Green Curry Shrimp

I was going to make Green Curry Chicken, but decided to use shrimp instead and then a trip to the Asian Market totally changed the ingredients. This took more prep than the chicken dish, and whereas that dish has you throw all the meat and veggies in the sauce and just let it simmer for 10 minutes; for this one I sautéed a bunch of the ingredients up front. So if you want an easier recipe, try that one!

Note: I've adapted this over the years, but it orginally started with this Thai Kitchen recipe.

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• 1lb raw shrimp
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 med onion julienne
• 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
• 2 slices ginger, about 1" x 2", julienne
• fresno pepper, sliced in 1/4 length-ways, seeded and deveined, then minced
• 1 C vegetable broth
• 2 tsp Thai Kitchen green curry paste
• 2 tsp yellow curry powder
• ~14 oz coconut milk
• 2 Philippine eggplants, cut in 1" pieces
• 8 oz bamboo shoots
• 1 head sweet bok choy, cut in 1" pieces. Separate the stems from the leaves. Just rough cut.
• 8 oz Brown Beech mushrooms, bottom cut off and then mushroom left whole
• 10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 5 springs Thai Basil
• salt to taste
• Sweet and Sour pickled Mango

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You can start sweating the onions and garlic first. I use a french chef pan because it's easy to sauté in as well as simmer all the ingredients in the sauce. Put about a tbs of olive oil in the pan and start sautéing the onions and garlic. Do this on a low heat so they do not brown.

Prep the ginger and fresno pepper and then add them to the onions and garlic and keep them on low heat. Then prep the shrimp. You can get shrimp that is already cleaned; but I did not. It was headless, but it still took me about 20 minutes to clean it and devien it. Remove most of the onion mixture from the pan and set aside. Sauté the shrimp for a few minutes till it is mostly done. Remove the shrimp and set aside. Add the eggplant, bok choy stems, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. Add each one at a time, stirring for a minute or two to sauté them a bit, then remove all of this vegetable mixture. Deglaze the pan with the vet able broth. Add the curry paste and power and simmer for a few minutes along with the original onion mixture that you set aside. Add the coconut milk and simmer this liquid for 5 minutes to let the flavors mix before you add the vegetables back in.

Add the vegetables and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. At this point it is almost done. Salt to taste. Add the bok choy leaves, thai basil, shrimp, and cherry tomatoes and simmer till the greens are cooked and the other shrimp and tomatoes are warm. This should just take a few minutes.

Plating: Traditionally this would be served over rice. I used ramen noodles. While the curry was simmering at the end, I cooked the ramen noodles for 3 minutes then pulled them from the liquid and put them on the plate, kind of like spaghetti. I then added some sweet and sour mango on the side.

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A note on Heat: I have to admit, as I'm getting whimpy with respect to spicyness. This has a little bit of heat to it, but not much. If you like your food hotter, use more curry paste and use more chilies. Rather than one fresno pepper you could add two, or a hotter chili such a serano. As with all my recipies, play with it and see what works for you!

Alternatives: Most of the veggies I used were because I had gone to the Asian market. I usually can't get all of these at say a Safeway or King Soopers. Some of these I had never had before, but they looked cool. I like to use eggplant in thai curry, but not traditional Italian eggplant. My preferred choices in order are: Thai, Philippine, Japanese. If I use Thai I quarter it.
Other non-protein ingredients I frequently use:

• Chick peas/garbanzo beans
• Fresh green beans cut in 1.5 inch pieces
• Red Bell pepper julienne
• Baby zucchini
• Other small mushrooms, such as enoki

I like round vegetables like baby zucchini, Philippine/Japanese eggplant, green beans; that I can cut across the vegetable and leave in whole chunks. But again, play with it and use whatever veggies you think would be good in a curry!
And finally, here are some other pics of the vegetable ingredients, whole or prepped.

Chunky Beef Burritos

This is a dish we made at the Firepit in Big Timber, MT. I've made it a few times a year, ever since I left there (35 or so years ago... wow) and it is something that both my girls always ask for. I've never written it down before... so this is probably an approximation. Perhaps I'll try to get the exact amounts next time I make it, lol. This is cooked in a slow cooker (or similar slow cooking method for a long period of time) and amounts are based on how much you want. In other words, if you use 1 lb of meat, then you'd use less of everything else, 3 lbs of meat you'd use more.
Also... while this is "Mexican", it doesn't have a super strong chili powder taste. It is more of a deep beef flavor from the gravy. It does have a chili powder taste, but not as strong as say a red chili. Also, if you like it hotter, you can dice some chilies and add them... to taste.

