Return of the Jedi?

Random. This title is random. I am random. But I am not a Jedi... And while "Return of the Jedi" was probably the best film in the Star Wars Trilogy, let's be honest here... this post is not about Star Wars and it's not even really a "return."

The fact of the matter is, I haven't posted anything here for far too long. Far too long.
And while there are plenty of things I could, should and will write about, tonight is not the night.
As the beautiful hymn says, "I am tired. I am weak. I am worn." I need the Lord to guide my feet and hold my hand. I'm feeling hard pressed on every side. But considering all that's happened within the last two weeks (things I promise to share with you in the days ahead) I have to say I'm not surprised at the weariness, or the attempts of the Enemy to discourage and derail me. He's crafty that one. What I am ashamed to admit is how often I allow him to succeed in getting me down.
But I'm reminded that the battle is fought and won. I must keep my eyes fixed on the Author and Perfecter of my faith, and with a heart of gratitude, joyfully praise Him for all the miracles and answered prayers He's allowed me to witness. I must let His joy be my strength, and I must claim the victory I have in Him, clinging to His promises to guide and direct me, provide for me and encourage me as I submit myself to Him.
I'm sorry if this sounds like a sermon, and I'm sorry if it's super vague and ambiguous. It is - vague and ambiguous. But it's just been one of those days, and I guess I'm just sharing with you what's on my heart. If anything my prayer is that it encourages you, especially if you're feeling, well, weary, tired, frustrated... alone. You're not alone.
For now that's all I've got. It's time for bed. Someone's texting me in 8.5 hours, reminding me of how I need to start my day - but that's for another post.
Till then, blessings to whomever still reads this.

~Spock

No Words...

So literally I have no words.

Speaking is kind of challenging right now because my throat is totally swollen - I'm having a hard time just swallowing my own spit. Oh and did I mention I'm speaking at the Body's Women's Ministry Leadership Dessert tomorrow night. It's like our big fall kick-off where our Senior Pastor commissions us for leadership this coming year.

And I may have Strep Throat.

Obviously the Enemy doesn't want me talking.

The "talk" is titled (only on the Word doc I wrote on my laptop) Feeding, Fasting and Fall. I'll definitely tell you more about it later, but right now I should probably try and get some sleep... I've been laying in bed the entire day eating Sugar-Free Lime jello, soup and drinking lots of Vitamin ZERO. Hopefully my excellent doctor can shed some light on this issue in the morn, but for now more sleep.

And yet as I write this I must confess that part of my "fasting" in this talk is mainly related to fasting from my computer... I know. This will be hard. This will be bad for my blog. But this is actually really good - for me and prioritizing my quite time and relationship with the Lord. So unfortunately you all have to suffer the consequences of my inability to keep the Lord in His rightful place - on the Throne of my life.

So for now that's all. Sorry to be so vague and brief, but it's time for bed. Just felt I should let you know that I'm still alive, albeit a bit sick, and will be back to give you more juicy bits of my life and the Lord's lessons once this fasting's over.

Blessings!

Meals for Myself

So as I've previously stated, I love to cook but hate cooking for myself.
But there are exceptions to this rule... glimmers of inspiration... moments of magic in the kitchen.
Usually these anomalies occur when I
a) have time to conceptualize and construct a yummy meal for myself
b) find a good recipe, good produce and a good location to cook.

A weekend trip out to my cabin by myself usually draws together the requirements above, culminating in something quite delectable, and reaffirming that yes indeed, I can cook. And more than that it reminds me that I do enjoy cooking and I'm not too bad at it either.

The last couple times I've been out there I've brought the oh-so amazing cookbook, How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking by Michael Psilakis. I'm officially obsessed with this cookbook. Absolutely everything I've made out of it has turned out to be spectacular - and let me tell you for a cookbook that's pretty dang impressive. I think deep down I want to be Greek or well, at least from the Mediterranean region. Their food is just so fresh, yummy and makes my body feel good. Don't get me wrong, I love my sauerkraut, bratwurst and lefsa (tributes to my german and norwegian heritage) but there's just something about how the greeks use lamb, figs, fennel, olives, feta, and seafood... I'm making myself hungry just typing this.

The curious thing is this recipe I've now made for myself twice is, well a-typical for me in that its main ingredient is cauliflower - a flavorless vegetable I strongly dislike. But the way this one is prepared is pretty amazing, and quite simple.

The ingredients are cauliflower, spinach, shallots, capers, dried cherries, fresh sage, cinnamon and sea scallops. The recipe is designated as an appetizer for four, but I just divided it in half and had it as my entrée. Below are some photos of this meal I made for myself.

The main ingredients minus the scallops and cinnamon. The key for this recipe is to have all your prep work done because the cooking process goes quite quickly.

The cauliflower all chopped up and ready to be boiled. Once it's tender you quickly submerge it in ice-water to keep it from further cooking. You can do this ahead of time if you need to. Later you caramelize it in a hot skillet with olive oil dusting it with cinnamon, and adding 1/2 your chopped shallots and your cup of spinach. Cook it till your spinach begins to wilt, but no longer.

