Broccoli Salad

When I first got out on my own, the only things I knew how to cook were desserts. I still don't view this as a problem, but the logical side of me said I needed to learn how to make SOMETHING of substance. Especially since my life includes a lot of carry-in dinners. So....my mother gave me her recipe for broccoli salad. I realize the news that this is one of my favorite salads may come as a shock to those of you who know of my distaste for vegetables. But this one has enough of the good stuff in it to mask the taste of veggies.

One Sunday I took this as my contribution to the church carry-in dinner (at my old church) and they ate every last bite! No leftovers for Bekah. It soon became necessary for me to bring a double batch of broccoli salad to every dinner if I wanted to be permitted to enter and eat. I've heard, now that I attend a different church, that others have jumped in to make this in my absence. (Sounds better than in my memory.)

I will admit this is one of the more expensive and time consuming dishes I make. Normally if something takes very long or costs very much, I refuse to make it. But this one is worth the hassle now and then. And since Christmas is just a week away...I thought I'd share it with you...just in case you need one more dish to round out your Christmas meal.

Recipe:


1 large bunch of fresh broccoli

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped onion

10 slices bacon - cooked and crumbled

sunflower seeds (optional)

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon vinegar

Chop broccoli and onion; mix together. About four hours before serving, mix the Miracle Whip, sugar, and vinegar, pour over broccoli and onion. Immediately before serving, add bacon, sunflower seeds and raisins.


The first time I ever made this, the only vinegar I had was white vinegar, so that's what I used. Turns out most people like it better than regular vinegar. People often ask me what's different about my broccoli salad...and that usually seems to be the key. I've also learned to use actual, fully loaded with fat Mircale Whip in this. No low fat/fat-free. No off brand.



Frying the bacon...takes FOREVER. It also creates a greasy mess in my kitchen. Just ask my sister about the time we made this together at 10 pm when my kitchen light didn't work. I kept checking the bacon with a flashlight. But someone taught me this trick which works well for salad purposes. I have a small bar pan from Pampered Chef and I load it up with as much bacon as it will hold. I cover it with paper towel and stick it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until it appears to be cooked thoroughly. The paper towel catches any spatter and the sides of the bar pan keep the grease from running through the microwave. The pan gets very hot, so use a pot holder to remove the pan from the microwave.


Here is the cooked bacon. Being the meatatarian that I am, I always put in more bacon than the recipe calls for. I usually start the bacon when I start chopping the broccoli and that saves time. It can cook while I chop!


After the bacon has cooked, I transfer it to a plate covered in paper towel to drain off some of the grease. Then I pour the remaining grease into a leftover pot-pie pan, which I save for just such occasions. Once the pan is full and the grease hardens, I toss it. I put a new layer of bacon on the bar pan and toss it back in the microwave for the next round!

I use a food chopper for my broccoli, so I begin by cutting the bunch into smaller pieces on a cutting board. I can just move my chopper from bunch to bunch and chop it all up. Then I can dump the cutting board into the bowl.

If I did not have a food chopper, I would never make this recipe. I'd probably chop off my finger trying to cut the broccoli by hand...plus I just don't have enough patience to chop it up into such fine pieces without the chopper. Mine is actually a Tupperware chopper, but I couldn't find it on their site, so here's the similar one from Pampered Chef. This is great for working out frustrations! You just put the chopper over the broccoli and the plunger goes down and chops for you!

And when I say I want the broccoli in fine little pieces, I mean FINE LITTLE PIECES!

Once I'm done chopping the broccoli, I move on to chopping the onion. I don't really measure the onion. I just chop however much I think I want. I use the chopper for it too, which helps reduce tears. :) I don't bother with washing the chopper first. If broccoli guts get on the onion, it's okay. They're all going in the same bowl anyway!

I usually make the salad (the time consuming part) the night before I need it. There are some parts you don't want to add at this time. So normally what I do is chop the broccoli and the onion, mix them together in the bowl and put them in the refrigerator overnight. Once the bacon has cooked, I crumble it up and put it in a storage dish in the refrigerator. The next morning (about 4 hours before serving, I mix up the dressing. It will be soupy.

Put the dressing over the broccoli/onion part and mix it up. As it marinates in the fridge, the sugar will begin to break down and it will look more like a salad. (That's why it's important to give it a few hours and not put this on right as you're serving it. The broccoli won't absorb it unless you give it some time.)

Right before serving, I add the bacon, the sunflower seeds, and the raisins. (Although I hate raisins, so sometimes I skip them altogether.) That is another key of the salad - don't put in the bacon too soon or it will be soggy.

This salad really only keeps nicely for about a day once it's assembled. After that it starts to get watery and soggy.

Christmas in Bekahland

My old camera (moment of silence for the loss of it) took such lovely Christmas pictures. It had this awesome candlelight setting on it that really captured the glow of the tree. This camera - NOT SO MUCH. So the pictures aren't quite what they could be/should be, but here's a glimpse of the trees at my house.

The hodge-podge tree. This one sits in my office and is the only tree with colored lights. It holds the ornaments that survived my childhood (not many) and little random ornaments I've picked up along the way.

The bedroom tree. There's a star on top, but I guess I cut it out. Woops. This one has a blue/purple/gold theme to it. The cats (so far) have left this one alone, which is good since glass ornaments and hardwood floors don't mix.

The S'more tree. Probably six or seven years ago I started collecting S'mores. My kitchen tree is a S'more tree. I literally have to bend the tree over backwards until it is flat so when the ornaments (very heavy) are on the tree, it stands upright. Otherwise it would be flat on its face.

The Americana (a.k.a. pathetic) tree. This was a new tree for me this year - a little smaller than the one I used to have. (This one is no assembly required, though.) I ran out of time to really put much effort into this one, so it has no topper, no garland - just red and blue ornaments. I will try harder next year.