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• Chunky Beef
  • 1 lb to 2 lb of beef: A bottom round "steak", a London broil, some kind of roast. Diced to "bite size" chunks
  • One onion, yellow or white, diced in about 1" chunks.
  • One green bell pepper, diced in about 1" chunks
  • A small can of diced tomatoes
  • A large can of tomato sauce
  • Chili Powder. Umm... sprinkle it all over the top... Maybe 1/2 C?
  • Lawry's Seasoned Salt
  • Brown Gravy Mix. I'd use a big container that you can get from Sams... but if you are using packets, then probably 2 or 3.
  • minced or small sliced chilies to taste. We didn't do this at the Firepit, but I occasionally will add some Red Fresno Chilies or whatever.
• Condiments, etc
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • Flour Tortillas
  • Cilantro, optional
  • Sour Cream, optional
  • sliced Black Olives, optional
  • sliced Green Onions, optional

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Prep all the Chunky Beef ingredients. Put the meat, green pepper, and onion in the crock pot. Season and stir. You do not have to brown the meat or any of the veggies. Drain the tomatoes into a small sauce pan, add the gravy mix, heat. This should be very thick, like a paste. Pour the tomatoes and the tomato sauce in the crock pot. Add the gravy. If it isn't thick, then make some more gravy and add it. The vegetables are going to release water while cooking, so you want it kind of thick. Since there isn't that much sauce, it's a bit hard to tell how thick it will be; that is fine. Let this cook on high initially, then turn to low and it can cook all day. If you are prepping it in the morning and going to work all day, just starting it on low is fine. Or if you are going to be home and you don't have all day, you can leave it on high. Basically you are giving the meat a chance to get really tender.
An hour (or half hour if you don't have enough time, or whatever) before you are going to serve it, check and see how thick it is. You can tell how thick it should be by looking at the picture. In general, like a thick stew. Taste it as well. Adjust by adding more chili power, seasoned salt, gravy (if it is too thin). You can make the gravy at this point by ladling some liquid out of the crock pot into a small sauce pan and making more thick gravy paste. This is why I like the big container vs a packet, because I'm going to keep adjusting and I'm not sure how much it will need.
While the meat is finishing you can prep your condiments: shred your cheese (because you never buy the pre-shredded kind that has junk in it... right?), slice olives and green onions, etc.

Plating Micro-wave a flour tortilla so that it is pliable. Make a rolled burrito (you don't have to close the ends) by putting some meat on the tortilla, then sprinkle some optional green onions, some cheese and roll it all up. Then cover it (or two of them) with sauce, some cheese and microwave it to heat it all up and melt the cheese. Then when you take it out, spoon a bit of sour cream on it, with some cilantro, black olives, etc. This is great served with Isabel Rita's re-fried beans! (Which would require a second crock pot or making them a day ahead!)

Another Perfect Day In Paradise

I went down to the beach and went snorkeling. It was a beautiful day, the water was warm, the sun was shining, and the water was pretty calm. I was out for about an hour, came across several honu, and spent about 30 minutes slowly swimming with one. I love when they just kind of hang out with you and don't rush off. 
After I came back to the beach, I unrolled my bamboo mat and laid it out at the edge of the sand in the shade of some trees. I was thirsty so I grabbed my machete, chopped the top off a coconut and took a long drink, then laid back on my mat and just stared out at the ocean, it was so beautiful.  
So I'm just laying there in the shade, half dozing, when I heard this rustling in the leaves at the edge of the trees, down the beach a little ways. All of a sudden this baby hippo came lumbering out of the trees and headed down to the beach! I have no idea where it came from, but I just stayed very quiet and watched it as it started playing in the water. It went deeper until it disappeared under the water. I was waiting for it to come back up, when all of a sudden it popped up and rushed towards the shore, as if something had startled it. It didn't get very far, when all of a sudden a dolphin shot out of the water and jumped over it! It was so bizarre. I couldn't wait to get to circle that night and tell everyone!

I continued to lay on my mat and watched the hippo. The next thing I knew, I was waking up. Had I fallen asleep and dreamt all that, or had I fallen asleep watching the hippo? Not sure I'll ever know, but either way, it was another perfect day in paradise!

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This story was inspired by a watercolor that Aeryn Kelly posted on FB:

Look! Kindergarten threw up! I have no idea what I'm doing with my life... #art #instaartist #nofilter #hydrus #phmartins #watercolor

A photo posted by Aeryn Kelly (@aeryn.kelly) on May 22, 2016 at 7:35pm PDT

And the ensuing discussion of things seen in the picture, (a red hippo and a blue dolphin) as well as Tiffany's love of writing and my journey into PernMUSH back in the day at her promoting.:

Love the smells on a bike at night

I just came home from having dinner with Jaime. Usually I come down Woodmen when riding across town at night, which is a major road here in the Springs. Tonight I came across Dublin, which is a smaller more residential street. Because it's been getting cooler at night, I've been experiencing the pockets of really cold air, and really warm air. I like that. Wondering why the air is cool or hot in a particular area, maybe the sprinklers are on, it's by a small body of water, whatever.

Tonight though, because I can through a residential area, not only did I have those pockets of air, but I also hit pockets of smells. Hmm... I think they had spaghetti for dinner, yum, a rich tomatoe/Italian aroma. Lots of, hmm... Steaks or burgers on the grill. But also a slightly fruity and spicy smell. Not sure what that was, but it was good.

It's just one of the things I like about being on a bike vs a car. You experience the things around you!

Crockpot Chicken ala King - II

I already had a previous post on Chicken ala King, but lately I've been making it a bit different, so figured I'd post an update here. Plus, Frankie was asking for the recipe and the original one was different enough that I figured I'd post this.

• 2 or 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced about 1 inch, cut slice in 1/2 if too wide
• 1/2 an onion, diced in 1 inch sections
• about 8 mushrooms, probably quartered
• small package of frozen green peas - save these till the end
• A large and a small can of Cream of Chicken soup
• optional: one carrot, 1/2 inch slices
• savory salt (Lawry's Season Salt)
• pepper

 There are two approaches:

• fast - but maybe not as much flavor
• about 30 minutes of prep, more flavor

If you are going for fast, skip the next section on prepping stuff and just go to the "put it into the crock pot" section.

