I remember how my mom used to host people in our home when I was little. She would make us help her clean up -- vacuum, dust (which is pertinent in Western Kansas), clean the bathrooms, put our things away, etc. Even when she wasn't expecting anyone, she would ask us to find places for our things. At the time, I thought it was so overrated, so menial. Now, I'm the same way. I've always been tidy, but now in my own home, I often find that things without a space annoy me. They provoke me -- Kyle's jeans that he always leaves on top of the dresser, our pajamas sitting randomly in our room (let's admit, pajamas never have a place! I mean, where do you even leave yours?), that one book laying on top of all the others because it won't fit on the shelf. Those things can drive me crazy if I let them.
Finally, the other day I just had to say to myself, "Molly, y'all live here." Yes, like, we live here. A tidy home is a nice home, but a used home is welcoming, too. Actually, I think it's more welcoming. I'm not saying that everything should be out of place or misplaced all the time, but I think it's okay to let things just be the way they are sometimes because they represent our real, purposeful lives. Those books all over my couch? Yea, they're there because I read them to get this crazy 96-hour Masters degree. Those toys all over your floor? Yea, they're there because you have a three year old and a one year old and they're normal children who play. Here's to less stress about the small stuff in our own homes because, you know what? We live here.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Baking Sunday: Pumpkin Spiced Scones
Yesterday was a rainy, cold Sunday in Wilmore. Baking was the perfect remedy -- the best indoor activity. As my friend, Anna Chua, says: "Baking is always more enjoyable on Sundays." I think I agree. With Thanksgiving ahead, the season of pumpkin everything is slowly drawing to a close. So, Jenny and I decided to make pumpkin spiced scones and take advantage of the season.
Let me start by saying that these scones are incredibly fantastic. Really. I'm not a pumpkin pie person (unless it has a lot of whipped cream), but I enjoy other, subtle, pumpkin-y things. These hit the spot. And I love how versatile they are. You can eat them for breakfast, a snack or dessert; or have them with some tea or milk. They're just that good. I'm thinking of making them again the week of Thanksgiving since we have friends visiting. And I might even make them after that for a baby shower. So, enjoy this recipe just in time for Thanksgiving gatherings.
This recipe is courtesy of Joanne and Adam Gallagher from inspiredtaste.net. We changed a few things within the recipe, which I've noted below. Enjoy!
What you'll need for the scones:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup of cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1 stick)
1/2 cup pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon of unsulphured molasses (you can go without, if need be or try substituting with a little more brown sugar or honey)
1 egg
3 tablespoons of half and half
2 teaspoons of vanilla
For sugar glaze:
1 cup of powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons of half and half (we used around 2 tablespoons)
For pumpkin spice glaze: (I cut this recipe in half from the original, you just don't need it all, double it if you think you'll want more.)
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon of pure pumpkin
Dash of cloves
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of ginger
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of half and half
*Technically, you only need about 1/16 of a teaspoon of cloves, nutmeg and ginger. I just sprinkled some of each across the top.
To Bake:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the spices together. Then, add the cold, cut butter to the mixture. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal or crumbs.
In a separate medium bowl whisk together the pumpkin, molasses, half and half, vanilla and egg. Whisk until blended well.
After that, stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour/butter mixture and stir with a spoon until a soft dough forms.
After that, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it until it comes together. Pat the dough out into a 10x7 inch rectangle. Then, you can either make 8 regular sized scones or 12 smaller scones. We made 8 regular sized scones. To do that, cut the dough in half both lengthwise and width-wise to make four smaller rectangles. Then, cut the rectangles into triangles (making 8 scones).
To make 12 smaller scones, cut the dough in half lengthwise. Then, cut the the dough twice width-wise, so you have six small rectangles. Then, cut those rectangles into two triangles. Voila.
Make sure your baking sheet is sprayed, transfer the scones over and bake for 10-15 minutes. Ours were done in 10 minutes. You can insert a toothpick in the middle of one of the scones to make sure they are finished. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
While the scones cool, make one or both glazes (We made both!).
For the Sugar Glaze:
Add powdered sugar to medium bowl and add one tablespoon of half and half. Judge the consistency. If it's too thick, add more half and half (we used around 2 tablespoons). The glaze should be set when it slowly drizzles off the spoon.
