macaroni & cookies

Greetings to my faithful 5 followers.

Three days till Christmas, it's coming fast. Those who dare venture to a shopping district in these last few days leading up to it I must admire. Or feel sorry for - I'm not sure which. Christmas holds a funny tradition in my family. For as long as I can remember, my parents have made breakfast - every year we have green pancakes, and red syrup. We each get a flapjack shaped like our first initial as well. It's weird - but fun to have such an original tradition every year.

I went to Michigan for 6 days, last Wednesday through yesterday. I had an absolute blast! I stayed with a couple of my friends for the duration and we had some interesting adventures. I hadn't experienced a genuine Michigan winter for a while and honestly forgot to pack proper attire. I kicked myself a couple of times over that mishap. The Battle Creek group was lots of fun. In the picture are a few guys I worked at Barakel with this summer. My friend Danae was there too, I'm sad she couldn't stick around long enough for the picture. Brad, Jeremy, and Cody were quick to make sure I had my fill of football games, action movies, and hockey smack-downs. I don't have any brothers, so hanging out with these three crazy guys was pretty interesting - but they made it lots of fun.

I returned to the South and didn't go back to my old house. This last week during my Michigan visit, my family moved across town to our newly purchased residence. The adjustment isn't super easy - moving never is. But God has proved himself so faithful through this whole experience and He makes it easy to rely on his timing. It's weird trying to move into my new room, as I'll be moving out yet again in just 10 days. Packing and repacking though has kind-of become my forte.

A new gas stove awaited me here. It's easy to get back into the cooking swing with that at the forefront of my mind. Today I decided unpacking my new room could wait a little bit longer and I grabbed the KitchenAid. My new house smells mildly awkward - the aroma of oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies did the trick to erase that. The oatmeal addition to this otherwise rather cliche cookie makes it hearty and somewhat crunchy. Perfect! I had to make dinner too - nothing like breaking in a 'new' kitchen! I've successfully broken in a Family Circle magazine featuring 4 different macaroni and cheese recipes. Tonight I completed this quartet of pasta recipes - finishing with the only one I hadn't made yet, a cheeseburger version. It was tasty - but definitely could've used some onion and garlic. I've decided garlic is basically a miracle to the cooking world. It takes a basic spaghetti recipe to the level of your guests asking for your extraordinary sauce secret. It brings joy to my heart.

Every Christmas, Jesus' mother Mary is always brought to my mind. I marvel at this young girl - much younger then my 20-year-old self. Her absolute unwavering faith puts me to shame. The precarious situation she finds herself in does not deter her from her need to carry out her mission with strength and courage. Her humble response to the angel is so crucial to the character of this specifically chosen girl. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38). She didn't question, or argue - a common response to such unbelievable news. Oh to have such resolute faith.

Merry Christmas friends.

Feel free to address me as Auntie Anne

I'm still alive. Honest. I hope this whole absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder thing is going to work for us. Should I even try the 'busy with school' excuse? I'm sure you're sick of hearing that one. Thankfully, tomorrow marks my last day of finals for the semester. In fact - tomorrow marks the end of my stay at Arkansas Tech University. I'm moving on, to bigger and better things! I will soon address College of the Ozarks as my home. Maybe then I'll be resolved to no longer call myself a 'culinary wannabe', and I'll be a culinary queen pursuing my passion of creating delicious concoctions.

A few nights ago I took peanut butter cookies to my Speech class. My teacher asked if cooking was my method of coping with the stress brought on by finals week. I thought about it, and realized she was right - I cope by creating. Therefore, on the eve of my biggest day of finals, I made pretzels. No - not those little crispy miniature guys. Big, light, buttery and deliciously addictive pretzels. Yes, ma'am. Brushed with butter after their quick bake at a high temperature, then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar for an absolutely irresistible presentation.

