Imperfect and Wonderful Creations

Today in our basket of produce from Elmwood Farms we found a quart of organic strawberries! I love strawberries and I have considered them to be my favorite food for as long as I can remember. This post is a tribute not only to strawberries, but to abnormal strawberries. I picked out the odd ones for you to see. I hope they don't mind being made fun of because Tyler and I had a good time laughing at them.


Today we also bought a half dozen organic eggs! I'm excited about these because I've never had such a fresh egg. Notice the variations in size and color. I think they are beautiful and I encourage anyone who reads this to branch out from your usual Super Mega Mart and find some good-for-you and good-for-the-Earth food elsewhere.

Enchil-lasagna

Another Rachael Ray recipe from her new cookbook YUM-O puts a Mexican spin on lasagna. If you ask me, it's more like Shepherd's Pie than anything. It's made with turkey meatloaf and gravy leftover from the previous night's meal. Salsa verde is the only spicy component, but it does a good job of bringing out flavor. Add come Cholula Hot Sauce for more of a kick.

Check our RachelRay.com and simply search for the recipe.

Thin and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I borrowed this recipe from one of my favorite blogs to read - Like Merchant Ships.
The author suggests using these cookies in gift baskets because they stand up better than thicker, more crumbly cookies. Amazingly enough, the only real difference between regular chocolate chip cookies and these - melted butter instead of softened or cold butter. I doubled the recipe and it made LOTS of cookies. Make sure you don't make them too big. The smaller they are, the more you can have! Right? Here's the recipe:

• 1 stick butter, melted
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
  
• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat melted butter and egg, add sugars and mix well. Stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix with flour and chips.

Place 1-inch balls of dough at least 2 inches apart on greased pans. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet. Cookies will continue to crisp out of the oven, yet they remain deliciously thin and chewy.

Prayers for the Chapman Family

Yesterday the family of Steven Curtis Chapman encountered tragedy. Their 5 year old daughter, Maria Sue, was accidentally struck by an SUV and she later died from her injuries. Such a terrible incident brings much sadness to me so I can't imagine what they are going through at this time. I'm posting this news only in an effort to make people aware. I'm asking anyone who reads this to do two things:

• Pray for healing, understanding, and forgiveness for this family.

• Demonstrate extreme caution in your own driving. Although accidents do happen, they can be avoided sometimes with proper precautions.

One thing we know. God's plan is a perfect plan. Although we are not capable of understanding it sometimes, we know that all things work together for His glory. I do not doubt that this experience will strengthen the Chapman family and even bring them closer to God.

My prayers are with them and all people who know and love this family.