And....the main tree. Also a new tree this year - I'm on strike from tree assembly. It is also a slim tree, which is good since fat trees overtake my house. It has kind of a Victorian theme. This is the one Braeya undecorated entirely (bottom row only) last week.

And now for the "other stuff."

The little ceramic tree was one Mom made for my great grandma when she lived in the nursing home. I put it in the room with all the "antique" stuff.

This is my quiltless quilt rack. :) It occurred to me AFTER taking this photo that I should have put candles in the candle holder first. WOOPS.

The official family Bible open to Luke 2.

Baby Jesus and his broken arm. Mom made these little nativity sets when she did ceramics. A few years ago, I broke Jesus' arm while packing this away. I still have the arm - and it's in the picture - but you can't see it. It's resting on top of the "good arm."

Bits for Sunday, December 14, 2008

Today I found myself topic-less with the end of the day rapidly approaching. Every writer’s nightmare.

So I did what every blocked writer does. I asked my sister for a topic. I think she intended it to be a much better outcome than it might actually be…but at least it spares you another cat or cooking story.

With Christmas a mere ELEVEN days away, the time has come to ponder…stockings. Do you do Christmas stockings at your house? Do you even know how they began? Apparently legend says that a man, distraught over his wife’s death, wasted all his money and had nothing left for his three daughters’ dowries. St. Nicholas rode by their home, threw some gold coins down the chimney, and they landed in the girls’ stockings, which were hanging by the fire to dry. And so…we now have stockings.

My stocking is one that a relative made for me when I was just a baby, I think. It’s a little felt angel with my name on it. And it holds something about the size of a tube of toothpaste. When I go to the store and see the six foot stockings that people could use as sleeping bags if they so desire…I think I got cheated. Nevertheless, Mom was always very good about making sure my stocking was filled to overflowing (since one item filled it) each Christmas morning.

My grandparents had some unique stockings. Grandpa’s looked like Santa pants and Grandma’s were Mrs. Claus’s bloomers. Those held more than a tube of toothpaste. Sign me up for a pair!

Anyway, I’ve learned that the quality of stocking stuffers varies from family to family. In our family, stocking stuffers were always the little trivial and/or practical gifts that really didn’t warrant a spot under the tree. We wrapped them…but they were the pre-gifts, so to speak. And of course half the fun was figuring each of them out before unwrapping them. Tic-tacs were always a no-brainer.

One year I remember unwrapping a bottle of shave gel (which I guessed before unwrapping) and Mom told me to wait a minute before I continued unwrapping the stocking gifts. She left the room and came back with about six more bottles. Someone had purchased them and then ended up allergic to that brand, so I got them instead. I was excited – because who likes to buy shave gel!?!? – and it was the good name brand stuff. Evidently it was only fun for her to wrap the first one, though.

But that’s how stocking stuffers went at our house. Underwear, socks, razors, gum, candy, chip clips, magnets, stuff like that.

I’ve noticed, though, some people really go all out on the stocking business. When reading Christmas ads in the paper, I’ve noticed retailers enjoy marketing things like digital cameras and diamond earrings as stocking stuffers. (If I give you a digital camera for Christmas, you can know that will be serving as Christmas, birthday, and every major holiday for you for about four years.)

So this leads me to ask…what defines a “stocking stuffer?” Is it simply the size of the actual gift? If so, my itty bitty felt stocking can easily accommodate a lovely supply of jewelry, and I’ll forego the tube of toothpaste this year. Is it the cost of the gift? The cheap stuff goes in the stocking and the higher priced stuff deserves a spot under the tree?

If you’re looking for a good stocking stuffer idea for me – and you just can’t think of one – I say let’s go back to the way the tradition began. Just toss some gold coins my way. I promise they’ll be readily welcomed.

Birthday Cards

The official Christmas card has been completed, so now I turn my attention back to the regular cards. My brother-in-law had a birthday coming up, and I found myself completely idea-less on what card to make. I need to invest in a golf stamp set because then I'd be in good shape for several years.

Guys' cards are not easy for me to make. When I make cards for girls, and I don't have a clue what to do, I resort to flowers. Can't so much do that with a guy.

BUT - as I perused the stamp collection, I ran across this dog set I'd borrowed from Faith for a scrapbook page soon to come in my 1-5 year old book. Given that my sister and brother-in-law have a dog....I came up with this:


Corny - but better than nothing, right?

Christmas Baking

First...the good stuff.

LOTS of peanut butter fudge. On the right is a chocolate/pecan/toffee fudge. Won't make that recipe again because it wasn't creamy enough to suit me. I did like the toffee part. :)


Peanut butter cups in chocolate chip cookies and then of course the famous peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses in them.

Peanut butter balls and a couple kinds of chocolate bark (one withe pretzels and the other with toffee).

Hershey kisses/pretzels/with M&Ms on top. Unfortunately I accidentally purchased the breast cancer bag so they look more like Valentine's Day than Christmas, but you know - all tastes the same.

And now....the biggest mess up of 2008. The cashew brittle.

Chris, you were right. GONE. (And notice how nothing inside is moving.)

Bits for Sunday, December 7, 2008

Ahhhh the holidays. ‘Tis the season for warm snuggly nights at home, the aroma of treats baking, and the soft glow of candles.

OR disasters in all above areas.

Welcome to Bekahland.

The weekend has been a busy one. Friday night I went to a Christmas program, Saturday I spent the day painting at a friend’s house and the evening touring the county for various ingredients necessary for the season’s baking extravaganza.

As I tried valiantly to tidy up the half-done chores around the house, I somewhat lost track of time. Before I knew it, it was after midnight, and I hadn’t even started chopping up carrots for the pot roast I planned to put in the slow cooker for today’s lunch. Yes, Mother, I did actually chop vegetables after midnight.

