Between now and Christmas Mom and I will try to make some of these snacks and sweets as a Christmas gift for our family (none of them read this blog, btw, so I'm not spoiling the surprise here).  We want to bundle these up in festive, little packages, throw them all together into a big gift basket, and then let our relatives divide them up however they like. 

I have a feeling these will go over pretty well, because my aunt always gets stuff like this from specialty stores for family get-togethers, and while we can't exactly afford to buy these at a fancy store like that, we figure we may as well try to make them instead!  But whether or not we succeed in baking these is another matter; we do have a Christmas Gift Plan B in case of utter failure: Gift Cards.



Italian Nut Biscotti Sticks

Peppermint Sticks

 

Peppermint Cheesecake



Holiday Cheese Straws



Coffeehouse Chocolate Spoons



Crunch Bars

 

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons



Chocolate-Candy Cane Cookies



White Chocolate Fudge



Tonight I tried a different sauce recipe for a beef stir-fry, and both my husband and I liked it. Basically, here's what I did:

Ingredients
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, diced
10 mushrooms, sliced
2 lbs frozen green beans (we buy them in a 1kg bag)
1 lb stewing beef, diced into small pieces (to make our meat last longer, we only use 0.5 lb of meat per main dish)
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
0.5 brick of cream cheese
0.5 cup milk
salt & pepper

Cooking Instructions
- steam green beans in a steamer or pot
- in a wok, stir-fry beef and onions together in vegetable oil
- add sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar
- when the meat is cooked, add garlic and mushrooms to the wok and simmer on low
- when green beans are finished add them to the wok
- meanwhile, beat together milk and cream cheese, then add to meat and veggies in the wok
- salt and pepper to taste
- serve over jasmine rice (I'm sure it would taste great on any kind of rice, and might even be good over pasta too)

I just realized the irony of posting a quote about gluttony on Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving, that is). Trust me, this wasn't planned!

In The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges reminds us:

20th century Christians, especially those in the Western world, have generally been found wanting in the area of holiness of body. Gluttony and laziness, ...for example, were regarded by earlier Christians as sin. Today we may look on these as weaknesses of the will but certainly not sin. We even joke about our overeating and other indulgences instead of crying out to God in confession and repentance.

How has the western Church come to this point where we wink at things God has told us clearly are sins?

This is just one example showing the reason doubters and critics and 'revolutionaries' within the Church deserve our attention these days. The Church is complacent, too many patriarchs and matriarchs of the faith subordinate voices of concern and dissonance in their midst. More often than not, I think, the Holy Spirit is the drive behind those voices, and in the Church's complacency we don't recognize His voice anymore.

It's all too easy, but we can't let ourselves slip into the same complacency we're seeing all around us in Christianity these days. It's far too easy to go with the flow than it is to swim against it, but sometimes general consensus, the status quo, popular opinion, whatever you want to call it, can be rebellious and unholy, yes, even in the Church.

If you're concerned about the Body of Christ and feel God leading you to say something about it, don't let yourself be shamed or discouraged for doing so. If He calls you to shine a light on some of these neglected, unseemly sins that seem to be staring you in the face, then don't lose heart: Keep following His lead, keep listening to His voice, and keep shining that light. You're not alone.

I don't know whether the author's title reflects a newlywed's pride for her magnificently talented husband, or the praises sung by her tastebuds. How about both!

My husband made this modest banquet for us yesterday morning, and well, you already know my opinion on it. So give it a try and let me know how you like it! :)

A Breakfast Banquet of Legend and Renown
Serves 2

Step 1:
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs
1/4 tsp dill
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp crushed peppers (optional)
a dash of pepper
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced

- heat oil & butter in frying pan
- fry ginger & garlic in pan until light brown
- meanwhile whisk together egg, dill, yogurt, crushed peppers, salt & pepper
- pour over ginger & garlic in frying pan
- sprinkle green onions over top
- turn element down to low/med-low and cook until underside of omelette is light brown, then fold over and cover with lid
- remove from element when egg is fully cooked, though not too dry

Step 2:
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium tomato
1 clove garlic, minced
0.5 tsp basil
0.5 tsp oregano
0.5 tsp thyme

- cut tomato lengthwise into round slices, and put into frying pan after the omelette has been removed
- sprinkle with minced garlic, basil, oregano, and thyme
- fry lightly on both sides for 2 minutes
- serve tomatoes over top or beside omelette, with rye bread or toasted rye on the side

Now go, cook, and feast!