Next Wednesday I'm flying up to Michigan to spend the week. I'm psyched to see friends that I've had to resort to constant texting for the last 4 months. Hopefully going to experience some much needed face-to-face time.

That's all for now. Hopefully this next exciting interval of my life will result in more blog posts.
PEACE OUT.

Pumpkin Spice

It's finally arrived. My favorite time of the year. "It's the most wonderful time of the year.... " Okay. It's not Christmas yet. But I really do love fall. Something about that cool transition from the heat of summer to the briskness of winter. I'm sure you're aware of this while being blinded by my background, I love it! With today being the first day of the season and all, I decided to be festive and make Pumpkin Spice Bread (Taste of Home - Baking). I've been hoping that my excitement for fall would somehow remind the weather that it isn't August anymore. But no. Sadly today on the first day of fall, it's pushing 90 degrees. So once again, I'm reminded that my sweatshirts haven't seen the light of day since I left Michigan.

I miss Michigan falls. At the end of September the weather has finally taken a chill pill and forced the locals to pull out their jackets. The trees are a spectacle (I just love that word) of warm hues. Not in Arkansas. The beginning of November will most likely mark the beginning of the fall season for us. Until then we keep enduring the heat.

So, back to my quick bread. I've never made this recipe before. Honestly I was drawn to the ridiculous amount of spices called for in it. I'm a sucker for spices. Sometimes I wish I could just carry the bottle of ground cloves around with me, it smells so delicious. It paints a picture of fall in your mind when you inhale it. Alright, I'm not talking about a drug! I guess it does kind of sound like it ... but get your mind out of the gutter. Teaspoon after teaspoon of my favorites! Nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Yumm ...

I wish I could leave you with a picture of the delicious bread that's in the oven right now. It smells divine. Thank you once again Taste of Home for your wise input in my creative outlet!

Arkansas autumn from Mt. Magazine

Homecomings and Quiche

Wow. It's been a while! I was away at Barakel for the summer as a counselor. Three months of basically no kitchen time nearly killed me. Pretty much the first thing I did when I got home was make Challah. I just love that chewy, Jewish bread.

The summer was absolutely wonderful. God taught me so much. I feel like I've become a much more patient person after counseling. I'd say the whole patience thing was forced on me by dealing with 9 girls on a regular basis with different needs. From day to day the schedule was the same. I like consistancy, but having the same schedule was stretching. Some days it was a struggle. But honestly nothing could've prepared me for the utter joy I would get out of sharing God's truth with young girls. I found in myself a deep desire to communicate with them the joy found in Christ - joy that could ONLY be found in Him! His presence in my tribe talks and one-on-ones would often give me shivers. When I would hear myself saying words I knew weren't coming from my own ability, I'd stop and try to comprehend how it was happening. Never was I able to comprehend it. God used me this summer as an instrument to do His will. He also used my campers many times to get through to me on something. It was humbling to realize that I was learning so much from my own girls. It was hard to leave camp, but I feel like after this summer I have a renewed desire to share the Gospel. And in a way, going home seemed to me like more of an opportunity.

I made quiche a couple nights ago for dinner. Mostly for my mom who loves quiche. My dad on the other hand usually has some sort of facial expression or gesture to go along with verbalizing his intense hatred of quiche. Heck, I decided I'd been gone for the whole summer and I was gonna make a dang quiche. My dad was gracious about my broccoli concoction (which was delicious by the way!) and even ate a whole slice. What a guy :). Now tell me that pie doesn't look tasty!

Now ... something you don't know about me. I suck at making cinnamon rolls. I've tried over and over but they are always way too dry! You'd think that after attempting to make them about 10 times, I'd realize I put way too much flour in. Nope, I'm finding myself at attempt #11 and have discovered the secret of the Cinnabons themselves. Allison - put less flour in.

That's two of my besties. Danae on the left and Jill - my soulmate.
That's all for now. Please excuse me while I pull my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Such a simple title - somewhat misleading to many cooks who fear this pie as much as an arachnophobic fears 8 legged creatures. A common misconception is the complexity of this dish. Not too hard - but time consuming. You MUST be a patient person.

