10.09.2014

recipe journal // 5















Mornings are my thing. I do not mind that I am a grandma in the sense that I like to eat dinner at six, go to bed well before midnight, and wake up real before everyone else in the house. My older brother loves to give me a hard time about it, but honestly I think I'm the one that's got it right. Those early hours are when I feel peace ruling in my heart. When I rise, I am prayerful and calm. My mornings have fallen into a rhythm these days and it is just so good. 

I have this great little teapot I got at an antique store a few years ago and I've waited a long time to finally put him to use in my own house. So, I've been boiling water every morning for tea while I figure out what I will have for breakfast. I usually have a bowl of oatmeal, a smoothie, or some baked good I've made that week and while I eat I open up my bible or write in my journal. Yes, sometimes I look through instagram or let myself become worried with all that comes with the day. I find though that being with the Lord in the morning, in some form or fashion, is what I need most. My prayer is that the Devil would not tempt me with his distractions, and that I would not sell-out to his cheap imitations of joy and fulfillment. 

I want to keep falling into the rhythm of hot tea, warm breakfast, and reading the living word. If I have the time after that to make breakfast cookies, while working on school work, like I did this morning, then I will do exactly that. Because mornings are for doing your thing (which in my case is cooking and eating and being with the Lord) 

These cookies definitely qualify for breakfast- especially if you slather some peanut or almond butter on them. These days they also satisfy my tastebuds for dessert- but that probably is not everyone's tastebuds. You can really mix in anything you'd like- chocolate chips, pecans, dried fruit, chia seeds. Think of them as "everything but the kitchen sink cookies" ...

Also, we got christmas lights and a sweet potted mum for our little porch tonight. Crazy how christmas lights make a shabby porch feel warm and happy! I'm in love.


Breakfast Cookies //
adapted from recipe in Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

3 large ripe bananas, well mashed
1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed so it is not solid)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal (or any nut really- just ground in spice grinder)
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
2/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

optional mix-ins: 1/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts, chia seeds

method // in a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork, then pour in coconut oil and stir. add oats, almond meal, salt, spices, and baking powder 
and stir until well combined. add coconut and other mix-ins and stir again.

form the dough into 12-15 round blobs (using a spoon or your hands) and place on baking sheet. baked at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes, or until browned. 



10.03.2014

recipe journal // 4


Dear October,
Hi! Hello! I can't believe you are already here. Welcome pumpkin recipe after pumpkin recipe and everything with apples. I'm glad it's time to celebrate you. I know that the cooler weather is on its way, but for right now I don't mind a couple more warm days. You are my second favorite month, with July taking up a little more room in my heart. I do love all the food that comes with this season though, more so than summertime foods. Something about fall is just nourishing. The warm food that sticks to your bones a little more, the leaves that change and become fiery orange while the temperature drops, the candles flickering inside of pumpkins all carved and ready for trick-or-treaters. You mark the beginning of all that October, I'm excited for thirty one days of you. Making homemade applesauce is one of my favorite things to do while you are around. It feels right to eat warm apple crisps in the cool of the night and to stir this thick, sweet applesauce into oatmeal in the mornings. The smell that wafts through the house as I make a pot of this is just bliss. I am thankful. I am thankful for you, October, for seasons, and for warm applesauce.
Your friend,
Katie


This is much less of a recipe and much more of a guide...
Here's what you do //

chop up however many apples you wish (any type works, i prefer the sweet varieties for this) and leave the skin on cause it's seriously the best part. add all of them to a pot and pour in some water (i used 5 large apples and a half cup of water) add a pinch of salt and a shake or two of cinnamon, if you'd like, but they are still delicious without cinnamon. simmer on low, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the apples can be mashed easily. mash to your desired consistency. i like mine thick and rustic, so I call it quits after mashing them. if you want super smooth sauce you can let them cool, and then transfer to a food processor.

to store, let the pot cool and then put the sauce in a jar and store in the fridge for 5 days. or to freeze, let the sauce cool completely and then transfer to freezer bags, flattening out each bag, so that they thaw quickly.