But before you caramelize the cauliflower you have to sear those scallops! The trick is to rinse and dry your scallops and make sure your cast iron skillet + olive oil are smoking hot (no, literally it should be slightly smoking). Then don't touch those puppies for a good 2 minutes to allow a nice crust to form on the bottom before you flip them. Once you flip 'em remove the skillet from the heat... they'll continue cooking but won't be overdone. No one likes a chewy scallop.

After caramelizing the cauliflower, shallots and spinach divide it onto your plate and in the same skillet add a bit of butter and a dribble of olive oil (the olive oil keeps the butter from burning) with your remaining shallots, dried cherries, capers and sliced sage leaf. Sauté those for a minute or two, but don't burn your shallots.
Add your scallops on top of the plated cauliflower and then drizzle your brown butter cherry-shallot mixture over all of that and...

Voila! You get this delicious meal to enjoy! Bon Appetite!

And boy was it tasty... can you say "cleaned my plate"? 

And for dessert? Some fresh mission figs with vanilla ice cream topped with a balsamic glaze. 

Now doesn't that look good?! God's so good to provide us with such amazing food/fruit to enjoy!

Well that's all folks... the kitchen in the cabin is pretty ghetto, but it's definitely produced some pretty wonderful meals. 

So for all of you singletons out there (or those who're just plain tired of cooking day in and day out) I hope this inspires you to make a yummy meal too... even if it's just for yourself. 

And if you want a cookbook that will never fail you, you can buy How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking here.

Surprises

This week I've been surprised by receiving two packages in the mail - purchases I made online long ago that I'd forgotten about and then... SURPRISE! They're there sitting at my front door waiting to just pop out of their box. In general I'm not a fan of surprises. I'm a planner. I like to not only know what's coming, but have sufficient time to prepare for it as well ( a very realistic view/outlook on life...). Surprises annoy me. Well, that is, they did. I think I'm kind of warming up to surprises now - even if I'm the one surprising myself.

So here's surprise number one:

A beautiful chiffon dress by Mara Hoffman from Gilt.com

But with all these surprises I realize I need to do some Spring - wait... Fall closet cleaning. Particularly purging it of dresses. This tasks inspires the wretched feeling that accompanies actual retching/purging, akin to nails scratching a chalkboard, but it must be done. I'm running out of hangers.

Food and Friends

Very near to my heart and my stomach lie two people. One is someone I've known of old, the other is someone new. Neither are borrowed and I hope neither are blue. And yet weddings they do do. Alliteration too.


Enter Jamie Casady. One of my oldest friends, I have known this lovely lady since pre-school. From Pinky's Promise Patrol (Vacation Bible School at Overlake Christian Church) to Camp Sambica on Lake Sammamish, there are very few memories of my childhood summers that don't include Jamie and her brother Zach. 
And the funny thing is, as far back as I can remember Jamie's always been a fierce-some entrepreneur with keen eye and attention to detail. I mean even our lemonade stand as kids had a well thought out business plan. This wasn't just some dinky table with a pitcher of lukewarm lemonade... No. Our "stand" was not only covered with a clean white tablecloth, but we also had elaborately decorated poster-boards advertising our refreshing, ice-cold, thirst-quenching beverage. I feel like we even made our brothers walk down to the corner and wave them around. I could be making this up, but it honestly sounds like something we would've done. And if that weren't enough, Jamie decided we needed to differentiate ourselves in order to corner the market from all the other beverage purveyors on the block. So we also sold flower bouquets.
If Jamie's going to do something she's not only going to do it right, but she's going to go all out. There's no half-way with this girl. I remember one birthday when we were really into the American Girls stuff, she had us perform the play that was part of the Felicity series. But this wasn't just "stand around and read the parts" kind of thing. Nope. We had colonial costumes her mom and grandma made and even a canvas backdrop that I'm pretty positive Jamie painted herself. We were maybe 10.
But these character traits of Jamie's are so minor when compared with her deep deep love for her friends and family and the Lord. There really is nothing Jamie wouldn't do for the ones she loves... even planting ranunculus in her yard for a friend's wedding she recently catered/planned. I mean who does that? Jamie does.
Which brings me to the present. After several years apart, J and J (Jessika and Jamie) were finally reunited, and of all places in the Big Apple. I was visiting my brother and she was attending the C.I.A. (the Culinary Institute of America, not the government agency). And over lunch we caught up on the past and dreamed about the future. She shared with me her passion for people and food, and how these two unite in one vision and venture.
Enter Jordan Cooper. Fellow C.I.A. grad, chef extraordinaire, and friend/cohort of the other J.C. - that is Jamie Casady - in this joint visionary venture they're making a reality. 
I love Jordan. I've only known him for a a couple years, but he's one of the most genuine people I know. Fully embodying the strong and silent type, he's generally a man of few words, but what he says he means, and you know it too. He tells it like it is, and is honest and kind. In other words the kind of person you want to do business with. It's called integrity. And while both Jamie and Jordan personify the best kind of business people, they are also artists of the highest caliber.
For as much as Jamie and Jordan aren't just mere friends to me, the food they create isn't merely the kind with which you fill your stomach. Nope. Much like themselves their culinary compositions are absolutely beautiful, meticulously crafted masterpieces. Every aspect is important to them, from the fresh local ingredients, to the wine pairings, to the ambiance of the table setting. Not only do they have a vision for their company, but also for every event they plan. They see the big, seamlessly cohesive picture. And yet I believe their strength lies in the intricate details and unique touches that they lovingly imprint throughout the meal, the party, the event. And in the end this is what resoundingly radiates: the love they have for their craft; the love they have for their guests; the love they have for their Maker. 


