Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Bacon and Eggs

We just picked up a butchered pig from the meat market. Now my freezer is full of yummy things like, pork roasts and chops, hams and ribs, sausage and bacon!

A member in the congregation who has chickens is being overrun with eggs. Usually her kids and their families have no problem keeping up with the laying hens. However some of the families were away on vacation, and the chickens know it is spring and our busy laying eggs galore. Therefore, she gave us several dozen. We were quite happy to accept.

So for breakfast I made a favorite: bacon and eggs.


I don't remember now where I saw this recipe the first time, a blog? on Face Book? on Pinterest? I don't know. But I do know it is easy and yummy.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Wrap a piece of bacon around the edge.
Crack an egg in each cup.
Add salt and pepper.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until the eggs are as done you prefer.

The original recipe I saw from the place I no longer remember said to crack the eggs into a bowl and whip, then add some to each cup. I did it that way the first couple of times, but pouring the egg mixture into each cup got real messy real quick. As my girls will tell you, I did what I normally do and adjusted the recipe. It is so much easier to simply crack one egg into each muffin cup.


Coming out of the oven, ready to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee. . .


and some fresh strawberries I bought from Aldi.

When you find yourself hungry for bacon and eggs, try this recipe and tell me what you think.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Boring Life Update

Tonight is the last Lenten service before Holy Week. I have helped serve four of the last five Lenten suppers. That kept me busy in the kitchen on Wednesdays.

My good friend, Karin, and some of her sons planned to visit us last week for a few days. What they didn't know when they planned that was Karin's uncle would get quite ill, enter hospice, and then die. Since he lived only about thirty minutes away from me, I was her home away from home while she dealt with the responsibilities she had with her uncle. Between February and last week, she was here four different times. We laugh because each time there were different kids with her. I'm glad I am here for her and I enjoyed her, what came to be, every two-week visit.

We had quite the warm first part of March. Several days of 50, maybe even, 60 degree weather. It prompted us to clean up the front porch and put out our rockers. That was the ides of March. It didn't last long. We got a spring snow fall this past Monday. Over Sunday night into Monday morning about eight inches of heavy, wet snow fell. It was so pretty.

I can hear birds singing in the mornings when I awake. And when I'm walking outside during the day. It is lovely.

Monday was Nathan's 15th birthday. He requested cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We took him to Five Guys for supper. He also requested enchiladas, so I made those for Tuesday's dinner. We are having birthday pie (apple, currently baking) and opening gifts this evening after evening service.

For the past several years our congregation has had every Sunday communion during the Easter season. Last week the elders suggested that this year that practice continue after Easter and it become our normal practice. Soli Deo Gloria! I am thrilled that now every Sunday I have an opportunity to receive Christ's Body and Blood.

An update to my reading update post. Since I wrote that, I have read all 7 of the Chronicles of Narnia books. I've also finished Le Morte D'Arthur with Nathan and Abby, as well as Anna Karenina for my book club. This coming Monday my book club will discuss the final chapters of Anna.

I decided to start reading the Kristin Lavransdatter series by Sigrid Undset that so many friends have recommended. For book club we will start reading The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. I'll have to get that book next week sometime. Our first discussion will be the second week of Easter. Finally with Nathan and Abby I decided to take my daughter, Hannah's, advice and read Dante's Inferno next. For Lent David has been preaching on the seven deadly sins - one life-giving Savior. Reading Dante will give us some perspective and wrestle with the ideas.

There you go. A list of what has been happening in my little neck of the woods. Boring to some, busy to others, but our life at this time.

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Reading Update

It is now the third month of 2015. Time for an update on my reading challenges.

I self-declared this to be the Year of the Re-Read.
So far I have re-read the following:

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit (finished January 3)
The Fellowship of the Ring (finished February 6)
The Two Towers (finished February 23)
The Return of the King (finished March 5)

I first read these Tolkien books in 2002 and then again in 2006. It was definitely time to re-read them. Wow, are they good books and I need to not let so many years pass in between re-reads. My daughter Hannah, lover of all things Tolkien, is lobbying hard for me to read The Silmarillion. I told her I'll add it to my list. Maybe, just maybe I can get to it this year. For now, I will continue my re-read list with C.S. Lewis's Narnia books.

For Jane's challenge I listed 10 books and 5 alternates. I have completed one:
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (finished January 11)

Oh, and as part of the Year of the Re-Read, I decided to re-read aloud to my younger three The Series of Unfortunate Events. We have finished book one.
The Bad Beginning (finished February 9)

Isn't that sad that I've only finished one of those? It is difficult to find time for read alouds anymore. We struggle to find time when we are all home and ready to listen and mom is ready to read. Something to work on in the coming days and weeks and months.

I did join the book club which some of my friends, also home-school moms, started. They began in January with Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Wow, do I enjoy this book. It has been interesting, intriguing, fun, and full of characters I want to hug or hit. We only read a certain number of pages each week and then discuss those together via chat. We will finish the book at the end of March. I'm not sure what will be next for book club.

I've also been reading with Nathan and Abby Mallory's Le Morte D'Arthur. That is quite interesting as well. But reading it and Tolkien and Tolstoy all at the same time was quite hard. None of the books are hard by themselves, but together it made for a challenging time. That is why I'm picking Narnia for my next re-read. It won't require near the thinking cells I've used the last month. I'm debating on if I should tackle Dante's Inferno with Nathan and Abby next or simply move into Shakespeare and delve into his plays.

March is here and I've read so far six books plus two that I'm still reading. I really don't know if that is good or bad. But it is what I've accomplished. At this point I admit I'm a teeny bit concerned about meeting my reading challenges. Only a teeny bit for now though. It is only the third month of the year. I have time. Now back to my scheduled reading.