Wishing you all a happy and delicious beginning to fall!



9.25.2014

recipe journal // 3

We have been greeted with cooler temperatures and breezy days this week in Athens! I've been sleeping with my window open and the A/C has been put to rest - straight up bliss I'm tellin' ya! All week my mind has been kept on making my first pot of soup of the season. I have this thing about doing things that fit with the weather. I think my body is really sensitive to temperature. When it's hot, I am really hot and when it's cold I am always "freezing." This means that I really cannot fathom wearing jeans when it is above 80 degrees outside and I would never want to eat hot soup unless it is at least chilly outside. Thanks to the 75 degree highs, I've gladly slipped on a pair of jeans and eaten a can of Trader Joe's split pea soup.

I made a big pot of black beans last week, so big that I ended up needing to freeze a container of em' so that they didn't go bad. I was at Trader Joe's on Sunday with my Mom who kindly bought me a butternut squash (thankful for her), among of things. Last night, I was thinking about these two ingredients and the soup that I make at least once every year popped into my head. I headed to Kroger after class to grab the few things I need to make this soup happen. Came home and got to work - this soup comes together super fast though, no lie.

Dear fall, happy that you came around this week, stick around please and don't let winter come too quick. Sincerely, Katie B.

BLACK BEAN & BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP //
adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

1 tsp. coconut oil (or other heat stable oil)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
2 tsp. cocoa powder
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
3 cups cubed winter quash (butternut or delicata, skin removed)
2-3 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can)
2 heaping cups of sliced cabbage or bagged slaw
2 heaping cups sliced kale leaves

// method

melt the coconut oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. add chopped onion and a couple of pinches of salt, stir. cook over medium heat until translucent. add garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. add spices and stir. pour in vegetable broth, bring to simmer. add squash, beans, cabbage, and kale. simmer until squash is soft- about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. At this point, I used my immersion blender to give the soup a few pulses so that it is thicker, but not smooth. You could put a portion of the soup in your blender or food processor or just leave it as is. Totally your preference. This will make around 6 bowls of soup. Store in fridge for up to a week or freeze.

Top off your bowl with tortilla chips, cilantro, and/or avocado slices.

Open up your windows and enjoy!




9.18.2014

recipe journal // 2



BLUEBERRY MUFFINS //

But if we are being honest, they are much more than that. After my friend Audrey tasted her muffin and I told her what all is NOT in these muffins, she said they should be called "liberty muffins" because they are free of so many things you find in typical muffins. I liked that idea, but I want these muffins to be considered mainstream (a.k.a not hippy food) so a mainstream name it is --> blueberry muffins.

I made these this morning kind of on a whim. I did not give myself an adequate breakfast because I woke up real early and rushed out of the door, so I was hungry. I finally had all the ingredients I needed to whip these puppies up. And (this is key), our house was cool this morning, which is crucial because I have a gas oven that basically become a furnace when it's turned on.

Now I would not say that these muffins come together super quick, but that's the nature of "liberty" baking. Plus, they are worth it. Super worth it. I ate not one, but two. One super hot out of the oven, which I do not recommend, and the next at a nice warm temperature. My roommate, Hayley, ate one and then asked me who they were for. I said, "just for me slash us." So she took another one "for the road."

(recipe adapted from Green Kitchen Stories)

// dry ingredients
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten free if ya want)
2/3 cup buckwheat flour (can be ground from raw buckwheat groats)
2 TBSP potato starch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper

// wet ingredients
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup coconut oil, or olive oil 
2 ripe bananas, mashed
5 dried dates, pit removed
3 "flax eggs" = 3 TBSP ground flax seed + 9 TBSP water OR use regular eggs
large handful of blueberries, fresh or frozen

// oat topping
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 TBSP coconut oil
1 TBSP honey (omit if you don't want any sweetener)