I like to saute all the vegetables. Basically put some butter or olive oil in a saute pan and then saute the mushrooms first. Yeah, the cook the fastest, but better to give them some room and cook some moisture out of them, letting them caramelize a bit. Once that happens, you can take them out (if you don't have much room in the pan) or leave them in. Add the onions and saute them until they start to become a bit translucent, then add the celery and cook it till it picks up some color as well. You can add the carrots too, but they won't soften much (you don't want to cook it that long).

Add everything (except the peas) to the crock pot. Put a layer of vegetables on the bottom. I used to put the chicken on the bottom, but then the chicken would tend to stick some. Then put the chicken, season it with some savory salt and pepper, then the rest of the vegetables. Then cover this with the soup. Pour the soup on top and spread it out with a spatula or spoon. The idea is to kind of seal in everything else. The liquid that comes out of the vegetables will sink to the bottom and the soup will either make a seal or might start to drip down there and mix in. Either works.

Cool this on low for the day. When you are close to getting ready to eat, make noodles, rice, maybe some mashed potatoes.... whatever you want to put this on or serve it with. At that time microwave the peas for a few minutes so they aren't frozen, then pour them on top of stuff in the crock pot and stir it all up. Cover it and let it sit for 5 minutes or so till the peas are hot. This mixes everything up, and also makes sure the peas are fresh tasting. (I'm not a fan of all day cooked can/grey peas!)

That's basically it. As always, experiment according to your taste. You could add canned potatoes, green beans, maybe even some corn at the end. Adjust based on what kind of veggies you like!

Hey Friend

It's been four weeks since my dear friend, Christie Marble, when home to be with Jesus. I did a number of posts on FB in the few weeks after that, but I feel like FB posts kind of disappear over time. Maybe not, but they just aren't as organized as a blog is. Even though I don't post here much anymore, mostly posting on FB instead, I felt it would be good to put some stuff here occasionally. Maybe even move a few FB posts out here.

In general, I don't have anything super inspiring happening day to day... but I'll just be in some situation and I'll think of her. Usually tearing up a bit, and mostly making me a better person. To me, Christie was just awesome Christie. Someone I couldn't wait to see on Sunday morning, hear her say "Hi Friend!" and give me that big grin and awesome hug. I never really thought of the impact she had on me, until her memorial service. Wow... everyone thought of her how I did. Our awesome friend who you just wanted to be around. A ton of people talking about how she made everyone feel loved, how she was trying to mirror Jesus to people here on earth; and how much she wanted them to know Him. And after she was gone, plenty of posts on FB of "I was having situation and was and then thought "How would Christie handle this?" or "This isn't how Christie would feel." So I'm not alone in that... but missing her, and seeing what other folks are going through, I go through the same thing too. And it makes me a better person. When I'm at work and something frustrates me and I'm about to snap... I feel the Holy Spirit and think about her and the stories about her. And, while she might react in love and I won't say that I go that far, I am more chill about it; more handling of the situation, more kind.

So thanks Friend. I love you and I thank you for that!

And now just a quick up date on the everyday... 'Cuz sometimes things happen and I think you would have enjoyed them.

Pastor Austin preached on Sunday. It was very cool and very "youth pastory". I think you know what I mean. As you well know, some folks get that, and some folks do not. It just made me think about back in the day, when we were all at NCF and PM would be so youth pastory in his sermons. I loved it! I still do. Anyway, sometimes he would say something and you would get that look on your face. Sometimes "Oh Mark" or sometimes a big grin. It all came back watch Pastor Austin preach, and seeing Miss Mandy sitting there, grinning and stuff. You'd be proud of the "babies" and what a good job they are doing.

Well... gotta go. I just wanted to stop by and say "Hi". Yeah, maybe a bit weird, maybe a public social blog is not the place for this... but maybe it is. Anyway, I'll probably stop back and say Hi on other days. Love ya.

Grandpa's chili

My dad's dad died when I was pretty little. There are two things I mostly remeber about him. Crawling up into his lap with his work shirt on that had his name tag on it, and his chili. This isn't his recipie, but it is inspired by it. I bet he didn't use actually peppers in it... But the base idea is there, and it always makes me think of him. As with a lot of my recipes, I have no idea about quantities of spices... So you are just going to have to play with it. There are two ways to make this... The faster to make, slow it all in a crock pot and let it simmer all day, and the more prep time sauté everything. I usually do the faster unless it's the weekend and I feel like cooking! Ingredients are the same either way.

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• 1.5 lbs burger. I use 90% or 93% lean
• 2 medium white onions
• 5 stalks celery
• 2 green peppers
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 1 Fresno pepper
• 1 Anaheim chili
• 1 banana pepper
• 6 to 8 tomatillos. 8 if they are all small. 
• 1 can black beans, the smaller normal size can, um... 18 oz or so?
• 1 can red kidney beans, same size
• 1 can pinto beans, same size
• 2 lrg cans tomatoe sauce 28oz or 32 oz size... I forget
• 1 lrg can diced tomatoe, that same size
• Lowrys seasoned salt
• Black pepper
• Chili powder... Maybe 1/2 a cup?

