh, Ina, your dependability for tasty delights warms my heart.

During dinner it started to snow so our early departers decided it was best to head on home for fear they might get stuck if they stayed over night.

The group protested the idea for fear the roads were already too bad, but alas the party had to go on and party on we did.

First we watched Kelly frolic in the snow with the glee of a 4 year old. Shortly there after followed by a rapper dance party like you have never seen before complete with wardrobe changes, alter egos named Na-kiki, and video footage...which is never to be seen again. Leave it to the heathen me to have plenty of rap music on my ipod to keep the party "raging" (as my students like to say) for a while.

Unbeknownst to us our music was a smidge loud. So, loud we couldn't hear any phones ring, not that we had service but on the off chance that we did, and it was reported to us that the music could be heard from the road. Fear not, it was not the cops that came to tell us our music could be heard from the road, but our fearless espcapees who got stuck at the top of the road and spent an hour sliding back down the steepest hill I have ever seen in my life to get back to the house and their loving friends rapping away in their absence. The near death experience put an end to the rapper party, so we hung out and chatted for a while more before everyone headed to bed.

Saturday morning we woke up to this

and this

Dear Paula Deen, thank you for thinking that it would be a good idea to dip biscuits into butter and brown sugar before covering them in oats, blueberries and more butter and sugar.

We went to fetch the abandoned car at the top of the hill and decided to go for a walk around the lake.

After watching Julie and Julia over Christmas we decided to try and tackle Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon "the Boef" for dinner on Saturday. The recipe is pretty intense and takes a while with a lot of steps so we started early. Around 1. About an hour or so into prep work the power went out. Some tried to blame me and my high maintenance hair dryer for blowing a fuse, yet I insisted it was all the "global warming." We flipped every breaker for the house to no avail. It seems me and my hair dryer were not the culprit after all. Anna, the only one with cell phone service and only at one certain spot on the porch called Duke Power for us...the first of many phone calls to our many different friends at Duke. In the meantime we entertained ourselves with some really deep reading, and lots of fun conversations.

A few hours and a few chats with our friend Duke later the power turned on! We quickly got to work on the Boeuf and the snack we had been dying for all weekend...Hot Bacon Swiss Dip, or "Fat in a Pan" as it is lovingly called.

After only minutes the power cut off again. With mouths hanging in expectation of the greasy goodness that is fat in a pan to say our stomachs were devastated might be an understatement. After conceding that the power might have gotten the best of our plans the greatest idea of the weekend was born, like a clear message sent from above. After years of growing up with annual power outages I have seen many an item cooked in a fireplace. I wasn't completely ready to throw in the towel. I was convinced we could somehow cook the fat in a pan in the fireplace, it would be hot enough to make the fatty goodness bubble with love. But, there was a wood burning stove in the basement we lit when the power first turned off to help warm the house in addition to the fireplace upstairs. With its warm flat surface, it seemed it would make a perfect place to heat our pan o fat. After leaving down there for a while I confessed that either my stomach was playing tricks on my mind, or I smelled fat in a pan so Epsie went to check. At the top of the stairs she proclaimed she did indeed smell it, and with each descending step her declaration became that of jubilee! Our fat was 'a bubblin! A few bites into the goodness we determined if we can cook fat in a pan on the wood burning stove why not give the boeuf a try! Of course this was only after more conversations between Anna and our friend Duke with continually delayed ETP (estimated time of power.)

It was starting to get dark by this point...

The sous chefs upstairs peeling tons of pearl onions.

The real chefs downstairs:

It was actually a lot darker than this...note Epsie's flashlight. It actually looked a smidge more like this:

While they cooked...we watched

I had jokingly stated that God is funny in these situations and will wait until the very last minute to make himself known and to a big work in our favor, therefore as soon as all the cooking was finished the power would most likely turn on. But as we waited on the boeuf we decided to go ahead with an activity we had planned for Sunday morning. We wanted to take some time to recognize what all God had done in the past year and our prayer requests for 2010. So we sat in the dark, piled on these two twin beds and shared our hearts and about the Lord's faithfulness. It was such a sweet time for our friendships. The late night chats that sleepovers are made of. As layers were peeled away from each of our hearts God revealed his plan to us. Sitting on our beds in the dark all of a sudden it was clear as day. We needed that darkness, we needed that intimacy, we needed to be stripped from all distractions and insecurities to just be real with each other and God. And, in true God fashion, he met us there in a big way and just as we finished talking and set the table for dinner...the power turned on.