When the glaze is finished, ice the top of each scone (using a spoon, or the like). Then, let the glaze set while you make the pumpkin glaze.
For the Pumpkin Spice Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar, pumpkin and spices. Then, add in the half and half. Stir and judge the consistency. The glaze should be set when it slowly drizzles off the spoon.
When the glaze is finished, use a spoon to drizzle the pumpkin glaze over the scone in a zig-zag pattern.
Last of all, let the scones cool and set for a few minutes and enjoy! They are delicious warm.
Let me start by saying that these scones are incredibly fantastic. Really. I'm not a pumpkin pie person (unless it has a lot of whipped cream), but I enjoy other, subtle, pumpkin-y things. These hit the spot. And I love how versatile they are. You can eat them for breakfast, a snack or dessert; or have them with some tea or milk. They're just that good. I'm thinking of making them again the week of Thanksgiving since we have friends visiting. And I might even make them after that for a baby shower. So, enjoy this recipe just in time for Thanksgiving gatherings.
This recipe is courtesy of Joanne and Adam Gallagher from inspiredtaste.net. We changed a few things within the recipe, which I've noted below. Enjoy!
What you'll need for the scones:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup of cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1 stick)
1/2 cup pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon of unsulphured molasses (you can go without, if need be or try substituting with a little more brown sugar or honey)
1 egg
3 tablespoons of half and half
2 teaspoons of vanilla
For sugar glaze:
1 cup of powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons of half and half (we used around 2 tablespoons)
For pumpkin spice glaze: (I cut this recipe in half from the original, you just don't need it all, double it if you think you'll want more.)
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon of pure pumpkin
Dash of cloves
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of ginger
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of half and half
*Technically, you only need about 1/16 of a teaspoon of cloves, nutmeg and ginger. I just sprinkled some of each across the top.
To Bake:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the spices together. Then, add the cold, cut butter to the mixture. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal or crumbs.
In a separate medium bowl whisk together the pumpkin, molasses, half and half, vanilla and egg. Whisk until blended well.
After that, stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour/butter mixture and stir with a spoon until a soft dough forms.
After that, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it until it comes together. Pat the dough out into a 10x7 inch rectangle. Then, you can either make 8 regular sized scones or 12 smaller scones. We made 8 regular sized scones. To do that, cut the dough in half both lengthwise and width-wise to make four smaller rectangles. Then, cut the rectangles into triangles (making 8 scones).
To make 12 smaller scones, cut the dough in half lengthwise. Then, cut the the dough twice width-wise, so you have six small rectangles. Then, cut those rectangles into two triangles. Voila.
Make sure your baking sheet is sprayed, transfer the scones over and bake for 10-15 minutes. Ours were done in 10 minutes. You can insert a toothpick in the middle of one of the scones to make sure they are finished. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
While the scones cool, make one or both glazes (We made both!).
For the Sugar Glaze:
Add powdered sugar to medium bowl and add one tablespoon of half and half. Judge the consistency. If it's too thick, add more half and half (we used around 2 tablespoons). The glaze should be set when it slowly drizzles off the spoon.
When the glaze is finished, ice the top of each scone (using a spoon, or the like). Then, let the glaze set while you make the pumpkin glaze.
For the Pumpkin Spice Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar, pumpkin and spices. Then, add in the half and half. Stir and judge the consistency. The glaze should be set when it slowly drizzles off the spoon.
When the glaze is finished, use a spoon to drizzle the pumpkin glaze over the scone in a zig-zag pattern.
Last of all, let the scones cool and set for a few minutes and enjoy! They are delicious warm.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Baking Sunday: White Chocolate Bread Pudding
This past Sunday, Jenny and I made White Chocolate Bread Pudding for Baking Sunday. It was delicious. After we made it, though, Jenny noted that it's one of those desserts that you order at a restaurant and never worry about asking what's in it. Because, my fellow bakers and readers, there's a lot of heavy cream. I mean, like, a lot. That's what makes it so delicious and pretty rich. So, if you're going to splurge on dessert during the holidays, I would recommend this White Chocolate Bread Pudding. Enjoy!