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• Seed and devein all the chilis and peppers. 
• Chop the onion, celery and green bell peppers into about 1/2 inch, bite size pieces. 
• Chop the tomatillos into 8 pieces or so
• Mince the other chilis/peppers
• Drain the beans and rinse them

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Brown the hamburger and season with seasoned salt, pepper and about 1/2 the chili powder. Basically sprinkle across the meat. You'll just have to taste it when it's cooked.
 At this point you can out everything in a crock pot and just let it cook, or you can sauté the rest of the stuff and then leave it on the stove on a low simmer or move it to a crock pot. So if you are doing the faster prep, you are done now, otherwise continue.

Move the burger that you sautéed to whatever pot you are going to continue cooking this in (pot on the stove on medium or crock pot).  Put some olive oil in a pan and start sautéing the onion. When it starts to get a bit translucent, add the bell peppers and celery and cook till have sautéed a bit. They don't have to be all the way done, as they will simmer in the chili. Add this to the pot. Sauté the tomatillos for a bit... till they start to break down some; and add the rest of the chilis and peppers. Add those to pot. Add in the beans and tomatoes and sauce along with the rest of the chili powder. Stir it all up and let it cook till it starts bubbling. Taste. At this point you may have to add more salt and/or chili powder. Turn crockpot or burner to low.

A little while before its time to eat (either you get home from work or you are hanging out) taste and add more chili powder or salt, let finish for another 30 minutes for any seasoning adjustment to take hold... and there ya go!

Look around, He is there

Today was a great day. I rented a set ot snorkeling gear and after we dropped Kian off at school, I borrowed Tif's car and went adventuring. Took a few wrong turns, but ended up at Ala Moana Regional Park.

I sent snorkeling along the main beach and it was a good swimming beach, but not that great for snorkeling, at least not up close and I didn't want to go out to the reef which was quite a ways out. So I got out and walked over to the lagoon, which had a pretty good reef along the edge with a few openings where the tide was coming in. I swam that entire thing and it was pretty good. Not a ton of great fish, but good enough and some I'd never seen. Some strong current along the openings in the reef, some shallow and deep areas. I probably spent a good hour swimming, which is good for my arm/shoulder. So that was all very cool and I was tired out and had that "I just swam for quite a while" feel, which I love.

So I grabbed my stuff back off the beach (which I had hoped no one would bother and no one did) and then showered off in cold water (felt great) and then changed. I then went looking for food as I was starving. I figured there might be a shrimp truck or something around. Tif said I could head over to the mall.... but dude... I'm on the beach in HI, I don't want to eat any mall food! :)

I was basically just walking around the park, just watching all the people and the birds, (this dude was walking around with birds all over his arms and shoulders and head. No idea what that was about), people biking, folks sleeping in the shared, little kids swimming. It was just so chill, so cool, so laid back. And so beautiful. It just makes me appreciate the coolness of the Father to look at his creation.

Anyway, I saw some folks carrying to-go boxes and so I knew there had to be some food *somewhere*. I saw this tent and it looked like it had about 15 to 20 folks around it. Seems a little big for a party so maybe there were selling food. As I got close I could see it said "New Hope Christian Center, Oahu". Sounded like Tif's church (it wasn't exactly) and maybe they were selling food or something. So I headed over.

I walk up to this guy and say "Is this New Hope?" and he says "Yeah bra, first time? Sign here and get in line" and I say, "I think this is my daughter and son-in-law's church" and he says "Just sign here and get in line" - so the next thing I know he is saying "First time in line" and this guy is waving at me and they hand me a plate of food. Its all kind of a blur. So I look around and finally realize they are feed folks in the part, mostly (totally?) homeless. So I take the plate of food and the person says "Bless you bra" and I say "Bless you!" and then I go sit down on the beach wall with some other homeless folks and eat my plate of food.

(About this point in the story, as I relate it to Tif, she is just staring at me with her eyes very wide and her mouth kind of open... o.o <== like that. And I just start laughing.)

So I'm sitting there, eating some awesome tasting poke, and a piece of whole wheat bread and some white rice. And its really good. And I'm eating that up, and then 1/2 a chocolate muffin (yeah... not on my diet - but God provided, it must be cool, right?)  So I'm just hanging out on the wall and eating my food with some other folks and the church is packing up and folks are walking by, "Good to see you again Raymond. The meat was pretty good today huh? Make sure and come back!" and then to me "Bless you brother" and I say "Bless you" back. I mean... what was I going to do, say "Hey, its all a mistake! I'm not homeless." Nope, just take what God gives me, and in a way be a blessing to those who gave it to me and ask God to bless them for the work they do.

So anyway, I'm just sitting there... in Hawaii, in the park, in my swimming gear, just having gone snorkeling, eating a plate of food that kind of appeared out of no where - and is just what I was looking for... street food, Hawaiian food. And I'm thinking "Wow... I am so blessed". So blessed in the little things. Now many people probably are shaking their heads about now... but Tif said "Sounds like you dad." and I'll take that. I'm His kid. Some times its the little things... Just sitting on the beach, looking around and just thinking how cool it all is. It wasn't that I couldn't afford to buy lunch, it wasn't that there was no lunch in sight (there was a little cafe about 1/2 block away it turns out). But it was just such an adventure for me. And such a blessing for me. And He does that kind of thing for me all the time. I'm sure He does for others too... although perhaps in a different way. I guess not everyone would think sitting on a beach wall with a bunch of homeless people, eating pork and rice and throwing some bread to the birds, would be the most awesomest thing every... But for me it was.