About 12:45, I closed up shop for the night, donned multiple layers of warm clothing, and headed for the fleece sheets. I knew I couldn’t stay in them long, but I intended to be warm while there. Since it was a tiny bit cold in the bedroom, I turned up the heat. After just a moment, I noticed that hot smell that always comes out of a heater the first time you turn it on each year. I glanced at the heater…nothing seemed wrong, so I continued getting ready for bed while waiting for the hot smell to go away.

Except what really happened was the smoke alarm went off. 12:45 in the morning on a church night and I have scattering cats and obnoxious beeping. In that moment, it occurred to me that I was the adult here. Responsibility was mine alone. After quickly turning off the heater, I looked around for real smoke. I even went all back through the house looking for other sources of smoke and/or fire. Nothing. The smoke alarm did stop…911 did not need to be summoned…and I will not be turning up the heat again. And now I know the smoke alarm is still in good working order!

Today was baking day. After church and the pot roast lunch, I headed to the kitchen to bake and bake and bake. The list was admittedly a bit long. Chocolate chip cookie cups with Reese cups in the middle, peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses, a couple versions of chocolate bark with pretzels and toffee, peanut butter fudge, cookies and cream fudge, toffee pecan fudge, pretzel rings with chocolate kisses and M&Ms, and last but not least, some cashew brittle. And best of all…sampling all afternoon.

Oh, and might I mention that all but the peanut butter fudge were new recipes?

I got to work and before long had goodies stacking up all over the place in my tiny kitchen. After I thought the first round of the three kinds of fudge had sufficiently had time to set up in the refrigerator, I pulled them out to cut them. The cookies and cream one was a mess. I don’t know what I did wrong, but it’s considered a failure. Well…out of all those new recipes, one is bound to fail, right?

If only that had been the worst of it!

The very last recipe was the cashew brittle. It was on a page called “Microwave Magic.” HA. I combined the first two ingredients, threw them in, cooked them for the four stated minutes, pulled out the bowl, stirred, and put it back in for the next three. Somewhere toward the end of that, I realized the smell coming from the microwave was not pleasing. I opened the door and smoke poured out. Actual for real smoke. I waited for the alarm to sound again. Good grief!

Let’s just say that there won’t be cashew brittle this year. I do have a lovely purple bowl with a solid mass of never-coming-outta-there burned sugar mess. It’s good to have a humbling cooking experience now and then. But for the short term – just don’t come over to my house. It might take a day or two to lose that burned sugar smell.

And amid all that – remember the story I told you a couple of weeks ago about the three wick candle that ended up running down the side of the buffet, leaving a pool of red wax on the dining room floor? Had a similar mishap again tonight. As I passed the three wick candle on the entertainment center, I noticed a little pumpkin colored stream down the left side. I scooted in a little closer and sure enough, wax was pooling under the pine ring around it. LOVELY.

Ahhh Bekahland. Never a dull moment.

But on the bright side, I did have one good thing happen today. I think most of you know my Dad has a radio program, and I listen every week while I get ready for church. This morning, he read part of one of my Advent devotionals! I was very excited – my writing has never made it onto the radio before. And it was certainly better than the 3 year old slightly congested version of my Luke 2 recitation. (Never fear – I’m sure he’ll play that one before all is said and done.)

I’m off to take a picture of the cement brittle.

Bekahland

1. I did not work Monday, so I used the day to catch up on chores. One chore (and boy was it ever!) was to accomplish the taking of the Christmas picture. I'd asked a friend to take it, but her schedule and my hair were not coinciding, so I resorted to taking it myself. I'm used to this. But I didn't want my Christmas picture to scream "SHE TOOK IT HERSELF!!" I played around with about 30 pictures and deleted all but one. The picture was good - except for the zit that appeared from who knows where. Zits at 30? RIDICULOUS.

Later in the day it began to snow, so I decided to try for an outside picture. I went out in my cute sweater (which matches the color scheme of the cards) and my little scarf and coffee mug...strategically placed the camera on the air conditioner, RAN into the snow, posed, RAN back to check it...repeated four times. It was cute, but the wind was bitter and I thought I looked a little scared. Not to mention...I'm sure the neighbors wondered about the crazy woman in no coat, standing out in the snow with a coffee mug, occasionally running to the air conditioner.

2. I've tried to keep my Biggest Loser talk to myself, but I must say that I am not happy with Vicky, and if you've been watching, you should understand that statement. I think it is sad that she has to take a show that should inspire people and turn it into a hateful mess. As someone today told me: You can lose weight, but you'll always be ugly. (Just to clarify...a., she wasn't talking about me, and 2., that's ugly on the inside.)

3. Mom saw this bumper sticker today and called to tell me about it. "Ignorant people shouldn't reproduce." LOVE IT. I'll order three.

Bits for Sunday, November 30, 2008

I had this written yesterday but didn't get a chance to post it until now...

Waking to a winter wonderland…

Not what I expected first thing this morning. I wasn’t even out of bed yet when Mom called to tell me snow had fallen…lots of it. I’d made it as far as half my hair clipped up to begin the straightening process when the doorbell rang. It was Dad, informing me he’d just driven 30 miles an hour all the way to town, so I needed to leave extra early because the roads were bad. (Wonder what his excuse is the rest of the time he drives 30? JUST KIDDIN’ DAD!!)

I’m not the world’s best snow driver. In fact, I may be the worst. The thought of launching out on the open road did not sound appealing. Neither did visiting a church that wasn’t mine. I sat in my office for about a half hour, alternately crying out of frustration and watching the spot recently vacated by the neighbor’s car. I noticed it wasn’t filling up so fast. In fact…I noticed the big old Hollywood-esque flakes had stopped almost entirely.

Time to be a big girl. Did I not just change my own showerhead yesterday? All by myself? And did it not work? I could drive to church. I poured the coffee, got in the car, and prayed my way out of the driveway. This is how bad it was: a cop got behind me for about 10 miles and I was glad. Anytime I’m glad to see a cop, you know something is dreadfully wrong.