An overview of what you'll need:
An overview of what you'll need:
- 18 ounces of quality white chocolate chips (about a bag and a half)
- 3 cups of milk
- 1 quart of heavy cream (1/2 quart to be used for the pudding and 1/2 a quart to be used for the white chocolate sauce)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 5 eggs, well beaten
- 2 loaves of french bread, cubed
- Begin by preheating the oven to 300 degrees.
- Cube both bread loaves. When finished, place cubes in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Next, place 12 oz. of white chocolate chips in large bowl and set it aside.
- Then, in a large saucepan, over medium heat, mix the milk, 1/2 quart of cream and sugar. Bring it to a gentle boil and then pour the mixture over the white chocolate chips in the large bowl. Let the mixture sit for about a minute and then whisk until smooth.
- Add the eggs to the mixture and mix well.
- When finished, pour the white chocolate mixture over the cubed bread.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until the center is set.
- While the bread pudding cools, place 6 oz. of white chocolate chips in a separate medium bowl.
- In a sauce pan, bring the remaining 1/2 quart of cream to a gentle boil. Then, pour the cream over the white chips. Let set for about a minute and then whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle the white chocolate sauce over each individual serving of pudding when you're ready to serve.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
"The Western Church is in Trouble..." and What I Have to Say About It.
I hear/see it often online, in person, in school, in presentations, in meetings -- "the Western church is in trouble." I have one thing to say to that: obvy. Does it worry me? Not really, but that's another blog. But, let me alarm you. The Barna Study says that 3,500-4,000 churches close their doors each
year in America. They also note that the church in America loses 2,765,000 people each year to nominalism and secularism.
Now, we must consider why the Western church is in trouble.
When I took my own realities into consideration, I could come up with one sole reason. But, we'll back track a little first. Here we go.
I owe an incredible amount of honor to Bible Christian Church in Garden City, Kansas and so many of her congregants for discipling me throughout my middle and high school years. Those people pointed me towards Christ, along with many other youth my age. Often times in the current, thanks to social media, I see what many of my former peers from church and school are up to. Sadly, I've also observed how many of them have fallen away from their faith. Their faith. As in, a faith they once owned and cultivated. This isn't an uncommon phenomenon. Scholars say "the Western church is in trouble" because our 20-somethings are leaving and they aren't coming back. (At least until they have children. And then some of them come back because it seems like the "right" thing to do -- to have their children in church and all. Good logic. But, not really.)
Lately, Kyle and I have been attending various churches around where we live. We were settled in one particular church for about a year and decided that our souls just needed something different. Hear me out when I say that leaving this particular church was a difficult decision to make, but we made it and have been attending churches since. It's been almost two months (the end is in sight, thank goodness) and we've attended some great churches. We've also attended some not-so-great churches.
Throughout this journey, I've discovered two things that relate to the trouble of the western church. First, from what I've observed, some pastors aren't preaching the Bible. I'm not trying to be judgmental here. I'm just being honest. We went to one particular service where the pastor didn't even read scripture and he mentioned Jesus once, in passing. (What did he preach on, you ask? I'm still wondering myself...) Second, somehow, children and youth who were raised in the church have left Jesus behind for other things. And they need to repent and come back. They just do.
The western church is in trouble for one reason: too many of her followers have forgotten who Jesus even is.
Now, we must consider why the Western church is in trouble.
When I took my own realities into consideration, I could come up with one sole reason. But, we'll back track a little first. Here we go.
I owe an incredible amount of honor to Bible Christian Church in Garden City, Kansas and so many of her congregants for discipling me throughout my middle and high school years. Those people pointed me towards Christ, along with many other youth my age. Often times in the current, thanks to social media, I see what many of my former peers from church and school are up to. Sadly, I've also observed how many of them have fallen away from their faith. Their faith. As in, a faith they once owned and cultivated. This isn't an uncommon phenomenon. Scholars say "the Western church is in trouble" because our 20-somethings are leaving and they aren't coming back. (At least until they have children. And then some of them come back because it seems like the "right" thing to do -- to have their children in church and all. Good logic. But, not really.)
Lately, Kyle and I have been attending various churches around where we live. We were settled in one particular church for about a year and decided that our souls just needed something different. Hear me out when I say that leaving this particular church was a difficult decision to make, but we made it and have been attending churches since. It's been almost two months (the end is in sight, thank goodness) and we've attended some great churches. We've also attended some not-so-great churches.
