The babies are coming

It's been a time of transition for my husband and I. We are certified foster parents and for the past few months we have been waiting on the Lord in anticipation for the children He will give unto our care. I guess you could say I've been "nesting" of sorts. It's not been easy though. The waiting is, at times, almost unbearable. But on Friday I received a very exciting call from our placement worker. There are three little boys who need a home. I don't know anything else about them other than they are brothers.

Now, I know without a doubt the Lord has a sense of humor. My husband and I have said all along that we wanted to take in girls (mostly because my husband says it'll spare him having to listen to me talk about recipes and cakes if I have little girls to share it with).

We have the kids room set up for girls with lots of dolls

and stuffed animals.

We have nothing for boys and yet as soon as our placement worker said she had these boys I, of course, said "yes!"

The next few days will be a challenge as we work together with county and our social workers to see if these boys will be able to be a part of our family. But, I know the Lord is in control and I fully trust His wisdom. Our hearts are prepared and the linens freshly waiting on their beds... Keep us in prayer!

UPDATE... Unfortunately, the three little boys were placed in another home, so we are still waiting on the Lord to add to our family. All in His timing!!

Chili and Cornbread

Today was a busy day for me. I have my menu planned out for the month, and was thankful tonight's meal was chili since I could just throw everything together and let it simmer for a couple hours while I finished my baking. I have several chili recipes that I use, but I like the simplicity and little kick of this one. I tend to use a little less meat than most people so please add the amount you prefer.

For this recipe I brown my ground beef (I use about a 1/2 pound but you may want to add more). If there is much grease I drain it off and then add 1/2 a diced onion. After the onion softens I add my seasonings... 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic salt, and 4 tablespoons of chili powder. I mix it together with my meat and onions then add 2 1/2 cups of tomato sauce (or I'll puree stewed tomatoes), and add 1 or 2 (depending on how thick or soupy I want it) cans of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles. I then add beans (at least 2 15 oz. cans bean of your choice). I used what I had on hand which was black beans and pinto beans. I also like to toss in about 1-2 cups of corn.

While my chili is simmering I make my cornbread. I prefer a sweet cornbread with a cake-like texture, similar to Marie Calendars restaurant, so I go with...

1 cup cornmeal

3 cups flour

1 1/3 cups of sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup oil

1/3 cup of melted butter

2 tablespoons of honey

4 eggs, beaten

and 2 1/2 cups of whole milk

Baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes... sometimes a little longer.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Late last night I received a call from a friend letting me know a brother from church went home to be with the Lord. She asked if I would be able to make "something" to send over. It's the end of the month and my cupboards are looking a little scrawny, but I knew I could whip up something sweet.

I wanted to make several things, but in the end time won out and I only finished Tiramisu cupcakes and pumpkin bread.

To make the tiramisu cake batter I start with a white boxed cake mix. To the dry mix I add 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 egg, 1/2 pkg of instant pudding, and the ingredients on the cake mix box. Basically the reason for the extra ingredients is to extend my batter so I get more cupcakes.

To get the coffee flavor I want in the cake I add 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee powder (I used espresso which is a little stronger... Also, if you're like me and do not drink instant coffee but prefer fresh brewed... you can run your coffee beans or grounds in the coffee grinder until it's quite fine), 1/4 cup of brewed coffee, and 1-2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur such as Kahlua.

I needed quite a few cupcakes since this was for a "Going Home" memorial service/dinner.

While the cupcakes bake, I whip up my filling and frosting. I use a simple mascarpone filling consisting of an 8 oz. container of mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, and 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur. I place the filling in the refrigerator to chill while I then make the frosting. My favorite frosting for this type of cake is a simple cream frosting (2 cups heavy cream, 1/4- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar) with a little coffee liqueur (2 tablespoons) thrown in for good measure. Since these cupcakes would be sitting out most of the day, and would not be refrigerated, I needed something with more stability that would not run the risk of spoiling or watering from exposure. I used a basic buttercream recipe for these cupcakes, but would still recommend the cream frosting instead.