Forty-five minutes later I was safely in the parking lot of my church, and my car still had all its parts. And it hadn’t acquired any extra ones.

During the sermon, our pastor read from Isaiah 64:

Since ancient times, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? (vv.4-5)
And I knew right then why I needed to be in that service, regardless of the snow that almost kept me home.

Two years ago I wrote an advent devotional during a Christmas season that found me struggling to find any holiday spirit aside from presents, cards, baking, and sparkly décor. That year I learned what Advent really meant, aside from candles and chocolate-laden countdowns. Earlier this month I made the decision to study that project again. To read the words I’d written in a time of learning and see if perhaps I can even learn more…more about the God Who came down to help those who sought Him. The God Who came to save. And this morning’s sermon confirmed that’s exactly what I must do.

Christmas is busy. I know my calendar is already pretty full and I’ll probably pull more than a few juggling acts to make it to more than one event on the same day. But I am determined to make time in each of those December days to read about Jesus’ advent to the 24 lives I studied two years ago.

And I hope this December brings to me a fresh understanding and depth of relationship with the God who answered the question, How then can we be saved?

BBQ Chicken

Like everyone else, I have weeks when I know I'm not going to be home long enough to cook much. Those are the weeks I try to make something that will last several days so I can live on leftovers. This is one of my favorite easily fixed/easily reheated recipes.

The BBQ sauce recipe came from my pastor's wife at the church I attended from college until very recently. She always brought meatballs with this sauce to all the carry-ins, and I don't think she often took any home. I'm kind of picky about BBQ, and this is the best recipe I've ever found (at least for my tastes). I've also used it in a small slow cooker with little sausages/hot dogs as a party appetizer.

Since the season of busyness AND parties has arrived, I thought maybe this was a good one to share with you now!

Recipe:

1 whole chicken (thawed)
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Put whole chicken in slow cooker for 8 hours on low (adjust time as necessary until thoroughly cooked). Pull chicken from bone and place in large bowl. Mix together ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, garlic powder, and onion powder until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chicken and mix up well. Serve warm.

****PLEASE NOTE**** The BBQ sauce recipe will make more than you need for a chicken, unless you like a lot of sauce. I usually cut the recipe in half.

My sister introduced me to the slow cooker liners, which are AMAZING. You can find them in the grocery store near the plastic bags/foil/wax paper. Whenever you're making a messy slow cooker recipe, you can line your cooker with these bags to make a MUCH simpler cleanup. When you're done cooking, just gather up the bag, tie it, and toss it! Totally worth the money in my opinion.

Here is another of my favorite kitchen gadgets. My former roommate, Angela, gave this to me for Christmas one year, and it is wonderful. KitchenArt.com makes these spice/candy carousels. There are basic models, but mine is the elite model, which not only stores the spice, but has an auto-measure on it too. I keep my most frequently used spices in this so I don't have to dig through the cabinet every time I cook. it spins around, and when you find the one you want...

...you can use the 1/4 teaspoon measure feature on the bottom and save using a spoon! You just rotate the end cap, and every click is 1/4 teaspoon.

Okay - on to the actual recipe. I usually end up freezing the chickens when I buy them, and then I thaw them out in the refrigerator for a couple of days before I actually cook them. And in case you've never before cooked with liquid smoke...a little goes a long way.

Here is the chicken straight out of the packaging. I don't even add water - since it's packed in water. I usually put it in to cook when I leave for work in the morning....

...and by the time I come home, it's done cooking! I use a thermometer to check it - just to make myself feel better. The thermometer has a poultry reading on it, so I measure it against that.

I just put my bowl beside the slow cooker and use a fork to pull the meat from the bone. It's HOT, so be careful!

Once I have all the meat in the bowl, I pick through it to shred it and to check for any pieces of bone.

See? Smaller pieces.

Just a little bowl will work for the BBQ sauce ingredients. This is the half recipe. If you make enough meatballs to fill a full 5 quart slow cooker, you'll need the full recipe.

TA-DA!!! I just put the lid on the bowl and stick it in the refrigerator until I'm ready to eat, and then I warm up enough for one sandwich.

Thoughtlet(s)

The staff over at Malott's blog always leaves great little quotes...so I'm borrowing the idea. I read this in a Matthew Henry commentary during my Psalm 119 study tonight:

"Those that love the world have great vexation, for it does not answer what they expect; those that love God's Word have great peace, for it outdoes what they expect."

Not only do I love the quote...but the word "vexation" is dreadfully underused in general conversation, I think.

Bits for Sunday, November 23, 2008

I always tell Dad when he preaches that “less is more.” Today I shall take my own advice and without further ado, present to you my list of 30 random things I’m thankful for in this season of Thanksgiving.

1. Clean sheets of paper. Though I do much of my writing on my computer, I still love the beauty of an unmarked page just waiting for thoughts to flow.

2. Cooking, cooking, cooking. New recipes, old recipes, dinner for just me, or hosting a whole holiday – I love to cook. And I love to watch others enjoy the finished product.

3. Giant coffee mugs. I realize the one I filled with hot chocolate tonight is probably four times the size of the “recommended” serving muglets that came with dinnerware sets of yore – but everything tastes better in an oversized mug.

4. Lower gas prices. I don’t know how long we get to enjoy this, but it is a tremendous blessing to be able to take a trip outside a four mile radius of my home without rationing my pennies.

5. New Bibles. As I’ve heavily studied Psalm 119 over the past few weeks, I’ve delighted in filling up the wide margins of my Bible with all the things I’ve learned along the way.

6. Sales. From clothing to seasonal stuff for my house…it’s been a good couple of weeks in the sale department. What a retail rush!!

7. Fleece. Sheets, blankets, sweatshirts, whatever I can find. How ever would I stay warm, were it not for fleece?

8. New friends. The changes that have come about in my life this year have brought many new friends my way…and yet they’ve welcomed me so warmly that I feel I’ve known them forever.

