Southern talk

Today Rachel brought home a stack of papers from school, one of which was a spelling practice sheet. It has 6 pictures, each with two words to choose from, all using the short e sound. As I was reading through them, I found myself questioning the validity of the short-e sound. For example, I do properly pronounce the words bed, shed, and neck, but my southern accent changes the words hen (hin), leg (laig) and pen (pin). Once again, I feel sorry for people who are learning to read English, much less learning to spell in English. I was thinking the other day about the -ough and -ea- sounds and how difficult it must be to explain that those letter combinations make several different sounds. cough, tough, through, plough. Then there's sweat, tread, treat and meat. I'm so thankful it comes natural to me. :)

Best Pumpkin Bread Ever

Shannon B.'s Pumpkin Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

3 c. sugar
1 c. veg. oil
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh roasted pureed pumpkin)
2 c. white flour
1 ½ c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
½ tap cloves, ground
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2/3 c. apple juice

Preheat to 350. Mix sugar, oil and eggs. Add in pumpkin. Stir in dry ingredients. Then apple juice. Pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake 1 hour until done in center.

Rachel and Mathis - October 2009

Best friends.

Bop and his blocks.


One of the elementary teachers at school took this of Rachel and some other girls during recess one day.

Accomplishment

It all started several years ago when David taught at CCS. One of the moms brought him a loaf of homemade pumpkin bread. It was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. I asked her for the recipe, which she graciously shared, and since then, this has become probably my very favorite fall food. Her recipe called for canned pumpkin, which is impossible to find here. So last year I stocked up on cans when I was in the U.S., and we made enough batches to get us through the fall. This summer when we were home, I couldn't find canned pumpkin because evidently it's only a seasonal commodity. So this week I determined that I was going to attempt pumpkin bread, only using fresh pumpkin. I have never cooked a pumpkin, but thanks to technology, I watched a 5 minute youtube video and gave it a shot. Here is how it went.

This is what the pumpkins look like in Spain. Not exactly the bright orange I am used to, but more of a grayish-green.

But when cut open, it looked like a regular pumpkin. So far, so good.

After roasting cut side down for 1 1/2 hours, they looked golden and delicious.

Once cooled, I scooped out the flesh and put in the food processor.

as a side - this is our cute food processor.

2 c. fresh pumpkin puree.

The ingredients for pumpkin bread.

Baking for 1 hour in our tiny European oven.

The finished product.

And it was a success!

My version

Ok, Esther. This is not as complicated as it sounds. I guess I should have just given my modifications in the previous post. Here's how I made it.

First, make the syrup.

Combine 1 c. sugar with 1 c. water in a pot on the stovetop, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved. Add in spices (2 T ground cinnamon and 1/2 t. each ground cloves and ginger) and simmer for five minutes. Strain the spices and grit out of the liquid by pouring it through a few layers of cheesecloth (which I always have on hand, how can you not?!), then add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.


Once the syrup is strained, make your super-strong coffee. We have one of these "espresso pots," that sits on our stove. I've seen them before at T. J. Maxx and other stores so I know they're not just European, but anyway. Or you could just make half a pot of very strong coffee in your normal coffee-pot.

To make a latte, combine 1/2 cup of espresso/strong coffee with about 2 Tbsp. spice syrup, then add about 1/3 c. warm milk (which I heated in a glass measuring cup in the microwave). Top it off with whipped cream and a smidgen of cinnamon. How easy was that?!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

HERE is the recipe for the most delicious fall pumpkin coffee beverage. Tastes JUST LIKE Starbucks, only without leaving the artificial orange color in your empty cup (yuck!). I found this recipe and had all the ingredients, including the whipped cream and cinnamon to sprinkle on top. Delicious. Try it and tell me what you think.

http://thinkinsidetheicebox.com/2008/10/04/pumpkin-spice-latte/

Mathis-ism

Last night we were praying before bedtime and asked Mathis to pray for my friend Lisa, who has recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and who is serving with her young family in the Czech Republic. I asked Mathis to pray for her, that God would make her healthy and strong. So when it was his turn to pray, he said, "Dear God. Thank you for this day. Please help Lisa to grow and grow really big."

Evidently, "healthy and strong" to him is the same as growing really big. :)

Art class

This was just emailed to me by Rachel's art teacher, Mrs. Humes. This is a picture of her with 3 of the first graders.

My job

A few days ago, I got a comment from a friend who asked, "Do you enjoy housework more now than you did in TN? Sometimes I think I'd enjoy it more if we had much less (things and space!)....just wondering."

I've been thinking about this question for a while and here is my gut response.

Interesting question. I don’t know if I have ever enjoyed housework when it is defined as a repetitive cleaning of messes and never having a sense of completion because there will always be another mess tomorrow. But I do think that our life here is different because I see it as a ministry. My home is my ministry. My “job,” is to see that all who live here or are here for any length of stay feel cared for, by having clean clothes, clean sheets, clean bathrooms, plenty of food – basically seeing that all their physical needs are met. Then, of course, there is the social and emotional care that I am called to give to our boarders just as with my own children. So because I feel like it’s my job, it doesn’t feel like something I have to do on top of life. The girls have recently commented a lot on how much they like the food, which is HUGE for me because last year was full of challenges in that area, but I told them that it makes a difference that I am home all day long and have the time and resources to cook so much and do so from scratch. In my previous life in Chattanooga, I had fewer mouths to feed, way more food packaged in convenient time-saving ways, and I didn’t work outside the home, and yet I was so much busier. I don’t think it’s a matter of having more or less stuff or space. The house we live in here is significantly larger than our house in Chattanooga, and we have less stuff, but messes are messes and with as much cooking as I have to do, I am in the kitchen for a good part of my waking hours. I think that I love it because I love taking care of the people in my home. I think that the Lord called me to do this and I feel fulfilled by using the gifts and desires He put in my heart. I have been meaning to do a study on the use of the word “home,” in the Bible and to see how many times it is used and what the Bible says about it. I know the Bible does not teach that every woman should be a stay-at-home mom, but clearly our homes are the heart of our families. If my home is a place of refuge and peace for all those who enter it, then I will have been doing my job.

Super Easy Mac & Cheese

I ran across this quick and easy recipe yesterday and my kids LOVED it.

3 c. cooked noodles (I used bowtie because that's what I had)
2 small cans evaporated milk
2 c. shredded cheese (I used parmesan, but you could also use cheddar or monterey jack)

Cook and drain macaroni. Meanwhile, heat milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat until almost boiling. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. Pour over noodles and Voila! How easy was that?!

Rachel said, "Mommy, this is the cheesiest mac and cheese I've ever had. Can you please make it again tomorrow?"