The significance of the lemon meringue pie in my family goes way back. My dad's dish of choice growing up; my grandma could make a wicked lemon meringue pie. Restaurants just couldn't give him that favorite familiar taste. My two older sisters and I have always had a kind of 'battle' concerning our pie making skills. We all have our issues with it - runny filling, overbaked meringue (a big no-no), or shrunken crust. My relationship with the lemon meringue pie is a love-hate one. As I have previously stated, pie crust is not my forte, and included in this recipe are two other picky elements; lemon filling and very fussy meringue that insists on having it's way. ;-). I documented my afternoon for you all to see!














Give it a few peaks for texture - trust me, they make the pie.


Enjoy your creation. You have now conquered the most 'complex' pie out there. Heck, go climb Mt. Everest or something.

Until next time...Happy cooking. :-)

Do you have a CV's card?

My days currently consist of taking people's money at our local grocery store - yep, you guessed it - I'm a cashier! It's a very glamorous job. When I'm not running your bloody ground chuck over my scanner, you can find me putting up the Cheese-It's you left behind because you didn't have enough money on your Food Stamps. It isn't my first choice as a job, although it is closer to what I'm going in to - food!

I interact with a huge array of different people on a daily basis. From the old guy who comes in to buy his single slice of Petit Jean Bologna and solo banana every single morning at 10:15, to the backwoods couple that comes in once a month and buys $600 worth of groceries. Occasionally I encounter middle aged men in business suits, to which I am as polite as I can be without being overly so, in the hope that they are the owner of our grocery store chain and will give me a huge raise on their next visit. :-).

Some day's I think almost without ceasing about how long the 5-hour shift is taking, and how much longer I have to stare at the clock until my break comes around. Then other days I shake my head when I realize how fast the day has flown by. I really and truly love what I do. Southern people really bring out the best in me. Some times I realize I have been smiling without ceasing for the last 20 minutes at the people coming through my line. There is the older lady with the bright orange hair and makeup plastered face. And there's the older guy who always responds, "peachy!" when I ask how he is. These people make my day, I look forward to seeing their bright toothless smiles every day. I wish you could see my smile right now, I smile just thinking about these people :-).

Above all I see the huge ministry opportunity I've been given. I don't know where these people are coming from - or what is going on in their lives. What I do know, is that I have about 3 minutes with them to show the love of my Savior. It may be through a nice comment, a smile, or a mistakenly counted amount of money on their part, because of which they get an 'extra' dollar back. I'm trying to do what I can to show God's love to the people of Ozark. One can of Pork'n'Beans at a time. :-)

English Muffin Bread

Simple and delicious. A bread made with baking soda to give it an interesting texture. Absolutely irresistible when toasted. It brings quite a process however. Although this is irreverent if you don't mind sticky dough all over your hands. I made it tonight and it turned out quite fabulous :-).

Pie crust is my arch enemy. I swear it is out to get me, I nearly end up in tears when I try to toss the water in every time. I made brunch for Mom yesterday for Mothers Day. My first attempt at the meal, and not as hard as expected! It began with quiche, broccoli and cheese to be exact. The pie crust finally relented for once and let me move on. It chilled for an hour after which it rolled out absolutely perfectly and even let me flute the crust. Props to the pie crust.

The meal preparation continued on with blueberry muffins, covered with an irresistible strussel topping. Definitely a keeper for future brunch menus :-)

Most likely this is going to be the most ridiculous blog on record. I have to somehow vent these feelings about my cooking as my family does not exactly appreciate listening to it. They patiently listen but don't enjoy discussing my latest recipe find. Haha.

That's all for now, if you're lucky, maybe next time I'll go through the basics of making a killer lemon-meringue pie. :) Meanwhile, I must go study for my World Civ final, the cooking must wait . . .