Update on life!

We are doing good!! Already halfway through the quarter and getting ready for the summer! In a couple weeks we are going to be traveling to Leavenworth, WA for our 1 year anniversary to celebrate! So we are getting excited about that! Other than that I (Jen) am getting more hours at Starbucks which is good, so be praying that we will get our health insurance back soon! We lost it this last quarter when Starbucks was cutting back, but things seem to be turning around. Neil has been pretty stressed with school, these next few weeks in his classes are pretty intense. He has alot more homework this quarter!! Not to mention he has been tutoring a Chinese student on top of all of his homework. Which has been stressful but very rewarding! Keep us in your prayers! Jen :)

P.S. Briana how did your interview with Gonzaga go?!

Orange Marmalade [Cinnamon] Rolls

Check out http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ today (April 29, 2009) for what looks to be an AWESOME recipe! Makes me drool :)

And update us on your lives! I haven't heard from you guys for a while!

Perfect Scones

Good morning!

I couldn't resist sharing this recipe with you. It is NOT healthy. I haven't tried modifying them yet - but have contemplated the whole wheat pastry flour. Let me know if you have an idea to sub for the heavy cream - the texture of these is SO perfect, I would hate to lose it! Maybe we'll just have to settle for these being a special occasion item! (PS - the white chocolate chips make them VERY sweet. I think I'll sub in pecans, or orange, lemon, or lime rind, or just make them plain.)

Scones (courtesy of Breanne Fairfax's mom in Ohio)

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries or 1/2 cup blueberries
1 1/4 cup to 1 1/3 cup whipping cream or heavy cream

Mix together dry ingredients.
Add cream and form a big ball.
Knead a couple of times on floured surface.
Press ball on parchment paper (or baking sheet) until 3/4 inch thick.
Score (deep cuts) with a knife into diamonds or wedges.
Brush with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter.
Bake for 15 - 17 minutes @ 425 degrees.

On a different note altogether: an update on our desired journey from the far southeast to the far northwest. I have told mom and dad about this, but I'm not sure how far it's spread through the family. Parker got a no after making it through two rounds at Fox, and hasn't heard anything from any other schools in a while. I have a phone interview with GU in spokane tomorrow, and that is our only bright spot at the moment (as far as moving goes). The start date for that is listed as July 1, so the prospects will depend on how flexible they are. All in all, not looking good. We are incredibly disappointed, frustrated, and trying to fight a rising feeling of hopelessness, remembering that God is faithful. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to make every effort to move home, and as we begin to contemplate the reality of staying here.

Love you and miss you all so much!
Briana

Finished -

Well, mom (Signe) says that the only ones blogging are BJ, CJ, NJ, and SJ. Well, we can't have that. Here are some before and after shots of the deck I just finished. Good luck getting TJ on here blogging.

GOOD NEWS!

Look how Jesus has blessed us this summer! My current job with the schools outdoor program does not go through the summer, but they do have summer positions available. I would have to apply and compete for the job the same as a would any other job. So I did and I was offered a job (no big surprise). Here is the surprise, the job is from 9a.m. to 5p.m. Monday through Friday (No Weekends!). On Wednesday morning my three managers will be taking us three employees out from 9a.m. till 12p.m. for leadership development training where we will participate in outdoor activities from the standpoint of leaders in high risk, high stress situations (I will get paid for this!). The other days I will be gifted with the ability to work on tasks such as defending the program budget to the ASEWU and State Council, developing new hire orientation etc. In addition I will get 12 credits and an internship out of it. Jennifer and I will not be taking classes over the summer so we will have time to hike, eat dinner together and sleep 8 hours.

entering the 3rd trimester

So, yesterday began the 3rd trimester - I'm 28 weeks, with 12 left! I can hardly believe we'll be joined by a baby girl in a few short months...crazy! She is already crawling around constantly in my stomach - she may be an active little thing!

Without further ado, here are some 28 week photos:

Also, we finally took some pictures in something other than black! I was baking banana bread (the Land of Cotton recipe, but healthed up) and Parker caught me in the apron Mom made me for Christmas:

PS - thanks for your thoughts and prayers last week! Things turned out ok - as they always do - and life is slowing down again, which is so nice!

Love,

Briana

Our venture into the world of vegetarians

Jennifer and I were postulating on how miserable it would be as a vegetarian. All we were able to imagine was bland, how boring and how hungry life would be. Then Jennifer informs me of a recipe she has wanted to try: The Southwest Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise from “Cooking Light”. I was feeling adventurous as usual so we made them. My assumption was that they would taste similar to falafel, which I am not a huge fan of to begin with (I cannot stand fried food). However, if they were bad, we wouldn’t make them again. We picked up a couple beers (Jennifer had a strawberry blond lager for her first beer and I had an Alaskan IPA) and the remaining ingredients we didn’t have at the store. We whipped up the burgers in a flash and needless to say, it was by far one of the best culinary experiences I have ever had and Jennifer said they were the best meal we've made together! They did not taste like falafel and by the end, I was stuffed (and I'm a dude with a hefty appetite). A few suggestions:
(1)It is spicy so maybe only use half an adobe pepper for mom rather than a whole
(2)Add about 1/4 can of refried pinto beans
(3)Instead of refrigerating the patties as the recipe calls for, freeze the for 10 minutes before cooking
(4)Stay away from the big green egg (sorry dad these must be cooked on a griddle or fry pan)
(5)Don't add cheese

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients
Burgers:
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained

Chipotle Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon canned minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce

Remaining ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
4 romaine lettuce leaves
Preparation
To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon chipotle in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Place patties on bottom halves of buns; top each patty with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, and top half of bun.