// method
preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

grind sunflower seeds, oats, and buckwheat groats (if needed) into a powder/flour using a coffee grinder or a food processor, add to large bowl. add the rest of the dry ingredients to the bowl and stire with a whisk. 

let flax seed and water sit in a bowl together for 5 minutes to thicken up, or alternatively whisk up your eggs. bowl some water on the stove or in the microwave, place the pitted dates in the hot water to soak for 5 minutes. add 1 tsp of vinegar to the almond milk and let sit for 5 minutes. mash the banana while waiting for all that. remove the dates from the water and mash with the banana, you want a paste-y consistency. add the rest of the wet ingredients to the banana & dates. Stir well. 

add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. scoop out batter evenly into a 12 cup muffin tin. in a small bowl stir the oats, coconut oil, honey together. press a few blueberries into the top of each muffin and then top with a little oat crumble. bake for 18-20 minutes - watch the tops of the muffins, cover with aluminum foil if the crumble toasts up too fast. 





9.17.2014

recipe journal // 1

I am back... again. This will be the third time I am coming back to this space. With that I have learned that I am not a very habitual person when it comes to routine. The excitement of "new" wears off quickly and I am on to the next thing. I don't know if I like this about myself or not, but I do know it is true. So blogging and me have had multiple break ups and make ups.

My plan for this space this time looks different than has before. I just want this to be a recipe journal, where I give you a recipe I've just recently made and tell you it's story. Think an extension of instagram... the picture + the recipe and story. Simplicity is key because I know if this starts to feel like a burden, I will stop doing it real quick.

So friends, I give you


CHICKEN PESTO ZUCCHINI NOODLES

I made these last night at this little house on Springdale Street in Athens, GA where a lovely group of Young Life leaders live. Directly across the street live a group of Young Life leadin' boys and their house is known as "Springdale". So the girl version (which is much cleaner and prettier) is called "Ladydale". In short, it's a good place to be. I had been studying there all afternoon with my friend Sophie, who calls Ladydale home. We got to talking about dinner at some point and I said I had chicken and pesto and she said she had sweet potatoes. We figured we could make that work. I went home to my house (only a couple of streets over) to grab my ingredients, came back, and got to work. I forgot my noodle peeler, but luckily Catherine had one in the upstairs apartment of Ladydale. After a little chopping and chatting with Dory and Laura, all of us nibbling along as we lingered in the kitchen, dinner was served. Sophie scarfed hers down before I could get a picture of both of our plates, but that means it had to be good right? No offense taken Soph' :)


// pistachio kale pesto (adapted from Edible Perspective and Sprouted Kitchen)

1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup shelled roasted, salted pistachios
1/2 cup packed cilantro
1/2 cup packed parsley
3 kale leaves
1/4-1/3 cup good quality olive oil

-- bring a few cups of water to boil. submerge the kale leaves into the water for about 30 seconds, then run cold water over the leaves to stop the cooking. shake the excess water off the leaves and place in food processor.
-- add the rest of the ingredients except for the oil into the food processor. pulse the ingredients a few times to get things chopped up. turn the processor on and stream in the oil. scrape down the sides frequently. the consistency should be thick but spreadable. makes enough for 4-6 servings of noodles.

// zucchini noodles
-- use 1 zucchini for serving 2 people. you will need a serrated peeler or a zucchini spirilizer to make the noodles (i found my peeler on amazon for 7 dollars).

// baked chicken
-- use 1 chicken breast for serving 2 people (i just cooked 2 breasts at once and use the leftovers later). rub the raw chicken breast with oil, salt, and pepper. bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. let cool. shred the chicken using a fork and knife or pull apart with hands. alternatively, you can dice the chicken.

// ASSEMBLE
toss noodles and chicken in desired amount of pesto. serve alone or roast some veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, onions) in the oven while the chicken is cooking.

Enjoy!





3.28.2014

march 2014





A whole lost has happened this month, hence why I have not posted once yet. For Spring Break I got the chance to see the Grand Canyon along with a few awesome towns on the way. Right before Spring Break I got a job at the loveliest little bakery in this town and now I eat a whole lot of bread. God has been really good to me the past few weeks, but more on that later. For now... some pictures from lately :)
me- the bread girl. 


