thankful thursday #80

Most of the time, my work travel is smooth and uneventful.  But when it's not, it's really not.

Although limited in occurrences, I've had my fill of cancelled flights and lost luggage.

But yesterday, I got the "Cancelled" memo again at the terminal, and went immediately into Plan B Activation.  This time, I rebooked a flight out of an airport ninety miles away, rented a car, retrieved my already-checked bag, and caught the flight (ninety miles away) with only a few minutes to spare.

So on this Thankful Thursday, I can't help but feel grateful, despite the rocky start yesterday morning.

I rented a car for very cheap (last-minute manager's special!).

I encountered no traffic en route to the second airport (nor law enforcement officers).

I made the rest of my connections without a snag.

I was only fifteen minutes late to my meeting, after all of that.

Thank you, travel fairies, for getting in the game -- we'll pretend that initial flight cancellation didn't happen, 'k? -- and getting me where I needed to be.  I'm thankful.

What're you appreciating this week?  Go on, be grateful!

stray photo album

When I'm on the organizational ball, I keep photo albums updated with prints from my trips, outings, family gatherings, etc.

When I'm not on the organizational ball, photos -- if they're even printed -- tend to stack up into piles with no home.

Also, since I moved, I've realized that framed photos can get out of hand if one is not careful.  I love to share photos, but there are only so many frames that my occasion tables and wall space can hold, until a creepy family shrine begins to develop.

Needless to say, I haven't been on the photo organizational ball lately, and for weeks I've been racking my brain on how to display some prints temporarily, until they find their permanent home in an album.

I am proud to say that thirteen months after my last craft, I have this DIY solution to share!

I had some inspiration from Etsy or Pinterest, which I can't even find anymore to give props, so it's irrelevant at this point.  But the real inspiration came when I saw the $75 price tag (?!), and I knew there was a cheaper option.

I just needed to figure how to execute sans sewing machine.

My version started with this framed cork board from Home Goods, a half a yard of canvas, and some decorative nails.



It eventually got a canvas coat (you could use whatever method to make that happen, but I confess I needed the help of a butter knife to get those edges tucked under the frame), pinned on by the decorative nails ...



Then I cut some canvas strips to serve as pockets, two taller ones for vertical snapshots, and one shorter one for horizontals, and pinned the bottom of each of those ...



And then I popped in some of my stray photos and hung him right up in my kitchen.



I'm pleased (except for that chipped corner that needs attention).

It keeps my fridge clear of photos that don't seem to be frame-worthy, but just end up junking up an otherwise clean surface.



It buys me time to get these photos into an album.



And if they'd like, guests can flip through some recent pics at their leisure.

Or not!  No one is forced to see incessant amounts of family and friends of Robyn if they'd rather not.

A solid (and much cheaper) success, I'd say, and a satisfying ending to a perfect holiday weekend.

What are your fixes for stray photos?

summer supper

Lori came over tonight for a casual summer meal, and when I say summer, I mean summer.  It was hot as blue blazes today.

Speaking of blazing, I've been grilling like a crazy person!  It's just easy to whip up something so tasty.

Tonight, I made these two share-worthy dishes -- one on the grill -- and they were great make-aheads.

Grilled Chicken with Herbs

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
3/4 c. EVOO
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts

In a blender, mix the parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, vinegar and oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Rinse and dry the chicken, place in a glass dish, and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Be sure the chicken is good and covered in the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.

Grill chicken on medium heat for 7-8 minutes on each side, or until done.  Let it rest for a few minutes before digging in.

And, a simple salad that you can make ahead of time that's the perfect accompaniment:

Asparagus and Arugula Salad

This makes salad for two, but you can easily adjust for the number of people you're serving.

2 c. arugula
1/4 lb. asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
2 slices prosciutto, sliced into thin strips
Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Blanch the asparagus for about 90 seconds, and then immediately place in an ice bath to stop the cooking.  The little guys will be bright and green and just the right crispness.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for just a few minutes, over low heat.  They'll be a nice golden brown color.

In the same skillet, cook the prosciutto about five minutes, until the edges crisp up.

All of this can be done ahead of time, and then when it's time to build the salad ...

