Anticipation

I am just shaking with anticipation!

Temperature

I was reading the other day that we can take the temperature of our Christian walk by checking our gratitude level. Do we get out of bed each day grumbling or grateful? (A little of both, probably.)

God gives us so much grace. We receive so much that we do not deserve. I read that gratitude follows grace as thunder follows lightning.

What a difference it makes in our attitude if we look for things to be grateful about rather than things to grumble about. A lesson written for me. If you can benefit too, so be it.

One More Recipe - a Grandma Tommy Oldie but Goodie!

Oatmeal Cake

This is the easiest cake I've ever made. Takes about 10 minutes to throw together and 30 minutes to bake. If you suddenly remember you need to take dessert for a crowd, this is the one you need to throw together. I've been craving it lately, as I've made it for several events and more people showed up than expected (a nice problem to have) and I had to cut it into teeny-tiny servings so that everyone could have some.

Boil 1 3/4 cups water

Add 1 cup oatmeal

Add 1 stick of butter and stir until melted

Add: 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 1/2 cup flour.

Mix well and pour into greased 9" x 13" pan.

Cover raw cake with mixture of:

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 a stick) of butter

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup coconut

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

It's Been a Great Recipe Week - 3 winners in one week: Classic Roast Beef and Gravy, Tandoori Chicken, and The Best Fried Pork Chops Ever!

I know you've probably made at least two of these three recipes. What makes the roast beef good is that it is a cheap cut of beef relatively speaking. The pork chops are simply amazing.

Classic Roast Beef and Gravy

This was delicious and made with a pretty cheap cut of beef. The next day we had hot roast beef sandwiches with the leftovers. Yum! The key to this - as to many other recipes - is having a meat thermometer. The gravy is good, although if you're in a hurry you could substitute gravy from a packet and still have a good meal.

1 - 4 pound top sirloin roast (salt it with 2 teaspoons salt, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.)
When ready to cook, unwrap, rub dry, and rub with 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large pan, and brown meat all over. (Don't worry if it burns and sticks to the pan a bit, this will make the gravy taste GREAT.) Transfer to oven preheated to 275 degrees and cook until meat thermometer registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make gravy:
Chop (I used my food processor):
8 ounces white mushrooms
2 onions
1 carrot
1 celery rib
Cook in large pan that you browned the meat in - you may have to add a little oil - until mushrooms are golden and veggies are browned.
Add:
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup flour
Cook for about 2 minutes
Stir in:
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened.
Then strain out the bits and add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Voila!

Tandoori Chicken

Oh my gosh, is this amazingly good! We were making a lot of moaning noises as we ate this one. The next night I made the leftovers into chicken salad. It was amazingly good too. I know you have to pick up a weird spice or two, but it's worth it!

2 tablespoons oil

4 garlic cloves minced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (I keep fresh ginger frozen in the freezer. It's easy to peel with a potato peeler and grate when it's frozen.)

1 tablespoon garam masala

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 cup plain yogurt

4 tablespoons juice from 2 limes

2 teaspoons salt

3 pounds chicken parts (I used boneless skinless breasts because this is how I'm used to getting it from my favorite Indian restaurant in Quito - but any parts with skin removed will work.)

Heat oil in small skillet. Add garlic and ginger and cook for one minute. Add garam masala, cumin, and chili powder, continue to cook until fragrant 30 - 60 seconds longer. (Ross taught me that this process makes the spices "bloom".)

Divide spice mixture into two bowls.

In medium bowl - add yogurt and 2 tablespoons lime juice to mixture.

In large bowl - add 2 tablespoons lime juice and salt to mixture.

Score chicken lightly with knife, then gently massage this spice mixture into the chicken until all pieces are evenly coated. Let stand at room temp. for 30 minutes.

Now, pour yogurt mixture over chicken, and mix well. Then place chicken pieces on a wire rack set on a foil covered pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 - 25 minutes (until breasts reach 125 degrees and other pieces reach 130 degrees). Remove from oven.

Heat broiler and put chicken under the broiler for 8 to 15 minutes until breasts are about 165 degrees and other pieces are about 175 degrees and pieces have started to char a little bit.

Serve with rice.

Best Fried Pork Chops Ever!

I am not a big fried food person...but I could easily become addicted to these. They're not for those who need low cholesterol food. The key is to cook them in bacon fat and to double-dip the coating.

4 bone in pork chops (slice the fat in a few places on each one so they don't curl up)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix spices together and rub on pork chops

1 cup flour

Dredge pork chops in flour

3 slices bacon (I used a whole package of bacon and then made a salad from it)

Fry bacon, leave grease in pan, remove bacon and reserve for other use.

Dip pork chops in flour again just before frying.

Add 1/2 cup oil to bacon drippings and heat.

Fry pork chops about 3-4 minutes on each side.

I used the bacon to make a salad: crumbled bacon, cut up tomatoes, 1 package crumbled goat cheese, with a dressing made of yogurt and mayo. Oh my gosh it was heaven with the pork chops.

In smaller bowl,

Yippee...Tickets Bought

I fly in late Friday, February 20th and fly out mid-afternoon Sunday, March 1st. I'll e-mail the flight details right away!

Conflict Resolution

This is our fourth year in Guayaquil - tenth in Ecuador. And for the last four years we've had a low-key battle about night-time temperatures. We solved our problems in Quito with a dual control electric blanket - actually, that was Grace's solution and blanket. Mike and I don't think that creatively.

When we were preparing to marry we met with P. Ken and Norma Asplund for counsel - among others. I remember something Norma said, "Solve your problems. If one of you squeezes the toothpaste tube in the middle and the other neatly rolls it up from the bottom, don't fight about it. Buy two tubes of toothpaste!"

We're kind of slow on this kind of conflict resolution. After three years of battling over air-conditioning at night (I didn't want it cause it blows in my head and Mike did want it.) it FINALLY dawned on me last week to move the bed to a place where the air doesn't hit my head. Duh! Just in time. The rainy season - summer here - just started, and we were not off to a good start in the cold war department. But thanks to Norma Asplund, we're sleeping well.

Living The Good Life: Años Viejos, Pyromaniacs, and Fireworks...Oh My

I've been wanting to tape New Year's Eve for some years now for you all. It's quite a spectacle here. Well, I fell asleep around 10pm with cotton stuffed in my ears and the fan and the air conditioner on high. BUT, my friend Danielle and her husband David, who live in our neighborhood, DID tape it. Please, please, click on this and scroll down to the video: Living The Good Life: Años Viejos, Pyromaniacs, and Fireworks...Oh My