And then I went and got back in the car and drove over to the "Hawaii Five-O HQ" and took a pic and then headed back to Tif's. Going through the base gate and showing them my pass (I got one yesterday) and getting all choked up when the 18 year old kid with the M-16 checked my id and waved me through... because: a) its a military base, and b) there is this kid guarding it. I told him "Thank you for your service" and he just kind of looked away and said "You're welcome" and waved me through... Which is pretty much what every service person I've said it to acts like. Like embarrassed and that its nothing... but its a *big deal* what they do.

Anyway, sitting my kid's kitchen, typing all this up, and just feeling extremely blessed by my Dad that I get to do this, and that His creation is so cool, and so many of His children are so cool - and just... well everything.

I hope in some way this blesses you (if anyone reads this, lol) and that even if it seems weird to you, that you think about the little things that He does for you, that bless you. That flower poking out of the snow, the sound of your child/grandchild giggling, that picture that you took that captured just what you wanted it to, that... whatever it may be.

Be blessed... I am!

A Father's Heart

I'm an introvert. I get restored by being alone. Weird to many, but it's just the way it is. Because of that, I spend a lot of time alone, and some of that time I just spend just thinking about things.

Today I was thinking about my girls. How much I love them. How precious they are to me. How much I hurt when they hurt. I've never really had a way with words. I'm more of a hugger than a talker. Sometimes I just don't know what to say, but I hope my girls know how much I love them anyway. When they call me hurting, I just want to hold them tight in my arms and let them know it's going to be ok... Like when they were little kids. It's a bit harder now that they are "all growed up."

Because of some stuff going on over the last week, it really made me think about this tonight. Everything is ok, but it just made me think about it. And is want to happen, when I think about my dad relationship with my girls, it makes me think of my Dad's ( God's ) relationship with me and other humans. As I sit here thinking about how I wish I could make it all better when something goes wrong, or how I hope they know how much I love them, or how I just had the right words to say... I hear the Holy Spirit expressing similar feelings to me.

We sometimes step out if what God has for us, and it sometimes makes it hard for Him to bless us in the best way possible. We sometimes don't talk to Him and that makes it hard for Him to say the right things to us... Not because He doesn't know what to say, but because we don't listen. He also worries about whether or not we know how much He loves us, because most if the world doesn't, and because there are so many incorrect views in the world of who He is.

As I think on how short life is, how my girls childhood went by so fast, and how I grieve, in a way, for missed chances, I think about how God misses all the days He could have had with us, but we did not know Him. Or all the things He could have helped with, but we did not ask. But, just as I also am happy with all the things I can participate in now with my girls, and how grateful I am that Jaime is close, and Tif is just a text or FaceTime away; I also know that my Father in Heaven takes joy in the fact that I soak to Him now, and that I have a good relationship with Him.

So anyway... Yeah, introverts. We say things on the internet we'd never say face to face... Because hey, it's only a few million people here ;)

Love your kids, they grow up way too fast. And love your Dad. His heart aches for you!

Beef Medallions with Mushrooms and Onions on a bed of Spinach with a Beef and Butter Sauce

Yeah... I've never been too clever about coming up with short names for dishes; so the names are pretty much what is in them. Sorry about that!

I did not make this with blogging it in mind; so I didn't measure stuff. So the following is pretty much a total guess... so just flow with it. Basically seasoned some flour; so just sprinkle the stuff in it; and added "about the right amount" of butter... but the amounts should be close.

I wanted something fast and easy, but having spent several days in Baltimore eating good food; I was in the cooking mood. Decided on some sort of steak with mushrooms and onions; saw some thin cut Eye of Round steaks and the whole "medallions"thing took form.

Because of the onions, beef stock and butter; this had a very French Onion Soup flavor to it, and the floured medallions had a veal scallopini feel. Turned out very good. Probably took less than 30 minutes total.

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• pack of thin cut Eye of Round steaks (there were 7 of them)
• 1 medium onion, slivered (thin vertical cuts)
• 5 Crimini Mushrooms, about 5 slices per mushroom
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/3 C flour
• 1 tsp Savory Salt
• Fresh ground Pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1 Egg
• 1.5 C Beef Broth
• 1 Tbs Butter
• 1 bunch (or 1 pkg frozen) Spinach

Prep the onions and mushrooms, add the olive oil to a skillet and then saute then with the garlic, until the mushrooms are a bit caramelized and the onions are wilted. Remove and set aside. Add some more olive oil to the skillet if the mushrooms soaked it all up.

Beat the egg for an egg wash and put on a plate, put the flour on a separate plate and stir in all the ingredients with a fork. (You can do this while the onions/mushrooms are cooking)

Dip a steak in the egg wash, then in the seasoned flour and then place in the skillet. On medium heat. I fit 4 steaks in the skillet, so had to do two batches. Because they are so thin you aren't really cooking until "done" as much as cooking till they are somewhat browned on each side. You may have to add more oil when you flip them so the one side doesn't stick.

