New Hope Spaghetti Dinners turn into the Grace Lunch Crew

While in my senior year in college at Clarkson University I attended New Hope Community Church in Potsdam, NY. As a new believer, this wonderful group of people welcomed me in and helped me grow stronger in my faith. Many people from that church had, and still have, a big impact on my life. But there is one family in particular whose impact blossomed into something great with my new church family at Grace Church.

Sean and Andrea opened their home every Sunday night and cooked dinner for the college students. This may seem like not that big of a deal but there were two colleges in the town and at times there could be up to 15-20 people over for dinner. Usually they would cook up a large pot of marinara sauce and spaghetti with homemade bread. It was great to get a free meal of course but the best part was being welcomed into their family. Friendship grew over those spaghetti dinners and faith in Christ deepened. I looked forward to seeing my friends, who I considered family, every Sunday night.

Now I have graduated and moved far away from this great family but their impact on my life is still there. God blessed my best friend Maggie and I with a small house to rent starting in October 2013. Upon moving in we prayed over the house asking God to show us how we can use the new space to bring Him the glory. A few months later we had developed a small group of friends at Grace Church and started going out to lunch after the service on Sundays. Our new friend Amy soon realized we loved having people over our house. Well then the idea came up about inviting everyone over our house for lunch instead of going to restaurants! So we started out 2014 with our new Sunday tradition … Sunday Lunches at Maggie and Caitlin's! We do it a bit differently than Sean and Andrea, with everyone bringing a part of the meal or donating a few dollars if they are able. But the thought is the same … sharing God's love amongst our friends and making new friends! For the past few Sundays we have had about 10-15 people over to share a meal. Usually we end up playing some card and board games after eating and having a great time.

It is exciting to see God's hand so obviously at work in our lives. I look forward to many more Sundays with The Lunch Crew.

Homemade PSL

Fall is my favorite season by far. Are there any other fellow pumpkin enthusiasts out there? Pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin soup, and the list goes on until you reach … the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Shout out to Starbucks for making this drink a cultural phenomenon in our society. The amazing little drink that costs a whopping $4-5 but oh it tastes delicious but I want to save money! What do I do? Make it at home!

There are various recipes out there if you ask the Google. But here is what I recently tried this week after having some leftover homemade whipped cream in the fridge from our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving-in-October party … and now I think it will become a regular in this house!

Ingredients:

Homemade whipped cream (recipe below)

1 1/2 cups coffee (brewed however you like it)

1-2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup milk (I use 1 or 2%)

Pumpkin pie spice (or a combo of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and if you have it add cloves and allspice)

Making the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

If you have an electric mixer this is super easy, if not you get a free workout! Place bowl (glass or metal bowl works best) and whisk of electric mixer in freeze for 10 minutes. Once the bowl and whisk are chilled add all the ingredients together in the bowl and whisk away! Come back in a few minutes and check the texture. You want it to form soft to firm peaks. Don't know what those are? Check this great visual resource.

Making the latte:

When your coffee is done brewing, spoon out a heaping spoon of whipped cream into your to-go mug. Add some pumpkin spice in and pour your coffee over top. Sweeten the coffee to your liking (I normally put about 1-2 teaspoons of sugar in mine). Stir the mixture quickly to dissolve the sugar. Then pour in the milk to fill the large cup. Place in microwave for 1 minute. Remove the cup and give it a good stir and top with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice and you are good to go! The combination of the whipped cream and milk makes the drink frothy and delicious!

Craving more pumpkin flavor? Add 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin puree when you add the sugar. 

Enjoy the fabulous foods of Fall!

UPDATE: Pumpkin Whipped Cream!!
Wow! Adding pumpkin to the whipped cream is fabulous! You must try! Follow the whipped cream recipe and mix in 1/3-1/2 cup of pumpkin puree once the cream is finished. Then add a big scoop to your coffee! Enjoy!!

Life lessons from burnt sauce and learning to listen to The still small voice

This past Sunday seemed like a normal weekend afternoon, one full of cooking. I had a lot on my mind, with things going on in my life but I thought some cooking would lighten my mood. Though this time I decided I was going to make homemade granola, roasted almond, cocoa roasted almonds, more sugar syrup, and a huge pot of marinara sauce (heavy on the garlic). I know that I can multitask, but I must say that was quite the undertaking. As I'm wizzing around the kitchen stirring this and chopping that, I'm not thinking about much really. My thoughts were centered around "I must get all this cooking done now!". 

I successfully made some delicious maple, raisin, walnut granola and some sweet and salty roasted almonds. A few hours into cooking my sauce I realized something smelled awful. I tentatively walked closer to the stove and almost shouted with frustration. I had burned an entire large pot of sauce! I thought, "How did that happen!? I never burn anything!". I guess there's always a first time for everything. The entire bottom of the pot had charred which made the burn taste permeate the entire sauce. I couldn't save any of it, it tasted so bad. 

After cleaning up the mess and accepting defeat in the kitchen, I retired to comfy chair. I began to think - something I had been suppressing the whole afternoon. I began to talk to God and realized that instead of dealing with the problems on my heart, I pushed them down by being busy. That is something I struggle with, being busy. I am constantly on the go. It's how I'm wired and also because I love doing so many things; cooking, reading, meeting with friends, cooking, baking, searching for recipes ... you get the idea. While talking with God, I realized that there is a difference between have a busy day and making myself busy. 

Busyness has become and idol in my life at times. 

God opened my eyes on Sunday evening. I need to listen to His "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12) and come to Him with my problems, not drown myself in busyness. It was after the incident of burning my sauce that I heard God's voice. 

Today I am thankful that I burned my sauce, for it was after that "fire" that I heard what God was trying to tell me.

1 Kings 19:12 (NKJV)

"and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice."

The Windy City

When I retire I will become a Food Critic. It's decided. Chicago has been a great time for work related activities but the food is outstanding!!

Monday

• Lunch: Venice Cafe Famous for their calzones!
• Dinner: Townhouse Wine and Bar Delicious appetizers but dinner was phenomenal. Edamame veggie burger with avocado and carmelized onions and a side of quinoa mac & cheese!

Tuesday

• Lunch: Potbelly Sandwich Shop They had a delicious Mediterranean veggie sandwich and an Oreo milkshake!
• Dinner: Untitled This was a cool restaurant and bar that was in the style of a 1920s and 1930s Speakeasy bar. The waiters and waitresses wore black pants, white shirts and black suspenders too! There was a live brass band called Lowdown Brass Band.

Wednesday

• Lunch: The French Market  Raw Food The Super Six juice, Zucchini spaghetti, turnip ravioli, quinoa burger!

• Dinner: The Purple Pig This is a Mediterranean restaurant where all the dishes are served "sharing style". We had a large variety of dishes but one was quite adventurous for me. It was fried Skate with beets and blood oranges. Skate is in the family of Shark and Ray fishes. It was a flaky fish when eaten in the same bite with beets and oranges, it was amazing!

More delicious food exploits to come!!  (Thursday lunch is Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and dinner is Las Palmas Mexican!)