 Downtown Flagstaff, AZ

On the way out of Flagstaff, heading to the Canyon.

Albuquerque, New Mexico // Nob Hill Neighborhood

The Canyon in all of God's glory.

Hiking in The Canyon was the coolest. 

 Oh it was good. 

2.28.2014

only be still.

He answers.

When I come to think that He wont, He most certainly and most clearly answers.

I have been telling Him about what I want for someone, who is near and dear to me, for what feels like a long time. To be honest I started feeling rather hopeless, like I just needed to stop asking and be okay with what was happening.

Yes, I think He wanted me to draw on His peace and see what goodness was surrounding me in the midst of my prayers. But I also think He wanted me to keep asking, to keep telling him, to keep praying…to the point where I wanted to give up, to call it a loss, and move on.



I got to that point. And now He is steadfastly leading me around the corner. The view ahead looks different. I no longer feel as though I am trudging through the same muck with this person that was cold and ugly. I see The Light that I kept promising myself had to be at the end of this tunnel. The Light is here and I feel His warmth. The Light was never not there, like I was starting to believe. The Light is always with us even when the darkness seems to crowd it out. I am really thankful for that today. The muck that felt caked to my feet is drying out and chipping off and we are walking in a new place. This new place is where I have been praying for the Lord to take me and my friend. He heard my prayers and he has answered them, in His perfect way.

I am beginning to smile again for my friend because I know good things have been brought to him. I know the Lord is blessing him, in the way that whether he knows it or not, I have been praying for.

Breathing becomes easier when you know the Lord is fighting FOR YOU - so that YOU don’t have to. What a beautiful thing.


“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still’” - Exodus 14:13-14

2.18.2014

the Giver of good.


We need each other.  This road was not made to be traveled alone.

God blesses us through people. He speaks through people that know Him. He makes himself tangible in the love shared between friends. He is the heartbeat of many of my relationships in college


When our friend suffers, we are called to walk alongside them in that. We are called to give love to them even when they are not in a place to give that love back. Good friends are the ones who stick next to you even when you know you aren’t being a good friend back. I think Jesus was that kind of friend.

The kind that never stops praying for you even when you are running away. The kind that speak truth into you, even when you wish they would agree with the lies you are believing. The kind that cries with you because seeing you in such pain breaks their heart.

I prayed for community 2 years ago.  I prayed for people who would understand me, for people who would rather stay in on a Friday night and bake than hit the town, for people that knew how good freedom tastes.

 He has answered that prayer… in absolute abundance. The people that surround me are jems. They get me. They run towards freedom by my side. We bake cookies and sit by fires. We dance like fools. They know how much Jesus loves them. We pray together. They see me with our Creator’s eyes. It is good. It is sweet.

 …and I am left only being able to kiss the feet of Jesus.

The Giver of all things has graciously given me a new friend in the past couple of months. I like to call her LC It is like I have known her for years but we only met in late fall and we first spent time together in early January. Yet, our stories share a lot of the same twists and turns. We both have witnessed our God’s saving grace. We both want more and more of Him.

She loves me for some crazy reason and I think the world of her. We both know that it is supposed to be. We are supposed to be in each other’s lives because that Holy Spirit inside of us, keeps telling us so. We are sisters under His house.

LC's little hands holding our cookies.
 After being around her I know that I have been with Jesus and that’s the best part.

I pray that LC and I can be good friends to each other. I pray that we will be forever friends and forever get to tell people of how the good Lord brought us together. I pray that when things get hard between us and in life, we will run to you Lord. I pray that I will serve LC out of your love and care for her soul. I pray that I’d be the kind of friend that Jesus was to all who he encountered. I thank you for people in this life. I thank you for my people, the people you have given me along this road that love me because you do. Amen. 

1.22.2014

little chunk of heaven.


