Dreaming of Sevilla

Looking back at my last post, I realize it was maybe a bit premature... I talked about the warming weather and coming spring. Well, spring has come, but I'm not sure where that warm weather went. We actually had snow this morning. And while it didn't actually stick the fact that it is in the end of March and snowing just seems odd. Hopefully this will be the last winter blast.

Perhaps something about cold weather inspires dreams of exotic and faraway places... places that hold a special place in our hearts. Tonight Lukas and I were dreaming about places we would love to go. He was wistfully talking about Belfast where he spent a semester a few years ago, and we looked at some photos of Belfast. Then I wanted to look at photos of Sevilla, where I spent my semester abroad four years ago. It's hard to believe it was really four years ago. I'm so thankful I had that opportunity. What a semester it was!

There was such a rich culture in Sevilla and so much to explore. I loved all the news sights and tastes and sounds.

Not to mention simply having the time to spend several months overseas. How I would love to have a few months to spend overseas again sometime. There is something unique about being in college though... you have opportunities to do things that would be much harder to actually pull off as a young adult. I'm very thankful for the memories and the things I was able to do during that time.

I loved walking those old streets and seeing historical architecture. La Torre del Oro in the picture above was a landmark I passed everyday on my way to school--and it's hundreds of years old!

I loved the warmth of southern Spain. While I do remember wearing a coat in January and February, it was already warm by this time of year there.

And it was so beautiful! Aren't those flowers by the river gorgeous?

The picture above isn't actually of Sevilla, but the coastal town of Cadiz, about a two hour train ride away. I post it because it reminds me of sunshine, warmth and my love of the ocean and beach, which is accessible for a day trip when you're living in southern Spain.

Maybe one day I can return to Sevilla and bring my husband with me. You know how places just sort of become a part of you. Well, as a famous Spanish song says "Sevilla tiene un color especial"--it's a vibrant, colorful place that I will remember always.

It also made me think of the blog I kept during that time: http://anna-in-spain09.blogspot.com/. I hadn't looked at that blog in a while, but seeing the captured memories and photos there makes me happy to remember.

Besides dreaming about places I've been, I also often dream of going to new places, and seeing new sights. For example, I would love to see India, Thailand, Germany, Switzerland, Israel... and the list could go on. I have always had a desire to travel and see the world.

What kind of places do you dream about? 

[Almost] Spring Musings

We are almost to mid-March, and I can't express how excited I am about the hints of the coming spring that we're seeing. In just a couple weeks, it will officially be spring! While it still oscillates from warm to cool right now, we are definitely seeing an upward climb in temperature, and a few of the trees even have some buds on them. I'm thankful to live in a part of the country that tends to have relatively mild winters that don't usually drag out too long. I'm definitely a warm weather kind of girl. That senior year of college dream I had to live in Chicago... yeah, that died pretty quickly when I thought about how long and cold the winters would be!

With the gradually warming weather, Lukas and I are trying to get out more. We are blessed to live close to the foot of a large hill (well, they technically call it a mountain, but it's certainly no mountain by Colorado standards) with a hiking trail up the side. It takes about 30 minutes to climb to the top, where there is a retreat center and a beautiful view of the town. We climbed up the hill yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful weather (warm enough for short sleeves!) and the fresh air.

We also decided to let our kittens (now about one year old, so hardly kittens anymore) explore around outside under supervision yesterday for a bit. They are indoor cats by necessity of our current apartment living situation, but we want them to have some familiarity with the outside in case we eventually live somewhere where they can spend more time outside. Poor Selah was actually scared being outside--she makes a great indoor cat--but Firestorm was as content as could be.

Besides counting down the days until spring is officially here, I have still been enjoying cooking. I find that most of my cooking happens on the weekends. During the week, with my busy full-time job, I just don't usually have time to make anything elaborate. On weekends, however, I often try to pick a more involved meal to cook (like the crockpot chicken tikka masala I tried today) or bake something like granola or muffins for the coming week. I may post some of those recipes soon--let me know if there are any in particular you are interested in seeing.

The treat for this weekend was white chip chocolate cookies--the first time I've tried making them. Nothing too fancy here, just Tollhouse's recipe (found here). Below you'll see a picture of the gooey, yummy, chocolate goodness that came out. I mixed up the recipe a bit, by substituting some of the white chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips--about one cup white chips and 1/2 cup dark chips (I didn't use the full two cups of chips that the recipe called for). So delicious!