9. Old friends. Of course no amount of new friends could take the place of those who have loved me all along the way…I’m thankful they’ve stayed by me and have chosen to allow me a place in their lives.

10. Stamping. Whether I’m making cards or scrapping…or just looking upon the stamp collection with warm thoughts in my heart…I’m glad I stumbled upon my first stamp in that craft store 15 or so years ago!

11. A job. Though sometimes it drives me to tears, I am very aware that to have a job is a blessing, and I do not take it for granted.

12. My elliptical machine. Speaking of things that drive me to tears…or wait. Maybe it’s just sweat. I invested in a little elliptical machine a couple of years ago, and I’m glad I did…unless you ask me within five minutes of being on it.

13. Massages. Funny how talking about the elliptical led me straight to the massage thoughts. I am not a regular recipient of massages – and perhaps that is what makes me more thankful for them when I do get the treat!

14. Blogging buddies. Jim, thank you for convincing me to join the blogging world. The friends I’ve met herehave been sweet encouragements to me – and even though I’ve never met many of you in person , I’ve learned so much.

15. Music. If you’ve driven past me, waved at me, and received no acknowledgement, don’t take it personally. I was probably singing along with someone…and having the time of my life.

16. My home. I love coming home – and I am glad others say they enjoy coming to my home. I love the memories of the years my grandparents spent here, but I also love that it’s become mine.

17. Good foundation. In our Sunday School class this morning, we talked about teachers and mentors, and I’m freshly aware of how many good people invested in me along the way to give me a good shot at life.

18. Right now. Speaking of Sunday School…last week we talked about being aware of this moment and appreciating it for what it is. The “right now” of life is good – and I’m thankful for it.

19. Free turkey. You can’t beat coming home from church to find a free turkey waiting for you on your porch! Now if only I could replicate what I saw Sandra Lee do with that butter basted turkey…

20. Books. I just rearranged my bookshelves here at home, and I love walking by and seeing all the sources of wisdom I’ve learned from over the years.

21. Words. Where there are books, there are words. I love a good word – and I love working in an office with fellow word-lovers who drop a great twenty-dollar word every now and then.

22. Leaf vacuums. My rake has officially retired, and the bag on my leaf vac has turned a lovely shade of mud after this last leaf season. But blessings upon its inventor. He or she has saved my back.

23. Church. All three of them I’ve attended throughout my life. The first gave me a great foundation. The second significantly molded me into the person I am today. And the third has been a huge blessing to me this year!

24. Sonic. Nothing really follows church well, so I’ll just keep going. We recently got a Sonic in town and it is officially my new favorite place to eat. It even (brace yourself) surpasses Burger King. (GASP!)

25. Pre-hinged trees. Last year I purchased a new Christmas tree for my bedroom. I didn’t have to sort branches and the cats couldn’t slide down one side and rip it all apart. I was hooked. All my trees from now on must be this design. Period.

26. Christmas décor. And speaking of trees – in less than a week, we’ll be in my favorite season of the entire year. Can’t wait for all the lights and sparkle!

27. Working appliances. Since this has been the year of the appliance revolt in Bekahland, I’m thankful to report that I have working appliances. My food stays cold, and my clothes wash or dry as needed.

28. Laughter. Yes, I’m usually laughing at myself and some stupid thing I say (manifesto) or do (magic marker hair color), but I’m thankful for laughter. The days are certainly much nicer when I can laugh.

29. Unknown blessings. The usher who prayed at church today thanked God for the blessings we don’t even know we have. I loved that. I’m sure I miss dozens every day. And yet He sends them anyway.

30. Thirty years. Thirty may be the new twenty, but there are many people who never get to enjoy thirty whole years of life. I was a surprise…but I’m glad I surprised the fam. It’s been a good thirty years.

Kaegan and Gregorian Chants

My cats have very distinct personalities. Distinctly different. Braeya (who is all two) loves to be with me wherever I go. She meets me at the door every time I come home, and when I'm barely inside, she flops over on her back and wants her tummy rubbed. She stays underfoot until she gets her treat (which she promptly disregards to continue following me throughout the house). If I go in a room and close the door, she sits outside until I open it again. When I work on the computer, she sleeps on the couch behind me. When I watch TV, she sleeps beside me. When I work out, she watches. When I go to bed, she finds her way down by my feet and stays there. But she doesn't like to be held. No cuddling.

Kaegan, who is the wise old seven year old, is mostly content to be by himself. He knows Braeya will be with me, and that gives him an enormous break from his energetic sister. He can be found under the bed, in the closet, behind the bathroom door, and probably a handful of other hiding places I don't even know about. He graces me with his presence only when he deems it necessary, but when he does, he loves to love. And bless his precious heart, he always shows up when I'm upset, and as long as I don't make any sudden moves that scare him, he willingly lets me pick him up and hold him for several minutes. He purrs and nudges my head with his face - his version of a hug and kiss.

Last week I had a pretty upsetting day at work and came home completely exhausted and crying. Braeya greeted me and continued her tour of the house, but I sat down and stared. Pretty soon, Kaegan sauntered into the room, came right up to me, cried once, and I picked him up. We probably sat there for ten minutes. I didn't say anything. I just sat and hugged him. And every now and then he'd look up at me, purr a little louder, and nudge me with his nose. And that's what I love about Kaegan. He's just good like that.

Last night I got a phone call from one of my friends...really out of the blue. We ended up talking for two hours - late into the night. I had some things on my mind that were confusing me and he just listened and gave good advice. And when I was most confused of all - he broke out in song. Gregorian chants, actually. Crazy, isn't it? But you know, I started giggling and couldn't stop. And this morning when I woke up (realizing just how much sleep I'd forfeited), I thought Now that is a good friend...one who will stay on the phone forever, letting you make verbal sense of your confusion and when it really gets overwhelming...he'll break into Gregorian chants.

If I can be so bold as to start my "I'm thankful for..." list a week early...these are my picks for today.