Brown, then remove and set aside and do the second batch. Once all done, deglaze the skillet with the beef stock and add the butter, cut in thin slices (so it melts faster) and turn the temp up a little higher. Add in the mushrooms/onions and stir around; then slide in the steaks and spoon the sauce and mushrooms/onions on top. Turn down and let simmer for about 5 minutes; just so that the sauce reduces some and all the flavors combine.

Cook the spinach (wilt it in a pan or microwave if frozen), arrange on a plate,. add a few medallions on top and cover with the mushrooms/onions and spoon on some sauce!

Rosemary Pork Chops

A pretty easy, savory and fast pork chop dish, made with rosemary, mushrooms, mirepoix, garlic and gravy.

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, cut in 1/2 top to botton, cut side down and then sliced top to bottom
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 3 ribs celery, sliced 1/4 across the rib
• 1 small carrot cut in 1/2 and then in 1/2 down the middle
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 pork chops
•  Savory salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 medium mushrooms, sliced
• 1 jar of pork gravy
• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and rough chopped

 I live the flavor that mirepoix adds to a dish, but I'm not a big carrot fan, so I cut the carrot in 4 big pieces. I could then saute it in the dish and get the flavor, but big enough so I could easily remove it and not eat it.

Seeing as I was trying to go for "fast" (get home late from work and cook up something good for dinner but not take all night) I used a jar of gravy from the store. But feel free to make you own! You can prep everything ahead, or cut as you go.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add the onion and start wilting it; while that is happening mince the garlic and throw it in, stirring it around. Cut the carrot and add it in, then chop the celery and add it. Sprinkle some kosher salt on the veggies. Let the onions and mirepoix saute till they are "mostly done". You want them to flavor the oil and get wilted/caramelized some, but they don't have to be cooked all the way. Remove them to a plate for later, hopefully leaving some flavored oil behind. Turn the heat up and get the skillet hot and then add the pork chops and brown them on both sides. When you add them sprinkle savory salt and pepper (to taste) on them while they are cooking. They don't have to be cooked all the way, but should be close. Probably 5 minutes or so on each side. Move them around if the skillet starts getting two browned. Remove the pork chops, add another tbls of olive oil and saute the mushrooms, getting them a bit browned if you like. Remove the mushrooms and deglaze the skillet with the gravy and add the rosemary. Add all the ingredients back into the skillet and spoon the gravy back on top. Simmer in the gravy for 10 or 15 minutes. Serve.

Given I didn't prep it all ahead, it probably took about 20 to 30 minutes to get it to the point where I let it simmer for 10 minutes. I think simmering for 15 would be good, but 10 works and I was hungry. :)

I ate this by itself, but it would go good with mashed potatoes or noodles, and another veggie if desired like brussel sprouts, cooked cabbage, etc. The recipe can be easily adjusted based on how many people you want it to serve. Just add more pork chops and other ingredients appropriately. If you add more than two pork chops, i.e., if you get the skillet pretty full, you might want to pour the gravy off after putting in the rosemary for a minute or two, and then put everything back in and pour the gravy over the top. Or if too many pork chops to do in one batch, you could put the pork chops in a bake pan (9x13, etc.), put the veggies on top, and then pour the gravy over all of it and simmer in the oven at 350 for the 10 or 15 minutes. Everything should be "mostly done" so you are just simmering to let all the flavors mix.

A Father's Love

[Reposted from FB. Easier to fine here and its good to go back once in a while and read stuff...]

So I'm txting one of my kids, because they are having a rough time right now. Breaks my heart. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do... but I just felt I should txt them and say "I love you, let me know if there is anything I can do." They are an adult and sometimes as parents of adults there isn't things we can do to "fix" something. But if I can... I want to. Anyway, as I'm txting that and thinking about how much I love my kid and how I wish I could fix it... if there was just something I could do to help, I heard the Holy Spirit say, "You know, that is how your Father feels too". WOW - wake up call! Put that in a whole new light for me. Sometimes God the Father is just watching from heaving thinking "Man, I just wish my kid would ask for some help. Yeah, they are a 'grown up' and want to fix it themselves... but if they would just say 'Father, I need help with this, could you take care of for me?'; then I could help them out.

Just the Holy Spirit reminding me; how I feel about my kids, the Father feels 100 times more about me. I know that, but never thought about the above in that light. Sweet... Thanks Holy Spirit! :)

Fire Roasted Salsa Verde

Tons of recipes on the web... but you know, had to just make it my own. lol. I use an immersion blender, so put this in a metal bowl, but you can use a food processor as well and put the ingredients into that bowl.

• 12 tomatillos
• 1 Anaheim chili
• 2 Sweet Banana Peppers

Hush and rinse the tomatillos. Roast the tomatillos, chili and peppers on the grill. Roast the tomatillos until the skins start to split - they don't have to be blackened. Roast the chilis/peppers until they are blackened.

The tomatillos will squeeze out of the skins. Squeeze them into the bowl. Remove the skins and ends and split the chili/peppers. Remove the seeds if you want the sauce milder. Chop and put in the bowl.

• 1/2 a small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of cilantro. Cut the stems below the leaves and then rough chop the leaves (you don't have to pull the leaves off - using that much of the stems is fine)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• Salt to taste

Add all that to the bowl and blend. I didn't use any liquid or cook it at all. Just immersion blended what had been fire roasted with the rest of the raw ingredients and it came out the right consistency. I'm a little wimping wrt hot food - so one Anaheim was enough for me... but you could add two or a hotter chili. But whatever you add, if they are big enough to roast, I'd do it. Just added a nice touch.