This was a bit of an eclectic post, but I wanted to write about a few current simple delights in my life. I want to continue on a lifelong journey of cultivating thankfulness, and writing is a one way for me to do that. Happy almost spring, everyone! 

Pollo Saltado: Classic Peruvian Cuisine

This evening I am daydreaming about Peru. Lukas and I were blessed to be able to take a two-week trip to Peru in December to visit his family (they are missionaries in Lima).

It was wonderful to get to see family, explore a new and colorful country, and experience the places Lukas has told me about. The trip included exploring Lima, as well as a day and a half trip to the rainforest in Pucallpa, Peru.

Peru is filled with rich history, interesting cultural experiences and, of course, delicious food. Oh, the food... so good!

Since I can't eat Peruvian food in Peru all the time, I'm sure glad I learned from Lukas' mom how to make a few favorite Peruvian dishes. And one of the best is pollo saltado or lomo saltado. More commonly in Peru you find the lomo saltado variation, which includes thinly sliced beef tenderloin or some other type of thinly sliced steak. However, it is sometimes served with chicken instead, thus creating the cousin dish of pollo saltado, featured below. Both are delectable, but at home we have made it with chicken because it is cheaper and we more commonly have it on hand.

Whichever meat you choose to use, this dish includes a bed of rice, with flavorful, tender marinaded meat cooked with vegetables and then topped with French fries. I know, French fries seem like an odd addition, but they add the perfect touch to this dish.

It's making my mouth water just thinking about it.



Pollo Saltado

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 2 tsp cumin 
• 10-12 cloves garlic (divided)
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups uncooked rice
• Canola oil
• 1 whole onion plus 1/3 onion (divided)
• 2 bell peppers, julienned (multi-colored is our favorite)
• 1/2 14 oz. can of tomatoes (drained) or fresh tomatoes (the equivalent of about 7 oz.)
• 2 potatoes, sliced into French fries (or equivalent in store bought fries)
• Cilantro

This recipe makes enough for about 4-6 servings.

Marinade chicken overnight in soy sauce, vinegar, cumin and four cloves minced garlic. This picture only shows one chicken breast, but you will want to use two.

The next day to begin cooking this dish, saute dry rice with 1/3 cup finely chopped onion and 6-8 garlic cloves, minced. This can be done on the stove with a bit of oil. Once some (not all) of the grains of rice start to turn golden, take sauteed rice mixture and cook in rice maker or on stove with 2 2/3 cups water.

 

While rice is cooking, slice up one large onion and bell peppers. You can use all one color, but we usually use multi-colored bell peppers because they look so pretty. 

Chop up chicken in bite-sized pieces, and cook on stove with a good portion of the marinade, bell peppers and onion. The marinade gives the mixture an amazing flavor when it all cooks together.

Slice potatoes and cook French fries in oil on the stove (if you make them from scratch) or bake French fries in the oven if you use store bought fries. We've done it both ways, and I think it tastes equally good either way. It definitely saves time and effort to use the store bought fries and that's the route I've gone the last couple times we've made pollo saltado. If you go this route, use about enough French fries to cover a baking sheet. However, making them from scratch probably makes it slightly more authentic. :)

Once meat and vegetables are tender, add 1/2 can of drained tomatoes to the mixture and heat (or 1-2 fresh tomatoes if you have them on hand).

 Serve layered with rice, French fries, and meat and veggies mixture. Sprinkle cilantro on top.

And there you have it--a signature Peruvian dish that you can make at home. It's chock full of flavor. OK, now that I have written all about it, I may just need to make it again, just to let the flavors take me back to Peru again! :)

Buen provecho!

Delightful Kittens!

Blogging world, meet Firestorm and Selah, the two delightful kittens that Lukas and I got this summer. Since we got married last August we have been wanting kittens... both of us grew up with cats, and we both love the cute, cuddly animals. However, our first apartment did not allow pets, so we waited in anticipation for when we would be able to get our first pets together. As soon as we put down the deposit on our new apartment this summer we started looking for options for some little kittens to add to our new home.

And we stumbled upon these two: a fluffy orange and white friendly little guy and a tortoiseshell colored, sweet and affectionate little female.  They were actually part of two separate litters, but grew up together out in Arkansas country. We found them through a posting on Craig's List. Being the cat lovers we are, we picked them up and brought them home the day after we finished moving into our new apartment. Hmm, what comes first, unpacking all those boxes or picking up our new pets? Yep, the kittens won out! 