Throughout this journey, I've discovered two things that relate to the trouble of the western church. First, from what I've observed, some pastors aren't preaching the Bible. I'm not trying to be judgmental here. I'm just being honest. We went to one particular service where the pastor didn't even read scripture and he mentioned Jesus once, in passing. (What did he preach on, you ask? I'm still wondering myself...) Second, somehow, children and youth who were raised in the church have left Jesus behind for other things. And they need to repent and come back. They just do.
The western church is in trouble for one reason: too many of her followers have forgotten who Jesus even is.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Baking Sunday: Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
It all started about a month ago during a nonchalant conversation with a sweet friend, Jenny, at Asbury. We were chatting in-between our intramural volleyball games about baking. I knew that she enjoyed baking and I said that we should get together to bake sometime. She informed me that, during college, her and her roommates used to spend the majority of their Sundays cooking, baking and enjoying meals/desserts together. They entitled this day, "Baking Sunday." I became wrapped up in the idea of it all and a few weekends later, Baking Sunday commenced in Wilmore. It's as simple as that. So, I thought it would be fun to share some recipes from Baking Sunday. Maybe you can start this in your neck of the woods, too. It's such a fun activity to do with friends on a relaxing Sunday, if you enjoy cooking/baking, that is.
Last weekend, Jenny and I baked some pretty amazing Strawberry Pie Sour Cream Crumb Bars. I was slacking on Instagram last weekend, so I have no pictures. But, the recipe can be found here. Thanks, Pinterest. And, thanks, Jenny. Who also happens to be a Pinteresting Queen.
This weekend, Jenny was gone so I invited Anna Chua into this adventure and we made one of her family's favorite dessert recipes: Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (we're into making desserts with long names, I guess). This is the recipe many of you have asked for. So, enjoy! P.S. Credit is all due to Anna -- thanks for the recipe AC!
Next Baking Sunday's plan is White Chocolate Bread Pudding, I think. I guess we'll see.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
yields: 9 servings
Coffee Cake:
- 1 package Pillsbury Blueberry quick bread and muffin mix
- 3/4 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 2 eggs
Topping:
- 1 8oz package of cream cheese
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla or grated lemon peel
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan. In a medium bowl, combine quick bread mix, water, oil and eggs. Beat 50-75 strokes until well mixed.
2. Rinse and drain blueberries and fold into the batter. Pour batter into greased pan.
3. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (with hand-held beaters or a mixer). Dollop spoonfuls of the blended mixture across top of the batter. Swirl by running a knife across the cream cheese and batter.
4. Bake at 375 until topping is golden and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Bake an 8x8 inch pan for 35-45 min. Bake a 9x9 inch pan for 30-40 min. Cool 15 minutes and serve warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Last weekend, Jenny and I baked some pretty amazing Strawberry Pie Sour Cream Crumb Bars. I was slacking on Instagram last weekend, so I have no pictures. But, the recipe can be found here. Thanks, Pinterest. And, thanks, Jenny. Who also happens to be a Pinteresting Queen.
This weekend, Jenny was gone so I invited Anna Chua into this adventure and we made one of her family's favorite dessert recipes: Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (we're into making desserts with long names, I guess). This is the recipe many of you have asked for. So, enjoy! P.S. Credit is all due to Anna -- thanks for the recipe AC!
Next Baking Sunday's plan is White Chocolate Bread Pudding, I think. I guess we'll see.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
yields: 9 servings
Coffee Cake:
- 1 package Pillsbury Blueberry quick bread and muffin mix
- 3/4 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 2 eggs
Topping:
- 1 8oz package of cream cheese
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla or grated lemon peel
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan. In a medium bowl, combine quick bread mix, water, oil and eggs. Beat 50-75 strokes until well mixed.
2. Rinse and drain blueberries and fold into the batter. Pour batter into greased pan.
3. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (with hand-held beaters or a mixer). Dollop spoonfuls of the blended mixture across top of the batter. Swirl by running a knife across the cream cheese and batter.
4. Bake at 375 until topping is golden and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Bake an 8x8 inch pan for 35-45 min. Bake a 9x9 inch pan for 30-40 min. Cool 15 minutes and serve warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
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