I then fill a pastry bag with the filling and snip the tip off of the bag. I insert the tip in the cupcake and squeeze about a tablespoon of filling into the cake.

After wiping off the excess filling with a knife, I add a simple swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.

A sprinkle of cocoa powder (a sifter works great to sprinkle uniformly).

And a chocolate covered coffee bean.

And you have a tiramisu cupcake that is good enough to eat.

Which I did!

Asian Salmon

If you are anything like me, simple meals are often the best. My salmon looks wonderful and the taste is out of this world, but it's one of the easiest things I put together for dinner.

It requires just five ingredients... salmon, brown sugar, oil, garlic salt, and soy sauce.

I toss the wet and dry ingredients into a zip lock bag and squish it between my fingers to incorporate everything together before inserting my salmon and letting it marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours (sometimes overnight). You can turn the bag every so often to thoroughly coat the salmon.

Depending on your preference you can then spray a baking sheet covered in foil with cooking spray and lay your salmon on top to bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon, or... you can do what I do. I place the contents of the bag in my favorite pan and cook the salmon on the stove top with the marinade and about 1/4 cup of water. As the salmon cooks the marinade evaporates some and makes a great drizzle to go over the salmon and rice.

Enjoy!!

Asian Salmon

• 3T soy sauce
• 3T brown sugar
• 2T oil
• salmon
• garlic salt, sprinkle on salmon to taste

And Christine just for you... if you're afraid your salmon will be too fishy, try squeezing some fresh lemon juice on the salmon before you place it in the marinade.

What's for dinner?

One of my strengths (I believe) is cooking. I love the excitement of planning a meal and seeing it manifested into something my husband enjoys. Not every meal is memorable. But last night we enjoyed one of our favorites... Salmon, carrot rice, and salad. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it's very pretty on the plate.


The meal itself is Asian inspired and can be dressed up or down depending on your preference.


I start with a pot of boiling water. I add my rice, butter, onion, ginger, carrot, cayenne pepper, and maybe a little salt. Sometimes I chop up some roasted peanuts or cashews and throw them in to really kick up the Asian feel of the dish.


I give the rice 20 minutes to cook, covered, and then toss in my cilantro.


I give it a quick toss with my fork and we have a beautiful carrot rice to lay our salmon on.

Carrot Rice

• 1 C rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 T butter
• 1/4 chopped onion
• 1 t minced ginger (or powdered)
• 3/4 c grated carrot
• 1/4-1/2 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/8 c cilantro, chopped
• salt to taste

You may also choose to add chopped roasted peanuts or cashews to amp up the Asian taste.

Mary, Martha, and Me

The book of Proverbs begins with a command to fear the Lord, and ends with the picture of a woman who does just that. She is described as a woman of strong character, wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. Her character, however, is not defined by her many achievements. It is a result of her reverence for God. My hearts desire is to become like her. As beautiful, industrious, talented, and resourceful as she is, I believe she is a composite portrait of ideal womanhood rather than a single person. She is an inspiration to be my best and strive to achieve greatness where I am now.

Which brings me to the title of my blog. At the end of Luke chapter 10 we see the story of Mary and Martha, two sisters whose service to the Lord were vastly different. They represent two spectrums of service. Martha is a doer. She is in control and takes charge of the situation to get things done. Mary is the peacemaker. She avoids conflict, has an even temperament, is cooperative, and objective… And then there is me.

I want to be more like Martha with her industrious nature. Yet, like Mary who wanted to be in the midst of Jesus, I sort of disappear into the crowd.

In my desire to manifest the attributes of a Proverbs 31 woman I need to prioritize... to not allow busywork the authority to detract from my devotion to God, and to allow my strengths to shine while nurturing the traits that would benefit my marriage and bring honor to my husband and the Lord.

So here I am, on a journey of growth and greatness. Welcome to my blog… Martha, Mary, and Me.