This past weekend I had the absolute privilege of taking about ten of my high school friends to Windy Gap, a Young Life Camp in North Carolina.

As I read back over that sentence, I am still blown away.

I had been to Young Life camp ten times before last weekend. Each time I was either a camper, a part of the Work Crew, or a part of Summer Staff... never an actual Leader. I had watched Leaders, sat on cabin floors with Leaders, prayed for Leaders. But this time I was the Leader... like what? Crazy. But seriously beautiful. And full of grace... so full.

The Lord knew how special it would be for me to be at the same camp that I had spent a month at just this past summer. And how vividly I would remember sitting in those same cabins with my friends when they met Jesus in 8th grade. It was SO special. The whole weekend just spoke of His sovereignty, over and over again.

I went through the ropes course with them, in the freezing cold, hands all numb, and wishing for warmth. I got to be a part of my friend putting on a harness for the first time in her life and walk amongst the trees. She rocked it. The Lord pulled them outside of their comfort zones, not on their own stopping grounds, and I saw Him.

We laughed till we cried. I saw pure joy seep out of their pores. We hugged each other to stay warm. I felt loved by them.

Healing happened right before my eyes and I didn't miss it. Vulnerability and realness spilled all over that cabin floor. I sat in awe and praise as truth rang in their words.  They searched their hearts honestly and it was beautiful.


Those hours at Windy Gap were a little chunk of heaven. A picture of freedom and playfulness. I stopped myself a many of times and just smiled because it was all really happening - I was unwrapping a huge gift from God, a gift He had planned for a long while. I think I brought Him joy in unwrapping the gift. I pray that I brought Him glory.

As I was lying down to go to sleep on saturday night, on my mattress on the floor, my high school friend rubbed my back from behind and said, "hey, you've been a good leader." And all I could say back was, "thank you" and "this weekend has been like a dream come true, I love you all." ....straight up Heaven. I'm telling you.

What I learned at Windy Gap over the summer rang with new understanding this weekend... "He doesn't need us, but He wants us." Hallelujah. He will do what He will with their hearts and minds. He will change them. He will teach them. And I got invited to watch, to be on the sideline, cheering and praying and trusting.

Thank you God, for inviting me into your work. Thank you for letting me make messes and going behind me to clean them up. Thank you for being a gift-giver. Thank you for not wanting perfection. Please lead me in truth. Please hold these girls fast and do not let them go. Please reveal your grace and love and beauty to us more and more. Thank you for being our God. Amen.





1.10.2014

Make altars.


From a little reunion over break

“I like those scenes in the Bible where God stops people and asks them to build an altar. You’d think he was making them do that for himself, but I don’t think God gets much from looking at a pile of rocks. Instead, I think God wanted his people to build altars for their sake, something that would help them remember, something they could look back on and remember the time when they were rescued, or they were given grace.

But it’s like I said before, about writers not really wanting to write. We have to force ourselves to create these scenes. We have to get up off the couch and turn the television off, we have to blow up the inner-tubes and head to the river. We have to write the poem and deliver it in person. We have to pull the car off the road and hike to the top of the hill. We have to put on our suits, we have to dance at weddings. We have to make altars” - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

In 2014 I want to build altars. Altar upon altar. I want to get out of my bed and do what is God is just waiting for me to experience, the things that He knows I will see His face in. We day-dream about things we want to do, we “pin” pictures of them or read about how other people did them or watch our friends do them. This year I will be the one to go, to make, to see… for myself and for God.

There is a reason I have these desires to do things that don’t go away, God planted them there. He knows that doing them will be good for me, probably really good for me. He knows that doing them will bless others, not because I am anything special, but because He uses His servants. He will love people through me. It is harder for the Lord to bless others through us when we just sit on the couch or stay inside all day long. So, I am walking out the door to see Him more. To create scenes in my life that will only reek of the Lord when I remember them. To be able to have moments to look back on and remember how full of laughter and grace and light this world is.