~*~

Above: Almost the same thing as our own beautiful breakfast burrito, minus the sauce and and scattered lettuce

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear "Breakfast Burrito" is a certain Mexican fast food chain - heaven forbid we should attempt to follow in the trail they've blazed so gloriously before us, so we're chasing a new and radical dream: The unprocessed, filler-free, steroid-free, hormone-free, preservative-free vegetarian breakfast burrito! (*cue 'Chariots of Fire' theme*)

Actually, I can't say 'we', because it's entirely my husband's creation, and it's fabulous, so here it is (the recipe serves 3):

Filling Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp oil (or butter if preferred)
- 2 cloves garlic (diced)
- 1/4 onion (diced)
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 tsp crushed peppers
- 1/4 tsp basil
- 1/4 tsp dill
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- a dash of ginger powder (optional)
- 2 tbsp tomato (diced)
- salt & pepper
- your choice of cheese (optional)

Other Ingredients:
- 3 soft tortillas
- sour cream
- salsa

Preparation:
- in a bowl whisk eggs, yogurt, and spices
- fry onions and garlic in oil until lightly brown; lightly salt and pepper (to taste)
- add egg mixture into the frying pan on top of garlic and onions and scramble
- add tomatoes, cover, and keep on low heat until eggs are cooked

Meanwhile:
- lightly moisten each tortilla with water and warm in microwave for 20-30 seconds until soft
- spread a light layer of sour cream and salsa onto burrito, then add scrambled eggs
- roll burrito

And VOILA!!

Serendipity!

I just devised the most amazing Beef & Vegetable Egg Drop Soup, and here it is for anyone interested in giving it a try:

Broth Ingredients:
- 1 package Bak Kut Teh soup seasoning (it's Chinese/Malaysian; the kind we have looks like an overgrown tea bag, and consists of a bunch of mild herbs and seasonings that flavour broth the same way a teabag flavours tea; Bak Kut Teh bags can be purchased at your local Chinese market)
- 1 tablespoon beef broth (broth without MSG is highly recommended)
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste, mixed with 1 cup warm water (if you hate spicy food you can replace this with a can of tomato soup)
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce (we have Indonesian salty soy sauce, purchased at a local Chinese market; it's quite different from generic soy sauce commonly available at grocery stores)
- 5 tablespoons fish sauce (just enough of this stuff will give your soup the tiniest hint of something 'different', NOT 'fishy')

Soup Ingredients:
- 2 cups diced chicken, beef or the meat of your choice (raw or cooked meat is fine)
- 7 cloves of garlic, diced (less if you don't like garlic)
- half an onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1.5 cups broccoli, chopped
- 1.5 cups celery, chopped
- 1 cup cooked rice (Jasmine rice is highly recommended for its flavour; Uncle Ben's is an absolute no-no)
- 2 raw eggs

Instructions:
- Place the Bak Kut Teh in a large pot of water and bring to a boil
- If you're using raw meat, dice it, and place it in the water
- After boiling the soup for about 15 minutes place the garlic, onions, broccoli, and celery in the water and boil for another 10 minutes
- Add the rest of the broth ingredients, along with the cooked rice, sliced tomato, and if you have cooked meat you can add that at this point as well
- Add eggs to boiling soup and stir. The more briskly you stir, the smaller the egg pieces will be, whereas if you do not stir after adding the eggs you will end up with two poached eggs in your soup. So, while stirring at your desired speed let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve and ENJOY!

Picture a woman standing at the stove cooking lunch. What comes to mind?

a) A mother in her apron fixing lunch for kids and hubby?
b) A sleepy student throwing a meal together before rushing off to class?
c) A busy career woman trying her hand at a homemade meal for a change?
d) Or do you think of yourself (if you're a woman) creating a work of genius?

The correct answer is d)!! And I had one of those rare moments in my kitchen today as I concocted genius in a pot! (Note: I don't really take myself so seriously, and in moments like these I can't help but laugh at myself as I sit here writing.)

So what was this marvellous work of art I created? Check it out:

- 1 can of Heinz tomato soup - emptied into a pot and slowly heating on the stove
- 1 can-full of water and/or plain soy milk - added to the soup
- 1 large garlic clove - chopped and added to the soup
- 1 large tomato - diced and added to the soup
- 1 teaspoon each of parsley, basil, rosemary, and garlic powder - all added to the soup

Slowly heat the soup until it begins to simmer. Take a minute to make everyone in the house enjoy the aroma and praise you for your genius. Remove it from the stove and top it with a tiny bit of your favourite cheese (cheddar, parmesan, gouda, etc.) or with a drop of sour cream, and be sure to take enough for yourself before the others get their hands on it!!