In His Grip

From Garden to Table

This is our side yard and over the last several year the shrubs that were planted there have died.  I was inspired each Summer and Fall when we would travel back and forth to Doane College to visit Ryan, by a farm house where she had planted a large garden of Zinnias and kept saying that I was going to do that one day.  So the last two years I have planted Zinnias in this flower bed.  The first year I purchased seed packets of the large variety, (they are best of cut flowers).  But for this year, I took the seeds from the old flowers last fall, particularly getting the pinks ones, and this is what has grown.  It doesn't look like much from May through June, but from July until the first hard freeze this what I see.  And the very best part is what I get to bring inside.  Each week I get at least two large bouquets of these beauties in my home.

Three Word Thursday

Bicycle for two!!!!!

Junk to Treasure

This is my latest find at the Salvation Army.  I purchased it for just $9 and had big plans for it.  So of course grabbing my handy can of spray paint I went to town.  Because I had it in mind for my studio, I chose the faithful colonial red by Rust-oleum.  The hubby gets very nervous when I spray paint in the garage, but as you can see I put down plastic and made sure all of the cars were not in there so I cannot figure out why he gets his panties in a wad about it.  Obviously, it did not stop me.  After letting the paint dry really well, a couple of days I go to work at giving it that worn look.  I use a sander to start with and then use a sanding block to get the edges just like I want them.  I like the look of a well loved piece of furniture.  Now here is the finished product in my studio along with my dumpster dive chair.  Who would ever know that both of these pieces were someone else's casts offs.  

Pesto Pizza!!!

The sweet basil in my herb garden has been going crazy.   So, I decided to use it for dinner last night.  Earlier this summer I went to a cooking class put on a good friend of mine named Debra and she shared her recipe for homemade pesto and her secrets to a great pizza dough as well.  Debra, being the Pioneer Woman, follower that she is in the one that introduced me to that blog  several years ago and I have been a daily reader of Pioneer Woman even since.  She even had the opportunity to go to the Pioneer Woman's lodge, if you are a follower of hers you know what a great privileged that was.  Debra was even mentioned and had a picture posted of her as well, (yes, that is my friend Debra right at the top of the post) we have our very own celebrity!!!!!  Here is the Pesto recipe and pizza dough recipe.

Pesto

4 cups basil leaves (not tightly packed, but somewhat packed)

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil (may use more if desired)

1 cup parmesan cheese

4 -5 cloves garlic

1/4 cup walnuts (or pine nuts)

Process in food processor fitted with a metal blade until desired consistency.

Pizza Dough

1 packet (or 1 T.) yeast

2 t. sugar, divided

1 cup lukewarm water

3 cups flour

3 T parmesan cheese

1 t salt

2 T Olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 t. of the sugar in 1/2 cup of the water.  Let it sit until it just begins to foam, 3 -5 minutes.

Put the flour, Parmesan, salt, and remaining sugar in a food processor fitted with metal blade.  Turning the machine on and off rapidly, pulse several times to blend.  With the machine running pour in the yeast mixture and oil, then gradually add enough of the reaming water to form smooth dough.  Continue processing until the dough forms a ball that rides round the bowl; the dough at this point will be sufficiently kneaded.

Remove from the bowl and form into a smooth ball.  Cover and let rest 15 - 30 minutes. 

Cut dough into two equal portions.  The dough is now ready to shape and bake.  Roll out on a surface sprinkled with corn meal and when you have it to the thickness you want turn the edges and fill with your favorite toppings.  Bake in a 425 degree oven until the crust is golden brown.

We made pesto pizza by using the pesto as your sauce and then topping with cherry tomatos and fresh mozzarella.  It was great!!!!

90 Minutes in Heaven

I just started reading this book this week and it has been something I could not put down.  This is the story of  Don Piper and his experience of being in a horrible car accident dying for 90 minutes and then returning to earth.  He talks about how it is that he actually came back to life, through the pray of one man at the scene of the accident; his experience in heaven, and the disappointment of returning to the life as he would now know it. 

In the small group study that I just completed with some women, we had many discussions of the reason and the power of prayer.  What was the need for prayer if God already knows our thoughts and the outcome, why pray, if he has it all under control?  How do we know our prayers are not just hitting the ceiling?  If anyone has doubts about the power of prayer, all they need to do is read this book. How can you be anything but convinced that prayer really can change things when you read Don's sotry?  Although, I know in my heart my God is big  enough to do anything, I am sometimes worried that what He will do is not what I want or will make me uncomfortable in some way.  This book has made me think differently about why and how that I pray and that God's answers to prayer a lot of the time are not about me but for someone else, and more importantly to glorify Him.

Three Word Thursday

Life at Vermilion!!!!!