Nutritional Information
Calories:411 (23% from fat)
Fat:10.7g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.2g,poly 3.2g)
Protein:15.2g
Carbohydrate:63.1g
Fiber:9.1g
Cholesterol:57mg
Iron:3.9mg
Sodium:837mg
Calcium:153mg

Easter Brunch

All went well. Arne and Jill brought Grandma and we sat and talked for hours. Uncle Arne and Jill have been together for two years! I ended up making sticky buns instead of hot cross buns because the recipe I found on the Internet was missing a few instructions. The sticky buns turned out great. Now Dad and Tyler have even more stuff to eat for breakfast this week.

The brunch menu:
Sticky buns
Fresh fruit salad
Yogurt parfaits
Sausage and Bacon (including chicken sausage for Uncle Arne)
Muffin frittatas
Coffee/milk/water

I've included the frittata recipe below from the IncredibleEgg.org - with my modifications - everyone loved it! A typical frittata or quiche normally contains bacon or ham. Uncle Arne does not eat pork so I look for recipes that will have lots of flavor from ingredients other than ham/bacon. There are very few that are simple and flavorful. This recipe fits the bill and is easy to boot.

Muffin Frittatas
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
3/4 cup chopped zucchini
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion


HEAT oven to 350°F.
BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended.
ADD cheese, zucchini, bell pepper and onion; mix well.
SPOON evenly into 12 greased muffin cups, about 1/4 cup each.
BAKE in 350°F oven until just set, 20 to 22 minutes.
COOL on rack 5 minutes.
REMOVE from cups; serve warm.

Muffin frittatas are great as an appetizer as well as for breakfast.
Quick breakfast solution: Bake muffin frittatas the night before and refrigerate. Quickly re-warm in the microwave in the morning.
Lighter Option: Recipe can be made with reduced-fat cheese, if desired.

My modifications:

• Omitted the zucchini and used a whole bell pepper and about about a 1/3 C onion. I chopped the onion fairly small and caramelized it before adding the bell pepper. (I thought it would be a nicer flavor.)
• For this brunch I doubled the recipe (there were six of us) and baked it in a well buttered tart pan. I extended the baking time by an extra 15 minutes or so and cut it into 8 wedges. The end result was a very light and fluffy frittata and only one piece is left over for a breakfast tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great week! Love you all!

Saturday Breakfasts

Because of frequent requests I am starting a new tradition of Saturday Breakfasts. Some of the baked goods are better appreciated, such as the coffee cake I always make, and some are not such as the various muffins I like to make. I guess I need my little muffin muncher back to help out with the extra muffins. :) I thought I would share the coffee cake recipe with all of you. It is from the Betty Crocker's Cookbook.

Prize Coffee Cake
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C soft shortening
1 egg
1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a square 9x9 pan. Mix sugar, shortening and egg thoroughly. Stir in milk. Measure flour by dip-level-pour method or by sifting. Blend dry ingredients; stir in. Spread batter in pan. Spread only half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle with half the Streusel Mixture. Add the remaining batter and sprinkle remaining Streusel over top. Bake 25 - 35 minutes or until toothpick stuck into center comes out clean. Serve warm. Makes 9 3" squares.

Streusel Mixture
1/2 C brown sugar (packed)
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 C chopped nuts

Mix the above ingredients together.

Overtime I've modified the original recipe with the following substitutions:

• Butter instead of shortening in the cake recipe
• Double the cake recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan (everyone looks forward to the left overs for the next few breakfasts)
• Triple the Streusel Mixture
• Leave out the nuts because Tyler does not like them
• Extremely liberal with the cinnamon measurement

Tonight I am going to make Hot Cross Buns using a brioche bread recipe for Easter Brunch. I will let you know how it turns out.

pray for me.

Hi everyone. I have some pretty big impact, high pressure issues I am dealing with at work right now. I can't say more than that (this is the world wide web after all), but I would appreciate your prayers as I navigate the next week or so. Thank you so much!

On a happier note, we have less than 14 weeks to go until the little girl is scheduled to arrive! Oh my gosh!

Beej

Oh, and glad to see Dad is exploring Pioneer Woman's site - she has some rockin' recipes on there!

Macaroni & Cheese

I've made the same macaroni & cheese recipe for many years now - I think it's time to step it up a notch! My kids will love me for it....I myself won't eat much since it's not on my current food allowance list :) but I thought some of you may enjoy this!

recipe from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/


Macaroni & Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 cups dried macaroni
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard (more if desired)
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
*Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.