The Incredible Faithfulness of God

subtitle: I'm glad my plans & vision are not God's plans & vision for me!

So while this is a story I often tell, its one worth repeating...

This past week was a productive, but long week. Flew to Baltimore on Wed. Met all day in Baltimore on Thur then few to Indy, getting to the hotel at 1am; then meetings all day on Friday and flew home and back by midnight.

My alarm clock (my phone) automatically adjusted for DST, but somehow the alarm was set for 7:30 instead of 6:00. So I woke up late and was running late this morning. Still tired, rainy and blah out and running late. One of those "Man... I just don't *feel* like going to church, but I should." Had that feeling like worship was just going to be mellow... and well somewhat... mimicking my spirit/feeling I guess.

So I get to church about 15 minutes late and the worship team is already practicing. I walk in... and they are running through a song that I just really love. I'm immediately drawn in. Practice is great and we talk about some good things.

Then church starts and we start worship and its just *great*. Its passionate. His presence is there. It draws the passion out of me. I'm singing (with out a mic of course!) at the top of my lungs... doing my throaty growl voice... lol. Kind of Janice Joplin, Danny Wagner/Cosmo, mix of me back in the day singing American Band. I just want to burst out. Even when Adam brings the song down... the percussion just keeps going. It just feels right. God is so good. Awesome songs, awesome presence.

Anyway... a great morning of worship. And not at all what *I* was expecting, but totally what God knew was going to happen. I'm so glad he kicks my butt out of bed sometimes and says "Yes, you are going. Not get up there." Because He knows what is in store, even if I'm clueless. Thanks Father! I love you!

Chicken Jaime

Jaime, Ben and I ate at Carrabba's last night and Jaime got Chicken Bryan, one of her favorite chicken dishes. Sounded so good that tonight I whipped up something like it - but wasn't following any recipe... so I'll just call it Chicken Jaime :)

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• 2 boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts
  
• 2 shallots, cut in half and sliced very thin
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
  
• 2 Tbs Capers
  
• 1/2 a lemon
  
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
  
• 2 Tbs alouette Garlic & Herbs soft cheese. (Or Boursin or something similar)

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• Heat oil in a skillet or french cook pan that can be covered
  
• Add shallots and wilt
  
• Add garlic, 1/2 the capers and the garlic, stir for a minute or two
  
• Move the mixture to the side and brown the chicken in the oil in the middle, on both sides.
  
• Add in the chicken stock, juice of 1/2 a lemon and the remaining capers and cover and simmer for 6 minutes.
  
• Flip the chicken and simmer for a few more minutes.

---

At this point the chicken should still be moist but cooked all the way through and somewhat brown from simmering in the liquid. The other ingredients will have mostly reduced such that there is little liquid at this point.

Plate the chicken, spoon a Tbs of the cheese on top, spreading it a little; then cover with half of the other ingredients. This melts the cheese and it should run down the sides a little bit.

Nice moist chicken, rich sauce from the combination of the melted cheese (almost like a thick spiced cream) and the rich shallots and sun-dried tomatoes with some acid from the lemon juice and capers.

I served this with mashed sweet potatoes on the side, probably would have also done asparagus or something like that if it was more than just me or if I had been hungrier. One breast is a serving, warming the other one up tomorrow night. :)

Beef Stroganoff

This is a very simple, not everything from scratch, recipe. It can be finished in the slow cooker or left in an electric skillet for a few hours.

---

• 1.5 to 2lb beef w/o much fat: london broil, flat steak, top round roast
  
• 1 lb mushrooms
  
• 1 large and 1 small can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  
• 1/2 C Sour Cream
  
• Nutmeg
  
• Egg Noodles
  
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt
  
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper

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• Slice beef in 1/8" (pretty thin) by 1/2" by 2" or so, strips
  
• Put beef in electric skillet at 350 degrees so that it can brown, season with seasoned salt and pepper.
  
• Clean mushrooms and slice each one in 4 or 5 slices (not quarters, but lengthwise). Add to beef as soon as they are sliced
  
• Once beef is browned, add Cream of Mushroom Soup and Sour Cream. I'm not sure if its 1/2 a cup or not. You just have to taste it and add enough till it doesn't taste like straight Cream of Mushroom soup and is sour enough. :) - But I think for that much soup, about 1/2 a cup should do.
  
• Add nutmeg... Maybe 1/2 tsp or so? I use fresh and just grate "some" on it.

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At this point you can cover it in the electric skillet and let it simmer for a few hours; or if you're making this first thing in the morning then put in a slow cooker and leave it on low all day. The meat will be very tender by dinner time!

Server with egg noodles and some kind of veggie or salad!

Cream of Onion/Celery w/ Chipped Beef Soup

Wanted a simple cream soup, maybe celery... hmm and onions. But need some meat - hmm... chipped beef. Yeah!