The Heart Of It All

Okay, so I bought a heart bracelet because my Dad had heart surgery.  Does that make me shallow or what?  But really, I found this bracelet at the gift shop at the hospital the day after my Dad's surgery for only $7.50 and decided I would buy it to represent the fact that his heart has not only kept him alive, but has been a huge part of my life as well.  My Dad's heart has touched our family in so many ways, but from talking to people that have visited the hospital and called for updates on his progress, I have learned that it has touched so many of the people that he has been friends with, helped in some way, or encouraged.  Even though my Dad has been, to the top of the corporate world, he has never forgotten that fact that he really did start at the very bottom of the ladder many years ago.  Many people have asked him through the years what kind of education he had and he would proudly tell them that he had a HS degree.  He never had anyone ask him what that was in all the years of his career but here it is,  my Dad graduated high school and not even with that great of grades, but always relied on hard work and doing the best that he could.  Therefore, he has always been a great encourager of those that have worked for him regardless of their position or education.  Needless to say, he has never been your typical "corporate" type.  He was known to always enter the building through the plant rather than the main doors so that he could greet the people who did the "real" work.  I have worn this bracelet everyday since and will continue to wear it until he is back on his feet to remind me to not only to pray for him throughout the day, but that your heart is more than a body part that keeps you alive, it will touch those around you if you let it.

By the way, Dad did come home on Monday and is doing well.  Continue to pray for his recovery, as well as my Mom for her strength and health as she cares for him.

You Gotta Love Him!

This week I have been on vacation at lake Vermillon in Minnesota.  However, most of my time has been spent in Duluth with my folks at the hospital, as my Dad has undergone open heart surgery.  It has been a week of ups and downs.  He seems to progress well only to have another set back.  Although he is in good spirits I know that this is difficult for him as he had no control over how his body is reacting.  This is a man who has been a very successful, over achiever all of his life, and to have something not go his way or be the "best" that it can be is a hard pill to swallow.  Needless to say, we have grown to expect that as well, if Dad is doing it you know that is will be not only be successful, but the best, and maybe a little bit over the top.  I love this about my Dad, because he has always made me believe I could do whatever I wanted and even be the "best" at it.  He was moved out of ICU yesterday so I returned to the lake when my sister Lori came to be with Mom.  But this morning there has been one more set back, I would appreciate all of your prayers as he is on an 18 hour drug treatment to bring his heart back into a regular rhythm.

Blueberry Crisp for Dad

I needed an easy, quick dessert that said "Summer" but didn't require a huge amount of effort after all I am on vacation and I wanted it to be one of my Dad's favorites so the obvious choice is Blueberry Crisp.  Besides, I had to use the blueberries that I sacrificed my finger for earlier this week. 

Filling

8 cups of blueberries

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Crust

1 1/4 cup flour

1 cup instant oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

Filling -- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish; set aside. In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with 1/2 cup flour, the granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Spread evenly in prepared baking dish, pressing down lightly.

Crust -- combine sugars with softened butter and mix until well blended.  Stir in the flour.  Add oats and mix until crust resembles coarse crumbs.  Crumble evenly on top of fruit.  Cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 325 and bake for 45 - 50 more minutes. I usually make 1 and a half times the recipe of the crust so that we have a lot of crispies on our fruit. 

The result is an excellent and very crispy, sugary topping over sweet, tart, gooey blueberry guts. With a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, it is an effortless way to end any dinner and one last hurray before Dad goes on a strict diet following his surgery tomorrow.

Bite Me!

The adventure of my spider bite all started on Thursday when my friends Sheri, Erin and I went blueberry picking.  I was reaching in for a very large bunch of blueberries and felt a "zing" to my finger and look down to find a spider in my blueberry bucket.  Figuring the spider was the culprit to my pain I got it out of my bucket and took care of the little sucker the only way a tennis shoe can.  It really did not hurt more than a really bad misquote bite and as the day progress you could not even see where the little guy had bitten me.  We left for the lake early the next morning and I noticed that my finger was a little swollen and as the day went on the swelling just kept getting worse.  We stopped in at a Wal-Mart and the pharmacist said to take some Benadryle and that should take care of it.  I woke up in the night with numbness in my finger and now into my hand by morning my hand and other fingers were swollen too.  We made a trip to the ER into the hospital of Cook, Minnesota (population 600).  They diagnosed that I did in fact have a spider bite and it was infected.  They gave me some antibiotics and sent me on my way.  What a way to start my vacation.

Three Word Thursday

To the lake!!!!!!!

Speak to Me in Terms I know

When I am in the kitchen and following a recipe I hate it when they tell you to use 16 oz. of something and then on the label the product is listed in pounds.  Now I know in my head that 16 oz equals one pound, but it would be nice just to confirn to me that I am remembering my elementary school weights and measures training properly.  And what if the recipe is calling for some other random ounce mearsurement that is not right on the top of my head?  The number of grams in the product is just not helpful to me.  Anyway, who out there is using grams and why do I need to know that?