Bits for Sunday, November 16, 2008

The church bulletin reminded me this morning that next week is the all-church Thanksgiving lunch…so I pulled out the day planner and scratched notes to come up with a dish or two to make for the carry-in.

We’re smack in the middle of registration season at work, I’m trying valiantly to finish making and signing all my Christmas cards, and I’ve been spending extra time writing lately, so I completely lost all track of time. Thanksgiving is next week!

This year I get to take it easy on Thanksgiving. I’m not the hostess, so my sole responsibility is to assemble the broccoli salad and show up on time with an empty stomach to fully enjoy the turkey and its entourage of treats.

Thinking about Thanksgivings of yore took me back to the year of Thanksgiving disasters. I have shared about this one before, but it happened about five years ago, so chances are, you’ve forgotten about it and I can relive the joy once more.

That year, I was in the middle of a particularly confusing “love life” situation. I use that term very loosely because love wasn’t involved at all, but the whole he-might-like-me-he-might-not-even-care see-saw was enough to drive me crazy. I spent the entire day before Thanksgiving at the neighbor’s house, crying into multiple cups of coffee and rambling incoherently.

When I finally came home, I let my journal take over for the neighbor’s exhausted ear. Mid-written-rant, I happened to notice my unpaid credit card bill sitting on the desk beside me. I vaguely remembered seeing a newer version of a credit card bill in the recent mail deliveries, so I rushed around until I found an unopened envelope I’d tossed aside in the pre-Thanksgiving madness. I ripped it open and sure enough…proof in writing that the bill on the desk had gone unpaid. I now owed for my purchase, plus the late fee and the finance charge.

I had just enough time to get to the bank, transfer money into my checking account, and get to the store to pay my credit card bill before all retail-ville shut down in anticipation of Black Friday. While en-route to the store, I realized I might not have enough gas to even get across town. I stopped to add a little fuel…and the pump didn’t work. Well of course it didn’t!

I went into the station to see if they were experiencing technical difficulties or if I had ceased to possess enough intelligence to pump gas. Three other customers stood in line with me – and we all had the same question. We were advised to move along to the next station for speedy service. At that point, I didn’t care if I had to be towed home. I was not going to another gas station. I drove to the mall on fumes and prayer, only to discover when I got there…my gas cap was standing wide open. Super.

Thanksgiving morning, I got up with a firm resolve to not worry about silly boys, unpaid bills, or empty gas tanks. I busied myself with meal preparations, ready to welcome the faithful few attending our family dinner that year. I lit candles, set the table, played some music, whipped up the food that was my responsibility to make…and waited for life to improve.

Halfway through dinner, I noticed an odd running-water sound. Since all of us were gathered at the table and Kaegan hadn’t mastered the skill of turning on a faucet, I wasn’t sure what to make of this sound. Then I saw it out of the corner of my eye…my red three-wick candle had sprung a leak in the front and a fountain of red wax gushed down the front of the buffet and landed in a puddle on the tan carpet.

And my sister, who was my landlady at the time, sat right there taking it all in.

Oops.

After dinner, everyone sat around talking…eating…watching TV…and I curled up on the floor with a roll of paper towel and my iron, working on that stupid wax puddle. And to top it all off, I broke my thumbnail trying to chip wax out of the wood on the front of the buffet.

So after a year like that, I think I’m content to carry-in to various dinners. It certainly has to be less stressful than being the hostess with the mostest.

Baked Potato Soup

God Bless You, Skyepuppy, for telling me how to rearrange the pictures without losing my mind!!! It worked! :)

Well I don't know what the weather's like where you live, but in Indiana it has settled into day after day of cold and rain. Consequently, the time has arrived to break out the comfort food. This is one of my favorite comfort dishes. I first had this soup at the home of my friends, Jon and Julie. They used to live just around the corner from me, and sometimes on a Friday or Saturday night, they would invite me over for dinner, coffee, and a movie. One evening, Julie made this and it was so tasty...I just had to have the recipe.

It really doesn't take very long to make, and it works well as a leftover. I can probably get five or six meals out of this recipe - depending on how hungry I happen to be each time I dip into it. :) I also love all the colors in the dish. Regular potato soup is so boring in color - but not this one! (And just so you know, "soup" isn't really the right word for this dish. It is extremely thick.)

Recipe:

2 cups of milk
4 Tablespoons of flour
1 bag of shredded cheese
1 bunch of green onions
Bacon Bits
1 cup of sour cream
3 Tablespoons of butter
4 or 5 baked potatoes

Bake potatoes and set aside. Melt butter in large pan on stove. Stir in flour. Add milk and stir at low/medium heat until thickened. Add 2 chopped green onions, 2 Tablespoons of bacon bits, 1 cup of cheese, and the potatoes. Cook until thick - about 10-15 minutes. Add the sour cream and cook and additional 5-10 minutes. Garnish with bacon bits, remaining cheese, and green onions.


You can use whatever blend of cheese you like. I usually use a blend of white and yellow cheese. If the potatoes are very big, four will be plenty. Since the soup is pretty thick anyway, you don't want to have too much extra potato in there. You can use light or fat free sour cream if you want - it works just fine.

I bake the potatoes in the microwave on a dinner plate to save some time. You can bake them in the oven if you work ahead far enough to have that kind of time. When I bake the potatoes in the oven, I wrap them in foil, pierce them on all sides (to keep them from exploding), and bake them for about an hour at 375. (If a fork doesn't slide out easily at that point, I let them bake longer.) My microwave has a baked potato setting, and when I'm doing four potatoes at once, I run the setting twice. I think they end up staying in there about 15 minutes. Don't forget to pierce them before putting them in the microwave too! AND NO FOIL IN THE MICROWAVE!
While they bake, I cut the green onions. I usually chop up about three bunches - which is more than the recipe calls for, but I like the extra color and flavor.
When the potatoes are done cooking, I slice them open to let them cool a bit while the soup begins to cook. The first few times I made this, I didn't touch the potatoes until I was ready to use them and then they were too hot to work with. This step definitely helps!