---

• 1/2 medium onion, diced
  
• 2 stalks celery, diced
  
• 1/4 cup butter + 1 Tbs butter
  
• 1/5 cup flour
  
• 2 to 4 cups milk
  
• 10 rounds of dried beef
  
• Savory Salt
  
• Fresh ground Black Pepper

---

• Melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux, over med heat
  
• Season with Salt and Pepper - go light on the salt because the beef is salty
  
• Cook on low for about 5 minutes
  
• Add the mile, about 1/2 a cup at a time till the right consistency (it will thicken a little as you cook it)
  
• At the same time, in another pan, melt 1 Tbs butter and add the celery and onion
  
• Saute until wilted but not browned
  
• Add to the cream soup
  
• Soak the beef in warm water for a few minutes and then drain, rip into pieces and add to the soup

This is my standard base for a cream soup and I've made quite a few different soups with it. This one turned out pretty good!

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

Jaime sent me a recipe for slow-cooker ribs and I modified it a bit.

• 1 package (a little over a pound) country style ribs
  
• 1 can Northern Beans (small white beans)
  
• 1 Green Pepper
  
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion
  
• 1 Jar BBQ Sauce

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• Rinse and drain the beans
  
• Julienne the onion and green pepper
  
• Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with some of the onion and green pepper
  
• Add the beans
  
• Add the ribs
  
• Cover with the rest of the onion and green pepper
  
• Cover with the jar of bbq sauce
  
• Cook on low

If you do this before you go to work, when you get home you'll have hot beans and ribs. :)

You can extend this by adding another can of beans and more ribs. I think the sauce and the onion/pepper would work for twice as much beans/ribs. I had 3 ribs and ate 2 of them... so doubling it would probably feed 3 people or so.

Love Wins - by Rob Bell

Rob Bell's book, Love Wins, is stirring things up. I heard about the controversy of the book before I ever heard about the book itself. "Wow - have you heard about this bad book"; or something like that. A week later my Pastor was discussing a number of books and held it up, "Here is a book everyone should read." (A little surprised to see him holding it up when I had jsut heard - "Make sure you don't read *that* book" - but given I trust him with my life; maybe something I should look into!) He posted his thoughts of it on FB,

I think every one of us at @[149977628397454:Castle Rock Bible Church] ought to read it, engage critical thinking, and dialogue about it. Remember- it is not the Bible. You won't lose your salvation.

And then a friend of his posted her thoughts on blogger.

I won't give a big review of it, its the middle of the night and I should be sleeping. lol. But I bought it, I read it in a few days, and I thought it was great. Is it all correct? I don't know... I don't really care. Like Pastor Mark said, I'm not going to lose my salvation over it... or even base my salvation on it. What I do know is that many things in it seem at odds with current "mainstream" Christian thinking... and resonate with me.

Life has never been about just "getting in". It's about thriving in God's good world. It's stillness, peace, and that feeling of your soul being at rest, while at the same time it's about asking things, learning things, creating things, and sharing it all with others who are finding the same kind of joy in the same good world.

Well said. I've *always* felt that. I've always thought/said, "It isn't about getting into Heaven! Yeah, that's cool and all - and a great side-effect. But what's it's really about is now." For me, following Christ brings with it the joy of entering into worship and having time cease to exist. Joining in with the angles and the believers and dancing before Him. And it brings with it the peace that, when I focus on it and let it wash over me, gets me through those days and times that I never thought I'd be able to face. Its feeling the presence of the Father, and knowing no matter *what* I do, feel or say; He loves me, is waiting for me, and takes joy in watching me dance before Him. And so much more... And that's so aptly stated in what Rob Bell said "Life has never been about just "getting in". It's about thriving in God's good world."

So yeah... is everything he said and feels spot on. No clue. That's not for me to know or judge. But I do know he totally gets God's love and what its all about "now". And because of that, its a book worth reading.

Asian Shrimp Cocktail

This is similar to my other shrimp cocktail recipe, but this is kicked up another notch. :) I added in Sriracha to spicy it up a bit, and then had some lemongrass and thought "what the heck" and added that as well. Took it to a cookout this afternoon and everyone seemed to like it, including a few who asked for the recipe. So this is my new style of making it, as I'll probably do it like this from now on. :)

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• 2 lbs peeled and cooked 51/60 shrimp - remove the tails and cut across them in half.
  
• 1 yellow bell pepper, small dice
  
• 1/2 red onion, small dice
  
• 4 stalks celery, small dice
  
• 2 avocados, medium dice, not too ripe!
  
• 2 limes
  
• 2 tsp Sriracha
  
• 1 12 oz jar Heinz Chile Sauce (Chili sauce! not Cocktail Sauce)
  
• 3 "stems" lemongrass, minced
  

---

Prepare the shrimp and cover with juice of one lime and let sit while prepping other things.

Dice the avocado and cover with juice of other lime.

Prep all the other veggies and when almost done put the shrimp and avocado in a colander and let the excess lime juice drain. If you don't do this the "salad" will end up being kind of souping and will "bleed" after it sits for a bit.

Mix the Chile Sauce and Sriracha. Actually I don't know how much I used... I just squeezed some in... but I *think* it was about 2 tsps. Put some in, taste it and see if the flavor (spicy, heat, etc.) is right for you.

Put everything into a bowl and stir. Stir enough to coat but don't stir too much. You don't want the avocado getting mushy.

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That's it! Its important to use chili sauce because it is sweet and not spicy. The sriracha then gets it some heat, but its a Vietnamese/Korean kind of heat, rather than a horseradish flavor.