So cheers to you Jamie and Jordan! You inspire me, and I am so thankful to have such rad (as we'd say in the 80's) friends. You bless my socks off!


And if you're in need of a caterer/event planner be it for a wedding or a small dinner soirée, I can't recommend these two amazing chefs more! But don't take my word for it... see for yourself. Below are some photos of a surprise birthday party these two threw for their friend. You can contact them here. Enjoy!

Found!

So do you remember that outfit I told you about in Childhood Grown Up? The one Mary Lennox wore in The Secret Garden that I was swooning over... the jumper, black tights and oxfords?

Well I found it! The grown up version that is...
The only thing I wish is that the jumper were that great yellowish green. This one's more yellowy cream. Oh well... it's still cute.

The Jumper.

See by Chloé. Found at Gilt.com but I'm sorry to say it's sold out. Bummer.

The Blouse.

This one I found at the inspiration. It's an oh so sweet vintage version that's much more cost effective. Buy it here.

This one I found at the addiction. It too could work, although with the jumper straps, the neck line might pose a problem. Regardless, it's very cute and on sale too! Buy it here.

Otherwise you could really just go with the blouse the jumper's already paired with. Although that one is definitely not sale priced... But I guess if it's on Gilt.com it technically is...

The Shoes

I found both pairs at Urban Outfitters. Option A with a heel, Option B with a flat. Let your legs decide.

And of course this outfit would not be complete without a thick pair of black tights/leggings. But I think you can manage to find those on your own.

And I am happy. Inspiration come to life. I love it!

Love is a Pink Carnation

Firstly, there are two things you need to know about me:

1. I hate carnations.

I think this dislike stems from seeing them in the grocery store dyed that disgusting snow-cone colored blue or leprechaun green, looking 100% artificial; they're like the antithesis of what flowers represent. In my opinion carnations are just a step up from Baby's Breath - a sad, sad substitute for a rose. It's what you give when you feel obligated to give flowers but really don't want to, or worse, when you should give flowers but completely forget.

2. I really don't like pink.

Yes, I'm a ballerina. Yes, I love to wear dresses. But to be completely honest the color pink often inspires my gag reflex. Yuck. There are many things I do and many things I like that by all outward appearances would make me sound like a girly-girl, but honestly I'm not. Well at least I don't see myself as one. Victoria's Secret's ad campaign of "Pink" is completely lost on me. The color looks wretched on my yellow-olive skin tone and something deep within me just rejects it. I feel like Kay Thompson's character Maggie Prescott in the movie "Funny Face" where at the end of her "Think Pink" number she refuses to be caught dead in it - although the number is quite fabulous.

However recently, my mind has slightly changed toward these two things I've railed against for so long. I have Lars to thank for that. And by Lars, I mean "Lars and the Real Girl."

If you haven't seen this movie, you absolutely must. Everything about it is brilliant. Everything. From the script to the set design there isn't one detail that was overlooked. And this is definitely my kind of movie. It's quirky, its awkward, it's endearingly odd. It's a lot like me.

Ryan Gosling proves my point that mustaches are hot. And I absolutely love the charming little farmhouse Lars, his brother Gus and sister-in-law Karen live in. In particular, the "Pink room" where Lars' "girlfriend" Bianca stays has inspired my design eye. Pink? I know... I was surprised too. But the vintage wall paper and curtains, the sweet chenille bedspread and the amazing wood dresser are absolutely perfect.

In fact this movie redeems pink. It's like a tread that's woven throughout this entire film binding it all together. It first shows up in a pink carnation Mrs. Gruner gives to Lars at the beginning of the film. This scene is amazing. Ryan Gosling plays it to perfection. She gives Lars the carnation and tells him to give it to someone he likes, when just at that moment he turns around to see his very cute co-worker Margot saying "hello." With one thrust of his arm he chucks the carnation into oblivion, and then after saying nothing proceeds to actually run to his car. It's clear he likes her, but is afraid - afraid of love. During the rest of the movie pink shows up throughout - in apparel and decor - as Lars gradually learns how to love and be loved. And by the end we see another pink carnation, not thrown away, but kept close to his heart (worn on his left lapel).

Love is a pink carnation. And love is not cheap. Rather, it is the most important, most precious and utterly priceless gift we can give and receive. So I guess Lars makes me love both pink and carnations.

Here are two clips I found on YouTube of the beginning and the end of this awesome film. But if you've never seen it, DON'T watch the latter clip. Better just watch the whole thing.


You can find the first clip here and the second one here.