I use a fairly big stock pot for this - it makes it easier to stir toward the end when everything is in the pot. Once the butter has melted, I add the flour. The flour absorbs the butter pretty quickly and turns into a paste of sorts.

When I add the milk, I smoosh out the little pieces of flour/butter paste that are left. During this step, the soup stays pretty runny, but beware - as you begin to add other things and it starts to thicken, it thickens quickly. Be ready to stir it frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom!

I admit I don't really measure the cheese, onions and bacon. I just kind of dump in what I think looks good - which is usually a little bit more of each thing than the recipe calls for. But look how colorful! :)

While that part softens and thickens, I start scooping the potato out of the skin. I've found this to be a much easier method than trying to cut them into squares. I just scoop them out with a teaspoon and...

...put them in the pot with everything else. This is the step where things are thickening so quickly that it burns easily on the bottom, so keep stirring! I admit, I don't always let this step go the full 10-15 minutes. The potatoes are already cooked, so if the cheese appears to be melted, I move on.

...Add the sour cream - and I don't let this step cook the full amount of time either (mostly because I'm starving at this point). I just let it cook long enough to warm up the sour cream.

Ta-da!!!! Soup ready to be served!!

I usually add a little dollop of sour cream on top, along with more cheese, bacon bits, and green onion. It really is a very pretty dish to serve.

Smart Girl

I forget the name of this game...kind of like scrabble but without the board. I didn't do very well, but Braeya was very interested in participating.

Bits for Sunday, November 9, 2008

Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
Psalm 119:89

I opened my Bible this evening to do my stanza study in Psalm 119, and that was the first verse awaiting me. How appropriate that this verse should immediately follow the weekend I just experienced.

People often ask me if I intend to pursue my master’s degree, and my standard response is I haven’t yet recovered from undergrad, and until I do, I will not be seeking any further degree. I’ve watched many of my friends earn a graduate degree and quite frankly – they exhausted me. Watching them try to juggle work and family and “having a life” with homework and class did not look in any way appealing.

While I cannot be persuaded (presently, anyway) to receive more letters behind my name, I was willing to at least pour more learning into this brain of mine. Therefore, Friday and Saturday I treated myself to a getaway at a writer’s conference. These sorts of events stretch me, because I’m not one to rush (alone) into a mass of people I don’t know and spend a concentrated amount of time learning to fit in with them. Perhaps this is why I write. That can be done alone in a corner of the house with a cup of coffee on the desk and the TV running in the background.

Nevertheless, I loaded the car with a pile of my writing, my day planner, and a large sweet tea and braved an hour on the interstate to attend the conference. I texted one of my friends partway through the weekend, saying something like, “We writers are a strange lot.” She responded that it must be the artist in us. Probably true. The young and the old, the laptop junkies and the prefer-pen-and-paper traditionalists, the oft published and those who wanted to see if this whole writing thing was really for them, the suits and the sweatpants, the coffee drinkers and the bottled-water-only health nuts. We converged in hopes of, as they say in writing land, “honing our craft.”

I sat through six workshops, four general sessions, and one panel discussion, all the while taking notes in the day planner and handouts issued. I found myself as excited to hear what I was doing right as a writer as I was to learn new things.

Most exciting to me was the chance to meet with an editor. I told one of my friends that this sort of thing feels like the American Idol of the writing world. Trying to make those connections with someone who might know someone who might know someone…well, it isn’t easy. I had exactly fifteen minutes to sit at a table with a woman whose name I had chosen at random, praying (literally) that she was the best fit for the type of writing I do. As I waited in line for her to finish the appointment before me, I worried about my outfit – since it suddenly occurred to me that this was a job interview of sorts and I felt dreadfully underdressed for the occasion. I scrambled to think of words to say that would leave a positive impression.

Fortunately my moment arrived before I had a chance to fall apart completely. I sat down, listened to her tell about her role in the industry and then shared with her the type of writing I do. A bit hesitantly, I pulled out my binder of sample writing and tried not to look too pained as I watched for her reaction.

She liked it!

If I’d learned nothing the entire weekend, that moment of approval was worth every moment on the interstate and every dollar of the conference fee. I have no idea what will happen from here – but if you’re interested in praying for me about it – I will not turn you away. I have been invited to send her a sample of my work for further review, and that is an incredible opportunity. I’ve been thinking all weekend about which sample I should choose, and I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want to send.

In the final workshop I attended, the facilitator closed with this quote by Lee Roddy:

Write so Heaven will be different.

As the verse in Psalm 119 says, the only Word that stands forever is the Word of the Lord. No matter how much labor I put into the words I write, I know they will one day be gone. But my goal is that the words I write about the Word will fit in with Lee Roddy’s quote.

Pastor Brian, This One is Especially for You

Pastor Brian is especially fond of the story When Bekah Turned Her Hair Neon Orange. Actually maybe he doesn't like the story, but he does like the picture.

So today I have a new hair story. (And yes, I do realize these things should bring me enough embarrassment that I should not share them, but I figure if I can bring a laugh to someone's day, then that is a good thing. And since my ENTIRE OFFICE has laughed, I share....)

Since you already know this anyway, I'll admit it out loud. I'm too vain for my own good. It's one of my flaws, yet also part of my charm. (Or so I like to say.) I think you all know that I am, as my boss likes to say, "chemically dependant" when it comes to hair. I've been dyeing my hair since the grays got out of control about five years ago. And I've been having it professionally altered ever since the great orange fiasco of 2006.

I am five days away from my next "treatment." That is about fifteen days too late. The hair has gone from gray to silver to flat out white in the very front. I am TOO YOUNG to be sporting a white patch right in the front of my head.