This is the God that we worship. A God that is bigger than our minds can comprehend but loves us so intimately that he would pay attention to the smallest details of a girls weekend in the mountains. He is the weaver of our friendships, he toils the soil for the seeds of rich deep friendships.

Is 45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Serving up the masterpiece

The master chefs with their rustic masterpiece. I doubt even Julia had to cook her boeuf on a wood burning stove!

On Sunday morning after some more calorie killing deliciousness (i'm just gunna say...grits made with heavy whipping cream...there are no words) we decided to go for a scenic hike.

Becoming less of an outdoor poser...

The Issue

I made a decision not to blog at "inappropriate times."

Get it?

And well, that just doesn't leave a lot of time. At least not time that I seem to be able to sit before of my computer and think decent thoughts.

So here we are at this blog stand off of sorts.

My solution...not one I'm a huge fan of.

Lucky for you my most free night of the week...seems to be Friday.

What I've Been Cooking

Here are some of the recipes I have cooked recently between office birthday parties, girls mountain weekend, valentines, and cooking club prep night ...all of them turned out pretty descent!

Paula Deen's Granite Steps Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (12-ounce) can buttermilk biscuits

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats. Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oats. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Barefoot Contessa Granola Bars

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup dried cranberries

(I use any random dried fruit that I have)

Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan (I instead use muffin tins so you don't have to try and cut the granola after it cools, just grease it really well). Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Italian Turkey Burgers

POINTS® Value: 5

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 10 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

The addition of fennel seeds makes these burgers reminiscent of Italian sausage. Top them with fresh basil and tomato for a wonderful summer main course.

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray

1 pound(s) lean ground turkey

1/3 cup(s) onion(s), chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray

2 small tomato(es), ripe, yellow and/or red, thinly sliced

1 cup(s) basil, fresh, leaves, torn or thinly shredded

4 item(s) reduced-calorie hamburger roll(s)

Instructions Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, onion, garlic, fennel seed, salt and pepper; form into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Coat burgers and inside of rolls with cooking spray. Grill burgers for 5 minutes; flip burgers and add rolls to grill. Grill open-face rolls until lightly charred, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove to serving plates. Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes more. To serve, top grilled rolls with tomato slices and burgers; garnish with basil. Yields 1 burger per serving. Notes For an extra hit of flavor, rub the bread with a cut garlic clove as it comes off the grill. Try these burgers with arugula leaves instead of the basil.

Cream Cheese Cake

This recipe is already doubled.

4 pkgs crescent rolls

4 – 8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1 ½ cups sugar 2 egg yolks (save whites)

2 teas. Vanilla

Roll out 2 packages crescent rolls on cookie sheet. Be sure to pinch seams together. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Spread mixture onto rolled out crescent rolls. Top with remaining 2 packages crescent rolls (be sure to pinch seams together). Brush top with egg whites. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Diet Coke Cake

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 can diet coke

Mix the dry cake mix with 10-12 oz of diet soda. (Do not use the egg or oil listed on the box). Spray a 9 x 12 cake pan (or cupcake tin) with non-stick spray and bake according to package instructions. Some have said an entire can of pop makes the cake TOO moist ... 10 oz. seems to be the least I've seen suggested. Experiment yourself to find the best amount for your taste.

Tip: Make sure to let the cake cook completely before you try to cut it. Because you aren't adding eggs, the cake will be tender and can tear if you cut it while it's warm. Some people have started adding 2 egg whites to the mix. It doesn't raise the points any (less than 1 point) but they report that the cake is firmer and rises better.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.

Barefoot Contessa's Brownie Pudding

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup good cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Stranded

We got some pretty wimpy winter weather last weekend. I fortunately was powerless in the mountains with 8 other girls, a post on that later. So when I got home Sunday night my driveway was pretty much a solid sheet of ice. I logically thought to park on the flat part of the driveway, honestly, not all to worried about it. Monday morning I even was so proactive and prepared as to be ready a few minutes early to allow time for my windshield to thaw out. However, when I walked outside to crank the car (ya know since I don't have one of those new fangled husbands to do that for me) my car was NOT where I parked it the night before! Fear not, no one wants to steal my precious little civic even if I do live in the ghetto. Nope, my not so all terrain vehicle SLID down my driveway! And poor little city girl's car couldn't make it back up the driveway! It would spin and spin and then gradually slide farther down.