Selah (black and tan kitten, known as a tortoiseshell) is such a sweetheart. She loves being held and will usually stay in our arms as long as we hold her. I have never had a cat who enjoys being held as much as she does.

Firestorm (the orange and white kitten), as his names implies, is a bundle of energy. He's very friendly and loves to be around people. For that matter, both cats are very much people cats.

Being kittens, they of course love to explore and get into mischief. Lukas has started trying to hide some of our plants out of their reach because they keep trying to attack and bite off the leaves! Firestorm really likes playing with wadded up paper balls. And we get a kick out of watching them chase around a little red laser that we direct all around the house.

Of course, they're kittens so they have their time of romping around, but they also sleep a lot. They're so cute when they take their naps!

They find the strangest places to sleep sometimes! As you can see, Selah thought my TOMS shoe would make a nice place to rest.

The best is when they fall asleep in your arms though. Awww! In this picture, Firestorm found a cuddly spot for a nap in Lukas' arms. Even as I write this, Firstorm has jumped up on Lukas and is laying on his chest. 

They also like high-up perches (such as Lukas' shoulder)... or the kitchen counter tops. We're working on training them to stay away from those!

What about you all? Do you have any fun pet stories? As for us, we sure are having fun with Firestorm and Selah. They brighten up our days!

Arroz Chaufa: Peruvian Fried Rice

I have been immersed into the world of Peruvian cooking... thanks to my husband's family being missionaries in Peru. And, let me tell you, Peruvian food is tasty.

I used to think Lukas was biased when he talked about how great Peruvian food was. I figured that, having grown up there, he was just partial to it. This may be true, but I have since discovered firsthand how delicious Peruvian food really is. I have had the opportunity to try a variety of Peruvian dishes made by Lukas' family and in a Peruvian restaurant we found in Tulsa. We have tried making a few of these dishes at home, and I look forward to trying more in the future!

In fact, come to find out, Peruvian food has been rated in culinary circles as one of the top countries for unique cuisine. There are hundreds of dishes unique to Peru. The recipe below is for arroz chaufa, which is a Peruvian fried rice. This particular dish has significant Chinese influence, but with a bit of a Peruvian twist.

I still remember the first time I tried arroz chaufa. Lukas and his sister, Lynea, made the dish for me when Lukas and I were dating, and I remember them huddled in the tiny dorm kitchen attempting to make a culinary masterpiece. Cooking anything as a college student is always a challenge given the lack of cooking supplies and space, but they did a great job. Now Lukas and I can make this at home (thankfully, we have a little more space to work now in an apartment than we did in a dorm kitchen)!



Arroz Chaufa

• 1 large chicken breast
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/3 large onion
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 square inches ginger root
• 3 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• Soy sauce
• 3 green onions
• 1-2 small carrots
• 1/3 bell pepper
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups rice (2 cups precooked)
• 2 eggs
• Optional: extra onion and several limes for topping

Directions

Start cooking rice. For two cups of rice, we cooked with 2 3/4 cups water in our rice maker. If you don't have a rice maker, you can easily cook it on the stove.



Cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces. Mince garlic and ginger root. Cut up onion into small pieces. Cook chicken, garlic, ginger and onion on the stove in a large pan, along with cumin, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. You can also add a small amount of soy sauce at this point.



Cut up green onions, carrots and bell pepper. Steam briefly with a little bit of water to soften the vegetables. We just put the vegetables in the microwave briefly.



Add onions, carrots, bell pepper and peas (if the peas are still a bit frozen they will defrost quickly on the stove) to the meat. Add cooked rice to the mixture. Stir everything together. Add a little more soy sauce to flavor. Ideally, you want some soy sauce flavor, but not too much (so that you can taste all the other distinct flavors).

Fry two eggs in a separate skillet and chop into small pieces. Mix egg pieces in with the rice, meat and veggies.



And it's all ready to eat. If desired, you can squeeze several limes and mix with chopped onions for a topping for arroz chaufa. This is the typical Peruvian way to eat it; my husband loves it, but I usually skip that part--I think it has plenty of flavor without it. If you choose to make the sauce, just keep it in a separate dish from the rice, that way you can add it as desired. A little bit of the sauce goes a long way.



Enjoy this taste of South American cuisine!