So last night I um...colored it with a marker. A stamping marker. Close to Cocoa was the exact color. It worked out just fine.

This morning I came to work without having rewashed it (every other day for my hair) - and my friend Tammy said "Girl, you got some punk red going on in your hair." I rushed to the mirror. Yes. The Close to Cocoa had morphed into Ronald McDonald red overnight and in the NON-fluorescent lights of my home, I had not known this.

Oh BROTHER.

So I stood in the Business Office while one of the girls recolored it with a brown (scented, no less) magic marker. It isn't perfect, but it's better.

Until my supervisor came in. (I'd told him the story) and he said, "Hey your hair matches your lipstick." Great. Raisinberry hair.

Not All About the Cats

Chris, I know that I talk about the cats all the time. I know that I over-defend the feline population - especially when they seem to be under-defended.

BUT.

I wanted to show you that I do genuinely like dogs too. Case in point:

No, she's not mine. She belongs to one of my friends, but when I showed up at the apartment, she promptly sat. ON me. And just in case you weren't sure - she's not little! But I just loved her. She was a lot of fun.

I hope this redeems me at least a tiny bit from all the excessive defense of the cats.

The Official Election Day Post

I normally leave all the political chat to those who can speak with more eloquence on the subject than I...

...but it is election day, so I'll throw in my story.

Last night when I decided to work out at the gym, I dug through my purse for my driver's license, so I wouldn't have to lug my whole purse to the gym. No license. I freaked out. A.) How long had I been driving around without it in my wallet? 2.) Where was it? C.) I VOTE IN LESS THAN TWELVE HOURS!!!!!

Found it. It was with the stack of prayer cards I take to the gym to count my laps. Apparently it had been there since last week when I went to the gym. Good thing I didn't get pulled over recently! And a blessed good thing I decided to go to the gym last night - when I almost didn't. Can you just imagine me getting in line to vote and discovering I was license-less?

I woke up (by the sheer force of multiple alarms) at 5:40, ate two pieces of toast, and went to vote at six on the dot - in my pajamas, sporting my bedhead, smeary masacara and all.

I'm not fond of my voting location - for safety reasons. This is the first time I've had to go there by myself. Wren, if you're reading this, can you convince your husband to move back here so we can continue our tradition of voting together for safety in numbers?? For a few years the location changed to a better spot and now it's back to scary-ville. You can imagine my joy at the prospect of waiting in the dark, outside, in my jammies. But fortunately my outside wait was only about fifteen minutes.

Add another hour to the inside wait. I was three people up in line from my friend Amber, and as I approached the sign-in table, I leaned around and said, "HEY! Watch this. When I get up here, this lady is going to ask me if I'm related to Dave and tell me that her sons had him in school." She took my license, told me where to sign (after looking for my name in a variety of creative-yet-wrong spellings of my last name) and said to me, "Are you related to Dave? My sons had him for a teacher!" I could hear Amber cracking up behind me.

But at last, after winding my way around tables in the little room and listening to people call to report that their spouse would need to find alternate transportation for the kids...or that they'd be late to work...I voted.

And I was only 3 minutes late to work. I thought that was pretty excellent considering I'd not even STARTED getting ready.

My only comment on the whole thing is that this is a huge shame. (NOTE - the link doesn't work anymore, but the story was about 3 firefighters who lost their chance to vote because they had already signed in when they received a fire call and they left the line to go to the fire. When they came back, they were told they could not vote, because Indiana law says once you sign in, you vote or you forfeit.)

Bits for Sunday, November 2, 2008

This morning in our Sunday School class we talked about ways to keep that “vine and branch” connection with God. We went over all of the seemingly obvious patterns that keep the relationship going…reading the Bible, praying, going to church. And then we went on to talk about the things that get in the way of those patterns.

You know that I love to read and study the Bible, but this year I’d found myself getting in a bit of a rut with some of the methods of study I’d determined to use. Because I’m pretty disciplined, I did a great job of showing up and going through the motions, but I became less and less impacted by what I read. And I began to miss that connection.

I read through a blog a few weeks ago in which the author mentioned that she’d recently studied Psalm 119. Having read through the Old Testament twice, I knew I had read the Psalm at least two times, but I had never really studied it in depth. But before I just jumped in and started reading, I asked one of my friends if she would be interested in reading it too. She agreed, and now we study a few verses each day and talk about them the next day. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my Bible study all year! I love hearing her thoughts on each verse, seeing things from her perspective, and picking up on nuggets of wisdom that would have probably remained hidden to me on my own. Plus, knowing that we’ll need to chat makes for great accountability to keep on track!

I love the big margins in Psalms, because it gives me a chance to scratch notes and word studies out to the side, mark up the cross reference column, and really “live” in the words of the Word.

Besides just studying the words themselves, I’ve also been reading from Matthew Henry’s commentary, and some of his insights on this Psalm have caused me to stop and ponder the words of the verses just a bit more carefully.

One of my favorite things about studying the Bible is the way the right verses seem to pop up at the right time. One evening last week, I had a lot going on in my mind, and I just happened to be ready for verses 49-56. I sat, pencil in hand, drawing arrows and making notes in the margin of the Bible, when I hit the last two verses of that section:

In the night I remember your name, O Lord, and I will keep your law. This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.

When I looked up the word “night” – the word study said it meant “gloom.” In the moments of sadness or even despair – my job is to remember my commitment to God and to be obedient to what He asks of me. That doesn’t come easily to me, but it was a very good and necessary reminder to me that this needs to be my focus when times are any version of tough.

And when I went on to read that second part…This has been my practice: I obey your precepts…what an awesome legacy to leave! What would it be like to live life in such a way that this verse could be said of me when I’m gone? I’ve been chewing on that one ever since I read it.

I could write for pages and pages (and believe me, I have) about the things I’ve been learning, but I just wanted to share that tiny bit with you in hopes that it might make you think. And who knows…maybe after a few more days of study, I’ll have more to share.