Place arugula on each plate.  Top with asparagus, pine nuts, and prosciutto.  With a vegetable peeler, shave Parmesan cheese strips to top each salad.  Drizzle with EVOO and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stay cool this holiday weekend, folks.  And fire up the grill!

thankful thursday #79

DMV.

If those three letters together don't evoke in you a significant rise in blood pressure, count yourself fortunate and blessed.

Five years ago when I moved to Birmingham, I spent a total of eight hours, over a period of two days, at the Jefferson County Department of Revenue.  (The reminder that I was paying for this nonsense was salt in the wound.)

The inefficiency and attitude I witnessed made me swear I was living in an alternate universe.  Where was America the Beautiful in all this?  It was outrageous.

On Tuesday, I was renting a car for a work trip, and the nice man at Enterprise noted cheerfully, "Looks like your license is about to expire!"

Joy.

I promptly began to psych myself up for what would surely be a day not worthy of a Thankful Thursday shout-out.  And because misery loves company, co-workers were immediately notified about my unfortunate circumstance.

"Go to the Shelby County DMV.  No lines."

What?  How had the thousands of people like me, who've wasted hours of their lives, missed that memo?

Glory be, it is all true.

This morning it took me less than ten minutes, and that's even counting the few minutes that the printer was throwing a tantrum.  The kind DMV worker (that seems so oxymoronic, based on my experience) apologized for the delay.

"It can't be worse than the Jefferson County lines.  Take your time.  I'm good."

I'm so thankful to know of this local tip-off.  Tell people you love, friends.  It's not something to hide.

What's got you feeling thankful, and lowering your blood pressure?  Go on, be grateful!

to slow-cook, or not to slow-cook

That is the question.

Thursday I succumbed to a long-standing aversion to crock pots and made this recipe for some friends:

Easy Pot Roast

1-2 lbs. of any kind of beef roast
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
1/2 a bag or so of baby carrots
6-7 red potatoes, halved
1-2 Tbsp. beef base (not beef bouillon, I learned, but nearby in the store)

Add an inch or two of warm water to a slow cooker and then stir in the beef base (about a tablespoon for every pound).  Add the roast into the water. Add the onions on top of the meat, and then add the veggies.  Only the meat should be covered by the water when you first turn on the cooker.  Allow at least 8 hours to cook on low heat for best results.

I'm not ready to go buy a crock pot yet (calm down, you crazy fans), but it was tasty enough to consider experimenting again with a borrowed one.

So, to the crock-pot groupies, I ask:

1. What size crock-pot do you promote?
2. What's your favorite slow-cooker recipe?

Link me up, people.

thankful thursday #78

Dear Crock Pot,

You know I've rebelled against you for many years.  Why, you ask?  Let me count the ways.

Philosophically, I'm a kitchen purist.  I don't like silly gadgets, or one-use appliances.  You are a one-use appliance.  I could never get on board.

Practically, you take up so much space in a cabinet, or worse, on a counter top.  Clutter and I don't do well together, so you've just never had a place in my world.

Physically, you're not attractive.  Even if I had the space, I wouldn't put you on display for all to see.  To be blunt, you're frumpy.

Your fan base, though, is hard to ignore.  It's crazy-big, and a little overbearing, actually.  People swear by you, and promise that once you're given the chance, there's no going back.  They are so loyal, those fans.

Today was a big day for you and me, though.  I borrowed you from a friend and volunteered to try this "Easy Pot Roast" recipe for some guests.  To say I was nervous all day long would be a vast understatement.

Frankly, I feared coming home eight hours later to a big hunk of raw meat.

But, you came through for me.  (Thanks for keeping your I-told-you-so's to yourself.)

Not only did you slow cook that roast to a fork-tender state, but my guests raved that it was very delicious.  That it looked like a roast that someone named Mamaw or Nana would prepare.

Here in the South, that's a hefty compliment.

And let me say, you could not have performed on a better day.  On this Thankful Thursday, I'm publicly thanking you for living up to your hype.  I'm very grateful our first meeting went well, and I vow to keep an open mind about you in the future.

Sincerely,
Robyn

P.S. Big shout-out to your people, who worked a deal with Reynolds on those slow-cooker liners!  Couldn't have asked for an easier clean-up.

to the moms

Our church honored moms so well today.

Mother's Day services are risky, I think.  They can be cliche, or obligatory, or unoriginal.  They can open wounds of ...