Friendship Soup--Wholesome and Delicious

Spring is in full bloom, and I love it! In light of the warmer weather, it may seem a bit strange to be posting a soup recipe. While I agree that soup is more of a winter food, I do still sometimes make it even in the warmer months. And this is such a filling, wholesome and delicious soup that it is great all year round.

 

Friendship Soup is a soup I grew up on. It gets its name from the fact that it works great to layer the dry ingredients in a jar and give away as a homemade gift to friends. All they have to do is add the tomatoes, meat and water and cook! A family friend gave a jar of the soup ingredients to my mom year ago, and my mom has been making it ever since.

Since getting married, I have frequently turned to this soup for a staple meal option (Lukas loves it!) and have passed along the recipe to my mother-in-law. What I love about this soup is how filling it is, how delicious it tastes, and how healthy it is. It incorporates such nutritious and often-forgotten-about ingredients, such as lentils and split peas, and it has great Italian flavoring. And for someone who really tries to cook healthy foods (although I still can't resist making the occasional dessert!), this soup is a great option!

Look at that wholesome goodness!

Friendship Soup

1/2 cup dry split peas

1/3 cup beef bouillon 

1/4 cup barley

1/2 cup dry lentils

1/4 cup dried minced onion

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 cup uncooked white or brown rice

1/2 cup alphabet macaroni or other small macaroni

1 pound browned ground beef

3 quarts water

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes (or two smaller cans that are about 15 oz each)

Put all dry ingredients, except for pasta, in a large pot. Add browned ground beef, 3 quarts of water and the canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add reserved macaroni; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until all is tender.

To give as a gift: Layer all the dry ingredients in a jar. Put pasta in a small plastic bag and place as the top layer of the jar. Include instructions for how to prepare the recipe and what ingredients they need to add. Would work great as a Mother's Day gift (not too far away), new neighbor gift, Christmas gift (OK, so might have to stash that idea away for a while) or a just-because gift.

Thankfulness: Naming the Gifts, Living in Grace

When I first started blog, it was part of an endeavor to focus on the simple delights in life, seeing the hand of God in my life, and thankfulness in everything. It's about this pursuit to live life to the fullest in Christ. I certainly don't have it all figured out (knowing God is the journey of a lifetime), but by God's grace, I want to learn step by step what it means to walk with Christ and to know Him.

As I was starting up this blog, a friend told me that the theme of my blog reminded her a lot of Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts and her blog, www.aholyexperience.com. Intrigued, I decided to check out the site and ended up ordering the book. This book has turned out to be a profoundly influential one in my life. The subtitle of One Thousand Gifts sums up so well how I want to live: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Ann says:

"'Wherever you are, be all there.' I have lived the runner, panting ahead in worry, pounding back in regrets, terrified to live in the present, because here-time asks me to do the hardest thing of all: just open wide and receive... This is where God is. In the present. I AM--His very name... 'Wherever you are, be all there' is only possible in the posture of eucharisteo. I want to slow down and taste life, give thanks, and see God." -One Thousand Gifts (p. 69, 77)

The theme of the book centers around the concept of eucharisteo, a Greek word that means giving thanks. The root word of eucharisteo is charis, which means "grace." And the derivative of charis is the Greek word chara, which means "joy." She talks about seeing God's grace in every aspect of our lives, and naming the gifts. It's all a very practical way of living out the "in everything give thanks" that God has called us to.

I resonate with Ann and her struggle to live fully in the present. How easy it is for my mind to mull over how I wish I had handled things better in the past, fear the unknowns of the future, or miss out on moments of today. "The secret to figuring out life: All is grace--because God is transfiguring all things for His glory," says Ann. I want to learn how to give thanks in everything. And in doing so, learn how to not be yanked back to the past or run ahead to the future, but to bloom where God has planted me, so to speak.

I want to start using this blog as one way of chronicling God's faithfulness and a tangible way of expressing thankfulness. Here are a few things I'm thankful for today, in no particular order:

* Rain watering the earth, bringing the new life of spring, and the thunder that accompanies it

* Quiet morning at home to relax

* Beautiful flowers on the table, a thoughtful gift from my husband

* Financial needs always met, sometimes in unexpected ways

* The cozy apartment we have been blessed to call home these past seven months

* Mercies new every morning, learning to trust His grace for my struggles and shortcomings

* Delicious, homemade granola for breakfast

* A godly, committed and loving husband, precious gift from God

* Encouraging words from my mom

* A job where I get to sample delicious, gourmet coffees

Care to join me on this journey? What are you thankful for? How can you practice eucharisteo today?