MISTY'S MORNINGS

How did I make it to my age without having had French Press coffee?  When Hurricane Irene threatened, friends advised me to get a press in the event that we had no power, we could boil water on the grill and still have our morning coffee.  I went straight to Target and purchased the Bodum press for less than $20.00.   Since then I have found the unique intensity of this type of coffee makes a wonderful mid-day break.  Here's a simple guide to making a delicious cup of coffee right in your own home.  (This could also be used to make loose-leaf tea if you'd prefer.) Fill carafe with four scoops of your favorite good quality coffee grounds  and two cups of nearly boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon. Allow coffee to steep for three to four minutes. Slowly press down on the plunger.  The grounds will be trapped underneath the mesh strainer. Take a moment to savor the crema on top of the rich, dark coffee. Mmmmm. Pour into your favori

I love to read cookbooks .   The menu and flavor possibilities seem endless.  The glossy photos can elevate even the humble grilled cheese sandwich to a gourmet experience.   In the evenings I often page through cookbooks carried home from the library.   Occasionally I'll photocopy a recipe to save.   Sometimes I want to photocopy the entire cookbook so I know I need to purchase the whole darn thing.  You should see my shelves! These are not gf cookbooks but they offer plenty of gf friendly main courses and sides.  I'll save my favorite gluten free cookbooks for a future post. Better than reading cookbooks is actually cooking from them .   You'll notice I have written in the margins of these recipes.  Don't hesitate to do so - that's what makes them extra special when you pass them on to the next generation of home cooks. ~PRETTY~ The Deen Brothers ~ Take It Easy This cookbook is full of handsome photos of both the food and the men who

In the morning when I rise,  I light a candle.   The flame ignites  my soul's deepest desire  to connect with God. Every time I see the flame alight,  I whisper the simplest prayer of all, Thank You. As sunlight fades into night,  my candle flickers,  drawing me ever back  to my soul's  source. Before I climb the stairs to bed, the candle glows one last moment  before I inhale and blow it out the puff of smoke  my silent  Amen . Are you acquainted with Ann Voskamp yet?  If not, you should be!  Author of the visually arresting blog, A Holy Experience , and bestselling author of One Thousand Gifts , she is the champion of being present in each moment of your day .  She sees the sacred in a pile of freshly grated cheese or in the warmth of towels fresh from the dryer.  There is also a companion site to her book called one thousand gifts .  Go there for a glimpse at her simple and stunning photography and to accept the dare f

Today I am writing at a wonderful site for moms ~ Catholic Mothers Online .    Angie runs CMO and has her own blog called Many Little Blessings where she shares her homeschooling stories and her artistic side.   In "Why Blog?" I'm sharing why I started blogging and what has made me keep going when I have felt my voice seems small and insignificant.   It's not just for bloggers though.  Haven't we all felt that way from time to time? Please stop over and read my post here   and be encouraged today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Day 1   {the kick-off} Day 2  { linky parties } Day 3  { podcasts } Day 4   { daily devotionals } Day 5  { art journaling } Day 6  { gluten-free blogs and my gf story } Day 7  { 31 Days Bloggers } Day 8 { Home Decorating Blogs } Day 9 {Catholic Mothers Online} The Entire 31 Days Community

Those of us from the upper Midwest are very familiar with  Minnesota wild rice  and probably have had several versions of chicken and wild rice soup.  My son RW loves this particular version so much he requested it for his birthday lunch.  I like to make it because I use store bought rotisserie chicken which makes the cooking time even faster.  The original recipe is from Midwest Living Magazine . Ingredients 1 rotisserie chicken, cooked meat removed and cubed 3 stalks celery, chopped 3 green onions, chopped 1 cup uncooked  wild rice , rinsed and drained 3 14. oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 can cream of chicken and herb soup (or just plain cream of chicken soup) freshly ground pepper Process 1.  In a large soup pot combine celery, onion and wild rice and two cans of broth.   2.  Season with freshly ground pepper.    3.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   4.  Add cubed cooked chicken, another can of broth and cream soup.

~PRETTY~ I brought these pumpkin-hued flowers home from the grocery store last week while my mom was still here.  She arranged them beautifully on my kitchen table.  As I walked past them one afternoon, I was momentarily amazed at their subtle color variance and the unique beauty in every single petal.   ~HAPPY~ Last Saturday's 8 am soccer game was windy and chilly despite the sunshine.   ZJ played well.  He is learning to be more aggressive (like he is in our backyard soccer games) but is still afraid of getting "carded".  My uber-competitive husband can barely contain himself on the sidelines!  ZJ has more of my  competitive spirit which included apologizing to other players if I ran into them on the basketball court.  (After my 6th grade coach yelled at me for that I decided to go out for cheerleading!)  Meanwhile, RW and KC had their own fun playing in the treeline behind the game.  Luckily,  no one ended up in the creek but I was just waiting for it to