... the women who want so much to be moms, but aren't

... the children who have lousy moms and wish for better

... the people who are mourning the loss of their moms, whether that happened last week or 25 years ago

... the moms who've buried their children.

Risky, those days of honoring moms.

On the other hand, everyone has a mom, and in the eternal perspective of a sovereign God, that means there's something we can all learn from our moms.

I loved learning about Jesus's mom today.  I forget that when Mary gave birth to Jesus, she was likely between twelve and fifteen years old.  Can you even fathom?

She went on to raise three boys, and despite the supernatural anointing of her eldest, she still wrestled and worried just like any mom would.

Great moms are notorious for making sacrifices, almost to a fault, but Mary?  What pain she must have felt, when she released her child to the brutality he endured to fulfill the will of God.

A friend's mom once told me that letting go of her children -- that is, watching them grow up and become independent -- was far more gut-wrenching than any physical pains from child birth.

I imagine that of all the moms who can relate, Mary's calling to embrace her son's calling was a challenge not many could withstand.

When I watch Katie as a new mom to Little Man, I know she's only begun this epic journey of provision and guidance.  She loses sleep, and puts another's needs above her own.  She feeds and changes and teaches and protects.  She says no to things she wants to do, because she wants more for her son to get her best.

It's never over.

I'm one of the lucky ones, who has a mom that died to herself just like that for a lot of years, and who continues to joyfully make sacrifices for her kids every day.

I hope today you have a chance to say thanks to a mom who's shown you that kind of love somewhere, some how.  The world is better with those moms in it.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my life who model for me the love of Christ in such tangible ways.  Be blessed!

thankful thursday #77

Aren't special deliveries so fun?

Especially when you're singing the blues in the real world!

You can imagine my gratefulness when these were delivered to my door last weekend ...



"RLF!  Congrats on the new pad!  Put these on an unpacked box and enjoy.  May they brighten your day and let you know you are loved and appreciated!"

That's what the card read!  So, so special.

Funny story: as it turned out, the florist didn't take the right name of the sender, so the signed name on the card wasn't anyone I knew.  I had to do some sleuthing to find the culprit, but so happy I did!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I get to call some of the world's greatest people, friends.

They sure know how to lift my spirits!

Who made your day today?  Or your week?  Go on, be grateful!

thankful thursday #76

One of my favorite birthday gifts -- from my awesome folks -- is my gas grill.  Can anyone tell me of a tastier meal prepared with an easier clean-up?

When I lived in my apartment, grilling was prohibited within ten feet of the building. 

And well, I wasn't going to tote him down stairs and into the parking lot.

So he pouted on my balcony for nearly five years.  (Read: I pouted every time I wanted to use him.)

I was excited to move into my house for many reasons, but the luxury of grilling out again was near the top of the list.  (It's the simple things, people.)

As a dear friend was getting the grill all cleaned up for me (I do have great friends, don't I?), the rack was beyond help.  To call it rusty would be the understatement of the year.  It laughed in the face of 409.

Dad helped me identify a replacement part online, which I ordered promptly and hoped to high heaven that it would fit properly.

The rack arrived yesterday, and it fits like a glove.  I am so proud.

And thankful!  I'm going to get him back into grilling shape this weekend, and I can't wait.

What simple things are you happy about this week?  Go on, be grateful!

blue therapy (in my kitchen)

The weekend was such a sweet one, and I have publicly owned the fact that I had a total meltdown when I left Athens.

Does anyone else feel that sad, when they leave their family who lives in a not-so-close place?

Mercy, I hate it.

And then I returned to my house-that-isn't-yet-a-home.  I'm still settling, and unpacking, and generally adjusting to new surroundings.

Blah.

I needed a night in my home, alone.  I needed to grocery shop.  I needed to menu plan.  I needed familiar.  I needed to be in my kitchen.  I needed therapy, and cooking is mine.

I whipped up this dish tonight from Skinny Taste, which is emerging as a pretty fantastic resource, and has boat-loads of recipes with potential.  This one was a winner that made me feel better:

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce

8 chicken tenderloins, 16 oz. total
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200°. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside in a warm oven.

Add additional oil and butter to the skillet, then garlic and cook a few seconds; add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.

Add wine, chicken broth, parsley; stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half. Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and serve.

Question: What's the food that chases away your blues?