I made a list of the things I want to do this year. Some that are extremely doable, some that are a little out there, some that my mom freaked out about when she saw them, but all in all things that get me excited to live this precious life. I might not get them all done in 2014 necessarily, but I do not think that’s of the Lord’s concern.

I have a tangible copy of them above my desk but I want to write them here.
   
    Go on an overnight camping trip

Do something with Lazarus Ministry
Visit a new city
Take mom & dad out to dinner, on me
Buy someone’s groceries
Throw a couple of dinner parties
Have a picnic with friends
Write a letter to my brother
Serve somewhere in Athens
Write letters to Alexis & Laban
Pray for North Oconee
Become a member of Trinity Anglican Mission
Adventure in Athens with Abby
Buy stuff at an antique store for our house
Give blood
Donate my old books
Read 7 books
Send care packages to friends
Go on a day hike
Have dinner with Whitney & Calder
Have dinner with Christin & Sandor
Hang out with Mary Sims
See Emily Griesbeck
Memorize a scripture each month
Send granola to someone
Get a message
Blog at least 2x a month
See Cat Ryden
Make recipes from my cookbooks
Love on your Young Life teammates
Write anonymous notes for Chi O girls
Go skydiving
Rock climb outside
Make candles
Babysit for free
Go apple picking
See Bessie
Go on a day hike with Sarah Azain
Go someplace I’ve never been to around Athens
Be a JOE leader

1.01.2014

Joseph & a new year.


I have been in a funk, a writing funk, and a long one at that.
I guess I have felt like I haven’t had much to say. But really, I am sure I’ve had plenty to say but I haven’t wanted to pull it out of me and put it on paper. I haven’t felt like  it was worth sharing.

I’m back though. Because for one, I am at the beach with my family right now and the weather has been coaxing us inside. And for two, I had a friend text me the other day encouraging me to keep writing.

And that’s what I really needed – encouragement.
To know that my words are reaching someone…

Yes, Hallelujah!

So today I want to tell you about Joseph, the Joseph that is the father of Jesus.

The Sunday before Christmas I went to the church that is home for me. I love it there and I never leave without wanting to know more about His word. We talked about Joseph, when he found out that the woman whom he was engaged was pregnant. Joseph probably found out through the rumor mill and it was pretty disgracing news. Being engaged back then was way more serious than it is today. You did not break off engagements, for any reason. From the outside it looked like Joseph either got Mary pregnant or she cheated on him with another suitor. Either way, it makes Joseph look bad.

Now if I were Joseph, I would have been pissed. Angry that I did not get the information from Mary, angry that people think I am unfaithful to the law, angry that Mary must have had sex with someone else. Joseph had the power to accuse a man for sleeping with Mary and to have him stoned.

Praise the Lord Joseph did not react in anger like I would have. Praise the Lord that Joseph chose grace, acceptance, and loyalty.

Now we don’t have any recorded words from Joseph. We just have actions. His actions speak plenty loudly.

He acts in a way that reeks of Jesus. Joseph was a faithful man. He spent time with God, hours and minutes out of his day were set aside for God. The Lord cultivated him and Joseph bore fruit.

I think we all can admit that we want to be better at something or for something to come more naturally to us. Like I want to naturally put others before myself, and I want to stop biting my fingernails, and I want to be more grateful, and, and…


Joseph didn’t will his way into becoming this guy that takes anger and magically turns it into grace and selflessness. What he does isn’t a ‘works’ thing. He doesn’t “try” to be this forgiving loving guy. What he does just speaks to who he was and who God was in him. Our actions speak to the substance of who we are.

I look at Joseph and I hear the Lord saying, “He has been with me, Katie. That’s it. He learned how to extend grace like that from me. I have prepared him for this day because he has come to me in obedience time and time again. Remember that I am the one that fills your desires, I am the one that sustains you and nurtures you and enables you to bare good fruit. Come to me and I will make you better”

So as we are all thinking about goals and resolutions and who we want to be in 2014, I pray that we would just spent more time with our Lord in 2014. I pray that we would know that He is the only thing that can truly change us and make us new.