Being the handy yet clearly not at all butch single independent capable and totally dedicated to my job girl that I am I went to get a shovel and start digging. (Now I preface the following details with the fact that I have a friend that in her singleness retreated to Wyoming and had to endure much much worse conditions without the ability to call her daddy for help...I. AM. NOT. THAT. TOUGH. I would totally retreat to the Bahamas not Wyoming.) After a good 20 minutes of that crap, I tried again. No luck. In tune with my new outdoor authenticity from "roughing it" all weekend I decided to get some hot water and attempt to melt some of the ice, then shovel some more. After about an hour of working I threw in the towel, resolved to wait it out. After talking to my dad I remembered that I had some sand in my basement so I attempted to spread some sand to help the situation, again, with no luck. Finally, I gave in and had to call dad for help. He too had several failed attempts, some more shoveling. The ice was so intense on the driveway dad could hardly stand to dig without sliding around. Finally with him pushing from the front of the car and me gunning it in reverse the civic was a free woman.

I opened the gates at the bottom of the driveway in case the rolling got out of control!

All that hard work in the early morning hours and this is how much ice I was able to breakup.

I was originally parked at the top of this paved part!

Entire front yard was a solid sheet of ice, so I sanded my walkway. PS my neighbor couldn't get his truck out either.

Winter Blooms

While my flower pots outside are having zero luck blooming, I have managed to bring some life inside. This was my first year planting paperwhites and man was it fascinating! I loved watching them sprout up from bulbs, and I swear sometimes I watched them grow before my very eyes!








While super easy to grow, fascinating to watch, and literally make my house feel alive during a bleak Winter and like Spring is maybe right around the corner...paperwhites are not for the super sensitive nose. The scent is STRONG. Just, don't say I didn't warn you.

Waving the White Flag

My mom is an aerobics-a-holic. When I was a little kid she made me go to something called Fit Kids. Now, before you go thinking I got shipped off to fat camp every Saturday morning, I wasn't fat (yet), at least not that I can recall. Fit Kids = torture aerobics for kids = miz. Pretty much ever since I rocked my lime green t-shirt with the aerobicizing mouse on the front at FK I have been traumatized and HATED all group led workouts whether there was dancing involved or not. Sports and weights maybe even toss in a few minutes of cardio I can do, but line dancing and calling it exercise is where I drew the line (no pun intended). I quite frankly was in a stand off with any sort of fitness "class." Kind of like how for decades my brother refused to try chocolate chip pizza at Pizza Inn because no matter how much anyone defended its delicious morsels of melted chocolate cookie dough in your mouth (my stomach is growling and my my mouth is watering just thinking about it) he just thought it was a gross idea and dessert should not be in pizza form. And then it just turned into a strike for the sake of a strike, he had gone that long why give in at this point, until one day he did and has never looked back since.

I started taking group ride (spin) classes a few months ago with some friends and have really enjoyed it. It's a great high intensity workout in 45 minutes, and I HATE all things cardio so that works out well for me. But, I defended my choice as not really giving in since there was no standing in line dancing around, it was all for the most part seated and if you do the wrong thing no one notices (except those people that pop out of their seat early because they are trying to be all gung ho to climb that hill which we aren't about to do.)

Well, upon contemplating the purchase of P90x I finally realized that was stupid when I already pay a gym membership and they do this same thing/close enough there. So after years of literal begging and pleading down on her knees for me to try the weightlifting class at the gym, like the good ole South who finally realized they had fought the good fight I finally waved my white flag and gave in. Last weekend I asked mom to go with me to the Group Power class to teach me how to do it. She, of course, played it all calm, cool, and collected but I know the jazzercizer inside of her was jumping up and down clapping and cheering that she had won, she had finally won!

And so, I did this for the first time on Monday and am plotting my return later this evening.



I still can't straighten my arm all the way out for the pain, but I'd be lying if I said I hate it. I actually...wait for it...enjoyed it...*GASP! I'm sure after two times of doing it I am totally going to look like that chick in the red...you can see her abs through her shirt. You can see my tubby rolls through my shirt...it's kind of the same right? And yes, that bicep curl where they pause half way up...that's why I can't straighten my arms...and can barely brush my teeth. And the MC Hammer song with the shoulder work out didn't help either.

This Is So Me

This is totally what I have been feeling lately...to a T...every letter in every word...exactly my thoughts and feelings